He suddenly looked up wide-eyed. “THE Rhov?”
My heart just sort of froze. “Oh shit. Have you heard of me?” Instantly, I was thinking he had heard terrible rumors about some wannabe writer ruining the fandom by taking the characters he loves (and the Natsu he voices) and turning them into rambling romances and petty porn. I was starting to shake that he would be repulsed, maybe sneer, or at least scold me for corrupting the characters he loves so much. (My insecurities know no bounds.)
Instead, Todd suddenly leaped up and gave me a killer hug, and I was flailing like Lucy. “Wh-wh-what are you doing?" People were staring and whispering. My husband was giving death glares from the sidelines.
He shouted, “Oh my God, you’re Rhov the writer! I love your fanfics. I read them between recording sessions.”
Now my heart really did stop. “You… YOU read my fanfics?”
"Totally. I love that gory horror story you’re writing." Suddenly, Todd-frigging-Haberkorn began an impromptu dialog between Natsu and Feral Natsu, speaking the inner beast in the same Gollum-like voice I imagine in my head.
I suddenly started going into an asthma attack out of shock. “Oh…my God… You… you like Beastly Possession?”
He just laughed and waved for my husband to come and hold me while I was wheezing and grabbing my chest. “Yeah, I’ve got some of the other guys reading them, too. Once after work, we went out drinking, and me and Newton (voice of Gray) began reading parts from one of your slash works. I thought Colleen Clinkenbeard was gonna piss herself.” (That’s Erza, FYI.)
I was in tears at that point, and I really did think he was some sort of superman, swooping in to rescue me from my insecurities. In quavering whispers, I told him: “I write because I love to entertain, that’s all. It’s been my dream to write something people will remember, to be a name that people will say ‘Oh yeah, I loved her story, it really moved me.’ Todd… I may not have published a bestselling novel yet, but I think today, my dream just came true.”
He gave me a warm hug, whispered something (in that amazing voice of his) about “Keep chasing after your dreams,” and then… I woke up, tears of happiness still in my eyes, a fire in my heart, ready for another day of writing. I doubt anyone involved in the making of Fairy Tail actually reads my fanfiction, but… maybe… just maybe…
