Refusing to pull back, the doctor stayed perfectly still against the cold wall. The rich, heavy aroma of dark roast hovered in the narrow space between them. Tired eyes dragged over his face, tracing that sharp jawline and infuriatingly confident smirk.
"You're a menace."
"I've been called worse."
Reaching out, a finally-warm hand set the half-empty ceramic mug on the edge of the metal cart. Glancing back up, the gap between them hadn't widened an inch. Ren just watched, completely relaxed, waiting.
Shoko reached out and grabbed the front of his jacket.
Ren let out a quiet breath as she pulled him down. Instead of resisting, he closed the final inch, letting his mouth brush against hers in a dragging, unhurried rhythm.
His boot scuffed the linoleum as he stepped entirely into her space. Rather than grabbing at her clothes, he pressed a warm palm flat against the cold tiles right beside her ear, completely caging her in.
The kiss deepened at a crawling pace. Shoko let her heavy eyelids slide shut, melting the bitter taste of espresso into a long, shuddering breath that emptied her lungs. The last lingering remnants of brutal exhaustion locking up her stiff spine simply dissolved.
Tasting fresh rain and ozone, she tightened her hands in the rough fabric of his coat, anchoring herself against the sudden, overwhelming heat of the moment.
Ren parted her lips effortlessly, without a single drop of hesitation. A low, quiet sound vibrated in his chest.
For a woman who had just claimed this was all a massive waste of energy, Shoko's grip on his jacket only pulled him closer. Wasting a little more energy suddenly seemed perfectly fine.
The slow pace completely vanished. Shoko tightened her grip on his jacket and shifted her weight, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist to pull herself completely off the cold floor.
Ren didn't miss a beat. His hands slid down, gripping her thighs firmly to support her. He lifted her effortlessly, holding her flush against his chest without ever breaking the connection.
Her heavy eyelids stayed shut. Ren parted her lips wider, his tongue sweeping inside to meet hers in a deep, heated tangle. The bitter flavor of dark roast melted perfectly into the sharp, electric taste of ozone. The quiet, sterile air of the morgue filled entirely with the wet, heavy sounds of their mouths moving together, every shift of their bodies driving the friction higher.
The overwhelming heat stretched on for five long minutes. Neither of them pulled away, entirely lost in the desperate rhythm.
When they finally broke apart to catch their breath, a thin, silver string of saliva stretched between their parted lips before snapping. Shoko's chest heaved. She dragged in deep, shaking breaths, her fingers still gripping his broad shoulders tightly to anchor herself.
Taking a heavy step forward, Ren gently set her down on the edge of the cluttered metal desk. He didn't retreat a single inch, keeping his body trapped securely right between her knees.
Shoko looked at him. Her tired eyes were now bright and heavily glazed.
"You must be pretty thrilled with yourself," Shoko panted, her voice dropping into a rough, teasing whisper. "Kissing a woman so much older than you. What exactly are you going to tell Maki? That you're sneaking around and cheating behind her back?"
Ren didn't even flinch. That lazy, infuriating smirk just widened.
"Maki is surprisingly open-minded," he murmured, his voice still low and raspy in the quiet room. "I think she'd understand."
Shoko stared at him for a long, heavy second. Then, she raised her hands, pressed them flat against his chest, and firmly pushed him back.
Ren let her, taking a slow half-step away to give her some breathing room.
"Don't read into this," Shoko said flatly, sweeping a stray lock of brown hair out of her flushed face. "I was bored. I just wanted to experience how it feels. That's all."
Ren tilted his head, his hands casually sliding into his pockets. "Just a clinical experiment, doctor?"
"Exactly," she replied. Her deadpan tone slid right back into place. She pushed off the desk and dropped back down to the floor, her boots scuffing the linoleum. "And keep your mouth shut. Do not tell Maki."
She reached over and picked up her half-empty coffee mug, wrapping her hands back around the warm ceramic.
"I don't care how open-minded you think she is," Shoko added, taking a slow, deliberate sip. "I don't need her driving a cursed spear through my only good autopsy table."
Ren didn't argue. He didn't offer another witty comeback or flash that infuriatingly lazy smirk. He just held her gaze for a quiet second before stepping forward, closing the small distance between them once more.
Shoko braced herself, fully expecting him to trap her against the counter for round two.
Instead, he simply leaned down and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her cheek. It was completely stripped of the heavy, overwhelming heat from a moment ago—just a gentle, quiet touch.
"Take care of yourself, doc," he murmured softly, his breath warm against her skin.
He pulled back, offered a small, genuine smile, and turned away. His boots scuffed quietly against the linoleum as he walked out the heavy metal doors, leaving her alone in the buzzing silence of the room.
Shoko stood frozen by the autopsy table. She slowly raised a hand, her fingertips brushing the warm spot on her cheek.
Deep in her chest, her heart gave a sudden, violent thump.
She blinked. The heavy, deadpan glaze in her eyes cracked completely. She had just spent five minutes pinned against a wall, entirely unbothered, treating a desperate make-out session like a simple clinical experiment. It hadn't made her flinch. It hadn't shaken her composure at all.
But a simple, stupid peck on the cheek?
Her pulse was actually racing.
"You've got to be kidding me," she whispered to the empty room, her grip tightening on the warm coffee mug.