The Crimson Lotus

"When does the band come?"

He laughed softly, and then he shifted her easily from his lap. "They're due in a few minutes. They should be coming in any time now." She nodded, and she seemed to understand why she couldn't be in Ruki's lap if they arrived. They knew only what Ruki had told them, and he had promised that he hadn't said a word about how close he and Maddie had become.

He gave a small smile, and then he rose from the bed, hearing a knock on the front door. He saw Maddie's smile, and he waited as she paused her movie, slipping from the bed and standing beside him, looking up at him as his arm slid around her waist and he flashed a smile at her before walking with her to the front door.

They reached the door, and she leaned against him, smiling as he kissed her temple and opened the door.

Immediately they were greeted by the band's light-haired guitarist, and he smiled, bowing his head in greeting. "Konnichiwa, Maddie-chan," he said. "There was a problem with directions. That is why we are late. Gomen." He smiled again, hoping to be forgiven.

She shook her head, beaming at the four men that stood before her, one of them in sunglasses, one with a bandana tied over his nose, one whose face seemed to be set in perpetual thought, and one who looked as though he wanted to be somewhere else. "No, Uru-san, I've only just gotten up, and Ruki-san's only just gotten here as well."

Uruha laughed. "Taka, what have you done with this girl? Making her use honorifics like that." He grinned, and then he crossed his arms as he turned slightly to face the rest of the band.

The drummer stepped forward, and he bowed slightly, grinning. "Kai desu," he said, and then he straightened, stepping back.

"Aoi desu."

"Reita desu."

The guitarist with the lightest hair of all of them flashed a perfect smile, shaking his head at his band mates, but walked inside with them as Ruki and Maddie stepped aside, inviting them in. Uruha smoothly removed his sunglasses, bowing his head to Maddie as he passed, and then the group of them moved to the living room.

Maddie smiled at Ruki as they all walked to the living room, and she bit her lip as he looked back at her, trying to erase the shine in her eyes that would have given her away. It felt off to her that he should mean so much to her, but she knew she depended on him. She knew that he was the reason she hadn't fallen down the stairs or lost her entire dinner to the sickness in her body.

He smiled back at her, but it wasn't the same as the smile from the night before. He'd kissed her then, hadn't he? She smiled again, wishing she had hair to hide her face with, and she could feel the blush rise in her cheeks. She felt slightly shiftier with him now that it was his band here- these men were his friends, the people that knew him the best. These four men would see right through anything they did because they'd known him longer.

She sat beside him, still nervous, and he watched her curiously, offering his hand to her with a raised eyebrow. She took it, but did her best at making it appear to be an act of support instead of what it truly was for her- him trying to assure her that the band would understand. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and she pretended not to notice as much as she would have, grinning shyly up at the band.

They smiled at her, and she could feel the awkwardness settling in. They were observing her, seeing how she interacted with Ruki, and she didn't want them to see that she was so dependent on him for everything. She hated that her body was weak, and she hated that he had to walk her everywhere.

"I'm usually not this quiet around people," she said, and Kai smiled at her. "I'd be talking more if it weren't so..."

Uruha nodded. He understood. Maddie smiled. She already liked him. "Gomen," he said, toying with his sunglasses, crossing his legs and settling back onto the couch. "Has he been good to you since coming here?" He flashed a smile, his gaze flickering to Ruki, who subtly cleared his throat and shifted slightly beside Maddie.

She nodded, looking first at Ruki and then at Uruha. "Ruki's been great, actually. It surprised me how someone with so much fame could be so nice." She felt Ruki’s fingers tense slightly around hers, and she bit her lip. “It’s really nice to feel this loved.” She smiled again, and then she looked over at Ruki. For a split second, her complete adoration of him shone through in her eyes, and though he hid it well, she could see something in his smile.

“You are eighteen in a week, ne?”

Her attention turned to Kai, and she was met by a bright smile. “Yeah,” she said, a slight laugh behind her voice. “Eighteen…which makes me an adult.” She shuddered slightly at the idea, and then she shivered slightly. I’m just glad I get to see eighteen. Her hand tightened in Ruki’s, but his fingers over hers hid it well enough.

Kai grinned nonetheless. “The band will have to plan something.” He glanced conspiratorially at Reita, and then at Aoi – they had already planned it out, and Maddie knew that much because Aoi shifted and nudged Uruha before murmuring something in his ear. “We're really glad to be here, Maddie-chan. You know that, right?"

Maddie nodded, grinning. "Yeah, and maybe tomorrow, I can show you guys around Chicago." Ruki glanced over at her, raising his eyebrow as if to question her, and she laughed softly. "Obviously, I can't do a whole lot of walking, but still. You haven't seen Chicago until you've seen it with someone who lives here."

They all smiled. The awkwardness hadn't passed yet, but Maddie didn't care.

Her voice fell. "I'm really glad you guys could come."