Work Text:
Akito sighed as he rested the rubber at the end of his pencil under his chin. He had been staring at this blank canvas for at least twenty minutes now, and he still hadn't managed to get anything down or even know exactly what he was actually going to draw.
He was so used to drawing whatever Miku wanted him to draw that he now can't think of anything he wants to draw for himself anymore…
And it's aggravating him…
"AHHHH!" Akito screamed and threw the canvas off the easil and onto the floor and began to kick it aggressively.
"What's going on, Otouto-kun?!" Mizuki asked in a panicky voice as she peeked her head in through the crack in the door, "…Bro, why are you kicking that canvas?
"Mizuki?! When did you get here?!" He exclaimed, his face immediately flushing as he then tried to pose casually to hide the fact he had just been kicking a blank canvas because the art block was that bad, even though she had already noticed, "Also, why are you even in my house?!"
"You literally just texted about twenty minutes ago asking for everyone to meet up here," She pointed out, showing their team's groupchat as evidence.
"Miku must have hacked my phone again as an excuse for us to do more work…" Akito muttered as he sat back down on the couch again.
"She does that?" Mizuki raised an eyebrow once she had sat down beside her friend.
"You're suprised by that?" The artist raised an eyebrow in return.
"Well, I guess she would do anything so that we actually get our work done and coperate so she can keep on composing…" The video editor whispered, "But, we probably shouldn't speak so badly about her when she can probably hear us…"
"I'm tired of putting on a mask just so her feelings don't get hurt!" He yelled as loudly as he could so that his frustration would be loud and clear to the eavesdropping composer, "I'm having a day off, and I couldn't care less what she has to say about it!"
There was then an annoyed pout that came from Mizuki's phone, but nothing more happened from there.
"Well, it's a relief that she didn't punch you into last week…" She then sighed softly.
"I would do the same back to her, because I am so fed up by how she treats us…" He replied and crossed his arms and pulled a face to show Miku that he means business.
"Same here, making music videos used to be my favourite thing in the world, but now that I have to make them against my will, I no longer feel like making music videos of you and Kohane anymore…" Mizuki muttered as she nodded along.
"Wait… you make music videos of me and Kohane?…" Akito's face went back to being bright red.
"Of course I do! You two are so adorable, after all!~" A smug grin spread across her face.
"Honestly, I shouldn't be surprised at this point…" He sighed in response, closing his eyes to avoid getting even more irritated, and to avoid giving her a reaction.
"So, are you struggling to draw at the moment?" She asked.
"I don't think it could be anymore obvious…" Akito rolled his eyes, "I just want to draw for myself right now, and prove to myself that I'm actually still capable, which is the whole reason why she scouted me out in the first place, but I just can't anymore...
"Don't worry, I'm also experiencing… MV block I guess?" Mizuki reassured him, "So, you aren't the only one having a creative block, you know?"
"Wow, that makes me feel so much better…!" The artist replied sarcastically and nudged her playfully.
"I knew it would~!" The video editor grinned in response.
Even though Akito was tired as hell, that still got a small chuckle out of him.
"How does MV block even happen?" He asked.
"It's like, I just can't think of any ideas for cool effects and stuff, and then when something actually comes to mind, I feel too stressed out to actually get it down," She explained, "I'm assuming that's what art block is like, right?"
"Yeah, pretty much…" He nodded.
There was then a knock on the door, and in came Mafuyu. The lyricist had a look around the artist's bedroom before walking over to both of them, but stopping just before they could sit down on the couch.
"Hello," Mafuyu greeted with the same blank expression they always have on their face present as they waved.
"Hey Mafufu~!" Mizuki greeted, jumping up from her seat to give their partner a big hug, "How are you, baby?~"
"Fine, I guess…" They nodded before turning to the other group member, "Why did you invite us over here, Akito?"
Akito simply rolled his eyes at the statement, meaning Mizuki would have to be the one to jump in an explain.
"Miku is the simplest answer I can give, because, you know what she's like!" She answered.
"That makes sense," They nodded, "Should I sit down?"
"If you want to…" Akito muttered.
The couple sat down and the video editor began to snuggle into her partner whilst the artist continued to stare at the now dented canvas that was taunting him from the floor. The lyricist simply stared into space, unaware of what was going on and what should be happening.
"Are we going to work on the new song?" They then asked.
"Well, we did think about it, but we're all really burned out, so we were thinkimg about just resting today!" Their girlfriend replied.
"Burned out?" Mafuyu questioned.
"Like, we're so sick of Miku's bull-" Akito was about to explain before he was cut off.
"Language, Otouto-kun!" Mizuki tutted.
"-And… we just need a break to recharge because we're so exhausted…" He finished.
"Does that mean I'm 'burned out' too?" Mafuyu asked.
"Are you struggling to be creative as well, Mafuyu?" Mizuki asked.
"I just don't understand my current task, as Miku has asked me to write a song about a purple rabbit with mental health problems, but then a jester saves him…" They shook their head, "I don't get it…"
"Yeah, exactly! Miku asked me to draw a rabbit kissing a jester, and I was like 'what the actual hell?!'" He backed them up, "Honestly, she's probably on crack or something…"
"I think she's just going through a TADC phase, but yeah…" Mizuki chuckled lightly.
"What's a 'TADC'?" Akito asked, squinting his eyes with confusion.
"Look it up," She replied smugly, "Anyway, I'm only struggling because I can't think of the right effect to go along with it… maybe a glitch effect? Or maybe-"
"Hey uhhh… is it okay if I can come in…?"
From the sweet and innocence tone, it was obviously the lead vocalist, Kohane. Akito knew it could never be Ena, no matter how much she tries to sweeten her voice when she wants him to do something for her because she is so busy apparently 'being an idol' that she can't do simple things for herself anymore.
"Yes, you can come in!" Akito called, a smile now on his face knowing his partner had finally arrived.
"Hello, guys…!" Kohane greeted shyly as she opened the door for herself, "Was I interrupting something? It sounded like you were all discussing something…"
"Don't worry, it was nothing!" Mizuki reassured them, "Just how we're all kind of struggling with the new song Miku wants us to make."
"Oh, I'm glad I'm not the only one!" They chuckled light-heartedly as they sat down next to their boyfriend, "I don't really get it either, and I was hoping to talk about with you all…"
"What instructions were you given, Kohane?" The lyricist asked.
"Well, I was told that me and Akito were doing a duet, and that Akito would need to sound harsh and bitter, whilst I try and sound hopeful and supportive?" The lead vocalist tried to explain, "I don't know, and I don't really get it…"
"Wait, I'm supposed to sing too?!" The artist exclaimed, "She didn't tell me that!!!"
"Hmmm, akikoha as funnybunny…~" The video editor said her thoughts out loud with a smug smile stretching across her face, "Interesting…!~"
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Akito yelled.
"Akito!" Kohane squeaked, covering her ears.
"Sorry, Kohane…" He apologised.
"It's okay," She smiled softly.
"So, because of all this, we're basically doing a boycott, right?" Akito asked as he looked over at Mizuki.
"Well, you're the only boy in the room, so I think it would actually be a transcott!" Mizuki corrected him.
"A 'transcott'?" Mafuyu questioned.
"Hehe! I like the sound of that!" Kohane giggled.
"Wait, but that sounds more like a trans mascot…" She put a finger to her chin in thought, "I know, I should bring my Blåhaj along the next time we meet up, and then they can be out transcot!"
"We're getting off topic now…" Mafuyu sighed.
"Sorry, Mafufu!~" Mizuki apologised cutely.
"Why do you keep calling me that?" They asked, raising an eyebrow that got a small giggle out of Kohane.
"Because, you're Mafufu, I'm Mizook, Kohane is Hampter and Otouto-kun is Akitoes!" Mizuki answered.
"I never agreed to be called Akitoes…!" Akito gritted through his teeth.
"Fine, but you're still Otouto-kun!~" She hummed.
"I like Akitoes too, actually!" Kohane chuckled, "It sounds like Cheetos!"
"I'm pretty sure his hair looks more like the same shade of ginger as Takis, but that's a good insight, Hampter!" Mizuki nodded and gave a double thumbs-up.
"Don't get involved, Kohane…" Akito sighed.
"Sorry, Akito…!" Kohane smiled nervously.
The artist simply rolled his eyes before pulling the lead vocalist closer, making both of their faces go red. The video editor nodded in approval and did same with the lyricist, but she didn't expect much of a reaction from them, because when do they ever give a reaction? But, she did notice a little blush on their cheeks, so that was definitely a victory in her eyes.
And so, with that, the four members of Aspiring Melodies simply snuggled up to each other on the couch. Akito started started scrolling through his Pinterest to find inspiration for what to draw, but getting a little carried away, whilst Kohane hummed a quiet tune to herself, which Akito noticed sounded a lot like his favourite song, but he didn't say anything. And as for the other couple, Mizuki was watching a mixture of brainrot and outfit of the day videos on TikTok, and occasionally showing them off to her partner, who didn't say a lot, whilst Mafuyu wrote about a marionette doll trapped by the expectations of her puppeteer in their lyrics notebook because, if they don't write lyrics, they start thinking about pretty dark things...
Occasionally Ena came in to tell them off for not doing something more productive with their time, as she is well aware of their music group, but not that their composer is THE Hatsune Miku, even though it wouldn't be a shock when she is the manager of her idol group. Other than that, there was not a single hint of chaos, and purely just chill and cosy vibes.
Until now…
"Why hello there my skibidi sigmas!" Miku greeted suprisingly cheerfully for someone who is probably pissed off that her team is not doing what they are supposed to be doing during their working hours.
"Don't ever call us that again…~" Mizuki replied, internally gushing that she said that, especially because she is basically a Caine to them.
And that would mean Kohane is Pomni, Akito is Jax, Mafuyu is Gangle and Mizuki is Zooble-
"Bro, I thought you were like, into that stuff?" Akito raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"It was a reference that I understood!" She cried out in defense, "You guys are so mean and uncultured!!!"
"Guys… WHY ARE YOU ALL SLACKING?!" Miku then screeched, causing all of them to have to cover their ears, "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING ON MY SONG!!!"
"Maybe you've overworked us so much that we don't want to!" Akito retaliated, completely done with whatever kind of victim response she tries to pull next.
"But, I don't overwork you guys, do I?" She then pulled a sad puppy expression.
Akito simply rolled his eyes at that, but his partner did feel bad about it.
"Well, like, I guess it's not that bad…-" Kohane mumbled, trying to find a way to be positive about all of this, as they worried what would happen if Miku reached her limits of insanity and punished everyone.
"Don't feel bad for her crap, Kohane!" Akito argued, "She's just a manipulative bitch who messes around with us for some kind of deranged fun!"
"But-" She tried to rebuttle, but was cut off when another person appeared in the room, and that entity took the form of an emo teen who happened to be dating Miku for some reason.
"Listen to your partner, Kohane," Flower then sighed, "As much as I love Miku, she is really badly hurting all of you, and only through this will you actually get through to her in a way…"
"Flower?! Why are you backing them up?!" Miku exclaimed, trying her hardest to not show that she now felt the slightest bit intimidated now that their partner was getting involved in all of this, "You're... you're supposed to be on my side...
"Because you're treating these poor kids as if they're factory workers!" They explained, "You treat them like your slaves, and you make them work every hour that they don't have school for, and it's surely messing with their mental healths! They all struggle enough with complex inner turmoils enough as it is, so give them a break!"
"But… they enjoy doing this for me…" She mumbled.
"Well, I think the looks on their faces right now tell you otherwise…" They sighed, planting their face into the palm of their hand.
And Flower was right. Akito looked like he was one second away from beating the hell out of her, Kohane looked like they were on the verge of tears, Mizuki also looked in the mood to throw hands, and even Mafuyu would admit they're actually sick of all of this, even if it doesn't show on their face. And, most of all, they all want a more healthy work environment, and not a pushy and self-centred composer who bosses them around all the time.
"Well, what should I do about ot?" Miku asked, "I can't just let them takes breaks off all the time, because otherwise my songs will never get posted!"
"Maybe just let them have days off occasionally?" Flower suggested, "Like, maybe one day off a week, if that feels so difficult for you?"
"That's far too long!!!" She argued, crossing her arms whilst pouting.
"Girl, it's like twenty-four hours, it's not that big of a deal," They rebuttled, also crossing their arms but looking more disappointed if anything.
And that look is the only thing that can make the composer crack…
"Fine, you can have the rest of the day off…" Miku sighed, "But, you all better be on your best behaviour tomorrow! I need my funnybunny fansong finished ASAP!!!"
"Ha, I knew this was all for a funnybunny fansong!" Mizuki chuckled.
Miku gave her team one last stern look before disappearing, leaving Aspiring Melodies with just their nicer co-producer in the room.
"Thanks for sticking up for us, Flower-san!" The lead vocalist ran over to give them a hug.
"Yeah, honestly thanks a lot!" The artist smiled, "If you hadn't showed up, I would have beat her up, and I'm not even joking!..."
"And I would have also partaken in beating that little bitch up!~" The video editor added, a menacing smile spreading across her face.
"It's no problem, really!" Flower reassured them as they hugged Kohane back, "Honestly, I felt like punching her in the face too sometimes, especially just then…"
"Isn't that an unhealthy relationship?" The lyricist asked, as they knew so much about toxic relationships from Mizuki talking about her favourite 'doomed yuri' ships with them all the time.
"Well… yeah, it probably is, but I do promise that she is nice sometimes…" They replied, "Well, at least only to me…"
"I wish she was nicer to all of us…" Mizuki pouted.
"Yeah, I wish so too, but there's only so much I can do…" Flower sighed, "Anyway, I better be going, otherwise she'll probably think I'm plotting something to kill her... or something."
With that, the crew of Aspiring Melodies waved a goodbye to their co-producer before being left to themselves once more. There was now a bitter taste left in the atmosphere of Akito's room, but after about ten minutes of reflection on the big fight that had just happened, they were all back to doing what they were doing before.
Even though there was a huge possiblity that even if they do end up getting more days off, those will eventually get cut down hour by hour until they don't have any breaks left apart from school, which isn't really a break at all, at least they get this moment to find peace and sanity with their partners and close friends by their side as they sit on the couch and take a break from the insanity of their messed up composer, Hatsune Miku…