The Project Begins

"So, Nate, what will our story be about? And how long should it be?" Johnathan inquired with an almost tangible earnestness, his eyes darting toward Nathan's notebook, curiosity gleaming in his emerald gaze.

Nathan's eyes flickered between the chaotic scribbles of his thoughts and Johnathan's eager expression. His heart pounded in his chest, a symphony of uncertainty. "Well, do you prefer High Fantasy or the RPG genre? I'm well-versed in both and find them equally captivating, so either would work for me. It depends on your inclinations and familiarity with the genres. We also need to consider the romantic element and our male protagonist. Should he be straight? Or perhaps gay, bi, or pansexual? We shouldn't overlook the possibility of asexual representation. And then, we can delve into his love interest. Or maybe we should focus on developing one of the main characters..."

Without realizing it, Nathan had begun to pour out his entire train of thought to Johnathan, his words tumbling like a waterfall, gaining momentum as they flowed. He started elaborating on the intricacies of High Fantasy, the depth of world-building, the magic systems, and the races like elves and dwarves. He then shifted to RPG, speaking animatedly about leveling up, quests, and guilds. His hands moved as he spoke, painting pictures in the air. The scent of old parchment seemed to waft around him as he delved into the worlds he loved.

Unbeknownst to Nathan, the classroom around them seemed to fade as his passion enveloped them. The walls, adorned with posters of literary greats, seemed to close in as if trying to listen to Nathan's words. The faint aroma of coffee and the distant chatter of students outside the room blended into a harmonious backdrop to his monologue.

Suddenly, Nathan's gaze met Johnathan's green eyes again, and he noticed the amused smile on his lips. He abruptly stopped. His words choked in his throat, and he could feel a warm blush creeping up his cheeks. He had done it again. And the golden-haired man in front of him would surely be put off by it.

"Sorry... I got a little carried away," Nathan mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper.

Johnathan's smile widened, his eyes twinkling with a warmth almost too bright to bear.

"It's okay, Nate, don't worry," Johnathan reassured him.

Nathan's jaw dropped slightly as he watched the man before him. Either he was a saint, or this man should consider a career in acting with his convincing performance. The likelihood of him pretending to be nice to get through this assignment seemed much higher. This had to be an act.

"This is my first time writing a story. I hadn't given it much thought before because I didn't believe I could do it," Johnathan confessed, scratching his cheek.

Johnathan gave Nathan a soft smile. He looked slightly uncomfortable, though Nathan wasn't entirely convinced.

"It feels a little bit embarrassing to bare your soul like that. Especially since we are working together on this," Johnathan admitted.

The blonde had hit the nail on the head. This was why Nathan wanted to avoid writing in pairs. He would have to reveal so much of himself, all to a stranger.

"Well… same here," Nathan replied, his voice tinged with resignation.

With those words, Jonathan's bright smile returned. He quickly grabbed a pen and a notebook and turned his attention back to Nathan.

"Nate, teacher, please enlighten me. Were you saying something about RPG? I don't read fantasy novels, but I sometimes play games. You know, where you are the hero and choose a class?" Johnathan's voice was tinged with genuine curiosity.

Nathan took a deep breath before picking up his pen to make notes and drawings while explaining isekai and LitRPG to the blonde. His heart was still racing from the embarrassment, but something about Johnathan's genuine interest made him want to share.

"Yes, you are right, it is like that. So for the isekai, our character gets reincarnated or transported to a different world. In our case, it is a world of a game with skills and magic. So yes, we can make them a hero, maybe a villain, or even a simple NPC. Since this is your first novel, I will match your pace," Nathan explained, his voice steadier now.

Johnathan stared at Nathan in awe; his jaw dropped as he watched the notes and scribbles on the paper. It was a little uncomfortable for the brunette to be watched this closely. How could someone look so much like an eager puppy?

"Let's do it this way," Nathan suggested with a slightly exasperated sigh. "You create a character, and I create one who both got transported into the game world. We swap perspectives every chapter and see where it goes."

This was taking too long for Nathan. Having to explain everything to a guy he didn't know and who was a complete beginner. One of the guys who had been so loud. He was n extrovert and athletic, a guy who seemed like a saint and brightened the room with his smile. No thanks.

"You're letting me write half the book? Just like that?" Johnathan seemed a little startled at his sudden assignment.

"Well, I'm not writing it by myself."

"Oh no, Nate, I didn't mean it like that. I was just happy that you were trusting me with it," Johnathan said, his voice softening.

Seeing Johnathan's flustered and happy expression made it hard for Nathan to deny the claim. He wasn't trusting him with it; he didn't want to do a group project alone. Over the years, he learned that cooperation often meant telling the other what to do. And then they take credit for your work.

With a deep sigh and against his better judgment, he looked at the blonde straight into his green eyes. "Want me to help you create your main character? We'll think about the plot and such later."

"Really? Nate, thank you!" Johnathan said as he opened his arms wide to catch the shorter man in a hug, squeezing him tightly against his solid and fit body.

Nathan wanted to fight the hug, to struggle and scream, but all he could do was freeze. His body turned stiff, his cheeks and ears bright red as he stuttered. The scent of Johnathan's cologne enveloped him, a mix of pine and citrus that was unexpectedly comforting.

"J-John! Can't breathe." Nathan quickly managed to spit out, still frozen in the arms of the blonde.

Johnathan quickly let him go and tried to laugh it off a bit. "Sorry, sorry. I like hugs but tend to forget that others might not. My bad."

By now, Nathan had pulled his hood over his head, hiding his face with it and his messy brown hair. He could feel his ears burning and his heart pounding. He was not used to skinship like this, the touching, the hugging, and even so much eye contact. Johnathan would kill him sooner rather than later.

As Nathan hid under his hood, he couldn't help but notice the lingering scent of Johnathan's cologne. It was like a forest, with hints of pine and citrus after a rainstorm. It was strangely soothing, and Nathan let himself get lost in it momentarily.

He also noticed something else – a warmth that wasn't there before. It was as if Johnathan's hug had transferred some of his boundless energy and heat to him. Nathan shook his head, trying to dispel these thoughts. He had to focus.

"Would a knight be okay for my character? He was reincarnated and became a knight, just like he had always dreamed of in his previous life. He wants to protect the princess, build his skills, and is always helping the people in the city," Johnathan's voice broke through Nathan's thoughts.

"T-that could work. I was thinking of someone who was transported, but reincarnation would work. My character might be too excited by his magic because he could never use it before. He is always working on new spells and skills to use. He has pretty high scores at the magic academy but is mostly found alone working on his hobbies," Nathan replied, his voice steadying as he spoke about his character.

Johnathan's eyes shimmered as he listened to Nathan. He grasped the brunette's hands, holding them tightly. He had a broad grin before quickly getting out his pen and paper again, writing notes for his character.

"I love it. He sounds cool, Nate. I am starting to get excited," Johnathan beamed.

Nathan refused to look at Johnathan, keeping his head down towards the paper to hide his bright red cheeks. "Yeah yeah, keep writing. I want to finish Lunaria's character profile, at least."

"Lunaria? Hmm... then my knight will be Soleil!" Johnathan quickly exclaimed before going back to his notes.

Nathan couldn't help but steal glances at Johnathan as they continued to work. There was something about his enthusiasm that was infectious. Nathan felt a strange sense of camaraderie that he hadn't expected.

As they continued brainstorming, the classroom around them seemed to fade away. The only things that mattered were the characters they created and the world they built together.

This was going to be a hellish three months, Nathan thought. But deep inside, a tiny flicker of hope and excitement began to kindle. Maybe, this wouldn't be so bad after all.