This is just a one shot that popped into my head after watching my brother play MW3 (Modern Warfare 3 is a video game) and thought it would be fun to see a certain doctor be introduced to the game.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea. I do not own Rizzoli & Isles and I do not own the Modern Warfare franchise. I am not receiving any money or benefits from either party.
Maura wasn't sure how long she had been playing the game with Jane, her brothers, her partner, and the older man. What she was sure of, however, was that the other woman was quickly becoming aggravated.
Her night had started out quiet. She had had a light dinner and was looking forward to a warm bath with a glass of her favorite wine and the latest medical journal. That was, until Jane and 'the guys' showed up with a green box and a few matching cases. At first, she had watched on with curiosity as the brothers began taking wires and cables out of the bigger box and hooking them up to her television followed by a black box that looked no bigger than one of the shoe boxes her favorite pair of boots came in.
It wasn't until the machine turned on that she realized what had been installed. The screen turned a vivid shade of green and a white circle with an 'X' appeared. Underneath that, 'XBOX' popped on the screen and then prompted the users to enter the country, language, time, and various other preferences before it began updating itself. She turned to the women sitting across from her.
"What's an XBOX?" she asked and the brunette gave her a scandalized look.
"What-Maur, seriously? You don't know what an XBOX is?" when the blonde in question shook her head, she continued on. "Okay, well, it's a game console that people play videogames on. And yes, before you ask, some of the games are actually educational." Jane explained and let her friend digest the information.
"That doesn't sound to bad. Can it do other things or is it only limited to games?" Maura asked and Jane nodded.
"You can hook up Netflix and Hulu and watch movies-Oh! There are games that are played by exercising and doing yoga, I think you'll like those the best. I think you'll have fun." Was all that was said as Frankie, Tommy, and Frost cheered and began getting set up for their night.
"And that's another one! You ready to give up yet?" Frost goaded his partner as he and his team-composed of him, Korsak, and Tommy-won another round. Jane flipped him off and Frankie groaned. Maura just looked on with confusion on her face.
"I don't understand how you can play these kinds of game. They're so violent and cruel. Did you know that violent movies, television, and video games can increase the chances for young children to be violent during adolescence?" She was met with silence for a while before Jane spoke up.
"That's nice to know, Maur but none of us here are kids. 'Sides, none of us are taking this seriously, it's more of a competitive thing for us. I promise that I won't go around breaking windows and punching people...unless I have to." The detective smiled and Maura just shook her head.
The group had been playing for a little over an hour and so far the three men were winning by eleven rounds. Jane tossed her controller on the coffee table and got up.
"Frankie, pull up the stats. Anyone want another beer? Maur, you want more wine?" Jane asked and when the blonde nodded, she took her glass with her back to the kitchen. Frankie navigated through a few menus before coming up to the stats screen.
"Alright, Janie...53 kills and 15 deaths. I've got 47 kills and 9 deaths. Maura's got 3 kills and 20 deaths." Jane sighed and made her way back to the couch. She handed Maura the glass of wine and settled her beer on the coaster.
"3 kills? Really Maura?" Frost goaded and Jane shot him a glare.
"Alright, you know what, new rule: Until Maura gets used to the game, everyone uses basic loadouts. No perks, special specs, upgrades, or custom loadouts." The reaction to Jane's declaration was met with groans from everyone.
"But Jaaaane, it took me forever to max out my weapons and I finally got my legendary. What's the point of having it if I can't used it?" Tommy whined to his older sister but she ignored him. Suddenly, Jane exited the game and maneuvered around the home screen until she found what she looking for. Putting in the required information, she paused and thought for a few seconds before manipulating the buttons and typing out a name on-screen. Satisfied, she turned to her doctor.
"Any objections? I can change it if you want something else?" the brunette offered. The doctor was quiet for a few seconds before shaking her head.
"I like it." her friend smiled and confirmed the name. Another screen popped up and Jane handed Maura her controller.
"Pick an icon."
Maura scrolled through list of available icons and internally grimaced at a few of them. Finally, she settled on one of a panda. She handed the controller back to Jane.
"Now that Maura has her own profile, we'll all be able to play fairly." she ignored the groans from the men. She started up the game again and let the guys chose their loadouts before helping Maura with hers.
A few hours later, the group was wrapping up their last game of the night. Discarded pizza boxes and empty bottles were scattered throughout the kitchen and the lights had been dimmed.
"Maur! The left, cover the left side!" Jane instructed Maura as she ducked into one of the buildings, chasing after Korsak. Both teams were huddled around the same cluster of buildings, trying to get as many points as possible in the last 30 seconds of the round.
For now, both teams were tied at 74 kills and the first to get to 75 would win. No one spoke and the only sounds coming from the mashing of buttons as the group guided their characters on screen.
One person on one of the teams didn't even see their enemy. With a pull of the left trigger for the scope and then a pull of the right trigger, a flurry of pops sounded and a hail of bullets ended the round. The screen signaling 'Victory' for one team and 'Defeat' for the other.
No one made a sound. They just looked at the screen before turning to look at the victor.
"What?" There was no response for half a second before Frankie jumped up and began cheering, ignoring the still shocked faces of his brother and co-workers.
"That was the greatest comeback I've ever seen. Holy shit that was amazing." The middle sibling plopped back down on the chair he had previously been sitting in. The brunette looked to the blonde.
"You just kicked Frost's ass." She turned to her dark-skinned partner. "Dude, I'm never letting you forget that. Maura just kicked your ass and you didn't even seeing it coming."
Later that night, after the guys had gone home and the kitchen was cleaned up, Jane sat with Maura on the couch.
"Despite the violence, the game was actually kind of fun." the doctor admitted and Jane couldn't help the smile that began creeping across her face. She wound an arm around the smaller woman and pulled her close.
"See, not everything is bad. However, I promise that I'll pick up some of the more 'educational' and fitness based games later. But for now, I just want to relax." she said and reclined further back in her seat, pulling Maura along with her. The blonde went willingly and wound an arm around Jane's middle and nuzzled closer to the detective.
"Maybe I'll play some more so I get better but I think next time I'll play against you." Maura pondered aloud and she felt the vibrations of Jane's chuckle.
"We'll see. You got a little ways to go before you'll be able to beat me."
Neither one remembered falling asleep but that's how Angela Rizzoli found them the next morning; still sleeping and entwined together.
A few weeks later, Jane sat gobsmacked as she stared at the leaderboard. The woman next to her smirked.
"Wha-how the hell? You've been playing, haven't you?" Jane turned to the blonde. Maura shrugged and gave her a coy smile.
"Maybe I have or maybe you've just lost your touch." she teased and couldn't help the satisfaction she felt as Jane growled and manipulated the buttons on the controller.
"It's game on now, Maur." The detective began another round and became determined to reclaim her spot at the top of the leaderboard.
No matter how hard she tried, Dr. Googlemouth remained champion.
A/N: I felt that this story was kinda rushed and it's missing some things but I didn't want to get too technical for those who aren't familiar with the game.
I'm only about rank 13 in MW3 seeing as I don't play it as often as my brother does. (he's already reached max level) and I sympathize with Maura because I get frustrated when I keep getting my ass kicked by those who have good perks, weapons, and specs (but it's mostly skill).
Anyways, this is my first R&I fic so be gentle but criticism is welcomed. Let me know what you think and I'll figure out if I want to dabble more in R&I
Until next time,
SilentDaughter