Ren barely slept.
He lay awake for hours, replaying every second of Kane's performance in his mind. The sway of his hips. The fire in his voice. The way he smiled at the crowd like he belonged to them—like the world didn't scare him there.
It didn't make sense.
How could that radiant person be the same man who sipped black coffee every morning like he was trying not to take up space?
The next morning, Café Lumière buzzed with soft chatter and clinking porcelain. The usual warmth from the espresso machine didn't calm Ren this time. He wiped down the already spotless counter for the third time, heart pounding in his chest.
The bell over the door jingled.
7:35 AM.
Kaito entered.
Same hoodie. Same quiet stride. Same gentle nod.
"Black coffee," he said.
Ren nodded back, but his fingers trembled slightly as he poured. Kaito didn't look up. He never did.
Today, Ren couldn't let it go.
He slid the cup across the counter and gently said, "You were amazing last night."
The silence was instant. Heavy. Kaito's eyes lifted slowly, like the words had knocked the wind out of him.
"…What?" he said.
Ren kept his voice soft. "I saw you. At Abyss. You—" He hesitated. "You're Kane, aren't you?"
Kaito froze.
No clever response. No denial. Just that same stillness that made the air feel like glass.
Ren quickly held up both hands. "Don't worry. I didn't tell anyone. I—I won't."
Kaito's jaw tightened slightly. "No one's supposed to know."
"I know," Ren said gently. "And I didn't mean to pry. It just… happened."
Kaito looked away, eyes flicking to the window. "So. You've seen both."
"I guess I have," Ren replied, voice low. "But… it's still you."
Kaito let out a dry laugh—barely audible. "I doubt that."
"You are," Ren insisted. "You're just… more."
Kaito looked at him again, and this time there was something different in his eyes—fear, maybe. Or the exhaustion of living in two skins too long.
"You don't understand," Kaito murmured. "Kane is who I need to be to breathe. Out there, I can shine. But here—" He gestured vaguely at the café, the quiet world around them. "Here, I disappear. And that's safer."
Ren swallowed hard. "But it's lonely, isn't it? Hiding both sides of you?"
Kaito said nothing.
So Ren reached under the counter and pulled out his sketchbook, flipping it open to a fresh page. Without speaking, he began to sketch—not Kane in glitter, not Kaito in a hoodie—but a blend of both. Strong eyes. Soft hands. Power and vulnerability on the same page.
Kaito leaned in, watching.
Ren didn't look up. "I won't tell anyone. But maybe next time…" He looked into Kaito's eyes, warm and steady. "Let me draw the real you."
Kaito stared at him for a long moment.
Then, for the first time, he whispered, "Okay."