Chapter Two - Relax.

Kazou sat on the edge of the bed, hunched slightly forward, his fingers tracing the glowing screen of his laptop. Days without sleep had left his body heavy, his thoughts sluggish. The only reprieve had been the meager four hours of restless slumber he'd allowed himself this morning. But the clock was ticking, and the adoption day for Experiment 4 was approaching like a freight train. The pressure gnawed at him, relentless. The family expected perfection, and in Kazou's mind, Four was precisely that. But to his colleagues, the clones were merely unfinished objects in waiting—flawed and needing to be fixed. Kazou, the lab's most outstanding scientist, couldn't let Four down. But the data on the screen bled together in an indistinguishable blur, a mess of numbers and figures that no longer made sense. His mind kept wandering back to the clones. The intricate web of DNA, memories, and trauma. He'd created life, but with it came consequences he hadn't predicted. Children, fragile, are born from trauma no child should bear.

"Damn it…" Kazou muttered, frustration thick in his voice.

Rose had been in the kitchen earlier, making her usual quiet protests about how little Kazou took care of himself. The only difference that made this occasion unique was the fact that she now lived with him full time. She had tried–unsuccessfully–to get him to take a break but Kazou couldn't afford the luxury of rest. Not now. Not yet.

Rose walked into the room, the soft thud of her footsteps grounding Kazou back into reality. The door clicked shut behind her. Kazou didn't turn to look at her immediately.

"You look like you've been up for days, babe." She said, her voice soft but firm, a mix of concern and exasperation.

Kazou sighed, forcing himself to look up, though the weight of the world seemed to press down on his chest.

"I'm fine," he said, the words tasting like a lie. "It's just... a lot. I have to make sure Four is ready for... everything. For the family. For the world. I can't fail him. Not now."

Rose didn't respond with words. Instead, she crossed the room. Her heels clicking gently against the hardwood floor, and sat beside him on the bed, her hand sliding over his tense back. She nudged him gently with her shoulder, her touch soft but unyielding.

"You need a break, Kazou. You know that, right?"

Kazou didn't answer at first. The tight coil of anxiety and frustration in his chest didn't leave him, no matter how close she got. His thoughts were still a jumbled mess of lab results and unanswered questions. But then, in a sudden movement, Rose leaned in closer, her fingers gently brushing against the back of his neck. Kazou stiffened, his breath catching as she leaned in even more, her lips brushing the edge of his ear.

"Maybe I can help you relax," she whispered.

Before he could even think, she pushed him back, her hands quick and purposeful as they pinned him onto the bed. Kazou gasped, his breath sharp in his throat. His heart raced as her body pressed against him. Her hands, confident and assertive, held him down as her eyes, mischievous, locked with his.

"You're always so tense," she murmured.

"I'm sorry," Rose murmured with a mock pout, "but you look way too stressed out. And you haven't been paying attention to me lately."

Kazou was still blinking in disbelief, his cheeks flushed with a deep red.

"Rose I–"

"No excuses," she interrupted, her smile wide and teasing. "I'm not letting you get away that easily."

Her lips found his, and Kazou couldn't stop the flush that spread across his cheeks. Rose kissed him slowly at first, like she was giving him a chance to 'fight' back–but when he didn't, she deepened her kiss. The kiss wasn't desperate in Kazou's eyes; it was an invitation. To relax. To let go of the constant pressure. Kazou closed his eyes, allowing himself to engage with Rose's kiss. But even as his body responded, his mind still felt tethered to the lab. He pulled away slightly, trying to focus.

"We should–I should go back to work," he said, his voice laced with anxiety.

Rose gave him a mock pout, as if she were hurt, offended.

"Work? You've been working for days! You look like you haven't slept, Kazou. You need to stop for a second and just breathe."

She leaned in again, brushing her lips softly against his cheek.

"I'm not letting you get away with being this tense," she said, her fingers softly trailing along his shirt as she leaned down to kiss his neck. Kazou's heart races. Kazou had to admit that he sure was enjoying this with Rose; he sure didn't want to stop anytime soon, but he had to worry about work. He couldn't slack off for this long.

"But the lab—" He gasped.

Rose stopped him with a kiss right on the lips, this one light, playful as if she was daring him to break his resolve.

"Forget the lab for a second. I think you need a distraction. What do you say? Should we work tonight, or should we stay here and… Play our little game?"

Kazou blinked, his face turning even redder. For a moment, he almost forgot about everything–the lab, the stress, and the endless expectations. Rose had a way of making him feel like he didn't have to carry the world on his shoulders.

And, just for a moment, he didn't. His gaze flickered between her lips and her eyes.

"Stay like this…" He said quietly, barely above a whisper. It was a confession-a–surrender, almost—and as he said it, Rose's eyes lit up, her smile widening.

"I knew you'd say that!" she said with a wink, kissing him once more. "Come on, Kazou. You've been the best scientist in that lab for years, but you've never been this good at saying no to me."

The two lovers chuckled.