I accidentally made the changes to the original second chapter, so this and that one are gonna be the same now. Uh... oops? The next episode will probably be completely renovated and remodeled, so stick 'round for this Trainwreck. When it's back on the tracks, it's gonna ride like a dream.
Matthew poured some cereal into a bowl, then poured some milk out of the carton. When he finished, he shook it a little, noticing that there was hardly anything left in the carton. He put what was left back in the fridge, sitting back down with a spoon. As he ate, he reflected on the first day with his new roommate: he couldn't tell if she was just incredibly clingy or she actually really liked him, despite the obvious signs for the latter. Girls were tricky like that, or at least so he thought. He knew he could be wrong.
He looked at the multiple colors of cereal loops in the bowl and purposely neglected to eat the blue ones until all the other colors were gone. Once only blues were left, he began to eat them one at a time, a full spoon of milk with each individual loop.
He had gotten up at about nine, but he guessed that Milly was a late sleeper. He wondered if he should go and wake her up or not, but he decided to let her sleep. If it went to twelve, he would wake her. For now, he had to work on the next volume of his manga. He went to his room, where Milly still lay surrounded by his blanket because he had given it all to her when he got out of bed. His desk in the corner was still just how he left it. He began to draw out some new panels, and by the time Milly stirred an hour later, he had almost finished a page, minus the shading and backgrounds.
"Hey there, Mills. Sleep okay?"
Milly blinked a few times and sat up. "I-I can't believe how comfy your bed is."
She walked over and looked at what Matthew was working on. Part of him wanted to hide it, but another part was like 'dude, she's literally gonna be working on it'.
"Huh... Is this gonna be a doujinshi?"
Matthew turned and gave her a weird look. "I read it. I don't draw it."
After half-grinning for a split second, Milly lowered her eyebrows. "That's funny... Those look like characters from my new favorite manga series."
Matthew raised his eyebrows. "They're original characters."
Milly nodded. Then she stopped. Her eyes widened. She pointed at Matthew and said "...Y-you?"
Matthew nodded. "Yeah. I'm the mangaka of Cyclo Hammer."
Milly blinked a few times, still taking in what was happening. "Holy shit."
"The character Cyclo Hammer is based off of my friend Philly who only has one eye and fights with a hammer."
Milly sat down next to him. "Well... I can fangirl all I want, but that won't get anything done. Based on your first volume, I'll say this: your character design and posing is pretty second-to-none."
Matthew nodded. "Thank you."
Milly put a hand on his shoulder and sighed. "But your shading is some of the worst I've ever seen in my life. It's like you've never seen a shadow before. That, and your backgrounds are just okay."
"Ouch, but I agree."
Milly picked up a pencil. "So what do you do, draw everything and then import it into an art application on your computer?"
Matthew nodded. "I don't have a knack for tablet drawing, screen or no. I could get used to it, but I'm not really in a position to take the time to do it."
Milly nodded. "Works for me. When you finish each panel, I'll import it, do the line work, shade, and draw backgrounds for you. That leaves characters, text bubbles, and scripts for you to come up with."
Matthew nodded. "Sounds good to me." Another hour, and Matthew had finished the page he was on and most of another page. Milly had completed about ten pages of the beginning of volume two. When Matthew decided to take a break, Milly took one with him.
"Lunch?" He asked her as he held up some deli meats and cheese.
Milly was already at the table. "Oh, okay! That sounds delicious."
Matthew smiled, glad she was used enough to him to create an endearing name so early in their stay together. He put together a sandwich for each of them in a minute or so, then sat down with Milly.
"I think I'm gonna go shopping today," Milly said, breaking the silence. She picked up her sandwich and took a hefty bite.
"Oh! In that case, could you pick up some milk for me? I'm almost out. I'll pay you before you go," Matthew told her.
"Oh, no need," she blurted. "I'm happy to grab some for you, I'll bring it back."
Matthew nodded. After they ate, Milly showered and got dressed, walking out to go shopping. When she got back, they worked on the manga together until late and went to bed.