He opened a fresh Word document and set the window to the side of his screen so he could partly see the YouTube page he had open. The text cursor flickered every second in the top corner of the blank page.
He knew he should do something. It was kind of a big deal, after all. Anniversaries shouldn’t really be missed but he figured he could whip something together in a couple days in-between reviews.
He felt confident that
could do it, even with the burning sensation in his wrists and the mild overdose of painkillers he’d become accustomed to for dealing with it, but the real problem he had was
what he would write. He had stories; half-ideas and musings and clips of dialogue he intended to use at some point or another. Too many stories. None of them would fit.
The sleeper and the late-comer’s first time? That’s something he didn’t add first time round but that — ironically — didn’t have enough ‘oomph’ to it on it’s own.
“I’m not entirely comfortable knowing people will be reading that…” Suzu quietly muttered in his head and he smiled.
“I’m a little curious at what he’d do.” Molly chuckled in response to her. “There’d be some bloody funny gags in there, I can tell. Besides we’ll have fun no matter what, right, Suzy?”
The joker and the writer’s discovery that they were going to become parents? That’d be a sweet story but they’d already had a lot of focus…
“I’m f-fine with someone else taking the l-limelight. I’m th-thankful for all you’ve done for me and Akio already… Whatever you d-decide will be fine.” Hanako smiled sweetly from behind her shroud of hair.
“Yeah, man. I think you’ve got someone else who needs your focus more than us. Not that a story on
how we made a baby wouldn’t be fun… We’re not spoilsports like Suzuuuu~” Akio smirked slyly, wrapping his arms around his wife.
“Fuck off, filth-monger! We’re not all exhibitionists!”
“Bite me, sleeping beauty!” He shouted at the cerulean-haired narcoleptic before turning to his wife and nuzzling her nose, whispering excitedly. “
I’m really going to be a dad?”
The musician deserved something too. Out of everyone, he’d neglected her and she
really deserved something but he’d been wracking his brain for months on how to do it. He just wanted to do
something nice for her but he just didn’t know what…
“You’ll think of something.” Ritsu sighed wistfully before smiling sympathetically. “Considering all the wacky bullshit you’ve written before… I’m sure you’ll think of something, you big dummy.”
He’d have hugged her if he could have but, instead, he silently promised that he’d be back for her soon. All that was left was the loud-mouth…
“OI!”
… The scrapper…
“That’s better!”
He smirked and shook his head. The scrapper and the hero still had a little way to go before their story was fully rounded out but they’d be all right, he’d already made sure of that.
“I think you’re making too big of a fuss, honestly.” Taro scratched his beard sheepishly, his head in Miki’s lap.
“And Taro’s rounded enough!” Miki sniped at her portly partner, patting his belly. “But yeah, I think me and tons-of-fun are good. We can occupy ourselves for a while…”
He pinched the bridge of his nose as he looked at the words on the page. It was a silly idea he had and the voices came naturally to him earlier in the day after a rather pained trip to the hospital. He’d been thinking about the anniversary and all his ideas and the characters just started offering opinions in his head. The curse of an over-active imagination.
He flexed each of his hands in turn before rolling a cigarette and lighting it, spinning side-to-side in his desk chair. Maybe a story
wasn’t the answer. There’d be time to tell all the little stories he had in his head later and it’s not like there wasn’t another who should be taking priority.
“Are you done yet?
Geez! I want to see how this whole thunder thing works out and how it’ll lead to make-outs with Hisao!” The impatient gamer whined and he laughed. He was almost done but there was one thing he had to do first.
He wanted to make sure to thank everyone who read his first story and encouraged him to finish it. He appreciated all the kind words and the criticism and, in one case, the fan art. He wanted to mark the occasion in style but all he really wanted to say, with equal parts pride and astonishment in what he’d managed to create, was:
“Happy Anniversary, Monomyth.”
Thanks!
