#the love expert

[companionjones]

The Love Expert

Pairing: Beck Oliver x Reader

Fandom: Victorious (Nickelodeon)

Summary: You’re the Love Expert of Hollywood Arts. You’re responsible for putting all the great couples together, including Beck and Jade. What will you do when they break up?

Warnings: None that I can think of

*******

    When Beck and Jade broke up, it affected you in a few different ways. In one, it felt like your parents had gotten a divorce all over again. Beck and Jade were the couple of Hollywood Arts. It broke your heart to see them go their separate ways.

    In another way, Beck and Jade breaking kind of hurt your reputation. You see, you were the one who got them together in the first place. You were known as sort of a love expert at Hollywood Arts. Getting Beck and Jade together had been your greatest feat. They were so opposite on the outside that you were sure no one else could have done it. But Beck kept Jade grounded, and Jade kept Beck guessing, and suddenly you had one of the greatest couples you had ever seen.

    Now that they had broken up, honestly, you had been feeling kind of down on yourself. You decided to go for an easy love. A couple that just needed an extra push to become official.

    Robbie and Cat weren’t that hard to set up. Just a little meddling later, the two were holding hands as they went to lunch.

    But they were easy. You wanted something difficult. Something you could sink your teeth into, like the old days.

    Your eyes widened as Beck walked by the table you were sitting at, alone. “Hey, Beck.” You got up to follow him.

    It seemed he knew exactly why you were talking to him. “Hey, Y/n,” he greeted as he knowingly rolled his eyes.

    “So, you and Jade broke up?”

    “Mhm.”

    “Any particular reason why?”

    He thought for a moment. “We...had different interests.” He sat down at his normal lunch table.

    “Different interests?” You absentmindedly sat next to him. “Interests that I didn’t know about? I highly doubt it.”

    Beck shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you, Y/n.”

    “Interesting...” You bit your lip, thinking. “Do you have any interest in getting back off the market?”

    His eyebrows raised. He gave you a once-over, then smirked. “Maybe.”

    “Great. Come to my house at 7:30 sharp tonight,” you told him.

    “Hey, how come you never tried to pair me with anybody?” Tori asked.

    You hadn’t noticed she was sitting at the same table. Straightforwardly, you answered, “Because you never asked. And no one asked to be paired with you.”

    Tori pouted at your words. “Ouch.”

    “Don’t feel that bad about it,” you tried your best to comfort her, “It’s rare that I get someone asking to be paired with a specific someone else. And the person that I see you being with has never approached me, anyway.”

    “Oh yeah? And who’s that?” Tori wondered, almost jokingly.

    “André Harris.”

    Tori let the bits of salad she was holding in her mouth drop back onto her plate. “Me and-and André?”

    “Yes.”

    She blinked. “Well, that’s impossible, because André and I are just friends.” Suddenly, it was like she was trying to convince herself of that statement.

    “Yeah, okay.” You gathered your things. “You two have a fine lunch.”

    “Wait.” Tori stopped you. “How come you don’t see me and Beck as a couple?”

    Beck put down his fork and stared, surprised, at Tori.

    You shrugged. “Because with Beck, it’s either Jade, or no one.” And with that, you walked away.

    It was nearing 8 that night when there was a knock on your door.

    “Beck?! What are you doing? You’re late!” You were walking away from the door as quickly as you answered it.

    He followed you to your dining room table. “You invited me here. I don’t ever show up on time the first time I’m invited places. I don’t like the power dynamic it creates.”

    “So, does that mean you’ll be on time from now on?”

    Beck just shrugged, and grinned when you got exasperated.

    “Anyway,” you tried to move on, “Plans to get you back with Jade...” You started looking through the papers you had spread out on the table.

    “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Beck gently grabbed your arm to get you to stop moving. “I don’t want to get back together with Jade.”

    “What?” You didn’t understand. “Then...why did you come here?”

    He answered softly, “Because I thought this was going to be a date with you.”

    You pulled your arm from his grasp, and just looked at him.

    Beck defended his stance. “You asked me today if I wanted to get ‘back off the market’?”

    It took you a second to respond. “...I also said that it’s either Jade or no one when it comes to you.”

    He looked a little sheepish at that. “...I guess I wanted this so much that I kinda...didn’t listen to that?”

    “You...wanted this?” It was like your brain couldn’t compute what was going on.

    Beck smiled. “Yeah. Do you want this too?”

    “It doesn’t matter what I want.” You answered so fast that you didn’t think about it.

    Beck’s gaze softened at that. “What do you--”

    “I would like you to leave now.” You wouldn’t look at him.

    “What? Why--?”

    “I said I would like you to leave.”

    “Okay! Okay.” Beck put his hands up in surrender, and started headed towards the door.

    You didn’t breathe again until the door shut behind him.

    The next day at school, Tori was pestering you about André.

    “No, but seriously. There are hundreds of boys to choose from. Why me and André?”

    You rolled your eyes, but you had a smirk on your lips. “Because look at you two. You guys are best friends. That’s a great foundation for any relationship.”

    “Yeah. But what if we’re just...friends...” Tori trailed off. She had a lot of thoughts running through her head.

    Out of the corner of your eye, you caught Beck walking toward you in the hallway. You turned away before he saw you. “So, I’ll let you go through all that. Meanwhile, I’m gonna go--”

    “Hey, Y/n!” Beck caught sight of you.

    You started booking it down the hallway.

    Unfortunately, Beck was faster than you. He didn’t grab you to make you stop. Beck just ran in front of you and blocked from running any farther. “Y/n, come on. I just want to talk.”

    Exhaling through your nose, you looked around at all the eyes on you. You then tugged Beck into the janitor’s closet. You shut the door. “It’s what you said,” you told Beck.

    He seemed immediately concerned. “Something I said yesterday? What did I say?”

    Embarrassed, you mumbled under your breath.

    “What?” Beck stepped closer to you.

    “You said you wanted to go out with me,” you informed, a little clearer, yet you were still self-conscious.

    A smirk flashed across his face. “Well, yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”

    Not knowing what else to do, you eyed the door for an escape.

    Beck gently put a hand on your arm. “No, no. Tell me why that’s a problem. If you don’t like me in the same way, that’s fine--”

    “No!” you responded a little too loudly. You felt your skin grow hot. “People...don’t...like me. They only like what I can do.”

    Beck began, “Well, I think what you can do is cool too. To this day, I still don’t know how you managed to get me and Jade together. But Y/n, I gotta be honest, I’ve always had a bit of a crush on you too. You’re smart, smarter than anyone I know, and talented, and, well, not to mention, attractive.”

    You didn’t know how you were still standing upright. “Well, I-I never thought you in that way before, Beck. I remember when I was pairing you and Jade up I figured you were one of the best actors in this school. You don’t do it much, but you have a really beautiful singing voice. You care about your friends lie no one I’ve ever seen, and--”

    Beck kissed you.

    The kiss wasn’t much, just a simple meeting of the lips, but you suddenly felt like you were floating through the air.

    Beck slowly parted from you. “Was that your first kiss?”

    “Was it that obvious?” you wondered, worried.

    Beck chuckled and shook his head. “No.” He leaned in for another kiss.

    A little while later, you and Beck emerged from the janitor’s closet, hand-in-hand.

    Connected hands was something you had in common with Tori and André, whom you saw walking down the hallway. “Y/n! Look!” Tori waved you down and brought your your attention to her and André’s hands.

    Just as you were nodding your approval, you spotted another couple striding down the hallway, hand-in-hand. Jade and...Trina.

    “That’s right! I am now dating the second scariest girl at at Hollywood Arts,” Trina bragged. “So everyone better back off and leave us alone. KK?”

    Wow. You did not see that coming. You looked at Beck. He just shrugged. He shared a smirking ‘We did it’ look with Jade as the WLW couple rounded the corner, and Jade put an arm around Trina’s shoulder.

*******

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! Fill up that heart and reblog if you liked it. I would also really appreciate a comment, if you have the time. If you would like to read more, check out my masterlist. Have a nice day, night, or whatever time it is for you! <3 <3 <3

[hinamie]

unconditionally

[anbaisai]

Mayu's feelings regarding Jamil's OB look is a mix of "that goatee looks awful" and "those snakes are adorable"

[podcastwizard]

there is nothing, and i mean Nothing, a kid loves more than being asked "what do you know about dragons." if you're stuck with a kid between the ages of four and nine ask them about dragons and you will have them going for at least an hour. nod sagely as they tell you that red dragons breathe fire and blue dragons breathe ice. take notes. depending on the kid you could replace this with fairies, mermaids, etc. but dragons is usually a safe bet.

[bairdthereader]

There's one in every friend group (and we love them).

Bonus--Confused Nick is confused:

[technically-human]

Can you draw something with Doom Patrol!Edwin and Netflix!Edwin?

Maybe something about Dp!Edwin talking about his feelings for Charles with N!Edwin?

It's just something I've been thinking of, make it a little angsty?<3

Glad you asked

ko-fi

[poughkeepsies]

can someone just call buck a good boy please he's being such a good boy this episode

[inkedberries]

don't look at me i dont know what happened

this is DEFINITELY inspired from that one world's finest issue with clark posing as bruce's bodyguard so they can catch some kidnappers or whatever dfkgjlsd

these set of scans in particular

ref pic for brucie's pose in the first image

[casscainmainly]

The Feelings About Tim Drake Alignment Chart

Cass and Dick versions. Yes I do subscribe to oifaaa's Jason doesn't know Tim's name headcanon. Also, as usual, open to change!

[phoenixkaptain]

Everytime I think about Obi-Wan and Anakin it’s like- I don’t ship them so much as I think they should be together at all times. I think tcw had a point, actually, and the two of them should just. Always be together. I think Anakin is Obi-Wan’s hope in an increasingly difficult life and I think Obi-Wan is Anakin’s tie to humanity when he most feels like a monster. They are intrinsically combined, from the very first movie where Obi-Wan dies at Vader’s hands with a peaceful expression.

It’s Obi-Wan begging Luke not to see Anakin in Vader while Vader searches Luke to see some sign of Obi-Wan. It’s Obi-Wan calling Anakin another pathetic lifeform to Obi-Wan being unable to process the idea of Anakin being anything but good. It’s Anakin awkwardly (adorably) shaking Obi-Wan’s hand to Anakin awkwardly (adorably) bringing up Obi-Wan during conversations with the woman he wants to seduce.

It’s Obi-Wan knowing how to fix Artoo and Obi-Wan teasing Anakin about Artoo. It’s Anakin’s first thought on losing his lightsaber being “Obi-Wan’s going to be mad at me again” and Anakin laughing when Obi-Wan tells him to drive better.

The prequel trilogy is so fascinating because my favourite parts are always Anakin and Obi-Wan. The parts I think about the most often are those parts with Anakin and Obi-Wan. The relationship between these two drives the entirety of the plot of the prequels, to the point that the literal birth mother of the main characters of the original trilogy is all but forgotten in the third movie.

It’s. Obi-Wan spending years watching over Luke because Luke reminds him of Anakin, never approaching because what if Luke really does turn out to be like Anakin…?

It’s Vader assuming that Obi-Wan taught Luke to fight, because who else could teach a Skywalker?

It’s Obi-Wan accepting all the blame for the people he knew best, the people who were basically his family, all dying.

It’s Vader keeping Obi-Wan’s lightsaber in a parallel to Obi-Wan keeping Anakin’s.

They are just. Mutually Obsessed. Obi-Wan held up Anakin and said “this is my whole personality now” and Anakin responded with “neato, same.” They bicker like an old married couple. Anakin can’t imagine even thinking about leaving Obi-Wan behind. Obi-Wan tells Anakin point-blank that he’s a good Jedi who deserves to be a Master.

I ship them because like. The universe? Does?? They are destined to be by each other, in life and in death. They support and sustain each other. There was probably eepy Force magic stuff that made Anakin into a Force ghost because Obi-Wan wanted him to be one.

How else can I explain it? They were made for each other. Like. Literally. They should never be separated. Look what happened when they did separate in universe. They are a nuclear bomb. They have to stay together or the galaxy gets the worst of it, and that’s just canon, somehow.

[feroluce]

I have finally finished 2.4 and oh my GOD watching Dan Heng be so protective of his friends nearly killed me, MY HEART.

And yes, the cutscene where he pushes the trailblazer out of the way and even cushions their fall with his own body, but I mean even before that! When he was already trying to protect them and March 7th from Feixiao and Lingsha!!

Because if you watch the dango trio throughout the main quest, you'll notice that they often position themselves in the same way, which is a detail that makes me super happy that Hoyo thought to include- when the three of them aren't evenly spaced, March 7th and the trailblazer tend to gravitate towards each other and stand very close together, frequently side-by-side. And by comparison, Dan Heng usually stands slightly away, and often even slightly behind them, where he can pull on their leashes to wrangle them keep an eye on them.

This is probably a habit learned through experience, since March 7th said during Belobog she is the "queen of unannounced disappearances" fjdksajfkldjsak

And of course at least a little bit of it is just done for like, aesthetic purposes. It's a video game. Things have to look nice for the player. The trailblazer and Dan Heng are the same height, March 7th is a bit shorter, and Yanqing is even smaller. It makes sense to have the trailblazer and Dan Heng stand on the ends, with March 7th and Yanqing in the middle, it just looks nicer and more balanced that way. But still! Even when they're accommodating for Yanqing in this quest, they still all arrange themselves the same way, almost every time!

But this changes after Dan Heng and Yanqing become suspicious of the visitors from the Yaoqing.

The dango trio still stand around relaxed and in their usual manner when they go to the artisanship delve and meet Skott,

but Dan Heng takes notice of Lingsha when she arrives, and he and Yanqing mentioned her specifically when discussing their worries.

Yanqing worrying so much about Jing Yuan got me right in the heart, he's such a good boy WEH

And when the four of them go out to the alchemy delve to meet Lingsha for tea, the pattern breaks. Suddenly Dan Heng is standing right up front, and even walks in and enters the scene before March 7th and the trailblazer to get to Lingsha before them. He stays a step in front of them the whole time, too.

And then when Dan Heng and the trailblazer have to go be interrogated by Feixiao! The same deal! Dan Heng walks in ahead of them and stays in front of them! Noticeably so! Enough that even Feixiao takes note and voices it!

Dan Heng is so so fiercely protective of his companions, and I love it, I adore hyper vigilance in the wake of trauma like this, I'm so excited to see what else he does in 2.5, I hope we either get to see him get fucked up or the trailblazer gets fucked up in his place, I wanna see them run through the meat grinder!!!

[dont-look-up]

Squad 5's Shinji & Momo Combo Attack: "We did it!"

[gummi-ships]

Kingdom Hearts 3 - The Caribbean

[youling-the-ghost]

look they're in decreasing height order

[childrenofcain-if]

Alternate universe where D is a football player because I can honestly see it 😂

They'd still be FwB with MC, who's a cheerleader (I love cliches heh). But at one of their final matches, they immediately run to MC after winning and kisses them in front of everyone. I've been thinking about this a lot

the locker room smelled like a nauseating mixture of sweat and antiseptic. there was an overall nervous energy in the whole area because of the upcoming game: the biggest of the season.

yale (bulldogs) vs princeton (tigers). the oldest college football rivalry in america since 1873. truthfully though? you really did not have that as your priority at the moment.

D’s shoulders were tense as they leaned against the row of lockers, their football gear half on, half off, like they couldn’t decide if they were gearing up for the game or gearing up for this conversation with you. you stood in front of them, your arms crossed, trying to hide the way your voice wavered as you spoke.

“why are we even doing this if it doesn’t mean anything to you?” you asked, your words sharper than you’d intended. you didn’t want to sound hurt, but the cracks were already showing and you hated yourself even more for it. “you said you loved me, D. was that a joke?”

D flinched, their jaw tightening.

“it wasn’t a joke,” they muttered, not meeting your eyes. “you know it wasn’t.“

“then what the hell is this?” you gestured between the two of you, the space that felt both too close and too far apart. “why can’t you just—” you stopped, biting back the lump rising in your throat. “why can’t you just be fair to us for once?”

D ran a hand through their damp brown hair, their helmet still sitting on the bench behind them. “because it’s complicated, alright? i’m really not good at this. i don’t know how to—”

“how to what?” you interrupted, your voice breaking. “how to be with someone who actually loves you? how to let yourself care about someone? how to not be a complete asshole?”

their silence was worse than any answer they could have given. you felt the sting of it like a slap.

“forget it,” you said, your voice quieter now, resigned. “this isn’t worth it. i’m not worth it, apparently. not to you.”

“don’t say that,” D said quickly, their voice low and rough, but before they could step toward you, the door opened, and your cheer teammates poked their heads in.

“hey, come on!” one of them called, her tone light but urgent. “we’ve gotta go!”

you hesitated, your gaze flicking between D and the exit. you wanted them to say something—anything—that would make you stay, that would make you believe this wasn’t just another dead end. but they didn’t.

so you left, letting the door swing shut behind you, leaving D standing there with their heart in their throat and everything unsaid on their tongue.

***

the stadium was alive in a way that almost felt sentient, the roar of the crowd reverberating through the air, through the ground, through your chest.

the cheer routine was designed to dazzle; full of sharp, explosive movements, tight formations, and splits that skimmed the edge of possibility. every count of the eight-beat rhythm had its place: a high V at one, a perfectly synchronized clap at three, a ripple of tumbling that broke apart and came back together like a flock of birds midflight.

there wasn’t room for hesitation. you had drilled it for weeks, the choreographer shouting corrections until the moves were muscle memory. your body knew what to do, even if your mind was stuck somewhere else.

somewhere else was D.

you couldn’t see them from the sidelines, not at first. the field was a mass of bodies, yale’s blue and white clashing violently with princeton’s orange and black, and it all blurred together under the floodlights.

the roar of the crowd pressed against you, a wall of sound that rattled your ribs, the kind of noise that demanded participation. you gripped your pom-poms tightly, smiling like your heart wasn’t threatening to give out, and launched into the first set of motions.

high kick. clap. shimmy. back handspring.

on the outside, you looked flawless, exactly like what the crowd wanted: all energy and excitement, no cracks in the façade. on the inside, your chest was a knot, the fight with D replaying on an endless loop in your head like a broken VHS tape.

the pyramid was next, the most complicated part of the routine. the bases braced themselves, strong and steady, while the flyers climbed onto their hands. you were in the middle, the top of the pyramid, the highest point for the crowd to see. it was a position of trust. you had to believe your teammates wouldn’t let you fall. it wasn’t something you usually thought about, but tonight, the irony cut deeper than you wanted to admit.

when you extended into the final pose, one leg straight, one bent, arms raised, your eyes landed on D for the first time.

they were in the huddle, standing tall as the team circled around them and the coach, their helmet tucked under one arm. the older man was shouting something you couldn’t hear, D’s face fierce with focus. you wanted to stay angry, but instead, you felt your chest tighten.

D was magnetic in the way they moved, their command of the team absolute. you hated how much you still wanted to be near them, how much your body betrayed you even when your heart was screaming.

the pyramid dismounted, your teammates catching you as you came down. you barely noticed the applause; you were too busy watching D jog onto the field for the first play.

***

D’S POV

D glanced toward the sideline. toward you. again.

it was ridiculous, the way you could disarm them from thirty yards away. you weren’t even looking at them. your head was bent close to one of your friend’s, your pom-poms hanging loosely in your hands. you were supposed to be listening to your captain, but D could see the faint smile on your lips, the way you kept sneaking glances toward the field like you weren’t paying attention at all.

like your eyes were searching for D.

D tore their eyes away before anyone could notice. they didn’t need their teammates teasing them about this—not right now. it was bad enough that their chest felt like it was caving in every time they saw you, bad enough that your fight before the game was still fresh in their head, your voice sharp and shaking, your words a blade sliding between their ribs.

why can’t you just be fair to us?

the truth was, they didn’t know how to. not the right way. not in a way that didn’t make them feel like they were standing naked in a room full of strangers, every scar and bruise and ugly thing about them laid bare.

you deserved better than the mess that they were. you deserved someone who didn’t flinch at the idea of love. someone who could give you everything without being afraid they’d ruin it before it began.

but even as they told themselves that, D knew they couldn’t let you go. not really. not ever.

“alright, team,” coach barked, snapping D back to the present. “this is it. princeton’s undefeated this season, but so are we. you want to be champions? prove it. show everyone you’ve got what it takes.”

the team roared their agreement, slapping helmets and clapping shoulders, the kind of camaraderie that made D feel grounded and restless all at once. they shoved their helmet on and jogged out to the field, their cleats digging into the turf, their breath coming steady and sharp.

they could do this. for the team, for the win, for yale.

no.

for you.

***

the first quarter passed in a blur of plays and hits, the kind of bone-rattling intensity that left D’s hands shaking with adrenaline. they took the snap, rolled back, dodged a tackle by inches, and launched the ball downfield.

the crowd erupted as yale’s receiver caught it just shy of the endzone, but D didn’t stop to celebrate. their eyes found you again, like a compass always pointing to their north star.

you were clapping, your pom-poms bouncing, but there was something off about your gorgeous smile. it didn’t reach your eyes, and D knew it was their fault. they’d put that ache there, and it killed them to see it.

focus. they had to focus.

***

the second quarter was worse. princeton’s defense was relentless, their linemen big enough to make D feel small—a very uncomfortable thing. every play felt like a war, every hit a reminder of how close they were to losing. the score was tied at halftime, and the locker room was a mess of noise and sweat and tension.

“get your head in the game, diaconu,” their coach snapped, pulling D aside as the team filed out. “you’re playing like you’ve got something else on your mind. whatever it is, leave it in here. got it?”

“got it,” D said, even though they didn’t.

they didn’t leave it in the locker room. they carried it back onto the field, where it sat heavy in their chest, driving them forward and holding them back all at once.

you were watching. D could feel your eyes on them every time they stepped up to the line, every time they called a play. it made them want to be better, to play harder, to show you that they weren’t just a coward who couldn’t say the words you needed to hear.

it wasn’t enough to just win. they had to earn you back.

***

YOUR POV

you watched in horror as princeton’s linebacker, a hulking person who looked more suited for professional wrestling than college football, blindsided D after a throw.

it was a dirty hit, helmet to helmet, and D went down hard. you froze, pom-poms slack in your hands, as the crowd erupted in boos. for a second, D didn’t move, and your chest seized with panic. but then they rolled onto their side, their hand going to their helmet, and relief flooded through you so fast it made you dizzy.

they got up, wobbling slightly, and waved off the trainers who tried to check on them.

your fingers dug into the plastic of your pom-poms, the edges biting into your skin. you wanted to scream at them to stop being so stubborn, to let someone take care of them for once. but you were stuck on the sidelines, powerless to do anything but watch.

it was the last quarter and the score was tied, and every play felt like life or death. the crowd was on its feet, the noise deafening, as D took the snap for the final play. they dropped back, scanning the field, their movements precise and fluid. princeton’s defense was closing in, but D didn’t flinch. and then, with a leap that seemed to defy gravity, they threw the ball downfield.

touchdown.

the stadium erupted. the crowd screamed. the cheer squad jumped and waved their pom-poms like their life depended on it, but you couldn’t move. you just stood there, your heart pounding, your eyes locked on D.

they ripped off their helmet, their face flushed and damp with sweat, and for a moment, they let their teammates surround them, clapping them on the back, shouting their praise. but D’s eyes were searching, scanning the sidelines, until they found you.

and then they ran.

it wasn’t graceful or dramatic—it was desperate and urgent, like they couldn’t get to you fast enough. the crowd blurred around you, the noise fading into a dull hum, as D closed the distance between you.

they didn’t stop when they reached you, just grabbed you and pulled you into their arms, burying their face in your shoulder like they were afraid to let go. you could feel their heartbeat racing, their chest heaving as they caught their breath.

“i’m sorry,” D said, their voice muffled against your uniform. “i’m so sorry. i’m an idiot. i was scared, okay? i love you and i didn’t want to screw this up. i didn’t want to screw you up.”

you pulled back just enough to look at them, their gray eyes raw and unguarded, and you felt your own walls crumbling rapidly.

“you love me?” you asked, your voice barely a whisper.

D nodded, their hands gripping your arms like you might vanish if they let go.

“i do. i love you,” they said, their voice cracking. “i love you so much it scares the hell out of me.”

you didn’t even realize you were crying until D’s thumb brushed a tear off your cheek. you let out a shaky laugh, leaning into them.

“i’m still supposed to be mad at you,” you said, but there was no heat in it.

D smiled, and it was the kind of smile that made your chest ache.

“yeah,” they said. “but can you be mad at me and be completely mine?”

you nodded, choking back a sob as you wrapped your arms around their neck, pulling them into a kiss. the noise of the crowd surged back in, louder than ever, and it mingled with D and your teammates hollering suddenly. but it didn’t matter. nothing mattered except D’s lips on yours, their hands on your waist, the way they held you like you were their centre of gravity.

when you finally pulled back, D rested their forehead against yours, their breath warm against your skin.

“will you still be cheering for me, baby?” they asked, their voice soft but hopeful.

you laughed through your tears, pressing another kiss to their lips. “always.”

[primejourney]

G'day!

Here is my entry for the Sept-Ingo prompt "Memories"! This is the one I mentioned as being in the works before (originally started for the "Freedom" prompt). I worked a long time on it. I'm rather proud of it, I have to say!

(...I keep telling myself I'll make a quick sketch for the day but wind up getting sucked into making a complicated piece instead lol. A good thing though! I think I'm making more finished pieces than I have done for a while!)

As I mentioned before, I think Ingo finds Pokemon battles comforting, even though he does not fully remember why. He can feel the powerful presence of past companions.

More comments under the cut

I hope the empty eyes don't make them look sinister. I was going for a bit of a "nebulous" look since Ingo doesn't' remember them fully (...yet ^^). They're sort of ghosts of the past (and future!). I also gave them determined but happy expressions - they love sharing the thrill of the fight and strengthening their bond with Ingo!

I wasn't sure how to draw Ingo's side profile, so I looked to @waywardstation for inspiration. I really like how their Ingo has a strong silhouette that still keeps that cartoon look! However, I now wish I had made his hand match that style a bit more versus looking anatomical. Somethin' for me to keep in mind for the future. :)