ROLEPLAY HQ - i-m-not-losing-you-this-time

It was evening, when some of the members of Wonder×Land were laying around relaxing. their successful comeback and album release, Paradise and their title song Born to be Wild was very well received and they had just done their last performance a few days ago. The company had allowed them a break. ERGO, or Jiro, was staring at his phone expectedly. Today was the day they would announce who got the part in a tv show adaptation of his favorite novel. He had been following ever since its first chapter was published online back when he was in highschool. It had helped him through hard times, and his debut. He had cried when the final chapter was released. He felt strongly for the characters and had hoped for a happy ending for all the characters, even the villain. When his manager had spoken up about promoting outside of music, something the higher ups had been talking about, many of the other members hadn't been interested in going into acting. Jiro was excited to try and expand his talents, his excitement doubled when he was handed a few scripts and saw the one for the novel. Rushing to his manager with the script asking to try out for it, his manager wasn't sure about it at first since it was a popular novel and if he failed or messed up, it might make fans turn on him. Jiro was quick to show his dedication, and willing to take full blunt of fan anger. So now he was waiting, after doing his interview for the tv show. He had introduced himself and had felt faint when he saw the author in person. He had been nervous but gave it his all, and by the end of it he didn't expect to get a big part, maybe a small part playing a sibling or something.

7:57 PM

So here he was, waiting for his manager to give him the news if he got a part in the show or not. He was bouncing his leg as a few members looked at him and sighed. Fang, the lead rapper, spoke up “Woah there Jiro, with the amount of bouncing you the building is starting to shake, Manager can probably feel your nervousness and being evil and make you suffer” Jiro lets out a soft whine, “Manager wouldn't-” Everyone looked at him with a raised brow, which made Jiro panic even more and bring his hand to his head. “I'm gonna throw up, Manager please” The leader, Ken, spoke up and placed a hand on his shoulder. “There there Jiro, it's ok. I'm sure you got the part-” “What if I didn't and that's why the manager taking forever” he says panicked before his leader could finish speaking. Which just made the man sigh and shake his head at Jiro action. He just kept patting his back and trying to calm the nervous member. “Geez, never seen him this nervous, not even when we first debuted” one of the Twins, King, spoke up. “Leave him be-” Yuko, the other twin said, only to stop when the door opened. Everyone quickly turned to it, Jiro held his breath only to sob a bit when he saw it's just the youngest member of the group Sora. “Woah, what's up with him-” Sora says, seeing Jiro on the floor face down looking defeated. Ken just shakes his head at the sight of Jiro, “He's just being dramatic. Don't mind him sora, The result of who got the part is happening today. At least it should be, since it's going through our company.” Jiro whines at Ken's words, “I'm gonna throw up…” Everyone looks at the member and sighs, shaking their head at him. “How is he the second oldest again?” King asked. Before anyone could say anything else the door opened and the manager stepped inside, he was holding a large envelope only to pause when he saw Jiro on the ground and raise an eyebrow. “Jiro, why are you on the floor”

7:59 PM

“manager!” He shouts, and quickly gets up and rushes over to him, “you need to tell me please, I'm going crazy” “Sit down,” The manager says gently and puts a hand on Jiro's shoulder sitting him down on the couch. “stay” “Sir, I'm not Ken” “Hey!” Ken clicked his tongue, “tsk, I'm not a dog Jiro” The manager ignored them and just went to set up a camera in front of Jiro on the couch, “Higher ups want your reaction if you got the part. I don't know either, don't ask. This will be released once the production is on the way and promotion begins.” Jiro nods his head, excitedly as the camera begins to roll, “Here you go Jiro” His manager handed him the envelope, Jiro took it and looked nervous at the envelope in his hand. His hands were shaky, he took a breath and looked like he was gonna open it before he stopped. “I feel like I'm gonna throw up again… what if I don't get the part." Ken chuckled to the right of him while the others came over to him, the twins behind the coach and Sora on his left. Fang sat on the armrest next to Ken. They all looked at Jiro who was nervous. “Don't be a pussy, open it” King says, getting smacked by everyone. Jiro look at the envelope for a bit more before opening it slowly and pulled it out. Seeing the first draft of the script and a highlight on who he was playing. “I-I got a part” he says then screams standing up and jumping up and down. As everyone clapped and congratulated him, he held up the script close to him and squealed then looked at it again. “I dreamed of this day forever, ever since chapter 1.” He said softly, only to pause when he reads the name. “Huh… Whos that?” He says confused and flipped the script open to his part, and reads it. He looked shocked, as he realized it was the Villainess who was a-. “why did they genderbend the villain- is this why I got the part cause I'm an Incubus!”

He’d been back in Japan for just a few days now, but he was already running late for his current modeling job. The jet lag was still making his life hard, and even with his manager coming to pick him up on time, Haruki did look a little bit disheveled, as if he had just fallen out of bed. His hair was all over the place, and no matter how much he tried to tame it on the drive to the location of the shoot, it was a lost cause. He gave up halfway through and would just leave this up to the stylists. They could do a much better job at this than he could, anyway. With a sigh, he looked at his phone, scrolling through a few of the news that were suggested to him. He wasn’t particularly interested in any of them, but Haruki feared he would just fall asleep again if he didn’t occupy himself with anything else. It was hard, and maybe it would have been better to take a few days off instead of jumping right back into work, but if he hadn’t… The anticipation would have killed him otherwise. He already knew he had gotten the part of the main character in the upcoming TV drama of the decade, as some critics had proclaimed, but just imagining how that would be… It left him giddy. Yes, he had just returned after shooting a movie abroad, but this was different. He had a connection to the novel on a deeper level, even though he only found out about it relatively late. Haruki had already missed out on about half of it before someone had recommended it to him. Even now, he still enjoyed thinking back to that time. It had moved his heart in so many different ways, and even while rereading it, he got lost in that strange sensation again and again. Haruki knew this quite well because he had just finished reading it for the fourth time in preparation for his role. He was determined to do his best and make sure the show would be a success. Not just for all the fans of the series but also for his own sake. Pulling up to the location for today's shoot,

10:06 PM

Haruki took another deep breath before getting out of the car. His exhaustion seemed to vanish in an instant, a bright smile appearing on his face as he waved hello to the crew. There were a few familiar faces around, but he didn’t get the chance to greet anyone properly or even exchange a few words, as he was already tackled into a hug by someone running at him from the side. Haruki had kind of already expected this to happen, knowing his small fairy stylist for quite some time. He had known her since she was an intern and had fought hard to get her into his team as soon as she got a real job offer. “Ruki!”, her hug tightened, while her eyes seemed to glow even stronger. He just petted her head lightly, equally excited to have her back. The next time he was traveling somewhere, he would certainly take her along. No one knew how to handle his hair and skin like her. “Elara! I’m happy to see you again as well!”, Haruki chuckled, finally wrapping his arms around her again and squeezing her with a little bit less force. “We don’t have time for that! You are late! And you look awful!”, Elara pulled away a bit, taking a closer look at the dark circles under his eyes with a disappointed expression before grabbing his wrist and pulling him forcefully away towards the changing rooms and styling stations. Haruki just let her, mostly amused by her attics. Gods, how he had missed this. It felt a lot more relaxing than what he went through the last few months, even though the atmosphere was a lot less professional. He quite liked that about Elara to be honest. Just fifteen minutes later, he found himself in front of a large mirror, with Elara and two others fussing about his hair and make-up. The fairy talked non-stop to him about everything he had missed out on while being away. Most of the time she was talking about her boyfriend and how beautiful their anniversary had been,

10:06 PM

but at some point the conversation shifted towards one of her favorite boy groups and their newest album. With her constant swooning, it had led to Haruki’s curiosity getting the better of him and checking them out as well. Now he had somehow become attached to them as well. Their music was great, and especially one of the members had managed to capture his eye, so now hearing Elara excessively talk about him… He wasn’t quite sure if he had been found out or not. “Hey, Ruki, are you even listening to me?”, Elara was using her brush with a little bit more force than necessary on his face to get his attention. He hadn’t even noticed he had been lost in his thoughts, but he only gave her a small smile in response. “I just said that ERGO from Wonder×Land got a part in that drama you’re starring in! So you better make sure that I’m able to accompany you!”, she repeated, her voice a little bit more demanding this time. Haruki wanted to reply something witty but could only blink at her wide-eyed, looking for his voice that seemed to have vanished. ERGO was joining the show? So far he had only heard speculations, but if that was true? How could he have missed that? “Did you swallow your tongue? I thought you already knew who your co-stars were going to be.”, now she looked at him confused, making Haruki snap out of it. He had to clear his throat and slightly fidget with the hem of his bathrobe sleeves. “So far, just the main cast has been announced as far as I know…”, he mumbled, looking down at his knees, while Elara began rummaging around looking for something, finally returning with her phone in hand, handing it to him. “Here, see for yourself if you don’t believe me.” With just a glance at the screen, he could make out ERGO sitting on a couch and holding an envelope. The video showed him opening it as well as the excitement that ensued right after. It was cute, to be honest, and put a soft smile on Haruki's lips. How could he have missed this?

10:06 PM

At the end, there was a short notification telling the name of the show as well as which role ERGO was starring in. To his surprise, it was the villainess, which was slightly confusing. Had he missed out on something while reading the script? “So? What do you say? Think you can manage to get me on board? I’m not asking you to introduce me to him right away, but maybe you could ask for an autograph or something in the future?”, Haruki felt like Elara had already laid out an elaborate plan he was supposed to follow in the future, but if it was a way to sneakily get closer to his own favorite member of the group… Why shouldn’t he? Still… The change in script was weird, even if it gave him the chance to meet ERGO. He wanted to speak with the ones responsible for it, but also feared that they would cut him out should Haruki make a fuss, which was truly not something he wanted. So… Maybe they explained themselves? Or would it make sense after he was able to take another glance at the script? “I’ll see what I can do, Ela. It shouldn’t be a problem to have you tag along. After all, you know best how to make me glow!”, he finally replied, handing her the phone back and focusing on the brushes on his skin and hair instead. “But I’m not gonna start harassing someone I’m working with, just because you want an autograph.”, Haruki may, but that would most certainly be for an autograph of his own, and it wasn’t like Elara couldn’t go up to him himself to ask for one. “Maybe you can get friendly with his make-up crew, and they can help you out. Am sure there will be more than enough opportunities for you to get to meet him.” Internally, Haruki was distracted the entire time during the shooting, already thinking about so many different things. Meeting ERGO… What if he embarrassed himself? He just had to play it cool, right? Who even knows when they would meet?

10:06 PM

Haruki had to review the script, and to his shock, there were even more of those changes. It was just the first three episodes he had access to so far, but even then, there were quite a few changes already. Maybe he did have to have a word with the producer. After all, he wanted the show to do justice to his favorite series of books! But that could wait. For now, he was too busy to not fall asleep while posing on the grass among dozens of flowers. @kramptan

It had only been a few hours after the video had been posted, and it was getting late. At this time Jiro was reminded of how terrifying the fandom is. He already saw a bunch of new GIFs and Memes. One when he realized he was playing the villainess, his sudden change from excitement to confusion seems to be a big hit with fans for their school topics. Him jumping around excitedly seems to be the new reaction being used with the fans. But that wasn't the issue, the issue was the Novel fans, like himself, were confused on why the villain was changed. He didn't understand she was the best character, why was she removed completely, he only had three episodes worth of information. He didn't have many scenes in the first episode, if anything he had ZERO- no wait that was a lie, he shows up at the very end of the first episode like one of those planning scheming rats, looking down at the Female Lead and Male Lead 2. He was now worried about where the story was going, since he wasn't sure how everything was gonna play out. He was also worried about his own character cause if he fucks this up everyone gonna hate him so much and hate the author for the change too. This was gonna be tough, especially for his first role, but Jiro was determined to get this right. He wasn't gonna fail the fans, and himself. Jiro looked up at the ceiling as he laid back on his bed. He had been reading everything in his room all day in the group's apartment. He had his own apartment but he was too tired to go back home. He has been working hard with the script practicing all day and night in his old room. He knew script reading was gonna happen soon, to check the chemistry between everyone and to see if the lines would work.

2:05 PM

Jiro was ready for it, ready to jump right into it. He sighs softly, and sits up, “I need out if this room, I have been cooped up in here for days and I'm going insane” he stepped out of his room, throwing his phone behind him onto his bed to go bother Ken, he was close to his age and his best friend, alongside Fang. He opened the door to Ken's room where he was asleep in his bed, with Fang. Jiro didn't seem to care that the two were snuggling. He just causally put himself between the two. “Hey, so do you guys think they’ll let me make a song for the novel now!” Jiro spoke, Ken let out a soft groan and hid his face deeper into his pillow used to Jiro's stupidity. While Fang growled, which only made Jiro keep going, “I wasn't as famous when the novel was ongoing, and by the time the group took off the novel was reaching its end. I hope they let me sing the ending or opening! I been writing-” Fang covered his mouth, his words muffled as the other male eye was closed. “Shut it, we are trying to sleep please, talk about your favourite novel after we all had some beauty sleep. If Ken wakes up in a sour mode cause if you, I'll end your whole blood line”

2:05 PM

Jiro rolled his eyes, his mouth still covered as he looks at Fang. Fang hadn't opened his eyes as he spoke, The male just reached up and patted his head and went back to sleep, reaching over to hold Ken. Making Jiro huff, “gross, and good night to you too” he mumbled before yawning, rubbing his eyes a bit. He was feeling sleepy too, and his eyes began to flutter shut as sleep finally made itself known. He yawned again, “I'm not sleepy you are” he mumbled before passing out right after a bit. A few days passed, Jiro calmed his nerves and wrote some stuff down for him to ask the author and director questions, he hoped that wouldn't be rude but he wanted this to be perfect. His manager had grabbed him during his writing and started dragging him off for his first day as an actor. He was inside the car being driven to the studio, he looked out at the city. Looking at the bright lights and billboards, he beamed when he saw a few group members doing their own stuff, modeling and advertising stuff. King was even promoting their first solo debut, he was rooting for him. “Fighting King” he says as he passes his album teaser playing on a poster. He knew the song was gonna be amazing, the male was very talented. As his thoughts were elsewhere he didn't realize they arrived till the car stopped and the manager reached over and flicked his ear. “Out of the car, and hurry up,” he says, stepping out, making Jiro rush after him. Panicking as he was getting closer and closer to fainting. As he went into the elevator, his manager pats his head and pushes a button on the elevator. “You'll be fine on your own right, I drop you off now be good and do as your told and don't fuck it up”

2:05 PM

“Devil man, you're really leaving me to face the music alone. I thought you loved me” Jiro says in a panic inside the elevator, the manager hasn't stepped inside completely. Only holding the door open. He chuckles darkly, and shakes his head. “You know it kid, King needs me more. If you fuck up” He moves his hand away from the door and points to him then brings his hands together to crush air, with a dark smile. Jiro swallowed, he didn't even get to say anything because the door closed and brought him up to the floor he needed to go.

2:07 PM

@SirFüncelot

Later that day, after the shoot had been wrapped up, he rewatched the video of ERGO receiving his role for the show three more times, studying it carefully before he fell down a rabbit hole, scrolling through his social media platforms to look at all the different things people had come up with. The GIFs were funny, and the theories some fans had already made up… Some were really good, and he was just as excited as them. Haruki couldn’t wait to hear the reasoning behind the changes and what else the production team had come up with. Considering how close they said they were working with the author… They should be on board with all these changes, right? Haruki hadn’t gotten a chance to meet them, as he hadn’t been back during the scheduled meeting. For a fact, he hadn’t even met any of the other people who were starring in the show as well. Some of them he knew from work he had done with them before, but most were new faces. Either to him or to the entirety of show business. He was also excited to see how they were going to handle all of this. Not that he intended to make them suffer more than necessary, but it was always nice to see someone new blossom. Should he expect this from the show? The next few days he was busy as well, getting as much work done as possible before he would be mostly unavailable. They would probably still try to squeeze some photo shoots into his tight schedule, and he really regretted not taking any days off beforehand. This would leave him so exhausted… But at least it was going to start off rather relaxed. Just a few meetings to talk about the script, meet the other actors, and go through their parts one by one. It would be easy. Haruki had been through much worse than this, so he was confident. Or at least he was confident until the night before. So far, there hadn’t been anything to worry about, but now that the day was approaching…

9:14 PM

Checking out social media again wasn’t his best decision. Some people had already put together some clips of him with the female lead and a few of the other characters. Among them were even some with ERGO and… Most were made badly, but just the thought of standing next to the person he had admired for years now… It left him with a slight flush of embarrassment, as well as the inability to find much sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, there were pictures of him doing something stupid in front of him, embarrassing himself to the point where he couldn’t keep his eyes closed. Resulting in a rather long and exhausting night for Haruki. Fueled mostly by coffee and sugar, he had managed to conceal the dark circles under his eyes with make-up as he pulled up to the building they were having their meeting at today. His fear was still rooted somewhere in the back of his head, ready to pop out at any given moment. It made Haruki feel miserable on the inside, but with a bright smile, he decided to push through it. Or at least he had meant to try, but as soon as he stepped foot into the building and was on his way to approach the elevator, he spotted a familiar pink mop of hair. Why him of all people? Why did he have to run into him first? Eyes lowered to the ground, Haruki contemplated if he should maybe just change his hair color or something, or maybe even take the stairs to avoid the awkwardness that would certainly ensue should they be left alone together. But he also couldn’t run away from him forever. The sooner he got this over with, the better. But still… Just the thought made him uncomfortable, and his flight reflex seemed to kick in. He didn’t even know he had something like that… And there surely wasn’t anything to be afraid of. The other looked so small and adorable… What was there to be afraid of? Taking another deep breath, followed by another sip of his coffee,

9:15 PM

he noticed too late that the elevator had already left and the man in a suit that had bid ERGO farewell walked past him. How long had he been standing here? Was he already acting weird? Quickly, Haruki made his way over to the now closed elevator doors, pretending like nothing had happened as he pressed the button to call the elevator again. At least he was avoiding the ride together now… But they would be in the break room together, and… Oh, how he hoped that there would be someone else he already knew and could occupy himself with. That would be the best-case scenario. Otherwise… The elevator ride was spent overthinking. Haruki held onto his cup as if it were a lifeline that would save him from disgrace if he just clutched it tight enough, but of course that didn’t help… Maybe ERGO didn’t know who he was? Surely that had to be the case! He wasn’t that famous after all. So maybe he could just pretend he didn’t exist at all? Or at least that was what Haruki held on to so far, hoping it would turn out to be true. Glad to find a familiar face among the people that were already sitting in the break room, sharing hot drinks as well as a big box of various pastries. Smiling, he greeted the other people in the room with a friendly wave, before walking towards his friend across the room, not even glancing at ERGO. “Varken, I thought you would be the last to arrive. You’re usually not around this early.”, he teased, while already getting pulled into a bone-crushing hug by the werewolf and second male lead character, who just openly laughed at him.

9:15 PM

“You’re just later than usual! Still not recovered from flying all over the globe?”, Varken shot back, showing off white fangs while he grinned. This certainly helped him relax. As did the sugary donut he grabbed from the box. Maybe not the most healthy decision, considering how much sugar and syrup he had put into the four coffees he’s had so far, but otherwise he would probably just fall asleep on the spot. “I’m never recommending you apply for something ever again… I thought you would be a good fit for the part of Garrick, but apparently I was wrong, and you’re just a big asshole…”, Haruki huffed, biting into the donut as he turned away his face, dramatically pouting to make Varken feel bad. Yes, this was just what he needed. A friendly and lighthearted conversation that took his mind off of everything else. Nothing made him happier. This was nice, and he hoped it would stay this way, even though Varken and him were supposed to be rivals, they got along well. With the occasional bickering and teasing, but that was very normal for them already. They had done so since the first time they had met. @kramptan

Jiro thought of what the manager said, he knew the man was scary and made good with his threat. The last time one of them messed up- he shivered at the memory and stopped it from going any farther. Manager was just too scary, even for an Incubus like him. Demons like Manager were on a whole other level then he was, “I can't mess up! I won't be on the manager's shit list! I will not suffer!” He shouted in the elevator, just as the door opened, and his face turned red as he realized he got to the floor he needed to be in. He took a breath and peeked out to look around, before stepping out. He wasn't sure where he was supposed to go, but hopefully he won't get lost on the floor he was supposed to be on. He began to walk off in the wrong direction, and looked around the hall, it was a nice building. “I can't wait to meet everyone, I hope they don't mind my inexperience” he said to himself, as he kept moving forward. After a while of walking he stops, and blinks a bit, “I… think I'm officially lost. Should I turn around but…” he turns around and rubs the back of his neck, ‘I don't remember the path I took to get her…” He covers his face with his hand and looks defeated, “Manager gonna have my head if I'm late, why did he have to leave me alone to suffer this… he knew I would fail didn't he, that old demon bastard.”

10:52 PM

He didn't notice the person behind him, till he felt a tap on his shoulder making him let out a loud shout, and turned around to face them. He placed a hand on his chest when he saw the man with glasses, they seemed like a worker, wearing the production team logo on his chest. “Mr ERGO, you're manager contacted us, informing us you have a habit of getting lost if not lead. So I'll be your guide for the day.” the man said, and began to lead him to the room. Jiro let out a soft sigh, thankful someone finally could take him to where he was needed. Though he was a bit annoyed that the manager told someone of his terrible sense of direction. He didn't have time for much thought though as he stepped through the door and was greeted by other people. He looked at everyone nervously, he was unsure what to do so he quickly bowed his head to them politely. He looked at the elven women sitting and automatically guessed she was playing the main lead, Lisa. He looked unsure as he stood there. He never did this before so his confidence was below zero, this was definitely not his element. He looked around then spotted them, the male lead, he knew because the man was Varken and Huraki- wait Huraki. His eyes widened at the sight of the man, because here he was, a guy that a small part of his fandom shipped him with. Had clipped pieces of media together of the both of them from their respective works. Making stories and- god it was silly. A crack ship his fandom thought he would never see, but he saw it. It was on his timeline. He went down that rabbit hole, he was sure the fandom was having a field day. Thank God he had decided to detox from the internet, cause he was sure his phone would be blowing up with text messages from the crackship group chat.

10:52 PM

He regretted joining and shipping himself with the man, but he couldn't blame him, he was really handsome and the fandom was very compelling with their writing that he almost believed it. They never even met before, here he was a fool. This was probably fate hitting him with karma for his hubris, believing he would never have to face the consequences of his actions. The gods were laughing at him; he was sure of it. He took a breath and decided to grow a pair and talk to people, he may as well rip the bandage right off, and decided to walk over to the two male leads. He takes a moment to reach them and waves. “Hi, I'm sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm ERGO, or well Jiro I'll be playing Ptolema… or well Icarus since they changed the gender of the villainess.” He says nervously, he began to pull at the sleeve of his shirt.

10:52 PM

@SirFüncelot

Varken and he got into a very deep conversation soon, talking about all sorts of things. Their last movie together, Haruki’s shooting abroad, and a few other minor things. It made the time pass fast, and he was so absorbed in their conversation that he didn’t even realize ERGO was approaching. Usually his ears picked up on something like that quickly, but right now… Haruki was too distracted; otherwise, he would have mentally prepared himself or tried to get away as fast as possible. Now… He was stuck here without a reason to leave, or he would make it weird. He knew this would happen… But this soon? Swallowing his anxiousness, Haruki tried to not look as panicked as he felt right now, glad that Varken began speaking first, giving him a little bit more time to stuff the remainder of his donut into his mouth and buy himself a little bit more time to think. Varken had already extended his hand, flashing his teeth at Jiro in a wide grin. “Varken, but no one but this idiot calls me that!”, with that, he hit Haruki on the back, nearly making him spit his donut back out again. “So for the love of everything that’s holy, call me Var or Ken or really anything but my full name!”, he started off, squeezing Jiro’s hand tightly during their handshake before letting go of it. “I’m playing Garrick, but you probably knew that already, with it being kind of all over the news.”, his grin turned a little bit embarrassed, as he wasn’t quite used to seeing his own face on huge billboards and ads. Especially not next to established actors like Haruki or Lisa. It still took a little bit to get used to. “But I guess right now, you’re the one making all the news. Never knew I’d ever be working alongside a famous idol as well.”, Varken’s laugh rumbled in his chest, slightly amused by Jiro’s obvious nervousness, though a glance to the side revealed that his friend seemed to not do much better.

3:37 AM

Haruki was better at hiding it, but with how tight he clenched his teeth and the fact that his smile had disappeared… He was certainly anxious as well, something Varken had never thought he would see. Usually he was so outgoing and friendly, but apparently even Haruki turned into a small puppy when faced by someone even greater than himself. “Well, if you’ll excuse me. I still have something to discuss with Lisa. Play nice, Haru!”, grinning at Jiro once more, Varken got up from his chair, affectionately petting Haruki’s head while walking past him, and then joining Lisa across the room, leaning against the table while he quickly struck up a conversation with her. Leaving Haruki to his doom, his face grew a little bit paler as his eyes slowly wandered to Jiro’s, looking at him for a moment, trying not to get lost in those eyes. Why did he have to look this perfect? As if his angelic voice wasn’t enough already. Clenching his teeth a little bit harder, he sucked his breath in through his nose, expression turning into an unsatisfied frown, eyebrows furrowed deeply. He felt betrayed by Varken, just getting left behind like this, but he also didn’t know that he was a big Wonder×Land fan and an even bigger ERGO fan. So… He couldn’t really be mad at him. Yet… What was he supposed to do? There was no real way out of this. He had to say something; otherwise, he would be viewed as rude, and he didn’t want that as well. But how? How did he usually talk with people? He never thought much about what to say up until now, and this was where it brought him… Haruki got up from his chair nonchalantly, observing Jiro's fidgeting with an arched eyebrow, noticing quite a few similarities between the two of them, though he was probably nervous for an entirely different reason than himself.

3:37 AM

He casually adjusted his glasses before responding, his tone almost disinterested while he spoke. Haruki hadn’t intended to sound like this, but it had just happened. He couldn’t stop the words from coming forth, his attempt to seem cool and mysterious was certainly failing. "Hmm, ERGO, huh? Or do you prefer Jiro? Not that your stage name is of any importance here. I'm Haruki Inari. I've heard they switched things up a bit with the casting. Playing Icarus now, I see," he remarked, his eyes scanning Jiro with a detached curiosity. "I suppose that makes me the seasoned veteran around here." Internally, he felt stupid, contemplating hitting his head against the next best hard surface, but something was stopping him from doing so. Running away still sounded like a good idea, though. Haruki wanted to be happy about learning his favorite idol's name, but he couldn’t really focus on that now. Taking a deliberate pause, looking away as if uninterested in the conversation, he continued, his own stupidity certainly impressing him. "Not that it matters. Just figured I'd let you know for the future. Break a leg or whatever." Haruki nodded indifferently before sauntering off, leaving an air of mysterious aloofness behind him, concealing the nervous excitement that lingered just beneath the surface. He felt sick and flustered and so, so bad. How was he suddenly this bad at leaving a good first impression? @kramptan

Jiro looked up at Varkin as he spoke in awe, though both of them are somewhat new, Varkin had more experience then him and was still his senior in the industry. He couldn't help but feel the warmth the man gives off, even as he also seemed a bit nervous like him. “Var it is then! It would be weird to call you Ken since that's what one of my group members name" he laughs lightly, smiling brightly at the welcoming actor. It felt like a weight was carried off his shoulder when he spoke. He truly was his character, he started to feel some of his worries were slowly fading, he was concerned about his own acting but knew that would just take time and practice which he hopes he has time to master before he has to get in front of the camera. "Ah! Yes thank you for speaking with me" he bows his head at Varken as he goes to leave, leaving both Haruki and Jiro alone. Jiro looked at the handsome male, and was nervous again but for a whole other reason. He hoped Haruki didn't think he was weird but… he was really handsome. He couldn't help but stare at him, his red eyes bright and shined just right in the room's light. He was wearing casual clothing, but seeing Haruki he felt so underdressed, the man held himself so beautifully and gracefully. No wonder he was playing the best character in the book, Jiro couldn't help but applaud the casting director and Author mentally for picking him. He noticed the way Haru eye moved looking at him, he couldn't help but feel like the other was disappointed in something. Jiro hoped it wasn't himself, he hadn't even acted yet and he was disappointing people already. 'New record, Jiro. Next is just breathing...' he thinks as his fidgeting keeps going, his long sleeves becoming a wrinkled mess.

5:07 PM

He takes a moment before opening his mouth to say anything, only for Haruki to speak. Jiro's eyes widen his voice… sounded so much deeper? Lighter? He couldn't describe it in words how his voice made him feel, but he was sure if the man was a voice actor he would be paid for his voice 10 times over. Hell, Jiro would pay the man to speak to him. Though his tone- it was harsh and made him flinch a bit, but he nodded his head. "Y-yes, I can't wait to work with you, Haruki," he says softly, bowing his head respectfully at the veteran actor. Jiro was new and he needed to show respect; he also didn't want to disappoint the man. He waited for him to continue speaking before nodding his head again, "th-thank you! I'll be sure to not disappoint, and work hard" he says watching as the man walked off. He was so tempted to pull out his phone and text that group to say something stupid about how hot Haruki is, cause he was sure they would agree with him. He couldn't though, he was banned from going online, and he knew the manager had some magic going on that he knew. He also couldn't help but feel sad that Haruki seems to be disinterested in him. He was hoping to make a friendship with the cast, especially with Haruki. It just means he has to work harder for the other males approval. Show him that he is worth it. Jiro's face turned from sadness to determination quickly, then to fear as the script reading was gonna begin as the director and scriptwriter called out to everyone to sit down at the table.

5:07 PM

Jiro went to the table and sat down at the seat with his name, and noticed he sat across from the actress and next to him was Haruki, his heart was racing with nervousness. He was so gonna puke, he never felt this way for his debut… it was really happening, he was really gonna be a part of a novel, he dreamed of this day to give back to the novel in some way. First he needed to make it past the introduction and script reading then prove himself and everyone here he was worthy.

5:07 PM

@SirFüncelot

His first talk with ERGO, no, Jiro, had been a mess. Why was he like this? And why was he running away now? He hadn’t run to hide in the restroom since middle school, when he accidentally turned, and his ears and tail wouldn’t want to go away again. This was so embarrassing, and even if he tried to blame Jiro for this… The other wasn’t really responsible for checking off all of his bosses and being perfect in every way. Not only was he to 100 percent his type, but he also had a great personality and a very nice and soothing voice. So far he had been content with just being an enthusiastic friend, but now? What was he supposed to do? Haruki truly made his way over to the bathrooms, splashing cold water into his face and promptly forgetting that he had put on concealer this morning to cover the dark circles under his eyes. Now he was truly panicking, unsure what to do. He didn’t take it with him, but he certainly couldn’t go back to everyone like this. Like… Like he was a zombie! At least this took his worries away from Jiro. Instead, he frantically searched for a solution, finally settling on just using his powers to do something about it. It was just something minor, and he probably wouldn’t need to use them again. There were no shootings or any filming going on today, so it would be fine. It couldn’t possibly be that exhausting, so he just did it. Satisfied with the result, he left after getting called for the script reading that was about to start. This just had to be over soon, and then he had to hope that there weren’t many scenes between him and Jiro. Maybe then he would be able to survive this… As soon as he stepped foot in the slightly cramped meeting room, his usual smile was back on his lips. He nodded towards Varken and Lisa while making his way around the table, looking for his seat. With shock, he had to see that he had been seated right next to Jiro,

2:04 AM

which on one hand meant he didn’t have to look at him the entire time, but on the other, he was sitting right next to him, and that wasn’t really any better. But asking to switch places? He couldn’t do that, could he? Varken would probably just accuse him of bullying the newby and… That wasn’t his intention at all. If anything, it was as far away from the truth as humanly possible. Haruki’s smile dropped as he walked over and sat down to Jiro’s left. The script in front of him suddenly became the most interesting thing in the entire world, and he hastily began reading through it again, despite already having memorized the most important parts. He just had to do something, otherwise… He wasn’t entirely sure what else he would do, but it would probably involve staring at Jiro intensely to some degree, and that could certainly be viewed as creepy. How could it be this hard to just act normal in front of the one person he admired? The one person he didn’t want to mess things up with. Internally screaming at himself, Haruki was glad as the door opened once more and some of the production crew members finally joined them to start their introductory round of. They went around the table, having everyone introduce themselves with their name, their previous experiences, their familiarity with the novel, as well as their expectations and their role. This was no problem for him. He had done so hundreds of times already, but with Jiro right next to him… Haruki felt like it was the first time he had been on the set of a TV ad as a child. His stomach was twisting and turning, and he was so afraid of messing up. As his turn finally came, Haruki took another deep breath, before smiling brightly across the table at Lisa, even giving the elf a small wink, as he started to speak, simply ignoring the fact that Jiro was sitting right next to him and would go after him.

2:05 AM

If he focused on that now, he would just mess up, and he couldn’t do that right now. This had to be perfect. He had to leave a good impression after the trouble he’s had before. This had to go well. He would do well. Haruki would make sure that he got closer to Jiro, and maybe they could become friends or something, though right now he would be fine just with him not hating him. “Most of you already know me, but I’ll gladly introduce myself again for you. Hi, my name is Haruki Inari, I’m a successful model and actor here in Japan, but I've been working all across Asia, as well as recently in Europe and the US as well.”, he looked around the room, smiling, though Varken pulled a face to make him lose focus. Haruki tried his best not to snort and instead continued. “Most may know me from “The Secrets of the Wyldwood” or “The Serpent's Song”, but I’m currently taking a break from doing any more movies to focus all of my attention on this show.”, his smile grew a bit softer, as if he recalled a nice memory. “I haven’t followed the story of “Eclipsed Hearts” since the beginning, but it has grown on me during a hard time. I want to do the novel and my character, Thorne, justice and do the best I can. Don’t hold back to correct me if you think that a different approach to the character would be better. After all, quite a few seem to have a similar interest in the book series.”, he grinned, slightly poking fun at Varken who so far had been the only one who hadn’t heard about the series before applying for this role. His friend just grumbled something under his breath, earning a quiet chuckle from Lisa in return. It lightened his mood, as he heard the others laugh slightly and wish him good luck, like they had done for everyone else before him.

2:05 AM

Which meant that now there was only Jiro left, and Haruki instantly became very aware again of the others' presence, his smile vanishing as fast as it had appeared. His posture got stiff, his face nearly emotionless. He certainly still had to get used to this… @kramptan

Jiro looked surprised as Haruki sat down next to him, he looked at the handsome male in awe. Unable to stop his thoughts ‘no wonder he's a model and an actor his side profile is just as amazing’ but was quick to look away embarrassed if anyone noticed him staring at his co-star. He needed to prove himself to be a worker, not just some crazy fan. He hoped he didn't come off that way. He sighed softly, as the director and writer began introduction, and congratulations to everyone, Jiro clapped excitedly along with other staff members. Smiling brightly at both director and writer, then they let the actors introduce themselves. As Lisa spoke, she was really pretty and perfectly careful with every word. The casting director and author is a genius, they truly knew what they were doing. He clapped as she introduced herself, which was followed by Varken. He couldn't help but chuckle softly at his introduction, and smile at the friendly male lead, clapping when he finished. He then turned to look at Haruki when it was turn, his eyes remaining on him the whole time he spoke. His heart couldn't help but skip a beat as he smiled, he wanted that pointed at him. He sees why the man had so many fans, he has to thank the silly shipping fandom for introducing him to him, and the director, author and casting director for giving him the chance to meet him.

5:05 PM

Jiro was so awestruck he didn't realize it was his turn till Haruki looked at him, and his smile dropped, did he mess up, was he staring too much. He then realized it was his turn! “Ah!” He quickly stands up, almost tripping a bit, “sorry! I'm ERGO, or well Jiro since I'm acting. I'm from Wonder×Land I never really acted before unless you count the MVs for our songs. I will work hard to not disappoint anyone, especially since this tv show means a lot to me! So please take care of me” He quickly bows his head at everyone, then he realized he forgot to mention who he was playing, “ wait I forgot to mention… I'm playing Icrus.” He looks flustered, rubbing the back of his head, ‘I never done this before sorry, I'm so nervous. I'm really excited to work with everyone.” He quickly sits down before he makes a fool of himself more, a few people chuckle at him, and congratulate him on his first role, which made Jiro happy to hear. He couldn't help but glance over at Haruki. After the introduction was finished, the director continued, talking about scheduling and the plan moving forward. It was pretty much a meeting of sorts, along with a reading. Jiro was sure it was to test everyone's chemistry together, Jiro hopes he does well in his reading. He began to kick his feet excitedly as he looked down at the booklet in front of him, it was a script. New or maybe old? He wasn't sure, he wanted to open it but he wasn't sure if he could or not. He wasn't gonna mess this up for being stupid. He was sure his group members would call him stupid, along with Manager. They're all bullies, but he was happy to have them, so he calmed down and placed a hand on his chest taking a breath. This was for himself and his group, himself because this is a novel he dreamed of being a part of in some way, and for his group because if he does an amazing job his group might get even more popular. If he fails, there will be a witch hunt for his head, and his group would be collateral damage.

5:11 PM

@SirFüncelot

Watching Jiro hurriedly and kind of flusteredly introduce himself to everyone… Haruki had never thought it was possible for him to get more adorable. He had always kind of been trademarked as the cute one in their boy group, but apparently it wasn’t that big of an act. In reality, he embodied it even more, and… It just made him want to squeeze his rosy cheeks a little bit while telling him not to worry too much because, for a first-timer, he was doing a fantastic job. Maybe still a little bit too stiff and formal, but that would fade as soon as he got used to all of this a little bit more. Gods… How was he supposed to work effectively with him when all he could think about was how cute and adorable everything about him was? Those weren’t very professional thoughts… Haruki better stopped them before they got out of hand. Joining in the clapping after the introduction, the talking slowly switched to more general information like the overall plot and other things like that. He kind of zoned out, thumbing through the script in front of him. It wasn’t one of the first three episodes he had been able to read so far, so of course he devoured every page of it, eyes growing wider with every word he read. Haruki wasn’t able to read everything, but what he saw so far… It included the first confrontation between the main characters and Icarus, and… Whoever wrote this… Why had they put so much tension between Thorn and Icarus? Shouldn’t that be put between him and Lyndon, the other male lead? Haruki certainly couldn’t understand it, and maybe it was just his own perception of the scenes, but having Thorne slam Icarus against a wall and then ominously whisper to him… Icarus constantly remarking that “he shouldn’t get too close to things that don’t belong to him”... Them generally being up in each other's personal space… Haruki could see the fans soaking up this kind of content, but would he be able to do that?

3:54 AM

He was a professional, but being that close to Jiro while keeping a straight face? What if he blushed? Or made a mistake? He should show him the ropes, but now his biggest fear was that he messed up somehow. That fear only intensified as the reading approached. A quick glance at the scene revealed that it was one with Icarus as well. Of course… This was to see their chemistry together. Lisa, Varken, Jiro and him would have to be in the scene no matter what, but still… Haruki had kind of hoped it would be another one or would go by kind of differently. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, listening to the short introduction they received from the author, who gave them a short explanation of what had happened so far. This was supposed to be their first real meeting with Icarus, somewhere in a small, secluded café, after so far just dealing with his shenanigans. He came to deliver a message from his sister, but all Haruki could focus on was how often the script was prompting him to make intense eye contact with Jiro. Maybe all those fan edits he had seen of them both had made his mind go weird, but after this, there would certainly pop up a lot more, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for that or not. On the one hand, he felt flattered, on the other, it always made him feel so flustered. They hadn’t even met each other before today, yet some people seemed to think they had chemistry. Was that true? Should he be wary of that? He knew that some viewed his overall attitude as too flirty and casual, and he certainly didn’t want to make things weird between them. Not when he wanted to ask Jiro for an autograph at some point. Lost in thought, he didn’t snap back out of it until he felt Varken kick his chin under the table. Flinching slightly, he looked up at his colleague to see him gesture with his eyes towards the script, realizing that it would be his turn right after Lisa, who was just finishing her last line directed at Lyndon, Varken’s character.

3:54 AM

“Mind if I join you two?”, he effortlessly read his line, shooting Lisa, or better yet, her character Elara, a small smirk accompanied by a wink. She returned it, while Lyndon rolled his eyes, annoyed at his rival's tactics. They shared a few more wary glances at each other as their talking continued, both subtly trying to land a move on Elara until the scene shifted and Icarus made his entrance. All eyes darted over towards Jiro, waiting with anticipation for him to deliver his lines. Even Haruki couldn’t help but turn to face his idol, staring in awe to see how he would handle this tricky situation. @kramptan

Haruki went into it, reading the finished script. He wanted to understand his character a bit more. He had been given a run down on his personality, and now understood the motive of his sister... But was that really all? Was he really willingly allowing himself to be a pawn to his sister's game just cause he loves her. No way that isn't very Icurus, he seems strong headed and independent, there has to be something to gain from this! Or maybe... It's all an act. He shakes his head and looks at the other, turning to the page they were on, he couldn't keep reading right now. He got pretty far but wanted to sit down and digest more of the script in his free time. He looked at everyone as they began to say their lines and couldn't help but watch in awe as they all played their part. He wanted to cheer at every line delivery but refrain from making a fool of himself. He turned to Haruki when it was his turn and looked excited, Jiro couldn't help but think of how good it was, then everyone looked at him and he panicked. Did he mess up? Oh wait no it's his turn. He tried to take a deep breath, and ready himself, he knew what he had to say, "I guess my warnings weren't enough for you, can't keep your legs shut close. Tsk" Jiro tried to sound confident and mad, but there was a hesitation that any professional could hear. Jiro felt really bad. He didn't wanna be mean to the actress, he didn't wanna hurt her feelings, but he had a part to play. He didn't wanna disappoint anyone, especially…He turned to look at Haruki, and looked at him, noticing him staring at him. He looked surprised at that before feeling his heart race, he had another line directed at his character but… nothing came out. He froze up his words caught in his mouth as he opened them to say something to him.

10:20 AM

The director coughed and Jiro snapped out of it and apologized quickly, “Sorry! I mean-” he went back to reading the lines, “and you are so willing to go between them. Disgusting.i thought you had better taste than that.” He huffs not even waiting for anyone to reply, like his character he turns back to Lisa, “remember, Im watching you. I won't let you in the way.”

10:20 AM

@SirFüncelot (sorry wanted to add/rewrite a bit)

The delivery of Jiro’s line came a bit late, but besides that… He did great in Haruki’s eyes. Yes, his insecurity could be heard through the shiver of his voice, but everyone had that first bit of nervousness. He would grow out of it, and he was doing rather well even with it. Just a little bit more practice, and it would be perfect. He couldn’t wait to see that. Have him deliver all his lines with the same confidence that Icarus would have… It would be marvelous, and he had no doubt that Jiro would be an amazing actor as soon as he had gotten a little bit more comfortable. While he just stared and admired him, Lisa and Varken shot Jiro a small, reassuring smile, so he would keep on going. He was doing a fantastic job and certainly shouldn’t have to worry about any insults or harsh words a character issued to someone else. They knew how to differentiate that, but to reassure him more, they would probably talk to him again after the reading. For now, they just listened, silently cheering him on as well. As their newest cast member, they had already grown attached to him, determined to show him the ropes and make sure he would have a pleasant first experience. Nothing was worse than filming for the first time and not having fun while doing so. “You-”, Varken growled, clenching his fists, looking as if he was about to pounce at Jiro from across the table, staying true to the hot-headed Lyndon, who was held back by Elara stepping in front of him, determined to fight her own battles. “I’m doing no such disgraceful thing!”, Lisa sounded hurt, slightly desperate, but also a little bit clueless, as Elara still had no real idea that she had two of the strongest and most sought-after bachelors fighting over her heart.

4:55 AM

Their relationships hadn’t progressed much up to this point, but to the viewer, Lyndon’s and Thorne’s goals were quite clear. Just Elara failed to see that for some time longer. “I know my tastes quite well, little demon. But if your sister is so desperate for our attention… Why didn’t she come herself?”, Thorne chimed in, Haruki’s eyes were still on Jiro, even though they should shift over to Lisa at this point, but he just couldn’t help it. Something about Jiro seemed to pull him in the more he looked. He didn’t know if this was because he was a succubus or because of how much he admired him, but it took another gentle kick against his chin from Varken to make him snap out of it. Quickly, his head snapped around, looking at Lisa and a fond smile appeared on his lips, directed at her. “Keep out of business that’s not your own.”, he added, tone sharp, as he just glanced at Icarus for a split second, having to force himself to tear his eyes away before he got sucked in by that strange sensation once more. He just couldn’t help it… Something about Jiro's face… It made him lose all reason and… just made him want to look at him forever. That would be enough, or at least that’s what Haruki told himself at that moment, because now that he had met him… How could just looking at his videos and performances ever be enough? The rest of the script reading went by without him paying much attention. Over and over he found his gaze shift towards Jiro, even though the script didn’t call for it, and… Haruki wasn’t sure how he would prevent this from happening during the shooting of the movie because he certainly didn’t have the required self-control and discipline to not let his eyes wander.

4:55 AM

He had to come up with a solution for that, otherwise… It would be weird if Thorne kept on eying Icarus when he was supposed to be madly in love with Elara instead. His stupid head… He had been so excited, but now… Now he regretted getting this chance to work alongside his celebrity crush. If he had known, it would be like this… He would have never agreed. @kramptan

Jiro's face turned red when Haruki called him a little demon, he couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat. The man was too much for Jiro's weak heart, he was honestly too perfect, he played the part beautifully. So did everyone, he got scared a bit when Verken looked like he was gonna jump him but kept going. Icurus had left with a final warning when the man mentioned his sister. Everyone knew that Icurus was child play compared to the sister. The table reading kept going and it was a lot of fun, he couldn't help but watch the three main cast play their parts. Though Jiro's eyes kept straying over to Haruki, taking him in. He did his part happily and got embarrassed when he messed up his lines sometimes because he got distracted, but overall everyone had been very welcoming so when it came to an end Jiro couldn't help but feel sad. He couldn't help but chuckle sadly as the director spoke, telling everyone they did amazing and given the cast some pointers to improve on. “Jiro you're doing a great job, you just need to loosen up and not be so nervous and getting distracted by everyone acting” the man chuckles as Jiro looks embarrassed. “I'm sorry, but everyone is so good I can't help but watch everyone act,” he mumbles and covers his face embarrassed as he realized people noticed him staring at the stars. He probably looked like some crazy fan. “I'll work on it sir” he says, not looking at anyone. He should text his manager about maybe getting someone to help him with his line readings, which is when the director spoke up. “Hmmm, Haruki if you're free would you be willing to help Jiro, since you both have the most scenes together?” Jiro looked shocked, he was shut silent. He should decline that he didn't wanna bother Haruki but… he wanted to bother Haruki. He'll get to see the other, and maybe… he can't practice to calm his heart when the other does his lines. If he remembers there's a wall slamming somewhere. He will need practice or he might turn int

11:31 AM

o a fanboy like an idiot. God I should have never read those fanfics of us as a joke. Jiro thought to himself and looked utterly defeated at his own thoughts. The Gods are laughing and so are the Devils. Manager had to have known, he's laughing at me.

11:31 AM

@SirFüncelot

Haruki felt similar in a way. He didn’t get distracted by everyone around him, but something about Jiro made him want to watch him constantly. Not to make fun of him or see him make mistakes, but just… He had watched him for so long already and probably shouldn’t act like this, but there was just something so enchanting about him. Maybe the natural charm of an incubus. Or maybe he was the problem… After all, Jiro wasn’t the first incubus he had been fixated upon. Maybe he just had a thing for cute little demons? Hopefully not, because then this would just get even more awkward. He was probably just excited to work with someone he looked up to. Yes. That’s what this was! His thoughts had drifted off for a bit, thinking about how nice his voice sounded even while talking. It was a shame that he wouldn’t be singing as well, but just listening to Jiro’s voice while talking was very soothing. Not that he could listen to it for long and understand what he was saying, but Haruki was pretty sure he could fall asleep listening to it. Resting his head in his lap and just watching the other talk… It sounded like a dream come true, and he certainly hated his mind for even bringing something like that up. This would never ever happen! Suddenly hearing his name brought him back to reality, and with slight confusion, he looked around, trying to figure out what exactly had been said. Haruki had only managed to grasp parts of what had been said out loud, but he had heard enough to piece together what he had been asked to do. Fighting against the blush that was about to appear on his cheeks, he was dumbstruck. Unable to answer while frantically searching for the right words. It felt like he was on fire and about to overheat. Jiro and him… Practicing together? It was like a dream come true, but how should he manage that? Alone with him? What if he didn’t like him? What if he thought he was weird?

9:05 PM

There were so many uncertainties. All of that went through his head in seconds, not a single shift in expression noticeable from outside. Only his smile dropped for a split second, but Haruki picked it up rather quickly, smirking slightly at Jiro next to him in response. “Sure! I’ll make sure he’s able to recite all his lines even when he’s asleep.”, Haruki chuckled, doing his best to not get lost in Jiro’s beautiful eyes again. It would just make him lose his words again, but it was just so goddamn hard… Everything about him was enchantingly beautiful. Even more so now that they have met in reality. “Just make sure you don’t overwork him.”, the director added with a sigh, as if he could sense his excitement even though this was the least he wanted to do. Spent time with Jiro? Of course! But he certainly would make sure he got plenty of breaks. How was he supposed to do that? He hadn’t really practiced with anyone one-on-one before. Maybe… Should he ask Lisa and Varken to join them as well? They had a lot of scenes together as well, and with more people around, it would certainly make things less awkward and him less prone to accidentally reveal anything embarrassing about himself. Why did this have to be so complicated? “Let's meet after this if you aren’t busy.”, Haruki suggested, leaning closer to Jiro to whisper in his ear and not disturb the director while he talked with the others. Being this close… He was able to pick up on how sweet he seemed to smell. It reminded him of something… Of someone, but Haruki wasn’t quite able to place the memory, and for now he simply chose to ignore it. “To exchange numbers, and maybe we can also go out to eat something and get to know each other a little bit better.”, he added, slowly pulling away to grin down at him once more. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to do this on his own, but one of the other two would probably join them.

9:05 PM

At least, Varken should be on board as soon as he mentions that he will pay for his food. Then they could also discuss to maybe meet up with all four of them. Yes, yes! That was the best way to handle this. Otherwise, he would probably die of embarrassment. @kramptan

Jiro looked surprised at Haruki, he accepted. He said yes. He was gonna read lines with him, Jiro #1 grabbing Jiro #2 in his brain and shaking their body while screaming. While other Jiro running the ship were screaming and running around as his head caught on fire. He was grateful that his horns and tails were already out or they sure as hell would have popped there, though now he needs to make sure none of his passive abilities are set off. He feels like he is in college all over again. Reciting his lines in his sleep would be amazing- so would saying your name in my bed or yours, was what the demon on his shoulder was whispering. He had snapped back to the moment, he slapped the demon off his shoulder for thinking such thoughts, whispering such things in his ear while he couldn't. Was he hungry? Is that why he was acting like this he wondered. He was not thinking about bedroom activities with the man in front of him, he looked up to the handsome man not wanting to bed him no matter what his fans and fanfics says he won't jump the man. He needed pure thoughts. His tail was kinda giving away his internal struggle, and was flicking a bit, then slowly in a lazy way as he calmed down. His tail was very much cat-like. Then the other had to lean towards him, make Jiro breath catch, as he felt the man's breath on his ear as he spoke. He was frozen in place, and blinking slowly as he realized he was being invited to start today, after all this. He screamed in his head and wanted to jump up and down in excitement but had to keep a straight face. He also wanted his number, for work but his celebrity crush wanted it. He nodded his head at the man's words, not trusting his voice because he was sure he would let out an ugly sound if he opened his mouth right now. Once he finally calmed down and had his words the Director spoke up, “With that, I like to say the meeting has come to an ending, everyone knows their roles, and the filming will officially start in a week, the

5:36 PM

forest episode should be released in 6 months and if we stick to the schedule we will most likely have the first 3 episode finished polishing by then and be working on episode 5 or 6, so everyone do their part.” Jiro nodded his head at the director's words, and felt a bit of pressure but he could only imagine the main lead's feeling. He would be rooting for them the whole time. This will be his first show, Jiro wasn't sure if this would be his only show but he was sure gonna give it his all. He was determined, this would truly break or make him, and this novel. He hope people will love his character, even though he's an original for the tv show. He looks at Haruki, his mind set and says, “I really appreciate you helping me Haruki, I don't wanna disappoint the fans of the show and my own fans. So please go hard on me and don't hold back on any criticism and opinions on my acting. I trust you”

5:36 PM

@SirFüncelot Screams I finally found his voice in sorry it took forever!)

Jiro’s reactions… Haruki couldn’t help but notice the swishing of his tail, wondering what it meant. He knew from himself that it usually showed excitement or restlessness, though he didn’t want to interpret more than he should into this. Jiro was probably only happy that one of his seniors was helping him out. He shouldn’t get too excited about this himself; it would only come to bite him in the end. This was just for work, even though he got to spend time with his favorite idol outside of work. They would meet up, potentially at each other’s places, and… Just imagining getting the chance to see how Jiro lived… It filled Haruki with anticipation, wondering if the entire place would smell as good and sweet as Jiro did and how he was supposed to deal with that. Just leaning in close to him was nearly overwhelming because of how nice it was to be fully surrounded by it… There was no response coming from Jiro, so Haruki wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from him. He seemed happy, yet he didn’t agree or decline his request. It didn’t help that he kept looking at him the entire time. His beautiful face… He couldn’t help but feel like he had seen it somewhere before, which wasn’t weird at all, seeing as Jiro was rather famous, but something about his face… He felt like he had seen it a long time ago, but couldn’t quite place when and where. Maybe his mind was only playing tricks on him, and Haruki was rather thankful for the director interrupting his thought process, as otherwise he may have said something he wasn’t supposed to.

5:41 AM

Quickly, he looked away, nodding at his fellow colleagues, who slowly left one after the other, talking amongst each other, while Jiro and he remained. Suddenly getting talked to was a slight surprise, as he hadn’t really expected Jiro to say anything, but now… Haruki was caught off guard, his expression distorting slightly into a mixture of surprise and confusion, before the sly smile returned he had put on to hide his racing heart behind. How was he supposed to practice his lines with Jiro like this? Just being close to him made his thoughts run wild, especially with some of the things they would be saying. Surely the double meaning between some lines had to be intentional bread crumbs for some of their fans. And what Jiro had said right now… It wasn’t really helping his mind to stay pure… Going hard on him... Haruki knew what Jiro meant, but couldn’t help his mind wandering off in a direction he didn’t want it to go in. This would be hard on him, wouldn’t it? Not only was he a big fan of his work, but Jiro was also his ideal type… How could he not have an immediate crush on him? Maybe not immediately, but it had surfaced itself full force now that they had met each other, and that wasn’t very helpful. He would just have to ignore it and pretend otherwise. Haruki couldn’t risk ruining this show and his relationship with Jiro just because his mind likes to make up weird scenarios that would never happen. He should be glad if they became good colleagues or maybe even friends, but he certainly shouldn’t expect more than that.

5:41 AM

“Don’t worry. I’m sure you will do great.”, Haruki offered, still smiling at him as he ruffled Jiro's hair. Getting up from his chair, he held out his hand expectantly. “Your phone? So I can save my number for you.”, he offered as an explanation, maybe going a bit overboard with the wink he gave him, but certainly no one would be mad at him for a little bit of flirting, right? He just didn’t have to act on it, and there was no way Jiro would react to that anyway. He probably had someone already. There were more than enough rumors out there about who his potential lover could be, so Haruki didn’t even let his hopes get high. (edited)

5:42 AM

Initially, he had thought about Varken or Lisa joining them, but seeing as they had already left… Haruki sighed quietly, after saving his number in Jiro’s phone as ‘Haru ❤️ ’ and giving him his phone as well, to do the same. His grin reappeared as he spun around to look at Jiro again, obviously happy as he put his phone away again. “What do you like to eat? Let me treat you to something. Or do you have to be somewhere soon? I guess you would be rather busy…”, Haruki trailed off, bringing a finger up to his lips as if he were lost in thought. “I would like to meet with you as often as possible before we start filming next week. Do you think that would be possible? I don’t want to place any additional pressure on you, but your ambitions are great, and I don’t want to disappoint.” @kramptan

Jiro watched as everyone leaves, or stands up to chat with one another, or leave together. Before turning to Haruki again as he spoke, Jiro couldn't believe his luck honestly. His celebrity crush was chatting with him. He just hopes he doesn't make it awkward for both of them. Especially with his silly crush, he wants the male to look at him and be proud of him. He hoped to be as good as everyone. He didn't wanna fail everyone. Jiro looked excited as he was handed the other male's phone, he thinks for a moment what he should write before just deciding to have his name "Jiro

" with a lovely lotus emoji flower he likes to use for his instagram and twitter for the main group page to show it's him posting. He then took a quick stealthy selfie and set it as his contact image for Haruki. He handed the phone back happily after, and bowed his head. "Thank you for the help Haruki! There's nothing you can do that would make me disappointed" He says happily and with a bright smile, "I'm free, today and tomorrow and honestly till the show is over. My Manager had made it so that I didn't have anything to disturb my schedule or cause an accident. He doesn't want me to mess this up so he put me on a very LOW schedule, so unless it has to do with the show and forced to do something with the group because the CEO ask or anniversary stuff, I'm expected to do nothing but look pretty at home. Which is great it gives me time to practice my lines without worrying about a tour or anything since everyone else is doing their own stuff this year." He giggles a bit at his joke, he wasn't the pretty one in his group, his other group members were definitely more handsome and prettier than him. He was just one of the voices and was happy with the fans he had. He honestly didn't expect this much love from so many people. Now it was his turn to return his love back by giving this show his 100%. "So I would love to go eat with you" He says with a bright smile, "My manager won't be mad about

7:53 PM

it I'm sure I'll text him that I'll go with you and we will be working on line stuff" Jiro was excited as he began to look down at his phone, after handing back Haruki phone and mumble a bit, pouting as he struggled to get his phone unlocked since it wasn't recognizing his face or finger. He rolled his eyes and decided to just put in the code and started texting his manager right away. "Stupid phone" he mumbles, as he typed away his phone case could be seen more clearly, it was a phone case with art of Haruki character, it was something Jiro had bought recently and it was a limited edition and only a few were sold to fans. Jiro had been lucky to get it, since he was just as popular as the other leading male in the book. Jiro had been rooting for the shifter and wanted him to get the girl. There had been rumors about another series book being published with the second main lead but never got confirmed. Jiro finished typing and getting the a ok from his manager, "I DID IT!he said yes!" He says with a bright smile happy to know he could hang out with Haruki. "Where should we go? Should we order in and go to your place or mine? Don't think we should be practicing lines in public we can't spoil the surprises" He says with a giggle and brings a finger to his lips, and winks at the male in front of him before standing up. It takes him a moment to realize what he did and felt his heart race and his face turn red in embarrassment, did he just wink at him. He feels a bit stupid now.

7:54 PM

@SirFüncelot

Haruki had been busy staring at the name and picture now saved in his phone’s contacts, unsure if he should laugh or cry from happiness. His idol had put his contact information on his phone. Now he could text him at all times of the day. Oh, how horribly wrong that could go. He was supposed to stay calm in this kind of situation, but he couldn’t really. If his own tail were out right now, it would probably be wagging with excitement, and Haruki was rather glad that he had at least still enough control over himself to keep that from happening. Though it barely made him miss Jiro’s response. At first, he was slightly confused, forcing himself to put the phone away, as he tried to understand what Jiro was telling him. It took Haruki a moment, before realizing he was talking about them meeting up and answering his question. Hearing all of that made him happy, and a part of him wanted to use it to his own advantage. With such a free schedule and Jiro's main focus being on the show… It would be easy to spend more and more time with him, but… Haruki couldn’t do that. As much as he wanted to monopolize him, he couldn’t risk their relationship because of his own stupid crush. It was just a phase. He was just admiring his work and was now overwhelmed by how perfect Jiro was in person. This would pass soon. Or at least Haruki hoped it would.

8:53 AM

Still… Even with that mindset, he just couldn’t help himself from replying with a teasing comment and a smirk. “I should be glad then that I get to spend some time with someone as pretty as you. I’m sure the others are jealous of me for getting the chance to spend time with someone as famous as you.” He hoped Jiro wouldn’t think he was weird because of this, but he certainly was pretty. The prettiest among his group members and surely one of the prettiest, if not the prettiest person he had met in a long time. Though how he said it… It seemed like he didn’t quite believe this himself. Maybe that was something he could help with? Boost his confidence a bit. Seeing how confident Icarus was… Surely that had to help, right? Haruki just smiled at Jiro as he watched him struggle to unlock his phone, chuckling lightly to himself until his eyes fell upon his phone case. They widened slightly as he recognized the limited edition Varken case so many fans had screamed about. Apparently, someone had a favorite. His smile widened, though he also wasn’t sure what to make of this. Surely Jiro had high expectations for his display of Varken. What if he couldn’t meet them? He hadn’t thought that yet, but now that he wanted to impress the person he looked up to… Haruki couldn’t help but worry. Hopefully, he won't disappoint him too much. The sudden excitement, as well as the wink Jiro gave him, caught Haruki off guard, and for a split second there was a slight blush rising on his cheeks, before he turned his face to the side, scratching his cheek with embarrassment. It only lasted for a small moment, though, before he got himself under control again, and smirked at the other, putting an arm around his waist. “I wasn’t expecting you to follow me home right away.”, Haruki said, a little bit more seductive than he had planned, citing one of Varken’s witty comments, directed at Icarus a bit later in the script.

8:53 AM

Pulling away from the other, after staying like this for a few more seconds, he walked past him towards the door to hold it open for Jiro. “We can order food and practice at my place if you don’t mind. I promise I won’t bite.”, he clarified, hoping that he hadn’t scared Jiro off with his comment, though he could understand if that were the case. He probably came off as weird… Who even did something like this? He had wanted to be nice and on his best behavior, and yet here he was, not only making a fool of himself but possibly also scaring him away. How could he risk that? @kramptan