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letsgofoletsgo · 4 years ago

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You’re Hurting, But I’m Here

As night fell upon Silica City, the atmosphere shifted into the bustle of nightlife. The energy buzzed beneath the lit neon signs that illuminated the city. The late night gaming scene sprung to life, as bars and online hangouts would welcome the nocturnal crowd, a rowdy bunch who lived for the blaring lights of the gaming screens and overcoming the competition; through whatever means necessary.

Though not obvious by looking at her, Belle was quite accustomed to this lifestyle. Before she became a Meta Runner, she frequented underground gaming tournaments, using her quick wit and reflexes to rise among the ranks. Her exceptional skill (and sharp tongue) helped her to make a name for herself within the shiftier gaming community. Through a fortunate series of events, this talent was recognized by none other than the CEO of TAScorp, and she found herself with an offer for a position as a Meta Runner. It was a dream come true for most of the competitive gamers of this city.

But from them on, Belle just wanted to forget.

Sounds of combat rang through the tv’s speakers as Belle played. She was playing an action adventure game, skilfully eliminating the hordes of enemies she came across. She knew their exact strengths and weaknesses, the precise techniques to get through all of them with minimal damage. These were strategies she’d since perfected, as she beat the game multiple times already. As her avatar proceeded through the area, her mind sat in a daze, not truly paying attention to the screen in front of her.

She began hazily wading through her memory, replaying scene of her time at TAScorp. The long nights she stayed up trying to get her technique just right. The stage lights shining above her as she played in front of thousands. The cheers of the crowd as she claimed victory, a sea of people cheering her name as she proved TAScorp’s excellence. Difficult as it was working for such a influential company, Belle thought she had it all. The sacrifices she made changed her forever, but rewarded her with everything she ever hoped for.

But if one were to see her here, they’d assume that it was tragically taken from her. And partially, they’d be right. When Lucinia went missing, everything seemed to crumble. When she found the files of Project Blue, and learned of what Lucks allowed to happen… She couldn’t bear to stay another second. The anger and pain that seethed in her when she thought about it, she-

“Hey hun.”

Belle’s train of though was interrupted by a voice in the doorway. She briefly turned her shoulder to see Morgan standing in the doorway holding a glass of orange juice (that she might have spiked with a bit of vodka).

She replied with a small “Hey” in return before refocusing on her game.

Morgan walked closer to the couch she was sitting on, and looked at the screen.

“Ooo, Horizon’s Edge. I remember all the hype for the game when it first came out. Those were the days.”

“Yeah.”

Morgan noticed Belle’s subtle change in behavior. While she knew Belle wasn’t the most open type, she’d been with her to know when there was something bugging her. Despite Morgan’s want to know if something was wrong, she knew that she would never admit it out loud in this state. So, she opted for a different approach as she placed her drink on the small coffee table before them and picked up a second controller.

“Mind if I join you?”

“Huh? Er- sure.”

She smiled as she plunked herself next to her girlfriend, and clicked through the game’s pause menu to add herself in. After a few short moments, her avatar appeared next to Belle’s. The two characters proceeded through a large, whimsical forest, Belle going straight forward as Morgan collected random items scattered about.

“You taking the silver route this time?” Morgan asked.

“Mhm.”

“I’ll admit, this route’s grown on me. When I first played this, I thought I was going on the copper route because of how I killed the boss in the Topaz Desert, but it turned out I needed to do that with the other boss you could’ve chosen. I didn’t even know I was on the silver route until I faced the Enigma Dragon; I bet you could imagine my surprise when he was donning the brass armor instead of the platinum.”

“Indeed.”

They sat in silence for awhile, focusing on getting through the area. Belle pressed onward as she obliterated the few packs on enemies that got in their way, and Morgan stayed behind and healed her as she went.

“You know, I have a funny story about this area. Have I ever told you it?” Morgan turned to face her.

“Don’t think so.”

“Well, around a year ago I was playing this with Lamar on a livestream. We had just gotten to this area, and we decided to EXP grind before moving on. For about half an hour we just mindlessly killed enemies while talking about whatever was on our minds. Then at one point, I think Lamar was going on about some drama regarding this anime producer, when he just randomly starts screaming bloody murder. I go over to where he was only to find this level 80 Spore Boar on steroids going to town on him. Apparently he somehow activated a boss you’re not supposed to get to until the post story; so there we are, Lamar’s freaking out, I’m freaking out while trying to heal him, the chat was going crazy, and it was just a chaotic spectacle. At some point during all this, I’ll never forget it, he shouted;

‘God damn it game, I am not in the mood to deal with this pig that came directly from Satan’s asshole!’

“At that point, it was kind of a miracle we even got out of that alive, because I was laughing so hard that I could barley see the screen!”

Morgan eventually was overwhelmed by a fit of laughter at the memory alone. Even Belle chuckled at the absurdity of it, but was secretly glad to have a reason to smile in the moment.

“So we eventually escaped the boar and got back to safety and all, and played for a bit more before ending the stream. But, you know… I think back to memories like that, and even though a lot if them are silly like that- it makes me think about how lucky I am to have them in my life. Whether we’re just goofing off or whatever, through all time I’ve spent with MD-5… They’ve always been there for me.”

Morgan paused for a moment, and looked up at her girlfriend with a sincere expression. “And Belle... I know you’ve been hurting really bad this past year, and I know that I can only do so much to help- and believe me, if I could take this pain away from you, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But…. I’m here, Belle. I’m right here, and I always will be.”

Belle just stared at her for a bit, words failing to come to her. The next thing Morgan knew, she wrapped her arms around her tightly and pulled her close, displaying the kind of affection she only ever did when they were alone. Morgan smiled contently as she returned the embrace, feeling Belle sink into her shoulder. After a few minutes, Belle withdrew slightly, her arms still around Morgan’s waist.

“... Thank you, Mor. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” “Hey, it’s what ladyfriends are for, right?”

“Heheh… Every so often, you’re actually somewhat humorous.”

“‘Tis my calling, my love.”

Belle rolled her eyes sarcastically, before giving her a peck on the cheek.

“So, you feeling like sleeping on the couch tonight?” Morgan offered.

“Well, I guess I don’t feel like walking the four steps to my bed, so you drive a hard enough bargain.” Belle joked.

Morgan giggled as she laid down with her girlfriend, snuggling into her as she drew a blanket over them.

“G’night Morgan.” She whispered.

“Night Bella.”

They began to drift off feeling safe and happy in each other’s embrace.

“Morgan did you forget to save the game.”

“... Maybe.”