You'd had the pleasure of not having to leave your room for three days. As you stood up from your computer to stretch and walk around a bit you were suddenly struck with another wave of apathy. It had been happening more and more lately. You'd hoped that this new expansion would quell the growing emptiness in your gut, but after pumping nearly the last 72 hours playing you'd completely lost interest. I should log off for a while. You switched your computer off with a sigh, the familiar chime of the powering off sequence striking you with a bit of anxiety. You don't get out often. The world didn't understand you and the feeling was mutual. That was why you loved playing games so much, there were rules, patterns, strategy. It was your bliss, and you poured over the texts for your favorite games and learned all the best strategies.
Playing competitively was becoming quite lucrative, and with your insane talent at the games you didn't need to have much personality to hold a decent streaming fanbase. Much to your parents' dismay you'd found a way to completely waste your life playing video games. They'd wanted you to step up and help with the company like your brother, but you lacked the drive nor the interest in such pursuits. You'd started playing professionally as a way to ignore their threats of taking your trust fund away. You had a steady income which was quite impressive, so they stopped bothering and moved on to other concerns. As they usually did. It was better that way, most people found you weird. Not like you brother, he was the golden child in every way. You weren't jealous, it took the pressure off you. All you wanted to this point was to be able to hang out and do whatever you wanted. Lately it had been gaming more than usual, but you'd occasionally get obsessed with something or another and pour all that god given talent into. You could pick up on anything insanely fast, you could occasionally be quite charismatic (as long as you could keep your creepy ass sense of humor under control for the length of the conversation.), and you were very intelligent. If you weren't so lazy and socially awkward you'd likely be a great candidate for domination in some field or another.
Not as a hero though. You had a really helpful and powerful quirk, but no real interest in using it. Being able to restore stamina in real time from a distance would be useful to quite a few fields that didn't hold your interest in any way. You pretty much had to work for one of the Hero agencies, the police, the military, or in events like sports festivals. No thank you. This Cleric hasn't met any worthy adventurers yet.
After a yawn you pop yourself on the cheeks with a light slap to get yourself going You throw on a loose hoodie splattered with fake blood and the name of an anime you like on it and a pair of leggings. You were out to impress exactly no one as you went questing out in the real world. There were a couple of items you needed for your inventory and you wanted to look into getting VR so you could start playing around with it. Maybe you could take your little game design hobby and focus on it for a while.
Would that make me feel happy again? It wasn't that you felt sad, but for most of your life you've felt a numb sort of blankness. It reminded you of boredom. You could laugh and smile and enjoy yourself, but you were never truly happy. You never really truly felt much of anything. You were pretty sure other people could tell you were so blank inside, they were often uneasy around you despite you being on the surface very charming. They could just tell something was off, though they couldn't put their finger on it. But, neither could you, so you didn't mind it too much. Every now and again you would conquer something in the game that felt impossible and you felt a twinge. It was the most beautiful feeling and as hard as you tried to hold onto it, it would alway float away leaving you satisfied yet craving more. You shove your DS into the hoodie pocket just in case you find a nice bench to play on. I should really spend some time out, you think while also still keeping it as an optional side quest in your mind.
You shuffled out of your room and up the stairs into the main house. You looked around nervously but didn't see any of the help or your awful family around and navigated your way through the ridiculously immaculate home the rest of your family somehow didn't see as tacky and excessive. Like you had room to talk, your entire room was a shrine to excessive fandom and nerdy collectibles.
You got to the garage in a hurry and made your way to your car. -Quest Complete. 200 xp. New Quest. Drive downtown, don't have a panic attack in traffic. Quest Reward? 300 xp. Limited Edition Comic book. Optional Side Quest. Speak to a new human. Reward? +1 Social Skills, -1 Anxiety.- You took a deep breath and hopped in the car. Piece of cake.
-Quest Complete.-
~..~
Tomura knew what he was supposed to be doing. He and Sensei had laid out a perfect plan to destabilize the integrity of hero society, gather more allies, and slowly pick off the pros before making a huge debut to overturn the system. Before he showed the world what he'd become. With Sensei and All Might finally out of the picture it was up to him alone to continue with the mission. His Numu army had gotten quite impressive since he'd acquired the programmer into the league. He wasn't sure exactly how it worked, but the mans quirk allowed him to talk to computers and get information from them. He used it to pinpoint people with quirks of interest and monitor their movements with their cellphones. He didn't understand it, but it made them 100% more effective.
He was burning with a sense of stress and irritation about carrying out the next step of his plan. He was sure something was missing and yet he couldn't pin it down. He'd spent so much time pacing around the leagues' base and running strategy in circles it was driving him insane. He simply worked better with someone to bounce off of and without Sensei he felt like he didn't have anyone on his level to talk with. Kurogiri was a loyal and intelligent sidekick, but his inability to just straight talk him was a huge hindrance. There was simply no one on his level in the league anymore and the loneliness was pissing him off and making him itchy for destruction.
"We're attacking the city. Get 4 Nomu and pick a place, Kurogiri. I don't care if we lose them, but everyone else be careful and blow off some steam." He turned immediately without addressing his stunned...minions? Hunchmen? Underlings? Guildmates, he decided. They were on a Quest to destroy the world. He wanted to just attack in force right now, but that wouldn't satisfy the main plotline. He wanted to cause irreversible damage, not just some light terrorism. I need someone else in my party. Someone who would stand up to him but that he wouldn't murder for it. Tall order. He was fucked.
It wasn't long before his Guildmates (Yep, that sounded right.) had prepared for the raid on the city. They would cause 30 to 45 minutes of destruction before getting out of there and leaving it to the Nomu to do whatever. Everyone could have fun as long as they got back to the rendezvous point safely. The Programmer would stay at base and monitor everyone via their phones and keep communication with Tomura who was going to hang out amongst the crowd as if he was a civilian. Everyone looked at him with strange expressions and he shrugged them off. He just wanted to watch the destruction and clear his head a bit.
Plus there was nothing like being in the thick of it when you are OP as fuck.
~...~
You are on your way out of the comic book store when you spot really comfortable bench across the square that doesn't look crowded at all. There was just a dude with a hoodie playing with his phone. You could tell he was gaming because it was turned sideways and his expression would change as he tapped more furiously or leaned to one side. Seems safe over there. You swing by the little coffee shop and get a frozen coffee before moving over to the bench kind of close but not too close to the guy in the hoodie. He looked tired but around your age and he was completely focused on his game. You smile to yourself. My people. You take a gulp of your delicious coffee and pull out your DS, firing it up while poking your finger into the whipped cream topping and licking it off. As soon as the game fires up you are instantly immersed as usual. You'd forgotten you left off in the middle of a battle and quickly shoved your coffee to your side on the bench and started playing wildly.
Since you were a healer in real life you always played a thief or assassin character in games. Being sneaky and evil was always more fun and the plots of the games you liked always had the best strategies for the evil factions. Right now, the Kings Mages were attacking your stronghold, why did you pause in such a precarious situation? You cursed your past self and dove in trying to assess the situation as quickly as were so lost in the game you hadn't noticed your panic has caught the attention of the guy on the next bench over, who was now subtly watching you while tapping emptily onto his cellphone.
-Quest Complete. Reward: 75 gold, Stronghold Upgrade, Title Upgrade: Enemy of the Mages Guild.- Very cool.
It took a moment before you became aware of your surroundings again. You shook your head lightly and noticed the look the man next to you was giving. It was amusement and was that attraction? No way. You were taken aback by his direct eye contact, they were red and tired looking but burning in a way you had never seen before. It was terrifying and exciting and it shook you to your core. Who the fuck did I just catch the attention of. Your stomach jolted while all the alarm bells in your brain went off, making your arms swell with goosebumps and your body start pumping with adrenaline. Your heart raced and you forgot how to speak. It was the first time you'd felt anything this intense in as long as you could remember. You'd never felt so alive. The terror was quelled by the sheer excitement of having the fog cleared for a moment. His eyes continued to bore into yours while you let all of these new intense emotions wash over you.
He watched you the entire time. He couldn't take his eyes off of you from the second you'd caught his attention and now that you were looking back at him he was frozen. You were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He'd watched the fierceness in your body when you were gaming and he could see it even stronger in those dead eyes when they lit up after you'd won. When you looked up at him and made that face he couldn't read, it made his heart beat fast. You looked ecstatic to see him and it caught him off guard. Even in his civilian clothes he knew he gave an aura of fear to those around him. It was kind of the point as the leader of the League of Villains, yet you had come to sit right next to him on the next bench over and were now looking at him with a nervous happy face. Like a schoolgirl with a crush. Was he misreading this? The thought made his heart ache and he decided he would have you whether you liked it or not. You were his now.
He had gotten distracted and forgotten the attack was starting, so when the first crash echoed through the square he jumped in place just like you did. It broke your eye contact and you looked to your left and froze for a moment as four large villains started attacking the hero agency on the far end of the square. Holy crap that's ballsy. You thought as you were still frozen in your seat. People were running and screaming, but the trouble seemed to be focused quite a good bit away from where you were. It would be cool to see this play out. You look to your right and it seems like gamer boy has the same idea. He looks pretty calm but a little stiff like he is ready to bolt at any minute. You take his lead keeping an eye out for danger but watching the situation play out.
The Pro Heroes were on it insanely fast and a battle started raging on. Luckily the fight kept moving further away from the area where you and gamer boy are sitting so it looks like you are going to be pretty safe staying here.
"Party alignment is off, strategy is shit, where's the leader?" You mumble to yourself while watching the fight.
"What did you say?" The man next to you said and you looked back at him. His eyes bore into yours with a new intensity you couldn't read, it scared you a little more this time but you answered him steadily. He seemed offended in some assumed were probably misreading his expression.
"Sorry, I'm a huge nerd." You look down nervously but continue when you realize he hasn't stopped staring at you. It makes you blush a lightly from embarrassment, "I was talking about the villains like it was a video game. Sorry."
"How could it be better?" He turned toward you more leaning down to keep eye contact with you. Your anxiety made you forget that this dude was probably a huge nerd too! His scratchy voice seemed less intense, but his gaze didn't let up, it was as if he was pulling you into those deep red orbs that burned like the sun. You had the feeling that those eyes burned those who got too close and the excitement made your heart start pumping. You suddenly remembered the story of Icarus and stilled before turning back to the scene ahead.
"That one," you point, "Great Ranged DPS, but it's pulling too much aggro from the tank." You point again at the Nomu on the ground, "Though I can't see them, I can tell by the heroes movements that the four big ones aren't the only ones in on this fight. But their entire party is divided and not working as a unit. You can tell because there is evidence of little skirmishes happening all through that area. It looks like the party leader is absent. The whole strategy doesn't make sense." He keeps watching you with an intensity that you chalk up to nerd respect before focusing again on this strange strategy playing out before you. You were glad you'd stayed with him, it was nice to talk about this kind of stuff and you rarely got the opportunity.
As he stared at you his mind was painting beautiful pictures of your future at his side. You were unaware that he was lost in thought deciding how best to drag you into his world. The more you spoke the more sure he was that you were his destiny. His angel dropped onto this earth to help him achieve everything that he needed to. He was so excited to take you and open your eyes to his world. Twist that innocent gaze into something more like his, he wanted to watch you beautiful face bathed in his darkness. Always at his side where he could keep you safe with him.
It was about time for him to head back to base. Shit. He didn't want to leave you behind, but he had to get back. It wasn't the right time to take you and he wondered if maybe he could get you to come willingly if he could just relax and not act like a psychopath for once. You were his soulmate. It wouldn't take long until you realized it and loved him back. Maybe you already did. He searched your eyes for love but didn't find it. Yet. That was okay.
He would follow you for a while and find out all the ways he could make you happy.
"A girl like you probably already has the new expansion, huh?" Gamer boy said to you as he gestured to the poster up on the side of the comic store. His voice seemed defeated and you had no way of knowing it was because he was sad to have to leave you behind today. He wanted to just take you now and force you to love him and he knew he could pull you to him with time, but he didn't want to break you. No, he wanted you strong enough to stand at his side.
"Yeah. Spent the last three days getting to the level cap and running as many solos as I could." The emptiness in your eyes returned and it broke his heart. He wondered about your life and how you lived it, why you seemed so empty as if you were also not a part of the world like he was, he imagined taking his hands through your stunning hair and pulling it with all of his strength while your back arched and you moaned beneath him.
"No party?" He questioned, a flicker of hope not missing you but confusing you and igniting your fight or flight instincts for some reason. God, this anxiety is going to be the death of me.
"Can't find a party that can keep up with my skills" You say lightly but factually. Most parties end up keeping you down so you haven't bothered grouping up outside of the dungeon finder. Your playstyle is too calculated, you've realized, most players just want to hack and slash their way through the game. It frustrates you to no end to be honest, but you never seemed to play well with others anyway.
"I bet." He hadn't looked away from you in a long time, that look of longing still on his face that both scared the hell out of you and filled you with excitement. You waited for him to say anything else, but he didn't say a word. It was as if he was comfortable sitting here and staring at you forever, despite a literal villain attack happening less than a block away.
"What's your game id?" You asked deciding to break the silence. You weren't well accustomed to talking to others, let alone sitting in 'comfortable' silence with another person. No, you were more the type to fill any break in conversation with some kind of noise. Whatever made its way out of your mouth at the time was good enough for you. "Maybe we can run an instance sometime…"
"Yeah!" He beamed before giving you the details. Luckily you had the game app on your phone and you could add him there on the spot. He watched you enter his ID and add him almost like he didn't believe that you would really add him. When he saw you press the button with your finger his entire body language changed. He seemed giddy in a way. Probably about as socialized as I am. "So what do I call you?" He asked as he stood up to leave. You assumed he had places to be. Of course he would. People don't just hang out on benches indefinitely, you hoped he was a good player and you two could become friends. You didn't really have any of those.
"You can just call me Whiplash." You grinned at him and he pulled a grin back at you. It was better to just introduce yourself by your gamertag, you definitely responded better to it and you weren't a fan of your real name anyway, you parents were the type to name you like you were an 18th Century Lady instead of the heiress to a major tech company. It was exhausting to explain.
"Nice to meet you. I'll shoot you a message in game sometime." He tried to sound casual but you could feel the strain in his voice and body language. Maybe he needed a friend just as much as you did. This could be good for me. Maybe you could actually find something to make you feel like he did when you first saw him again.
I just want to feel alive.