Kuwabara was stretched out on the sofa, Keiko more or less on top of him with her head resting on his chest. Slow, deep breaths, not quite sleep but an almost meditative calm that radiated up through her.
Calm that was shattered into pieces when Botan’s voice sounded from outside her front door.
“Keiko! We’re going to be late!”
“Shit.” She hissed it between her teeth as she tried to sit up without planting an elbow in Kuwabara’s guts.
“What - “
“I was supposed to have lunch with Botan today,” Keiko said, leveraging herself up on the back of the sofa. Usually getting out of this nap position involved Kuwabara just kind of rolling her off of him onto the floor, but panic had taken over.
“Keiko? I’m coming in.”
“Wait - “ Keiko didn’t manage to get the warning out before Botan opened the door and Keiko froze. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Botan’s face frozen in shock, and she could imagine why; in the middle of attempting to get up, she was straddling Kuwabara’s lap and he was half-propped up on the arm of the sofa, giving the impression they’d been doing something much more active than a midafternoon nap.
Botan stepped back out of the room and closed the door as she went.
“Botan, wait - “ Keiko launched herself off the sofa, hearing an “oof” from Kuwabara as she did, and darted into the hallway after Botan.
Luckily the ferry girl hadn’t gone far, just standing with her back to the wall looking vaguely…guilty? panicked? Keiko couldn’t tell.
“Botan,” she breathed. Botan glanced down at her for a long, contemplative moment before she spoke.
“So how long has that been going on for?”
Keiko flushed. “We weren’t - we haven’t - we were just - “
“Keiko.” Botan’s voice was gentle, and Keiko’s shoulders slumped.
“About six months after Yusuke left,” she admitted, and Botan blew out a long sigh of a breath.
“And…what are your plans for…for when…”
“…I don’t know.” Keiko wrapped her arms around herself, looking away. “I figured I had time to figure it out.”
“You do, technically.” Botan tilted her head. “I’m sorry I burst in on you like that.”
“It’s fine - we weren’t doing anything. We haven’t done anything. Well, anything much. Just…” Keiko sighed, letting her arms drop. “He makes me happy, Botan. He makes me happy and he doesn’t…antagonize me at every turn and he doesn’t make me stay up all night worrying if he’s dead in a ditch somewhere -” Her voice was rising, and she clenched her jaw around the rest of the sentence.
“I understand,” Botan said gently, and that shocked Keiko more than anything. “And your secret’s safe with me.”
Keiko narrowed her eyes at that. “Is it, though?”
Botan’s expression turned indignant. “Excuse me, I’ve kept worse secrets than this for much longer!”
“Really? Like what?”
“Like - oh! Oh no you don’t.” She wagged a finger in Keiko’s face and Keiko just grinned. “It takes more than that, thank you very much!”
“I trust you, Botan. And…thank you.”
“Of course, Keiko.” Botan smiled. “Now, are we still on for lunch or is your whole afternoon blocked off for canoodling?”
“We weren’t - oh my g - who even says canoodling?” Keiko threw her hands up as she headed back into the apartment, but something in her felt lighter. She was going to have to peel Kuwabara off the ceiling, probably, but that was alright. Someone else knew, and they weren’t abandoning her or calling her or Kuwabara awful names or any of the things she’d been so afraid of. It still wasn’t perfect, but it could be so much worse.