Thud.
The six other Vocaloids in the living room look up at Kaito from their various tasks, who grins back at them as if let in on some special secret.
"Alright, everyone!" he exclaims, looking from face to curious face. "Who wants to play a little game?"
"A game?" Rin pipes in, raising a brow as her gaze flickers from him to the tall black hat he set down on the coffee table. "What kind of game?"
"I'd rather not," Luka concludes, crossing her legs at the table where she and Gakupo are playing a game of chess (nearing a successful win, much to the purple-haired man's dismay.) "I'm going shopping with Miku-"
"Wait! Before any of you say no," Kaito says, raising a hand to stop anyone else from protesting. "This is a game that goes on all day."
"All day?" Len inquires, glancing up again from his book and narrowing his eyes.
"Right!" The bluenet's smile widens, and a random chill goes through everyone in the room. Kaito's games are a bit notorious for being odd, so they all are put on guard.
"How do you play?" Miku asks, taking a sip of her leek juice and curling her legs up further on the couch.
Kaito clears his throat, glad to have most the room's attention focused on him. "Well, what we do is… we all switch colors for a day!" he announces.
A cue of silence, before Meiko tilts her head. "...What?" she asks, disbelieving.
"For the entire day, we have to be someone else." Kaito explains, getting into it and waving his hands. "You put your hand in this hat, and pick out a color- and for the entire day, you have to wear that person's colors and act like them."
"Whaaaaaaaaat?" Rin says, aghast. "But- but what if I pick a guy?"
"Shouldn't be too hard for you to pull off a guy. You're flat enough to work it," Len murmurs to himself, thankfully just out of earshot of his mirror image.
Or so he thought. Shooting up from her seat, Rin's murderous gaze is set upon the male blond, her face quickly turning a violent shade of red. "What did you just say, you perverted shota?!"
Miku rises from the couch to quickly push between the two before blood can be shed, holding Rin back from strangling her best friend. Kaito purses his lips, sighing, before deciding to continue.
"Anyway, you just have to be that person the whole day. Kind of like stepping into their shoes. C'mon guys, it'll be fun! Please?" he pleads the group. "We'll go about the day doing the stuff we normally do, but just as someone else. Haven't you guys ever wanted to try being one of the other Vocaloids before?"
A pause, before Gakupo nods. "I think it may be fun," he allows. "If Luka wishes to play, I will gladly join as well."
"I'm playing!" Rin's hand shoots into the air as she glares at Len. "I'll show Len I can do anything and be twice as good as he is at it!"
In response, Len stands, returning Rin's heated gaze. "We'll see who can do it better! You're on! First one to give up loses and has to do whatever the other wants for a whole day!"
As the two fume, Miku sighs. "I'll play. I mean, what can go wrong, right?" she says cheerfully.
Luka and Meiko glance at each other. As the 'big sisters' of the group, they share concern over just the younger kids playing a game like this. Because when Kaito and his games are involved, everything can go wrong.
"I'm playing," Meiko says, almost exasperated.
"I will also. Just to make sure things don't become… too crazy," Luka tags on.
Kaito's smile is brighter than the sun as he grabs the hat from the table. "Great! Great, okay. I'll bring the hat over, and you close your eyes, reach in, and take a paper, okay? It'll have the name of the color you're supposed to wear."
He steps over to Rin, Len and Miku first, extending the hat. Miku first, then the two blondes.
"Wait… I got blue?!" Rin says in distress, gazing at her slip.
"You think that's bad? I've got pink! Pink!" Len waves his paper violently, his cheeks crimson. "As if it wasn't already hard to tell us apart, now our colors are all jacked!"
Miku shrugs casually, coughing out a short chuckle. "Ah, I've got… purple…"
Kaito passes throughout the room, and soon everyone has their color; Meiko with orange, Luka with yellow, Kaito with green, and Gakupo with red. Once they've all chosen their colors, Kaito places the hat back on the table and looks at each of them.
"Alright! So go ahead and have fun, guys! I'm sure it'll be a blast! Make sure to change- you have to wear only the colors you picked." He claps his hands together, then shoos them. "C'mon, go go go!"
With a collective grumble, the seven disperse- but before Miku's left the room, Kaito catches her arm, looking sheepish when she turns to face him.
"Ah… do you have anything I can… borrow?" he asks with a lopsided grin.
She sighs deeply. It's going to be a long day.
.X.
Meiko hates when people stare.
Not that it isn't something she's become used to, being a Vocaloid. (And a rather hot one, at that.) But it's when she can feel their gaze burning holes through her skin that it really, really bothers her.
Like, get a life, will you? Haven't you seen a sexy woman in orange before?
Inside, she's cursing Kaito to hell and back for even putting her in this situation. (And herself, for agreeing to it in the first place.)
Adjusting her seat in her favorite cafe, she bites the inside of her cheek as not to snap at the one family across from her that seems to have their eyes glued to her. She's well aware her clothes are tighter than normal. She borrowed them from her small lookalike, Sakine, which is all well and good, but she's supposed to be Len- which, considering her proportions, is incredibly hard to pull off.
"Ah, hi Meiko!" The waitress appears at her side, blinking in astonishment a few times before plastering her regular smile on. "What'll it be? Your regular double-shot espresso?"
Mouth watering at the thought, she starts to nod her head. "Yea-"
She pauses with a resulting grimace. Of course. She's supposed to be Len-which means, she has to resort to something fruity. Ugh.
Forcing out her order, she murmurs, "Actually, I want a... banana… smoothie…"
Now the waitress is completely confused. "A... banana smoothie? Are you s-"
"Yes, I'm sure!" Meiko grits her teeth. "Put, like- put some caramel or something in it. I don't know."
"Um… okay." After jotting down the order, the woman hurries away, leaving the brunette to herself once more. Well, herself and the various others staring at her. Almost self-consciously, she tugs down on her black and orange shorts, grimacing. Geez, these feel almost shorter than the skirt she usually wears, and that's saying something.
Think. Think like Len, she presses herself within. I won't lose this little game. Besides, how hard can it be to have the mind of a slightly hormonal, nerdy teenage boy? If she can deal with Kaito on a regular basis, she should have no problem becoming the blond boy for a day.
As she tries to remember some of Len's music, and some of his usual actions, her waitress returns almost with lightning speed with the smoothie. The yellow, somewhat frothy drink set before her is in every way daunting- her stomach does a barrel roll just imagining what it tastes like.
"Let me know if you want… anything else," the waitress says, shooting Meiko an odd look.
She stills a moment, then decides to try Len out. Making her most seductive face, she looks at the waitress, leaning her chin on the back of her hands. "Thanks, doll, you're a real life saver."
The words are more than a little embarrassing as they come out, and she's pretty sure her face has become as red as her usual getup. It wasn't even the words that were weird- it's simply the thought that the blond himself has said things worse than that. How the hell did Len get through his entire Spice! video without keeling over in mortification? And she doesn't even want to know the details of Gigantic OTN.
If anything, her words cause the waitress to take a step back- and she's pretty positive that when Len tries to say that kind of thing, he doesn't get a deer-in-headlights disgusted reaction like she's currently getting.
"Um… yeah. No problem." With that, her server takes off for the back of the cafe, clearly disturbed, and Meiko rolls her eyes. So much for that. She'll just stick to being herself in a Len-ish outfit. It's just not her nature to be- well, Len.
Leaning in, she cautiously takes the straw of her smoothie between her lips, hesitating visibly before the initial taste. She hates fruity, sweet drinks. She can't begin to understand why the Kagamines love them so much.
Steeling her will, she reminds herself that she's Meiko. She is Miss Badass. She can handle one stupid, innocent fruit drink.
With that thought in mind, she sucks hard on the straw, getting a large mouthful of the drink. It's bitter yet sweet and even more sweet with caramel aftertones and-
-ew!
Choking a bit, she swallows the mushy banana-y drink with a short gasp. Did she just drink literal poison? What the hell is this?
To her left, she's alerted to the sound of laughter. That damn family of perfect four, observing her tryst with fruity drinks.
"What? Never seen someone try something for the first time before?" She can't help send the irritated words their way, her tone boiling with frustration. Luckily, it seems to shut them up- a plus for once.
She forces another sip of the sickly sweet-smelling drink, and frowns.
...Well.
Maybe it isn't completely gross.
...But it's still not her thing.
.X.
"Miku, I'm surprised. That really does look good on you."
"Seriously? Thanks, Luka! I tried to modify it so it would fit right, but… it didn't quite turn out the way I wanted. But good thinking with your outfit, though, you're so lucky to already have something that fit."
The tealette and older pinkette converse casually as they walk through the nearby mall, searching for new clothes to wear. Miku brushes back her teal bangs.
Doing a small twirl, she looks at Luka. "It was really nice of Gakupo to let me borrow one of his robes. I kind of wish I'd worn shorts under this, though." As she speaks, she gestures to her makeshift clothing; she'd taken said robes and twisted them all about, tying it in certain places and changing it into something akin to a samurai-style dress. Her hair is pinned back in Gakupo's style, a long ponytail that goes just below her waist. All in all, a rather cute ensemble.
"He was more than happy to lend you something." Luka smiles, trying to ignore her own clothing.
"I'm kinda shocked you still own your Rin-chan Now outfit," Miku says nonchalantly, glancing over at her friend. "Mine is hidden in my closet somewhere- I didn't think I'd have to see it again." She laughs.
"I thought the same, but… it was all I had on short notice." Luka tugs a bit at the yellow and white dress. It's definitely not one of her favorite song getups, but of course it worked since she was unfortunate enough to pick yellow.
"We must be a funny sight," the teenage tealette giggles, stopping at a storefront window to examine a pair of heels. "But, I wonder how the others are doing? I lent Kaito some things of Mikuo's so he'd have something to wear, but I have no idea if anyone else found something."
"I'm sure they're doing fine." Although, Luka's doubt grows a little more as time passes. The colors and personalities of everyone differ so much- some of them might be having trouble.
"Hey! Look at that!" Miku suddenly begins bouncing excitedly. "Look, Luka, they're giving away free samples of the new PoPiPo Leek Crush juice! It's supposed to be their healthiest and tastiest yet!"
"Oh- ah, wait, Miku-" The older woman tries to stop her, but the other girl is already running over to the small stand. Her favorite drink is, of course, vegetable juice, and she worships the stuff as if it's nectar from the gods. (Much to the disgust of just about everyone else in the Vocaloid household.)
Miku's already reaching out to take one of the offered cups, but Luka places a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Miku," she begins. "You do realize you can't drink that, right?"
"...What?" The tealette says in horror. "What do you mean?"
"As Gakupo, you have to think of eggplants," the pinkette instructs. "He's not as much a fan of vegetable juice, so you'll have to make do with something… eggplant related."
Miku's frown seems to dim every light in the room with its dark intensity. "Are you serious? I can't even drink my favorite juice?"
"I'm sorry. I'm sure eggplants aren't that bad." Looking at the stand, she gives the owner a sweet smile despite the very unnerving stare he gives her and politely orders two drinks- one orange juice, one eggplant.
Guiding the now-sullen Miku to an empty bench, she pats the girl on the shoulder. "Look, I know it's not easy, but just think of it as a challenge," she tells her brightly, taking a sip of her orange juice. "Try to think like Gakupo."
Miku stares into the depths of her purple drink, then a determined look crosses her face. "...You're right! I'll handle this like I handled Nyanyanyanya," she vows. "A challenge for my mind and body! I can do this."
"That's… right." Luka studies the girl. She's usually quite mature for her age, almost as much a big sister figure as she and Meiko. However, when Miku becomes engrossed with something or too enthusiastic, she loses her cool and can become just as childish as Rin and Len.
Miku turns to grin at Luka. "Ah, y'know, you can make a really good Rin! She'd probably cheer me on and stuff and be supportive like you're doing."
Luka blushes involuntarily. "Well, that's what friends do, isn't it?"
"Right! So, since you know Gakupo best 'cause he's your boyfriend, what would he do here?" Miku asks animatedly.
The pinkette thinks a moment. "Hmm… He'd probably try to flirt with me. I mean, not Rin, but me," she corrects herself. "And he's overzealous when it comes to his samurai skills being challenged. He's a big softie, but when he acts cool, it's very cute. And… Miku?"
As she had spoken, the other girl had risen from her seat, leaving her eggplant juice in her chair and faced off against a teenage boy who was eying her getup with confusion.
"You!" the tealette bellows.
"...Me?" The boy asks, raising a brow.
"You dare challenge me?" she continues, pointing at him.
"Um… no?" he shakes his head.
"Miku, what are you-" Luka tries to diffuse the situation- what is Miku doing? - but the girl ignores her.
"I challenge you to a duel!" Miku declares. "Fight me!"
Fight her? With what? Is she about to start a brawl in the middle of the mall? Already, onlookers are stopping in their tracks to observe the two going back and forth.
"No thanks," the boy shrugs. "I'll pass."
"You admit surrender?! How cowardly!" The girl forcefully laughs.
"I'm not really surrendering, since I didn't actually 'challenge' you," the boy tells her.
"Miku, stop!" Luka says, about to grab the girl and drag her away. This is incredibly embarrassing. Even Gakupo isn't this bad in public.
"Then I challenge you!" Miku strikes a dramatic pose, which she somehow manages to pull off in her current garb. "I have to impress my fri-eeeeeeeeeend?!"
Her dramatic pose tumbles to the floor in a heap as she slips on a wet spot, landing hard on her rear with a cry of shock.
"Miku? Are you alright?" Luka moves to the girl's side.
The boy shakes his head. "Um… Sorry. I guess the floor wins?" He shrugs, then continues past them to catch up with his friends.
"Owww…" Miku mumbles, rubbing her lower back with one hand.
"Why did you do that?" The pinkette frowns deeply. "He didn't do anything to us, Miku. It really wasn't necessary to-"
She's interrupted by the girl's laughter, her face tinted red with mirth.
"That- that was- really fun, actually!" The tealette says between breaths. "I didn't know being Gakupo could be so much fun!"
Luka facepalms.
.X.
Things are going great!
Kaito whistles a happy tune as he walks, his hands swinging at his sides. He'd just caught sight of Meiko, who seemed to be enjoying her drink in some cafe dressed as Len. This is perfect. If everyone gets into it, they might actually want to play it again. Then maybe his games wouldn't get labelled as 'lame' anymore.
He wonders how the others are faring- if they've kept up the charade, or if some of them have given up by now. He knows the most competitive players are Len and Rin, if nothing else but to spite one another. Honestly, though, their fights are pretty funny. Especially because the reason they bicker isn't completely obvious to them yet.
He himself is doing rather well. Being Miku for the day has been rather easy so far; she's bubbly, cheerful, and predictable, and he knows her through and through. He was in luck, too- she happened to have some of Mikuo's clothes on hand (for what reason, he isn't sure) and they fit like a glove (pure good fortune).
The day has gone swimmingly, and he is the one to thank, of course. He can't wait to see what the others have to say when they meet up again tonight. They'll just be begging to play another one of his games; he'll finally have the recognition he deserves-
"Oh my god, is that Mikuo?"
Kaito stops in his tracks upon the sound of a young woman's excited voice, joined quickly by several others.
"Is his hair darker? Did he dye it? Oh my god, that has to be him, though!"
Whaaaaaaaat?
He turns to see this growing group of girls closing in on him from out of nowhere. Where had they been at? Were these kind of women simply waiting to stalk Mikuo first chance they got? For a moment, Kaito feels sorry for the tealet- until he realizes right now, he is him.
Addressing the women carefully, Kaito raises his hands in gesture. "Um, I'm sorry, you have the- the wrong guy," he tells them.
"Mikuo always says that! Like we can trust that," one of them retorts.
"I say we check and find out! I heard Mikuo has a rest symbol somewhere on his chest- let's see if he has it," another replies.
Alarm bells go off in the bluenet's mind. "Um, see- no, look, I- w-wait, don't-!"
He sidesteps one fangirl's grabby hands, then dodges underneath girl number two. What in mint chocolate chip hell is wrong with these girls? He hasn't dealt with this kind of attention since the day his Sweet's Beast PV came out.
Somehow escaping the hoard, he takes off at a run, pleading within for some way out of this mess. C'mon, c'mon, something, anything but the fate that awaits if they get me!
"K-Kaaaaaaaaitooooo!"
A familiar voice makes the man in question skid to a halt, in time to see a taller male stumble out of a nearby doorway toward him. Kaito just about does a double take- Gakupo is dressed in what looks like a male-sized Meiko cosplay, skirt and all.
"Gakupo?" For a moment, he almost forgets he's in a rush; but as the girls' voices catch up to the two, fear again takes over. "Yo, man, we gotta go!"
"Go?" It's at this time Kaito realizes that the purple-haired man is swaying dangerously, like he's- like he's drunk…?
"Yeah, go, get out of here- hey, you okay?" The bluenet has to rush to the other man's side to catch him before he topples over, his weight heavy on the thinner man and almost causing him to fall as well, knocking the breath out of him.
Struggling to support his friend, Kaito panics as the scary group of fangirls come near. Unsure what else to do, he drags the older man into a nearby alley, hiding them in the shadows.
"Kaaaitooooo, why are there…" Gakupo mumbles incoherently, peering at him. "...four of you?"
"Gakupo, are you drunk?" Kaito whispers back, disbelieving what he's observing. The samurai, intoxicated? What is the world coming to? And why?
"Drunk?" A lengthy pause as the shaky man thinks. "Noooo… I'm Meiko." He laughs as if he's said the funniest thing in the world, and his friend hurries to shush him before they're noticed.
"For the love of mocha cream, you are drunk." Kaito shakes his head, dumbfounded.
"I came to- to play the gaaaame," Gakupo slurs, near unintelligible. "I was… tryin' to think like- like Meiko, so… I went to the b- the bar."
"Meiko doesn't drink anymore, Gakupo, don't you remember?"
"She… doesn't?" The man takes another few minutes to process, hiccuping. "Oh… right."
Kaito sighs audibly. "You didn't have to go that far with it, you know-"
"Heeey! I think I see him!"
A chill rushes down his spine at the declaration from one of the stalker fangirls, and he shoves Gakupo, trying to get him to move. "C'mon, anyway, we have to go right now-!"
"Heeeeey!" Gakupo starts waving in the women's direction, much to Kaito's horror. "Hi ladies! None of you are as pretty as my lovely Luka, but you all make a very nice crowd of groupies! You should seek that as a career-"
"Shut up!" Giving him a harsh push, he swings Gakupo's arm over his neck and starts off at a sprint, practically dragging the sluggish man along.
It's a mad dash through a series of alleys, but the echo of the fangirls eventually fades, allowing the two men to take a breather. Kaito sets the purple-haired man against a wall, pursing his lips and leaning the palms of his hands against his thighs.
"Thank vanilla we lost them," he says, his chest heaving. "I was worried for a second." Inside, he's silently thanking whatever deity is out there that they got away unscathed. This is far more than simple good luck, right? It has to mean something!
"Ahhhh… Kaitoooo…" Gakupo drawls, frowning at the other male with a childish expression. "...Can I tell you something?"
The bluenet cocks his head. "What's up?"
"I have to throw up," the eggplant lover replies, before proceeding to do just that all over the dirtied floor.
Scratch what Kaito thought before- it's just luck of the draw.
.X.
"Will you quit it?"
"Haha, no way! It's not everyday I get to see you wear a freakin' dress!"
"Shut up!"
Len growls in frustration, running a hand through his loosened blond strands, while Rin laughs away in his face. Honestly, it's not like he chose to wear this stupid thing; the frilly, ugly pink dress was the first thing Luka could find when trying to help him, and he'd had no option but to accept. It's lacy and vaguely reminiscent of the pinkette's Megane outfit. If he had glasses, he'd look just like a nerdy girl. Fan-frickin'-tastic. And now he's out in public like this. He's never going to live it down.
"If only I had a camera," Rin continues to giggle, and he can't bite back his angry retort.
"You're one to talk! You look like a total dork in that!" He wildly gestures to the oversized blue robe Kaito had lent her, which she had put on overtop of a blue singlet she had hidden away, and navy sweatpants. "You're not any better than me, Rin!"
"Pfft, whatever. I'll beat you at this for sure!" she announces, sticking her tongue out at him.
"You sure you can handle a day without orange juice?" he wonders, making a face back at her.
She crosses her arms and huffs. "If it means I win, then I can do it."
He rolls his eyes. "Suuuure you can." Stretching, he glances around at the homey arcade they love so much. When they're not making and recording new songs, he and Rin tend to come here to unwind- or rather, challenge one another. Most the time, the wins and defeats are pretty even. Len happens to love when they get into their competitive arguments- not that he'd tell her that. He's sure if she knew, she'd drive him absolutely nuts for the rest of his life.
Rin grins. "So… DDR first?"
His bright smirk is answer enough.
The two step up to their favorite game. It doesn't matter when, where, why or how; if there's a Dance Dance Revolution game, they're going to play it. Whoever drops first is the loser. It's become a long-running routine for them.
For the next hour, the blondes face off in a series of hardcore dances, their feet stomping the arrows below, their eyes darting across the screen to follow the steps. By the time they finally wear out, they're both coated in sweat and red-faced. In their current state of dress, it was even more a challenge than usual. Of course, Len didn't mind; he had a ton of fun even dressed up as a girly girl. But geez, it's so annoying having to worry about stepping on your skirt. Do girls always have to think about that kind of thing?
"Break for snacks?" Len pants eventually, leaning against the back rail of the dance machine, and his mirror image nods in silent agreement.
With that, they walk just outside the arcade entrance to the hot dog stand next door. They know the guy who runs it by name- Piko- and have become friends with him. He gives them hot dogs for free, as long as they give him the tickets they earn in the arcade. (Said he was saving for something big- and they weren't about to turn down free food.)
They sit down on an empty bench on the streetside, to people watch while they eat. Len bites down on his chili dog, the skin on the back of his neck prickling with embarrassment as people stare through him while walking by. The things he'll do to compete with Rin…
Speaking of Rin. He glances over at her, noticing she's fallen rather quiet, nibbling at her food and gazing off into space. Though she's been mostly her usual self, she's also been a bit more subdued- and he most likely knows why. Earlier, when he made that comment on her ironing board- er, her chest, she was really upset. He probably should have tried to apologize, but he hadn't thought it was that bad a remark. They joke like that all the time- she isn't that bothered by it, is she…? It's not like being totally flat is a bad thing!
Aaaaah, why is he thinking about that, anyway? C'mon, Len, don't go perv, this is Rin we're talking about here. Now his face is about two times more red than it was, and he grimaces. He should at least just- try to tell her it wasn't that big a deal. He opens his mouth, to say just that, when-
"Rin, is that you?"
That certainly wasn't his voice. The words die in his throat as a trio of girls comes near, each of them showcasing some kind of similar fashion trend, all of them resembling young models. Friends of hers, maybe?
However, the look on her face says otherwise, and he's quick to figure out that's not the case.
"Wow, I barely recognized you!" The girl up front with violet-colored hair remarks, her hands on her hips. "I thought you were just some little kid dressing up in daddy's coat, but I should've known better."
Len gapes in surprise. They're openly bullying her? Since when? And he's right here! Wait… do they not recognize him while he's dressed up in this girly clothing?
Rin glares back at them, but says nothing, red embarrassment coloring her cheeks crimson. At her continued silence, the girl laughs.
"I mean, you do always look like just some little kid. You've got nothing going for you." The girl gestures to herself, then points at Rin. "You should really work on that, y'know? You're like some puppy that tags along next to Len. At least he acts mature, like he deserves to be a Vocaloid- you're just that late-blooming tomboy he hangs out with. Your voice isn't even that great, either-"
Face aflame, anger rising in his chest, Len stands and shoves the girl back into her friends without really thinking through the action, his eyes piercing.
"I don't know what your problem is, but shut up about Rin!" he growls. "She's fine just the way she is- you guys are just like plastic dolls! She's twice the girl you guys are!"
"L-Len?" The girl says in shock, clearly not expecting the male idol to be dressed in bright pink dresswear. "W-what the-?"
"Come on, Rin!" Not waiting for the girl to muster a response, he grasps his mirror image's hand and takes off at a run, ready to put as much distance between the cruel teenagers and the two of them.
What a bunch of jerks. Poor Rin… no wonder she's bothered by that stuff.
After sprinting a good half a mile down the road, he finally lets go of her, stopping to take a breath. She's still incredibly quiet, which bothers him, but he takes the opportunity to talk instead.
"Why would you let them say that to you?" he starts, searching her face. "Those girls were awful- and you were just gonna take it?"
"Well… it's kind of true, isn't it?" He finally has an answer from her, but it's not what he expects. She frowns at him, crossing her arms. "The… everything."
"What?" he says in disbelief. "You don't actually believe that, right? I mean come on, Rin, really?"
She makes a face at him, and sighs. "I… I dunno…" She fidgets, shifting her weight from one foot to another.
He stares at her., and then straightens to his full height. "Rin."
"What?"
"I'm sorry."
She raises a brow. "Huh?"
"For what I said earlier," he clarifies. "I'm really sorry."
She blinks, and then rolls her eyes. "Now you apologize? Don'tcha think it's a little late?"
"Hey!" he says, indignant. "I'm trying to be the bigger man here, by apologizing first-"
"First? You expect me to apologize for something? Also, you keep making 'man' references to me- do I really look that much like a guy in this?" She waves a hand at her clothes, and he sputters, becoming more frustrated.
"No, that's not what I meant! I was trying to tell you you're fine just as you are, because I thought you were still mad about earlier and I didn't really want you to be upset and then those girls showed up and I thought-"
"Thanks."
He cuts off as Rin smiles at him.
"Thanks for… y'know. Apologizing. Saying I'm fine as me and standing up to them back there." Taking a step closer and reaching over, she flicks his forehead, and he makes a noise of protest. "Sometimes, you can be pretty cool. I forgive you."
His face turns an unruly shade of red, and he stutters on whatever he was going to say, taken off guard. This is unexpected.
"W-wha, I- yeah. Okay. You're welcome," he says lamely, rubbing the back of his head. "It's what friends do, anyway- stand up for each other, right?"
"Right." She nods.
"A-and, besides," his mouth continues without his brain's consent, "what's wrong with flat chests anyway? They're not a problem or anything, so you shouldn't feel ashamed having one-"
Flames light in his mirror image's eyes, and he realizes his mistake too late.
"Len, you had one chance to not blow it again, and you blew it. I'm going to kill you!"
Whoops.
.X.
Stumbling through the door of the Vocaloid Mansion that night, Kaito nearly drops Gakupo on the way in, just barely pushing the unconscious man into a chair before sprawling out on the hardwood floor.
"Hey, you're back!" Miku says pleasantly, where she sits placed on the couch beside Luka, who was just before engrossed in a novel but jumps up as soon as the two men appear.
"What happened?" the pinkette utters in horror, drawing to Gakupo's side and pressing a palm to his head, concern written over her features- along with minor embarrassment for the man's currently scantily crossdressed state.
"He was drinking. Long story- he'll explain to you later, I'm sure," Kaito says, picking himself off the floor long enough to find his way onto the nearby ottoman, lying sideways on it.
"Gakupo? Drinking? That's a new one," Meiko says, striding in from the kitchen with a coffee mug in hand, changed back to her original clothes. "Speaking of drinking- I absolutely refuse to drink another banana smoothie ever for the rest of my life."
"Are you serious? How can you not like banana smoothies?" Len says in outrage, glaring at Meiko over the large ice pack pressed to his swelling cheek. "Seriously, what kind of people do I live with?"
"The cool ones," Rin says flippantly, shooting him a syrup sweet smile that he flinches from.
Kaito takes a deep breath, and then faces the room, looking from one Vocaloid to another. "So, did you guys have fun at all?" he asks hopefully.
A round of silence. "Um… I suppose?" Luka mumbles.
"No," Len grumbles under his breath, glancing at Rin and then to the floor, his cheeks stained ruby.
Gakupo shifts in his drunken sleep, mumbling something about eggplants in red, and Miku presses a hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle.
"Well, it was different, wasn't it?" Kaito presses them.
"I guess," Rin relents slightly. "It wasn't all bad."
Kaito's expression brightens. "So, that means you'll all want to play another of my games, right? I have this great idea-!"
Horror strikes the group, and in unison they yell;
"No!"
A/N: Oh my god, it's finally done.
This is unbeta'd, because- because honestly, this fic was incredibly spontaneous.
Also, forgive the several song references. I couldn't help myself.
I happen to really love this fic, okay. I mean, I'm well aware it's lame and probably is super weird, but I love it for all it's worth. It's a monster and silly, but it was fun to write and I love it. The reason I wrote it? Well, the plot idea has been around for almost a year now (number 3 in my Plots doc) and finally, my friends said they loved it and wanted em to write it, I found the inspiration, and... voila. This thing came into existence.
I dedicate this to my good friends Riko-Sakura (who made the cover, actually) and ProfHex, whom without the encouragement and support of, I would probably have let this collect dust for another year, haha. Thanks guys, you're the best. o7
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this rather odd thing, and I'll see you in the next update/story. Oh! And please, please, check out my multi-chapter Red Threads Interwoven. It's beta'd by Piri, and it's my child whom I cherish dearly. Give it a shot?
Read on~!
~disclaimer~ I own mental images of Gakupo crossdressing and a dislike of smoothies, but I don't own Vocaloid. :3