The band and the extra tag-a-longs arrived at the video studio to work on their new music videos. They had a full entourage of people there to handle everything from their wardrobe to their hair and makeup, plus a video director and film crew. Everyone sat back in the dressing room while the style crew got them all ready for filming. The style would be slightly flashy because their music's general theme was very out of this world space related. As the music was structured to tell a bit of a story of when Vezaias was technically dead the director had planned out a very dramatic story that would be told after having a meeting with the band about what kind of videos they wanted. The director thought the video would be best filmed mostly in front of a green screen. He also was amazed at Ephraim when he saw him and after a few minutes of Vezaias aggressively shouting about not calling him an alien, he settled down and was more open to the idea that Ephraim would make a very dramatic looking alien for the music videos, and Lux could play the other major roll in the music video story.

  Though this suggestion was a bit embarrassing, Ephraim was open to the idea of being in the video. The stylists got to work dressing Ephraim in an all white futuristic outfit, with white boots, then the hair and makeup added to the look then topping it off with black out contacts to make him look even creepier. He would appear in each music video either in the background or during dramatic moments to help tell the story that the band wanted to incorporate. Once Ephraim was styled he followed the stage manager onto the set to get ready for the shoot. Remington, Vezaias, and Lux were quick to give him plenty of attention.

  “Eph you look so cool!” Remington hugged him.

  “Very sexy alien.” Vezaias told him. Ephraim blushed at all the attention.

  “I don't like what they did to your eyeballs.” Lux said seriously. Everyone laughed and chatted for a moment until the director began calling the band to take their marks.

  They would really be playing their music on set but the sound would be dubbed over with their studio quality recordings of each song. The first song they would be doing was about the ghosting, which was iconic as Ephraim would be playing as a character that was searching for someone. Then as soon as he was reunited at the end of the video he would be killed by way of a solar eclipse that incinerates him completely, all done with the help of some very expensive CGI of course. Lux was chosen to play the roll of his love interest who would be lost in the universe. The band would be out playing in a sort of CGI black hole as if their music was being sucked away from them and sent off into the universe. In the next song Telescope Lux would be looking through a prop telescope trying to find Ephraim, however seeing the band members one at a time and searching more until he spots Ephraim who he cannot get to. Ephraim is trapped like a prisoner and being tortured and suffering in a very stylized way. Of course the director wanted to up the sex appeal of the video and had wardrobe find Ephraim some appropriately and purposely shredded white clothing which barely covered his bottom half then they put him into prop chains. In the next video ‘Die for You’ Lux fights hard to travel the universe to find Ephraim, even through catastrophic disasters and landing on the wrong planet and dodging black holes and meteor showers meanwhile Ephraim is suffering and ready to give up. In this video Lux finally finds Ephraim but he cannot get to him as he is trapped inside an invisible jail cell and chained to the floor. Lux doesn't give up and stays there with him as the sun rises and sets 15 times which symbolizes the 15 days Vezaias spent 'in a coma'. In the next video Ephraim seemed to completely but slowly die. The whole video focuses on Lux watching him decay as if he decomposes completely into nothing. In the next video Lux goes about his life without hope of Ephraim returning. It shows him dragging himself through the universe back to his home and trying to return to a normal life but still looking up into the sky at night yearning to be with Ephraim again which goes unfulfilled at the end of this video. They also recorded footage for 'The Ghosting' which only featured Remington and Vezaias. Remington would be playing the piano, and Vezaias would sing. There they did some very endearing shots of Remington and Vezaias in the rain since that was what the weather was when the ghosting happened. Next the video kept them apart purposely. After this scene Remington stayed in set designed like his bedroom and Vezaias walking the streets of a town then settling under the set of a bridge then before the song ended he climbed to the top and over the railing and they recorded a fake jump where he looked as if he committed suicide, while Remington reenacted taking the pills the day Skyler arrived to save him but the video ended without a happy ending.

  It was an emotional full day of shooting and over 12 hours later they were finally leaving the studio to go back to Demetri's house. Zach had gotten some behind the scenes footage and was going to spend the next few days editing it so they could post it to get people hyped for the video's drop dates which was still yet to be determined. The music video editing process would take several weeks. The group did not linger at Demetri's house and left nearly immediately to go back to base. When they arrived Remington, Vezaias, Lux and Ephraim went right to their room and got comfortable and climbed into their communal bed. The four of them were exhausted but happy to be able to spend time as a group and alone.

  “Eph you looked so cool today!” Remington was gushing over the style Ephraim was fitted with.

  “Uh! Thanks! I felt a bit silly. I don't think I look that good in ripped pants.” Ephraim said looking bashful.

  “Are you joking, you looked so fucking sexy.” Vezaias smoothly. Ephraim blushed.

  “I'm just glad they fixed your eyes.” Lux added seriously. Remington and Ephraim both snickered. “I was super not okay with someone stealing your eyes. Your eye color is beautiful. It was difficult to look at you with black eyes.” Lux continued. Ephraim blushed harder.

  “I love your eye color too.” Remington added.

  “Like the color of strawberry champagne. The same pinkish color that he blushes with.” Vezaias said smoothly.

  “He does look very pink.” Lux crawled closer looking at Ephraim very closely. He was getting very bashful now and even more embarrassed that everyone was focused on him.

  “I bet we can get him even more color.” Vezaias said, taking Ephraim's hand and kissing his soft sensitive skin. Ephraim was overwhelmed now.

  “Can I touch you?” Lux asked. It wasn't insisting, but out of sheer respect to get permission to see what he had often wondered about. Ephraim nodded softly. Of course they had all seen him without a shirt today and even during showers when he only had a towel around himself but only Vezaias had ever seen anything lower than that. Lux was gentle and pulled off Ephrem's shirt immediately Vezaias began to rub his chest and the mild ripple of his abs. Lux joined him, putting his hands on Ephraim's silky skin then drawing his hands downward until he reached his waist where he gripped the fabric of his joggers and slowly slid them down. Lux looked mild and curious at his body. Just as he had imagined, Ephraim had very little hair or color, his skin was near translucent and very delicate. Lux rubbed his hands back up and over towards the center. Vezaias was also drawing his hands and cupping his neck and pulling him towards his mouth to kiss him.

  “Go easy on him, he likes it soft and sensual.” Vezaias mumbled to Lux who began to kiss him. Ephraim closed his eyes and felt Vezaias push his tongue deep into his mouth. He was still very overwhelmed at the attention. Just then Remington was above him.

  “Can I kiss you?” Remington asked. Ephraim jerked a firm yes and Remington immediately dropped down to kiss him then soon he was grinding his body against Ephraim showing him how excited he was. Ephraim rolled towards him and kissed him back. He was no longer shy. He had wondered what it was like to join them and now he knew that it was overwhelmingly pleasurable. Soon everyone was satisfied.

  “Looks like you enjoy having group sex.” Vezaias said. Ephraim sat up shakily and laid on the bed panting to catch his breath. He nodded, looking very satisfied.

  “How the fuck do you have so much stamina. Are you a machine?” Lux looked amused as he laid next to Ephraim.

  “Practice makes perfect. Why do you think I have three boyfriends?” Vezaias mused.

  “I thought it was because you loved us.” Lux also looked amused.

  “Of course I do. But you gotta factor in that I could be ready to go again a few more times tonight.” Vezaias said mischievously.

  “Ugh, not me I'm spent.” Ephraim said meekly then snuggled into his spot next to Lux.

  “Suit yourself. We have shit to do tomorrow anyway.” Vezaias said, getting up to put on his tight boxers. Soon they were all settled into bed. Remington had secured a particular spot laying tucked under Vezaias's arm while Ephraim laid on the other side of Vezaias then Lux on the end by Ephraim. It was quiet for a bit as they all settled and relaxed.

  “Zay?” Remington began softly. “Why do you think Demetri has a problem with our group relationship?”

  “I don't give a fuck what he thinks about our relationships.” Vezaias said grumpily.

  “Well I figure you didn't but…” Remington sighed.

  “Group relationships are a very taboo thing, Remington.” Lux spoke up. “You didn't even realize that a group relationship was an option until I explained it to you. Typically people are taught that monogamy is the only way to structure a romance, and if you venture outside of that ‘one on one’ box then you are labeled as a scoundrel and viewed as if you do not actually love who you are with. It is a difficult concept for people to accept that someone can be in love with more than one person at a time, plus then jealousy comes into play. Most people are not secure enough within themselves to control their jealousy.” Lux explained.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Jealousy is a bitch. It's one of the hardest emotions for me to deal with.” Vezaias said seriously. “All that matters is that we all consent to this arrangement. Nobody else has to approve of it, or understand it. When I have all three of you here like right now, I feel complete. I love each of you very much. When each of you were gone from my life, it crushed me on a daily basis. Whenever I was idle, I would think about each of you, the memories I had of you, and wish that you would come back. The pain was so horrible I would cry myself to sleep, and I just wanted to die. I wanted to jump off that bridge, but I am glad I made it this far because now I have all of you here with me, and I am never going to let any of you go now.” Vezaias said, while soaking in emotions. Remington hugged him tighter then they all exchanged a kiss while awkwardly crawling over each other to reach each other. They settled back into bed and were soon asleep.

  The next day it was back to their normal schedule but there would be a new edition added to the base today. Zexich had finished the work needed to be completed to recreate Lucius. After the briefing it would only be a matter of time before he would be alive and awake again. Ava seemed to be very anxious during the briefing and full of negative energy. After a short discussion about how things were going to play out Zexich left to prepare for the conversion and Vezaias went with the others to create a secure spot for Lucius to stay so that they could wake him in the most unthreatening position possible. Vezaias was most concerned about keeping him someplace where he wouldn't be able to escape. Lucius was very dangerous even without his talent or his weapon and if they were not careful he could cause a tremendous amount of damage. Soon they had a bedroom set up that was more like a jail cell. This room was reinforced and secure, so that he could not break out, but he would also be restrained immediately upon waking so that it would also be safe for anyone to approach him. They all gathered into the laboratory once the bedroom was ready. Ephraim and Remington were very empathetic over Ava's distraught situation. Lux seemed to be on edge. Vezaias was focused on controlling the situation, and although he absolutely did not like Lucius, he wanted his brother to be happy. Zexich was soon eagerly finishing the process. After he was ready to remove the sedation Remington carefully took Lucius to the new bedroom to secure him. Zexich removed the IV and turned to Vezaias.

  “I know the situation will be difficult with him as he is a bucket full of aggression, but I care very much about him. I only humbly request that at the earliest possible moment please make him aware that I am alive and safe. My heart is aching to see my dear flower again.” Zexich said as respectfully as possible but the painful emotions he felt were very obvious.

  “I understand Zex, but I cannot promise anything. Really it all depends on him and how he behaves. I will not risk any amount of leniency. I do not feel obligated to keep him alive. I am only doing this to make my brother happy.” Vezaias said seriously.

  “Well I can only hope for the best. Good luck.” Zexich said solemnly. He left the bedroom quickly leaving Vezaias, Remington, Lux, Ephraim and Ava in the room.

  “I want to be alone with him when he wakes up.” Ava said seriously.

  “Absolutely not.” Vezaias said firmly.

  “I don't want you here when…” He began.

  “He is dangerous!” Vezaias snapped.

  “But he won't hurt me!” Ava pressed. “You and your fuckboys on the other hand…” Ava looked thoughtful.

  “I don't trust him.” Remington agreed with Vezaias.

  “I don't want to leave you alone with that flower headed bastard either.” Lux said seriously.

  “Ugh, don't you realize that if all of you are here it will only cause him to be aggressive! If he is hostile it will be because the first people he sees are you and Remington! The same two people that were responsible for his death!” Ava snapped. “If he only sees me he won't immediately be aggressive! He will listen to me! If he does get aggressive I will just put on a disguise and secure him! Just wait outside the bedroom!” Ava snapped.

  “Fine but if we sense any aggression we are going to intercept the situation, end his life, and ask fucking questions later!” Vezaias snapped back. “Common guys, we will wait outside the room.” Vezaias ordered. The others followed leaving only Ava in the bedroom. Ava quickly soaked his face in emotions. He tried his best to hold it together enough until Lucius began to wake. It was slow at first but then suddenly he jerked then opened his eyes and sprang up as if startled then struggled against the restraints.

  “Ava! What is going on?! Where is your brother?! Is Demetri safe?!” He shouted and began to thrash. Ava was quiet and did not answer. He only looked emotional as Lucius jerked back and forth for a long while until finally he stopped then looked at Ava with expectation.

  “Tell me what has happened!” Lucius demanded.

  “I will tell you everything, but first you have to calm down, submit, acknowledge that you have lost, and I need you to stop your hostility or you will be killed. I will not be able to stop it.” Ava said seriously.

  “What! Submit?! I will do no such thing! If your brother is alive, I will kill him! Release me right now!” Lucius shouted angrily.

  “If you do not calm down he will kill you!” Ava shouted.

  “Where is Demetri?! Tell me right now! Let me go!” Lucius struggled.

  “Louie, please listen to me!” Ava shouted over him.

  “You have betrayed us too haven't you?! You cannot keep me hostage! I will escape and then I will kill him!” Lucius yelled and twisted so hard that the railing began to bend.

  “Louie stop it!!!” Ava yelled, beginning to panic.

  “I will never give up! Not until I kill your brother! If you release me we can do it together!” Lucius yelled angrily. “Where is Demetri?!”

  “HE IS DEAD LOUIE!” Ava screamed. Lucius halted suddenly looking hurt. He shut his eyes.

  “Demetri was…” Lucius felt responsible. Demetri was with him on the mission. That meant he failed to protect Demetri.

  “He is dead. My brother killed him. Now if you calm down and listen….” Ava paused looking emotional. “I can help you stay alive. If you don't, my brother will be here soon and he will kill you again.” Ava said solemnly.

  “Again. I've already died by his hand. How have I returned?” Lucius's voice was shaking but he was calm.

  “You lost Louie. He killed you, then he killed Demetri. When he killed you, it broke my heart. I tried to be glad. I was afraid of what I felt for you. I've never loved anyone. Not until you died. I've just been completely overwhelmed by your absence. So much in fact that I've convinced my brother to let you return in the hopes that you will surrender and cooperate, just so I can see you again.” Ava said emotionally. He was now silently crying.

  “You told me that you loved me before.” Lucius said seriously.

  “Oh Louie….I've never loved you knowingly. I just…..I don't do well with emotional attachment. I don't do well with exclusive relationships. I may say what I think you want to hear, but it was never actually true. I would make that same fantasy for anyone who would show me a moment of carnality. I really don't feel much at all these days. Maybe a few of the more negative emotions. Disgust, shame, anger, irritation, but never love. Not until I was recreated and you wanted me still. You let me be free, but always waited for me to return. There was no ball and chains, no expectations, no demands from you. You let me be who I was freely, as free as I'd ever been before. You took care of me, protected me, you only asked questions out of concern. I didn't know how much I needed that until now.” Ava explained. Turning away to brush away his tears privately. “I have never in my life loved anyone. Never ever. Not until now, I realized that I really actually love you.” Ava said, choking back his emotions.

  “So here I am again. Why?” Lucius pressed.

  “I am not sure. I feel love, but I do not know how to utilize it.” Ava said softly. Lucius was quiet for a moment.

  “Your brother killed me, then Demetri, what did he do next? What of the others?” Lucius pressed.

  “My brother has already won the war.” Ava said softly. Lucius cringed.

  “Ax…” Lucius said. Ava only shook his head no. “Rocks?” Another shake. “Skyler?”

  “He died on the day of theater.” Ava said solemnly. Lucius choked at this.

  “Sigil?!” Lucius nearly shouted in pain.

  “He was killed, however in order to gain the scientist's cooperation my brother let him return first.” Ava explained mildly.

  “Zex is alive?” Lucius asked quickly.

  “My brother spared him. He was not a threat. Nor is Sigil without his talent, that's why he allowed him to return.” Ava said seriously.

  “I want to see Zex! Right now!” Lucius demanded.

  “Of course. I need to know first….will you stand down? Can I trust that you will not be hostile or insubordinate?” Ava asked.

  “MOST OF MY FRIENDS ARE DEAD AVA!!!” Lucius screamed. Ava jolted and covered his mouth as more tears slipped out.

  “I know that! But if you want to live you must stand down!” Ava gushed painfully.

  “Let me see Zex and I will decide!” Lucius pleaded.

  “Fine.” Ava said then he left the bedroom where Vezaias and the others were waiting. Ava stood blankly for a moment.

  “Ava, are you alright?” Remington was the first to inquire. He hugged Ava. Ava immediately began to cry.

  “He is being patient, but he wants to see the scientist.” Ava said, still huffing with tears.

  “Lux go and get Zex and bring him here.” Vezaias ordered immediately. Lux left quickly to the infirmary.

  “Is he hostile?” Vezaias asked mildly.

  “He is angry. He knows the truth now. I would assume if he was free he would try and kill you.” Ava said softly.

  “Hmph, we'll see about that. Have Zex wait out here for a moment.” Vezaias said amusingly then turned to enter the bedroom.

  “Wait, you can't go in there alone!” Remington quickly followed behind him. Ephraim was unfamiliar with Lucius but also followed inside. Only a moment later Lux returned with Zexich.

  “Go in, Vee is confronting him, Zex wait here.” Ava said. Lux went inside the bedroom.

  “Is he angry?” Zexich asked when they were finally alone.

  “Very.” Ava said meekly. “I don't think he is going to cooperate.”

  “He is much too proud of a flower. He probably will not accept the change in management very easily.” Zexich said solemnly.

  “You have to convince him to cooperate. Please Zex, I will do anything!” Ava pleaded him.

  “And what makes you believe he will listen to me?” Zexich mused.

  “He is your friend or whatever, just tell him!” Ava was getting angry now.

  “There is one thing you must understand about Lucius, if he decides upon hostility or revenge, he has far too much pride to be convinced otherwise.” Zexich said with a chuckle. Ava fell silent.