It seemed he was the first other then Zachary and his party to arrive. The albino was unsure if he was happy or displeased. Being first is more likely being able to meet everyone one at a time. Less stressful, yet that also means he stands the most out. Sure.... he'd probably stand out anyway but that's besides the point. Being last meant that he could probably just... slide himself in and be among the walls but also being last could lead to everyone directly looking at him. So he'd stand out. Perhaps it was just a lose-lose situation.

Glancing as he heard slightly fumbled footsteps, his lavender gaze blinked slowly as he saw what looked like a girl on her wedding day. However, the fact that this person was coming straight toward them, and had quite distinctive mismatched eyes... meant this person was most likely Mikaela. Micah... Miky.. Of course... first person to come up was his old crush. In a wedding dress. How perfect. Miky did look so adorable though, definitely art worthy.

"Okay Alver... remember. Just relax, be cool, you'll be okay. Despite Miky looking straight some fairytale fantasy and looking stunning while doing it, that time long ago is in the past. You are a single introvert who loves fictional boys. Who needs reality romance? Just be cool and be a charming good 'friend' that you can be. Simple." The pale tall man thought to himself.

After getting his bearings, Alver was about to greet his old crush before pausing as he saw Mikaela look quite a bit shocked. Which caused the much smaller man to trip over his dress. Not really thinking about it, Alver bolted, armor clinking with him, but his long legs moved him with ease as he reached his arms out. The right wrapped around the crossdresser's shoulders while the left gingerly pressed against the chest so the smaller boy didn't face into his stomach of armor. Sighing in relief, he gingerly set his childhood friend upright before unconsciously brushing down the dress. His mind being a bit oblivious at the moment in favor of 'taking care of someone' mode.

"...Salutations to you, Miky. You look very lovely this evening, though I admit I'm a bit surprised by your choice." Alver said, in the most calm voice he could muster while flashing a smile. Though the gears in his head was quickly starting to spaz out as he came to the realization he was way too close and had no idea what to say. One could imagine the little thinking people rummaging through thousands of files with knowledge for something to assist him at this moment. One of which was removing his hands away from the enchanting boy.

Soon enough though, he spotted some more people not too far off as they parked their car. Lavender eyes blinking as he recognized the 'couple' costume and two vaguely familiar faces. Niles and Rebecca? Alver couldn't help but wonder how Harpy and Teddy managed to invite, so far, everyone. Did they guilt trip them like they did him? Withhold information? Start crying? Put on the puppy eyes? Whatever it was, it seemed it did the trick.

"NiNi... er. Niles. Salutations, it's pleasant to see you. And you too Rebecca. Nice to meet you as well, Miss. You and Niles make a wonderful Squall and Rinoa." Alver greeted politely with the same calm but polite friendly smile. He didn't remember Niles actually enjoying games when they were young. It could have change, but he was willing to guess it was his partner to have him dress this way. Even now it looked like Mr. Cool still liked playing Mr. Cool. Alver hardly knew Rebecca. Just of her mostly. Vaguely in childhood would be see her. She was younger then her brother, and it didn't seem Niles back then wanted to have his sister tag along in their adventures. Boys thing probably. That or three fact he probably hung around her all the time at home. The pale man could hardly relate to life with a sibling though, so most of his thoughts on the matter were just mere speculation.

Glancing around him, he realized everyone really was smaller then him, tallness wise. Gosh Blueberries. Well maybe Miky would catch more attention since he's in a pretty dress. Sigh... why did Lily have to leave him by himself?

@Fabricant451@AimeChambers

Eh... eh, eh?! The feeling of dizziness was passing, but it was too late for Micah to catch himself properly. The boy was about to fall onto his face when the tall albino he had realized was Alver ran to catch him. So now his face was a bit red, just a bit. It took only a second to get him back on his feet again. Underneath the many skirts he had some white flats, thankfully he didn't have to deal with heels. Mikaela craned his neck up to look at Alver, noticing how ghostly his skin still was and how long his hair had gotten.

Alver was saying something, but unfortunately the boy wasn't listening, mostly just thinking about how cool and knightly the albino looked in his costume. Alver was still holding him, but hey, Micah didn't actually mind that much, he was still feeling lightheaded and no one wanted him tripping again.

Alver... the one who had confessed to him so many years ago. He hadn't wanted to see him and knives sliced into his heart. It seemed like the Albino was uncomfortable too but... It was really nice to make sure the other male was okay.

Well... probably better off than okay, he had grown to be a skinny giant, "Holy fuck, how did you get so fucking tall?!"

Hank came up from behind the two of them and starting laughing, "That's the first thing you say to a childhood friend? Micah, you're seriously priceless~" He had his hands in his pockets and was watching the scene far enough away that Micah couldn't try to slap at him if he tried.

Micah didn't very well here Hank's slander, too caught up in his own thoughts. W-Wasn't this supposed to be a few friends of Julius and Zac's?! His brain ticked away realizing he had been duped, and Mikaela knew who would be getting a disapproving look later. His heart was beating out of his chest as he thought about how everyone was coming together. How would he survive? It was okay... Everything would be okay... as long as he didn't get to personal with anyone. If that happened they would find out how much of a monster he was-

"HOLY SHIT IS THAT GUY WEARING A WEDDING DRESS?"

Oh no... This dress had already caused him to almost fall on his face, the boy needed a break from all the stimulus. Micah just might kill the baristas Lauren and Angela at Deja Brew when he got back.

Looking over his shoulder he saw Niles and his little sister Rebecca. It seemed like the younger one had been wearing a.... extremely revealing costume that made his face blow up for a whole different reason. "S-She must be freezing!" He mumbled, thinking about whether he should take the fatherly stance and make her wear the clothing he had in his bag. What had Niles been thinking letting her go out like that? Still keeping up that cool, nonchalance persona...

There was another girl with his celebrity childhood friend but with all the things going on around him, he didn't exactly pay her much mind.

"Hurry up, Jay! I wanna play all the games~!" a vibrant and cute genderbent Naruto Uzumaki stumbled into the arcade, a huge grin on her face. However, by the looks of it, she was already drunk.

Enter Erika Young, newly employed Psychiatrist and Julius' best friend. She was also the only person in the world that called him Jay. Staggering in behind her and carrying two plastic bags full of hard liquor, the man was dressed as a much more brawny Minato Namikaze, Naruto's father. The idea for them to go as anime characters was entirely his since he'd been a huge fan of Naruto in college. Even his team mates on the college basketball team loved the show. Sighing as they entered, he regretted daring Erika to take five shots of bourbon before they left his house. She loathed dark liquor, so he had expected her to give up after the first shot! But nope. The lady, who stood about 5'3" and weighed 110lbs, downed those shots like a champ. Of course, she'd gotten all wired, and now they were a smidge late to the party. Thinking about it, he remembered Erika became especially bitey when she was intoxicated, so he feared the worst for his friends. Hopefully it didn't come to that though...

"Hello, everybody~! I am Erika and I will be your personal ninjutsu master today!" the adorable woman cried, dangerously punching the air in front of her. However, when she saw a certain vampire in the room, she let out a squeak and immediately turned to Julius. "IS THAT ZAC?! The Zac you always talk about?! Ooo hoo! Me likey!" From her words, it was hard to tell if Julius and her were a thing, if they had some kind of open relationship, or what... Before he could even reply though, "Naruto" was off dashing towards the vampire with reckless abandon.

1... 2... 3.

Yep, just as he thought. It took exactly 3 seconds for Erika trip over herself and barrel right into the man. He'd known her long enough to know that she was a hazard in an inebriated state. Chuckling, his eyes, seemingly blue from the contacts he wore, took a look around the room. Alver, Micah and someone he didn't know conversed, Niles and his posse milled about, while Zac and two pirates dealt with Erika's shenanigans. Julius mentally noted the variety of costumes, especially smirking at Micah's wedding dress. Cute. From what he could tell, he guessed everyone was having a good time so far. At least, everybody better have been having a good time. He'd spent too much money on Zac's ideal party since his friend was too broke to rent all this stuff himself...

Placing the two big bags of alcohol on a nearby table, the "4th Hokage" turned around to alert everybody to its presence. "Hey, I'm Julius. I brought some liquor for mixed drinks since they only serve beer here, so dig in! Also thanks to everybody that showed up! Let's get this party started!" he boomed, flashing a hand over the selection. The stuff he had brought was definitely not cheap and was some of the highest quality alcohol you could get in stores. While the muscular man showed off the goods, he could have swore he saw the scantily glad lady next to Niles glare at him. Maybe he was mistaken though?

It was definitely strange seeing all of his childhood friends in one place again, yet... They were still missing one last person, weren't they?



_{@AimeChambers@Fabricant451@Silver Fox@lovely complex@Henri}

Mikaela apparently seemed a little distracted as the mismatched eyed boy didn't seem to be really answering the albino's words. Perhaps it was the shock from almost falling flat on his face, or perhaps seeing Alver so much taller now. Considering when they were little, Alver was tiny and a bit of a runt, while Teddy was the big guy. Just a skinny twig that didn't eat much. Now he had shot up to be tall and skinny. Maybe perhaps Miky was surprised to see him at all. Did Harpy and Teddy even let him know this was everyone?

Lavender gaze blinking a little, coloring getting a bit paler thanks to the lighting, they soon narrowed at the sudden swears that spilled from the crossdresser's lips. Raising his gloved hands, curled into fists, he extended his index fingers and thumbs and used them to pinch both of his childhood's friends pretty boy cheeks on his face.

"Language Miky. Just because I'm tall enough to carry you around like a bride doesn't mean you need to use vulgar words." Alver scolded in a slight sarcastic manner, his voice soft but sharp. Despite the pinching, it was gentle, not wishing to really hurt or scratch the pretty face. Releasing his hold as the apparent plus one of Micah picked on the girly looking individual, the tall ghostly man examined the stranger and gave another polite smile.

"He's been a bit absentminded since we were kids. Nice to meet you, you must be a friend of Miky I take it? My name is Alver." Alver greeted, in his mind silently cheering and taking deep breaths with the assistance of a paper bag. Okay, Mother and Boss's training is paying off. As well as reading all that manga and reading mystery novels! Charming, polite, mature.... No freak outs, no drama, no severe heart attacks that may send someone to the hospital. It's all fine.

Glancing to Niles little sister at Miky's slightly stammered words with a flushed face. Alver hummed thoughtfully, oblivious to the cleavage. "Mhm yeah.. At least it's a warm evening." he mused, unfazed.

Turning his gaze when Teddy arrived along with a genderbent Naruto. While Teddy took on the role of Naruto's father, Minato Namikaze. They both looked pretty good as well. Lavender gaze staring at them, mildly smiling as the female Naruto practically mauled Harpy, he frowned as Julius placed alcohol on the table and pretty much allowed them to grab some of they so wish.

Alver on the other hand, didn't care for alcohol for several reasons. One, never touched the stuff except that one time he got curious because of manga and decided to sneak and take a sip of his mother's sake. Didn't go well. The second, doctors and mother worried it make him far too ill. And finally, he didn't really want to risk losing his mind. Has one read a manga with drunk people?! Shenanigans happen! Avoid thy shenanigans!

Wait. He was here to be a 'friend' to them right? In several modern day manga, or novels, people who are friends tend to go out drinking. So was he supposed to? Is this how friendship worked? Getting drunk silly and doing shenanigans? But he didn't want to TP a neighborhood. That's a waste of very good toilet paper. Nor didn't he want to make a drunken mess in front of Miky. Alver would much rather look somewhat competent then the regular ol.... Dumdum.

With a soft sigh, he turned his gaze toward Zachary, the basically birthday boy even if he wasn't the birthday kid. Basically what this was. What he says goes Alver supposed.

To Zac's surprise, the only person who hadn't arrived yet was Genie. Everyone else was here. Excitement filled the man child as he watched everyone interact. He couldn't help but feel slightly nostalgic.

Alver was a knight in shining armor. I may need to give him a change of clothes...

Micah was a... a pink tint was strongly noticeable on the pale-skinned, pretty boy as his senpai tripped in a wedding dress. His reflexes weren't as fast as Alver though. Uh, I didn't know Micks was into that sorta thing... He looks good... but he may need a change of clothes too.... Zac had no clue of the background and tension between those two. Alver was quite the eloquent talker nowadays, but Micah was pretty much the same tiny man he knew years ago, with a wiser look in his heterochromia stare, Hahah, Alver is pretty tall, right Miki?.

His heart suddenly dropped with the site of Niles and his girl companion. They looked beautiful together. Sure, Zac didn't know what they were referencing but even without the costume, those two should be standing together. The woman was absolutely stunning and Niles truly did grow to be such a charmer and probably a lady killer. A royal couple without a doubt.

With blush still apparent on his face, he brought his hand to his chest and diverted his stare away from Niles and to... Rebecca?! What the hell are you wearing!? This was a costume party, yes, but damn that's ballsy. She seemed to be thoroughly impressed by the man clad in lace, silk, and white. A grin curved on Zac's face when Alver accidentally called Niles 'NiNi'. Maybe rebuilding old friendships was a possible?

Zac's world and thoughts stopped when a sudden person charged into him or well, tripped into him. A little gender bent Naruto? OH! Is this Jules' girlfriend? Out of habit of catching Scarlet on multiple occasions, Zac wrapped his arms around Erica to make sure she was stable.

"Are you okay?" He whispered. She had a lingering smell of delicious alcohol emitting from her mouth, which gave him a craving for his own drink. Erica was definitely ahead of the game in terms of getting drunk. At least she's enjoying herself. While holding the small girl, Zac gave Jules a thumbs up for bringing liquor, "You always got my back, man!" This party was surprisingly more nerdy than he expected...

Meanwhile, Vince stood silent and took pictures of everyone, primarily Mikaela, who fascinated him to no end.

Clapping to herself, Gabriella happily cheered at the sight of old faces and new, "I'm so glad you all could make it! We can play catch up while we eat. I haven't seen you guys in years!" Her boyfriend was aware that she probably didn't inform any of the guests that she transitioned during highschool, so with a low voice, while snapping another picture of cute Micah, he muttered, "That's Gabriel, by the way. Or well, now Gabriella. Basically Zac if he were a girl."

"Hey!"

"You know it's true. You just have to put extensions on and dress up," the male pirate teased. Zac would never admit he had modeled for Vince with his sister as a girl for the photographer's site and personal projects... nor would he admit that he didn't mind dressing up as a girl occasionally.

Ignoring the teasing, the dark haired man ushered his friends to follow him as he led them to one of the eating areas, which was surprisingly fairly nice for a Entertainment center. DADDZ FUN ZONE spoke modern, high-tech play land for kids all ages, but strongly caters to young adults that want to make sure they still have their youthful spunk in them. This room in particular had all the old arcade game machines like Pacman, Streetfighter II, Starfire, and etc. There were workers 18+ old stationed throughout the building, chatting and playing games (like air hockey) as they waited for the show to start. Jules had paid more than enough for electricity so that even the workers could enjoy themselves. This place truly felt like a large party. Mr. Cooper left a message on the wall for Zac: Thanks for good business! Behave and have fun! Tell me what you think before Sunday.

A couple of staff members already set a long table with appetizers and subs, something light but filling enough for them so they wouldn't spend too much time eating. Plus, Zac had surprises for later.

With Erica stuck to his hip and the pretty boy unable to pull away from her, Zac smiled at his guests, "Please! Sit wherever. The coolers are over there." He motioned to an archway that led to an unattended bar, with two coolers in front of it. One with beer and the other one with non-alcoholic beverages.

"If you'll excuse me for a sec..." With all his power, he squirmed out of Erica's grasp and gave her a heartwarming smile, "I'll be back."

Leaving the room, he headed toward the empty kitchen and took a deep breath in, "Be cool Zac! This night will go fine. Stop being so nervous." Going to the fridge, he opened it to reveal a birthday cake for Alver that said: Happy hallo-early-bday, Alver! Hopefully, Al didn't mind the flavor. Zac picked a neutral kind of cake that could be liked by many people. If people didn't want it, there were always an assortment of cookies and cupcakes.

Nodding to himself, he closed the fridge and went to a cabinet where he hid his own bottle of liquor, a shot glass, and his backpack, which held who knows what! Pouring tequila in the glass, he sighed and fixedly stared at his poison. Bottoms up. One shot. Two shot... maybe he should hold off on the third? Putting the liquor away, he shook his hands and prepared himself to be an awesome host. Taking off his hat, he placed it on the counter and ran his hands through his hair, thinking about what he'd say next to his old friends.

Words were important if he wanted to see them more than just for today...

Meanwhile, Gabriella was trying to get Vince to take her picture with everyone. "Before you all leave, we'll need to do a major group picture! And then a smaller one for the old comrades. Maybe when Zac is back from wherever he went."

"The game plan is we eat, Zac has a little something for his old buds, then we all go wherever and enjoy ourselves. Everything this place has to offer was paid for by Julius, so no need to worry about limiting yourselves."

Hugging her boyfriend, Gabriella lovingly cooed, "My brother put a lot of thought into this... sure, he's not perfect and still is a kid at heart, but he worked his ass off just to get this place to ourselves, minus all the workers, but you get what I mean."

_{@Silver Fox@Viciousmarrow@AimeChambers@Fabricant451}

It wasn't normal for Micah to curse of course, and he did it even less now that Luke was in his life, but the poor dress wearing man couldn't stop himself seeing hot tall Alver had gotten. His eyes narrowed and a worried look slipped onto Mikaela's face. Was he really angry, was that something really important to him and he had just taken a crap on it, did- Eh...?! Alver started pinching both of his cheeks, apparently Micah's reflexes weren't up to par. The bride slipped his hands up to pull Alver's gloved ones away from his face, his eyes squinting shut, "Mother, let go!"

Hank of course had never encountered anyone like Alver. Mikaela himself had always been a strange one, but it seemed as if all of his childhood friend were quirky, "Oh um, hi! Yeah, I'm Hank. I see that absentmindedness from time to time. Anyway, Micah asked me to-"

"Al! That's not very nice to say. And Hank, would you zip it? I was supposed to act all cool when I got here but you guys totally ruined it!" He tried to stomp his foot to make a point, only from the vibrations of the grounds to make him shudder. He looked even more like a girl with such a vulnerable expression. Hank covered his mouth from laughing.

Julius arrived soon too and Micah couldn't help but pout. Even if the guy looked totally awesome in his Minato Namikaze costume, and Minato was one of Mikaela's favorite characters from Naruto, the guy had been the main one to lie to him about who was coming. And not just that the whole childhood crew was here, there was also so many more people. Mikaela's discomfort was through the roof. The boy hadn't even noticed Vince taking pictures yet. The Naruto girl went over to go talk to Zac, seemingly tripping over herself, but Micah was focused on the 4th Hokage that was bringing in a huge amount of liquor.

Any father who had alcohol on a regular basis was a horrible person. Micah himself was a light weight and the only times he had been out drinking was with Hank. Hank was a good drinker... until his fifth glass, then would sleep like a baby. No, Micah didn't think he'd be having any alcohol tonight.

~~~

Mikaela looked over to see a girl who looked exactly like Zac, was Gabriel cross dressing? But there had been that info in the email... Then the boy heard Vince talking while... taking a picture of him?! Micah's face went red and he tried to hide his face, slipping behind Alver to protect himself. No... He wouldn't let anyone capture his hideous eyes with a camera, maybe this was all just a bad idea. So Gabriel... Was a girl now? That was fine with Micah, the pictures were a more pressing matter after all.

As they started to head into the place, Micah couldn't help but race for the machines, completely forgetting about the camera. All the games he used to play as a kid! A huge smile showed up on the shorter man's face. He swept Alver's hand into his arms, wanting to go against his old childhood friend. J-Just like old times... yeah!