Chapter Text
RoPo was used to running around Jack's house. They were always hanging around each other, so the other's house had become their second home. However, this was different. Jack's house was dilapidated and rusty looking. The surrounding area was dark, dim, and seemingly damp. This virus that had been unleashed was corrupting the world. While the virus was in its infancy, it would soon grow to be larger than RoPo and Jack or the Neighbor could have ever imagined.
RoPo hated the cryptic phrases, Jack.EXE kept saying. It was confusing and concerning him. RoPo wished he hadn't been late. It was something he always was. He was never on time, and everyone was frustrated by it. Whether they were going out to the store or meeting with Captain America, RoPo was always late. It's almost like it ran in his blood. But now he told himself he would never, ever be late again.
Running around the dirty-looking house, RoPo collected all the keys he could need, while dodging the bullets his friend was shooting. Little did he know this would soon become routine for the two boys. RoPo checked every chest, barrel, and hiding place he could. It wasn't until he opened a chest under the TV that he took a double-take. It was another...cure? But why would Jack.EXE have a cure under his TV? It didn't make any sense. It didn't even look like his cure. The 'real' EXE cure was a purple-ish magenta color; this was more of a vile-looking, inky purple color.
RoPo was unsure for a moment, but he figured any cure is better than no cure. Besides, he was sure these bullets getting hurled his way were tinkered to have the virus in them. RoPo didn't feel...right. Almost, as if there was something underneath his skin begging to be released. The sensation was small, for now.
RoPo soon found himself standing in front of his house. But it wasn't his house. It looked like Jack's house. Dark and dirty. It held no resemblance except for the shape to his own home. It scared him. More than he would admit. If Jack's house was like that because he was an EXE, does that mean RoPo was? Or was he gonna end up like Jack? Argh-There's no time to think about that. He has two cures, and he knows that soon enough, this will all be over, and everything will be alright...
RoPo looked around his own home, continuing the search for keys and keycards. In the back of his mind, he was trying to figure out how he was gonna get Jack.EXE to drink/take the cure. Clearly, he wasn't gonna do that on his own accord. So, RoPo would have to force him. He could probably trap him. RoPo headed out to the treehouse in his backyard. That's where Jack was, and he hoped that there was something there he could use.
RoPo needed to hurry. Those bullets were really affecting him. The sensation that plagued his every move only grew, and strange feelings kept gaining access to his thoughts. He felt weird, strange even. His mind told him that those feelings were normal, even though he knew for a fact that they weren't. They were feelings of not just anger, but rage. Like something inside of him snapped. It wasn't consuming him, not yet anyway, but it was slowly making its way towards all the areas of his brain.
He shook his head, almost as if he was trying to shake away the weird thoughts/feelings. He eventually made his way to a chest in the tree house. Luckily enough, there was a trap inside. He would've jumped up and down in joy if it weren't for everything going on. He knew what he had to do.
RoPo went into one of the treehouse rooms and placed the trap down. RoPo was gonna lure Jack.EXE into the trap, throw the cure on him, then take the extra cure for himself. And Wabam everything should be better...right? He tried to tempt Jack.EXE into the room by saying,
"I'll be evil with you, ok!"
Obviously, RoPo would never mean that, but it worked. It lured Jack.EXE into the very room; however, before RoPo could see Jack get caught, Jack shot him off the balcony ledge. It hurt quite a lot, but soon enough, RoPo heard the sound of metal scraping together, and then the infected cries of Jack.
RoPo quickly and quietly celebrated in his increasingly dark mindscape. He hurriedly made his way up the treehouse steps to where Jack.EXE was trapped. It was obvious Jack didn't like being in the cage, but RoPo didn't care. The only thing RoPo was worried about was getting them both the cure. He threw the cure onto Jack.EXE, who began to growl in pain. While he threw the inky cure onto himself.
It didn't provide instant relief like RoPo thought it would. Instead, it delt more pain than it relieved. But, RoPo was so excited to have Jack back that he didn't even care all that much. Jack returned to his normal self, and with it came all the silly and straight-up stupid banter. RoPo was relieved to have him back and for his eyes to be blue again. Jack soon enough got back onto RoPo's nerves, though. But that was normal. Ropo began to explain everything that happened to him.
"But, dude, it was amazing. I found an extra cure in your house while you were evil, and I took it..."
"Err...what extra cure?" Jack asked, almost in a whisper.
"There were two cures, an extra cure," RoPo said, almost as though it was obvious.
"Please, tell me you did not take that," Jack said, with a strange concern in his voice that RoPo had never heard before.
But that didn't matter because soon enough, RoPo couldn't hear. His vision was swarmed with black and red dots. His ears were ringing. And to be honest, he wasn't even sure if he was standing up or on the ground. The weirdest part about it was the fact that RoPo wasn't scared or afraid; he was mad. Not mad at Jack, even, just pissed off in general. The last thing he heard, before he passed out, came from his own mouth.
"It's time for RoPo.EXE..."
~~~~~~~~~
Whenever the world would return to normal, RoPo was, of course, in some ways traumatized. After the whole fake EXE cure thing, he could never drink something that was handed to him by someone else. If he ever got a drink, he had to watch it be made; otherwise, that drink would go to waste. This was a subconscious thing he did, and it was a protection mechanism.