Doing as Rancis instructed, Richard tossed his dirty clothes out of the restroom door before shutting it behind him.

"You guys stay here," Rancis said, bending down to gather the clothes. "I'll take these to Mary."

"Okay," Swizzle replied, already sprawled comfortably on the bed.

With that, Rancis left the room, heading off to get Richard's clothes washed.

Gloyd flopped onto the bed beside Swizzle with a satisfied sigh. "Ahhh~ He's such a cutie, isn't he?" he giggled.

Swizzle smiled. "Richard? Yeah, definitely."

Gloyd placed a hand on his chest, right over his heart. "He's got a fictional crush on us, and I guess... we've got a reality crush on him?"

Swizzle thought about it for a moment before chuckling. "That's one way to put it."

Gloyd smiled, then rolled over, snuggling into Swizzle. "That has never happened before,"

"What hasn't?" Swizzle asked, absentmindedly running a hand through Gloyd's hair.

"This!" Gloyd emphasized, shaking his head with a small noise of frustration. "A human and game characters together. And not just that—a gay, poly relationship with a human."

"Well, there's a first time for everything, as they say," Swizzle smiled.

"I just feel so connected to him. We all do. I wonder why?" Gloyd mused.

"Love, probably," Swizzle said simply, with a small smile.

Gloyd smiled at that, pressing a quick kiss to Swizzle's cheek before staring up at the ceiling. "You remember years ago when we dated that one guy? From that other game?"

Swizzle took a moment to recall. It had been so long ago.

"Oh yeah! The poor guy was gameless," Swizzle said, his expression turning into a sad pout.

It had been about 20 years ago, not long after Sugar Rush was first plugged in. At the time, Rancis, Swizzle, and Gloyd were already together, but then they met him—a fourth guy they loved dearly. His name had faded from their memories over time, but his presence had left a mark. He had no game, no home, simply lingering at Game Central Station day after day. Once he entered their relationship, he at least had someone to visit at the end of the day. They'd drink root beer at Tapper's, grab burgers from Burger Time—simple things that felt special. He completed their dynamic. But then, one day, he was gone. Near the end, before his disappearance, he'd started spending time with Turbo. Following him to his game and back. The rumors said he had followed Turbo into RoadBlasters after Turbo's plan, and was unplugged along with the disgraced racer.

"I feel like... I feel like Richard completes us," Gloyd murmured. "Like our old guy," He said, "Ever since that happened, something felt... missing. Didn't it?"

"How do you even remember all that? I nearly forgot about him," Swizzle admitted.

"How could I forget? We loved that boy dearly," Gloyd pouted. "But strangely... I don't remember his name."

Swizzle frowned. "Me neither. Maybe Rancis would."

"Yeah, I'll ask him when he gets back," Gloyd said. He glanced down at Swizzle's stomach, a mischievous grin forming. "Our new cutie loves this." He poked Swizzle's navel through his shirt, making Swizzle giggle softly.

"And he still hasn't touched mine yet!" Swizzle pouted. "I guess he hates mine,"

Gloyd rolled his eyes. "Don't be silly, Swizzle!" he laughed. "Remember, he's a little embarrassed about his love for it. Just let him know you don't mind."

Swizzle nodded. "Yeah." Then, smirking, he added, "Funny, coming from the guy who was the first to call Richard a weirdo."

"Well, duh," Gloyd snorted. "He is a weirdo! But a cute one. Being weird isn't bad—I love that he's weird." He grinned. "He's so weird he doesn't even seem human!"

Swizzle blinked. "Okay, that kinda sounded like an insult."

Gloyd blinked a few times himself. "Oh, shit," he snorted. "Oops, I really didn't mean it that way, haha." He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

Just then, Rancis returned. "Okay, Mary's got the clothes. They should be done by the time Richard gets out."

Gloyd giggled as Rancis flopped onto the bed with them. "Geez, you're gonna break the bed, you idiot!"

"How dare you call me an idiot!" Rancis declared dramatically before playfully grabbing Gloyd's neck.

"Ahh! Get off me!" Gloyd gasped between laughs.

Rancis grinned before letting go, settling back against the pillows.

Gloyd cleared his throat and turned onto his side. "Hey, Rancis, you remember that guy we all dated? Like... twenty years ago?"

Rancis blinked, then shot Gloyd a look. "Oh? You mean KP?"

Gloyd repeatedly blinked. "How did I forget two letters?" He covered his face in embarrassment.

"Because you're an idiot," Swizzle teased.

"Oh, shut up! You forgot too!" Gloyd snapped back.

"Why are you bringing that up now?" Rancis asked. "We haven't seen or heard from him in over twenty years."

"Yeah, because of the rumors about him getting unplugged," Swizzle added.

"Why was he hanging around Turbo anyway?" Gloyd wondered aloud.

"Remember, he was lonely. Maybe he saw Turbo as a friend. Then... well, you know what happened," Swizzle sighed.

Gloyd let out a soft sigh. "I wanna keep Richard forever... but I know that can't happen. He's human. Once he goes back to his world... we won't have him anymore."

"Trust me, we all feel the same way," Rancis said. "But let's just enjoy what we have with him now, yeah?"

Gloyd nodded. "Yeah."

Richard had finished showering, and was in his now freshly cleaned clothes.

"Feeling better?" Swizzle asked with a warm smile.

Richard nodded. "Oh yeah, definitely. I feel so much lighter now—I can't believe I didn't realize I needed a shower," he replied.

Rancis chuckled as he flopped onto the bed. "Come here, let's do this again. At least you're not stinky anymore~!" he said with a grin.

Blushing, Richard crawled over to Rancis. After pulling his shirt up, he rested his head against Rancis's stomach, his face nearly touching the soft indent of the belly button.

Across from him, Swizzle settled on the other side. "Hey, Richard... wanna see mine?" he teased, tugging up his shirt just enough to reveal his dark-skinned stomach. Blushing, Richard reached over and gently prodded Swizzle's navel before instinct took over and he buried his face in Rancis's stomach.

Rancis giggled. "Oh, Richard," he laughed softly.

Then, looking up at Rancis, Richard asked, "So... tomorrow morning, we try to get my grandpa's attention?" He wanted to be sure about their plan.

"Yeah," Rancis confirmed. "We'll have to get to bed early if that's what we want to do."

Gloyd grumbled, "Ugh, I can barely wake up in time to start our game—but I'll try for you, Rich."

"You want to sleep in our room with us?" Rancis asked. "At we can be all in the same room to not waste time tomorrow,"

Richard blinked and blushed. "I—in the same bed?"

Gloyd snorted. "Well, I'd guess the floor would be uncomfortable," he joked.

Richard nodded shyly. "O-Okay."

Later that night, Richard shared a bed with his three new boyfriends. Although he was still getting used to this closeness, he couldn't deny how comforting it felt. Rancis was nestled to his right, Swizzle to his left, while Gloyd lay atop him with his head resting on Richard's chest. They all slept soundly—save for Gloyd's quiet, yet noticeable, snoring.

Despite the strangeness of it all, Richard found himself completely at ease. The warmth and intimacy soothed him; his breathing slowed, his body relaxed, and soon he drifted off into sleep.

Richard jolted awake with a gasp.

Before him, were a row of arcade machines. One that caught his eye. He could hear the distant chatter of kids and adults around him, yet the room was strangely empty. As he surveyed his surroundings in confusion, his gaze fixed on the cabinet directly in front of him—it was unmistakably the Kid Powers cabinet.

He stepped forward and pressed its buttons, but nothing happened; the machine remained off. Nothing worked as a result. Just as he was about to inspect the back for a loose plug, something unusual caught his attention in the screen's reflection. "What?" he murmured, leaning in closer. In the reflection, he saw himself—but wearing a superhero jumpsuit with the letters "KP" stitched on it.

He looked down onto his chest, but no such thing like that existed. He wasn't wearing a jumpsuit, nor was he any strange clothes. Blinking in disbelief, he looked back at the screen only to see the reflection vanish. His heart pounded and his mind raced.

Then he heard a sound behind him. Slowly, he turned around, only to find Gloyd, Rancis, and Swizzle standing there.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head. "Ahhhh...!" he cried, clutching his head as his vision blurred. It felt like distant memories were stirring—vague and elusive—but something was definitely wrong. He strained to recall, but the more he tried, the sharper the ache became. Staring at the racers, he sensed a familiarity, as if he'd seen them before—not just as video game characters, but in another time. Long ago—but he couldn't recall. The effort to remember only intensified the pain.

Then, something even stranger happened. Richard watched in horror as a dark, misty substance began to coil around him, creeping slowly from the back of his shoulder to his chest.

"W-What is...?" he stammered, spinning around. In the dim light, a dark, ominous figure with a sinister smile stood there, watching him intently.

With a startled yelp, Richard jerked awake—and in his flailing, his forehead collided with Gloyd's.

"OUCH!" Gloyd exclaimed as he jolted awake.

Rubbing his forehead, Gloyd looked at Richard, who was now wide-eyed with shock. "I—I'm sorry!" Richard blurted out, trying get his arms out from between Rancis and Swizzle. "Are you okay? I—I didn't mean to do that!"

"Did you have a nightmare or something?" Gloyd asked, concern softening his tone.

Richard gazed up at him, blinking. "I—I think I did..." he blinked.

Gloyd leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to Richard's nose. "Aww," he murmured. "You'll be okay," he reassured, snuggling closer into Richard's chest.

Richard sighed, comforted by the closeness, yet unable to shake the lingering images of his disturbing dream. "What the hell was that?" he muttered under his breath.

With that, he rested his head back on the bed, determined to catch a few more moments of sleep before they had to leave.

Just as they'd planned, the four of them woke up before anyone else.

"Come on, wake up, guys!" Rancis urged, shaking them. "We gotta go!"

"Huh... yeah... I'm up..." Swizzle mumbled as he slowly sat up, then flopped back onto the bed next to Richard, who was still sound asleep.

"Ugh, guys, come on! We gotta get to Litwack's computer, or we're gonna miss our window!" Richard shouted.

Gloyd sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Yeah, I know," he said as he scooted off the bed.

"Come on!" Rancis called, already waiting at the door. Seeing them slowly shuffle over, tired but determined, he opened the door. "And be quiet too! We don't wanna wake the Nicelanders or Felix. The plan that we're trying to do wouldn't fly with them,"

Silently, they all left the penthouse and headed for the game's train.

All four hopped into the cars once it arrived at the plaform, and soon they were off to Game Central.

"Okay, so... I don't really know what the inside of the Wi-Fi archway looks like. We Racers have never been there—except for Vanellope," Gloyd said. "So you'll have to guide us to where the desktop opening is."

Rancis nodded. "I remember seeing it. I should be able to get us there, no problem. I haven't gone in there myself, though."

The train slowly came to a halt at the station at the end of the line, and they all jumped out. Richard didn't feel too stressed about the situation; it all felt strangely calm. But once they left Fix-It-Felix's archway, the tension returned when a familiar voice boomed out after Rancis had spoken, "Okay," Rancis began. "Come on guys, hurry-!"

A zap sounded behind them. "Where are you four off to in such a hurry? It's 5 in the morning," the Surge Protector demanded, clipboard in hand.

The four of them froze in the place, then slowly turned around.

"Oh shit..." Richard thought, blinking. He'd forgotten about the Surge Protector.

"It's pretty bizarre that all of you are up this early. The arcade doesn't open for another three hours," he scribbled on his clipboard. "None of you have viruses in you, do you?"

"U-Uh!... no!" Richard stammered.

"We just... we just wanted some breakfast!" Gloyd explained, rubbing his stomach. "My stomach was growling like crazy—I just wanted some candy from our game!" he added with an awkward smile.

Surge pointed his pen at Richard, "You three Racers have been acting really strange ever since that new character showed up," Surge noted as he jotted more notes. "If he's a virus and he's interfering with your code, let me know now."

"Well... I mean... technically he's interfering with our hearts, if that makes sense~," Gloyd smirked at Richard.

Rancis gasped and slapped Gloyd on the arm. "Gloyd!" he exclaimed, eyes wide.

Surge, still writing, froze at Gloyd's comment and then looked up. "Oh... so that's what all the running around is about." He rubbed his temples and sighed. "According to your logs, you're all still on top of your games—so you're not letting your feelings interrupt your gameplay. Not bad for a bunch of teenagers."

They were relieved that Surge hadn't pressed the issue further, but Gloyd wasn't too happy with his final remark. "Hey, we might look physically young, but that doesn't mean we're immature!"

"Maybe not now, but you were when Turbo had control of your code," Surge replied, flipping through his papers.

Gloyd blinked, speechless, and looked down.

Rancis smirked at Gloyd and playfully shoved his shoulder.

"You were too, Rancis," Surge said.

Rancis gasped. "Hey!" he yelled. "You're the Surge Protector—and you were the one who let him hide as King Candy for years!"

"Hey, don't back talk me," Surge shot back, pointing his pen at Rancis. "Turbo was one slick piece of code. He fooled us all. The good news is he's gone for good now, and I'll do whatever it takes to get rid of viruses and, bugs, and turned characters," He turned his attention to Richard. "Seems like your owner isn't coming back anytime soon to get his stuff. Or maybe he did, and you missed your window of opportunity." Lowering the clipboard, he added, "For as long as you stay here with us, don't go into the games during daylight, understood? We don't want a repeat of an event that happened years ago,"

Richard nodded. "I—I know... You've told me not to do that already."

Surge nodded. "And I'll say it again. I don't want any of you getting hurt. When you go into Sugar Rush for breakfast, come out ASAP once the arcade opens." Then he turned to leave.

"Come on," Rancis whispered, grabbing Richard's hands.

They practically jogged down Game Central until they passed the Sugar Rush entrance and headed toward the Wi-Fi entrance. Once inside, the Racers skidded to a halt.

"Uhh..." Gloyd said, confused. "There's no train here?"

Richard, who knew his way around despite only having been here once, pointed to a pad in the center. "Come on, stand on the pad!"

Without hesitating, the three Racers jumped onto the pad with Richard. Swizzle looked puzzled. "What? What does this do—"

Before he could finish, a cylindrical wall shot up around them, squishing them together. "OOF!" they all gasped as their eyes widened. Then the wall retracted instantly, and they tumbled out onto the ground.

"Oww... everything hurts..." Gloyd mumbled, his face pressed against the floor.

They were all scattered on the ground. Richard quickly scrambled up. "Geez, are you all okay?!" he asked, helping them to their feet.

"Yeah, we're fine!" Swizzle said. "Let's just find the desktop..." Then he paused. "Wait... are we in a different room?"

"When did Surge add a teleporter device?" Gloyd asked, rubbing his arm. "He got rid of the train that was here."

Richard scanned the area, recalling the layout. "We just came out of the cylinder tube, which means there's the huge platform to get to the internet..." He turned his head. "Right over there," The he turned his head, "And... yes! There!"

The boys looked where he was pointing. At the far end of this strange, Tron-styled room was an entrance labeled "To Desktop."

"That's what we need!" Richard declared.

Gloyd nodded. "Okay, lead the way."

Richard walked forward toward the entrance, but as he did, a nervous feeling began to settle in. If the plan worked and his grandfather came in to use the computer and saw him on the screen... what then? There was a good chance his grandfather might freak out.

"Guys..." he started hesitantly. "What if grandpa freaks out?"

The others considered it. "Crud... what if he does?" Swizzle asked.

"Come on, we can't get cold feet now. We're already here," Rancis said, raising his hands toward the dark tunnel they were about to enter.

"I know, but—" Swizzle began.

Rancis cut him off, turning to Richard. "Okay, I think it's best if you go on ahead by yourself. We'll stay back here."

Richard looked at Rancis, then down the tunnel. The end wasn't far, but it was pitch black.

"Geez... that's... that's really dark," Gloyd remarked. He glanced at Rancis. "Rancy, are you sure it's okay to send Richard in there?"

"I'm sure it'll be fine—it's just dark," Rancis replied. "Go on, Richard. It's better if Litwack sees you alone rather than all of us at once."

Richard nodded, though the darkness made him uneasy. He sighed. "Alright..." and turned to walk down the hallway.

The three stayed back at the tunnel entrance, huddled together, watching Richard's every step.

Taking a deep breath, Richard stepped into the void. It was pitch black—he couldn't see anything or anyone. The only light came from the tunnel behind him, but that light faded after a very short distance.

"Guys—" he called out.

"Yeah?" came Gloyd's from the hallway.

"There's nothing here," Richard said, scanning the emptiness.

"Nothing at all?" Swizzle asked.

Richard shook his head. "No, Swizz... there's just darkness." Crossing his arms, he hesitated; the darkness was so complete he couldn't even see his hands in front of his face. The floor—and maybe the ceiling—felt like they were made of nothing. He turned to go back into the tunnel. "Yeah, this was a waste of time, guys," he muttered, heading back. "Maybe we'll have to risk it with an arcade. You know, one that grandpa walks by often..."

Suddenly, a loud thump came from behind. Richard gasped and spun around. A whirring sound filled the air. His eyes widened, and he dashed to the threshold of the hallway, crouching down.

"Richard?!" Rancis gasped. "What was that?!"

"I—I don't kn-" Richard began, but his words were cut off as the entire world outside the entrance turned a bright blue instead of darkness. He blinked, then slowly stood up.

"What is that?! Why is it so blue down there?!" Rancis called out.

Richard carefully stepped out into the blue landscape. "This is weird..." he said. "And I've seen weird," he added with a nod.

"Huh... well, this is just another load of nothing," Richard declared, throwing his hands up. "First it was darkness, and now it's this bright, azure blue everywhere!" He began to leave again.

Then a droning sound started up.

Richard looked around, eyes widening. "What's that?" he murmured. He scanned his left, then below, and finally behind him. A buzzing sound reached his ears. Turning around, he saw something that made him feel incredibly small.

Four squares—red, green, blue, and yellow—formed above his head in the distance, with two words and two letters beneath it.

Microsoft Windows XP

Richard's jaw dropped as the droning sound morphed into the iconic Windows XP startup tone.

That's when it dawned on him.

"The computer is starting up—" he thought, only to be snapped back as the ground began to vibrate. "H-Huh?" he stammered, quickly looking down to see green spreading like a plague, engulfing the blue. Grass began to form, and in the distance, rolling hills appeared.

"What the hell..." Richard blinked, amazed.

Then something shot up from the ground. "Ahh!?" Richard yelped, startled by the sudden eruption. He looked at the spot where it emerged, then up at the sky.

His eyes widened. "F-Firefox?!" he stammered.

Unluckily for Richard, a folder slammed into his crotch, sending him sprawling onto the ground. "OUCH!" he shouted.

The others watched intently, ensuring he wasn't hurt. Once they saw the folder his under him, they all rushed down the hallway to him.

"Rich, are you okay?!" Swizzle asked.

Lying on his back, Richard winced as he propped himself up on his elbows.

shroom

A strange sound filled the air, and then another burst of light flooded the area.

Richard saw the boys gasp and quickly duck back into the tunnel.

Once Richard looked back up, he realized why they had done that.

Looking up, he realized why they had done that. In front of him was the computer screen, displaying the outside world—specifically, his grandfather's office. He could see shelves filled with papers, boxes, and old mechanical junk. Off to one side, an outline of an arm was visible.

Richard's eyes widened. He quickly stood up and walked over to the window.

Through the screen, he saw his grandfather take a seat in his chair. "Grandpa!" Richard called out. There was no response. "Grandpa!" he repeated. In the real world, Richard would have looked small—maybe Litwack hadn't even noticed him.

He watched as his grandfather's hand lowered to the mouse.

SHROOM

Instantly, Richard ducked as a loud whoosh passed overhead. "Ah!" he cried, clutching his head. He looked up, "Is... is that... the..." His eyes widened. "That's the mouse!"

The mouse then clicked, launching Chrome.

Out of nowhere, the web browser appeared and slammed into Richard. "AHHHOWWWW!" he yelled, tumbling back into the tunnel and dropping to the ground.

His three boyfriends gasped.

"RICH!" they shouted, rushing over. "Are you okay?" Gloyd asked, his voice filled with concern.

"Come here!" Rancis called out as he reached for Richard's hand.

Together, they helped him up. "I was definitely part of an Animation Vs. Animator skit there... ugh..." Richard muttered.

"I have to get his attention," Richard declared as he stood, determination returning to his voice. "You guys stay here, like we planned."

"Be careful!" the three of them cried out as he walked forward.