DDLC: Our Time

Chapter 12: Video Games

Alex sat down in his rolling chair, leaning to the side and resting his weight down on one of the chair arms. With a controller in his hands and his eyes fixed on the TV, he was feeling pretty relaxed. That's when Monika came into the room, looking around oddly.

"Hey." She greeted him. Alex looked up at her.

"Hey, Moni. Come on in. Have a seat." He invited her with a smile before returning to his game. Monika walked to his desk and pulled a chair out, sliding it next to Alex's chair and sitting down.

"How come we're just here in your room this time? I thought you'd wanna meet up in the club again." She said.

"Eh, I'm not feeling it right now. I haven't been able to think of anymore scenarios, at least for right now. Definitely nothing club related. So I thought we could chill, switch things up for the next chapter or two. You know?" He explained casually.

"I understand. I don't mind that. We haven't really had a chance to just hang out," Monika pointed out. "Not since our little date/house tour two chapters ago."

"Which translates to like a month in real time." Alex pointed out with a chuckle.

"Ahaha, it's okay. I don't mind the wait. I just like knowing that we'll get the chance to spend time together again." She said with a smile.

"Of course. You know I'll always make time for you sooner or later." Alex said sincerely.

"Mhmm," Monika smiled happily. "So, whatcha doing?"

"Just gaming."

"What game?"

"I got these old Batman games not too long ago, so that's what I've been on lately." Alex answered. Monika giggled a little.

"Batman? You sure do love your superhero stuff, huh?" She pointed out.

"Heheh, yeah." Alex chuckled, adjusting how he was sitting in his chair. Monika leaned on the arm of his chair, watching him as he played the game.

"Who would you say is your favorite superhero?" She asked curiously.

"Spider-Man." Alex answered right away.

"That was a fast answer!" Monika pointed out with a laugh.

"Heheh, it's always been Spider-Man. Ever since I was a kid, it was Spider-Man." He said.

"Aww that's cool."

"What about you? Who's your favorite?" He asked her.

"Me? I've never thought about it before. I would have to do some research." She said.

"Hmm, that's fair." Alex nodded.

"Why is Spider-Man your favorite?" She asked curiously.

"Heheh, because he's really cool. He's got cool powers, a great story, interesting themes. He's just a really well-rounded, fun character." Alex described. Monika nodded and smiled.

"That sounds nice. I've never really thought about the literary themes of superhero stories before. Usually what comes to mind when you think of superheroes is them punching the bad guy, you know?" She described with a chuckle.

"Heheh, yeah. Well that's always part of it," Alex agreed jokingly. "But a good story is always at the heart of any and every superhero adventure; at least the quality ones."

"Never thought about it. Maybe we can have a movie night and watch a superhero movie." She suggested with a smile.

"That'd be nice," Alex agreed with a smile. "I'll have to pick one then."

"Can't wait." Monika said, resting her head down on his arm. Alex reached up and patted her head before continuing his game.

For awhile, she silently watched as Alex played the game, gliding around as Batman and beating up enemies in groups of 7-8 people at a time. It was surprisingly intense and a little brutal. These sort of things are what Monika always thought of when it came to superheroes, so that's why she'd never gotten into them before.

"Man, do you think you've broken enough arms and legs there?" She joked. Alex laughed at this.

"Look, I'm just tryna take 'em out quickly. It's not my fault they made every instant takedown the 'break a bone' button." He giggled.

"Jeez. And Batman's a superhero too, right?" She asked.

"Yeah. Batman's a more intense hero than Spider-Man for sure. Sometimes it's kinda funny how intense he is."

"I guess I just gotta understand more to get into this stuff. I don't even know how you're getting through all of this smoothly," Monika giggled. "I'm just watching."

"Haha, it's all about practice. Just like anything else."

"Yeah. Why do you like video games so much?" Monika asked curiously.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Alex asked, looking at her strangely.

"I'm not judging your interests or anything! I'm just curious! I wanna know what makes them appeal to you." Monika clarified.

"Oh...I mean, they're entertaining. They get my mind off stuff. I like a good story-driven game because they're like immersive, playable movies, if that makes sense. I get really into it." Alex answered.

"Does it get you feeling like you're the one doing all that stuff?" Monika asked curiously.

"Heheh, I would say sometimes. Depends on the game. Definitely the Spider-Man games get me feeling like that." Alex chuckled.

"There's Spider-Man again." She pointed out with a teasing giggle.

"Whatever man." Alex chuckled, blushing and smiling.

"I think it's really cute. I can see how an experience like that would be appealing. I'm glad that you have stuff like that to help you decompress and relax." She said with a smile.

"Yeah, it's good. You wanna try?" Alex asked with a chuckle, offering the controller to her. She quickly held her hand up and pushed it back towards him.

"Haha nooo thank you. I don't think I would be very good."

"I can start a new game for you if you want." Alex offered with a chuckle, looking at her.

"It's fine! I'm fine just watching you play." She said, smiling up at him.

"I definitely don't mind that." Alex said. Monika leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

It was funny to her; even with something that didn't interest her, Alex found a way to make her want to like it. It was just another way to get to know him better and spend time with him. Watching him complete missions, get frustrated at obstacles only to eventually overcome them.

It was all very cute and endearing to her...