A Manager's Devotion, chapter 6
Title: A Manager's Devotion
Fandom: Skip Beat!
Characters: Yashiro Yukihito, Tsuruga Ren
Prompt: #89: work
Word Count: 2,385 (this chapter), 16,351 (fic this far)
Rating: G (this chapter), PG-13 (entire fic)
Fic Summary: Yashiro will sacrifice anything to help Ren's career succeed, even his own emotions. But is that really the best for Ren? Drama.
Chapter Summary: The Tsuruga Ren Dream Group Date is officially underway! Yashiro watches the evening like a hawk, and not just Ren's male date.
Author's Notes: Set in the Dark Moon story arc after vol 13/Act 78/the end of the anime. BL/slash warning! My Litte Damn Table, so empty of links. Cross-posted to fanfic100, shojobeat, and skip_beat. Many thanks to my beta once again, the wonderful Hoshi-sempai. Last edited 6-28-15 to clarify some architecture.
A Manager's Devotion, Chapter 6: Work
The setting for the first half of the evening was a classy European fusion restaurant, equal in glamour and expense to its clientele. All three dates seemed to enjoy it, particularly the fervent Kaino, who outright reveled in the demure whispered attention delivered by fellow patrons. The others were all plants, of course, but Kaino didn't know and so enjoyed their notice immensely. Ren shared a sly smile with her, making the woman beam, before he turned to a nervous Jarizumeido and helped her relax again with a joke about the expanse of cutlery lining their plates. Satou seemed content to watch Ren charm the other two dates, until he deftly stole the thread of conversation with a story that had Jarizumeido blushing, Ren laughing, and Kaino in a snit. Ren soothed her, traded warm looks with Satou, and asked Jarizumeido a question she happily answered.
From his position standing a short distance away--and with the perfect excuse of his bodyguard disguise--Yashiro watched Ren execute this delicate dance throughout the dinner and marveled at his actor's skill. Ren clearly was endeared by Jarizumeido's sweet nature, and Yashiro could hardly blame him, since he rather liked the woman himself. She eased out of her shell as the evening progressed, particularly after Ren deflected a scathing glare that had been aimed at her from Kaino, until she had the confidence to hold her own in the foursome's animated exchange.
In all honesty, the vast majority of Yashiro's concentration was focused on observing Ren with Satou. Ren was true to his word: Satou was a devoted fan, and as such his love was just as valuable as that of Ren's female admirers. Ren treated Satou with as much warmth and regard as the two women. He met Satou's eyes without a trace of nerves or resentment, he leaned in or touched the man when the opportunity was perfect, and he gave Satou an appraising nod when the other man deftly nipped off another one of Kaino's verbal attacks before she could make it nasty.
Yashiro hungrily studied every moment of interaction between Ren and Satou, drinking it in and letting the tiny, petty part of his mind groan with jealousy.
If Ren slighted anyone for warmth and welcome, it was the increasingly difficult Kaino. Yashiro was not the only one to notice her worsening behavior. Voices of the event's handlers buzzed in Yashiro's earpiece with matching concern. Judging from the carefully controlled smoothness of Ren's gestures when attending her, Yashiro knew Ren truly was working at maintaining his gentle reputation. Kaino clearly had no idea of Ren's lessening regard and diligently worked to overshadow the other two dates. After a particularly cutting remark, Ren dazzled her into silence with his killer gentlemanly smile, offered hand, and softly spoken words. Somewhat starry-eyed, Kaino accepted his help and stood. Ren caught Yashiro's eye, who answered Ren with a slight nod and moved forward.
"Kaino-san, may I escort you to the powder room?" He bowed slightly and held out his elbow. Still dazed, she took it, and they moved past the table. Yashiro sneaked a look at the other two dates and found them staring back; Jarizumeido still pale and drawn after Kaino's malicious snark, and Satou studying Kaino with distaste. The man shifted his gaze to Yashiro, then he allowed Ren to pull him back into conversation.
Yashiro and Kaino walked across the restaurant's granite-tiled floor with the female bodyguard, Yoshioka, following a few steps behind. Kaino moved on autopilot, paying no attention as they wound through the tables and past other diners. When they reached the short hallway that led to the restrooms, Yashiro paused and laid a hand over Kaino's where she held his arm.
Dazedly, she blinked at him.
Yashiro bent slightly down with a smile and said in a low voice, "Kaino-san, recall this is the Tsuruga Ren Dream Group Date. The other two dates have as much a right to Ren's attention as you have. Your behavior towards them is disrupting the date and is decidedly unbecoming."
She snapped out of her breathless reverie and glared up at him, violently releasing his elbow.
He deftly cut her off before she could speak or flounce and froze her in place with his most intimidating Protective Manager cast. "Kaino-san, you will moderate your behavior, or you will be removed from the date. This is your only warning."
Kaino shut her mouth with a click, her eyes wide.
Satisfied, Yashiro gave her a barely-polite bow and stepped away, allowing Yoshioka to escort the stunned woman inside the restroom. Yoshioka gave him an approving glance and a nod of acknowledgement as she passed. He turned his back to the wall near the ladies' room entrance, listened to his earpiece chatter about the neutralized threat, and waited for the women's emergence. He felt rather pleased to have impressed a professional bodyguard with his crowd control technique.
Ren and his three dates swept with great animation through the flashbulb-sparking paparazzi and breezed ahead of the waiting line of hopeful clubbers to walk straight inside Mount Fuji's Trash. The club radiated energy, from the dancers moving on the floor, from the talking and laughing observers, and even from those seated at their tables with drinks in hand. The vast majority of club patrons were LME plants. Yashiro noticed several fellow managers with their actors in moderate disguises, also agency talento, singers, and even some faces he simply recognized from the office's hallways. Secretaries and go-fers had all lobbied to fill the club and enjoy a fun night out on the company yen, and a large number of the plants had obtained permission to bring along non-employee dates and friends.
Ginpei grinned and admired Ren's newly-revealed backside--covered in those enticing black leather pants--once they had checked their coats at the door. Jarizumeido clapped a hand over her mouth and giggled, taking in the dancers with shining eyes and delighting in the heavy beat of the music. Kaino gave a thin smile and sullenly accepted her turn to sit opposite Ren at their table.
Their reserved table was at the top of an exclusive raised section that spanned a good portion of the room, and was separated from the dance floor by a short set of stairs. The stairs had been constructed to be deep, requiring two steps on each one to reach the next.
The foursome settled into their seats and watched the throbbing dancers from the front row. Yoshioka and Miyamoto unobtrusively moved to stand against the waist-high dividing wall that separated their level from the next one above, both of the bodyguards turning to face the table.
Yashiro joined them. As he had in the restaurant, he let the professionals take the best positions for immediate action, and instead stood to one side and directly in Ren's line of sight. The actor glanced up at him, again briefly flicked his eyes at Kaino, then back to Yashiro with a secret grin. Yashiro returned it with a touch of smugness. It seemed rather naive, but Yashiro did enjoy excelling at his work, particularly in this situation. Ren had asked him along to work, after all, and Yashiro wanted the evening to be a success. Particularly one ripe with plenty of interaction between Ren and his male date.
Drinks were ordered and arrived, conversation between the happy trio of the foursome bubbled, the LME photographers snapped their publicity shots, the entire club of people--both plants and their civilian companions--were performing their roles brilliantly, the earpiece voices buzzed all-is-well, and Kaino continued to behave. Overall, Yashiro decided he was quite pleased with the professional aspect of the evening's progression.
As for the personal...Yashiro watched as Ren moved towards Ginpei and laid a hand on the other man's shoulder so he could lean in and say something over the pulsing music. Ginpei laughed and leaned in as well, both men including Jarizumeido into their private moment when she asked about their joke. His gaze fixated on Ren's hand, Yashiro counted. After nine point five endless seconds, Ren released Ginpei and reached across the table to touch Kaino's hand and welcomed her into the conversation. She leaped at her chance to reclaim Ren's attention.
Yashiro closed his eyes, let that tiny voice inside him wail, and took in a deep breath. The air was chilled to keep the packed club comfortable, and he tried to focus on the sensation of the sharp air cutting into his lungs while ordering his thoughts.
He was jealous of Ginpei, that he could admit. Yashiro had never seen Ren touch another man in anything but work or friendship. Ren's easy flirting with Ginpei, very like what Yashiro would do himself when out on a first date with someone new, was painful to witness. Yashiro had certainly watched Ren woo women on-set for years, but that never seemed to make much of an impact upon him. Even this night, he observed Ren work his magic upon Kaino and Jarizumeido and felt it all in a day's work.
His eyes moved to Ginpei, and another flicker of envy crept through him. He studied his toes, took a second deep breath, and strengthened his resolve. He'd wanted to observe Ren with a gay man in a romantic situation, he'd been personally given the chance by Ren, and now he had to face it. Be careful what you wish for, indeed.
As if in unspoken response to Yashiro's mental resolve to observe as much as he could, Ren stood. "Would any of you care to dance?"
"Yes!" Kaino leaped up, almost knocking back her chair, and making the other two dates startle.
Ren stepped forward and held out a hand. "Kaino-san," he said in acknowledgement as she latched on to him, then looked at Ginpei, who gave him a rueful smile and waved them away, and then to Jarizumeido, who glanced at Kaino and visibly paled. She stared back down at her drink and shook her head minutely. "No rush," Ren smiled gently at them both. "The evening is far from over."
He turned Kaino, who glared triumphantly down at Ginpei and Jarizumeido. She pointedly ignored Yashiro's warning look and clung to Ren as they moved away.
Yashiro frowned after her, then winced when his earpiece exploded into sound. The subject of the excitement made him sigh, and he braced himself for the fun to truly begin.
In a sudden crash of silence, the music and the lights in the club cut off. Everyone gasped in shock and began murmuring as their eyes adjusted to the scant illumination made by the emergency lighting strips on the floor that outlined the dancing area, walkways, and the stairs. With a flair of trumpets, a big band number suddenly blared through the speakers, and spotlights focused on the club's entrance way.
There he was. The President of LME strolled into the club, teeth flashing in a bright smile that almost managed to outshine his white zoot suit--made from a cloth with a reflective sheen. The outfit was complete with swinging watch chain, wide-brimmed and also reflective pimp hat, long flourishing red feather in the hat's band, and even a tommy gun replica hanging at his side that was slung on a leather strap across his chest. And of course, he had an appropriately costumed woman on each arm.
Approving cheers and catcalls of excitement erupted from the club patrons, who after all knew of President Takarada's love of cosplay and enjoyed his eccentricities. Yashiro bit back a groan and saw Ren stiffen. It had taken a moment for both of them to recognize the women on either side of the company president. Yashiro wasn't surprised to see Kotonami-san wearing her glittery and slinky black 40s-style evening gown like she was born to it, but seeing Kyoko-chan in the same dress--hers in screaming red--was somewhat of a shock. She had to be channeling Mio or another sophisticated role from one of her acting lessons, because Yashiro could not believe Kyoko-chan in her natural state could ever look that glamorous.
The President spun Kyoko-chan and Kotonami out, one on each hand. The girls smiled at the resulting wolf-whistles, and Kyoko blushed most fetchingly. When someone shouted an invitation for a drink, Kotonami simply smiled and held up her hand to display the black X drawn upon it that indicated she was underage. More catcalls followed, particularly when Kyoko mimicked her, and they both bowed before President Takarada swept them toward Ren's party.
Yashiro quickly looked to the actor where he had paused on his way to the dance floor, with Kaino clinging to him. He could see the tension in Ren's jaw, but Ren's acting was so consummate that Yashiro doubted anyone else in the club could ever notice--particularly with the President and his two 'dames' dominating all the attention.
Ren spoke unheard words to Kaino, who began to protest rather vehemently. Ren shook his head at her in apology and turned to find Yashiro beyond the two still-seated dates. Meeting his client's eyes, Yashiro stepped out to join Ren on his other side and await the President's arrival. The actor pressed his lips together and tilted his head at Yashiro, who gave a brief nod in reply. Both were unaware that Ginpei and Jarizumeido had turned to follow Ren's gaze and watched the silent exchange.
With a dashing smile, Lory Takarada--the big boss, President, and namesake of LME--descended upon the Tsuruga Ren Dream Group Date and brought havoc with him. She stepped lightly in a blood-red dress, still blushing, and hanging on to her sophisticated characterization by a tenuous thread.
[forward to chapter 7 - back to chapter 5]