#vandergerd

i think about them so constantly,, i look at it in my wips and I feel so bad I'm sorry vandergerd I will return to you one day. it's supposed to be structured as a sort of 'five times Vivian failed to ask out her lab partner and the one time she did'. She's a bit of an overthinker so it takes her a hot minute lol

Vivian arrived to class early as always, a game plan already formed in her head. She would talk to Irma throughout the lab, learning more about them before she asked them for their number as class ended. It was perfect, and she didn't see any universe in which her plan could go wrong.

Vivian had always been told that she has her head in the clouds, but truth be told she didn’t really think it was true until someone manages to stand in front of her for a minute or two without her notice, too busy thinking about everything from her cat’s upcoming birthday (in a week!) and what to have for dinner.

What’s even worse is that this person has a bright, eye-catching yellow mullet. Also that they’re very, very cute.

"Excuse me," they say, probably for the second or third time. They sound nervous, almost, or maybe bashful. 

She can’t help but look at them for a second, even if it adds a pause in the conversation. The yellow mullet may have been the first thing she noticed, but there’s more under that, too. They have a colorful sweater and a sketchbook tucked under their arm, and they look sweet. And nervous, still, though that’s probably her fault for not responding right away.

“Yes! Hi, sorry,” Vivian greets, taking out her earbuds.

"I hope this isn't too forward, but I saw you sitting here, and you looked so serene and pretty and lost in your own world that I couldn't help but try to capture it."

They open the sketchbook, revealing a portrait of Vivian and the surrounding area, including the bench and some of the nearby trees and lampposts. 

"This is me?” she asks, her voice tinged with disbelief. She doesn’t need to ask, though—it’s obvious that it’s her on the page.

"Yeah, it is," they reply, a tentative smile playing on their lips.

Vivian's astonishment melts into a warm smile. "I... I don't know what to say. It's incredible."

"It's yours, if you wanna keep it," they say, offering the sketchbook to her.

Vivian hesitates for a moment before reaching out to accept the drawing, handling it delicately. "Thank you," she says, her voice filled with gratitude. "You're incredibly talented."

A bright smile spreads across their face. "I'm glad you like it!"

Even though they offered for her to keep it, there's no way she could keep the entire sketchbook. At the same time, she doesn't know if she should rip it out, so she stares back down at it for another second and tries to burn it into her brain.

“This is really good, your art style is so cute!”

“Oh! Well, thank you! I thought you looked really fun so I knew I wanted to draw you, and… I forgot to rip the page out. Huh.” They hold their hand out in a silent request for the sketchbook back, and Vivian passes it over easily. “I’m Irma, by the way,” they say, tearing the page out of their sketchbook and then handing the drawing back to her. 

“I can really keep this?” she double checks, looking down at the paper in her hand. 

“Yeah, of course. I drew you out of nowhere, after all.” 

Vivian stands up, gently switching the paper to her off hand and then pulling them into a quick hug. She pulls back to look at them, noticing a gentle flush on their cheeks that wasn’t there before. It clashes adorably with the yellow mullet, and Vivian decides right then and there that she’d like nothing more than to see it again. “Thank you! I’m Vivian, and I can’t really draw but I’d love to go for coffee and learn more about the cutie who drew this? If you’d like.”

Irma lights up, flushing even more and looking pleasantly surprised. It’s cute. They’re cute. “Oh! Yeah! Coffee!” They clear their throat, “I mean, that’d be cool.”

I stg every time I see them and Vivian on screen I just stop and admire for a while