"If we just start every day with a smile, we'll get through with it."
Author's Note: Thank you for taking the time to check this story out. I hope not to disappoint. This fanfiction is currently rated T for potentially including: graphic violence, vulgar/profane language and humor, non-graphic sexual themes/language, controversial subjects, and death. It is possible that the rating may change to M in the future if later chapters become too dark, intense, or controversial to warrant a T rating. For updates and illustrations of the story, please visit my DeviantArt account, RegularCasanova, or my tumblr account the-regular-casanovas. I appreciate any feedback you may have. If you have comments or reviews, please leave them in the review section, send them to me via private message, or contact me on social media.
Just Keep Smilin' is written in the style of the video game, though all "choices" have been predetermined. The story is also divided into episode arcs, like the seasons of the video game. It is possible that, in the future, there will be an interactive adaptation of this fanfiction to allow the readers to make their own decisions.
This game series adapts to the choices you make.
The story is tailored by how you play.
JUST KEEP SMILIN': SEASON ONE
EPISODE ONE: Anew Every Morning
Part 1: The Nightmare Begins
Luke swung open the rusted doors to a seedy bar in inner-city Atlanta. It was dusk, and the establishment only looked more questionable in the evening light. The air was warm and humid, typical weather for mid-July Georgia. Brown eyes scanned the venue, looking for his best, or only friend. They had planned to drink away their sorrows tonight, given the fact that they were on verge of losing everything after they had been forced to close their mismanaged business the week before.
Surely enough, Nick was there, sitting next to a gorgeous brunette and making a pathetic attempt to impress her. She didn't seem too intrigued. The petite woman was dressed to the nines with a spiffy new blouse and black stilettos, while toting a designer purse. She was definitely out of place here. Or, at least she gave off that impression when compared to the bar's usual patrons.
Luke approached the two, interrupting Nick's sad excuse of a conversation.
| Hey, man. |
| Hello, miss. |
| He's an asshole. |
| … |
"Forgive him, he's just a… jerk." Luke prided himself on refraining from profanity around women. Most of the time, at least. He chuckled, leaning over and placing a hand on Nick's shoulder. The other man looked up at him, irritated. The lady giggled, amused by their interaction.
"Hey, Mr. Casanova, give a guy a chance," Nick spat, rolling his eyes. Luke could make out the alcohol on his breath, if the empty mug within reach wasn't enough of an indicator that he was already rather buzzed.
"I figure she's already given you far too many chances to impress her. C'mon, leave her alone. Clearly, she ain't buyin' it anytime soon," he teased. The belle had already risen from her seat, freeing up the space for Luke.
Nick pouted. "Asshole." When he noticed the woman making her way towards the exit, he called out after her, "Hey! At least gimme yer name!"
She looked back at the two dorks with a sympathetic smile, shaking her head. "It's Carley. Carley Vigil, bless both of your hearts."
The quintessential southern dismissal. Her accent was distinctly not-southern, but she'd done her best to adapt to the lingo of the South, no question. Most Yankees would mistake that for a genuine wish of good luck, but every respectable southern belle knew just how to frame her language so as to always maintain a prim and proper image.
Of course, it was no secret to southern men that "bless your heart" actually meant something along the lines of "I think you're a complete and utter idiot," depending on the context.
"Hey, Nick, I'm sorry I blew your chances with her..." The sarcasm in Nick's tone couldn't be any more obvious.
| Sorry, man. |
Like you had any.
| Fuck off. |
| … |
Luke laughed at his friend's attitude. "Like you ever had any," he joked. "A girl like that's probably way out of your league. She might be in mine, though-"
"-Just gimme another beer, asshole. And you're payin'. You know I don't got a damn cent left after you convinced me to blow our life savings with you on whatever that bullshit was," Nick grumbled.
"Hey, it was worth a shot. And we had a blast, so who gives a damn now if it didn't work out?" Luke grabbed Nick's arm, with a wide grin across his face.
"I do, jerk." Nick looked away from his friend.
Despite the fact that their "big fuckin' plan," in Nick's words, was over as soon as it started due to their lack of financial common sense, Luke had insisted that they persevere. They'd already left their sleepy hometown in the Tennessean countryside for Atlanta two years prior, and he'd wanted to make the most of the city while they were young and still had the chance.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get ourselves some more to drink. That's why we're here, right? To forget about everythin' for the night." Luke motioned for the bartender and pulled out his wallet.
Nick chuckled, lightening up again. "How the hell do you still have cash? I ain't aware of somethin' goin' on?"
"Nick, it's called havin' priorities. And alcohol's always been pretty high up on the list," Luke stated, laughing.
"I guess so." Nick rose his arm and held out his mug. "Well… here's to bein' completely fuckin' broke. At least one of us." He smirked.
"Hey, we're endin' this just how it started. Completely wasted." Luke laughed and joined in him taking a swig after clinking mugs.
"Just don't come up with another ridiculous idea," Nick teased. "At least not until we actually have normal jobs again and enough money to try somethin' else out."
Luke flashed him a bright smile. "You already know that I can't make any promises, Nick."
Nick just rolled his eyes jokingly in response.
Several beers later, the two men were clearly inebriated. Honestly, Luke liked drunk Nick better than sober Nick at times. He wasn't as much of a sarcastic asshole when he was tipsy, and he was actually willing to open up about his feelings. Well, he liked happy and overly-affectionate drunk Nick. Luke still didn't really know how to help Nick when he was going through one of his depressive phases while drunk. Probably because he would be equally intoxicated and unable to provide much consolation. Those times occurred because they not only enjoyed alcohol to celebrate, but also to get their minds off of things. Unfortunately, drinking would only worsen Nick's sadness if he was already feeling down prior to downing a mug.
Nick raised what was probably the fifth or sixth mug for him. "This one's to, uh..."
| To new beginnings. |
| To being single. |
| To being best friends. |
| … |
Both men would always open up about things while they were intoxicated, even if they'd probably forget by the morning. Luke was officially out of cash in his wallet by now, so in a rare stroke of brilliance, his foggy mind resolved to make the night's last toast count.
"This one… is t' bein' the best of friends and havin' you by my side." Luke had a broad grin across his face.
"Y-yeah. I love ya, Luke." Nick smiled gently.
It was the drink talking. Sober Nick wouldn't dare admit that he genuinely cared about Luke, let alone hug him out of the blue. Nick's arms were suddenly wrapped around Luke's torso, his chin resting on the shorter man's shoulder in a spontaneous embrace.
(O) Hug Nick
(X) Back out
Luke slowly reciprocated. He felt Nick's happiness and smiled, both of their faces florid and glowing pink from the alcohol. Most would get the wrong impression, given how long they remained in each other's arms. But their drunk selves really didn't care what the world thought of them.
Luke didn't move from their embrace until he heard that dull buzzing and vibrating in his pocket.
[ Answer call ]
[ Ignore call ]
Not wanting to ruin the moment, Luke left his cellphone for the voicemail. He pulled away and rested his hands on Nick's shoulders.
(?) This action will have consequences.
"Y'know I'll always be here for you, Nick. I got yer back… To the end," Luke reassured, slurring his speech.
"You better, asshole," Nick hiccuped.
"I mean it; long as we're together, we got this." Luke smiled lazily at Nick, feeling his phone pulse with several texts.
(?) Nick will remember that.
Nick raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Don't tell me you got some new retarded idea-"
"-Maybe." Luke grinned. "'Cause we're still takin' over the world someday, and I was thinkin'-"
"-Yeah, yeah. Jus'... get us home," Nick interrupted, laughing.
Luke practically had to drag Nick's intoxicated self to the stop and onto the vintage bus. It wasn't easy, given that he was almost as wasted himself. He let Nick down on the old leather seats, allowing the dark-haired man to rest his head on his shoulder and make himself comfortable. Nick was already nearly passed out, and didn't say much.
It only took a few minutes for Nick to begin snoring on Luke. The brunet didn't mind and kept himself occupied aimlessly peering through the window at the bright Atlantan lights. They were almost soothing, and he could sense himself dozing off.
(Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (Q) (E)
It took almost all of Luke's strength to stay awake as he waited for their stop. Thankfully it was still the weekend, since he was definitely keen on sleeping in after a night like this.
Eventually, they reached their stop.
(O) Shake Nick
(X) Talk to Nick
Luke grabbed the other man, rocking him back and forth in order to awaken him.
"I'm fuckin'... tired," Nick protested, giving Luke his best attempt at a glare with his drowsy eyes. He was always moody when he was exhausted.
"Stop complainin'. It ain't... more than a couple a' blocks," Luke yawned, beginning to drift off.
Nick groaned and rose from his seat, probably noticing that he had fallen asleep on his friend's shoulder. "Yeah… all right."
It took everything for Luke to keep himself awake while leading Nick back to their cramped apartment. He had to hold Nick's hand to ensure that they both made it back together.
Luke had never liked walking around late at night. Thankfully, they didn't live the absolute worst parts of town, but it definitely wasn't one of the best. They passed by dim windows, fresh paint to cover up graffiti, and what looked like some crackhead sleeping in an alley. Luke didn't pay much attention to their surroundings, until he noticed the gaunt woman stand up, lumbering towards him and Nick.
(O) Look at woman
Her skin was a pale, sickly shade of a teal color and her opaque eyes were clouded over by what looked like cataracts. Her clothes were disheveled and her right arm was covered in what seemed to be needle marks and cuts. She was making some eerie, animal-like noises as she slowly approached them.
"I can't tell what this lady's been on. Probably somethin'... I've never heard of." Luke squinted and tried to focus again, as if he thought he was just seeing things. But the suspicious woman was definitely there, and inching closer.
(O) Look at alley
Luke could make out a serious pile of syringes, bags, and containers over where she'd been laying, like she'd been running a pharmacy or something. She had probably overdosed on some seriously laced-up narcotics, though he had no clue as to what kinds of exotic drugs the woman could possibly be taking.
"The hell is she on?" Nick looked up, furrowing his thick eyebrows.
[ Talk to her ]
[ Get away from her ]
"No idea, but we ain't stickin' 'round t' find out," Luke resolved.
It wasn't hard getting away from the junkie, considering that she was completely beat up and high on God-knows-what. Nick turned his head back as Luke helped him upstairs, noticing that the woman had collapsed onto the sidewalk and began pulling herself across the ground.
"Heh, look. She's crawlin' now. Crazy chick." Nick chuckled.
| Yeah, she's gone crazy. |
| I don't think that's normal. |
| Let's just get inside. |
| … |
"Let's just get inside," Luke decided. "We're both tired."
(O) Open door
He fumbled with the keys to their tiny studio apartment, managing to get it to budge after a minute.
Luke helped Nick down onto their bed and locked the door to their little flat. He set their alarm clock for late in the morning, giving them enough time to rest sufficiently while having space to be productive tomorrow. He kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto the mattress next to Nick, too exhausted to undress himself.
"Night," Nick said.
"Yeah… G'night."
Luke smiled and shut his eyes, looking forward to another day of adventure with his best friend. Perhaps they'd gotten more than they bargained for. But neither of them could have ever anticipated what the next two and a half years would bring.