The picture above is my old art back from 2020! Check out my IG: chaoticxrtzz
February 29, 2020: First Published
February 20, 2023: Edited
NEW A/N: I'll be editing some of my chapters since some things bothered me - plus I'm rewatching the show again so... Yeah. I may add new chapters, but for now, I just want to revise these old chapters.
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3rd Person POV
"What a long day..." Mark sighed to himself while walking around the streets of Duckburg. It had been a busy day for him in Waddle, so he decided to walk a bit to clear off some thoughts. He may seem like a carefree person, but it was sort of a facade to cope with the heavy burden of having a large and successful company.
2:10 PM
He saw a nearby coffee shop and decided to get his 2:15 coffee. He walked into the shop as people stared at him in awe. Mark loved the attention and all, but sometimes it could get overwhelming: especially if you're stressed from work. It stirs up irritability when others pester you if you wish for peace. Oh, how he wished he was treated as a normal citizen. The attention he receives can lead to disaster sometimes, such as his fans chasing after him, calling and yelling for him for selfies, and people staring at him uncomfortably. He ignored all the mumbling and walked toward the counter to order his 2:15 coffee.
2:12
"Mark Beaks! What's a famous billionaire doing in a simple coffee shop?" The female cashier squealed a bit at the sight of her idol in her workplace.
Mark sighed and replied: "I'm a very busy person, okay? I don't have time to answer all your questions. I'll have a coffee with almond-infused foam, not almonds in my foam. Infused foam understood?" He said in a stern voice while swiping through InstaQuack.
"Yes, sir!" She eagerly responds.
"And oh, I want my coffee at exactly 2:15! 2:15! Got it? I will not drink that coffee if it is served early or late!" Mark said, making the cashier nervous at the thought of messing up.
"Y-Yes, sir..." She said and made her way to swiftly make his order.
2:13
He was looking for a place to sit, but the cafe seemed crowded. He kept going in circles in the cafe, looking for a vacant seat, but people just stared at him in awe, accompanied by whispers and gossip. Some even gestured for him to sit with them, but he was weirded out by the way they looked at him.
To his dismay, a vacant chair with a female sitting on a two-seat table occupied the area. She wasn't paying attention to her surroundings since she seemed to be occupied with her phone.
"Umm, excuse me m-?" Mark was cut off as the lady shushed him. He waited silently for her approval to sit with her at the table. After one press from her phone, she placed her phone in her bag and faced Mark. "Now, what was it, sir?" She asked politely, making Mark a bit surprised. He thought she was gonna fangirl over him, but he was wrong. She acted like she didn't know him even though he was well-known in Duckburg.
"Oh yes! May I sit with you since all the tables are occupied?" He asked, still unsure what was going on - a part of him was infuriated that someone didn't know him and didn't treat him like a celebrity.
"Sure, knock yourself out." She said as he took a seat.
He sat in silence as the girl looked at him cluelessly. Mark thought of introducing himself since maybe that would make the girl notice her? Surely a ring of a bell is what she needs to refresh her memory of who's sitting across from her. He takes a sharp breath as he puts on his cheery persona. "The name's Mark Beaks! What's yours?"
"(Y/n), (Y/n) (L/n). Nice to meet you as well, Mark!" She smiled at him, making Mark confused. It's like she didn't really know him. How could someone in Duckburg not know him!? He was always trending, a billionaire, and a founder of Waddle! This thought really riled him up.
Determined to make himself known to her, he tries to connect more. "So uhh (Y/n)? You really don't know me?" Mark asked nervously causing the female to look at him with a raised brow.
"We just met? How would I know you until now?" Sincerity etched her face and response, as Mark still couldn't believe that this girl didn't know who he was.
He decided to give a few more details to bring more clarity. "Mark Beaks, the CEO of Waddle? The one who made the Waddle phones and an app to not leave you hanging in a high five? The one who was always trending on InstaQuack? A billionaire who's one of the rivals of Scrooge McDuck?" He stated. The girl blinked twice to process what he said.
She knew about Waddle and Scrooge McDuck along with InstaQuack, but she doesn't use the app much. No wonder she never heard of Mark Beaks! She was embarrassed that a famous billionaire was right in front of her and she didn't even know him!
2:15
"I-I'm so sorry! I ju-" She was suddenly cut off by a waitress.
"Here's your 2:15 coffee, sir! With almond-infused foam, just like you specifically said!" The waitress smiled and gave the coffee to Mark. "It's such a huge honor serving you, sir!" She squealed, making Mark roll his eyes. "Yeah yeah... Just take the tip and the selfie and go." He said as he handed the waitress a tip. She squealed and took the selfie, and left them be.
(Y/n) was even more embarrassed hearing that waitress praise Mark like some sort of celebrity. She pondered if she should even treat him differently like how the others did to Mark. Does he like being pampered with attention? Does he like the overwhelming crowds? Should she be excited around him too?
Mark took a sip of his coffee, waiting for the female to finish her sentence. "As I was saying... I'm really sorry! I just don't know you... I'm familiar with the things you said, but not you! I don't use InstaQuack much, and I just don't pay attention to people that much... I'd rather focus on myself before obsessing or worrying about others, you know?"
He took one more sip and placed his cup on the table. "I totally get what you mean! I don't really care about others rather than myself! We totally vibe the same goals!" He beamed. He found her rather intriguing: to talk to someone who doesn't know much about him or his fame - she could like him as a person rather than the persona and success, and that notion intrigues him.
"What's your take on fame?" He causally asks.
"Like how I see influencers?" She clarifies as Mark nods. She takes a sip of her drink and faces Mark. "I'm not really the type of person to base someone on how famous they are. In fact, I kind of despise people who use the media to influence others to an unrealistic standard and mindset by prying on their desires. I mean, yeah, you're famous, but if you're a jerk, would people respect you for who you are? Or would they respect you because of your fame? It's sad to see that people love these influencers, but they don't like them as a person, you know? I think I heard something similar from Bojack Horseman..."
"Oh! That episode! I relate to what he said so much! I have a photo of that quote!" He shows her his phone, earning a chuckle from her.
"A man of culture, huh?" She smirks. Somehow, he could feel his cheeks flush.
He cleared his throat and regained his charisma. "I always am! A trendy person is a man of culture!" He proudly grins.
She smiled at his confidence. "Well, adding more to what I said, that's why I don't judge or like a person by their fame. I'm just not interested in people that famous without really knowing their true character. That's why I don't know you." She finished.
He took a sip of his coffee and let her words sink in when a realization hit him. She did make a compelling point: has fame blinded him to step all over the people who are not influential like him? He loved being at the top, but sometimes it was tiring.
"I see..." Was all he could say as he sips his coffee. Assessing his situation, he doesn't really have many friends. People only come up to him when they want to boost their online persona. If he showed her who he really is, it would instill in her mind a negative view of him. He can't let that happen! After all, reputation was important to Mark, right?
"Well...even though people might see you as a jerk, everyone has some good in them. Even the good ones have a bad side. That's why we have the ability to assess people and situations."
"Do you think that even Gizmoduck has a bad side? You don't have to answer if you don't know him."
"Even him. Don't worry, I know him. After all, he was all over the news and saved us from that bank on fire." She paused for a bit and mumbled: "That he caused..."
Mark's eyes lit as he beamed. "HA! I know, right? Most of the problems he fixes are the problems he caused!" They both chuckled.
"My point is that despite being a jerk, if you are one or that's how the media perceives you, then do something about it. No doi, you can't expect people to like you just because you have followers or because you're trendy."
"Yeah." That was all he could say. No one had ever given him a heart-to-heart talk to connect on a deeper level. He was just glad that there was someone who took him seriously and actually listened and enlightened him. Even though she was preaching to him, he still enjoyed her company.
"Thank you." He gave a gentle smile and held her hand.
Her brow raised as she queasily smiled. "Uh, what did I do again?"
Mark chuckled as he let go of her hand. "Nothing. You're just an interesting person. You just feel...warm. You make people feel...warm." (STEPHANIE FROM MORAL OREL VIBES.)
Her eyes widened as she blushed from the choice of words. She nervously chuckled. "OH! PFT! NAH-" She stammered as Mark chuckled. He opened various topics to make her feel at ease. Despite having opposing notions, they formed a constructed and respected exchange of debates. Surprisingly, Mark was actually having fun with this instead of debating with dumbasses online. The female seemed to enjoy his company as she kept the conversation going, making Mark intrigued and entertained. He didn't even want to go back to work because he was fascinated by their discussion.
3:15
After almost an hour of talking, they didn't get bored with each other. (Y/n) smiled with a bit of a chuckle. "You know Mark, for someone who's always trending and famous, you're alright! I'm actually glad that a billionaire like yourself has a heart in there." She poked his chest with a reassuring smile, making Mark flustered. He didn't want this conversation to end. He enjoyed her company. For the first time in his life, he enjoyed the feeling of being respected for who he was and not for his fame.
The female enjoyed spending time with Mark as well. She enjoyed his company and someone who would listen to her stories. She had never met someone so intrigued by simple stories. She didn't want this to end as well. She was about to stir a conversation, but a beep was heard from her pocket.
She saw a text, and later on, someone was calling her phone. She picked it up, and it turned out that one of her office mates was looking for her since her break was over 10 minutes ago, and it was her co-worker's turn for a break. She told her fellow employee that she will be over there in a few minutes. She looked at Mark and gave him a glum look as he understood what she meant.
"I see... So you have to go back to work, huh?" He said in a disappointed tone. They both frowned, but (Y/n) gave a soft smile.
She gave him a piece of paper with her number, winked at him, and stood up from her seat. "Let's hang out sometime!" She gave him a closed eye.
He took the paper with a flustered expression as he stared at it. "Oh, I actually do know you a bit. I may not use InstaQuack, but I do use Quacker (Twitter)! You always look cool and cute in your posts." She smiled once more and left the coffee shop.
Mark was flustered and stunned at what happened as he tried to process it. "Was this kind of a date that I didn't know, and did I just get the girl?" Was all he could think of. The girl just left him confused and a blushing mess, but he was happy for meeting her. He took the girl's number and saved it in his contacts. His phone beeps as he opens Twitter to see him tagged on a post.
"Isn't he just cute? #coffeedate"
His face flushed when he saw the post was about him looked like he was having a good time talking to her as she was holding his hand while talking. He gave a small smile and liked her post.
"Next time, I get to post a picture of you." He texts.
"Oh, I'm sure that'll happen more than once ;)"
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2,255 words
Bojack Horseman and Moral Orel themes? Sheeeshhhh