Throughout the busy workday, Foca eventually sent a message asking Tuesday and Hyouka to stop by his office.
A few minutes later...
"We here, boo-boo. What's up?" Tuesday asked as she walked in.
She had changed into something much more casual.
A black T-shirt with a massive print of Valkov across the front.
Light, flowy trousers.
And, naturally...
Her signature deadly heels.
Some things were simply non-negotiable.
Trailing behind her, Hyouka looked like she'd been through the wringer all day.
Being Tuesday's portable emotional support human was apparently a full-time occupation.
Well...
All those years her parents insisted she study psychology in college were finally paying dividends.
"Perfect. You're both here."
Foca looked up from his laptop and greeted them with one of his trademark warm smiles.
The kind of smile that somehow felt like a cozy blanket fresh out of the dryer.
Tuesday and Hyouka nearly covered their faces.
Illegal.
That smile should genuinely require a permit.
"If you're both free this evening..."
Foca folded his hands together on his desk.
"...I'd like to invite you to a sleepover at my place."
Silence.
Then...
Both women gasped in perfect synchronization.
They slowly turned toward each other.
Their expressions screamed,
"I'm not hallucinating... am I?"
Without exchanging a single word, they simultaneously pinched one another.
"Ow!"
"...That hurt."
"...So it's real."
Seeing the entire exchange unfold before him felt like watching a live comedy sketch.
Foca couldn't help but laugh.
"A-are you..."
Tuesday swallowed dramatically.
"...inviting us to an actual slumber party?"
Beside her, Hyouka nodded so enthusiastically she nearly gave herself whiplash.
"Yep."
Foca smiled.
"I'd really like the two of you to come over."
And somehow...
That smile became even warmer.
Seriously.
How does he keep upgrading it?
I'm running out of adjectives here, people.
My vocabulary subscription apparently expired.
It's almost payday.
Bear with me.
Anyway.
Back to our beloved Foca.
"I thought it'd be nice if we all spent some time together outside of work."
Hyouka raised a hand.
"...What about Luca?"
She tilted her head politely.
"We'd kind of be invading your little love nest."
A very considerate question.
Or...
At least that's how it sounded.
Deep inside, however...
Hyouka had already decided she was attending that sleepover.
Nothing was stopping her.
Not even Luca "Yearn-a-Tron 3000" De Luca himself.
"Luca's perfectly okay with it," Foca replied.
A tiny chuckle escaped him.
"In fact..."
"...he got a little too excited."
Tuesday narrowed her eyes.
"What do you mean by too excited?"
"He already rushed to the supermarket."
"Why?"
"To buy ingredients for dinner."
Tuesday slapped the desk.
"Aw, hell yeah!"
"If Luca's cooking, you best believe your girl is showing up at exactly 5:30 sharp!"
"I've heard the legends," Hyouka admitted.
"People keep talking about how incredible Luca's cooking is."
She smiled.
"I hope it lives up to the hype."
Foca chuckled softly.
"I'm not usually one to inflate Luca's ego any more than it already is..."
He glanced toward the office door with unmistakable fondness.
"...but if I'm being honest..."
"He's an amazing cook."
Hyouka's eyes widened.
"If you're personally vouching for him, Sir Foca..."
She clasped her hands together.
"...then now I'm even more excited."
****
As promised, around seven in the evening, a knock echoed through the front door of Foca's condominium.
Work had, as usual, been its clingy self. With the holidays drawing near, overtime had become almost unavoidable.
For some employees, burying themselves in work helped distract them from the whole Valkov fiasco. Others gladly stayed because Bread Music's overtime pay was, quite frankly, outrageous.
I mean... Bread Music was probably the only company on Earth where employees voluntarily signed up for overtime.
The compensation and benefits were so absurdly generous that I'm not even going to list them. Somebody out there would absolutely come after me with a pitchfork screaming,
"That's unrealistic!"
Listen.
Let an author dream.
Besides, if the CEO himself was still working, everyone naturally felt motivated to give it their all too.
...Also, there was free coffee.
Who says no to free coffee?
And for the tea drinkers, there was tea too.
The herbal kind.
...
Well...
The verbal kind was also in abundant supply.
Ironically, the biggest reason everyone ended up working late was probably Foca himself.
He had gotten so absorbed in work that he completely lost track of time, typing away without even realizing evening had arrived.
Eventually, Luca had enough.
He physically dragged Foca out of his office, marched him to the parking lot, and drove them home himself.
Unfortunately...
Luca had claimed the driver's seat.
It was...
A very thrilling drive.
Foca would prefer never to experience it again.
Not long after freshening up, another knock came at the door.
Opening it, Foca found Tuesday...
Hyouka...
...and, surprisingly...
Dew.
"Come in, you guys," Foca greeted warmly before turning to Dew.
"I'm surprised Jonathan let you off this early."
Now let that sink in.
Seven in the evening counted as early for Dew.
"I finished everything that needed to be done," Dew replied calmly. "So I left him at the office."
Foca's eyebrows shot up.
"...You left Jonathan..."
"...by himself?"
"...Unsupervised?"
The horror in Foca's voice was completely theatrical.
He knew perfectly well his older brother was more than capable of managing on his own.
He was simply choosing violence.
Verbally.
Dew let out a small smirk.
"He looked like he was about to cry when I told him I was coming here."
Then, remembering his manners, he added,
"And... thank you for having me over, even though I invited myself."
Foca chuckled.
"You're practically family. You're always welcome here."
Then his expression shifted ever so slightly.
"...Although..."
He looked between Dew and Hyouka.
"You've been awfully close to my secretary lately."
Another pause.
"And I heard something about..."
"...flowers being watered?"
Silence.
Absolute.
Weaponized.
Silence.
Everyone froze.
Tuesday.
Hyouka.
Dew.
Even Luca blinked.
Tuesday slowly turned toward Hyouka.
Hyouka stared at Foca in complete horror.
Dew looked like Windows had just encountered a fatal error.
Then...
The condominium exploded with laughter.
Tuesday completely lost it.
"BOO BOO!!"
She doubled over, cackling so hard she could barely breathe.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
She slid down the wall before collapsing dramatically onto the floor, clutching her stomach.
Poor Dew inhaled at the worst possible moment.
He nearly choked on his own saliva and broke into a violent coughing fit.
Meanwhile, Hyouka covered her face with both hands.
"If skydiving without a parachute is trending..."
"...today feels like a wonderful day to try it."
Luca had to wipe tears from the corners of his eyes.
"Fuck, babe."
"You have to warn people before you say stuff like that."
Foca blinked innocently.
"...Stuff like what?"
The man looked genuinely confused.
He wasn't.
Not even a little.
He knew exactly what he had done.
And somehow, that made it even funnier.
Tuesday was still wheezing on the floor.
"Guuuuurrrlll..." she gasped between laughs.
"...ain't nobody skydiving at this hour!"
"Stop being dramatic!"
"No!" Hyouka cried, still hiding behind her hands.
"Trust me! It's a fantastic idea!"
She peeked through her fingers for exactly half a second before hiding again.
"Or maybe... maybe hanging myself is the new trend!"
"Aaaargh!"
"Squeeeee!"
"I can't believe this!"
"God..."
"Please."
"Take me now."
She buried her face in her palms again, mortified beyond salvation.
Luca leaned toward Foca and lowered his voice.
"...Babe."
"I think you accidentally dealt critical emotional damage."
Foca looked between the laughing Tuesday, the dying-inside Hyouka, and the coughing Dew.
"...I was just asking."
That only made Tuesday laugh harder.
"I KNOW!"
"THAT'S WHY IT'S SO DAMN FUNNY!"
****
And so, after dealing emotional damage, nearly sending someone to the emergency room from excessive laughter, and making another person seriously contemplate burying herself alive, the rest of the evening settled into a much calmer rhythm.
The five of them, friends who had long since become family, gathered around the dining table and enjoyed dinner together.
Or rather...
They devoured it.
Tonight's menu featured Luca's signature lasagna.
The kind of lasagna that would make anyone take one bite and declare,
"Nonna would be proud."
I mean, the man was Italian.
If there was one dish he absolutely had to perfect, it was lasagna.
His ancestors, whoever they were, would surely be nodding in approval.
...Granted, Luca never actually knew his biological parents.
But that's a story for another day.
Sorry for casually dropping that emotional grenade.
We'll pick it up later.
Once dinner had thoroughly defeated everyone's appetites, the group migrated to the living room.
Waiting for them on the coffee table was a bottle of vintage wine.
The sort of vintage that probably cost someone's yearly salary.
Or...
Several kidneys.
Depends on just how dark you want the joke to get.
I'll let you decide.
Crystal glasses were filled, everyone settled into the plush couches, and comfortable silence lingered between them.
Then...
Foca stood.
Immediately, four pairs of eyes followed him.
He smiled warmly.
"Everyone... thank you."
His voice was gentle, carrying a sincerity that instantly quieted the room.
"I really appreciate all of you entertaining my rather sudden invitation."
He glanced at each of them in turn before smiling even softer.
"I'm about to get a little sappy..."
"...but I honestly don't know where I'd be without you."
"Aww, Boo Boo!" Tuesday clutched her chest dramatically.
"You're gonna make me cry!"
"I'll love you forever, Boo!"
Hyouka's eyes were already beginning to glisten.
"I'm really grateful that you consider me your friend, Sir Foca."
Her voice wavered.
"I'll cherish this friendship for the rest of my life."
Luca looked around the room before lifting his wine glass.
"To friendships that last a lifetime..."
"...and to the family we choose."
"Cheers."
Everyone raised their glasses.
"Cheers."
Crystal softly clinked together.
They each took a sip.
For a brief moment, the room was filled with nothing but warmth.
Then Foca spoke again.
"Now..."
"The real reason I invited everyone over."
Four stacks of paper suddenly appeared from behind his back.
Each one had a bold title printed across the front.
LEAVEN
...
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Tuesday slowly lowered her wine glass.
"...What is that?"
"Oh," Foca answered cheerfully.
"It's everyone's trainee profiles."
A slow sense of dread washed over Tuesday.
"Boo Boo..."
"I ain't blind."
"I can see that."
She pointed accusingly at the stack.
"What I'm asking..."
"...is why you're handing these out..."
"...during what was supposed to be a lovely, relaxing evening where we lounge around, drink expensive wine, and enjoy ourselves?"
"We are going to have fun."
Foca answered so earnestly that nobody could accuse him of lying.
He genuinely believed what came next qualified as recreational entertainment.
"We're going to review the remaining LEAVEN trainees."
He smiled brightly.
"I'd like everyone's completely unfiltered opinions."
"I don't want to rely solely on my own biases."
"So tonight..."
"We're evaluating the trainees."
He looked positively delighted.
Tuesday closed her eyes.
Her shoulders slumped.
"I fucking knew it..."
She let out the longest, most exhausted groan imaginable.
"This man..."
"...turned wine night..."
"...into a board meeting."
A beat passed.
Then she opened one eye.
"...Fine."
"If we're going to spend the night talking about ridiculously talented men who can sing, dance, and look unfairly attractive while doing it..."
She picked up the stack of files with renewed enthusiasm.
"...then, actually..."
"This is my kind of fun."
Hyouka quietly reached for her own folder.
"I'll grab the highlighters."
Luca laughed into his wine.
"I had a feeling this was your real plan all along, babe."
Foca tilted his head innocently.
"...Wasn't it obvious?"
Tuesday pointed at him without missing a beat.
"You're lucky you're cute."
"Otherwise I'd be charging consultation fees."
****
And with that, the slumber party officially transformed into...
A trainee review meeting.
Surprisingly...
It was actually a lot of fun.
The five of them lounged comfortably across the couches, glasses of wine within reach, stacks of trainee profiles scattered across the coffee table.
Meanwhile, LEAVEN footage played nonstop on the television.
Aired performances.
Unaired practice clips.
Dance rehearsals.
Behind-the-scenes footage.
Every now and then someone would pause the video to point something out before letting it play again.
It was less of a corporate evaluation...
...and more like five friends passionately discussing their favorite contestants.
"Hey," Luca suddenly said, pausing a clip.
"What's the name of that guy with the green hair again?"
He pointed at the screen.
"I remember him barely standing out during the early episodes."
He leaned forward.
"But damn..."
"Color me surprised."
Hyouka adjusted her air glasses.
"The one with the cat charm on his backpack?"
Dew, sitting beside her, tilted his head.
"Hyouka..."
"There are two trainees with cat charms."
"Which one?"
His voice carried an unusually gentle softness.
It was the tone that only ever seemed to appear whenever he spoke to Hyouka.
She didn't seem to notice.
Or perhaps...
She simply pretended not to.
"The green-haired one is Seven," Hyouka explained confidently.
"He has the Poochyena Pokémon charm hanging from his backpack. It's more of a dog than a cat."
She pointed toward another trainee.
"And that's Kayden."
"The long-haired one with the permanently cocky resting face."
"He carries that chubby yellow cat charm."
"Then beside them is Benimaru."
"The redhead."
"He has the little slime charm."
She smiled fondly.
"The three of them are OG trainees."
"They've formed an incredibly solid friendship over the course of the show."
"They're especially popular within the fandom..."
A tiny grin tugged at her lips.
"...particularly among the fujoshi side."
She let out a small cough.
"Believe me..."
"Some of the fanfiction those three have inspired..."
She slowly shook her head.
"...should absolutely never be read aloud in public."
Tuesday's head snapped toward her.
"...Spicy content?"
She looked genuinely offended.
"Girl."
"Why have you never shared this information with me?"
"I'm honestly disappointed."
Hyouka answered with a conspiratorial smirk.
"Don't worry."
"I'll send you the links later."
Immediately...
The two women exchanged the exact same expression.
"Hehehehehe..."
"Hehehehehe..."
Their synchronized villain laughter echoed through the room.
Luca slowly leaned toward Foca.
"...Should we be worried?"
Foca chuckled into his wine.
"Probably."
"I agree, though," Foca said as he looked back toward the television.
"Those three have grown tremendously during the second half of LEAVEN."
Then something occurred to him.
"Well..."
"With the Yin and Yang twins, Yen and Zen..."
"...June..."
"...Jeremiah..."
"...Mikko..."
"...and even Louie returning..."
He smiled softly.
"It's only natural that everyone else would grow too."
"Some exactly as expected..."
"...and others..."
"...completely out of nowhere."
His eyes drifted toward another trainee.
Johnny.
Or rather...
Johanson Percival Philippe III.
The boy looked almost painfully ordinary at first glance.
Quiet.
Unassuming.
Easy to overlook.
Yet somehow...
He had steadily captured Foca's attention.
Not through flashy performances.
But through consistent growth.
The same could be said for Toma.
Timmy.
Liam.
Lemon.
Fahad.
And...
Their resident Swiftie...
Taylor.
One by one, more names entered the discussion.
Opinions bounced around the room.
Favorites shifted.
Potential was debated.
Strengths were praised.
Weaknesses were dissected.
The conversation stretched late into the night, accompanied by laughter, playful arguments, and the occasional dramatic gasp whenever someone noticed a detail they had previously missed.
Outside, the city slowly settled into sleep.
Inside...
Five people continued talking about dreams.
And with every name spoken...
The reality became clearer.
The grand finale of LEAVEN was drawing ever closer. 🌟
****
PS~ 💛
Seven is my little gift to svn0one!
Thank you so much for being part of this journey. Your support truly means a lot to me, and I'm incredibly grateful you've stuck around for the ride. I really appreciate you, svn! 🫶
And...
Kayden is my gift to 1ndeciph3rable!
Thank you, as always, for your unwavering support. I noticed your banner featured Eleceed, and I immediately thought, "Yep... Kayden would be the perfect inspiration for you."
I hope you like him!
And to both of you, if there are any details you'd like changed or adjusted so the characters feel more like you, please don't hesitate to let me know. I'd be more than happy to tweak them. After all, these characters are my little thank-you gifts to you both.
Thank you for supporting this story and for making this journey even more special. I appreciate you guys more than words can properly express. 🫂