All the important bits are covered.
That was the main thought blaring through Kyoko's mind as she kept a death grip on the towel covering her. The questions of how and why Ren was there, weren't nearly as important.
Ren looked as shocked as she felt. He'd frozen in a slouched position, clearly in the middle of standing. To his credit, Ren's eyes didn't waver from hers, but they did flicker between them, panic clearly rising with every second. She was aware of how much thigh was showing under her towel, her skin pink from the heat and moisture of the bathroom.
Kyoko breathed in, long and slow, as if she meant to scream.
"Uh," was all she got out instead.
At least she hadn't screamed.
Ren jumped as if she had. Red raced across his cheeks and ears, so fast and bright she couldn't help but stare. She'd never seen Ren blush like that. Not on TV. Not in real life. It spread down his neck and disappeared into his collar, his throat bobbing up and down as he swallowed. It made her feel even more embarrassed, like she hadn't realized how compromising this position was until she saw its effect on Ren.
Words spoken on secluded rooftops threatened to creep into her mind. She batted them away, willing her frozen limbs to start working again.
She swallowed and tried again.
"...I locked the door," she said.
Ren turned on his heel and ran to the window, slamming it open.
That must have been how he got in. Good to know. Now she would compulsively check her windows every night for the rest of her life.
He was also trying to run away. He had one foot on the windowsill, clearly meaning to jump.
"Wait!"
Her still wet feet slapped against the carpet as she surged forward, snatching the back of his shirt. Ren stalled, still half out of the window, but no longer trying to escape. She held tight to both her towel and his shirt. Gosh, she would hate to let either piece of fabric go for completely different reasons.
"Don't leave," said Kyoko. "We need to talk."
"I'll come back," said Ren, facing the outside.
"You don't know that you'll be able to. Maria-san said they're trying to keep us separated and I really want to talk to you."
Ren thunked his head on the side of the windowsill.
"Y-you're not dressed," he said.
"I'll get dressed," said Kyoko. "Just–please get away from the window."
Kyoko's heart hammered. What insane goddess of courage was she channeling right now? She shouldn't be begging him to stay, not when a casual slip of her hand could prove disastrous. She should have thrown him out, ran into her bathroom, and cursed the gods for getting her into such a situation.
Except there were more important things right now. Things that required her courage. Things she wanted to be brave for. They needed to talk. And gosh darn it, she just missed him. She wasn't going to let something as inconsequential as her embarrassment stop her from taking hold of an opportunity, even if it continued to stop her from doing other things. This, though, she could manage. He hadn't seen anything. And frankly, it looked like he hadn't disliked the view if that blush proved anything.
And why did that make it better? Shouldn't that have made it worse?
No. It shouldn't. Because attraction between them was a good thing, even if it was something she was getting used to.
Ren suddenly stiffened, head jerking back in. He scrambled inside, nearly falling on Kyoko in his haste. Kyoko just managed to get out of the way as Ren slammed the window shut. He pressed his hands against the wall, still facing away from Kyoko.
"Someone was coming around the corner," said Ren. "Damn it." That last bit had been muttered in English.
She released him, taking a step back.
"Stay," said Kyoko. "Don't try to leave again. I'll be right back."
Not waiting for a response, she grabbed her underwear and ran into the bathroom. She ignored her scrambling thoughts as she jammed on her pajamas and came racing back out.
He had moved from the wall to the bed, head in his hands. He was dressed in one of his nerd outfits of sweats and a t-shirt, but his glasses were nowhere to be seen. Neither was his nerd persona. It was all Tsuruga Ren in front of her. And all distress.
She slid into place next to him, the bed dipping as it took her weight.
"I'm sorry," he muttered, face still in his hands. "I shouldn't have just let myself in."
"It's okay." She clutched fistfuls of her cotton pants, something aching in her chest. "I know you didn't mean to, uh, walk in on purpose. Besides, now we're even. Sort of."
"Even?"
She cleared her throat. "During Cain and Setsu when you were in the shower…"
Ren lowered his hands slowly, his expression thoughtful.
"I'd forgotten that happened," he said. "I don't know how."
Kyoko scratched the back of her neck. "To be fair, we found ourselves in a few weird positions during that whole thing."
During which he had apparently been in love with her. And also attracted to her. She felt like she should be mad at him for that, but that would be hypocritical. She'd been harboring feelings for him as well, and he wasn't the one who had put a hickey on her. Or walked in on her while showering. Plus, Ren had clearly needed emotional help. Sort of like now. He wasn't as distressed as he had been during the dangerous mission, but he was certainly troubled.
It was almost funny how in their pursuit to connect and comfort they wound up in compromising positions. Almost like the world was trying to push them together. She'd say 'screw you world' if she didn't like the general idea so much.
"I'm sorry for all that." Ren still hadn't looked at her, fingers laced together in front of him. "My behavior was often inappropriate."
"You're not the only one that needs to apologize for that time," said Kyoko, she rubbed her arm. "I, uh. We never really talked about some of the, um, more interesting positions? Like when I– to your neck, I mean." She pointed lamely to her own.
There was a long pause.
Ren put a hand over his eyes, turning away from her. Oh no, the man was disgusted with her!
"I-I'm so sorry!" She bowed where she sat. "I promise it will never happen again!" She bowed again. "I can't believe I was so impulsive and-" And again. "-I should have been much more professional." Then a fourth time. "You can fillet me with your words. Dice me with your reprimands. Skin me with your–"
He placed a hand on her head, stopping her from a fifth bow. He kept his face turned away from her.
"There's no need to apologize," he said. "I'm not upset at anything you did during that time. I was often grateful for it."
She frowned in confusion. "You're grateful I walked in on you showering?"
"No, I–"
He removed his hand, finally turning to face her. She now had a clear view of the conflicting emotions crowding his face. Pain, regret, joy. Even the hint of his previous blush. It was almost cute in a sad, comfort-the-puppy way.
"A lot was going on in my head during those shoots," he said. "I know you noticed I was out of sorts, and your presence helped keep me centered. Or your actions left me so surprised it knocked me back to reality. You were my tether."
"It's nice to have confirmation," said Kyoko. "I often wondered if I was helping you at all."
"You were. You have no idea how much I needed you during that time."
He sounded so sad, like he was scared she'd vanish. Instinctively, Kyoko reached up. Her fingers brushed his cheek. He didn't move at the contact, like a frightened animal, one wrong move from fleeing.
"Ren-san," she said. "Just what—"
Pounding came at Kyoko's door.
They froze, eyes wide as they stared at each other. The knock came again, and Kyoko grabbed her phone to check the time. It was eight o'clock. The film crew was here.
"Kyoko-san?" said a voice from the door. "Are you ready?"
"Just about!" Kyoko shouted. She locked eyes with Ren, pointed to him, and then down to tell him nonverbally to stay.
Ren shook his head, gesturing to the window and miming opening it and leaving.
Kyoko scowled, crossing her arms into an "X" as she shook her head.
"Kyoko-san?" said the person again. "Can we come in?"
"Give me a second!" said Kyoko. "I, uh, locked the door."
"Don't worry about it," said the voice. "We have a key. You stay in bed, we'll get it for you."
Never had the sound of a key scraping in the lock been more horrifying.
About twenty different thoughts ran through Kyoko's mind at once. This is a list of some of those things:
Oh shoot oh crap oh no oh my gosh–
Why do they have a key to my room?
Huh, even Ren looks panicked.
This is not a full comprehensive list of what went through her head, but it was the vast majority save for one last big one:
Ren couldn't be allowed to leave, and the crew couldn't know he was here.
Without the time needed to convince him, Ren would not return after everyone had left, too embarrassed by walking in on her nearly naked. Then tomorrow, Ryou would separate them for the entire day. She'd be constantly monitored by her shadow cameraman. If they were going to talk with any semblance of privacy, he needed to be hidden, and fast. The question was where.
The underside of the bed was visible from the door, and the bathroom could be used by a crew member. The closet had been opened, a camera backed into its depths, so that wasn't an option.
No, there truly was only one place Ren could hide quickly enough.
In three swift movements that blended into one, Kyoko hid Ren.
First, she threw her bed covers and sheets into the air, her panic making it an easy task with one arm, forcing Ren to slide off. They floated with a supernatural grace toward the ceiling.
Second, she grabbed Ren by the collar of his shirt and threw him on the bed. He didn't resist with anything more than a grunt, something she was both grateful for and didn't have time to think about.
And finally, she threw herself onto the bed next to him, the covers of the bed falling to fully cover Ren. They only covered her up to her hips as she sat upright against her pillows. Everything settled perfectly, like a Disney princess making the bed with the aid of cute doe-eyed animals.
This all happened just in time for the door to open. Kyoko's face burned as the staff walked in.
"We have just a few more things to set up," said the crew member apologetically, not even looking at Kyoko. His eyes were on a clipboard, scratching his head with a pen. "Sorry to bother you."
"Don't worry about it." Her voice sounded strained, but the man didn't blink, focused on telling his workers what to do.
Ren hadn't so much as twitched since she'd thrown him on the bed. She resisted glancing at him for all of three seconds. She wished she hadn't.
It was obvious someone was under the covers. Glaringly, suspiciously, overwhelmingly obvious. There was no hiding that large human-shaped lump next to her. The only reason they hadn't been caught was because no one had bothered to look her way.
Desperate, she searched for something that could help.
Her eyes locked on a crew member.
It was the expressionless female robot assistant with white hair. She stood next to the bed, carrying a box-shaped makeup case. Her eyes slowly moved down to the lump next to her. There was no mistaking the robot's line of sight.
Every muscle in Kyoko's body tightened. She fought to keep her face neutral as the robot looked up and down Kyoko's bed again. Her dull eyes finally settled on Kyoko's panicked ones.
With an audible sigh, the robot set her makeup case on the side table. Then she walked to the window, bent down, and picked something up.
With a heart-stopping jolt, Kyoko saw the robot had picked up Ren's shoes. He must have taken them off before entering her room. There was no mistaking them as anyone else's. Not with that distinct barf stain she'd put there just yesterday.
Without a word, the robot placed the shoes into a separate black bag. She threw this and her makeup case next to the bed on the side closest to the window. The same side where Ren hid.
"Shove over," said Robot-chan. Then she swatted Ren under the covers.
All the life drained out of Kyoko.
Ren grunted in surprise but didn't budge.
"I said shove over," said Robot-san, swatting him again. "I want to sit on the bed next to you, Kyoko-san, while I apply your makeup. You're taking up all this space."
Kyoko's mouth fell open. Her eyes darted around, but no one paid them any attention.
"Okay," said Kyoko. She shifted as if she were scooting, instead reaching under the covers and giving Ren a slight push.
He didn't budge.
When she pressed harder, she felt him shake his head under the covers.
What the hell? Does he want to get caught?
Well, there was no way she wanted to get caught hiding him under her covers. Not with a room full of witnesses who wielded cameras. She dug her fingernails into Ren's shoulder.
"I'm scooting," said Kyoko in her most polite voice, pressing on Ren's shoulders.
Finally, he moved.
She also now understood why Ren had hesitated. He had already been lying against her. There was nowhere for him to go, except on top of her.
Okay, it wasn't fully on top of her. If he did that it would probably hurt, seeing as the man was a freaking giant. Instead, they recreated a koala's relationship with a tree. He switched from lying on his back to almost lying on his chest. An arm wrapped around her to hug her thighs. His legs tangled carefully with her own, everything tense so as not to put weight on anything that might hurt. And last of all, his head came to rest on her thighs.
Holy crap, this man was bear-hugging her. There was no other way to describe what was happening. It was like he'd become a boa constrictor but in the most delightful and thoughtful way possible.
It felt insanely comfortable. And that no one else should be in the room. It felt like he had claimed her, yet given up all the power in how vulnerable he had opened himself to her touch. It would be so easy to reach under the covers and run her hands through his hair.
She remembered doing so in the trailer back on the Dark Moon set, but he hadn't been wrapped up around her like he was now. His silky hair had been so soft. It would be so easy to do that again. Maybe she could caress his cheek as well, run her fingers over his lips. She remembered how they had felt pressed against hers, warm and soft.
Kyoko snatched her hand back. It had been halfway under the covers.
Heat raced up Kyoko's cheeks. The Robot tapped a finger to her chin, staring at the lump Kyoko and Ren had become. While less obvious, it still didn't look right. Her comforter was helpfully plump and fluffy, but all the fluff in the world wasn't going to hide the extra bulk she'd gained.
Robot-san pushed on the comforter, bunching it on her side to reduce the oddity. It helped a lot. Now it looked like half of the bed was super lumpy, including Kyoko herself. But it still wasn't enough to hide from even casual inspection.
Robot-san put a hand to her mouth in the most unconvincing look of surprise Kyoko had ever seen.
"Oh no," said Robot-san, her voice monotone. "I forgot something. I'll be right back."
Then she left, taking the black bag with her.
Wait.
So.
Had the Robot just put Kyoko in an even more compromising position to create more drama? Finding Ren attached like a barnacle to her thighs was certainly a more salacious discovery than lying innocently beside her.
She panicked for a good two minutes, during which no one bothered to give her more than a cursory glance. A few of them even pulled out their phones, doom-scrolling rather than take a second to scrutinize her. Never was Kyoko more thankful for the collective apathy of overworked employees.
Just as she started to relax, Ryou strode in, arms wide, as if expecting her to clap at his entrance.
"Kyoko-san," he said cheerfully. "It's good to see you feeling better."
"So much better," said Kyoko, sweat trailing down her back.
Keep your eyes on me. Don't look down.
His eyes roamed the bed. The smile slipped, concern creasing his brow. He opened his mouth, and Kyoko knew it was over. She could see the cogs turning. He hadn't realized it yet, but something registered as wrong, and it was seconds before he figured it out.
Someone elbowed Ryou out of the way.
For a second, Kyoko thought the contents of a claw machine had coalesced into human form, walking this world like some nightmare conglomerate. Then she saw a flash of red hair and understood. It was Eri holding a ridiculous number of stuffed animals.
"Excuse us," said Eri, hip-checking Ryou. She threw the contents of her arms onto Kyoko's bed. Some of them bounced off and onto the floor with a plop.
"Us?" said Ryou, turning, and sure enough, another tower of fluff followed, this one much taller. It turned out to be Sakura as she too added her tower to the pile on Kyoko's bed. She beamed at Kyoko, makeup gone for the day and wearing her PJs. But she looked positively delighted to be there.
"Good evening," said Sakura sweetly. "It's good to see you feeling better."
"Right…" Something was up. She knew Sakura, and that smile was too wide, her eyes too bright. She watched Eri pick up a squish mellow from the floor, arranging it to sit against what would normally have been Kyoko's leg but was Ren's arm. It covered him perfectly, hiding his lumpy form from view under piles and piles of Pokémon and anime mascots.
Oh.
That's what this was.
They knew.
That's why Sakura's smile was so knowing. The robot must have rallied them for help.
The knot in Kyoko's stomach loosened. Ren wasn't going to get caught. Not unless he moved or something. The bed was now so thoroughly covered in fluff that it would be impossible to tell that someone was hiding under the covers.
"What are you guys doing?" said Ryou, sounding exasperated. He had obviously not expected this.
"What does it look like we're doing?" said Eri. She picked a Totoro off the floor, placing it next to Kyoko like they were cuddling. "We're giving Kyoko company."
"And helping your views," said Sakura. "Look, doesn't it look so much better with Kyoko surrounded by adorable stuffed plushies?" Sakura hugged a chibi Cat Noir to her cheeks, looking positively adorable.
Eri jabbed a finger in Kyoko's direction. "These are all mine so don't get any dirty. I'll kill you if you get a single stain on them, you hear me?"
For some reason, Ren responded to that request. She felt him tense up under the sheets.
"Y-yeah," said Kyoko, trying to keep up. "Sure. No stains. I promise not to vomit on any of them."
Eri grinned as if Kyoko had told an especially funny joke.
"You girls aren't supposed to be here for another thirty minutes," said Ryou. He ran a hand through his hair, muttering something about no one following directions.
The girls argued back good-naturedly, rearranging the stuffed animals. They masterfully kept Ryou's attention on them as they made sure Ren was completely covered while also shifting the stuffies into an aesthetically pleasing mess. It was impressive.
Robot-san came next to Kyoko, patting Kyoko's face with makeup and concealer.
"Much better," said Robot-san, nodding to the bed. "Even the audience will be fooled."
"You're good at your job," said Kyoko.
The robot snapped her makeup box close. "Of course," she said. "I'm the best."
The robot left, the girls finishing up at the same time with their stuffed animal arrangement, Ryou shooing them out.
"Alright, alright," said Sakura. "We're going. Don't worry."
"Make good choices, Kyoko-san!" said Eri over her shoulder as they were marched out by the staff. She heard Eri burst into cackles from the hallway.
Well, Kyoko wasn't looking forward to that round of teasing once the cameras were off. But she couldn't help her relief. Now all she had to do was resist reaching under the covers to touch Ren while people were in the room. Should be easy, right?
His body wrapped around her legs felt so pleasantly warm.
Ryou shook his head, taking his place at the foot of her bed next to a camera standing there.
"We'll do your personal journal interview entry first," he said, "It won't take long, then we'll have the others come in officially."
With the danger of being discovered gone, she relaxed, her heart returning to its normal cadence. Everything was going to be fine. She could talk to Ren later with no problems. She focused on her breathing as the staff turned on all the cameras, their red lights blinking.
Ryou leaned back in his chair, settling in before giving her an innocent smile.
"When do you plan on telling Ren-san your feelings?"
Every muscle in Kyoko's body tensed. So did Ren's. While one part of her screamed in denial that this could not be happening to her, the other part died. She felt oppressively hot. Like, someone needed to turn down the temperature.
Should she lie? No, Ryou knew her feelings, and it wouldn't make sense when it aired. Maybe she could faint? No, that wouldn't work, they'd find Ren.
She licked her lips, vocalizing nonsense sounds for at least a minute. All the while, Ren didn't relax under the sheets.
"Kyoko-san," said Ryou, stretching out her name like she was a child in trouble. "You must work with me here. You can't refuse to answer just because I'm not Takarada-san."
"I'm just thinking about my answer," said Kyoko, which was the truth. "Are you sure you do this often? It doesn't show. No banter to help me relax? No working up to the hard answers? You went straight for the kill."
"Please don't be like this," he said. "You promised you'd take responsibility. And right now, the best way you can help Maria-san is to help this show. As a fellow artist in this field, I thought you would appreciate cutting out the bullcrap."
He was irritated. She could work with this angle.
"No, you're just being lazy," said Kyoko. "Even Maria-san took her time talking to me. However, that was because she, and this might be a crazy concept, cares about me. Talking to me and spending time with me isn't bullcrap. It's called having a relationship."
Ryou rolled his eyes to the sky then smacked his clipboard to his forehead.
This deflecting tactic was going well. Maybe she should try it more often. Sweat beaded behind her neck, knowing she wasn't out of the woods yet.
"Please—just," Ryou breathed in and started over, speaking like every word was a chore. "Fine. How was your day, Kyoko-san?"
"It was good," said Kyoko. "I slept a lot."
"Makes sense. You were sick."
"I was, thank you for noticing." There was a pause as Ryou gave her a pointed smile. She returned it with a genuine one. "The staff were so wonderful. They took great care of me. I don't even mind that I missed an entire day of Crimson Threads. I did miss my friends, though. I'm excited to talk to them later. I hope they'll be part of the groups that come visit me later."
Ryou gave her a long stare.
Kyoko raised an eyebrow. "You know some of that can be used."
Ryou breathed in long through his nose before speaking through gritted teeth. "Yes, you're right. That will be great filler to remind people that you were sick right before we start this segment of the show. Very good instincts. Now, can we get to the next part?"
"You were wondering when I'll talk to Ren-san, about my feelings?"
Ryou jerked his head in a "duh" motion. Which was pretty rude. But while irritating Ryou had been fun, she'd had time to come up with something in the meantime. It wasn't perfect, but it would do in a pinch.
"In truth, Ren-san and I have a lot to talk about," said Kyoko. "I'd love to discuss many things with him the second I'm able to. I really hope he's one of the people I get to speak to tonight." She paused, letting that accusation hang for a second. "Now, if you're wondering when I'll confess my undying love for him, bend down on one knee and propose so we can go ride into the sunset, well… I don't have an answer for you."
This was her strategy. To make it sound like Ryou was getting ahead of himself. As long as Ryou kept his mouth shut about her already being in love with him, things should be fine. Right?
Ren's grip around her thighs loosened just a bit.
"I guess you and everyone else will just have to see how it all plays out," said Kyoko. "Because I don't have any plans to do any of that right now. But I do want to speak more with Ren-san and find out exactly where the two of us stand at the moment. We, uh, you might have noticed, hadn't even communicated that we wanted to be steady with each other. At least not until we spoke across the boats on the lake."
Technically they had done hand signals, but semantics.
The stare Ryou gave her could have made any introvert squirm. Kyoko, however, smiled in response, proud of her game of tag. Maybe she could consider a career in politics.
"And what?' said Ryou. "Would you guys talk about?"
Kyoko shrugged. "That's the thing. I don't know. I never know what kind of conversation I'm going to have with him. I've known him for years, yet I find out new things about him all the time. Like I had no idea he–um—" Crap, what was a safe topic? "—was so good at climbing trees."
"Trees?" said Ryou, giving her a flat stare.
Kyoko nodded enthusiastically. "That's right. Though, I should have guessed. He's always been very acrobatic."
She meant to keep talking, but Ren stopped her. He had tapped on her thigh. At first, she thought it was a random tick, but then she realized it was deliberate. A series of fast and long taps.
"—exactly do you mean by that?" Ryou was saying. "Sounds suggestive. Almost like you and Ren have a history of—"
It clicked.
"—I don't know morse code!" Kyoko blurted out.
Ryou stared as if she'd just spoken in tongues. "What?"
"I don't know morse code," Kyoko repeated, though it was for Ren's sake. She'd recognized the taps but didn't know the letters for it. Whatever message Ren was trying to send, it was lost to her.
She felt him shift under the sheets, his mouth pressing to her thigh. He breathed, so soft, so quietly that Kyoko barely heard it. The warmth from his breath seeped through her PJs and to her skin. It spread from his mouth, up her thighs, past her chest, and into her face. Her cheeks burned from it, everything turning red and hot.
"Uh," she sputtered as Ryou stared at her once more. Sweat beaded her brow now. "What I meant, uh, was. You know what? Is it hot in here? I'm feeling a little hot. I think I'd like the temperature turned down a bit."
"Yeah," said Ryou slowly, now staring at Kyoko in something more akin to concern than annoyance. "I think that may be wise. Turn down the thermostat."
"By ten degrees please," said Kyoko, after counting the taps Ren had given her. "Thanks, that's going to help me a lot."
"Or we could take some of these stuffies away," grumbled Ryou.
Kyoko grabbed the nearest Hello Kitty and hugged it to her chest. "Don't you dare take this from me too."
"Fine." Ryou put up his hands. "Fine, fine." He scribbled in his notebook, muttering about eccentric actors and this one taking the cake.
They waited a few minutes as the temperature lowered to a brisk chill. For Kyoko, covered as she was by blankets, and stuffed animals, and grappled by a handsome man, it was perfect. Hopefully, it felt better for Ren too, who had to be suffering even worse than Kyoko. Thank goodness they'd found a way to communicate.
Ren had relaxed under the covers, and though she felt sticky due to their combined sweat, it was no longer oppressively hot.
"Let's try this again," said Ryou, shivering in the now cold room. But he put on a bright wide smile, sharpened with every curse word he was visibly holding back "How was your day today?"
Kyoko returned the smile, then she started to answer. She just hoped Ren hadn't realized the truth.
Thanks for reading!
-Blushweaver