One Take Only (A Skip Beat! Fanfic)

Chapter 10: Chicken Nightmares

Mogami Kyoko's thigh muscles screamed at her as she wobbled into the TBM station. She'd made the trip in record time, pushing harder every time an unwelcome thought crept into her head. As a result, she was nearly 20 minutes early for her next job, which unfortunately, she realized, gave her plenty of time to think.

What did I do? What did I do? WHAT DID I—

"Kyouko-chan?" She raised her head out of the cradle of her hands to see Ishbiashi Hikaru looking at her with no small amount of concern. "Are you all right?"

Quickly, she pasted a smile on her face and bowed her greeting—this was not something she could discuss with him, after all. She could barely stand to discuss it with herself. If some part of her noticed the surprised flush of pink in her coworker's cheeks, she ignored it.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "Just a little tired, is all. I had a busy morning."

"Oh? What happened?" He asked.

She stared at him blankly for a moment, then, pushing aside the image that popped up in response to his question, she managed to keep her tone light as she said, "Oh, just a guest star on set. You know how it is."

"Actually, I don't really," he said with a teasing chuckle, "All I do is work with guests, remember?"

Kyoko crinkled her nose as she realized he was right. "Well, it can be tiring if you're not used to it, I guess," she said defensively. "And this guest was...he..." She couldn't bring herself to elaborate. "It was just a long day on set," she finished lamely.

"Is that why you're still..." he searched for a tactful way to say it, "Natsu-ish?" He avoided looking her in the eye and willed his face to show an expression of polite interest.

"What?" She asked, confused. "Oh!" Although her hair had been somewhat mussed by her trip there, thanks to surprisingly strong hair products, it had for the most part settled back into place in that elegant, sideswept style that Natsu favored. And since she couldn't risk being seen in Kyoko-form anywhere near the Box-R set, she hadn't yet taken off her makeup. Only her clothes were her usual fare. "Uh, yeah," she said. "I was in a hurry, so I didn't have time to go back to normal."

Hikaru looked at her oddly. "But you're really early," he pointed out.

"Right, well, after I left, someone offered me a ride," she explained. "So I guess I didn't need to rush so much after all, huh?" She offered up a sheepish laugh, hoping he'd let the matter drop.

"I guess," he said, smiling kindly. "Shall we head in?" He opened the door to the Bridge Rock studio. "After you."

"Thank you," Kyoko replied, relieved. And now, to work, she thought happily. It was exactly what she needed. If she could just focus on being Bou, she would be fine. She knew it.

It was a disaster. Being in a giant chicken suit was hot. And being the mascot meant there was a lot of waiting for her cue to go on, and very little actual acting. Even though she was on her feet the whole show, she'd fallen asleep three times. Each time, her dreams had gone back to the events of Saturday night. Only now...

She pulled away from the kiss, head fuzzy and mouth somewhat dry. By now they must be in double-digits, and he still wasn't satisfied. "Mogami-san, it needs to be more natural," he'd said. Whatever that meant. His criticisms got less and less specific as they went along, but she couldn't find the willpower to ask for clarification.

She looked up at him, waiting for the comment that was forthcoming. The eyes she met weren't the deep brown she was accustomed to, though, but a lighter gray color. Shotaro smirked at her, licking his lips. "That was better," he allowed, his gaze traveling the length of her body, his grin widening to wolfish proportions. "But...I think you need a little more practice." He draped an arm over one of her shoulders, put a possessive hand on her waist, and, lowering his face down to her level, huskily said, "I could teach you everything."