I sat in the recording studio for some time, watching as Kayn did vocals for their upcoming album. The project hadn't even been announced. The concert we'd be traveling to Kyoto for was going to be the premiere.
When K'Sante was no longer needed in the studio we started our shoot. We took care of the outdoor photos first. The clear weather was perfect for the photos. Ezreal lent me a couple of standing lights he used for streaming to get proper lighting for the pedestal shots.
The shoot was going beautifully. We'd even come up with a few poses that followed the theme. When I got home it would be straight to editing.
K'Sante put on his robe as I looked over the shots. "Those are quite nice." Yone's voice spoke. "Conveying the prying eyes of the media?" He asked with a smile.
"You understand?" I gasped excitedly.
"It's hard not to when you have a natural talent behind the lens." He complimented.
K'Sante joined us as we stared at the photos. "They're beautiful." He praised.
"I had an amazing model." I giggled.
"What are you needs gawking at?" Kayn asked as he walked in. His confidence radiated from him, likely from good work in the studio.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Ezreal panicked as he ran downstairs. "Guys, bad news!" He turned on the TV and flipped through the channels at an astounding speed.
"From what our sources have gathered, it would seem that Heartsteel's vocalist and rapper Shieda Kayn is currently in an unknown relationship with a stripper." The news reporter said as a picture of the day I quit showed on the screen. "He's been spotted frequenting a Tokyo strip club called The Opal House. Our journalists say they've spotted him with a woman who goes by the stage name Lilac."
More pictures of us on dates popped up on the screen. Tears filled my eyes as they slandered Kayn. I knew it was inevitable that we'd be found out, but I never expected it to be like that.
"Will fans be accepting of this relationship? Will they cast the boy band star off for it? Or is this just a Rockstar and his fling?" The reporter just wouldn't shut up. "Only time will tell. Next, a new diet has-"
The tv was turned off. Yone stood, holding the remote with a scowl. I could feel the air in the room shifting to one of negativity.
"Fucking rats." Kayn sighed.
"Where there are crumbs they'll come running." Sett groaned.
Yone looked at me, his face turning to worry. "Mika, you should probably sit down." He instructed as he and K'Sante guided me to the couch.
Tears blurred my vision. My body trembled uncontrollably. It felt like the air had been ripped from my lungs. Sett brought me a bottle of water and sighed a heavy sigh.
"Why would they say those things about him?" I stuttered out brokenly. "They don't know anything."
"You're right, princess," Kayn said as he got in front of me. "They don't know a fucking thing about us. They're just shitty people looking for views."
"I didn't mean to..." I tried to talk. "I never wanted... I'm sorry, Kayn... You never should have... We never should have..."
Kayn's hands clenched mine. His muscles flexed in anger. Sett promptly guided him away to the kitchen. Yone kneeled in front of me, rubbing my shoulder.
"This is not your fault," Yone spoke sternly. "Nor is it Kayn's."
"Did you hear about the controversy I went through?" Ezreal asked as he sat by Yone.
"They said you didn't care about your fans," I recalled aloud. "I knew it wasn't true."
"It was because Ez had been sick at the time," K'Sante informed me. "He'd gotten a stomach virus that lasted two weeks."
"When I didn't message, stream, or do any fan interaction they tried to make my fans hate me," Ezreal said with a smile. "Do you remember what I did?"
"You did that solo meet and greet at the mall." I looked down at him with a tearful smile. "I was there. You were signing things and taking photos for free. The picture was my lock screen for the longest time."
"I remember you telling me that you loved my hair." He recalled. "You said that it was like sour apple cotton candy. Or spring grass."
"You said if anybody had cotton candy hair it was me." I giggled and sniffled.
"We all remember when Sett got in trouble for walking into the women's locker room at the gym," K'Sante laughed heartily. "Poor guy hadn't adjusted to the renovations."
"They called him a perv." I laughed with K'Sante.
"The owner of the place cleared up that confusion in no time." Yone smiled.
"He cried when he realized what happened!" K'Sante laughed harder.
"The amount of fan-made crying Sett merch was incredible." Ezreal wiped tears of laughter from his face.
"Look," Yone spoke gently, "what we're saying is those vultures with fly with anything. It's not your fault or Kayn's. Nobody here thinks poorly of you for the work you did."
"We all knew what Kayn was doing from the beginning." K'Sante wrapped his arm around me and squeezed me. "We knew that you were a performer. We knew what kind of performing you did. We don't care."
Ezreal held my hand gently. "We all came from somewhere." His tone was encouraging. "You took what you could do and ran with it. Kayn has said that it wasn't for you, that it made you view yourself poorly. That's fine, you have a group of guys here that think you're pretty cool. Don't worry about what the people on the screens say."
"Just keep being you," K'Sante added.
Yone nodded and patted my shoulder. "You have some serious talent." He complimented me. "Show the world what you can do and I'm sure you'll be welcomed with open arms. By yours and Kayn's fans."
Sett returned, rubbing his arms. "He packs quite the right hook." He chuckled with a smile. I looked at the oversized softy in confusion. "I took him out back and threw on the old boxing pads. It usually helps him get out his anger."
"Where is he now?" I asked gently, peering around.
"In the bathroom cooling off." He answered as he placed his hand on my head. "He's still a bit ticked off. He'll need time." Sett ruffled my hair and sat by me on the couch. "K'Sante and I will be bringing you to the gym with us. Kayn says he wants you to be able to defend yourself."
Kayn walked in with a bottle of water. His right hand had been bandaged. When he looked at me I saw a sense of mild relief wash over him.
