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“I’m going to become a professional League of Legends player.”
Raph blinks at Donnie’s words.
“I beg you pardon?”
Donnie looks at him, a little confused.
“I’m going to become a professional—”
“No, I heard that.”
“Then I don’t get your question.”
Raph snorts. “No, no. Wait a second. How are you gonna become a League of Legends professional player?”
“Well, first I need to get to at least a Diamond level, of course.” Donnie smirks. “But that will just take me a couple of days more, since I’m already at Platinum I. Although the amount of points I’m winning is so low it may take me three days...”
Raph opens and closes his mouth like a fish out of water. He gets up and goes towards his brother, the most exasperated look on his face as he speaks.
“Donnie, you can’t become a professional LOL player!”
“What?” Donnie says as he raises an eyebrow. “Why?”
“What do you—” Raph points to himself. “Have you forgotten this whole situation!? Are you crazy?”
Donnie waves a hand dismissively. “I don’t see the issue.”
“You’re green!”
Donnie touches his bandana. “I’m purple?”
Raph groans and passes both hands through his face. He exhales, and puts his hands on Donnie’s shoulders.
“Donnie. You are a mutated turtle.” Raph shakes his brother’s shoulders. “How do u expect to go to a live tournament?”
Donnie opens his mouth, and then closes it. He holds his chin and speaks softly.
“I’m sure there’s a way to do it.”
Raph looks up, and after a second speaks, trying to make his voice as soft as possible.
“I’m sure there is. But, for now,” Raph says, patting Donnie’s shoulders, “you don’t know it.” He releases his hold on Donnie and is then that something comes to him. “Why do you want to play professionally anyway?”
Donnie shrugs. “Got bored playing by myself.”
“Then how about playing with us and April?” Raph puts a smile. “It can’t be that hard, right?”
Turns out, it is. It’s really, really hard.
Raph is trying, he swears on every Lou Jitsu movie he is. But he’s having trouble understanding what the hell is even going on. Which doesn’t make sense, because he’s used to fighting actual threats in his real life everyday!
“I don’t get it!” Raph points to the screen. “What even happened here? I died in,” Raph gasps loudly reading the time, “zero seconds! How are you even supposed to avoid death in zero seconds!?”
Donnie looks bored to the screen. He presses the tab key and after a second he points to a player. “Oh, you have fed a Leblanc? Yeah, you’re basically toast.”
“But that’s not fair!” Raph points to the character that killed his. “I was like, three sizes more big! That doesn’t even make sense!”
“Yeah…” Donnie keeps looking at the screen, and suddenly points to a tiny number. “Yeah, you see, Leblanc’s level is 15, and you’re… 10.” He then looks closer to something. “And you didn’t get any magic resistance items.”
Raph looks confused. “But I bought the item that sets me on fire!”
Donnie just eyes him, and then looks at the screen again. Raph watches with him as his base explodes, and the Defeat sign appears. Donnie is the one to break the silence.
“Maybe we should watch some pro player playing.”
Later that day, Donnie and Raph are on the TV room, searching Twitch for someone good enough that is currently playing League of Legends. Donnie talks, still looking at the screen.
“Okay, so you said you wanted to play as a Support…”
“Yep!” Raph says excited, pumping his fists in the air. “Nothing like supporting your team to the victory!”
“You didn’t exactly do that before but anyway!” Donnie continues, Raph squinting his eyes at him. “If you want support pro players, there’s quite a lot. Maybe…”
“Oh!” Raph points to one of the tiny videos playing. “How about this one? They say they play for a team.”
“Oh, Mikyx? Yeah, for G2.”
Donnie clicks on the video and reclines in his bean bag, and both brothers watch as the streaming starts. Raph is a little confused at first, since the player seems to be clicking at a thousand things a minute, but as he tries to focus he starts to understand some things a little better: how to move, when to engage and disengage in fights, and so on.
Raph also finds it very entertaining, especially because he seems very chill. He’s seen Donnie play League of Legends before, and most of the time it was Donnie with the most feral look on his face. But Raph notices that the guy is also laughing every so often, which Raph appreciates.
“Raph.”
He finds his voice very soothing and calming, and he also notices how this guy looks cute with his glasses.
“Raph!”
“What!?” Raph screams, looking at Donnie confused. “What is it?”
Donnie looks to his brother, and then to the guy playing the game. Raph sees as Donnie slowly looks at him again, a grin on his face.
“Are you doing what I think you’re doing?”
“What am I doing?”
Donnie raises an eyebrow and puts a knowing smile. Raph looks at the screen again, and something in his brain clicks.
“Oh, no.” Raph looks at his brother. “Donnie, I’m not doing what I think you’re doing.”
“You are, though.” Donnie says, and when Raph is about to speak he continues. “I mean, he’s cute, but—”
“Oh my god.” Raph covers his hands with his face. “I, hate you so much Donnie.”
“Not to worry, my dear brother. Your secret’s safe with me.”
Raph groans, and decides to not speak more about that. But apart from that moment, he actually has a good time. Even though he still doesn’t get everything that’s going on, he gets excited when he sees the pro player do something that seems extra complicated to pull off, and Donnie explains to him most of his doubts, so he actually does learn some stuff at the end.
Eventually night settles, and when Raph gets himself tucked in bed, he takes out his phone. He enters Twitch again and searches the player they were watching before. Without a doubt he follows him, because he actually wants to see his next streaming.
And it’s not Raph’s fault the guy has a nice voice, after all.