"Crashing to the surface, my convictions lay bare before the tempest-"

I drowsily open my eyes after hearing my alarm go off. I groaned and slapped the bedside table next to me until the metal tune was quieted.

I heard soft whimpers and felt a tongue lap on my face a few times before feeling the thing's head nestle itself into my neck.

"Ugh….Ranger I'm up dude, I'm up." I complain out loud, sitting myself up in bed.

My little half-chihuahua, half-terrier starts running back and forth on my bed, tail wagging excitedly as he waits for me to get my ass up.

I turn my gaze to my white half-hound, half-lab who gave me a big stretch and placed his paw on my leg, complete with a big "awoo".

I turn my head to my nightstand and see the time reads "8:00".

"Guess it's time to get up, isn't it?" I say out loud to the furry boys.

I shift my way off the bed and the dogs jumped off, excited to stretch their legs and go outside. They sprint out of my room and I groggily roam on after them.

I walked through my living room and to the kitchen, where Recruit and Ranger were impatiently hopping around and waiting for me to open the back door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, geez guys." I chuckle as I slide open the glass door. The two excited boys sprint out into the large backyard, running their hearts out.

I close the door and sigh, walking over to my refrigerator to fetch a water. I take a drink and put the bottle down, checking my phone.

'Several snapchats, nice. Someone posted on Instagram, so interesting…' I think to myself. I scroll through my notifications and absentmindedly walk to a couch I had placed in the middle of my living room.

I turn on my Xbox and TV so I could watch some YouTube on the big screen. I sprawl out on my couch and try to get the attention of my black, long-haired cat that was laying down across the room.

"Mario, pst pst, come up here fucker." I call to the furry cutie.

He meows softly before hopping up onto my chest and nestling down, closing his eyes and purring. I pet him and sigh with a smile.

'I love my boys.' I think to myself. I gaze around the room and realize the place just seems….quiet.

I sit up and let Mario fall of my chest. I put my hand to my head and close my eyes.

'Why in the hell do I feel….lonely? I got all I want right now…right?'

I pull out my phone and flip through my contacts. Sure, everything seems in order but….people are missing. Someone is missing.

"What the actual fuck is happening to me?" I swore out loud, looking around my room like it'd have the answers. My eyes fall onto my desktop computer and I instinctively hopped up and sat in the swivel chair in front of it.

My eyes scanned the screen, scrolling through social media pages and web articles. I felt like I knew I needed answers to something, but I wasn't sure where to find them.

I started to feel this restlessness in my chest, like trying to find a song that you forgot the name of but have the tune stuck in your head.

I searched everywhere for a few moments before groaning in frustration and closing the web browser.

"What the fuck am I looking for?" I complain out loud. I exasperatingly sigh and put my face in my hands.

My thoughts felt like they were building a scene for me but was missing some pieces. Or I guess one important piece.

I open my eyes and saw a blinking orange icon on my screen. Steam was flashing and trying to get my attention for some reason.

I re-opened the minimized app and looked around, eyeing all the notifications from games I had. Nothing really stood out…until my eyes locked onto one title.

'Doki Doki Literature Club'

"Holy fucking shit!" I yell out loud, immediately vaulting out of my chair and charging to my front door. I swung it open and ran outside, my head frantically looking all directions.

"Monika! Monika!" I call out into the world. I look around but see no brunette, hear no calls back. Some bystanders walking down the street turned my direction and gave me weird looks, but that was the only response I got.

I could feel my breathing pick up and stress start to consume my chest.

'Where….where is she!?'

I ran back inside and frantically checked all my rooms. No one else was in the house but me. I paced in my living room and ran my fingers through my hair, trying to think of everything.

'Okay, okay.' I start to think to myself. 'I grabbed her and we both entered the portal thingy….and then….and then….well I don't fucking know! I woke up here!'

I went into my bedroom and searched everything thoroughly, from my closet, under my bed, and hell, even my pillowcase. (This has been a crazy ride, you'll never know where shit is hiding.)

I give a defeated sigh and sit at my desk in the living room once again, scrolling through Doki Doki's properties. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, just the normal files.

I opened up the game and I was greeted with cutesy opening screen. Before I tried to mod the game with that….shit I found, I had to reinstall the game, so it was the opening screen with everybody.

I browsed through the games options and came up empty handed.

I spent the next hour or two playing through the game normally, making sure to name myself 'Christian'. I was hoping for some dialogue that changed or any sort of sign to indicate everything that happened, but nothing seemed off the script.

I closed out the game and flopped down on my couch.

Was it all a dream?

I checked my phone and saw it was Tuesday.

'I don't remember what exact day it was before the whole Doki shit happened but….it HAS to be real, it has to be!'

I spent the rest of the morning searching every source I could find online about DDLC. I started going down the rabbit hole with Dan Salvato, seeing if I could find any sort of information on him or his game. I ended up emailing him, not saying anything too embarrassing or going into detail, just asking if he remembers meeting me.

When the afternoon hit, I decided I needed some fresh air and took my dogs out to a nearby dog park. As I was there, I saw various things that made me think it was Monika. Some had brunette hair, some had white bows, or sometimes I would hear voices that reminisced literally any of the girls.

I only stayed for about an hour before taking the tired puppies back home to rest.

I aimlessly played some games, trying my best to keep my mind empty and focused on my friends who I was playing with. It was obvious to them that my mind clearly was elsewhere but luckily for me, they didn't push too hard.

"Yeah? We'll try to see how far we get next time. See ya later, man." I say to my last remaining friend before we both log off our games.

I sigh and toss my controller to a coffee table I had next to the couch. I yawned and gave a big stretch before checking out the time on a clock I had hanging high up on my wall.

'12:22'

"Damn, it's getting late." I mutter to myself.

I look around and see my animals all laying around, asleep in various parts of the room. The moment I stand up, their eyes shoot open and they sit up, following me around.

"I think it's time to lay down guys."

I walk into the kitchen to get a drink of water and glance outside. Up high in the starry, night sky was the moon shining bright. I sighed defeatedly and put away my water in the refrigerator.

'Maybe….maybe it was all just one, giant fever dream. I just got too into the game again and it just…..gave me one, crazy lucid dream.'

I dragged my feet to my bedroom, flicking off lights on my way.

I opened my door and my pups bounded their way onto my bed, making themselves comfy and staring at me expectantly, waiting for me to turn off the light.

When I laid down, I brought out my phone and searched through my apps one last time.

I got to my photos and took a hesitant look through them. Still didn't have any signs of Monika or any of the others. I wasn't even sure if I took any pictures of them. I locked my phone and laid it on the bedside table next to me.

I laid in the darkness and stared at my ceiling, just listening to the soft snores of my dogs in the room and the occasional rustling of trees outside because of the wind.

'I guess it was all…..my imagination.'

Admitting that to myself, I felt a ping of sadness. I really did get attached to people that don't exist.

I closed my eyes and laid in my cold bed until I eventually feel asleep, my first night in the real world already coming to a close.

…

…..

…..

"How ya doin?" The clerk asks me at the counter.

"Eh, can't complain, I guess. Just restocking on some of the ol' adult fun juice." I respond, trying to sound spiffy.

The guy gives me a pity laugh and I just chuckle with a forced smile, chastising myself on the inside for sounding like an idiot.

"Gotcha, that'll be ten ninety-seven." The man says.

I nod my head and swipe my card. I finish the transaction and take my bag of drinks and leave the convenience store to my car.

I toss the bag in the passenger seat and turn on the ignition. I plug in my phone, picked an album I had stuck in my head and look around me as a song began to play.

It was a beautiful, sunny day. It was midday during a Wednesday, so school was in session. I took some vacation time, well was forced, to take vacation time, so I spent a lot of it relaxing….annnnd by relaxing, I meant gaming and drinking.

There was a school right next to the gas station I was at where kids were outside playing soccer on the connected field.

'Man, I miss simpler times.' I sighed to myself.

I felt my phone ding and I took a peek, seeing a buddy tell me he hopped online to game. I took that as my cue to leave, pulling out of the parking lot and traversing back home.

I parked in my driveway and hopped out, taking my bag of drinks with me. As I locked my car, my eyes fell on the park that was down the street, seeing some kids running around and enjoying the weather.

I winced slightly and closed my eyes to take a deep breath. Every time I see a park, or a school, hell even a damn shopping center…. I just remember them. I remember Her.

It's been about six months since everything happened with the Literature Club. I still was unsure if it was a dream or if Monika actually wasn't able to come through like her doppelganger told me before. Either way, I was here in my own world without them.

'When that time does come, when there's a chance for you to leave…don't lose it because of me'

I shake my head to get her voice out of my head. In the end, I ended up taking my shot and leaving into my world. I left her and her world behind, no matter how many times I try to convince myself otherwise.

She wasn't a part of this world. How would that have worked out anyways? I'd probably get arrested for human trafficking or something.

I wondered if those girls were even aware of what happened in the first place. Did the other girls just restart their lives like nothing happened? Would my Monika even remember what was going on?

I sigh and enter my empty home again, shaking the pointless thoughts out of my head.

My dogs jump up excitedly and pace around me like I've been gone for hours.

"What? What do you want, guys? These are my drinks, not yours." I joke to the hyper pups.

I open my sliding glass door and they run out into the yard. I put away my drinks into the fridge and hear my phone ding again.

'Dude, hurry your ass up! We gotta dunk on some kids!'

I laugh and roll my eyes, trotting to my living room to boot up my system. I sit down with my controller in hand, prepared to spend another day, away from the world, playing my games.

….

"Son of a bitch, bro! Where the fuck did that guy come from? That's freaking ridiculous!" I holler at my screen.

I lean in my seat and start to focus, not wanting to lose the match that me and my friends were in.

My eyes dart all over my screen, drinking in the surroundings and making sure I've covered all sectors before pushing onward.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. I just respawned." I tell to one of my buddies on the mic. "Just don't separate too far from each other, these guys are playing like bitches."

I'm so focused on my game that I didn't even notice the light flicker in my living room.

"Damn, my lights are flickering." Said one of my buddies.

"Dude, mine too, what the hell is going on?" Said another one.

I looked around my room and realized that my lights were flickering too. All of them.

"What the hell…..mine too.." I confusingly say into my mic. I look to my screen just in time to see I've entered the fray again in the game.

"Oh fuck!" I say as I try to focus on the fight. In an instant, my entire house shuts down, leaving me sitting in the dark.

"Oh, come on!" I holler out into the dark. I huff in annoyance and carefully get up, turning on my phone's light function. It was about nine in the evening, so the sun has already gone down.

I maneuver my way to my breaker box that was in my garage. I open the compartment and flick the main switch off and on.

I make my way to the living room and still have no power.

"Dude what the hell is going on.." I mutter to myself.

My phone buzzes in my hand and I look down, seeing one of my friends is calling. I answer and put the phone on speaker.

"Hey dude, your power shut off too?" I immediately ask.

"Yeah man, this shit's crazy. Apparently, all the power went off throughout the neighborhood, but that's it."

I peak out the window, seeing the block is dark with the streetlights being out. Well, almost dark. In the corner of my eye, in the park, I see a faint light illuminating, almost like electricity.

"What the hell…." I mutter to myself.

Out of nowhere, the power once again kicks on, bringing life to the houses and streets. I close my blinds and glance around my room, seeing that everything seems to be in order.

"Well, that was weird. Alright man, guess I'll talk to you in a bit." I say to my buddy, ending the call.

I look at my TV and sigh before sitting down, taking glances to my window.

'What the hell was that light outside?'

I throw on some shoes that were sitting near my door and head outside.

I put my hands in my pockets and walk down the street. There was a full moon out tonight, hanging up high and brightening up the quiet scenery outside. The streetlights ended up coming back on, so it wasn't too dark outside.

I crossed the street and entered the park. It was dimly lit from the moon overhead. Trees were laid along the perimeter with playground equipment taking up a majority of the middle of the park. There were several swing sets lined up in between the trees and the equipment.

By the swings I saw a faint, ethereal glow emanating slightly from a spot on the ground. I cautiously approached the spot, unsure of what it actually was. It seemed to be a soft glow, almost like the aftermath of a strike.

As I reached the area, the glow faded, leaving a blank spot before me. I glanced around me, seeing no other changes.

"What the hell…?" I mutter to myself.

I hear the slight movement of chains next to me and my jerk my head, seeing the swing set. I squint in and see a silhouette of a person sitting in one of the seats, gently swaying with its back to me.

The individual seems have been a girl, the only evidence I had of it was her long hair that reached her lower back, swaying from side to side.

I tried to back away slowly, but fate decided that it was time to make all of the leaves and sticks in the world crunchy as hell. My feet stepped and broke a stick, the snap weirdly echoing in the park.

The girl stopped swaying a sat still for a moment.

'Fucking Christ, this is going to be awkward,' I inwardly swore to myself.

She turned her head as if she was listening for me.

"Er-sorry, I didn't mean to bother you or whatever. I was just taking a walk." I awkwardly say, trying to not sound like a creep.

There was silence for a moment, which made me feel even more awkward. The girl finally spoke after sitting still.

"You know, it was kind of mean to keep me waiting. After all, I don't really know my way around the area." She sweetly says, making me freeze in my tracks.

'Wait, no fucking way..' My mind breaks trying to interpret what I heard.

The girl hops on the swing and twirls around, stepping towards me. She steps into the moonlight, her green eyes twinkling and glossy as they stared at me, her brunette hair swaying from each step she took. She had on a rose-colored t-shirt, with a green jacket over it. She had dark blue jeans on that stopped at her feet, which were complete with black tennis shoes.

I stood frozen in place, unsure if I could move.

"M-Monika?" I squeak out of my mouth.

She broke out into a grin and leaped at me, tackling me to the ground. I landed on my rear while she straddled my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck and clinging onto me like I was the last thing on Earth. I wrapped arms around her to reciprocate and buried my face into her head.

Her hair still had a sweet smell to it, giving me a rush of memories from months ago.

"What….how…." I tried to ask but my words kept getting stuck in my throat.

She pulled away from squeezing me to death and held my face in her hands, staring deep into my eyes. She leaned in and kissed me with enough force to bruise my lips for weeks. I held on tightly as I kissed her back, feeling pure euphoria sweep through me.

She pulled away and caressed my face, staring at me with the biggest grin on her face.

"I finally made it." She said softly.

I resituated myself so I could sit more comfortably while still holding her in my lap.

"What happened? Like…why did it take so long? Why now?" I ask, stuttering over myself as I try to get my words out.

She sighed happily.

"Honestly…I'm not sure. Maybe because of the fact that I wasn't a literal entity in your world, it took time to make sure I could thrive here I guess." She softly tells me.

I took her hand in mine and squeeze it, turning it over and seeing how real she was.

"But…did you know you were waiting?" I ask, confused.

"Kind of. It kind of was just….lonely. I just waited until I realized there was a weird doorway like the one we went through before. Next thing I knew, I was here."

'Well, I guess that explains the weird power outage. Must've been a weird shockwave or something.'

She sighed and continued to talk, breaking my thoughts.

"It was similar to that weird space we were at before, with all the…girls…" She paused for a moment. I squeezed her hand softly.

She leaned in and hugged me tightly again.

"I miss them. I miss them all. I've thought about everything every single day since then and it still….it all still haunts me, dealing with that….other version of me…"

She faulters and quiets herself, breathing lightly on my skin.

"Trust me, I feel the same…I mean I know I didn't know them as long, but I still cared."

We fell silent, just holding eachother. Turns out she came through the tear with me all along, I just had to wait for the right time.

I shifted her off me and hopped up on my feet, grabbing her hand and pulling her up.

"Come on, it's late. Let's go home."

Her face brightened once again.

"Taking me home already? Moving a little fast, are we?" She teases, smirking in the process.

I roll my eyes and smile, grabbing her hand and guiding her back through the park to my home.

We walked through the front door, kicking off our shoes at the entrance. She stared in awe as she walked around, letting everything sink in. I gave her a quick tour of the whereabouts of my home.

"Wow, so this is what your place looks like. Seems a little lonely, doesn't it?" She jokes at me while we enter my living room.

"Oh shush, it's just me here anyways." I chuckle at her.

The sound of collars jingling steals her attention as my dogs run up to her.

"Oh my gosh, you got freaking dogs!?" She squeals, planting on her knees and reveling in the love and attention she was getting.

"And a cat. He likes love too, just not as ecstatic about it." I point out to her, though I'm not sure she heard me. I think my dogs already replaced me.

She continues to love on my animals while I pick up my place a little bit. I wasn't really expecting to have anyone over, especially not her, so it definitely wasn't the cleanest place.

I finish cleaning up and leaned against the doorway connecting the kitchen with the living room. Monika was just laying on my carpet next to my dogs, content with their existence.

"Hey there, little missy. Want me to throw on a movie or someshit for us? Relax a little bit?" I ask her.

She perks up, sitting up.

"We can! Orrrr….."

She vaults up and strides up to me slowly.

"….we could go lay down and um…catch up…" She gives me a mischievous smile, running her finger along my chest. "….besides, we're in the real world now. There's a lot we need to discuss…"

I feel my arousal start to grow and I clear my throat to keep myself in control.

"You haven't even gotten to know me first." I tease at her.

She playfully rolls her eyes and grabs my hand, yanking me to my room.

"Oh, shut up. I've been waiting forever for this."

I follow her into my room, closing my door behind us to keep out some furry lovers who would ruin the moment.

…

She sighs happily in my arms and leans back into me. I nuzzle my head onto hers and deliver a kiss to her temple.

"I must say….I don't know. I don't get laid a lot, so I don't have a frame of reference for how amazing that was." I tell her.

She bust out laughing and softly slaps me.

"Hey, idiot! You can just say you're happy, love me, and it was great."

I chuckle and squeeze her tight.

"Okay, okay fine. Let me try again." I clear my throat dramatically. "Ahem. Wow, Monika! That was the best thing ever! I am sooooo super happy and I love you soooo super-duper much!" I say, raising my voice a few octaves.

She delivers a few more soft slaps to me. I laugh, kissing her temple and cheek a bunch of times.

She wraps her legs with mine and takes hold of hand, intertwining her fingers with mine.

"You know, you did keep your promise." She says softly to me. "You brought me with you and still haven't changed a bit after waiting all this time."

"Yeah, I guess I did. I'm glad I was able to."

She leans farther back into me and I nuzzle my had into her head, closing my eyes.

"I'm excited to start….us. It's going to take some time adapting to this place, but I can't imagine it will be much different.

"Well, hopefully it won't be too bad. We'll probably just wing it as we go. I seem to be good at that." I say softly to her.

She giggles as me and sighs. She stays silent for a moment. I thought maybe she dozed off until she softly pipes up.

"Thank you, Christian…"

I opened my eyes.

"You're welcome. But for research purposes…..why are you thanking me?"

She traces one of her fingers along my arm, making it tickle.

"Thank you for saving me, silly. For loving me. I did tell you I would try my best to get you, and now I officially have."

She brought my hand up and gave it a soft kiss.

I smiled and closed my eyes again.

"Well of course. I guess I could thank you too. I'm not exactly the most social person, so somehow having you here in my world kind of makes everything….perfect."

She sighs happily and I can sense her closing her eyes.

"Of course, darling. I love you. I'm ready to start my life with you, in Your Reality."

…

A/N:

Well... I think I did it! I finished my first story I've ever written. I have been writing this since October of last year and over the course of the last 7 months, I realized that I started to stray from how the story originally started. I just kind of went with what I had on my mind at the time and I think it worked out okay. I think I might write some more stuff, so uhhh…...yeah! Hope you enjoyed :)