A/N: Well. I'm finally uploading a negitoro fic for the first time in years! I swear, I've actually written for the past two summer smashes, but I didn't like how either of them turned out... and now here I am writing a multi-parter, which I swore I would never do again, lmao. But I just needed to add more slowburn before and I really really like how this fic is turning out 3
Unknown amount of parts, but probably around three, maybe four? Sorry for the short length of this part btw, I was actually planning on having another scene but the length started getting realllyyy long and I want to at least post before August is over lol!
Anyways, hope you enjoy!
(Written for prompt: Miku and Luka are long time internet friends, but they never met - they are mutually pining on each other, but they are hopeless gays. How does their meeting (or more) go?)
o0o
Miku sighed, stretching back in her chair. Hour five, day one of the convention was underway, and while having her own table as an artist was awesome – though expensive – it got tiring being in the same spot all day. She wasn't super famous either, so not many people came up to her, and when they did it was for the art of some popular series she had made. While she did like those series, it wasn't her absolute favorite. She swore her favorite series couldn't be that unpopular, and the characters couldn't be either right? And yet...
Nobody had bought any of the art she had made for it!
Sure, Negitoro (her favorite pairing) had been more popular back in the day, but it wasn't dead or anything! There were still people that made content for it, great content! And yet, she hadn't met anybody today that was into it. Sure, everybody she knew that made Negitoro content lived far, far away from her, but there had to be some fans here, right?!
...Maybe not.
As she was about to resign herself to another con of not meeting any Negitoro fans in the flesh (this had been her third time trying), a woman with pink hair walked over to her booth, staring at the goods. For a second, she allowed herself hope that she'd see the Negitoro art and like it, but surely that was unlikely, right?
"Hey," the woman said, somewhat quietly. Miku smiled, happy to answer any questions. What she didn't expect was the woman to point directly at the art Miku had been waiting to rave over with somebody. "Is this Negitoro art?"
Holy. Shit.
"You like Negitoro too?!" Miku exclaimed – a bit too loudly seeing as the woman stared at her, eyes wide. Miku cleared her throat. "I mean, I love Negitoro! They're like, my favorite pairing of all time, I love them so much! You're the first person to ask me about them!"
"Really?" The woman smiled. "I thought you would've seen more Negitoro fans already."
"I know, right?! Maybe it's not as popular nowadays, but I just love them so much! The others don't know what they're missing out on!" Miku pointed to her stickers on the front of the table. "I have some Negitoro stickers, too! Wait, you know what, I should just give you one!"
The woman looked a little embarrassed, averting her eyes. "A-Are you sure that's okay? You don't have to..."
"It's fine!" Miku reached under her table for her box of stickers. "Nobody's buying the Negitoro ones anyways."
Miku rummaged through her sticker collection. She was about to make small talk and maybe ask for her customer's name, but said customer spoke again before she could. "Hey, um, is that 'Onwards' fanart?"
"You know that fic too?!" Miku shouted even louder than last time, but she didn't care anymore. "Oh my god, that's literally my favorite Negitoro fanfic of all time, I literally can't believe you know it too! I got the author's permission to make this art by the way, so like, if you really like the fic you can buy it too! I seriously can't believe you know it!"
"Yeah, I know it," the woman said, blushing. She cleared her throat. "I... um... I wrote it."
Miku nearly dropped her box.
"You... you're the author? Tuna?"
Tuna turned her head away. "Yeah, I am."
Miku stared, completely in silence. She... she said all those things to Tuna's face?! Sure, they had obviously talked online before, like a lot, but holy shit had Miku never thought she'd meet her in real life. She'd commented on her fic so many times and they'd had so many conversations in negitoro chats, but she'd never thought she'd meet her in real life. She really said those things? To Tuna? In real life?!
Oh god. Return to reality, Miku.
There was one thing she could remember through her internal freakout and actually talk about. Her and Tuna have talked online before, many times. "Uh, have you figured out who I am then?" Miku asked, laughing nervously. Tuna did the same.
"Yes, you're sushix, aren't you?" Somehow, Tuna's blush intensified. "I... I remember you asking me to make art from my fic. A-And a lot of other conversations we've had, of course!"
"Y-Yeah, of course!" Good lord, this was suddenly so awkward. "I, um, really, really like all your works, you know. They inspire me a lot."
"I can say the same for you."
They stared at each other. Miku never imagined she would meet her favorite author, or that said author would be blushing when she met her. And trying to buy her art! And saying she was inspired by it?! But... Tuna really did resemble the person she had met online. She could definitely believe it.
This moment, of meeting Tuna, was even better than she had ever imagined.
"I'll give you a discount on my art," Miku said, breaking the stare. "And take my free sticker, too."
"Wait, that's too much-"
Miku cut her off. "You literally inspire the art I make! It's the least I can do, huh?"
Tuna stopped with her mouth open, then closed it in a small smile. "If you say so."
Tuna pointed to two prints she wanted – well, basically all the Negitoro art Miku had printed, knowing they weren't gonna sell well – and Miku bagged them for her, making sure to give her the best holographic prints she had. "I'll give you a thirty day warranty too, in case they get torn or anything."
Tuna raised an eyebrow. "Do you give that to all your customers?"
"Only ones that write the best Negitoro fanfics known to mankind."
Tuna averted her eyes, seemingly embarrassed. Miku smiled. Who knew Tuna could be cuter than the fanfics she wrote?
"Hey, wanna meet up later today, after the con?" Miku asked, deciding to be bold. Depending on where Tuna lived, she might never see her again, and Miku intended to at least try to spend as much time with her favorite author as she could.
"Of course," Tuna said, looking back at Miku, though the blush still remained on her face. "I've always wanted to meet y- um, other Negitoro creators."
"Awesome." Miku smiled. "My real name is Miku, by the way. I figured it'd be easier than my online name. You don't have to tell me yours if you don't-"
"It's Luka." Luka smiled back. "I'll see you after the doors close, Miku."
Miku watched Luka walked away, art in the bag Miku specially designed for her products, and wondered how she'd be able to function when they would meet again later tonight.
