#and then write a gazillion oneshots after that

[beatrice1979a]

second take...

WIP Ask Game

In a new post, list the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

I had a long post written at 4 am this morning and I deleted by mistake trying to tag someone else. Ok whatever. Let me see if i remember what I wrote

@aidanchaser thank you for the tag. I'm enjoying reading fics mostly. Shadyclaw fics only. Blatant lie.

But anyway... wips... I only have 3 fics so i'll give you some info so no need to send me questions.

Unnamed shadyclaw fic. I may finish it eventually it's only a 3 chapter fic or maybe oneshot. The spoiler is here

My Darling Curse (the only WIP that survived destruction. I wrote it 15 years ago an its missing only 4 chapters and I HATE leaving things undone). Its an old fandom (Ugly Betty) gay fic back before same sex marriage was ruled in NY (mind you, Canada was ok back then but the characters are based in the US). so yeah... struggles were real

Young Getty Love. (Ugly Betty) I'll add this for measure. Because I hate incomplete stuff. and I just read the comments from 15 years ago. And its true. comments make you feel better even if they were posted gazillion years ago. Well... if i finally learn to write teen characters (which i DON'T) I might write a thing or two for MLB. But probably not...

Because right now I am sketching... and long post about drawing and blablabla. and why i dont write etc etc... and that i make tons of grammar errors and never proof my writing and bla bla... I really enjoy reading this fandom better. I am learning compostion, exposure and how to handle dialogue. MLB writers are quite diverse and talented. I love it!

Ok skipping to the part where I tag people. Let me try to remember...

@kuromori4 show me what you are writing, please

@fandomofone seriously. I need to know if you are writing more shadyclaw because I loved your last post.

@coffeebanana I don't think you've done this game. so there you are tagged...I also find it lovely that @fandomofone met me after 15 years in the comment section of one of your fics. One that is NOT a shadyclaw fic. Which I won't admit I read secretly. because EVERYONE knows i only read shadyclaw fics

... ok back on my train of thoughts...

@asukiess I mentioned you. But i think you have posted about it before? not sure.

post ended.

#reposting because i deleted it #wip ask game

[psychedelic-ink]

Look, I don’t normally reach out to people on Tumblr. I usually read fics and move on with my day, but after reading the Joel fic in your Haunted Hoedown series, I had to say something!

You have talent. Oh my word, the time I have put into lengthy novels that left me disappointed, only to find a one-shot on Tumblr with suspense, tension, horror and more. I was completely captivated by that story, and I was devastated that it had to end.

I know that it was intended as a one shot, a piece of a larger series, but I am here on hands and knees begging for you to create something, ANYTHING, around serial killer!Joel. Tommy can help or not, reader can live or not, it can be in Jackson, the QZ, or on the fucking moon for all I care, but the world you built and premise of bloodthirsty Joel has set me alight.

Please, please just consider a follow up with this brute? Signed, someone who is seriously concerned for their well being after reading your fantastic work.

Okay so I read this like a gazillion times, thank you so much nonnie this was super sweet and honestly very vindicating because at the end of that one shot I thought it made no damn sense and people wouldn't like it 😭 I was especially worried perhaps it wasn't tense enough??? but I'm glad it was the right amount!

The things is I feel like I haven't left much of an opening to continue directly from that since reader already knows, I feel like that was the most suspenseful part of the oneshot buuut I might try to write a separate something, like a series tho I would have to finish at least couple of the ongoing series I have so far dfbfgbgf

but seriously thank you this made my day, you're a sweetheart 💜

#mail.💌 #anonymous #compliments to the author #cry baby ask

[sassyandclassy94]

I may or may not have finally conceived a plot idea for a Laurie and Amy oneshot.

I've read a few where Amy asks Laurie how many girls he had been with before her and when he admits to quite a few he says it without a hint of shame or guilt, whereas Amy's just like, "Whatever." at his answer. Like, no... Where is Amy's twinge of hurt and the feeling where her heart sinks to her stomach after hearing that (because that is how I would definitely feel if it were me)?? And where is his twinge of guilt over hurting her and the shame from his wild and immoral past?? Maybe this is my upbringing and Godly values talking but I just can't comprehend there'd be NONE of those feelings.

Anyway, I was complaining to my sister, Anna, about this and she goes, "Just write one yourself if you don't like the ones you've read." And ya know what? I think I just might. Don't know how long it'll take me being that I'm working on a gazillion other SwanFire ones but I'll try.

#Their characterization scares me though... I can already feel the brain ache :\ They're so complex and everything... #Amy x Laurie #Little Women #Little Women 2019 #writing #Abby rants

[hubrisandwax]

i was tagged in this fic meme by @wehangout like a week ago and i’m two hours in to a gazillion hour game on TTS so seems like a good time to do it. Jen writes incredible Shameless fic (she also has some amazing Supernatural stuff posted) and is absolutely one of my fave authors, so you should for sure check out her stuff.

Author Name: hubrisandwax

Fandoms You Write For: actively? Supernatural (maybe Shameless ...... if i decide to finish my superhero AU oops). i also have one In The Flesh fic from 2015 because i needed to get it out of my system.

Where You Post: AO3 + tumblr

Most Popular Oneshot: and i hope there's someone, which is a 10k word Shameless coffeeshop!AU i wrote back in 2015 when i was mad at the show

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story: uh i actually don’t have much multichap posted, because i tend to write as one shots. probably another Shameless fic (my spn fics never got much attention), which was a chaptered episode coda - there are two birds in your head.

Favorite Story You Wrote: i never much like my own writing, but there are three that are tied here. it’s never been popular or got much attention, but i was actually secretly proud of my 2013 DCBB As The Sparrow. i put a lot of work into it and i like how i managed to tie cannon elements into a 1940s AU. second, my season 6 Shameless fix it fic, i am all the days that you choose to ignore. third, my Jimmy Novak fix it, which is no longer canon compliant, but it makes me happy: Interlude.

Story You Were Nervous to Post: i’m almost always nervous to post, but probably As The Sparrow, because it was the longst fic i’d written and i changed my DCBB idea about 3 times. i had to downgrad to a minibang as a consequence. Interlude was also scary as it was a gift for one of my favourite people and authors in the fandom at the time.

How Do You Pick Your Titles: lyrics, song names, or lines of poetry always.

Do You Outline: uhhh depends. i’m starting to try to outline more to keep momentum and so i can think about the writing and less about the plotting as i go.

How Many of Your Stories are Complete: uh, everything (all 19 fics) except for one (Shameless superhero!au i really wanna finish sometime).

In-Progress: a couple of ficlets and one multichaptered story i have outlined and have started writing (a rockstar!au, sort of) - i’m just trying to get back into the motion of things after taking such a huge writing hiatus. i have a few more multichap fic ideas, too. all for Supernatural.

Coming Soon: probably the ficlets. i have a couple half written i’ll get on to in the next few days.

Do You Accept Prompts: i do!

Upcoming Story You’re the Most Excited For: my multichaptered fic, as mentioned above. without giving too much away, it’s writer!Cas and rockstar!Dean trying to fight expectations and the music industry with a good deal of angst, because it’s me, but always a happy ending. i’d like to finish writing it before i start posting it, though, i think.

Tag Five Fanfic Authors to Answer The Questions: uhh like all my good friends who write fic have left the fandom/no longer write for it, or aren’t very active on tumblr anymore. i’m gonna tag my rl bffl @sevensided who writes some of the very best Stranger Things fic you’ll ever read. if anyone else would like to do it, consider yourself tagged by me!!!

#about ella #thanks so much jen for tagging me #i'd tag the saloon but that tag has been dead for a while :( #on writing

[anxiety-and-witchcraft]

A very long description of my OCs and their universe.

I have made the decision to start writing oneshots and short stories as well as prompts now, so woo! And that means…*drumroll* I’m going to be explaining in great detail my OCs and the universe I’ve built around them! Also, I am aware that 90% of OC posts are art, but I cannot draw anything and I don’t have any digital art pad type stuff to do it on anyway so no Imma just write one loooooooooong block of words. I regret nothing, btw. (Rosa and Robin’s descriptions will be the longest, so just try not to fall asleep until you’ve finished reading them?)

Okay, so, my OCs all live in this village out in the English countryside called Thistledoor. It’s like a whole old-timey, chocolate-box-village type deal, minus the school (which is joint secondary and primary) of course. (Americans might want to look up when British kids start school if you guys don’t already know, just to understand Noah’s predicament.)

The whole thing is a sort of monster AU, kinda a Gravity Falls type deal where they’re just things like gnomes and goblins and the occasional horde of brainthristy zombies to deal with.

The Maddoxes live in the middle of the village, while the Lupins’ house is a bit further away along the edge of the woods. Robin and Rosa are my main characters, Rosa lives with her parents, twin brother Gabo, and younger brother Noah, and Robin lives with his mum, his two older siblings Molly and Jack, and younger siblings, the triplets Ethan, Ben and Sirsha (It’s actually spelt Saoirse but Robin’s mum spelt it wrong on the birth certificate), and Starling. Robin’s entire family have faint Irish accents (idk and idc why). Maeve is one of their friends and Gabo’s crush, and Marcus is the school jerk who likes to flirt with Rosa. Now, what the characters are actually like:

 Rosa Lupin (15):

Medium-reddish-brown hair that’s so thick and silky but not that shiny and reaches the middle of her back. It’s always wavy even when she brushes it.

Her skin is quite light, and she cannot tan, she just burns. She has freckles on her nose and her cheeks, but you can’t see them as much in winter. When she smiles… Oh. My. Goodness. Her smile is so beautiful, and her nose scrunches up and it’s just ADORABLE! Her eyes are wide and dark brown, but they get a tiny bit lighter towards her pupils. She also has a little crescent-moon-shaped birth mark just above her collarbone. Gabo has one too. She’s quite tall and kind of slim, but still a bit curvy at the same time.

She always wears oversized jumpers and jeans when it’s cold or t-shirts and shorts in the summer, or occasionally she steals Robin’s jumpers when it gets cold because for some reason his are mostly warmer than hers.

She’s about 5’6.

Her favourite colour is purple, she loves ballet, singing, reading, chemistry, and making up conspiracy theories with Gabo, and she’s quite quiet around most people but a force to be reckoned with when someone makes her mad, mainly by insulting Noah. She and Gabo also get killer migraines and insomnia when they’re stressed. Rosa is also the mum friend of my group of chaotic 15-year-olds and has a thing about loud noise and crowded areas (as in if she stays around them for too long she’ll either freak out or get a migraine or both). Gabo’s similar, but he can just about manage.

Robin is her best friend in the whole world, and they’ve known each other since they were 5. Secretly, they both like each other more than that, but they’re much too shy to tell each other, which obviously leads to their siblings making devious matchmaking plots to get them together. Rosa and Robin then get back at them with their own schemes, mainly with Gabo and Maeve.

 Robin Maddox (15):

His hair is dark brown and so messy it’s unbelievable, and literally impossible to imagine him with tidy hair. Somehow it never gets knotty. Ever.

His eyes are really dark brown and sparkly, kind of like an actual robin’s. He’s a bit tanned and he’s not really muscly but still quite strong. Like seriously, he can carry Rosa when she falls asleep in the middle of doing something or if she gets a migraine.

Lives in red t-shirts and brown jeans rolled up a bit so they don’t get dirty, and literally never wears shoes except at school because Thistledoor is the best village in the area for not littering so there’s nothing to cut his feet on. Some people tease him for it but he just ignores them (or splashes in a big muddy puddle to get water all over them) He does actually own a few jumpers that aren’t red or brown, but they are mostly stolen by Rosa. That’s actually why he has them but shh, no-one needs to know that.

He’s about 5’7, or maybe a bit taller.

Robin’s favourite colour is red, he likes inventing, playing music (he can play about a gazillion instruments) and pretty much just tagging along with whatever mystery hunt Rosa and Gabo have gotten themselves into. He’s very bold, brash and silly, occasionally getting into fights with Marcus before Rosa drags him back to her house by the ear, but he does have a very sensitive, protective side, particularly over Starling, which you will learn why when I get to their mum’s description.

 Gabo Lupin (15):

He’s Rosa’s twin brother, so he basically looks like the boy version of her. His hair is pretty short and neat, and he has a fringe pushed over to the left side of his forehead. He is incredibly short sighted and can see literally nothing without his glasses.

His favourite colour is yellow, he likes reading, poetry/songwriting creating conspiracy theories, and dragging his sister on mystery hunts with him, on most she and Robin end up saving his life when he reads out the words from a cave-wall-painting-crypt-thing to summon the dead. He’s very quiet and intellectual and gets scared easily unless he’s too busy finding stuff out.

 Noah Lupin (4 or 5 depending on when the story takes place):

Noah looks a bit like Gabo, except his hair is much lighter and he doesn’t need glasses. Noah is a rather unusual four year old in the way of his intelligence – he’s got the same IQ as his father, who is a scientist. He didn’t start talking at all until he was about three, but when he did it was in full sentences with none of the normal baby talk, but he doesn’t like to talk around people so most people think he’s just dumb.

 Mrs Maddox (Robin’s mother):

Mrs Maddox is possibly the worst mother in the history of the whole multiverse ever. She’s drunken, angry, neglectful, and doesn’t have a job, leaving supporting the family to the government funding and Molly, who’s 19 and has two part time jobs at the weekends and after school. Mrs Maddox leaves most of her children alone in the physical sense, except Robin and Starling. She hits both of them, usually just a slap across the face or something, always small enough for everyone to just assume that Robin had gotten into a fight or Star had fallen down the stairs, clumsy as she was. Neither of them wanted to correct them otherwise. Rosa, Maeve and Gabo figured it out fairly quickly, though.

 Molly (19), Jack (17), Starling (11) and the triplets (6):

The rest of Robin’s siblings don’t make an enormous appearance in my stories, them being mainly centred around Robin and the Lupins, but I’m going to describe them anyway. Molly’s the oldest, and generally the one taking care of all her siblings. Jack is basically a father figure to his younger siblings, as their dad died when Mrs Maddox was pregnant with Ethan, Ben and Sirsha. Sirsha never learnt to talk. Starling is very clumsy, but other than that she’s just like Robin. They all hate wearing shoes.

 Okay, I think that’s it!

P.S. I’m going to use a tag with my username as a way to get all my stories together, so if you’re reading this in the future and want to read my stories, that’s a quick way to do it without being swamped by reblogs and whump prompts!

#marthmello #my ocs #character description #ocs #introduction to my ocs #intro to my ocs #ocs intro

[viasatellite]

title: Nude summary: All she really wanted was for her to be his muse. InoSai. Oneshot. AU. notes: Hello ya’ll! And so, I’m in Japan now working as an ALT under the JET Programme, and I’m back here. Kind of. This was supposed to be M-rated but the rust beneath my fingertips is just too much, I had to write it out first. So this is the watered-down version. I didn’t have the energy to go beyond the confines of my T-rated imagination. Bah.

----

"Consider my offer."

Ino said with gentle force, resting her daintily manicured fingers on his arm, which was currently working miracles on a canvas.

She had a lot to offer, and she made sure he knew. And his repulsion against her was probably his response. Still, she wanted him to consider at least this offer – the purest and ironically, the most artless form of offering him her everything.

(She would want to express herself in more artistic and inventive ways, but she doubted he would ever let her.)

Sai briefly looked at her before training his eyes again on his current masterpiece.

"Why me? I'm not interested."

She anticipated that – his words, his dead-flat tone, and that stony smile. She'd only known him for five months, having been in the same Art course at one of the most esteemed art universities in Tokyo, but she felt like he'd been the muse who had been unknown to her until she saw him walk into the room the first day.

Her first output was entitled "Like a Moth to the Flame" and his, "It Burns and Burns." They both got recognition from their professor and their colleagues, but she didn't care. All she asked for was his recognition, but he didn't even ask for her name.

And so, she made the first move and chased him around like the happy moth that she had willingly blossomed into. And he would always be the flames that burn so cruelly.

She ran her finger along his arm, and he twitched in shock, dropping the fine paintbrush and giving her – she wasn't surprised – a glare in depths of black.

"But I'm interested in you," she remarked coolly, undeterred by his characteristic displays of disinterest bordering disgust towards her being.

He stood and walked meters from her. "That's not my problem anymore."

The laugh that soon followed echoed in the room, and she was yet again bestowed by one of his precious glares.

She winked at him and smirked. "I'll make it your problem."

…

They had their life drawing class, and as always, Sai was commended for his reclining nude masterpiece. Even the model whom she noticed had the same shade of hair color as hers became excessively delighted by his output she had asked him if they could have a collaborative project soon. Sai replied with a polite "We'll see" and, this time, a less stony smile.

And suddenly, Ino was fuming. Right after everyone had shuffled out of the room, she launched herself onto him and pushed him until he had his back against the wall. She trapped him with her hands planted on his sides, and even though he was a bit taller than she was that she had to tip her head up to look at him, she made sure not to back down.

"I've been asking you for five fucking months to work with me and it only took that gal like 5 minutes to have you say yes. First come, first served, darling," she said with honeyed sarcasm.

"Have your ears checked. I never said yes."

He didn't even bother looking at her. He was just talking right above her head.

Somehow this ticked Ino off more, so she tiptoed so she could be at level with his gaze. She made sure he knew that she was also sinfully tracing his perfectly sculpted lips with her eyes.

"Then say yes to me now," she let out in a mere whisper, thrilled by the fact that she was almost breathing the same inch of air as him.

He sighed. The very first sigh he made in front of and in reaction to her. "What you want isn't a collaborative project."

"But I wo—"

"You want to be the model."

"Yes, I want to be drawn by you," she insisted.

"Art isn't born out of such selfish desires."

He released one more breath and gently pried her off him.

"I'm not being selfish!"

Her fists clenched at her sides, and she could feel her eyes burning. She didn't know why. But it deeply upset her to have been called selfish by the very person she was trying to earn respect from.

"That kind of project requires a different level of intimacy between the artist and the subject, and we both know you want. . ." he scoffed and had that stony smile once more, "no, you pine for an intimacy incompatible with the art I'm making, the cheapest kind of intimacy there is."

Ino stood there, paralyzed and sinking at the same time. She couldn't believe that he had just told her the most insensitive words an artist and woman could hear. Hadn't she progressed from being just a random stranger to at least being an acquaintance to him in those five fucking months that as he so cavalierly put it she had pined for him? If she were at least a mere acquaintance, he wouldn't have the heart to say those to her.

But she stood her ground and looked at him despite the burning. Oh, he sure burned her so well and cruelly.

"If you would just let me, I would draw you. As the artist, I choose you. To be the subject of my canvas, to be the object of my artistry. I pine for you just like an artist would for a subject worthy of his time and art. I pine for you because you are my muse. And if it so happened that I also have feelings beyond that, I don't think it's any different from what you're calling pure intimacy. I pine for you in more ways than one."

She looked at him hard before making the first move this time to leave.

…

She probably should've thought a gazillion times more if she'd thought he'd ever miss her. Because he didn't, and it had been two weeks since their last encounter. She was waiting for him to make the first move this time, to apologize, to beg her to come back, to give him a second chance, but it was probably the unrefined artist in her that was giving her such ridiculous imaginings.

So, during their classes that his back was the only thing she was allowed to see of him, she would find a way to incorporate painting that into the figures required for a session so much so her outputs would appear grotesque and chromatically chaotic. But to her, they were still art. Anything with him in it would always be sublime art for her.

The workshop for the session ended, and she had received once more lots of questions about her recent work. Why is there a sharp contrast in the palette that you used? Is that the back of a person fused with a deer? It looks very postmodern except that I don't know which style, is it though?

As usual, he would receive the most palatable and sensible critiques. She didn't even bother what he had painted. It wasn't like he had been interested in any of her paintings anyway. Fair enough.

She was cleaning up her workplace when he passed by her and gave a remark that teased her to hope again.

"I don't think my back goes well with a deer. Try a crow instead."

It was all too fast, and she didn't see his face anymore, but she knew, by familiarity, that he was smiling. Maybe just less stony this time. She packed up her things quickly and made a beeline for the door.

…

She wasn't able to follow him, but it wasn't like she couldn't go to his apartment. So, she did. The first time she showed up at his doorstep, he made the most expressionlessly expressive face there ever was she wanted to commit it to her canvas. But out of pure courtesy, she just let it sit on her mind. She was an artist and a harmless stalker on the side. She was glad though that every time she rang his doorbell, even without verbally inviting her in, he'd just open the door and walk away.

Probably that was hope right there. Maybe they were at least friends.

This time, she didn't even have to ring. The door was already slightly ajar, and she just made a quick knock before going in.

She found him at his usual spot, working on yet another masterpiece.

He must've heard the click of the door and paused.

"What are you doing here? I'm busy," he said, not sparing her even a glance.

She had a beat of a laugh before stalking over to him and brazenly started massaging his shoulders. He automatically released the paintbrush and to his utter dismay, it left a careless stroke on the canvas. He hissed and knocked off her hands.

"Can't you just stay away?!" he bellowed.

But she didn't feel the sincerity.

"You left the door open, honey, so I invited myself in. Besides I did stay away for two weeks. That's enough. You must be missing me already."

He only looked at her before picking up the brush.

"Go."

She didn't move.

He pasted that stony smile of his. "Please. If you may just leave, young lady."

But she walked towards the painting instead, inspecting the damage that isn't a damage, but a beautiful accident.

"I can help you remedy this."

He narrowed his eyes on her. "I don't trust you."

"You don't need to trust me. Just acknowledge the fact that I'm an artist, too."

She smiled but frowned the next moment. "Oh, is it because I'm not of your caliber?"

Sai looked away. "No, not that."

"Then, it's a deal!" she chirped.

She took the paintbrush from his hand and painted faint, dancing lines at the tip of the unwanted stroke, and added a shadow of gray along the edges of the base.

"All done!" she chirped and turned to him, the other tip of the brush poking her cheek. "I think you're going for a calm, tranquil mood for this one so I thought to emphasize that. I hope it didn't ruin your style though?"

Sai walked over to her work and looked at it closely. This made her a bit conscious because this would be the first time that he would pay close attention to her skills. She just hoped she was worth it.

"Thank you."

"Eh?" She stared at him, flabbergasted.

"I'm entering a competition," he continued before casually getting back the brush from her and started drawing more lines.

Ino scanned her head for ideas and exclaimed when she spotted one.

"Oh, is this for the Louvre Museum thing?"

He gave her a half-glare.

"It's not just a thing."

"Of course, I know! So, when is it due? What's the theme? What's your plan?"

"This is the plan. I want to turn it in next week."

She then looked over the whole painting and felt a surge of pride that she was in love with this man who could basically do the most beautiful paintings of this era that the world would have the luck to see.

"Do you want to know what I think of it?"

He considered for a moment and nodded.

"Sugarcoated or not?"

At that question, he quirked a brow.

"…Not?"

"Okay! Then I must say that it's amazing!"

He shook his head, and if it wasn't only uncharacteristic of him, she knew he probably would've also rolled his eyes at her. "You're never serious, are you?"

"Oh, but I am! About this painting and about you!"

She flashed him a big smile and waited for his response. She technically just confessed.

But it seemed like he had decided to avoid the topic.

"If I'd picked sugarcoated, what would you have said?"

"I would've told you that it's an incredibly amazing masterpiece!"

"You're nuts," he deadpanned.

"Yes! And Sai, I'm absolutely crazy for you. I know you know that."

She walked closer to him, holding his gaze, trying to fathom what he was thinking.

But Sai only turned back to his canvas.

"I have to finish this. There's only a few days left."

Somehow, his indifference didn't pain her so much anymore, so she decided to give him the space he needed for now.

"Okay. I'll be leaving then. I'll see you on Monday!"

She headed for the door immediately, not wanting to wait for a reaction that would probably never come.

…

But they no longer had the chance to talk because he had been busy with the preparation and taken a 3-day leave from their classes. All their professors were in full support of him, so they willingly gave him the permission to take that much-needed leave. They all knew he would win it out.

But the week after, results came in, and when she learned that Sai didn't make it to the shortlist, she quickly hurried out of her ongoing class and came running to his apartment.

Fortunately, Sai was just about to enter his unit.

"Sai!" she called, panting, from the end of the hall.

He only looked at her impassively before entering, and before he could lock the door, she made sure she would be able to make it inside as well.

Surprisingly, there wasn't a struggle on his side, and she could go in as peacefully as possible.

Instead of sitting in front of his canvas, he proceeded to his sofa and capped off a bottle of soda, chugging it down before fixing her one of those cold and calculating stares.

"I'm not sad nor upset, if that's what you came for. I'm just tired from all the painting I did the past few days."

"I'm sorry," she started, and the dam broke. "I'm really sorry. It must've been that stroke. If I didn't surprise you that time, we wouldn't have to fix it. It might've looked like a blemish to the – "

"Don't say that. It sounds like you're underestimating my capabilities. Even if that was considered a flaw, they wouldn't have noticed it if everything else was perfect. So, you saying that it might be because of that flaw is like saying I didn't do everything else perfectly."

His words were razor sharp, but she knew that he was right.

"I'm sorry. I'm still sorry."

And she couldn't help crying helplessly in front of him.

She felt him pass by her before hearing his voice.

"Let's paint something together."

She looked at him surprised, teary eyed and all.

"You want to cheer me up, don't you?"

It took seconds to process what he said, but she was able to give a hearty yes just as quickly. She happily wiped away her tears and sat beside Sai, taking the brush he was offering her.

"You may call this a collaborative project. What do you want to paint?"

She wasn't listening to his words anymore; she was just looking at him, admiring him more, and thinking that his side profile was his best angle. She dipped her brush into a can of blue paint and did a swift stroke across his cheek.

He snapped his head to her direction, and she giggled as she did a similar stroke on his forehead. And the next thing she knew, Sai had also had the tip of his brush heavy with yellow and ready to have his revenge. She stood abruptly and raced across the room to get away as fast as possible from the assaulting brush. But Sai wasn't one to be defeated and chased her nonstop.

Over the course of their game, they had acquired numerous streaks on their faces, arms, clothes, and even hair. Seeing a dash of yellow on Sai's ebony hair was a wondrous sight for Ino, and she couldn't help pointing it out as she giggled unceasingly.

"I'd volunteer dyeing your hair with yellow streaks if you'd let me."

"The blue paint looks good on your hair, too. It matches the color of your eyes," he said, in turn, earnestly.

She managed to hold back her next fit of giggles to focus on what he had just said.

"You like my eyes."

"The color."

"Then draw me," she challenged.

He shook his head. "You don't look like a nude model to me."

Her brows furrowed in question. Was that an insult?

"What does that mean?"

Before she knew what was happening, he was leaning in, and it didn't take long before she felt his lips on hers like wisps touching her skin..

She kissed him back with more force and felt his fingertips trace patterns across her cheeks and arms. As the kiss grew heated, she couldn't help wondering how such cruel flame could burn her so wonderfully. His lips then found a spot below her ear, and just before claiming her, he heard him whisper. Beautiful. It was like making art; only that in that moment, they weren't artists.

In the afterglow, she wondered if it was making love as well when they weren't lovers either.

Sai was fast asleep on his side of the bed, and she was yet again met with the sight of his back. But this time the view was unhindered by fabric. This was raw and real, and she could only touch it and snuggle up to him, skin to skin. She still couldn't believe she was here, close to him, closer than before.

But still not appreciably close because the next morning she found herself alone in the bed. She didn't make an effort to look for him because she'd learned her lesson hard.

…

What she didn't see coming though was his avoiding her after everything that happened. The first day after they slept together, she could understand. He was probably shy or confused or waiting for the right moment, but a week had passed, and he was back to being distant. He acted as if she vanished into thin air and he never knew her.

That hurt more than the physicality of giving him her first. But she had no regrets. It would've always been for him.

She decided to let him be for some more time. When the next week arrived, he was nowhere in sight. She was contemplating ambushing him in his apartment when their professor announced that someone from their class got a scholarship abroad at Louvre University.

She didn't bother listening who.

…

She read in the news that an art exhibit was soon to be open to the public in a matter of days. Apparently, it would hold paintings by artists from all over the world, and there was a great chance that his paintings would be there. She knew he'd gained worldwide recognition over the years of his scholarship at that prestigious university in Paris, and she knew he'd probably forgotten about her, too.

A year after he left for Paris, she decided to take a different direction, but not too different because it still included drawing, and she would still work on a few projects on a canvas from time to time. Most of the time, they were about him. She went for Fashion Designing at a sister school of her previous one. It delayed her for a year, but she was happy and fulfilled that she was able to get everything under control again despite his leaving. It ruined her.

But it did beautifully. She couldn't even fault him for simply leaving without telling her goodbye. She would've never wanted him to. He left her with such a beautiful memory, and it was enough. He would always be her muse, the one she'd always pine for, and never have.

She had to think twice before going to the museum, but when she saw from the list that paintings of famous painters would be featured as well, she gave it a try. The venue was a large pavilion whose inside was structured like a museum with compartmentalizing walls separating off one corner from the other. Some artists were also there, and she actually would've wanted to brush shoulders with Saville if not for the long queue of people awaiting at her table.

Her feet then led her to a small crowd gathered around a large painting. When she caught a glimpse of it, she had to excuse her way through the circle just to get a better look at it.

In the painting was a woman turned to her side of the bed so that her back was the only visible profile to the viewers. White sheets pooled around her, covering the lower half of her body while her hair blanketed the upper. It was a very simple representation, but the hair and the scene and the sheets –

"I never thought I'd ever see your hair down again."

She whipped around to see him just inches behind her, with that smile of his, probably the least stony smile he'd ever given her, and his eyes finally seeing her.

"And I never thought I'd see your cold smile ever again, you idiot."

And when she laughed, it sounded shaky and spent, but hopeful.

...

Fin.

#inosai #saiino #inosai fanfic #inosai fic #Ino Yamanaka #Sai #my writing