.
It was a quiet afternoon at Jabberwork House, though "quiet" didn't exactly mean peaceful. You and Ren had been left in charge of Peekaboo while Towa and Haru went out on a mission. Ren, who was already annoyed by the whole situation, sat on the couch, arms crossed, glaring at the little furr ball of energy bouncing around the room.
"Why exactly am I stuck here watching this thing?" he muttered, glancing over at you. "I didn't sign up to get harassed by this… fat marshmallow."
You chuckled, crossing your arms as you leaned back. "Come on, Ren. Peekaboo's adorable—look at those eyes!"
Ren scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Until it decides to pop out from behind a corner and give me a heart attack."
As if on cue, Peekaboo let out a high-pitched sound, bouncing in Ren's direction. He flinched, glaring at it suspiciously. "Don't even think about it," he grumbled, reaching out to give it a tiny push. But as soon as his hand brushed its soft, round form, Peekaboo showed it's teeth and Ren leaned back with exaggerated horror. "That's harassment! Did you see that? I'm being targeted! See? This thing is evil."
You stifled a laugh, rolling your eyes. "It's just a little fluff ball, Ren. I doubt it's planning to ruin your life."
Ren raised a dramatic hand to his forehead. "You don't understand. It's got those… huge eyes and sharp teeth. It's definitely up to something."
You couldn't hold back your laughter anymore. "Alright, Drama King. Let's play a game with him. Maybe if we make it a little more fun, Peekaboo will stop 'harassing' you."
Ren huffed but finally relented, standing up and glancing at Peekaboo with a skeptical look. "Fine, but don't expect me to actually like this. I'm just doing this to keep it from causing chaos," he grumbled.
"Uh-huh, sure," You teased, grabbing a blanket and draping it over a couple of chairs to create a little fort. "How about we play hide-and-seek? Peekaboo can be the seeker."
Ren raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "You really think this thing knows how to play hide-and-seek?"
But as soon as you ducked behind the couch, Peekaboo let out an excited squeak and started jumping around, scanning the room in search of them. You giggled softly, pressing a finger to your lips to signal Ren to stay quiet.
Ren rolled his eyes but stayed silent, holding his breath as Peekaboo bounced past. For someone who was supposedly annoyed, he looked like he was getting into the game.
When Peekaboo finally spotted you both, it squealed in delight, bouncing around in a circle. Ren's glare softened, and he let out a begrudging laugh. "Fine, fine, you found us. Good job, I guess."
"Admit it—you're having fun," You teased, nudging him playfully.
Ren groaned, clutching his arm as if in pain. "That's harassment, too!" But his cheeks turned slightly pink, and you could tell he was only pretending to be annoyed.
Peekaboo then darted over and did a little flip in front of Ren, hovering in mid-air as it stared at him with its huge, unblinking eyes. Ren raised an eyebrow, looking at Peekaboo in mock suspicion. "Oh, what, now you're challenging me? You want a rematch or something?"
They played a few more rounds of hide-and-seek, each time ending with Peekaboo squealing in delight whenever it found them. Even Ren started to lighten up, though he kept his usual dramatic act going.
Finally, they decided to settle down, with Peekaboo nestled happily between them on the couch. Ren leaned back with a sigh, crossing his arms but glancing at Peekaboo with a slight, almost fond smile.
"Alright, maybe it's… not completely horrible," he mumbled. "But don't go telling anyone, got it?"
You grinned, nudging him again. "Your secret's safe with me, Ren. And with Peekaboo, who—let's be honest—probably adores you by now."
Ren huffed, feigning exasperation. "I don't need any admirers, especially not tiny, clingy ones."
But as he reached out to give Peekaboo a light pat on the head, he couldn't help but smile, just a little.
As the afternoon sun began to dip, you couldn't help but feel grateful for the moment—a glimpse of Ren's softer side, even if he'd never admit it.