Chapter 2: Lag Spikes

Luna Nakahara

"Violet's what?" Luna hissed, gripping her phone like she wanted to strangle it. Her manager's voice crackled through the speaker: "A clip leaked. You called her a 'Photoshopped succubus with the IQ of a soggy Pop-Tart.' It's… everywhere."

Kai glanced up from his cereal, eyebrow arched. "You did say that."

"In private!" She hurled a couch cushion at him. "That backstabbing thot screen-recorded my Discord rant!"

He caught the cushion, smirk lazy. "Should've known better. She's got the moral compass of a raccoon in a dumpster."

Luna flopped onto the kitchen counter, legs swinging. "Ugh, I need a villain arc. And tequila."

"Or," Kai said, stepping closer, "you could apologize."

She kicked her heel against his chest, stopping him mid-step. "Over my cold, fabulous corpse." His heat seeped through her sock. Fuck. Why did he have to smell like cedar and trouble?

Elias Blackthorn

RedLab's conference room reeked of ambition and overpriced coffee. Elias pinched the bridge of his nose as his team prattled about "viral marketing."

"Influencers," said Marissa, his overly peppy VP. "We partner with top streamers for the VR collab. Imagine the engagement!"

A screenshot flashed on the screen: Luna.exe, mid-eye-roll, captioned "Violet in need of veiny dih. 💀"

The room froze. Elias leaned forward. "Her?"

Marissa beamed. "She's controversial, but her clout's insane. We can rehab her image."

He stared at Luna's defiant smirk. Rehab. Right.

"Set up a meeting," he said.

Kai Johnson

The art gallery was too quiet. Kai's sneakers echoed as he paced past his own murals—vibrant, chaotic, alive. Nothing like the static in his head lately.

His agent, Priya, appeared, arms crossed. "You're avoiding my calls."

"I'm busy."

"Bullshit. You haven't painted in weeks." She nodded to his mural of Luna—wild-haired, laughing, bathed in neon. "That's your block. Her."

Kai stiffened. "Don't."

"You're in love with your roommate. Either fix it or burn it down. But stop pretending it's not choking you."

He left without answering.

Later: Luna's Stream

Luna's chat was a warzone.

Violet4Lyfe: CANCEL LUNA!!!

KaiSimp2023: FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

GlitchGoddess: WE STAN A PETTY QUEEN 👑

"A'ight, fuckos," Luna purred, slamming a giant plushie onto her desk. "Let's address the elephant in the room. Yeah, I called Violet a succubus. And?" She leaned in, cleavage strategically pixelated (🚧 platform guidelines, baby). "If the lace-front fits…"

The door slammed. Kai stormed past her cam, shirtless, towel slung low on his hips.

Chat exploded.

xXSlayQueenXx: KAI??? SIR???

ThirstTrap9000: I'M THE SOGGY POP-TART 😭

Luna's grin turned lethal. "Kaiiii~ Wanna say hi to my lovely audience?"

"Eat a cactus," he growled, dripping everywhere.

She fake-whispered, "He's shy."

Elias Blackthorn

Elias shouldn't be watching this.

Yet here he was, at 1 a.m., laptop open as Luna's stream played. She was… a lot. Loud, brash, all sharp edges and sharper wit. Nothing like the polished tech bros he tolerated daily.

Marissa had sent her dossier: 24, pro gamer, Tokyo-born, infamous for roasting trolls into oblivion. And apparently, allergic to shirts that covered her midriff.

His finger hovered over her sponsor email. Subject: Collab Offer.

He hit send.

The Next Morning

"REDLAB WANTS ME?!" Luna screeched, pancake batter flying.

Kai snatched the spatula. "The hell's RedLab?"

"Only the biggest VR company! They're doing some collab—" She froze. "Wait. Their Head of Programming is a total dick. Elias… Blackthorn? Rich asshole who called gamers 'unemployable basement dwellers.'"

Kai wiped batter off her nose. "So say no."

She grabbed his wrist, licking the syrup off his thumb. His breath hitched. "Where's the fun in that?"