i apologize for the radio silence over the last month or so. i recently experienced my first heartbreak with someone i've cared about for over a decade and have been trying to navigate that as best as i can, and truthfully, i'm not doing great. that doesn't mean i'm not still writing volley, as i actually have been quietly writing ideas for future chapters and such, just taking a little longer as my mind is healing. i hope everyone is having a good start to their week, remember to drink water since it's quite hot out !
WOW I WAS SEARCHING FOR AN ART DONALDSON X SPORTS JOURNALIST READER FOR SO LOOOONG I love itttt btw I’d love if you make it a bit enemies to lovers I mean they both having beef but then they slowly fall in love but before that they have a hate sex one night stand
hi there ! i have a main idea for my story already, but i can recommend you some great fics by other incredibly talented creators that have just what you're looking for. hope you're having a good start to your week so far !
your prologue for volley has me HOOKED!!! I’m so excited to see how the story unfolds =) keep up the great work!!
hi, my friend. i'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed the prologue ! honestly, i was a bit nervous about how it would be perceived, but i'm really happy to hear it's just what some people were looking for. i can't wait to release chapter 1 when i've perfected it !
finally have been able to log in since i have an earlier day for work and WOW. you guys are the best 😭 did not think my silly little prologue would end up getting so much attention!! off to write some more for chapter one!!
𖥻 ۫ ׅ ˚ 𝚜𝚢𝚗𝚘𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚜 : Suffering several losses and ongoing, world-renowned tennis champion, Art Donaldson, is beginning to lose hope. After unexpectedly crossing paths with a familiar-looking journalist, Art realizes there could be more at stake than just his career. Will he leave the world he knew behind, or give the game one more shot?
𖥻 ۫ ׅ ˚ 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 : art donaldson x (f) sports journalist!reader.
𖥻 ۫ ׅ ˚ 𝚊 / 𝚗 : Hi, and welcome to my first fanfiction in 10 years! I've written this prologue for now as I write future chapters during my free time. I hope you guys enjoy this story, and I hope Challengers continues to receive the bountiful amounts of love it has been since its release.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ . . .
“I don’t want to do this. I can’t.”
“Should’ve decided that before you became a world championship player.”
The shuddering breath that leaves his nostrils narrowly frees the anxiety coursing through his veins like a racetrack, the dizzying walk down a familiar feeling corridor more nauseating than the last. Art practiced, hard, and to see that it was all for nothing felt like a slap to the face, a rude awakening for a man who had been yearning for the younger version of himself; fresh-faced and ready to take on Stanford— then, the world. What a fucking joke.
He winces instantly as the conference room doors yawn open, dazzling flashes from the multitude of various press outlets waving their cameras in his face, the flurry begging for him to answer trampled questions over the next. He can’t imagine how exhausted he must look, drenched in sweat.
The anticipatory looks of reporters and bloggers, ready to barrage him with inquiries of his ongoing defeats, his future plans to ensure a win: He hated it. He wanted nothing more but to retreat to his hotel room in peace and quiet to reflect on what he could have done better, what he did so wrong. With every step toward the press table, his footing grew heavier than the last, that awful sensation in the pit of his stomach settling, worsening once he sat down.
A mic is placed on him by an assistant, and a reporter emerges amid the sea of people that grow calm. His blue, tired eyes meet theirs.
“Mr. Donaldson.”
“Hi.”
The reporter clears their throat. “I... can only assume this wasn't the result you'd be hoping for— none of us had. I mean, months and months of agonizingly hard training regimens and diets to stick to... I can't fathom how disappointed you must be feeling right now,”
A long pause.
“…Why don’t we just start with something simple: What exactly happened out there, today?”
Amongst the quiet whispers and shutter clicks that flash from cameras that stun him, Art Donaldson, the acclaimed savior of tennis is utterly silent; frozen.
“... Art?”
“...”
He doesn’t utter a word, he doesn't have any to explain why he continued to be a disappointment to not only himself, but to everyone around him. His trainers, his media team, his fans... himself. The deafening loud ringing in his ears finally falls silent when his wings are clipped and he falls back down to earth. Despite it all, the waves of anguish, the disappointment, the embarrassment he feels for those around him... he smiles, glassy-eyed and defeated for the tabloids to see in all his pitiful glory.
