Title: The Bridge
Universe: Skip Beat
Theme/Topic: N/A
Rating: G
Character/Pairing/s: Ren, Yashiro (mentions of RenxKyouko)
Warnings/Spoilers: No spoilers, but there are some lolz directed at JE actors. XD
Word Count: 1,450
Summary: A manager's job is to take care of his talent.
Dedication: Jen, thanks for all the help! I would definitely have been too lazy to do this otherwise.
A/N: This is probably way OOC but it's just for fun, don't mind me. Also I don't remember if Yashiro knows that Kyouko is Bo, but if he doesn't… lol my bad. As this is supposed to take place sometime in the near future pretend he did find out, mmmkay. Anything could happen in shoujo.
Disclaimer: No harm or infringement intended.

The job of a manager is the same as the job of a bridge.

It is a role that means having to fill the gap between the real world and the entertainment world for the talent who you represent, because the mere word celebrity inherently suggests that there is almost no possibility of normal in that person's life anymore, except by proxy.

Yashiro is Ren's link to the life that exists outside of stardom. He is the person who is here to keep Ren more human than pinup.

And so being a manager is a very important job; beyond scheduling interviews and roles and shoots and making sure that Ren writes in his blog to promote his recent activities there are also matters of personal care, of reminding Ren to eat properly, to take care of his health, to pay his rent, to get some sleep, to service his car because it needs an oil change.

Being a manager means dedicating your entire existence to another human being wholeheartedly, means making sure that they are fulfilled professionally and personally so that they can continue to shine brightly in front of the millions of eyes constantly watching their light.

In a way, Yashiro considers himself Ren's life coach.

Ren does not make it easy.

Which isn't to say that Ren is particularly difficult compared to other celebrities (he doesn't get involved in any scandals, is always on time, and can even be called infuriatingly polite). Rather, Yashiro just means that Ren is particularly different.

Yashiro never once imagined that he would become the manager of someone whom he would constantly have to remind of the fact that there are things worth concentrating on in life outside of work.

But he is.

And so here they are.

He eyes Ren as the two of them sit together the dressing room before shooting on Ren's latest movie is scheduled to resume; his charge is very dutifully eating the bento that the staff had prepared for him while absently watching TV.

Inevitably, the new commercial for Kyouko's upcoming drama special comes on.

On the screen, she looks sweet and teary-eyed at some ridiculously handsome kid from one of those idol groups at Johnny's and murmurs, "I'll always love you," to him, while holding his hand in both of hers.

"I know," the handsome kid replies, gaze steely. "So wait for me."

Yashiro notices it when Ren's left eyebrow creeps a centimeter upwards.

"My," Yashiro begins, because clearly that is his cue to start life coaching, "that Yamashita-san sure is good looking. I wonder if he and Kyouko-chan are getting along well on set."

"It is to his credit, I suppose," Ren replies calmly, as his left eyebrow very carefully moves back down to settle in its default position, "that he can still look so handsome while acting so poorly. Perhaps if he worked on his skills as much as his hair, we could be giving credit to his acting instead."

Yashiro would be frustrated at that response except that his role as bridge also inherently includes the job of translator more times than not as well; as such he often knows what Ren means before Ren knows what he means.

Being a manager is the most tiring job in the whole of the industry.

"Kyouko-chan is the type of person who throws herself completely into her characters," Yashiro pushes on a different note, stubbornly. "I wonder if part of her really does like Yamashita-san for real then."

Ren's eyebrow darts up again, but only for a split second this time, as he begins to catch on to Yashiro's intentions. "I'm sure," Ren answers after a moment, "that if that is the case, this special will really be very good." Pause. "Despite Yamashita-san's poor acting." He seems pleased with himself and his thoughtfulness.

If this had been a press conference, Yashiro probably could not have been happier at hearing such a professional response.

But there are no cameras present, and as such, Yashiro grabs the remote and changes the channel in preparation for his next attack. "Kyouko-chan's variety show should be coming on now," he announces cheerfully. "But I suppose you already knew that," he feels the need to add, since Ren very rarely uses his free time backstage to watch television. The fact that theirs is on exactly ten minutes before Yappa Kimagure Rock is scheduled to air is immediately suspect.

"You can watch it if you'd like," Ren answers magnanimously.

Yashiro eyes him.

Ren blinks back pleasantly.

Yashiro thinks that most managers would love to have such clever talent to represent.

He changes the channel.

On the screen, the show opens up with Kyouko-in-chicken-suit suspended over a dunk tank, as the blindfolded members of Bridge Rock throw balls at the target keeping her aloft.

Yashiro laughs. "Poor Kyouko-chan," he says, when Hikaru-kun successfully lands his shot at the center of the target and sends her plummeting into the water, much to the delight of everyone. After she flounders around in the water for the appropriate amount of time the audience needs to laugh properly, the comedians immediately rush to her side to help her climb out, and there is much hearty Bo-backslapping as they move to towel off the chicken suit for her. Yashiro blinks when Shinichi kisses Bo's cheek. "At least she seems to get along very well with her cast mates," he adds.

"Even if she didn't, a live taping wouldn't be the place to show it," Ren replies calmly, and continues to eat. "It would be singularly unprofessional."

Yashiro thinks that Tsuruga Ren is very stubborn when he has come to a decision about something, even if that decision is not very good for him.

But that's fine; as Ren's manager, Yashiro has learned to prepare more than one attack at any one time, from a variety of angles.

He goes for his finishing blow, turning sly and saying, "I wonder if Kyouko-chan is wearing a swimsuit under that costume."

He scores his first hit when Ren chokes on his rice.

"My, is something wrong, Ren?" Yashiro asks, innocently.

Ren sips tea and very nearly scowls. "Wrong tube," he says, vaguely, cheeks very slightly pink.

Yashiro manages to not stand up straighter and laugh like a comic book villain at that first successful strike. But only just barely.

Instead, he magnanimously refills Ren's glass for him and as he does, watches Ren's face as the idea he'd planted in the actor's head just now starts to take root and sprout, very clearly against his will. As schooled as Ren is in controlling the expressions he reveals to the world, any manager worth his or her salt knows exactly what is on their talent's mind at any one time despite that talent's (more than likely) ability to control every single one of their facial muscles at will.

So Yashiro immediately sees it when, a moment later, the thoughts Ren had been deliberately trying to avoid all night flash across his eyes, very, very briefly.

The sight of a man in love is truly a heartwarming one.

And as Yashiro is not a skilled actor by any means, he cannot quite school his features to hide his glee at getting to see such a man here this evening, sitting right in front of him.

Ren scowls at him in response, but in a strangely cute, helpless way, the only way he gets whenever he is rendered powerless by any and all things associated with Mogami Kyouko. "You're awful smug tonight, Yashiro," he says eventually, and pushes his (mostly) finished bento box forward with a sigh.

Yashiro professionally studies the remains of Ren's dinner and deigns that what he has consumed already is enough to keep him going for the rest of tonight, before professionally studying Ren's posture once more and deciding that for the time being, he has also had just enough romantic thoughts to sustain him up until he sees Kyouko-chan again tomorrow afternoon, during the filming for the Dark Moon reunion special.

That business thus taken care of, Yashiro glances out of the corner of his eye, to the clock on the wall. "It's time to get back to set," he announces, and realizes his timing had been quite literally perfect.

Ren actually laughs a little when he realizes it too, eyes warm in a way that only someone who is in love can pull off to its full potential. "Alright," he acquiesces, as he stands to leave, "you win for tonight."

Yashiro doesn't gloat as he follows Ren out of the room, because that is not in the job description.

All he has to do is be a bridge.

END