He gave the glowing blue numbers a blank stare. A hundred and twenty grand.
He swiped his hand through the air, killing the interface. The room plunged back into darkness.
Ren pushed himself off the floor, joints popping in the quiet room. He walked into the small attached bathroom and flicked on the harsh overhead light. He braced his hands on the edge of the sink and leaned in, staring at his reflection.
He was shirtless. The jagged, twisted burn scars Jogo had given him crawled up his left side. They wrapped over his collarbone and crept up his neck, angry and permanent.
He tilted his head, inspecting the ruined tissue.
"Gojo wasn't entirely wrong," Ren muttered. "It definitely adds charm. I look like a complete menace."
His thoughts immediately drifted to the room next door. Maki had taken the brunt of the fire to protect him. She had the exact same twisted marks across her back and shoulder now. Paired with her already ridiculous figure and the new short haircut she was planning on...
Yeah. She's going to look even sexier.
Ren froze. He stared blankly at his own reflection in the mirror.
He dragged both hands down his face and groaned loudly into the empty bathroom. "Jesus Christ."
He turned on the faucet and splashed cold water over his head.
"Shibuya is in exactly eleven days, the entire world is about to end, and I'm standing here getting distracted by my girlfriend's battle damage. Get a grip."
Ren grabbed a towel off the rack, dried his face, and walked back into the bedroom. He sat heavily on the edge of the mattress, letting his hands hang between his knees.
A faint knock broke the silence.
Ren blinked, pushing himself up. He crossed the room and pulled the door open.
Maki stood in the dim hallway, barefoot and wearing his oversized black t-shirt. She rubbed at one eye, looking exhausted.
"Move," she mumbled.
Ren stepped back. She brushed past him, walking straight to the bed and dropping onto the edge of the mattress. Ren clicked the lock shut and walked over, sitting down next to her.
Neither of them said anything. The quiet hum of the mini-fridge buzzed in the corner. Maki slumped sideways, resting her head against his shoulder. Ren leaned into her weight.
She tilted her chin up. Ren turned his head, and they kissed. It wasn't desperate or heavy, just an immediate, grounding collision.
Ren pulled back just enough to breathe, his hands sliding down her waist. He gripped her hips, his fingers slipping just beneath the hem of her shirt to squeeze her bare ass.
"You're ruining my concentration, Maki," Ren murmured against her jaw.
Maki frowned, her eyes half-closed. "I haven't even done anything yet."
"I know. But I was just standing in the bathroom, trying to mentally prepare for worse," Ren said. He kneaded the soft, toned flesh of her ass, pulling her close against his lap.. "And instead, I kept getting distracted thinking about your ridiculous figure."
Maki's face instantly burned hot. She shoved lightly at his chest. "Idiot."
"It's a serious problem," Ren continued smoothly. He slid his free hand up her stomach, cupping her heavy breast through the thin cotton of the shirt and squeezing firmly. "The scars. The short hair you're planning. You're in absurdly good shape. It's dangerously distracting."
Maki let out a sharp, breathy gasp, her fingers digging into his shoulder. She glared at him, though the brilliant flush across her cheeks ruined the intimidation.
"You're a massive pervert," she whispered.
"Just observant."
Maki clicked her tongue. Instead of pushing him away, she shifted her weight and swung her leg over his lap, straddling his thighs. She grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him an inch closer.
"Shut up," Maki muttered, her amber eyes locking onto his. "Quickie. Before I change my mind and break your nose."
Ren's hands tightened on her waist, stopping her from shifting any closer. "Hold on. we can't."
Maki frowned, holding onto his shirt more firmly. "Why?"
"I'm out of stock," Ren said dryly. "We completely blew through that entire box at the hotel, remember?"
Maki froze. The brilliant red flush on her cheeks darkened as the memory of their Kamakura logistics caught up with her. She stared at him, her amber eyes darting away for a fraction of a second.
Ren expected her to click her tongue, get off his lap, and walk out.
Instead, she leaned down and kissed him hard.
Ren let out a surprised breath against her mouth, his hands instinctively sliding up her bare back, his fingers tracing the edge of her new scars. She tasted like mint toothpaste and sleep.
She broke the kiss, keeping her face inches from his. Her chest rose and fell heavily against him.
"Raw," she whispered.
Ren blinked, his brain stalling out. "Maki, I don't think that's a—"
"It's my safe day," she interrupted, her voice stubborn. She shifted her weight, rolling her hips down deliberately.
Ren groaned, his head dropping back against the headboard.
"I'm not leaving this room," Maki muttered, her face buried in the crook of his neck. Her fingers dragged through his hair. "Just shut up and do it."
Ren stared up at her. She wasn't backing down.
He let out a heavy breath, his hands tightening on her waist. "Fine," Ren muttered. "But keep it down. We're in the dorms. If someone hears you, we might get kicked out or suspended for vulgarity."
"I don't scream," Maki shot back instantly, though a fresh flush of red hit her cheeks.
"The couple in the room next to us in Kamakura would disagree," Ren pointed out dryly.
Maki clicked her tongue. She grabbed the hem of his shirt, yanked it over his head in one aggressive motion, and threw it onto the floor. She planted both her hands flat against his bare chest, her amber eyes burning into him in the dark.
Ren watched her. It made sense. An hour ago, she had fallen apart in her room, crying against his shoulder, terrified of what the future meant for her and Mai. That kind of raw vulnerability wasn't something Maki handled well.
This was how she put herself back together. She needed to take control. She needed to be the one on top, pinning him down and proving to herself that she wasn't weak or helpless.
If dominating him in bed was how she intended to reclaim her pride, Ren was perfectly fine playing the victim.
Maki shifted her weight off his lap just enough to hook her thumbs under the waistband of her shorts. She shoved them down her thighs and kicked them off the edge of the bed.