Extra life!

Shrapnel looks at him
"Uhhh..."

?: oooh that's not good-

"What's going on?"

*keeps glitching*
?: oh th@t's VERY n0t gooood...

Shrapnel runs up to him
"Hey!"

?: sssh!!t...

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

?: i got a v!Rus iin my systeM

"So get E-Set."

?: What-?

"Antivirus."

?:triED l!ke a dozzzen already...

"What did you download?"

?: n0th!ng- andd th@t's the prOBlem,

"Did you get it from someone?"

?: don't kN0w...

"Do you remember how you got it?"

?: no.

"Maybe contact tech support?'

?: scr3w teeech support!

"Why?"

?: cause ththey n3v3r fix the issue! they say 'sorry that happened but now it's your problem!'

"What are you planning on doing then?"

?: reboot the visor again...

"Okay?"

?: *stands still and you see him disappear*

"Weird."

*he reappears*

"Better?"

?: yeah

"Good. Who are you?"

"...a person."

"Stellar answer."

"...you can call me X. most people do anyways now." *laughs quietly to himself*

"Okay, X, my name is Shrapnel."

"nice."

"Thanks."

"so why you here?"

"I wanted to check out this game."

"it's not that great."

"What's it about?"

"it's a parkour game, open world levels, but the only important one is the gate."

"What's the gate."

"it's how you get to beat the game."

"Ohhh."

"but nobody has"

"Where is the gate?"

"pffft- you're nowhere close to ready for the gate..."

"Just point out where it is."

"down main street can't miss it"

"Okay."

"dude you'll want to level up before you even try to attempt it."

"How do you level up?"

"by passing the open world courses and practicing"

"Makes sense."

"mhm you're at level 1 and i'm about level 30"

"Wow.."

"of course it's not the highest level-"

"Is the highest 100?"

"mhm."

"Wait... Why do I have to level up? Can't I just use skill?"

"that's how you get skill points, certain moves you can't learn until later"

"Oooh."

"mhm"

"I guess I'd better get to work."

"yeah"

He starts practicing

"i've been here many times"

"Oh?"

"yeah this is the first course everyone does"

"It seems so."

"it's not that hard"

He tries the course

*you slip on one of the rail*

"Wuagh!"

"heh"

"Damn."

"okay so it's not that hard for me-"

"For a level 35? Nooo.."

"i sense sarcasm."

"Sarcasm? Really? What gave you that idea."

"i tease- i tease-."

"It's fine, I don't mind. I'm just a sarcastic person."

"heh- okay"

He tries the course again

*you succeed and see you gain a level*

"Well that was fun."

"it'll get harder"

"I expect so."

"you know why i'm even still here? why i put up with the glitches?"

"Determination?"

"no- i...*chuckles* it's stupid...i was going to meet my friend here...but well, we broke up. and i keep coming back and expecting them to log on..." *wipes the tears from his face*

"Oh... Wow.."

"yeah...i know it's really stupid..."

"No, it isn't.."

"no-?"

"You stuck to a promise."

"yeah- well they made it very clear they didn't want me to be a part of their life anymore..."

"And? Forget them!"

"but they did nothing wrong."

"They did. They broke up with you."
He smiles

"and yet they had a better reason than me. i'm a toxic person to them."

"Oh?"

"we both agreed it was for the best after i scarred their arm."

"Yeesh."

"yeah...which makes me the asshole who f**ked up..."

"At least you learned from your mistake."

"y-yeah..."

"You gonna be okay?"

"yeah-"

"Good."

"sh*t- my roommate's home..."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"he'd rather i didn't play..."

"Oh."

"he thinks i'm dwelling on the past too much"

"Really?"

"yeah."

"Alright."

"....no one, baby! gotta go before he finds the headset..."

"Okay, bye."

*logs off*

Shrapnel keeps practicing

*you slowly gain levels*

"Nice."

*you see X log back on*

"You're back.?"

"for a bit."

"Does your roommate know?"

"not specifically."

"What?"

"he doesn't know i'm on this game....just that i'm on the visor"

"Ooooh."

"yeah-"

"I leveled up a bit."

"cool"

(( What level am I at?

(level 15)

(( Kay
"I'm at level 15 now."

"nice. soon you'll be able to jump higher"

"Really? That's cool."

*you can hear a second voice coming from his character*
?: whatcha playing?
X: uhhhhh nothing-
?: doesn't sound like nothing.

".. Game over."

*his character slumps over*
X: seriously Kai-! Tou-Tou-...really- i swear i wasn't-....
?: you're still playing this shitty game Xav-? let it go, they won't be online.

"..."

X: i made a friend...
?: fine...i'm making actual food i expect you to eat it.

".."

X: yeah yeah-... *his character slowly comes back to life*

"Hi."

"hey"

"Glad you think I'm your friend."

"yeah- sorry you had to hear all that"

"I don't mind."

"my roommate kinda takes care of me, even if he is a bit forceful..."

"Is your roommate's name Kai? Or Tou-Tou?"

"heh- uh nicknames of mine for him."

"So.. Judging by those nicknames, is his name Toukai? Kaitou? Something like that?"

"yeah"

"Cool name."

"it is pretty cool"

"Yeah. Xav is pretty cool too."

"oh- yeah, thanks..."

"Heheh. I like you."

"same here."

"Thanks, man."

"i should level up some more."

"Yeah.. Same."

*starts working on a course*

So does Shrapnel

"so uh- you got any friends or family that live with you?"

"Well.. My creator."

"oh-? yeah i don't believe in that kinda stuff"

"No- I mean, my physical creator."

"oh-"

"I'm not really human, I'm an android."

"oh- cool!"

"Yeah. My endoskeleton is made of tungsten."

"nice"

"Thanks."

"be fairly honest, what do you think my relationship with my roommate is?"

"From what I've heard? Pretty good."

"well yeah- but are we more?"

"What do you mean?"

"me and my roommate are good friends, but he really truly cares for me-"

"Oh. He does seem like he cares for you a lot."

"i'm just so confused...he always flirts with me like it's no big deal"

"Maybe he like-likes you."

"he- oh- i- i- yeah that makes sense-"

"Yeah! He always flirts with you, he might like you!"

"yeah- okay!"

"Heheh!"

*finishes the course and gains his levels*
"now i gotta do something-....TOU!"
*logs off*

"What tha hell?"

*you see someone pass by you on the course*

He looks closer

*they have long, tied back, messy gold hair and wear a blue flannel around their waist*

"Hello. Who are you?"

"Devin"

"Hey, Devin."

"hey- i'm looking for someone"

"Who?"

"short purple and blue hair, green eyes, sometimes gives attitude?"

"Oh, I think I know who you're talking about. Is his name Xavier?"

"yeah- i need to talk to him..."

"He just logged off... Wait! Wait, are you the guy that was supposed to meet Xavier here??"

"yeah- two years ago... wait i just missed him?!"

"Yeah."

"Son of a monkey!" they kick a nearby trash can.

"Eheheh.."

"where is he now?"

"I think he left with someone named Kaitou."

"KAITOU?!"

"Yes, Kaitou, why?"

"SON OF A B*TCH!"

"What??"

"that my brother!"

"He's your brother?"

"yes!"

"Oh, wow."

"This is BULLLSH*T!"

"Why?"

"i need to talk to xavier"

"Like I said, he just logged off."

"F*CK!"

"Try calling him."

*tries calling*
"damn!"

"No answer?"

"No!"

"Why not go to him?"

"ugh......"

"What?"

"i don't want to."

"Why not?"

"i don't want to talk to my brother..."

"Why?"

"i just don't like him."

"Why not?"

"because no."

"Wow. Amazing."
He does a sarcastic clap

"i so badly need to talk to xav- i screwed up-....i need to apologize...and need to get back with him"

"So talk to Xavier."

"well he's not picking up his phone"

"So go to him."

"i can't i don't know where he lives"

"Do you know where your brother lives?"

"no."

"Look, I know you don't want to talk to him, but maybe just call your brother and ask him?"

*tries*
"nothing"

"Damn. Any other ideas?"

"no"

"Damn.."

*xavier logs back on*

"Xavier, look who's here."
He gestures towards Devin

"shit-! wings!" *his character slumps over*

"What the-?"

K: you good xav-?
X: y-yeah-......you remember how you said they wouldn't be online?
K: yeah-?
X: well...they're online-...

"What?"

*the character comes back to life*

"What the f*ck was that?"

"this is xav's boyfriend, he's going to leave now and he won't be returning."

"What??"

"kaitou you're his what now-?!"
"i didn't see you making any amends. you've had two years now."

"That's kind of petty, Kaitou."

"shut up you aren't a part of this."

"Rude."

"i was the vitcim!"
"oh rreally?! it's not what it looked like!"

"Both of you, *stop*!"

*they stop*

"Why are you two arguing??"

"over xavier"

"Don't you two think you're being kind of obsessive over him?"

"what-?"

"You're both getting really angry over one person."

*Xavier's character disappears*

"Uh oh."

"HE LOGGED OFF?!"

"He might've been forced to by Kaitou."

"AGHHHH!!!" *kicks another trashcan*

"Mad, much?"

"YES!"

"What can you do about it?"

"absolutely nothing!"

"That sucks.."

"mhm...i should have said something sooner..."

"Yeah.. Maybe.."

"i feel so stupid..."

"You aren't stupid."

"i wish i'd said something..."

"Unfortunately, you can't turn back time."

"i know-! i know that!"

"You gonna be okay?"

"NO!"

Shrapnel sighs
"Damn.."

"DAMMIT! MY OWN BROTHER! UNBELIEVABLE!"

"It kind of is."

*sits on the ground and curls up into a ball*

"Don't feel bad. Next time you see your brother, beat the shit of him."

*smiles* "okay"

"You're cool."

"thanks"

"I like you."

"ya do?"

"Yeah."

*smiles*

"Eheheheh..."

"you're pretty cool too"

"Thanks."

"same to you"

He smiles
"Thanks."

*sits aand waits*

"What are you doing?"

"i'm going to wait here until xavier logs back in"

"Wow.. That's determination."

*devin sits there for hours at a time*

Shrapnel keeps practicing

"so- what level are you?"

"15."

"oh- i'm level 60"

"Wow.. Have you ever gotten to the gate yet?"

"tried it a few times. haven't beaten it yet"

"Wow.. For a level 60 to fail, it must be really hard."

"even the highest level people, level 100 are failing the gate"

"Wow..."

"yeah, the rumor is there is a special skill you need to beat it. it's a surface grip"

"Surface grip?"

"yeah no one has it, it's just a rumor that it exists"

"Hmm.."

*xavier logs back on his character panting and breathing heavily*

"Xavier!"

"h-hey-"

"Are you okay?

"kaitou is hunting me down!"

"What?!"

"i don't know he tried talking to me a while ago but-...he got kind of pushy-"

"How pushy?"

"enough for me to get out of the house-i'm playing on the roof of my apartment"

"Does he know?"

"...no."

"Good."

"Wings i'm so sorry-"
"i forgive you, it's fine, are you hurt?"
"no i don't think so"

"You don't think so?"

"yeah-"

"Weird.."

"well- i'm safe"

"Knock on wood."

"eh- i'll take the chance- nothing wood to knock on anyway"

"Alright then."

"Wings-" *hugs Devin*

"Aww..."

*devin hugs back*

"Eheheheheheh..."

"i need a place to stay until kaitou chills."

"But where?"

"sorry xav- my parents still hate you."

"..."

"well..."

"Hm?"

"i'll just stay up here then..."

"Alright."

"i should've charged the headset...it's almost dead"

"..."

*his character disappears suddenly*

"Guess it died."

*pulls out his phone*

"..."

"oh- he's texting me"

"Ah."

"he says, goodnight."

"It's already night?"

"yeah"

"Wow. I lost track of time.'

"well i'll log off for now"

"Okay. I'm gonna keep practicing."

*devin disappears*

He keeps practicing

*you get to level 25*

"Heh."
He does a little fist pump

*xavier logs back on*

"Hello, Xavier."

*doesn't talk*

"Xavier?"

*whispers* "he's looking for me-"

"Oh.."

*whispers* "i'm hiding from him right now"

"Wow.."

*whispers* "i'm terrified..."
K: you shouldn't be.
X: AHH!

"Kaitou!"

K: calm down...

"Why won't you let Xavier do his own thing?"

*ignores*
K: xav- you're freezing.

"Sure, sureignoremeyeah."

X: i know-
K: you're gonna get sick

"..."

K: trust me- you should come back

".."

X: fine

"What about Devin?"

"i don't have any better choice"

He sighs

"i have to go with him"

"Alright.."

*he logs off*

He sighs and keeps practicing

...

"What's Devin gonna think.."

"depends."

"Hm?"

*you see devin perched on a rail*

"Oh.. Did you hear all that?'

"only up to when we started talking"

"Kaitou found Xavier."

"oh..."

"He left with Kaitou."

"......................................................................................................"

".."

"this is fine, i'm fine, everything is fine......"

"You sure..?"

*laughs nervously*
"eah, totally"

"Doesn't really look like it."

"of course i'm not okay..."

"I thought so.."

*sits against a wall*

"Kaitou seems very controlling."

"yeah"

"He needs to let up."

"yeah"

"..."

*kaitou logs in*

He looks at Kaitou
"Feel good about yourself?"

"yeah"

"Mm."

"i'm looking out for my friend."

"Looking out for? Or controlling?"

"you don't know him. i do."

"What about Devin, though?"

"..."

"Well, You wanna answer?"

"tough luck."

"Hngh.."

"devin should've taken inititive"

"You should've taken an easier approach with Xavier."

"maybe."

"Maybe? Really?"

"look it ain't your problem buddy."

"Is Xavier's life your problem?"

"yes! because devin didn't want to deal with it!"

He looks at Devin

*devin goes silent*

"...Wow..."

"yeah."

".."

"devin should've tried harder"

"He gets that."

"tch."

"You aren't really being a good brother right now."

"you think i care? i grew up without them most of my life anyway."

"You'd think you'da been happy to meet them."

"not much changed."
"everything changed!"

"..."

"eh not really."

"You two argue more than politicians."

"yeah don't care"

"You're a pathetic brother."

"i know"

"And you like it?"

"eh don't really care if you haven't noticed"

"I have."

"GOOD."

"You need help."

"it's better this way"

"It's better with you micromanaging Xavier's life, and treating your brother like shit?"

"sadly." *logs off*

"That little piece'a shit.."

"well...takes a control freak to control a control freak."

"Where are you gonna find another control freak?"

"Xavier"

"Xavier?"

"maybe they're perfect for each other."

"Hm."

"xavier hates being controlled, he wants to be in control, same with kaitou"

"I think everyone hates being controlled."

"but still."

"Yeah.. But Kaitou won't let you talk to him."

"i know"

"So how are ypu going to do it?"

"well kaitou made the mistake of logging in on his account"

"And?"

"i can track hiiiim!"

"Wow, really?"

"mhm!"

"Cool!"

"and if i find kaitou...."

"You find Xavier!"

"exactly."

"Hahah, you're smart!"

"only when it's useful." *smiles*

"Eheheh.."

"found him!"

"Nice!"

"yeah!"

"Go to him, then!"

*logs off*

Shrapnel starts practicing again

*your game starts to bug out*

"What the..?"

*keeps bugging out*

He tries resetting his game

*the glitches go away*

"That was weird..."
He gets back to practicing

*you start to bug out in the same spot*

"Why??"
He moves

*you clip through the wall and find a hidden level*

"Woah.."

*it is a special sewer themed course to beat the quickly rising sludge and make it to the suface*

"Shit!"
He starts ascending

*you see the finish mark*

He tries to get to it

*you barely escape*

"Hoo!"
He raises his fists in victory

*your levels immediately jump to level 60 and you unlock a new skill*

"Woah!!"
He looks at the skill

*surface grip*

"Oh my god! Yes!"

*devin logs back in*

"Devin! I got it!"

"got what?"

"Surface grip!"

*clamps their hand over your mouth before you can finish*

"Mph?"

"don't say it out loud- there are players who would do anything to get their hands on it if they found out it really existed."

"Mmmph.."

*removes their hand*

"Huh.."

*xavier logs back on*

"Hi Xavier."

"hey-"

"Look at my level."

"HOLY FU-! level 60?!"

"Yep."

"well you're like, twice my level now!"

"Yeah."

"HOW?!"

"Lots'a practicing."

"there's no way you got to level 60 in less than a week. it took me months to get to level 30."

"I worked harder, I guess. I don't need to sleep, so I can practice 24/7."

"that doesn't change anything"

"Uh..."

*looks suspiciously at you*

"...Do not tell. Anyone. But I got the surface grip skill."

"i knew something was fishy!"

"Don't. Tell. Anyone."

"i won't"

"Thank you."

"sure thing"

"So..."
He lowers his voice
"Am I able to beat the gate now?"

"you should become a level one hundred first"

"Ah. Alright."

"then you can beat the gate"

"I guess I'd better- Wait.. What happened to Kaitou?"

"we settled on compromise"

"Oh."

"he agreed to let me and devin be friends as long as he toned it down a bit."

"Cool!"

"yeah"

"I guess I'd better get to work."

"mhm"

He starts practicing again

*xavier and devin train along with you*

"Devin, what level are you again?"