As you both stepped out of the shower, Jeph grabbed a big towel and dried you off while he stood dripping wet in the middle of the bathroom.

"Why do I feel like I'm feebled or three years old again?" you asked, a smirk playing on your lips.

"I don't know, I sure hope that's not the case. Cause then I might have to kill myself for that little display in the shower," Jeph teased as he threw a small dry towel on your head.

"Loser," you said from underneath the towel still draped over your head, making it impossible for you to see anything.

"But a cute one. Go get ready, so I don't have your boss hating me anymore than he already does," Jeph said turning you around and pushing you out the bathroom door wrapped in a towel with the other still on your head.

"It's a good thing he's cute," you muttered softly as you pulled the small towel off your face and head.

Throwing it onto the bed you went about collecting your outfit for the day, a glance at the clock beside your bed making you move even quicker. Zarin was going to kill you. You grabbed a white tank cut shirt that had a screen printing of Warhol's Marilyn Monroe on it in black and neon colors, that had a tear in the chest making it revealing. You grabbed a neon blue bra and tossed it onto the bed beside the shirt while you went for the rest. Next came a pair of extremely fitted jeans with a black belt that had a giant belt metal belt buckle that your brother had bought you one year. Next you grabbed a pair of overly pointy, black stiletto heeled calf high boots, figuring why the hell not. Slipping everything on you kicked Jeph out of the bathroom to do your hair and makeup quickly. You stuck with your regular heavy black eyeliner but added bright, bright green eye shadow.

Next you brushed out your hair, blow drying and hairspraying it to death, and tied a neon blue polka dotted scarf around, figuring that was perfect enough. You stuck in your giant checkered neon orange and white disk earrings above your plugs and called it a finish, while grabbing your giant plastic white bangles and a string of neon orange beads and a string of black. Running out of the bathroom you tore apart your closet till you found the last two pieces of your ensemble. A neon green knitted long sleeve shrug and a giant canvas bag that had Bert's face on it, done the same way as your shirt, only it had a pink gemstone tiara decorating his head. Throwing everything into it from your other bag you bolted down the stairs.

"Gotta run," you said, grabbing a pack of smokes from the freezer and placing a quick kiss on Jeph's cheek.

"Have a... oh my god you still have that bag," Jeph exclaimed as he caught sight of what was hanging from your shoulder.

"Of course I do. I love it. Best thing Bert ever gave me, a little egotistical, but still the best present ever. Gotta go," you said, mad dashing for the front door.

"I'll call you later," Jeph shouted as you smiled one last time before closing the door behind you.

"She's definitely crazy," Jeph said shaking his head at the closed door before going back to the paper and his cup of coffee.
-xXx-
You had made a pit stop at a donut shop that was a favorite of Zarin's, hoping that a dozen of his favorite, a mixed dozen of everyone else's favorites, and dozen other random would help them not kill you. You walked up to the front door and peered in the giant window, it was packed in there as usual, but no one looked overly angry. Sighing you pulled your giant white sunglasses off your face, placed them on top of your head and marched in, two giant pink and white polka dotted pastry boxes in hand in front of you.

"I got donuts," you announced loudly as you walked in.

"You're late," Zarin said, glaring at you from behind his desk.

"I know, I know. It's jus," you started in.

"Ha! Got you," Zarin shouted, interrupting your pleas.

"What?" you asked, confused.

"Jeph totally called, telling us you were going to be late today. You're good. Besides, you've never been late before, so it's not like it's a big deal," Zarin said as the rest of your coworkers sniggered with their clients at you.

"I so hate you," you snarled, placing the boxes down on a free spot on his desk.

"Obviously not too much seeing as how you got me a dozen of my favorite donuts," Zarin teased, as he glanced in the top box.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," you sighed as you got ready for your first client of the day, who was waiting patiently for you.

"And love everyone else as well seeing as how you got them a bunch of their favorites, and dozen of random to boot. What's going on?" Zarin asked, biting into a chocolate glazed cream filled donut.

"Me kissing ass for being late. I don't know whether to kiss or kill Mr. Howard for this little stunt. He didn't tell me he had called," you said, as you set out your inks.

"I figured, with the overkill in sweets and all," Zarin teased, a giant grin on his face companied by a bit of chocolate glaze.

You mimed wiping the side your face to Zarin, whose eyes went big and quickly ran out back for a napkin to rid himself of the leftovers. You chuckled to yourself as you motioned your client to come over and sit down.

"So are you dating the Jeph of the band The Used?" the guy asked as he sat down.

"I dont know, I guess something along those lines is what you would call it," you said as you got out his design.

"Bummer," the guy said, sounding down trodden.

"Had a thing for him did you?" you asked nicely, bumming that you might just have ruined this guys day.

"No. You," the guy said, blushing as he looked down at your work table beside you.

At that your coworkers, and a few of the people there for tattoos started laughing, and you just smiled. You looked down at the guy in your chair to see how he was taking it. You were glad to see that he wasn't upset about the people laughing since he was grinning like a fool, looking at his hands.

"Should be an interesting day," you said as you positioned his piece on his shoulder blade.

"I'd say so neon Rainbow Bright," Zarin remarked as he resurfaced from out back.

You simply flipped your boss off playfully and went about your first job of the day.
-xXx-
"All right, come back when you can and we'll do the next step," you said, peeling off your blue rubber gloves and throwing them in your almost overflowing trash can.

"Will do. Thanks again Kales Mae," a long time client of yours said standing up and going over to pay.

"No problem Karen. Someday we'll finish this back piece of yours," you said, disposing of the rest of your inks you had set out and hadn't used.

"Call to set up another appointment soon," Zarin told Karen as she gathered he stuff and left.

"Will do," Karen said as she let the door close behind her.

As soon as the door closed Zarin rushed to it and locked it and turned the closed sign over so it was facing the street. As he flicked off the neon open sign as well you sighed as you sunk into your now finally vacant chair. The rest of your coworkers had finished a while ago, but had stayed just incase any walk ins came in. Which a few had, though a few of them had wanted you, but settled anyway when you had to turn them down.

"So why the made push and late hours lately Kales?" Lexi asked as she and Ryan went over some of the design their future clients had dropped off.

"That's another thing I had to talk to you guys about," you said, sitting up straighter in your chair.

"I knew there was another motive behind the donuts," Greg said from his chair as he licked the sugar off his fingers from his finished crawler.

"Actually, donuts were strictly for being late today. Though you can take them for both," you said placing your elbows on your knees and your face into your hands.

"Oh god, you're not moving or anything are you?" Cares asked worried.

"No," you replied into your hands.

"Getting married?" Zarin asked.

"Hell fuckin no," you replied, face still in your hands, though you did peak around and raise an eyebrow at Zarin like he had lost his mind.

"Sorry," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Then what could be this bad that you want to kill us with sugar, and are killing yourself with these hours?" Ryan asked as he took a seat on one of the waiting chairs.

"Here's the deal. Bert asked me to go on tour with them, which sounds weird I know," you said as you lifted your face off your hands, your exhaustion plainly written on your face.

"That's the understatement of the century," Lexi added from the front desk.

"Well the thing is is that the guys are going to go on tour with Bert and all them when the guys album is done. To promote both of the bands new albums kind of. Bert asked me to come along, said he and Jeph had toyed with the idea since the figured they'd ask the guys back on again. Jeph asked the guys, the guys agreed, like I wasn't even in the room. I said I didn't think I would be able to go because of how busy work is. With me being booked solid, and over booked as well I said I didn't think it was possible," you sighed.

"Then Bert came up with a plan, actually he presented this plan to me first at lunch the other day. He said if I just bust my ass all day long, work longer hours, squish as many clients in as I can, and see if I could give some of my clients to you guys that I could make it since the tour doesn't start for a few months. He seems to think that I need a vacation, and that touring with both bands will be anything close to one. Jeph told the guys of it when they were all discussing this last night, the guys loved it. They pushed and pushed, begged and pleaded and basically forced me to give in. But this is only if it works out and you guys think its plausible or just plain crazy speak," you finished.

"Well generally I go by the rule that anything that comes out of Bert's mouth is usually crazy speak. But this time I think he's got a point. I certainly don't mind taking on a few of your clients," Cares said from her chair.

"Me neither, just pass off some of the cute ones my direction," Ryan said, setting his magazine down.

"I think we'd all take a few so you can go. It would be nice for you to be able to spend time with your brother and the guys for once since they're home so seldom. And plus, touring with Jeph for months shouldn't be all that bad either," Lexi teased.

"I'll even take a few. And we'll continue to do so when you're on the road," Zarin added.

"So I'm not crazy?" you asked, shocked that any of them wanted to take on some of your clients, especially Zarin since he rarely, if ever, took anyone on.

"Well we won't go that far. But come on Kales, we're your friends not just your coworkers. Of course we'd love to help you out," Greg said throwing a pair of gloves at you.

"Donuts also always help to sweeten the deal as well," Zarin added as he stuffed another in his mouth.

"I guess that means I will be bringing them in for a while," you added, happy that they were going to help you out.

"Looks like," Cares said as she joined the rest of your coworkers gathered around the remnants of the donuts.

Notes

Yay for being able to go on tour!
Yay for amazing and outstanding friends and coworkers willing to help out!