It's not midnight for me yet so technically I didn't miss it-- Happy birthday to one of the most darling characters from Our Life, Derek Suárez! (lets be real though they're all darling)
Got tired and ran out of time for a full shading so I left it mostly just flatcolor. I had some wonderful references for the poses and yet I still can't draw a soccer ball to save my life lol.
Kinda makes me wanna have him chase me around the apartment, cute couple shit n all that. n then when he obviously captures mc he'll shower us in kisses... I need more Derek fics. I need more Derek.
I actually played Our Life around a year ago and I spiraled into other VN's after that quickly earlier this year, till I got too busy these past few months 🥺
I fell in love with the amazing cast (I love em but baxter ending up becoming my fav Tw T) and I'm still in awe on how immersive the game gets, living so near the beach was my dream and this game took it to a whole new level and gave me so much more!
Anyway, here's my old fanarts I did after I cried at the end!
I couldn't decide which hairstyle to put cove in so I just put my fav ones-
HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY TO THE ONE AND ONLY DEREK SUAREZ 🥳🥳🥳 waaa the week is already over 🥹 crazy to think i drew 7 days straight LMFAO but it was worth it and so so fun.
Thank you so much @derek-week-event for hosting this spectacular event!
A/N: The AU i chose for this was… soulmates au !! nothing wrong with a classic haha ,, writing this lowkey killed meee um there’s a version of ao3 if you’d rather read this there but other than that the full thing is under the cut
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
The topic of soulmates was something that Ma and Mom had talked to Larisa in the past. A soulmate is someone who you’re destined to spend your life with, platonically or romantically. Sometimes, someone has multiple soulmates.
Larisa wasn’t sure she had even one soulmate.
Her moms were soulmates, they had told her. They had said that the first letter of your soulmate’s or soulmates’ name is supposed to appear on the back of one of your wrists after you turn thirteen but, for some odd reason, no letter had appeared on her wrists on her thirteenth birthday.
Ma had suggested that maybe Larisa was a late bloomer, that her soulmate mark will come with time. Larisa was pretty sure Ma had only said that to comfort her.
That is until she had met a certain short brown-haired boy.
–
Their first meeting took place a few months before summer had begun. Larisa had stepped outside late into the evening for some fresh air then she spotted Cove with someone she didn’t recognize. The boy’s eyes were such a pretty shade of green that it immediately drew her in.
Larisa had guessed that he was the ‘Derek’ kid from the Holden’s new business relationship she vaguely remembers.
He spotted Larisa and was quick on his feet to introduce himself to her, holding out his hand for Larisa to shake. And ofcourse she shook it, it would’ve been rude not to.
Larisa initially thought Derek was way younger than her but when asked what her first impression of the boy was while the two of them and Cover were making lemonade, she bit her tongue and just said, “I thought you were the politest teenager I’ve ever met.”
When Larisa had asked Derek in turn what his first impression of her was, he just said that she seemed ‘really chill’. Now, don’t get her wrong, Larisa is really chill but she couldn’t help but feel albeit disappointed when he only said that.
Still, she thanked him and saw his face flush with red which caused her heart to flutter in turn then Larisa decided to busy herself by finding another lemon to squeeze.
–
Larisa has made many fond memories with Derek, one of them was when she invited the boy to the soiree. She was a little nervous about inviting him at first but those worries went away as quickly as they came when Larisa heard the sound of Derek’s voice happily agreeing to go with her.
Her mind filled to the brim with excitement as she rummaged through her closet, trying to find the perfect outfit.
Until she had found it. It was a sleeveless dress with dark gray and red stripes and she decided to pair it with a black belt. Looking in the mirror, Larisa saw that the dress was mid-length. She did a small twirl and giggled to herself. She then looked at her feet, pondering on what type of shoes she should wear.
At the end, Larisa decided to wear her black converse which, she admits, isn't really formal but, who cares?
She sat on her bed and slipped on her shoes. She went back in front of her mirror again and gave herself a lookover.
She took her hairbrush and teased her black hair a bit. After that was done, Larisa placed a red headband on top of her head.
Finally, she was done. Larisa grinned at herself in the mirror for the last time before heading downstairs. Once Larisa reached the bottom of the stairs, her moms saw her look and gave her their compliments.
Elizabeth made her appearance and soon got squashed in a love pile with her, Ma, and Mom.
Her family disentangled from each other just before the doorbell rang. “That must be our guest!” Larisa heard Ma say, and she was right. When Ma opened the door there stood Derek and he was ushered inside.
After Derek complimented Ma’s outfit, his eyes landed on Larisa and he called her look ‘classy’. Though Larisa wouldn’t describe her outfit to be classy, the compliment made her happy all the same.
“You’re looking good, too.” Larisa watched as Derek’s face lit up at her compliment and that made her face elevate as well.
–
When they finally made it to the soiree, Larisa first introduced Derek to people that populated the soiree that she knew fairly well. Derek was polite throughout all of the meetings, his well-mannered demeanor won over the long-time Cypress members. Everything went along smoothly until one of the guests asked if Derek was her date, which Derek awkwardly said that Larisa was just bringing him as a friend. After introducing Derek to most of the guests, Larisa suggested that they look at the snacks then find a place to sit down.
Shortly after a bit of sitting down and making idle chatter, Derek asked if they could go on a walk, since he had never been around here before. While on their walk, they had stumbled across another soiree. The soiree had some similarities and differences from the soiree both Derek and Larisa traveled away from.
They had spotted a tall boy with a mole on the right side of his neck, he looked a little older than they were. He was the only teenager by himself. Derek was quick to strike up a conversation with the mysterious boy and they found out that the area was for a dance circuit.
The short conversation with the boy was now all said and done. Larisa felt a little out of place. I mean, it had to be obvious that neither Derek or her belonged here. Derek must’ve been thinking the same thing because he suggested that they both go back before any of the adults realized that they did not belong here, which Larisa quickly agreed.
“We just need to pretend that we belong here and walk out.” Easy peasy.
Larisa hooked an arm around Derek and began to walk. After stumbling a bit, Derek took a proper hold of her arm and evened his poise. After passing a group of people, they heard an unfamiliar voice from behind call out, “Excuse me, do you know where your parents are?”
“Run” is what Derek whispered into Larisa’s ear and without a second thought they both ran.
–
When they finally made it back to the soiree, it was dark out but the lights that hung above lit up the area beautifully.
While Derek and Larisa were talking, music started to play.
“Well, since we’re here and everything, would you like to dance with me?” Derek offered and Larisa immediately accepted.
She took his hand, which was still a little bit sweaty from before but so were hers. She took to the wide-open floor and turned to face Derek directly. Dancing with Derek felt a little awkward considering how much taller Larisa was than Derek but she didn’t mind. Their bodies were close, Derek noticed and his face began to burn up.
Larisa noticed that he has done that a whole lot more lately.
–
Larisa helping Derek watch over Nicolas and Jorge, her making lemonade with him and Cove, Larisa inviting him to go with the soiree with her, that memorable Father’s Day, and going on that trip out to a boardwalk-set park with all of Derek’s family plus her sister has led her to be face to face with Derek at the playground.
Derek looked nervous, Larisa didn’t know why.
“Hey, Larisa, I actually wanted to talk to you about something. If you don’t mind.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “I was just kinda wondering, do you like… guys, at all? Like, would you ever want to be with someone who was a boy? Sorry if that’s weird to ask.”
“I could be with a guy.” Larisa responded. She was attracted to boys, girls, and nonbinary folks alike.
“Okay… then-” He hesitated before finishing his question. “So, uh, what I mean is, mmm. Just, is there any guy you think is kind of… cool? That you like. Around here. Not at school, or anything… like that.” It was kind of amusing to watch Derek fumble with his words but Larisa didn’t make him wait long for an answer.
“I like you.” Larisa stated plainly, she was sure of it. She may not be his soulmate but her love was true– wait, come to think of it.. Larisa had never seen Derek’s soulmate mark. He usually wears black wristbands that cover both of his wrists except when swimming but Larisa didn’t pay any attention to that.
Derek’s eyes widened at her words then quietly asked, “Really?” Larisa wanted to say ‘Yes, really.’ but Derek spoke before she could respond. “Maybe you don’t really get what I’m asking about… Um…” He mumbled to himself. Larisa's eyebrows slightly furrowed at those words, she does know what Derek is asking about.. She thinks.
After Derek pulled himself together, still albeit nervous, started going on about being prepared for the future and Larisa was only half heartedly listening until Derek mentioned marriage.
“Well, anyways, I heard this thing where people make pacts with their good friends that, if they don’t find anyone else, then… they get together.” Derek looked more nervous than he did before, “Together-together, like they get married and stuff.”
Larisa gave her utmost attention to Derek, who felt nervous under her gaze. He continued on, “And, uh, I’m sorry if this is an uncomfortable subject for you.. But since, you know, you don’t have a soulmate mark on either of your wrists.. And..” He trailed off before lifting the wristband on his right wrist before lifting the left. “Um, I don’t either.”
Larisa’s brain stopped working for a second, ‘Derek doesn’t have a soulmate?’
“Just, you know. If we never get a mark or a partner we can get married and stuff, we wouldn’t have to worry about the future or finding a soulmate or any of that. We can set it like a whole decade in the future. Forever from now.” If her complexion wasn’t dark, Larisa’s face would be red right now, similar to Derek’s face. He babbled on for a while.
“So yeah, what do you think?” Derek asked, finished. Larisa chose her words carefully, “That’s a good idea.” She nodded, “I think having a backup plan sounds smart.”
“Really?! Awesome!” Derek exclaimed excitedly. “Okay, then! Let’s do it.”
He stretched out his hand, offering a hand shake, “If in ten years, I, Derek Suarez, am still single and if, in ten years, you, Larisa Last, are still single– We both agree that the two of us will get together.” Larisa took his hand but instead of just shaking it, she pulled Derek close to her and placed a kiss upon his right cheek.
Derek’s face flushed as he gasped and he slapped hand against the cheek that was kissed, “OH. That works too..”
Larisa grinned, feeling better about the future already.
–
She and Derek didn’t stay at the park for long, Derek didn’t want to miss his dad, so the two of them made their way back to Larisa’s street. Derek was a delight to be around, he found all of the fun things to talk about as they walked. His voice was comforting to listen to. Larisa was caught up listening to whatever Derek was talking about and she was startled when she heard a couple of short honks ringing out in the neighborhood.
Derek scratched the back of his neck, snickering, “Dad’s here.” Larisa looked up and saw the van coming around the corner with Mrs. Suarez cheerily waved her arm out the window from the front passenger seat. “Oh, and mom too. Guess we know what that means.” Derek brushed some of the dirt from his pants and rose to his feet. Larisa followed after him as the car rolled to a spot in front of her house.
The van’s side door opened slowly, with the help of Jorge, it managed to open all the way. “Hi!:” Jorge greeted with a huge smile on his face. Nicolas was there too and he loudly exclaimed, “WE'RE HERE!” Looking past Jorge, Larisa found Nicolas bouncing against his straps. “Thanks for coming, guys.” Larisa heard Derek say. “Hey, boys. Nice seeing you.” She waved.
Holding onto the sides of the open door, Derek leaned into the car to give Nicolas some affection. Larisa could hear the little boy’s giggling over everything else. She could faintly hear that a conversation was happening between Derek’s mom and dad but Larisa couldn’t make out a single word.
Without a moment’s notice, Derek glanced over his shoulder. His eyes locked with Larisa’s and his eyes softened. He let go of the car to stand back in front of her one last time.
“I’ve gotta go, well you know that, but bye. It was really cool hanging out today and this summer!” There was a certain sad tone to his voice, it overpowered his usual cheery enthusiasm. “We had a good summer break, huh? But it had to end sometime…”
“Yeah. And it was the best summer too.” Larisa smiled, her voice full of confidence and sincerity. Derek placed his hands on his hips and beamed, “It was!”
Larisa wrapped her arms around Derek and held him close and Derek had hugged her back just as tight. Before he let go completely, he whispered one last promise.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back again sometime.”
–
After the Suarez family had made their departure, Larisa went back to the sanctuary of her house. She decided to take it easy for the day. She wanted some alone time. Her moms poked their heads into the living room wishing Larisa a good night.
She headed up to her room and started to get ready for bed. But, as she was taking off her bracelets, Larisa noticed the letter ‘D’ was visible on the back of her left wrist.
Patricia looked at the swimsuit laying on her bed. A pair of green trunks with a blue bikini top. It was a gift from Derek meant to be used today. A week ago she had let slip that she hadn’t gone swimming since early high school. Derek could not let that stand. He remembered how much she loved swimming. So it was agreed that they would stop by the apartment where Derek’s parents lived to use the pool. She helped Derek find a swimsuit she liked and now it was there. Practically staring her in the face. Her bag was packed and all hygiene and food needs were taken care of. All she needed to do now was put on the swimsuit and some clothes to cover it and it would be time to go. She quickly walked out of her room.
Patricia went straight to the bathroom. She took a look at herself in the mirror. She saw the shadow that remained after shaving that morning, showing her natural hair color. More hair covered her body and limbs. She saw her shoulders that looked a mile wide from her perspective, no matter how much she shrunk in on herself. She saw a body that could be called curvy from a certain point of view, but the curves were in all the wrong places. They all went to her overwhelming gut. She grimaced at every roll on her body and the flabby skin on her face. She needed to grab hold of the counter to keep herself up. Her mind was swimming with thoughts of how much she hated what she saw.
“Patty?” A voice. “Patty, are you okay? Can I come in?” It was Derek.
Patricia was able to get out a weak, “Okay.”
Derek walked in. He was dressed in a shirt and shorts that covered his swimsuit. He took one look at Patricia almost collapsing over the sink and immediately went over to hold her. He carefully guided her to the floor. They sat down holding each other. “Patricia, what happened? What's wrong?” asked Derek.
Patricia started crying into his shirt. “I'm sorry.”
Derek gave her a moment to cry. “What are you sorry about?”
“Today was supposed to be fun. But here I am ruining it.”
Derek held her tighter. “You haven’t ruined anything. Why do you think that?”
Patricia took a second moment to calm down. “I… don't think I told you why I stopped swimming in high school.”
Derek thought for a second before the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. “You came out in high school.” Patricia nodded. Derek’s face fell. “Aw man, I am such an idiot. I never even thought that might be an issue since you're normally so confident.”
“You're not an idiot I should've known this would happen. I just wanted to swim so badly. Every year I told myself I'd go swimming. I thought I could finally handle it. I should've told you.”
Derek cupped her cheek. “I understand why you didn't. You really wanted this to work, huh?”
Patricia nodded. “I really did. I miss swimming so much.”
Derek said, “I don't know what it'll take for you to feel like swimming again, but I do know one thing. I'll be with you every step of the way. So don't be afraid to tell me when I'm doing too much and not stopping to ask first. You've always been great for that. I'll do whatever it is that you ask of me to help.”
Patricia threw her arms around Derek. “I love you so much.”
Made a little comic (that I hope will give a bit info about Aoi) since I felt really inspired
Again... again and again and again and again, shoutout to @derek-week-event :3
As can be seen from the last part of the comic, Aoi had really mixed feelings about the situation (His friend is right here, doing everything he can and can't all at once while you are... going on a little cycling adventure? As only adults here? But at the same time he was really happy for his mothers and Derek's parents since they can finally unwind after so many busy days. He has seen how tired mom and ma have been the past few days... So what are the right thoughts here?) But he couldn't let the mood sour even more, so tried to focus on helping his friend.
Maybe a little wish to get some burden off Derek's shoulders by enjoying something even adults seemed to be happy with together stuck with him since then
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