"You idiot! We should be focused on the Grail! Not some stupid videogame!" Waver snapped at Rider. Rider, however, remained focused on the TV, eyes locked on the screen. Despite his huge size, his fingers moved nimbly around the controller. Waver could only stare at him in disbelief. They had a war to win! Now was not the time for videogames! But before he could speak again, Rider cut him off.
"Given the current state of the country, there isn't much we can do right now," he said. Not too long ago, China suffered an outbreak. The virus had since spread across the globe, and now Japan was on lockdown. Fuyuki City was especially harsh, enforcing quarantine so strictly that anyone caught outside without a very good reason ran the risk of being arrested. That made searching for the Grail even harder than it already was.
"But the war isn't just going to stop!" Waver tried to insist. "Even if the rest of the world puts itself on hold, the war will continue! We should use this time to get ahead!" he cried, but Rider was quick to refute him.
"Remember, boy, it's not just you and I who are trapped indoors. All the other masters and servants will be stuck inside as well. And I don't think any of them would risk breaking quarantine just on the off-chance they gain something from their explorations."
"What makes you so sure?" Waver challenged.
"Well, with everyone obeying quarantine, a master trying to scout the streets would stick out like a sore thumb. Secondly, even if we are sitting targets, the odds are still low of any master trying to find us, let alone succeeding. This is our home territory, after all. It's where we are strongest!"
Waver sighed angrily. As much as he hated to admit it, Rider was right.
"So come, boy, sit beside me and join me!" Rider gestured to the second game controller.
"No way, absolutely not," Waver scoffed, but a minute later, he was seated right beside Rider.
"It shall be as it always has been, a mighty master-servant duo whose epic deeds will echo across time! Our legacy shall never tarnish!"
"Oh, just shut up and start the game!"
Before either of them knew it, several hours had passed, both Rider and Waver completely immersed in the videogame.
"Aha!" Rider bellowed as he and Waver killed a boss. "Truly a mighty and noble battle, worthy of the King of Conquerors!" He raised a giant fist while Waver only rolled his eyes. As fun as the game was, Rider's over-the-top commentary was more than a little annoying.
"It's just a stupid videogame," Waver grumbled, but once again, Rider only refuted him with a cheerful smile.
"Nonsense, my boy! Even if this is only virtual reality, it can still make certain realities virtual! It trains the mind and reflexes! It trains you in strategy! And most importantly, it's a good bonding activity!"
"Now I know you're insane," Waver snorted, but Rider only continued with his passionate speech.
"If these glorious devices had existed back in my time, I surely would've used them to help train my army! Perhaps you can't gain muscle this way, but the mental and emotional gains should not be overlooked! Especially in games where teamwork is integral to the plot! Nothing can simulate the bonding of brothers better than a tool like this!" Rider gestured grandly to the TV as if it were the Holy Grail itself.
"You can't be serious!" Waver almost seemed to be begging, as if hoping Rider wasn't really that naive and dense.
"I am completely serious!" Rider swore. "Why, even just playing these games with you helps me feel closer to you! It is almost as fine as riding into battle with you! It makes me proud to be your servant! And it makes me even happier to call you my friend!"
While Rider gave Waver another smile, even adding a thumbs up, Waver was left speechless. Friend? Although Waver instantly berated himself for the emotions he was starting to feel, he could not deny that hearing Rider call him a friend made him feel really good… It made him feel warm and soft and embarrassed and protected. Friend…Waver was suddenly aware of a stinging in his eyes and a tightness in his chest…
Waver had been friendless for a very long time, choosing books over people. Even though it was a path he willingly took, that didn't make it less lonely. Instead, it only made him a social pariah, and that, in turn, made him bitter, rude and harsh. Then, in a vicious cycle, his short temper would push people away even faster, which would reinforce his feelings of loneliness and social isolation. So to have Rider call him a friend, it brought up feelings he'd never felt before…
The pair continued playing videogames long into the night. The two shared much softer conversations now that Waver's "grandparents" were asleep. Somewhere along the way, Waver found himself admitting a few things to Rider, including his rather lonely history.
"I've just never been one for friendships, or anything like that," he muttered. It felt good to finally say it, but another part of his brain was berating him for being so weak. For once, though, Waver ignored that side of his brain and kept talking.
"And you never had any interest in romance either?" Rider asked, sensing that this was something else Waver secretly wanted to talk about.
"I don't think so," Waver replied. "I've never been attracted to anyone before."
"Hmmm, what a lonely life," Rider sounded genuinely empathetic.
"Hey! I don't need your pity!" For just a second, a flash of real anger filled Waver's face, but just like always, Rider was unshaken.
"If you're living a loveless life, boy, then you need far more than my pity," he said. Classic Rider. Even though he tolerated Waver's insults, he never held back on saying what he thought needed to be said.
"There is nothing more important in life than love, boy. And I'm not just talking about romantic. I mean any type, be it between family, friends or brothers in arms. Love is a powerful force that drives people to live and die for each other. It's what allows us to do things we never thought we could. Love led me to conquer the world. Love led my army. Love was going to carry us to Oceanus…
"Perhaps it sounds foolish to you," Rider shot Waver a small, dry, knowing smile. "But that's because most people are simpleminded. They underestimate the power of love, write it off as something frivolous and delicate, but the truth is, real love is much more powerful. Real love can move mountains. When tempered and channeled properly, love can be as mighty as any sword or shield.
"It's like what I told you once before, boy, a king's duty is to be a symbol to his people, a personification of possibility itself. The highest honor of any king is to inspire others to follow in his footsteps. That is the true key to success and immortality. A hero is not made alone, a hero is made up of the world around him. He is shaped by the people he knows, by the things he loves… Love is what drives him forward, always."
As Rider continued to speak about love, Waver finally understood why he held Saber in such contempt. Strong as she was, she believed that a king had to be separate from her people. It was her duty to bear the burden alone. But to Rider, if any notion was foolish, that was it. He had never liked senseless, selfish sacrifice. Martyr complexes were not a good look on anyone, especially a king. A true king did not dabble in such airheaded, ignorant, idealistic fantasies. A true king understood the impact he had on his people, and acted accordingly. He was not above the people, but of them. And even in silly little videogames, Rider could find this lesson. Now, he was trying to teach Waver the same.
There were days when Rider, himself, wondered if Waver would've been better off with another servant. After all, he and Saber were very alike: stubbornly devout to their idealistic and selfish causes, insisting that they were better off alone, suffering from martyr complexes and much too prideful to listen to anyone other than themselves.
But as fate would have it, Rider was the one who'd been paired with Waver. Because of that, even if Waver had no faith in Rider, Rider had faith in him, and their bond. And maybe they were well-matched, even if it didn't seem so. Yes, they were total opposites, but that meant they could balance one another out. Besides, for one as repressed and distant as Waver, there was no better companion than the friendly, wise, patient Rider.
"We were simply meant to be, as fate declared it!" Rider concluded.
"Gross," Waver deadpanned. He knew Rider meant nothing romantic, but the way he'd phrased it could've been misconstrued.
"Well, boy, whether you find it disgusting or not, you are still my master and I am your servant. Who are we to argue? If anything, I am grateful, for I believe that fate could have offered me no better master or friend than you," the giant of a man wrapped a massive arm around Waver.
"Ooof!" Waver gasped as all the air was crushed out of him.
But even as Waver struggled to escape Rider's unintentional death-grip, humiliated by the embrace, that warm feeling started to rise up in his chest again. Half of him was repulsed, but the other wanted to revel in the hug forever. It was a rare day for him to find someone who loved him so completely, fiercely and endlessly. Foreign as it was to Waver, it was also very enticing. Even though a part of him was indeed frightened and disgusted by these new feelings, a growing side of him was curious enough to just let it happen.
The pair spent the rest of the night gaming. Even though their talk returned to shallower waters, the depth of their earlier conversation would never be forgotten. Likewise, by morning, even though quarantine was still in place, Waver felt happier than he had in years. Rider's words about love were still echoing in his mind. Was he starting to believe them? Maybe. What a strange world he lived in… Sometimes, it didn't even feel like reality! It felt altered, virtual. Life was just so crazy compared to what it used to be.
But then Waver was reminded of something else that Rider had told him the previous night. Even if it was a virtual reality, that didn't mean it couldn't influence their reality. In virtual reality, anything felt possible, and what they were living in right now certainly felt like a virtual reality. So maybe that was why things had been so crazy and weird of late. And maybe they could get even crazier still… Maybe anything was possible…
Waver's train of thought trailed off as he turned to look at Rider. Maybe it was time for Waver to have the same amount of faith in Rider that Rider had in him.
AN: For Penguinlove611! You rock and I hope you enjoyed it!