Coffee, Sadayo thought, it's always the coffee. And a hint of the curry, too, I suppose. I'm so glad he lives here. I can remember the smells, at least.

Well, not "glad" at the circumstances but…

She lifted her head up to peer down her chest, taking in the form of her body beneath the tight-fitting fabric of this damn maid's "uniform". She sneered at the frilly faux lace that adorned the cut around her breasts, sneered even harder at the white, sheer stockings she wore that barely rose up to her way-too-short skirt.

Knock it off, Sadayo. Master told Becky to relax, and since you're Becky, how about you get to it?

Ignoring what it might do to her silly pigtails, she rolled her head to see Ren sitting on his couch, notebook in his lap and textbook splayed open on the table. He would occasionally flip between pages, a finger tracing lines of text until he found what he was looking for before jotting something down in the notebook. Morgana, the cat that gave off significant not-quite-right vibes was curled into a ball next to him, snoring away as he siphoned heat off the teenager's leg.

This isn't 'relaxing', Becky. Master will be displeased!

I'm trying here! It's just…everything hurts. I've been pushing myself too much. I know it and…Ren knows it.

You mean 'Master' knows it?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Master knows it.

The first thing he'd said to her when she arrived at LeBlanc this evening was "hello" followed by an appraising "you're tired". She'd tried to play it off, cooing that she's never "too tired for Master". She knew that it wouldn't work on him – that stuff never seemed to work on him – because it sure seemed like Ren Amamiya didn't know the meaning of "flustered".

It'd been that way from the start. Well, except for maybe that very first night when he'd called the maid service. Then he'd looked pretty damn flustered. Of course, she'd not been much better. After all, she'd been prepared to offer her services for the usual clientele: older, usually middle-aged guys who were lonely and hadn't quite figured out that the differences between pornography and real-life were pretty significant. She wouldn't do anything overtly sexual, of course, that was not only forbidden by her employer, but also ran afoul of her own moral code. She was desperate, sure, but not "selling my body for sex" desperate. At least, not yet. That was probably coming sooner rather than later, though. But it wasn't always "older" guys though. Sometimes the requesters would be college-aged guys, much closer to her own age, a little too drunk and bored for their own good. They were all usually gross about it – after all, that was kinda the point of this whole charade – but what the hell, a girl (who was being blackmailed, oh by the way) had to make a living, right? So when Sadayo had shown up to the address with Becky's plumage on full display, she'd nearly had a heart attack upon seeing that the person on the other end of that phone call had been none other than her very own delinquent student. Being the delinquent that he was, she fully expected that he would take full advantage of this secret knowledge – rake her over the coals, so to speak – and try to blackmail his way to better grades, or getting some sleep during class after he'd (surely!) been partying all night like the little hooligan that he was.

Except that never happened.

His grades were excellent, he was mannerly and thoughtful, and his cohort of friends now included the student council president! How exactly he and Niijima-san got along so well was a mystery, and she was loathe to pry too much out of him on that front. But it was enough to have added evidence that not everything she'd been told about Amamiya-san had been entirely accurate. Certainly, many of the rumors were not to have been believed.

And now here she was, the kid's teacher and sort-of-maid, laying down on his bed while he studied, for crying out loud. She was grateful to him for allowing her to rest like this – hell, she was pretty certain that he only called for her just so she could – but she always felt a little guilty afterward. Although, more recently she had taken to doing his laundry (conspicuously missing any undergarments), some cooking (he had taught her how to make some of the best curry she'd ever had), and even how to make…lockpicks?

All right, she thought that last one was a little weird, but he assured her that it wasn't for anything dubious. As much as she'd wanted to question further, she trusted him and, quite frankly, she needed the money, so she really didn't want to push him away. And even more recently, she'd noticed just how tired he'd looked so often during class or even now, when he afforded her some much-needed downtime. She'd heard that he had like three part-time jobs? Maybe he was working out harder than he had been? After all, it's not like he wasn't in excellent physical condition. Maybe she was noticing now because she was seeing him so often. She wasn't sure, and it didn't really matter, did it? Maybe she would feel better about how good he was to her if she offered him a few more services? It's not like she would really mind giving him a massage or anything -

Sadayo, stop and think about that last sentence, just for a moment. Do you even hear yourself?

"That doesn't look like 'resting', Becky."

Ah, damn it.

"Oh, Master! I'm so sorry!" She sat up as she apologized, resisting the urge to stand at attention and give him a little curtsy. She expected his face to soften into a smirk, like usual, or maybe even catch a dusting of red on his cheeks. Maybe even laugh a little.

He didn't laugh, and he didn't blush. He remained stoic, sighing before resting his pen and notebook on the table. The cat stirred, giving him what she thought was an annoyed look before it scampered down the stairs.

Becky melted away, and Sadayo sighed in her place. "I know, Ren-kun. I can't get to sleep, as much as I'd like to. But I am resting, believe it or not. And I do appreciate it."

He frowned at her apologetically. "I'm sorry the bed's not more comfortable. I didn't really have a choice in the matter."

She shook her head, a little flustered at the undeserved, and wholly unnecessary, apology. Sadayo straightened her frilly skirt with a frown. "It's not that at all! It's just…you're too good to me, a stupid maid." She nearly spat out the last word.

To which he frowned even more deeply, of course. "You're not stupid, and you're not a maid – at least not by choice." He paused for a moment, and she felt herself heat up as his eyes seemed to appraise her. "You're exhausted, Sadayo-san."

"Yeah, I know." Again, he's so attentive and far too good to her. But maybe now's her chance to even the ledger a little bit more. "Ren-kun…er, Master, do you want…do you want a massage?" Despite her lame attempt at channeling Becky, her cheeks erupted with the heat and blood that roared through her capillaries because in what world was that question appropriate? "B-because you always look so tense and your posture is terrible and -"

He interrupted her with laughter. She was flustered and he knew it. His laughter wasn't harsh or mean-spirited (honestly, when is he ever), but it was genuine and heartfelt, and with a fair bit more warmth in it than perhaps she was comfortable hearing.

"No, I don't think that'll be necessary. I'm fine, Sadayo-san. Honest." He sat next to her and she felt even more heat in her face (if such a thing was even possible). He cleared his throat, and for one of the few times she'd seen him outside of class, he was blushing. "But…um, maybe you'd want one?"

"Want…what? A massage?" Her voice was totally serious now. Becky was no longer available because Sadayo had completely taken the reins again.

He simply nodded softly. "Yeah. You're exhausted, who knows the last time you ever felt relaxed, probably since before the Takases did…what they did, and…well, you deserve to be able to at least do that, right?"

The mention of her blackmailers made her flinch; she'd forgotten that he'd met them already and had even asked for their full names a couple of days ago. That was a little weird, but again, she dared not pry too much since she needed the money that he seemed all too happy to give to her. "Ren-kun…do you realize how wildly inappropriate that is?"

He simply blinked at her, dumbfounded. "Sadayo-san, in what world is any of this appropriate?"

Well, he's kinda got you there. And besides, it's not like you didn't literally just offer the same. What exactly made his offer any worse than yours, Sadayo?

Oh, that sounded like Becky mocking her. And for once…the stupid maid was right.

"I…you're right, of course." She looked to his eyes, and as usual she didn't find anything in there except for concern and…she shuddered at what else might be hidden behind those gray eyes of his. Whatever it was, they didn't hold malice.

Slowly, he nodded. "Then…just lie down on your stomach. It'll just be kind of a back rub?"

Sadayo couldn't hide the slight smile. "Okay. But no funny business, got it?"

He smirked in reply, holding his hands up in innocence. "I would never, Sadayo-san."

"Seriously, Ren-kun. I mean it."

He nodded again. "I know, and I meant it too. I would never."

Sincerity. Again. This kid was almost too good for words. "Okay." She blew out a breath and tried to steady her slightly trembling fingers. "Okay."

He stood up, allowing her to roll over on her stomach. She rested her forehead on her forearms and now the scent of the coffee and curry was damn near overpowering. She was supposed to be relaxing but instead her heart was racing.

Oh, this is going to be a problem.

"Sadayo-san," he began softly, "bring you legs together. I'm going to…straddle them, if that's okay? I'll be able to reach you better."

This was a terrible idea, Becky.

Don't look at me, Sadayo. You stopped being the maid a while ago.

"O-okay, Ren-kun. Just remember -"

She heard him chuckle. "I know. No funny business."

Sadayo knew that he knew; knew that he wouldn't do anything untoward. She did as he asked – asked not as her "master" but as her friend that was trying to help – and indeed shuffled her stocking-clad legs together. She immediately felt the mattress sink under pointed weight on either side of her, just south of her butt. That had to be his knees sinking into the bed. Two tentative hands, ten tentative fingers pressed into her lower back and began kneading the muscles located there. Instinctively, she let out a relieved sigh, but something was –

"Sadayo?"

No "-san" this time, she noted. They were probably long past the point of honorifics anyway. She decided to follow suit. "Yeah, Ren?"

"Can I…this dress is…um…" She could feel him getting flustered; heard it in his voice. She smirked into the pillow.

"Yes, just unzip down to my waist, okay?"

What. The. Hell, Sadayo?

She tucked that voice into a corner as she felt tentative fingers grasp the zipper at the top of the outfit. They were gentle and soft as they grazed her neck, causing a hitch in her breathing and quite a few goosebumps to form. Slowly, ever so slowly, she felt the warm air touch her skin as Ren pulled the zipper down, pausing only to make sure he didn't catch her bra.

Never before had she been so thankful that she chose something so extremely plain as the tan bra that she was wearing right then.

Once past her bra, the zipper kept going down until, just as she asked, it stopped just at the small of her back. If anything, the zipper was a bit above where she'd asked.

Ren cleared his throat. "Sadayo…you're sure this is okay? I don't wanna -"

She lifted her face off the pillow. "Ren, I promise it's okay. I wouldn't have said 'yes' otherwise." She smirked a little at his mumbled affirmation.

And then she felt his fingers on her skin, pressing into tight, taut muscles and eliciting a low hum of pleasure from her. He was surprisingly dexterous, or maybe it wasn't surprising. He started at her lower back, thumbs kneading into her flesh and she felt herself press more into his touch.

Hey, be careful there, Sadayo.

She sighed deeply, feeling the knots loosen as he ran his fingers slowly up her spine. His thumbs pressed harder into her muscles there before rolling outward. Oh God, this felt so good. She tried to recall the last time anyone had touched her like this, in such a gentle, caring and deeply sensual way. "Hmmmmm," she moaned into the pillow, not caring how that might have sounded to her student –

That's not quite correct, though, right? I mean, he's clearly not just your student. When's the last time someone – anyone – did this for you, to you?

That's…actually a good question. When's the last time I had a boyfriend?

I was still in college, I think. I was maybe –

"Mmph, Ren, be a little gentler there, please."

He had worked his fingers under the straps of her bra, and had pressed a little too hard into her there. He probably didn't realize just how sore the skin and muscles under the damn things could get. He immediately apologized and softened his movements. She arched her back again, pressing into his hands a little bit more, enjoying immensely the feel of his hands on her.

"Mmmm, yes that's perfect."

She returned to her thoughts.

Hmm, I was maybe twenty-one? Tanaka-kun. He'd been sweet, and he didn't mind touching me like this. But he got a little too touchy. She frowned into the pillow. Especially after a bit too much alcohol.

Yeah, but Ren…?

But Ren is…wait! What are you getting at here?

I'm getting at nothing here, Sadayo. You're the one lying half-naked in his bed with his hands running lovingly over your skin.

Oh God…oh God what am I doing? What…you know what? Let me have this. This'll be the one and only time. And it'll be over soon enough anyway. I just want to…relax for once. And he's so sweet, and he just…

When she woke up, Ren was sitting on the floor beside the bed, his fingers running idly on her skin while he read. There was a touch of drool on the pillow.

"Mmm, Ren, what time is it?"

"Hmm? Oh hey. Welcome back, Sadayo. It's," he checked his phone, "a little after nine." He frowned. "Did I let you sleep too long? You looked so peaceful." He smiled at her sheepishly.

"No, no. It's fine. I didn't have any other appointments tonight anyway." Sadayo started to roll over before she felt how exposed her back still was and how easily the rest of her could follow suit. She coughed, a little embarrassed. "Ren, could you, um, zip me back up?"

He smiled softly, barely creasing his cheeks. "Yeah, of course. Here, hold still." Again she felt those fingers on her skin, pulsing something through her. She sighed as the dress tightened back up around her torso, constricting her like so many other things in her life. But not here, not with Ren. Hanging out with him – let's be honest, she didn't exactly "keep house" for him that much – felt so freeing. She enjoyed the time he let her relax, she really liked when they would discuss whatever book he was reading (which was Cry of Cthulu currently) or even when she got to make that curry. She was going to miss this.

"Sadayo, you okay?"

"Hmm? Yes Master, I'm fine! Thank you for being so concerned about your little maid!" She still kept her face buried in his pillow.

His fingers softly pinched around her neck, so gentle…

"The Takases won't let it go, huh?"

She sighed. "No, they're not." She lifted her head onto her forearm, still face down but now not so muffled. "Ren, I'm not sure what I'm going to do about them."

"Hmm. It'll work out, I promise."

God, he sounded so sure. How could he be so certain about it?

"Ren, how can you say that?"

She sat up, looking at him incredulously. All he did was shrug and give her a little smile. How could she doubt him, even though he could do nothing about it? But there was something in that smile that hid a secret. She was certain of it, she just didn't know what it was.

A few minutes later, she left him with the usual "thank you for using our service" nonsense, but thanked him honestly for letting her rest and for helping her to relax.

She opened the door to exit Leblanc before shaking her head and softly closing it. "Ren, look…I'm sorry." Her voice nearly broke, trembling over unsteady ground with her apology. His gray eyes were still so soft.

He tilted his head, obviously confused. "Um…for what?"

"For taking advantage of you. I offered to give you a massage. A massage! It's so…" she sighed, hand on her forehead. "It's not right. And yeah, you're 'mature' for your age, but that's no excuse for my behavior. Damn it, I'm no better than Kamoshida."

"That's not true. That's not true at all."

Anger at his assurance flashed within her. "Stop it. Just stop doing that! Stop trying to make me feel better about this. Stop trying to give me an excuse. I'm a terrible teacher, I'm obviously a terrible maid, and I'm a pretty terrible person, too."

For once, it seemed like she stunned him into silence.

"Look Ren, thanks for listening to me, thanks for letting me relax. I mean it when I say that you're a wonderful person, so don't lose that. And this," she gestured sadly at herself, "is not good for you. It's not good for either of us." She reached out and ruffled his hair. "You understand, right?"

His sad, thin line of a forlorn smile answered her first. "Yeah, I know, Sadayo-san. I'm…sorry, too. I didn't exactly make things easy for you either, did I?"

She shook her head dismissively. "It's not your fault, Ren-kun. But remember, I'll still be there to support you, okay? And…I guess I'd still like to be someone you can rely on…just not like this."

He just looked at her, considering something. "I'd like that. But if you ever want to stop by and relax with some curry and coffee, Sojiro says I'm turning into quite the barista. I'd be glad to make some for you."

Sadayo smiled and nodded to him before turning once more and leaving for the station.

She did not look back.

When Sadayo got back to her apartment, she realized that she was glad that she'd kept the news of her new job to herself. There was no way he would've ever let her do what she was about to start doing. She couldn't drag him into her mess any further than she already had.

But he would find out – Ren seemed to just be someone who knew things. And when he did find out about what she was stooping to…

Hopefully he'd find it in himself to forgive her for being so weak.