Chapter description: Billy wakes up and his life changes. Again!

Tags for this chapter:

Gay Relationship, getting Fired, discussions of Addiction, Hurt and Comfort

05. Settle For Less

"Well, it says here," Dave read out, "'Pick up the left hand, and form the specified gesture. Hold for five seconds. If you hear a chime, the boot-up process has successfully begun. If not, there may be internal damage to the vessel. Find another.'"

"And?" The adult Human player inquired, brow quirked. She came here as soon as she could, after Dave sent her that urgent DM. It was still a bit of a wonder, how the Webspace could also function like a game, particularly to Humans - a social MMO of some kind.

Needless to say, she wasn't happy to find Billy's home in such a messed up state. Normally, her auburn hair was in a tidy updo, glasses neatly in place, but it was the middle of the night, so only the latter had been thrown on.

Right now, the three of them were in what was once the detention room of Billy's house; Dave was looking through a text file on the computer, while Sam was knelt in front of one of the many Billys scattered throughout the place. He was leaning against the wall, but sitting upright.

"That's just it, there is no 'and'!" Dave sighed, "Nowhere does it say what gesture to make! You'd think it'd be important…" The player thought about this, until an idea formed. Taking Billy's left hand as instructed, she posed it into some kind of… Peace sign, maybe? Dave wasn't sure.

After the allotted time, they both heard the Windows 7 startup sound. The girl huffed in laughter. "Aw, the OS I had when we first met. I can't believe he remembered." Meanwhile, Dave was dumbfounded.

"... Sam, how did you know that would work?" In response, she shook her head.

"He really likes his Star Trek." The statement made everything click.

"That's right!" Soon after saying that, he joined Sam as Billy began to flicker to life. "Billy? Can you hear me? It's me, Dave!"

"Heyyy, 'buddy'. You in there?" Sam tried as well, slipping in a bit of Lithuanian. While Dave was still a beginner, he managed to understand.

Billy's focus reached them, stiffening slightly. "H-... Hello, Dave. Sam." A pause, turning confused with a glance at the latter. "Wait. What're you doing here?"

The other two pulled back to give him more space. "Can I show him?" Sam asked Dave, and he readily nodded. With his permission, she forwarded the very short DM conversation to Billy's. "Well, this happened."

Samanessa (Samanessa) [2:32 AM]

Dave_Oddity! (DAVE_82) [11:24 PM]
Alex escaped again, but he somehow managed to knock out every single one of Billy's selves. There's a way to wake them up, but I'm having a hard time figuring it out. Would you be able to lend a hand? Respond when you can, anything would help.

Samanessa (Samanessa) [2:13 AM]
sorry im late
still need help?

Dave_Oddity! (DAVE_82) [2:14 AM]
Yes, please!

Samanessa (Samanessa) [2:14 AM]
ill be right over

When Billy read the messages, he stood immediately. "Alex! Where did he…!" He started to march off somewhere, but was stopped when Dave took him by the hand, just firmly enough to grab his attention.

"Wait, Billy!" He then said, trying to assure him, "Alex's been taken care of, don't worry! Everyone's safe!"

"Yeah, and people made videos on it," Sam added, leading the three of them to the living room, using the TV. "It's, uh, pretty wild? Strobovski boy's gonna have a hard time PRing this one." While she was setting up one in particular, Dave and Billy sat together on the couch. Then she joined them, on Billy's opposite side.

She played it. Billy's eyes were glued to the screen. It depicted Alex and Aldurra fighting in the commercial zone. In the midst of that, Viktor, Marzia, Alice, and Erie practically landed from the sky. While Aldurra was quickly put into custody, Alex put up much more of a fight. In the end, Marzia was greatly injured, but they were victorious.

As the footage ended, all Billy could comment was a simple, but stunned nonetheless, "Oh my God."

It was only now that Dave realized that he'd never let go of Billy's hand, as he felt it squeeze his own. Not that Dave could blame him; this was a lot to take in. And still… Gracious, there was more he had to tell him. But, one thing at a time.

"Seriously," Sam nodded in agreement. "I gotta say, I don't know how you managed to put up with them for so long. Even with multiples of you at once. Oh, speaking of, uh… You can still wake them up, right?" Silence, as Billy looked into it. The look on his face turned even more disheartened, though to many it wouldn't have been easy to notice.

His tone made it a little more obvious. "... I can, all except for one. I remember Alex trying to possess me, wanting me to shut myself down. While he definitely succeeded, I worry he might've done worse to the remaining vessel."

As he was talking, a few more Billys passed by the room, starting to survey the house. Yet, the one sitting with Dave and Sam continued the conversation. "Regardless, I'm now out of sync with it. I can fix that, but it'll be tedious."

"Well, the important thing is that you're alright." Dave mentioned, comfortingly. He… Found that he didn't have the heart to bring up the other bit of news. It would only make things worse, wouldn't it? But he had to; it was an order…

"That's true," Billy blinked, but nodded with a small smile. "Thank you, both of you. Is there any way I can repay-"

"No, you can't, so don't bother trying." Sam interrupted jokingly, giving his arm a harmless punch.

"Curses. Foiled again," This time, Billy was pretending to be upset. Dave couldn't help but grin, and it was all he could do to hold in his laughter. Then, Billy added, "Anything else I need to know?" Dave couldn't answer, so Sam did first.

"Oh, yeah," She looked over at him, asking, "You wanna tell him, or…?"

He may as well. It wouldn't be right to throw this kind of responsibility onto her. "I will. Billy…" He trailed off, turning to him. With their hands still held, he lay the other on top, then gathered all his courage to look Billy in the eyes. He was already growing concerned, but there was no turning back now.

"Viktor wants you to see him in his office in the morning. Eight o'clock."

All was quiet, to the point where Dave realized that the other Billys were trying to repair the house - and even their noises stopped. It was nearly a minute before they continued on, and Billy replied.

"'Oh, fuck me.'" In Lithuanian.

Dave proceeded to stay with him the rest of the night, when Sam logged off. She didn't request it, but he told her he would. "Thank you for coming by on such short notice. I'll watch over him for now."

Even with her more laid-back nature, her appreciation was clear. "Yeah, no biggie. I don't got anything going on tomorrow, so I'll be there. Night, Dave!"

The two waved. "Goodnight, Sam! See you then!"

The uncertainty was a heavy weight on Billy's mind, Dave could tell, even as he effortlessly fixed up his house and window with his fellow selves. In fact, that was probably meant to be a distraction, and again, Dave couldn't blame him. Whatever Viktor had to say, with this formal intent, it wasn't exactly cause for celebration.

There was nothing he could do to lift his spirits, or truly ease his mind. But, he would be there for him. At least then, he won't be alone with an endless stream of anxiety-riddled thoughts. And, he would hold onto him from in their bed, until the timekeeper of the Webspace struck 7 AM.

It was a wonder how he didn't doze off.

Getting to the building was easy, which Dave had long ago come to know as Viktor's "Infinity School". No, the hard part was waiting, as they each sat in a chair outside Viktor's office. By now, all of them were antsy. The sheer elegance of the whole place wasn't helping. It felt as though the three of them had wandered somewhere they clearly didn't belong.

Okay, maybe Billy, but that was just because of how he always maintained his… Well put together attire. It'd be reasonable to wonder how in the world he chose Dave, but the truth was, Billy wasn't "fancy" despite the appearance. As for the other two? Both clashed in their own ways - Sam liked her casual hoodies, and Dave was… Well, Dave.

On the dot, Billy was called away. Dave wasn't sure if he was permitted to eavesdrop, so he pretended he wasn't, idly thumbing through some magazine.

"You wished to see me, Mr. Strobovski?" So nervous, close to shaking.

"Yes, Billy. Please, sit," A pause. "I assume you're aware of what occurred last night?"

"Yes, sir."

"He has broken through your defenses. It will happen again."

"It's possible."

"'Possible'?! Possible?!" A third voice piped up, offended. "Just cut to the chase, already! I can't believe we even have to do this!"

Viktor sighed. "Erie, you and I have talked it over-"

"Can you count the amount of times he's almost caused havoc?! And the amount of times where he has?! No, don't fucking answer, that was a rhetorical question!"

"You promised you wouldn't get angry."

"I've wanted to look into that monster ever since he was locked away! But 'Nooo, Erie, he might possess you!' Ha, as if we don't already know how to deal with that! But within ten. Minutes, of him being in our hands, I finally figured out what he did to Scrina! No thanks to you!"

"Please, Erie. We didn't call him here just to drag him through the vines." Vines? Didn't Viktor mean "mud"? Oh, wait… Dave remembered. Nevermind.

"Fine, then. But know this, Billy: You're a real piece of shit." From the corner of his eye, Dave saw Erie leave the room, and surprisingly, she appeared pretty proud of herself, as though she'd been holding that in for a long time. Truthfully, these kinds of skirmishes weren't much of his business, but the ensuing fallout most definitely was.

However, she was way too scary to consider talking to - she could punt him clear out into the ocean, regardless if she was using her wheel, like now, or legs. So, Dave made the wise decision in acting like he didn't notice her at all. And thankfully, she was too happy to give him the time of day.

However, upon looking at Sam, he knew it took a lot more restraint for her. She must've heard everything. While she was pretty fearless, it was easy to be, from her perspective. If anything happened to her avatar, her actual Human self would be just fine. Still, he got her attention, and shook his head with an "It's not worth it" expression.

"Sorry about her. She was never the same after the incident," Viktor finally continued, then a beat of silence. "But she does raise a good point, one that I also realized. Under your watch, you've had to repeatedly drag him back to his prison, and don't think I've forgotten your last report."

"I understand. We need new measures," Billy managed to say, "I will better fortify my mind, so that he cannot do this again. I will make his containment unit stronger than he is. I will keep him sated with more meat rations. I will not rest, I have no need-"

"Billy," Viktor's tone was stern now. "Look at you. You've run yourself ragged, to the point where all the things you've designed with him in mind have started to fail. You learn, but so does he. I can't allow you to continue this cycle. I have to let you go."

Billy didn't respond.

"Please, don't think of it as punishment. It's really more like… Relief. Starting now, Alex is no longer your concern."

"... And Aldurra?"

"Him too. You can just… Go on home. See your family. Hang out with your friends. Date your boyfriend. Be a repair technician. Whatever you want, it doesn't matter. Look." He stopped for a moment. "I know we can't exactly go back to how life was before, but now, I'm giving you the chance to try and live it again."

Billy was quiet. Then, there was a very soft, "Yes, sir."

"Take care of yourself, Billy. You're dismissed."

When asked how things went, Dave was sure that the both of them saw how quickly Billy covered up his true reaction, on a dime, even. His voice, too, had a faux-content inflection as he answered, "Well, I have a lot more free time now."

"Wow, that's… Awful." Sam wasn't buying it.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Was Billy's retort, as the three of them left, "This is a good thing. I will never again have to worry about him."

"Yup, definitely Billese for, 'This is the worst day of my life, and I refuse to acknowledge it in front of you.'" The player whispered to Dave. He nodded solemnly. He couldn't have put it better himself.

"I can still hear you."

"Shit."

The three of them spent the rest of the day together, and the entire time, Billy kept that act up. Frankly, Dave couldn't understand such persistence. If it were him, he'd crack like an eggshell. But that night, after Sam had to go, Billy practically deflated, citing, "I don't want to go home."

It probably meant that there would be too much there to remind him of what he used to be tasked with - well, assuming he went to his lab, and… Yup, he'd absolutely go there.

"How do you feel about my place?" Dave offered, lightly. If not him, then perhaps somewhere very different, such as Denied's underwater dome, or heck maybe even see Shy John or

"That's fine with me." Oh. Okay then.

Even now, Dave's house was quite simplistic, with only minor additions from the time he'd spent living here. Aside from discovering a secret attic at some point (a panel in the living room floor rose him into it one day, don't ask), it was still at its default blueprint. Definitely not well-built like Billy's, but Dave knew his limits; he was an engineer, after all, not an architect.

Still, it seemed to be exactly what Billy was looking for - a change of scenery. "Thank you for letting me stay. I promise to not be a burden."

Dave… Hadn't heard that last part in a long time. It was abundantly clear that Billy was hurting. Yet, it was up to him whether or not he wanted to hash out his feelings. "Oh, it's no trouble at all. And don't say that about yourself."

The night wore on, and the two winded down. Eventually, both were in Dave's bed. Billy lay, staring at the ceiling, while Dave was upright, reading a book. The only noise was the outside crickets, but truth be told, Dave's yet to actually find one in this place. It could just be some weird ambiance, simulating Earth; fake crickets, fake birds.

"Dave," Finally, Billy spoke up to ask, "Am I a piece of shit?"

"No, you're not." The answer came easily to him, but it was sincere.

"... And you're positive?"

"As a plus sign!" Dave gave him a humored smile. Billy tried to return it, but failed. "I heard what happened. You can talk about it if you want."

It only took a second, for Billy to decide, "I think I will."

With that, Dave bookmarked the page he was on, and shut the book, despawning it. He turned to Billy. "Alright! I'm all ears!" This time, it made him grin, a little. Then, it fell again.

"I feel worthless," He explained, lifting his hands to look at them, "Like nothing I do matters anymore. And it's weird, because I should be happy. Alex was the worst thing I've ever had to deal with, and yet… I miss it. It's as if he's still in my mind, even though I know he's not." He paused, dropping them back down, glancing over at Dave in concern. "Something is wrong with me. This isn't normal."

"Hm. I think I know what's going on." Dave couldn't help his somewhat knowing tone. Billy was surely

"No. Dave," Instead, the other began speaking faster, voice turning frantic, "You're the only one I want, I could never see myself with him-"

"Ah, Billy! No no no, not that!" The urge for damage control was immediate. Settling into the bed himself, he added more softly, "Come here." He opened his arms as Billy shuffled over, holding him close. Dave could feel him shivering. That was not the direction he was intending, though… He had to admit that there was once a point in time, where that would've been a reasonable guess.

Jealousy was quite the vice, one that he was not proud of having.

"Don't worry, I trust you way too much for that to be the case," Dave then continued, "But I understand, you're going through something rough."

Slowly, the shaking came to a stop. Finally, there was a stuttering whisper of response. "O-Okay."

"No, what I meant to say was, and please correct me if I'm wrong…"

"Of course." Billy was calmer this time. Good, that's good.

"I think, through Alex, you were given a responsibility," Dave began, maintaining a considerate air to his statements, "And it made you feel important. You got used to that, so when it was taken from you, and you became ordinary again, it's hard to adjust… Like an addiction. That, and despite doing your best, and even though Viktor didn't say or imply that you weren't good enough, you still feel that way."

Silence, aside from the fake crickets. He waited, patiently. He could tell that Billy was thinking it over. Or, maybe Dave was off somewhere.

"... Now that you lay it all out like that, I think you're right," At last did Billy reply, and he sounded much more relaxed, "I am addicted. Not to Alex, but that desire for relevance."

"And now, you have withdrawal."
"And now, I have withdrawal."

It was said simultaneously. A pause, and then came a "Yes." from Billy. Dave grinned down at him.

"I know it'll be hard, but we'll all be there for you," He assured to him, "You'll get through this, I promise! And, I think… Sometimes, being average is better than anything else." With all his power, he'd meant that in a positive way. Life wasn't a race, or a battle. If one could be happy being normal, or as mentioned before, ordinary… Nothing else was needed.

Perhaps he should've said something like that instead.

"'Just let it be, and settle for less'..." Billy mused aloud. Oh jeez, not again.

"Well, I-I don't mean it in that way…" For a moment Dave trailed off, preparing to clarify again, but then he felt his partner shake his head. He moved up, now at eye-level with him. He was smiling. In relief.

"No, I understand. Thank you." Cupping Dave's face, he kissed him. Even here and now, it always filled him with the "warm fuzzies", as many would describe.

He returned it, and when they pulled away, Dave replied, "Aw, it's no trouble at all." The mood of the room was noticeably less tense, he realized, as the two lay together to drift off.

What was yet another fascinating thing about Billy was how that worked - an entirely localized "sleep mode". If Dave had to guess, the rest of his currently active selves were most likely avoiding his home, too. Yet, he was finally able to ease his mind.

Then, Dave had an idea. A rather silly one, but nonetheless…

"'I love you.'" He tried to say in Lithuanian. The pronunciations were a bit off, what with the standard American accent he had, and each word was uttered slowly, making sure that each were correct.

Billy turned back to him, surprise in his expression, which quickly melted into affection. By contrast, his reply was without error or hesitation. "'I love you too.'"

More info:

- It took Dave a while, but he is now a lot less inclined to bear jealousy

- Sam is Billy's "Player" equivalent
- She is one of the few Human players who knows where the fangames originated from

- As I recently connected the hints together, Billy (and by extension, everyone from his creator's games) is Lithuanian, and as such is fluent
- However, he rarely speaks in it, unless around those who will understand him
- As also seen in his original game, it could be implied that he potentially struggles with addiction in general (such as the abundant amount of beer, and in an older version, vodka was an objective item)
- Billy's quote, "Just let it be, and settle for less" comes from a Red Vox song. I feel that it captures this particular arc well

- Where the three of them waited at Viktor's Infinity School was based on locations in the Language Level from his game, specifically nearby the Director room (See: Language Level Map, No Spoilers | Spoilers)
- Except, the room (or "office" in this case) is more tidy than it appeared
- Even without the building being influenced by the Curse, some still feel a negative emotional aura