"I swear that I didn't drunk anything after coming here but why am I seeing things?" Is the first thing that Tungsten said when he saw Zirrius when Deen went to let him in.
The two is standing in the hallway near the front door when Tungsten saw them and is now standing as well near the couch with mouth agape. "What are you saying?" Deen asks not realizing who the person beside her actually is. Tungsten went to drag her at the kitchen and whisper-yells "Zirrius is in your place!" She frowns before realizing that her friends are fans of both Ash and Zirrius and for a second, wants to face palm for forgetting that she has a celebrity in her apartment. "Right. He's here so what?"
"So what? Deen, you have a global icon in your place, breathing the same air with him." Deen snorts at this. "You're worse than Ryu but guess what, that global icon will help you in your Operation: get Astra back." She simply said before going out to see Zirrius who is still standing in the middle of her living room.
"I'm sorry about that but you can sit if you like, you know." She smiles and Zirrius shrugs as he sits at the couch that is previously occupied by Tungsten. "I don't want to intrude." He answers. "You're not intruding." Deen went to sit Indian style at the coffee table to face Zirrius. "I need your help." She started, "well, Tungsten needs help and I'm not the romantic type of person so I don't know anything about what to do." She corrected. Zirrius looks at her and made a face before saying, "And what made you think that I'll be good at that too?"
"You write songs for a living, surely you'll somewhat have an idea in wooing someone." Deen said and Zirrius crossed his legs as he leans at the back of the couch, thinking. The two of them are quiet for some time with Zirrius looking straight ahead while Deen is looking at him.
Tungsten came after a while carrying a tray of what seems to be Deen's hidden cookies and hot drinks. "How the hell did you found those cookies?" she asks when Tungsten put the tray down beside her. "Can you please sit at the couch or at the floor? Seriously, you have a lot of seat in here but still chose to sit at the table." Deen raises her eyebrow at what her friend said. He never really minded Deen's habits as long as she does it in her own place and this is the first time that he reprimanded her. She was about to say something when she realizes that they do have a visitor and she should at least have some manners. She even forgot to ask if Zirrius wants drinks or anything, getting used to her friends to be the only visitors she has and they already know their way in her kitchen, it's a good thing that Tungsten is used to serving a guest.
Deen stood up, rolls her eyes at him just to be brat and went to sit at the nearby one sitter couch before grabbing the coffee that she knows is hers because of the mug with her name on it, her friends have a cup in her place with their names on it too, a gift from Jrey last Christmas. "And to answer your question, I know all where you hide your foods, I just didn't made it obvious because I know how the girls scarf down all of your comfort foods." He receives a glare at this.
He offered the tea to Zirrius and he took it after saying his thanks. "I think I know what you should do." Zirrius said after sipping from his cup, looking at Tungsten. Tungsten looks at Deen with a questioning eye, "He's the help that I was telling you about." She explains. Tungsten's eyes suddenly lighten up, "wow, I must have done something heroic in my past life to have a celebrity help me with my love life." He said, still doubting what he just heard.
"I'm not good with this too but what's best to do in wooing someone? Serenade them." Deen almost choked at her coffee when she heard this. Tungsten glares at her when she started laughing after safely putting her coffee at the table and wipes her chin where a few drops of coffee are threatening to fall. "That's disgusting." Tungsten said while Zirrius looks at her amusedly.
"I don't know if Tungsten singing is a good idea. He might summon a storm by then." Deen said, still laughing. "Hey! I can sing well if I really put my heart into it." Tungsten said with a huff. "I thought you already gave your heart to Astra?" Deen teases, remembering what her friend told her when they were both drunk a year ago. Zirrius winces at this and looks at Tungsten. "I'm pretty sure you can't be that bad at singing, right?" he asks for a confirmation. Deen laughs again at this before standing up to go where the piano is. "Let's get him to singing first and I'll let you be the judge of it." The guys followed her. Tungsten went to get chairs for him and Zirrius.
"Why do you have a lot of these chairs?" Zirrius asks when he notices the high chairs all over the place. "I use them when I paint and the others use it too when they come by and watch me do my work." Deen explains.
She started to play a music she knows that Tungsten knows the lyrics of when the two settles down. And she couldn't help but chuckle when her friend started to sing the first line. She gives Zirrius the look "I told you so" when Tungsten's voice cracked at the chorus and Zirrius just smiles at her.
"I guess we need a lot of practicing for you to be able to sing the right chords. But we need to choose what song you'll sing first." Zirrius suggested, trying to be nice and not straight up saying that Tungsten can't sing.
After the long hours of planning and practicing the song, the three finally called it a night and ordered something to eat. Tungsten suggested getting drunk tonight but Deen said no and Zirrius advices him not to drink while his heart is still broken and Deen agreed immediately because she won't handle it when her friend gets drunk tonight.
It was already passed midnight when the guys left her place with Zirrius telling her that they can still go to the museum tomorrow if she's free and she agrees. He kisses her forehead again when they're at the doorway and Tungsten smirks at her before they finally left and she closes the door.
When the next day came, Deen got up early to go to the grocery first and at the art store to buy some paints before going to meet Zirrius at the museum. She could do this later but she needed to help Tungsten with his singing lesson later tonight, the things she does for her friends. She also texted Jrey if how is Astra which is not really good since she's been locking herself at their dorm and Jrey's worried about leaving her alone so she's currently putting her composing on hold to be with Astra. They both know that Tungsten went to her yesterday so they didn't ask her to come by at their dorm.
Once she's all done with her errands, placed the foods at their respective places and the paints at her studio, she walks out of her apartment building and was about to text Zirrius that she's on her way but a honk stops her and she looks up to see Zirrius waving at the opened window of his car. She put her phone in her pocket and went to get in the car with a grin.
"Ready for a museum tour?" Zirrius asks as he watches Deen put her seatbelts before driving away. "I have, been ready since the past few days. Though I'm sorry we need to cancel it yesterday." She again apologizes. "It's fine. Your friend needs help and I quite enjoyed our little sing along. You better play me the piano one of these days tho, or you can teach me." He says.
"Sure, you have my number." The two of them went silent and hums along with the soft music that Zirrius is playing in the car.
They reached the location and Zirrius went to park the car but before the two of them got out, Zirrius opened the glove compartment to take a bucket hat and a face mask. "Let's go?" he says after making sure that his disguise is okay and so the two of them went out and walks to the museum's entrance.
"You took me to an art museum." Deen says when she saw the inside of the building. Zirrius grins at her, "So you didn't know about this place?" he asks. Deen shook her head as she looks up, "I might love art and went to a lot of exhibit but museums are where I draw the line." She answers. He holds his chest dramatically while saying, "It's an honor that you trust me this much and agreed to come without looking the place up." Deen smiles at this and rolls her eyes. The two started walking near the first painting while talking in low voices.
"Didn't you students go to at least one for a project or something?" he asks curiously. "There was this tiny museum near the school that few people visits, it's where I went before since I couldn't handle a crowd so well at that time." She explains. "And I've never been one to visit museums."
"Guess I'm lucky that you agreed to come with me."
The two of them appreciatively checked all of the art that is displayed in the two-storey building. It took them hours to properly check everything so when they walks out of the building, the sun is already setting. "Wanna walk at the nearby park for a while and grab some foods as well?" Zirrius invites. Deen nods at this and the two started walking to the direction of the park.
"You're coming tonight at my place right?" Deen asks when they're in the line of a hotdog stall. "Yes, I promised Tungsten to help him with his vocals. I also arranged the song to be a solo one and made a guide for it. Wanna hear it?"
"Astra's gonna freak out once she finds out that you helped Tungsten with this." Deen says. "You should sign her album for her as well while you're at it." She added. "Ah, I knew it, you're only using me for your friends." Zirrius teases. Deen rolls her eyes at this. "Shut it or I'm going to be meaner at you than Tungsten."
"You're mean. Why are you so mean? Do you have a problem with us guys?" he asks as they ordered and pays for their food. "I'll have a problem if you continue this. But no I don't, I just like teasing Tungsten because he never hits back." She confesses. "And if he ever tells you that I don't like him, I actually do. I wouldn't be helping him if I don't."
"You're a good friend." Zirrius says and Deen only smiles at him as they grabs their food and started walking towards the park.
"We've been friends for quite some time now but I know so little about you." Zirrius said after a while. Deen looks up at him while chewing her food. "Let's play 20 questions." He suggested. "You ask first." Deen says. Zirrius hums while thinking.
"What's your favorite color?" Deen looks at him with a raised eyebrow. "Don't give me that look. We should start from the basic." He says.
"Red. You?"
"Mine is purple." Deen hums at this.
"Favorite art piece?" she asks.
"The starry night by van Gogh."
"Oh, same."
"Favorite food?"
The two of them continues asking questions about their favorites back and forth throughout their walk and when they've walked around the place, it's already dark so they went back at the museum's parking lot to get Zirrius' car and head to Deen's place.
"It's nice that you returned Deen in one piece. And I see that you brought her back before her curfew. I like you now." Tungsten stood in the doorway with an apron and is holding a spatula when the two enters the apartment. Deen looks at her friend weirdly while Zirrius chuckles at her back.
"I wish your mother can see how you snatched a good guy. I'm a proud father." He continues while wiping an imaginary tear. Something drops inside Deen hearing this but before she goes into a headspace, she snickers. "Stop calling yourself my father. That's sounds so weird."
"Brat. Be grateful to this old man, I raised you."
"Old man, huh?" Zirrius said before he greeted Tungsten as if he's actually Deen's father.
"Your role play is disgusting." She says and went to the kitchen to make sure that Tungsten didn't burn her kitchen. The guys followed her and watch her check the food that Tungsten is making.
"I've been practicing my cooking so don't worry." He said but when Deen took a piece of meat to taste, she scrunches her nose and immediately opens the fridge to grab water. "It's salty." She commented and Tungsten frowns at this and went to have a taste of what he is cooking and sure enough he made a face and grabs the water that Deen is holding. "I don't understand. I swear I followed every instruction that my mom told me."
"Let me." Zirrius said and the two moves aside to give him space.
"You should've just let us ordered take out when I asked about what food to buy." Deen says.
"I'm sorry. I guess I miscalculated my ability in cooking alone without anyone's supervision." He said as they watch Zirrius work on the food.
The two hopes that the food is salvageable. Zirrius seems to know what he is doing so they let him do the work and went to sit at the high chairs beside the island counter. "He looks husband material." Tungsten whispers. "You have Astra." Deen whispers back. "I'm only saying that for you to hear." He whispers again. Deen's about to whispers back when Zirrius looks at them with a curious look.
"What are whispering for?" he asks. "Nothing." Tungsten says with a smile as he puts her arms at Deen's shoulder and playfully pats her head. Deen grunts and removes her friends arm before standing up to help Zirrius prepare the foods.
Tungsten obscenely moans when he tastes the food that Zirrius saved and that earned him a kick in the shin, he yelps and glares at Deen. He clears his throat and looks at Zirrius, giving him a thumbs up. "If I'm a girl, I'd marry you right now. This is amazing." He complimented and Zirrius laughs at this while Deen face palms. "You've been embarrassing since we got here. Seriously, what's wrong with you?" she asks.
"Well, I'm nervous." He confesses. "What for?" Zirrius asks. "We decided that I'll do this in public and I just realized how embarrassing this would be especially if she's actually done with me and dump me in front of bystanders." He says. Zirrius smiles at this, "We wouldn't know about the dumping if you won't try." Tungsten groans at this, "Look at that, it seems like you've been spending a lot of time with Deen and now you two are probably gonna team up to embarrass me." Zirrius laughs.
"Let's finish our food so that we can continue with your practice." Zirrius says.
And that's how they spend the rest of the night. Zirrius teaching Tungsten how to properly sing, Deen in front of the piano and patiently plays the piano all over again once Tungsten made a mistake and them goofing around once in a while.
Deen feels content at this moment. She didn't notice it but a sudden weight is lifted in her chest as she freely laughs at her friends' actions as she watches them play around with the keys while they sing. She loves moments like this. Moments when she soberly forgets everything that weighs her down during the bad days and forgets about the voices in her head, she finds peace listening to the guys' laughters and she sang along with them with a big grin.