CHAPTER 43
I do not own skip beat! Yoshiki Nakamura does.
(I advise listening to I believe in you from Michael Bublé for this chapter)
Our paths intertwine ~first knot~ part 2~
Ren quickly returned with a duffel bag with his change and Kyoko though internally slightly disappointed he really had some, pointed out the bathroom in which he rushed to change. Meanwhile, Kyoko put aside a clean paint roller and a few brushes.
She didn't know what to think of his attitude but was trying very hard to rationalize. She knew it's been a while but from an outsider view it looked like, since she was back, he was hanging on to her. Or rather as if he was looking for every opportunity to see her. Which was absurd. But she was putting too much thought into it. Okay, they were childhood friends and yeah she knew quite a bit about him and again they had become closer before she left.
And he did tell her he had missed her.
She didn't even ponder it. She knew it was only as friends. She knew he could be very caring with people he trusted so why couldn't she help to wish for it to be more.
She allowed herself one unhappy sigh and brushed it all aside. It was no use mull over impossible events. One thing at a time.
For now, she just needed to survive this afternoon.
Ren got out rather quickly and they began to paint in silence, awkward to possible until Kyoko propose to put the radio to fill of the void.
Kyoko hummed a bit time to time when a song she knew came and she swore she could have heard him hummed with her sometimes, a smile hidden in his voice.
They were mostly done beside the borders connecting ceiling to walls and Kyoko was trying really hard to not sing with one of her favourite song passed.
He couldn't hear her voice. He could never hear her voice when she was singing.
For third times she felt Snow climbing back the step ladder around her feet but she was nearly finished with the borders and ignored her this time, too concentrated to care.
Just one inch more…She thought.
Done…
Her cat jumped on her back assaulting as she purred and Kyoko not expecting it the least and bent on her the tip of her feet lost her equilibrium. Letting out a short cry she prepared herself to try to land back in a not so painful way when strong arms caught her expulsing all the air of her lungs in shock.
Once she realized she wasn't going to fall to the ground, she briefly glared at her cat that was licking her paw innocently before asserting her situation. They were standing but he was the only one to touch the ground as Ren was holding her in his arms, one under her bust, another one under her legs. On the few hours that had passed some spots of colour had appeared here and there on his clothes, on the curve of his collarbones and a little one on his nose. It was sexy. It was insanely cute.
Okay, wrong idea. Do not thing about your situation right now. Do not!
"You okay?" inquired Ren.
She nodded with a warry smile. So much for keeping physical distance. It was fairly high dose of fairy right under her nose. She wanted to roll in his scent. Her eyes followed the path of paint around his strong collar and under the shirt. Kyoko wondered if his skin was still as warm to the touch as in the past.
She needed to step back. Like, right now.
"Thank you"
He smiled but didn't let go.
"Can I be put down now, Ren? She demanded, desperately trying to hold her cool beside her inner feelings.
He seemed to hesitate a second before the arm holding her legs and with a little brush still captured between two prolonged fingers accepted to lower her feet to the ground.
He let her go but kept his hands at her waist and looked into her eyes with a care that make her throat clench and her insides do summersaults.
"You aren't hurt?" he questioned, his voice barely above a whisper.
"You prevented that" She moved her lips, responding in kind and raising one hand efflorescing his forearm without really noticing neither her action nor his little jolt.
"Good" He kept on the same tone and brushed delicately a lock of her hair behind her ear when he saw her blowing on it to push it aside, an amused glint coming back in the pupil of the eye.
His worry didn't evaporate from his face completely though and her eyes softened to the sight as her heart beat one mile a minute after his mere touch.
"Worrywart" She teased lightly.
He puffed a bit.
"And what?" Am I not allow"-
"You are" she dismissed, "it's endearing in fact" Kyoko added, a tender glim in the eyes and he sputtered incoherently for a second before grabbing back for his cool.
"You-You could have hurt yourself badly, he took a deep breath, it's only natural to worry" He grumbled half vexed, half confused and half happy about her remark.
She sent him a sceptical bemused look, not convinced the least and Ren huffed pretending to be terribly upset and her merry laugh soon followed his dramatic airs.
Yeah, Yeah.
Laugh it away…
Laugh my concern away he thought as he fiddled with his brush not really paying attention to what he was doing between his fascination for her happy face and his half vexed feelings until a dreadful silence came upon the flat.
Kyoko's face and hair were covered with a very fresh very bright new slash of blue coming directly from his brush Ren realized meekly and he gave her an apologetic grin.
"Oops…"
"Oops you say? "Kyoko inquired an evil smile crossing her face as her eyes glimmered with a something akin to a future thrill.
He raised his arms in defence, feeling the danger but too late and she showed no pity.
"Come here"
"Kyoko, come on, be reasonable…Ren said backing away slowly, It was an accident" he continued and he saw her cat on the counter slowly leaning on her belly like she was preparing for the show.
"It sure was" She sardonically said, advancing menacingly to him and proving without a doubt there was no escape anymore.
"You know I don't mind if you do but everywhere but the hair, you know I have to die them and with wall paint-he attempted.
"That's also the main reason I'm upset, I had managed to save mine pretty well until now and had hope to not have to wash them today but don't worry it's biologic paint, it won't do any damage to your hair and won't be hard to remove" said Kyoko like she was talking about tortures way.
Ren wince, seeing his last safety excuse going down the drain.
"Come here" She said again, stepping forward even more and he had time to think how he wished for her to say those words in more inappropriate circumstances.
"Hmm…he begun like he was thinking about it in all seriousness, "No"
She eliminated the distance a bit more and he saw no more other choice.
"I'm going to fight back, kyoko" He warned, a slow grin forming once he had realized he had no other alternative and his serious started to slip. It was no gentlemanly behaviour to cover a woman in paint and he was still a bit unsure on the steps to take with this new Kyoko but he wouldn't let himself go through that without fighting back and whatever the years passed and differences, he could be certain of one thing. A thing that had been cemented in him since the day she accepted his past.
He could be himself with her.
"Let's hope you will" She said with a tempting grin. She was closing in on him like a tigress. Tipping on her toes to the right then the left when he would attempt to move. Barely staying a second immobile but very careful in moving still. Slowly; determinately but with a sharp dreadful elegance. It was really captivating and he had to watch himself to not miss her moves out of distraction.
And fuck!
It was turning him on. Damn badly.
She had never been this aggressive when being her, when not being in a role; and even less in a kind of playful way.
He was a mess.
"Come on, Ren" she taunted with a wild cheeky smile that did things to him he didn't want to name, "show me you still know how to have fun!"
He grumbled at her provocation and started to think about an angle of attack, shifting his standing.
"Your corn's side knew how when we were children and I'm sure Kuon knew too" Kyoko commented sending flying the brush to one hand then to the other and Ren got distract remembering their times as children at the evocation.
"Or maybe, Kyoko chipped in thoughtfully bringing him back, "you forgot how to" "You're older after all" she added, and you seems damn intended on working to death"
"Excuse me!" He said roaring in outrage and forgetting strategy, eliciting the rise Kyoko had been hoping for from the start.
She grinned wickedly and paint flew.
Splashing his front with blue. Big time.
"Strike" she said grinning in victory before a shriek escaped her when he caught her and secured one firm arm around her middle-area to prevent her to move away and started spattering paint every spot he could reach with laughing eyes and under her giggles.
Kyoko laid out her brush full on his face smearing the paint from up to down under irrepressible throttles. When she was done with his face, she attacked his neck with more paint. He tried to stop her but she wiggled away from his grasp and he laughed, chasing her.
She didn't expect his sudden acceleration and felt herself be lift on his shoulder like a potato 'sack while he chuckled as she wrestled in hope he would put her down. He directed them to where the remaining paint was and Kyoko lost her brush in her struggle.
"What a savage! Put me down Ren! She shouted though she had to admit she had a nice view of his backside and had to refrain to blush. How could it seem so well-shaped and firm, it was a crime!
"Nop! " He replied nonchalantly as he was retrieving some paint but Kyoko make use of his need to bend to grab the can of paint of his other side and before Ren could see her move, she unceremoniously dropped the content right on his head.
He gasped in shock and did put her down this time as she backed off a few steps to take a better look at him, already shaking at his blurry expression. His face was all blue.
"Hi Smurf" She chipped, tearing up from the repressed laughs
"You"-He begun, removing thick load of blue paint from his face once and his hair and again. Very carefully. Half baffled but a sort of appraising challenging fire in the eye. "You had the nerve to do this…"
Kyoko pinched her lips to avoid bending over and losing sight of him because of bouts of laughs.
"It was self-defence" She pipped innocently.
A very very sadistic smile made its way on his face and not caring about removing the blue anymore he sagged his stance a bit, a threatening air instantly emitting from him.
"Oh, Kyoko "he stretched, revenge will be sweet" with a sugary tone. "You had it coming…was the only warning she got and-
Next second, he had caught her again. It was a cramped space and she hadn't had any room to move because she knew she could have dodge him otherwise. Still, she was now dreading his plans after what his expression had showed.
Still again. She could be that bothered by it. She was having too much fun. Living in the moment. With him.
"I'm so afraid" Kyoko chimed half laughing as he lifted her again but with only one arm this time, around her legs, like his forearm was just a chair onto which she was sat and had to only to stretch his muscle and raise his arm to raise her. It was really impressive and she would have admire it longer if she wasn't curious of what he was planning.
He chuckled as an answer and with the other arm grabbed one of her leg before methodically sinking her toes in the can of grey paint.
Kyoko tried to avoid it though she was still amused. It would be so slippery! And a hell to remove but he was too strong.
"Seriously?" She asked bewildered. Fortunately she had covered the floor with a tarpaulin but it would make it even more difficult for her until the paint would dry or remove.
"It's gonna be hell to not slip!" Kyoko groaned.
"That's the idea Ren replied, a wicked grin on his face as she shift to the other foot sinking it even deeper this time.
She glared falsely at him.
"It's un unfair move" She state.
"All is fair in this, it's revenge" And not letting her go, he removed her foot and grab the can with his now free hand. "It really is a shame it's not a more flamboyant colour commented Ren as he stared into the can for a second and rubbed his hair full of blue on her own.
"Not the hair" She grumbled and Ren replied with a chuckle.
"Because I don't think grey is the colour that suits you the best" He explained.
"Suit me but-…
"Arghhhh!"
She choked when a pool of cold liquid landed on her hair, face and bust, even under her t-shirt covering in viscose grey texture and gaped without a word before turning a murdering face to him.
He threw his head back and laughed freely, admiring with triumph his art with such an alive spark in the eyes and Kyoko couldn't help but stare for a second. Head and body covered in paint, clothes ruffled, barefoot, his lengthy brawny form enhanced by his relaxed pose.
Only the gristles of his collarbones under the blue paint were strained by his posture as he was laughing, the carefree expression marring his face. He had never been more attractive and charming to her than at this moment, and she felt enchanted at the joy she could feel coming from him.
Pulling off paint from her face with a hand, she plunged on him.
…
PS: I hope you'll like this one. It was absolutely hilarious to write. And that it will satisfy the want needing fluff.
Kaname671: There, you have it. Gorge yourself in paint' battle. Smirks …buahaha…
Kisses.
AUTHOR OUT.