Disclaimer: I enjoyed the Ready Player One movie, but I nowhere near own it.
Story: Life outside the Oasis was horrible and no one knows that better than Wade. So if she found solace in a jerk like Nolan Sorrento, that's her luck. Nolan just finds himself caught up on her, even if it may come time to choose between her and IOI.
Set as an AU genderbending fic.
Spoilers: Yes, definitely for the movie, but I have started to slip in stuff from the book.
Warnings: Age disparity, cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…
Pairings: Nolan Sorrento/Wade Watts

The Cigarette Duet
Chapter Five: Is It Worth It?

When she calmed down, she felt embarrassed and didn't want to lift her head away from his chest. Though she no longer felt the need to cry, her face was burning up from the embarrassment of suddenly breaking down on him.

"I'm sorry," she muttered.

She felt his hand rub the back of her head. "It's okay," she heard him say. "I…I haven't comforted someone in a long time. I thought I'd forgotten how."

Wade instinctively bent her head back, looking at him in surprise. Nolan gave her a sardonic smile. "Did I fuck up?"

She shook her head and surged forward, kissing him because she wanted to somehow convey how grateful she was.

"Do you want to go out, do something different?" he asked her quietly. "We can get more drinks, find something to do…there's karaoke around the corner…"

"Could you hold me?" she managed to ask him and though he quieted down, he wrapped his arms more around her.

It was comfortable and warm in his arms, and she was content with just this.

When Wade sat in front of the keyboard, she thought about that night and tried to think of what she wanted to say. It had been a few weeks since then and she'd finally decided to give that blog idea a try. But though she wanted to write about her gunting, she also wanted to write about her feelings and her life. She was hoping it would help her let off some steam and maybe express herself a little more freely.

She snorted. If anything, this might turn out to be more like a diary log.

"Ugh, what am I doing?" She rubbed her palms against her forehead. "This is stupid."

You should start your own blog then.

Lacero had been the one to suggest that to her. As far as he was concerned, she knew he didn't just say those kind of things lightly

Don't be ridiculous. I think you're very witty and funny, and it'll translate great into writing. Our conversations are proof of that. Your blog will be entertaining. I'll be your first subscriber.

Well, at the very least, he was going to be her first subscriber. Even if he was the only one, that'd be fine with her. In the end, he was the only one who mattered. Wade took a deep breath and began to type.

Hey! My name's Wade and this is my very first entry.

Geez. That sounds super awkward, guys. Truth is, I'm an awkward kind of girl actually. But you know, just lately I was thinking that's actually okay and someone helped me realized that and comforted me, even when I was being such a downer and he could have anyone else…

If she continued on regardless of what she was feeling about what she was writing, then all she had to think about was Lacero.

And that night.

When she finally published the entry, it was like a load off her shoulders and she actually felt relieved. And when a few minutes just passed after and she saw the notification, she laughed and couldn't help the wide smile spreading across her lips.

You have 1 new subscriber.

Later, at Aech's workshop, Wade was still in a good mood. She was smiling cheerfully and hummed as she helped Aech out on working on some customer's car.

"Looks like my girl is in a good mood," Aech teased. A giggle slipped past Wade's lips. "Oh, now I need to know what's up. Come on, Z! Guuuurl, I know you've been keeping something on the down low."

Wade thought about it. Aech was her best friend and she could literally just tell him about anything. She could trust him with something like this, even though it concerned a certain someone and what exactly they were doing.

"You promise not to freak out or tell anyone about it?" she asked him hesitantly.

Aech gave her a look. "Z, you are my girl. I ain't ever gonna go behind your back on anything because I'll always have your back. You got that?"

Wade bit her lip, fiddling with the wrench in her hands. "The thing is…some weeks ago, I was wandering around and I ended up walking into one of the Red A areas."

Aech reeled back. "You did? Did someone bother you or-or —"

"I was fine," she reassured him. "I was caught off guard since I wasn't paying attention, but nothing bad happened. I just…I ran into Nolan Sorrento," she finally confessed, though she left out exactly where she'd been and what she'd been looking at and contemplating.

Aech slowly sat down near her, clearly shocked. "Sorrento? For real?" he asked in disbelief. "What was that like? Did he act like an asshole to you?" It looked like he didn't know what to think of her running into Nolan. And that was just running into him. Wade wondered how he'd act once she told him what was going on?

"He asked if I was lost," Wade said sheepishly. "I don't know why, but I said no. Then he asked me out for drinks, since there was a bar behind him."

Aech blinked at her. "He did what?"

Wade coughed. "Yeah, he basically asked me out on the spot. We went over to the bar and since I didn't know what to drink, he ordered me something."

"Of course he did," Aech rolled his eyes. "Like you would know what to drink."

"Hey! I'm just not a drinker," Wade pouted, though she had to remember not to reveal anything about her age. "Anyway, after we got our drinks, he led me over to somewhere more private there and he more or less let me know that he was interested in me."

"Interested?" Aech croaked out, looking at her in more disbelief.

Wade blushed. "Interested. Really interested."

He stared at her and she kind of wanted to cover her face. Talking about it was actually turning out to be embarrassing!

"He asked if he was intimidating me and I said a bit. Then he asked if he was too scary to spend the night with," Wade shrugged helplessly. "I don't know why I answered no to that either, but ever since, he's been asking to meet up with me every night and we've been seeing each other every night since."

Aech's jaw dropped. "You're…sleeping together? How long has this been going on?"

"Um…I guess around four…four to five weeks?" she estimated.

"That's been some time," Aech whistled, starting to look at her in awe. "Z, you realize you've been sleeping around with the Nolan Sorrento, right? No matter what way you look at it, that's pretty impressive. Like holy crap! Nolan Sorrento?! I mean, damn!"

She grew pretty flustered.

"That's like the big, bad boss himself, Z," he whistled. "If you were a guy, I'd say you had huge balls to accomplish that. That's like one name to hold up and be smug about having as a conquest."

Wade's blush grew darker. Honestly, she hadn't really thought about it like that. She knew that it would be a big deal because it was Nolan and because of who he was and his reputation, but she hadn't thought those reasons would also be made a big deal of as some sort of accomplishment that she should be bragging about or something. Was it a guy thing?

"Still, it is Sorrento though," Aech shook his head. "It's surprising too that he'd be with anyone or show interest in anyone, and with that that you'd managed to capture his interest. He doesn't seem the relationship type either."

"It's not a relationship," she said quickly. "It's…just sex."

Aech blinked before looking at her closely, making her flustered again. "Yeah? A month's a long time to just be sleeping together, without some sort of attachment."

Wade didn't have an answer to that.

He frowned. "Like I asked before, though this time concerning your relationship, is he an asshole to you? Does he treat you right? Does he hurt you at all? And not in a good way," he gave her a look.

Wade shook her head hurriedly, giving him a glare. But concerning most of what he said…

"He's actually not that much of a jerk, at least to me," she said. "He's…he's a good guy to me. Like in the beginning, you know? I was in one of those moods," she knew Aech knew what she was talking about, even if he didn't know why she got into those moods, "and he could tell I was off. He didn't bring me straight to our room and instead led me to this cafe that he goes to a lot, that's right across from his work? He let me know that it's one of the places he frequents and he could have privacy, and he treated me to dinner and dessert there. Then when we finally went to the room, he just held me and I felt really comfortable like that. I was…He made me feel really…content." She got lost in thought for a moment, remembering back on that fondly and smiling a little.

"Is that so?" Aech murmured and she came back to the present, seeing him watching her. "Sounds like he's not all so bad, at least in private."

"No, he isn't," she said firmly, finding herself oddly ready to defend Nolan.

"It's not a romantic relationship," though Aech sounded doubtful, "but it's something. I don't think it's just sex," he folded his arms across his chest. "At least not for you."

Which made her flinch. "Maybe not," she reluctantly admitted, trying not to think of the way Nolan sometimes made her heart race or how she really liked being around him. "But we are just sleeping together and it isn't anything more. We're not boyfriend or girlfriend or anything, but we are good friends, I'd like to think."

And they were. They got along and though they had sex, they'd moved above acquaintances and were close enough to enjoy being around each other and talk or whatever.

"Sooo…fuck buddies? Friends with benefits?" Aech raised an eyebrow and smirked, and Wade threw her hands up.

"Aech!"

Still, she missed the thoughtful look he sent her way, even as she wondered why she didn't mention Lacero at all…

Nolan was on the phone, glad that the other wasn't insisting on a holocall. He wanted to get this over with so that he could contact Wade. Knowing it was the weekend, contacting each other was a bit inconsistent. He hadn't given her his friend code, being that it was connected to his regular profile and username, and he hadn't yet let her in on the fact he was Nolan Sorrento. Being Lacero to her was something he didn't want to give up yet, especially how freeing and relieving it felt to be someone else than who he was.

"Sir?" One of his secretaries knocked on the door and peeked her head in. "There's a man insisting to see you."

He blinked. This…was different. Not something totally unexpected, since on the occasion he had people wanting to see him and yell about IOI or beg for a job (or whatever comes up). It's been a while though, and it wasn't an event that happened often either.

"Did he leave a name?" Nolan asked in boredom, already turning away and focusing on his computer to see if Wade had found something to log onto so they could talk.

"I believe he called himself Aech."

Nolan paused, frowning to himself. He knew that name. Aech was a known individual in the OASIS as being one of the highest ranked PvP competitors, particularly in the Deathmatch league and the Capture the Flag league. He was also well known as a builder and repair mechanic, that many paid great money to for all sorts of builds and fixes.

"Bring him in," Nolan told his secretary, now intrigued. If he scored Aech for the company, then it would be a big deal, especially with the man's reputation and skills.

His secretary nodded and closed his door and not too long after, his office door opened to let in a tall dark-haired man, whose face was set in a serious, frowning expression. The frown deepened while dark brown eyes narrowed at the sight of Nolan. He was tempted to raise an eyebrow back, only somewhat surprised by the vaguely negative reaction of the other. He knew he had a bad rep after all.

"Mr. Sorrento," Aech greeted solemnly.

Nolan stood up and plastered on a polite smile. He was a businessman; he could act as warmly and professionally as he would in other business manners, no matter the negative vibes and how he was actually feeling. Whatever this guy's problem with him, Nolan was determined he could win him over, even if just enough to get him to work for IOI.

"Mr. Aech, welcome to my office in the OASIS. It's good to finally meet you in person!"

"I'm not interested in your spiel," Aech deadpanned and Nolan's mouth twitched. He was just about to start counting to five in his head, when what the other said next had him mentally stumbling. "I'm here about Parzival."

Nolan stared at him numbly, trying to process what he just heard.

"So…you know her," Nolan frowned. "How do you know her?" he asked, jealousy seeping into his words unbidden.

"I'm her best friend," Aech sounded amused, watching him curiously now. "To be honest, coming here was a bit of a sudden thing. She told me about you and your guys' relationship just an hour ago, so after she'd left, I thought I'd hunt you down."

"Oh yeah? What for?" Nolan asked, smirking while inwardly thoughts were racing a mile a minute. Parzival had talked about them. That was…unexpected. The two of them had never specified over any secrecy or not, and while Nolan didn't actually mind it, he just hadn't thought she'd want to talk about it or them. He wanted to laugh at the odd giddy feeling that came over him because she had.

"She's under the impression it's just sex, you know," Aech's voice broke through his thoughts, making him startle back into the present with first surprise before disgruntlement took over. "She likes you, I can tell," the other added on, which made Nolan feel better, "but she's pretty certain that while you guys get along and can even be friends, that you two are more or less friends with benefits. I came to hunt you down to give you the shovel talk and make sure you don't hurt her, but I'm also pretty sure that I ended up coming here to enlighten you on her instead."

Nolan stared at the other. "The fuck? Are you serious?" She didn't really think that, did she?

But Aech just planted a hand on his hip and pursed his lips, tilting his head to the side as he watched Nolan expectantly. He noted that.

Nolan ran a hand through his hair, suddenly wanting to get out of the OASIS and just have an actual drink in the real world. Like a real glass of something that he could knock back. He took a deep breath.

"It may not be clear to her…I may not be clear to her," he looked at Aech closely, dead serious then. "But I do care about her, even if I don't give a shit about most people. She's…like my drug of choice."

Fuck if he secretly claimed that Wade was his personal poison.

He rubbed his face harshly before looking at Aech. "Look, if all you wanted to know was if I was capable of hurting her, that's a fuck no. And while I thank you for the epiphany as well, I can assure you that I'll do my best to see to it that Parzival will understand things soon enough. So if that's all then goodbye."

Aech huffed, but didn't seem too deterred. He was in fact more amused than ever.

"Alright, though I'm surprised your jealousy from earlier didn't last long," Aech prodded, slowly walking backward to the doors. "I figure you'd hate the idea of her having a male best friend."

"Yeah?" Nolan drawled. "Probably because you're either gay or you're actually female. I'm leaning towards female just by gut instinct."

"What?" Aech stopped in his tracks, looking uneasy. "How'd you figure that?"

"Like I said, instinct," he shrugged. "My gut is saying you're female and I usually trust it. And I came to those choices anyway, because you were giving off a few clues, so it has to be something like that."

Aech blinked at him before saying, "Huh." The male avatar sort of shuffled his feet before sighing. "It's both," Aech finally said. "I'm female and gay."

Ah. So Nolan had been spot on either way.

"Don't tell her, okay?" she bit her lip. "Z doesn't know."

Nolan nodded agreeably. "You're a good friend and it's none of my business. Though I do suggest you tell her —you know she wouldn't have any problems."

Aech's lips twitched up. "Yeah, I know." She turned from him and started to walk to the exit again. "See you around, Sorrento. If you're sticking with her, I have a feeling I'll be seeing you around more."

Nolan made a noncommittal sound, watching the other leave thoughtfully.

That had been an enlightening talk. Though he had had expectations of hiring a famous player, instead he had gotten something more valuable to him. The idea of Parzival not feeling secure in their relationship was unacceptable and something he needed to correct right away. He did care about her, as much as he cared about Wade —

There was a notification that popped up, as well as the sound of a beep to accompany that. He saw that Wade had logged on and he was quick to type in a hello.

Nolan had to admit it to himself. He adored Wade as much as he did Parzival. Parzival was enticing and most of the time confident and even seductive. Wade was sweet and funny, and truthfully the first actual friend he had.

He wasn't under any delusions. He wasn't a nice person, he was abrasive, and most people avoided him for a reason. He was lucky and amazed to have somehow gotten Wade as a friend, and he was as addicted to their talks as he was to his nights with Parzival. As platonic as things were with Wade (though a darker side of him whispered too many temptations), he knew it was important and non-negotiable that he was able to keep in contact with her. He was pretty sure he'd go mad if he continued on with his life the way it was, without having her to make it less torturous.

Hey, how are you? I see you finally started your blog.

He was sure that the long pause was her getting all flustered and embarrassed. Poor girl was as insecure as he was cocky and egotistical.

Wade3: I did. I remembered what you said and I thought it didn't matter who else was reading, 'cause only you mattered. Um, did you read it yet?

Nolan had. It was, like he thought she would be, amusing and even adorable. He'd wanted to start in on teasing her mercilessly right then, but he also remembered what she'd been talking about in her entry.

Who the hell was this guy she'd mentioned, that had comforted her and had been so important to have had such an effect on her? He would have wanted to comfort her if only she'd come to him and let him know! If only they could contact each other more easily…

And anyone would be lucky to have her. He knew he would've been, and he knew he was lucky to be able to have her as an acquaintance, much less a friend.

Lacero: I did. You were cute~

Wade3: Stop teasing, you jerk!

She probably had a red face right now. It made him smile, though it easily became a smirk.

Lacero: But you make it oh so easy. How much do I have to bet to know your face is probably bright red?

Wade3: Sometimes I wonder why I'm friends with you ;P

Nolan wondered too. Like he said, he was a lucky bastard.

I don't know either, but I'm happy you are.

She really did make him too fucking honest. He swore that Wade just had the ability to make him spill his guts or something. It made him a little uneasy, knowing that…

But it reminded him of this mystery guy of hers, and he scowled heavily and wished he could somehow be more accessible to Wade. How could they keep in contact, even without having to log onto their chatroom —?

Can I get you a portable IM Interface?

They could talk even outside the OASIS. It wasn't a cell phone, but it was the next best thing. She would still not know who he was, but they'd have more contact and it would be more reliable than relying on the in-server computers inside the OASIS, especially her school one. He'd have to probably still use his regular interface during meetings, but outside of that, he could use the IM Interface if he was outside of the IOI building or something. Plus, IM Interfaces were more reliable in the current economy, since they run off of the OASIS servers. Cell phones were more expensive than ever, due to the two mobile companies left over that monopolized that market.

Wade3: Are you sure? I mean, um, you don't have to.

He quickly typed in a reply to cut her off.

I want to. I want to be able to talk to you more and we can reach each other whenever for whatever this way, and not have to worry about how to.

Nolan pinched the bridge of his nose. "That sounds obsessive." Maybe he'd scare her off.

Wade3: Okay. I want to talk to you more too.

He found himself grinning wildly.

Give me an address.

Want. Desire. Obsession.

Nolan was well aware of the churning emotions inside of him. He was riding on a high though —maybe things weren't progressing on the Halliday egg hunt and no key was in sight…but it wasn't doing badly either. And he had Wade to brighten up his days and Parzival his nights.

Selfish. Greedy. Avaricious.

His world at the moment was at an all-time high because he had two women that made his head spin, pushing him into this spiraling and uncontrolled addiction where he kept coming back for more, like he was a man dying of thirst.

An addiction. A drug. An irresistible vice.

After talking to Wade, his thoughts resounded loudly in his head. He kept thinking about this other man she'd talked about, and Nolan felt a rush of jealousy all over again. He felt like he was going crazy. More and more, whispers in his head haunted him and forced him to admit that he did want Wade just as much as he wanted Parzival.

She was his! He was the one she talked to. Lacero was her friend and confidant, not whoever this person who had managed to comfort her in a time of need. If he had been accessible, he could've done that instead. Wade was his girl.

At this point and in his current state, he didn't even give a fuck that she was still in high school and not legal where they were.

He wasn't a pedophile. He only wanted and cared about Wade. She'd become this sort of irrational need for him, just like Parzival was someone he'd chosen to worship.

Maybe when Nolan was in a less heightened state and was more rational, he'd realize that he should be toning himself down and that his thoughts had become too dark and obsessive at that time. But at the moment, he had Parzival wonderfully naked and beside him, panting into his ear. Part of him fantasized about Wade in a similar position, and he wondered if she would be fully flushed in the same way Parzival was.

The madness in him warred with the guilt.

Nolan was a horrible man.

Wade had to catch her breath, though she rolled her neck around to crack it. Beside her, Nolan's gaze was intense on her and she wondered what he was thinking about. His fingers began to trace around her stomach while he continued to watch her, and she ended up drowsily smirking at him.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Her smirk turned into a playful grin and she was glad it made him grin back.

"Just idle thoughts," he told her and she let it go. "You were having trouble connecting earlier. Was something wrong?"

"You mean, did you make me feel good or did you do something wrong?" she asked coyly, though she inwardly winced. Her school gear wasn't the best for this kind of thing…

He kept watching her, waiting for an answer. She sighed.

"I still use my school gear to connect to the OASIS. Haven't exactly upgraded to something better, so it's glitchy in these areas and especially in these kind of activities, if you know what I mean," she told him as dryly as possible, hiding her anxiety. She didn't want him to know how young she actually was.

"Do you want an upgrade?" he asked abruptly.

"What?" she asked, having not expected that.

"I can buy you something better," Nolan said with a thoughtful frown. "It wouldn't do for you to not be experiencing the full effects…if you know what I mean," he added teasingly.

It would be nice. Using her school gear, which was old and beat up already, kind of ruined the sex sometimes. Some sensations ended up dulled or missing entirely, so sometimes his touch didn't register and it made her ache and even frustrated sometimes. Even if it was in a better condition, school-issued OASIS gear tended to sometimes register the Red A areas in the OASIS and start to glitch around them, more so when it was recognizing an 'immoral' activity. She'd long known how to mess with the Moral Settings in the OASIS, so she could sort of go around that, but the glitches still sometimes happened, and more often now that she was regularly sleeping with Nolan.

But on the other hand, she'd already had Lacero buying her an IM Interface, which wasn't by any means cheap. An upgraded OASIS gear would be even more expensive and she was feeling guilty being offered all these things and then accepting.

"I would very much like to show you how you should really be feeling during our time together," Nolan said huskily, the very hand that had been tracing now moving to firmly cup one of her breasts and massage it slowly. She inhaled sharply. "If I'd known about this earlier, I would have gotten you something much sooner so that I could ravish you properly and have you cumming for me every freaking second, sweetheart."

She unwittingly let out a moan, which made him smirk and lick his lips.

"In the meantime, I guess I'll have to work extra hard and see how much more effort I need to put in to make you feel really good."

Honestly, Wade was pretty sure Nolan was using this as an excuse to continue to drive her crazy with pleasure through the night.

Aech kept giving her amused looks that were accompanied by knowing smirks. It made it hard to get rid of the dark blush on her face, more so as she kept thinking about the night before and how Nolan had continuously pleasured her in an effort to overcome those stupid glitches. And dear God, did he succeed. She wondered on how if that was how good it felt, how much better would it feel with an upgraded OASIS gear?

Still, knowing that she was getting all these expensive gifts made her antsy. She wanted to repay Nolan and Lacero somehow, but felt kind of stuck. Although…While she wasn't sure what to get or do for Nolan, she thought she might have an idea for Lacero.

"Hey, Aech?"

Her best friend turned to her curiously. "Yeah, Z?"

"How hard would it be to get parts for the car from Knight Rider?"

Started 6/26/18 — Completed 6/29/18

A/n: I just reeeeallly adore this story and pairing right now XD What can I say? I get obsessive, lol. Ah, but Nolan's going a bit cuckoo too though, eh? If you guys are getting obsessed with this story, then please remember to review! (winkwink) You guys don't realize how giddy I get when I read everyone's replies… XD

Quick Points:

1. Original Story: On Wattpad, I have an original story out that I'd appreciate you guys checking out. It's a teacherxstudent romance called "Autumn Leaves". Thanks a bunch, guys! Just type in wattpad etc. and then story/150768002-autumn-leaves-a-teacherxstudent-romance

2. New Stories (6/30): I just recently put out a Firefly fic called "Out the 'Verse", a Marvel's Spider-Man (2017 cartoon) fic called "Along Came a Spider", a Sword Art Online fic called "The Shadow Noir Nexus", and I have a few stories coming out soon. There's a Full Metal Alchemist story and there's also a Phantom of the Opera story. Also a few one-shots, and definitely some Pokémon stories XD Please support them!

Anon Reviews:

1. AnonAnon: Thank you! I'm suuuuper happy to hear that, since I really love this story right now and really would like to know if others do too~

2. Shiranai Atsune: I wouldn't say you're wrong, but I'm totally biased :D Genderbending has become my ultimate obsession, hehe. And I've really grown fond of the Ready Player One movie, hence me getting into the fandom and starting this story. As for a RPO genderbend involving male!Art3mis and fem!Parzival as a pairing or just those characters in a story being the opposite sex?