Too Good To Be True?

Chapter 23 Ⅰ

"Ooh, ouch! Hot!" I quickly pulled my hand away from the metal tray I had just burned my fingertips on, frowning at the cookies sitting there and mocking me with their deliciousness. I ran my hand under cold water for a few moments, yelling up the stairs, "David! Cookies are done!"

I tilted my head to listen for a response but didn't get one, making me slightly nervous that I may have yelled while he was recording, but he had assured me he wasn't going to be doing YouTube stuff today so I knew my worries were irrational.

I pulled a plate out of the cupboard and tossed a few of the yummy discs on top, blowing on them as I walked up the stairs. I glanced at the little red light we'd hooked up outside David's office door to show if he was recording and it was off so I knocked lightly and pushed open the door.

I poked my head inside with a smile, glancing contentedly at the black walls and neon lights he'd decorated his office with. "Can I come in?" I asked, studying him sitting at his computer which was only showing the desktop.

He glanced over his shoulder at me and smiled, though he seemed a little distracted. "Of course," he said, pulling me onto his lap when I was close enough. "What's that you've got there?" he asked, reaching his hand out to take a cookie but I pulled the plate away, chuckling at his aghast expression.

"The cookies that you were supposed to help me make," I accused, poking him between the eyes.

He gave me a sad puppy look and apologized, "I got a little distracted, sorry Princess."

I sighed overdramatically, allowing him access to the plate. "Oh, fine, I guess I'll forgive you."

His face lit up and he snatched one, immediately biting into it before his face scrunched in pain. "Hot!" he exclaimed, fanning his mouth with his hand as if that would make a difference.

I laughed and set the dish on the desk, relaxing back against his chest and eyeing the computer in front of us. "So, what got you so distracted exactly?" I asked.

He shrugged, licking chocolate off his fingers. "Nothing important."

"Would it happen to have anything to do with that app you've got minimized?" I asked, nodding at the lit up blue square on his screen with a paint pallet on it.

I saw his ears tint pink and he grabbed another cookie, trying to play it off. "Oh, yeah, I guess I was doodling for a while. It's nothing, though."

"Well can I see?" I asked, giddy to see anything he might be working on. I knew what a great artist he was, having all of the drawings he's made for me in the past tacked up in the wall of my office, but I hadn't seen him pursuing any new projects in quite a while so I was itching to know what had sparked his interest again.

He seemed hesitant but he finally nodded, grabbing the mouse and clicking it open. What popped up was a penciled sketch with the beginnings of color being added of a man wearing a hooded cloak with a ball of fire in his hand.

I tilted my head at the image, of course blown away by the amount of detail even in this early stage but wondering what it meant. "Oh, very cool," I said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "What's it for?"

He nervously licked his lips, glancing away from the screen. "Well, uh... it's concept art for a, uh... a character in... my game..."

My brow furrowed in confusion. "Your game? What do you mean?"

He swallowed nervously, picking at the hem of his shorts. "Well, while you were in school I would get kinda bored so I sorta taught myself how to code. I'd always had this idea for a video game, obviously never thought anything would come of it, it's still nothing really, but I've got some of the basic mechanics done and have been thinking about characters to include."

He gestured weakly at the screen but I couldn't understand why he was being so nonchalant about this, my grin having grown ten times bigger as I listened to his explanation.

"You're making a video game?" I asked excitedly, slapping his shoulder when he nodded sheepishly. "David! That's awesome! Why haven't you told me about it?"

He huffed, his head falling back against the headrest. "Because, it's nothing. It's just a silly time waster, honestly."

"Well what's it about?" I asked, undeterred by his lack of enthusiasm.

He studied me with a side eye, sighing as he realized I wasn't going to give up on this. "It's sort of like Minecraft but set in a fantasy world and you can make weapons and spells and build your own castle and stuff. It's really not very original, I-"

"David, that sounds fucking awesome," I said, cutting him off from his self-deprecation. "You've gotta pursue this, it could be a great opportunity for you!"

"I'm not a game developer!" he defended, starting to get slightly irritated. "I don't know the first thing about making an actual successful game, this was just a stupid pet project. Every time I sit down to work on it I feel guilty because I know it's just a distraction from finding something more sustainable."

I studied his expression as he revealed his thoughts, catching the way his shoulders slumped at the mention of needing to find a "real" job since he felt like YouTube wasn't going to last and that he wasn't getting the success he'd hoped for with voice acting even though he was getting jobs fairly regularly.

"David," I said, taking his hand firmly between both of mine. "You know I would never want you to give up your passions, your creativity, just to find a sustainable job. If this is something you enjoy doing then do it! You don't have to feel guilty about having a hobby, especially one as cool as this." I looked at the screen again, smiling at the mysterious avatar. "You are such a talented artist and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if you were a great programmer, too. Even if this doesn't get off the ground you could probably sell your character designs to another game."

His lips twisted into a slight frown, still unconvinced that he could allow himself to devote time to this.

"Is this something you're passionate about?" I asked softly, searching his eyes for the answer.

He hesitated, but after a few moments he murmured, "Yes..."

"Then go for it, Charming." I leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek, smiling when he met my gaze. "You have my full support."

His lips twitched in a small smile, his hands giving mine a light squeeze.

"Thanks, Princess." He looked at the screen again and I followed suit, tilting my head at the image.

Chuckling, I said, "You know, he kind of looks like Ash if you think about it."

David stared at the drawing, laughing when he finally noticed the similarities. "You're not wrong."

"Maybe you could make all your friends into characters," I suggested, grabbing a cookie off the plate and sticking it in my mouth as I stood up from his lap.

"Yeah, maybe..." he murmured, the gears already turning in his head.

I smiled pridefully at him, glad that he was allowing himself to have some fun and not worry so much about our future.

"I'll let you get back to it." I wiggled my fingers in a wave as I walked out, calling over my shoulder, "Don't forget, we've got that meeting with everyone tonight to talk about that new series!"

"Mkay," he mumbled back, already reabsorbed into the computer.

I shook my head with a smile, giving myself a mental note to come back and get him later for the meeting.