Chapter Text
Red first found Ao3 at the prime age of 12. That tipsy age between prepubescent and full blown teenager. Where you wander helplessly around your middle school halls looking for some friends to make it through the heart ache that is 7th grade.
But, Red didn’t need friends to survive school, because she had fanfictions.
Of course her obsession with reading online stories about pre-made characters started much earlier than 7th grade. And by ‘much earlier’ she meant 5th grade, when she’d log into the library's computer and read pathetic romances written by children just like her. This of course meant Red started on a funny little website called fanfiction.net, and soon migrated her way over to Wattpad to continue her now full blown obsession.
Then Ao3 hit her like a falling star that graced her with a world of easy to read sentences, and proper punctuation.
She became enthralled, but this was a side of herself she kept closely to her heart. Most of the friends she eventually made hadn’t even heard of fan fiction, and it made Red’s cheeks turn rosy whenever someone even asked about it. The concept was foreign to them from the start.
Out of fear for teasing remarks, Red never introduced them to it. Many things were considered ‘cringe’ in her world, and she was sure this fell under the same category as cat ears, and anime.
So Red never told anyone about this obsession of hers, and that’s how things stayed. Especially when she began watching anime and knew any confession of her interests would mean social suicide. She wasn’t popular per say, but Red had her group of friends and didn’t want anything to tear them apart.
Well, scratch that earlier statement. Red had grown her own sense of infamous popularity due to the “paintings” around school she had mocked up with colorful spray cans. They garnered plenty of attention from students and teachers alike, although the former appreciated her talents much more than the other. Even if no one knew it was her personally, they could easily pin it on Red given her attributes.
Reputation was important to her, even if she could never admit it out loud. Specifically one of being a rebel, not that of being a nerd who spent her evenings kicking her feet over the enemies to lovers trope. If fan fiction meant destroying everything she built of the badass spray painting degenerate, then it will stay a mystery to everyone but her search history.
That was until college finally hit and no longer were people afraid to hide their interests, not at a liberal arts college anyways.
Red had found this as her sign to open up a part of herself, and that she did. Red soon found herself joining clubs filled with outcasts like herself, and going to RA planned activities to meet new people. It meant exploring online forums of those in the same fandom, joining servers that were purely meant for talking about fanfiction, reposting edits from her favorite shows on socials, and befriending other writers.
Well, ‘other writers’ was a gracious term. Red wasn't a writer, not like any professionals or otherwise. Sure she had read her fair share of classics, even if that mostly consisted of poems written by Sappho, so she was well educated–despite what one would guess given her badass artsy rebel persona.
But even though she loved reading, she never had much interest in writing anything herself. It wasn't for lack of passion, just lack of creative thought. Red found herself rewriting stories that had been done hundreds of times, and it would simply make her feel... bland.
Maybe writing wasn’t for her, and that was okay! Red could still find companionship in other writers, even if all she could do was praise their work and give them half-assed ideas for their next fic ideas.
However, there was one author on Ao3 that Red could not stop admiring. Their work was a stunning portrait that could hang in the Louvre. Something so simple yet so profound it had Red in tears a handful of times. There’d even be nights where she’d stay up late, waiting for the author’s next chapter to post.
What Red mostly loved about this author was their unique stories that weren’t all that unique. They would take classic fairytales, from Rapunzel all the way to Rumpelstiltskin, and make it have a sapphic twist, with all the added dramatics and self sacrifices you don’t get from kids movies. Plus, there was plenty of smut involved that Red was happy to indulge in.
Red had been reading this author–CChloe1218–for around two years now. They would go back and forth in her comment section about next ship idea's, their favorite fairy tales, and any fun facts about Disney history they had learned.
CChloe1218 had become one of Red's favorite friends, even if all she knew about her was her clear passion for Fairy Tales and Lesbian romances. And her crazy good skill at writing spicy scenes that had Red foaming at the mouth, eager for just another drop.
Then, one day, Red was feeling a bit... Courageous. She decided to comment on CChloe1218's latest fanfiction. It was only on chapter two, and seemed to be a pretty complicated story. It was an adaptation of Anastasia–with a few adjustments to the story. The two main characters, instead of Anya and Dmitri, were Ichika and Shiori. One of Red's all time favorite ships from a guilty pleasure magical girl anime she had picked up a couple of years ago.
Red was one of the biggest fans of this show, even if she kept that part of herself more under wraps–despite finding friends in college who would certainly never judge her for it. One still had to keep a few things to themselves, even if it hurt to not have any real people to talk to about it.
Now, as Red mentioned, she had no interest in writing. It simply wasn’t for her, despite her absolute love of reading. But there was something akin to that, that Red found much interest in exploring.
That was the job of beta-reading, or being an editor, for a fanfic. And what better than one written by her favorite author about her favorite ship of all time?
After doing some quick digging, it seemed like CChloe1218 didn't have a beta reader or anyone helping her do edits. Red thought that it made relative sense, since she was already an incredible author, but there were definitely moments where CChloe1218’s mind had been working faster than her typing, so simplistic errors were made. Everyone needed help here and there, and that was never something to be ashamed of.
With all this in mind, Red did the craziest thing she's ever done. Even crazier than spray painting a mural of her principal in her High School auditorium in the dead of night, without getting caught.
Red left a comment on CChloe1218's latest fanfiction.
"Hey Chlo!" Red had learned early on that referring to the girl by her entire username was a hassle on her fingers, so she decided to use the only real name in the block of characters: Chloe. Which, of course, later shortened to Chlo when they were talking more casually. Or Clover when she was feeling extra friendly. "So I was wondering, since you seem like a really cool person, could we maybe exchange contact info?? Either over Discord or Insta or something along those lines?? Lmk what you think, or if I sound totally crazy lmaooo"
And Red hit send.
Of course Red was still trying to beta read for Chloe, but she knew she couldn’t ask outright. What author would trust a random online persona to have full editing permissions on their work? Most authors treated their pieces of literature like their own children, so Red knew she had to start small. Even if beta reading for Chloe would practically be a dream come true, and she wanted nothing more than to rush into things. It would finally mean helping out on a project as big as this, while not having to do the creative part of it. She could simply put her writing prowess to good use, and that's what truly mattered to her.
Her plan wasn't fully thought through, but that didn't matter in the long run. Red just had to take this mischievous plan one step at a time, and BAM! She would get to work hand in hand with her favorite author.
As long as Chloe didn’t block her immediately after reading her comment.
Fortunately Red didn’t need to worry for much longer as Chloe responded back.
She immediately opened the comment, read it, and then re-read it just to make sure she was reading it right.
“Hi Paint2TownRed, or Red I should say haha! You don’t sound crazy at all, and actually I’d really like that. You’ve been a long time fan, so I think it’d be nice to chat :D My discord is the same as my Ao3 username.”
After checking for the third time to make sure she had read that all right, Red dances around her dorm room with excited cheers. She was just glad her dormmate wasn’t back, because Red was literally jumping for joy. Was it ridiculous to be excited about something this mundane? Mayhaps. But this was a world Red had kept hidden for so long, and she was finally getting a friend that understood every part of her. Of course Red still had her friends that read Ao3 just as diligently as she did, but this was different. This was a writer, someone committed, and someone that loved sapphic magic girl ships just as much as she did.
She soon hops back onto her bed, typing in the discord username as quickly as possible and squealing as the profile pops up and Red sends a friend request. Thankfully her Ao3 and Discord usernames were also identical so Chloe would hopefully accept the request, but still Red had anxious butterflies flipping through her stomach like little acrobats.
She would definitely be taking all this information to her grave though, because no one could ever find out that Red got giddy.
To stop her mind from anxiously awaiting Chloe to accept her friend request, Red jumps back into the painting she had been mulling over for the past month. It ironically had been inspired by Chloe’s pieces of literature.
It was a serene portrait of a fair maiden staring out of her tower window. Her face was thoughtful as she stared off into a distance that was not privy to the viewer.
The whole piece was done in an achromatic oil paint palette. The only issue was that Red wanted the hair to be the center piece of the fairytale esque portrait. It would match with a few flowers and paint that clung stubbornly to the girl's face, and would help contradict the rest of the black and white that suffocated her in a lonely tower.
The only issue was that Red could not figure out what color to make the hair. It could quite literally be any color, and it was driving Red mad. Before she could stare blankly at the painting for longer, a ping sounded from her phone, still sitting soundly on her dorm room bed.
She threw herself towards the phone, falling back against her pillows as she smiled giddily, seeing that the friend request had finally been accepted.
Now the only issue was that Red had no idea what to say. Truthfully, she hadn’t expected to get this far. The plan was half-assed at best, and impulsive at worst.
Thankfully, Chloe seemed to be the online-extrovert out of the two of them and sent a friendly gif.
Red smiled, hearting the animated cartoon, and responding with her own equally as friendly–if not a bit ridiculous–gif.
And with those two animated cartoons moving on Red’s screen, the flood gates to a new world cranked open.
Red and Chloe began talking constantly. At first it was more on and off, just messaging whenever they thought of a good story idea, or their favorite fairytale adaptations.
[ Paint2TownRed ]: How about an Eros and Psyche remix with a sapphic couple? But instead of Psyche competing with Aphrodite because she sees Psyche as more beautiful, it's like modern day and Dite just wants her to go on a mall trip with her. Or something like inconsequential that still tests her inner beauty, yk?
[ CChloe1218 ]: So, modern day Eros and Psyche, tons of smut, and a loving mother that wants the best for her daughter–but still has to test the wifey?
[ Paint2TownRed ]: Okay, well you’re the one saying ‘tons of smut’, not me–but I would certainly not complain if things got spicy… constantly. (but yes that is what I’m saying)
[ CChloe1218 ]: hm… I’m hooked.
–
[ CChloe1218 ]: Gahhh!!! This latest chapter has me in shambles. I know its already posted, but I just don’t think it's my best work. I've never written something so kinky //// but it isn’t bad, right???
[ Paint2TownRed ]: Clover, darling, you write smut like it’s no one's business. I’ll read the new chapter after my classes today, but I am positive it is phenomenal!
[ CChloe1218 ]: Okay okay!! I hope you enjoy then /////
–
And from there their relationship just progressed further. They began binging awful parody versions of Cinderella’s story, and rating them on a scale of one glass slipper to five. Plus another rating of ‘Smashed Glass’ depending on how hot they were… which was suggested by Red, of course.
Red had never laughed as hard as she did when talking to Chloe, and once she felt they had grown close enough to exchange a few ounces of trust, Red brought out the long awaited question.
No, it was not–Will You Marry Me? That was weak compared to the true ultimate question.
[ Paint2TownRed ]: Clover, can I beta read your fanfics…?
Red found a familiar anxiety when she sent over the text. Wondering if it was too casual, or too soon. Again, something that should have been so mundane had Red picking at her cuticles. Which rarely ever happened given the short stature of her nails.
But as her phone buzzed with a unique ringtone, meant solely for Chloe, she sprang out of her fit of anxious thoughts. Immediately pulling open the notification, and collapsing onto her desk’s chair.
[ CChloe1218 ]: Oh, yeah I don’t have a beta reader! And I would love to work with you if you’re offering. You’re always so insightful!! I just wouldn’t know the best way to go about it, so bare with me, but that sounds amazing!
And Red squealed for about a minute before her roommate–who was unfortunately in the room with her this time–gave her quite the puzzled look. Red apologized, quickly running out of the dorm room to go squeal in an empty room.
She wouldn’t know it yet, but her world was about to change.
–
From there, life was a whirlwind of college courses and constant reading. More so than she ever did in Highschool when it came to classics that were forced on her by the evil claws of curriculums.
Red was always checking the document to see if Chloe had made any updates, and nine times out of ten, there were. Chloe was just as passionate, if not more, about fairytales–and that influenced her motivation even more.
Chloe would write ten to twenty pages a day, and at times Red found herself struggling to catch up. But every late night spent reading was worth it, especially when she got to add her own one-liners that she felt fit the story–with Chloe’s approval of course.
The two of them would laugh about Chloe’s constant misspelling of the main character’s name, plus the many times their document tried to autocorrect it to something absolutely absurd. One common instance of this was when Shiori’s name corrected itself to ‘She’s horny’. In Red’s sleep altered mind, she didn’t even catch it.
So Chloe posted it, and the comments had gone berserk.
It left Red and Chloe laughing over voice call for ten minutes straight, trying to read the rest of the comments with a somewhat straight face.
It was some of the best moments of Red’s life, and every fixed typo was worth it. Especially when she would see her own username mentioned in the comments.
Chloe would always mention her in the author notes, plus a note written by Red for the readers about some forewarning towards the fic, or her own emotions about it. It was a fun little bit that they did, and some of the fans had quickly caught on–laughing about it in the comment section. It was even funnier when the fans assumed the two had to be a couple, and it was even funnier when Red would find herself blushing over it. Like her own life was some sort of fairytale where she fell in love with her favorite author.
But what meant the most to Red, was when Chloe personally praised her. She had never asked Chloe to say anything about her, or make any sort of comments, but she constantly did anyway. Chloe would either be thanking Red for making sure the names were spelt right, or praising her for how well her input was taken from readers alike.
It had Red kicking her feet giddily in the silence of night, and had her motivation skyhigh any chance she reread Chloe’s notes about her.
It was something so simplistic, yet it meant the absolute world for her. And truthfully, that’s how this entire thing had gone. Everything that should have meant such a little amount, meant so much more. Asking to be friends, then asking to be Chloe’s beta reader, and then getting praises here and there.
Those little things were moments that sent Red’s heart alight.
Of course this meant she had procrastinated plenty on her painting, but it had been giving her heaps of trouble. Plus it wasn’t due until the end of the semester, so she wasn’t too worried. It was only September of her Sophomore year in college, so she knew she could get it done in time. No matter how much it frustrated her, Red still had time.
So she continued to throw herself into beta reading, putting coursework to the sidelines. Red was still a fairly good student, especially as an illustration major, but she definitely should have been studying more.
Especially when fall midterms came rolling around.
And when Red got the worst message in her entire life.
She had been scrolling through Pinterest for halloween costumes after a pretty rough assignment grade. Red knew that finding the perfect outfit would surely cheer her up, and all she needed to do was find something recognizable while still being unique.
Creativity came naturally to her, so Red knew that no matter what it was, it would be easy for her to put it together. The only issue was figuring out what she should be. Which was ironic given how much creativity she lacked while writing.
That’s when she got a notification from Chloe.
Red opened it without hesitation, eager to see what Chloe could be texting her about. Perhaps a new storyline she wanted to try out? Or another finished chapter for Red to peruse?
But it was nothing like that.
[ CChloe1218 ]: Hi Red! Sorry to bring you bad news, but I’m going to be on hiatus for a while. Midterms are coming up in Uni, and I really need to focus on those. Hopefully the fans aren’t too mad hhh ///// but yeah, I’ll be offline for a while. TTYL!!
And Red felt her stomach drop to the pits of the Earth.
It did excite her a bit to know that Chloe was in Red’s same level of schooling, even if it was already a bit obvious based on her writing prowess. It was nice to know she hadn’t been talking about spicy sex scenes with a high schooler.
But the other part of that text set her world dark. It certainly wasn’t healthy to be this obsessed over one person, nor their pieces of work, and any therapist could tell Red that. But the fact of the matter was that Red was obsessed.
She had thrown herself into the pieces of literature Chloe wrote just as much as she had, and Red felt absolutely distraught that now they’d be taking a break. Not just from fanfiction, but from each other.
Maybe that all seemed melodramatic, but Red was dramatic. She had grown rather fond of her nightly ritual of checking the document for updates, ranting with Chloe for hours about certain character choices, and all the little easter eggs of references to the anime they both fawned over–that at times felt like they were meant purely for Red.
It may not have been Red’s work, but she had certainly put her heart and soul into every bit of it.
No matter, Red wasn’t going to be the type of person to pressure others for her own benefit. She would never do that to Chloe, especially not when she knew first hand how difficult University was. All she could truly do was hope this era of difficult classes ended quickly, and that the two of them would still make the most of it by texting each other.
Of course that wasn’t how life worked, and if Chloe was too busy to write–she was too busy to text.
So thus began the month of silence from CChloe1218 that had left Red mourning a person she had never even seen a photo of.