Chapter Text
<Etgar Stark> it was so rough man. i keep trying to ask him out but he’s just?? not interested??
<Etgar Stark> at this point it’s like time to throw in the towel u know?
<Kiht Polaali> I’d hate to agree with giving up, but yes, you can’t force someone to return your affection.
<Etgar Stark> oh yeah totally, the last thing i want is to make him feel obligated to like me or smth
<Etgar Stark> if anything i kinda just wanna be his friend!
<Kiht Polaali> In that case, you may be able to bribe him with food.
<Etgar Stark> waitwaitwait i don’t want to bribe anyone!
<Kiht Polaali> Not bribe sorry
<Kiht Polaali> Sway
Alfred read the words appearing in the in-game chat box and let out a guffaw, before slapping a hand over his mouth to silence himself. It was New Year’s Eve, nearly midnight, but he wasn’t sure if the elderly neighbors on the other side of his paper-thin walls would be staying up to greet the new year.
Lifting a headphone off his ear, he listened for any sign of life from next door. When no sound came, Alfred deemed it appropriate to turn his attention back to the game. His character, the game’s equivalent of a human, sat on the bench hanging from a tree by his guild house. His friend Kiht, a catgirl, was on one knee, crafting some gear for him. Usually, they spent whatever spare time they had together running any dailies or weeklies for extra bonuses in-game, but right now, they were taking it easy.
<Etgar Stark> i'll approach him with a friendly bento then
<Kiht Polaali> If someone came up to me with a bento of friendship, I would for sure take it.
<Etgar Stark> u sure u won’t panic??? what abt that person u like???
<Kiht Polaali> 舐めてんじゃねぇ
<Etgar Stark> aww cmon u know i'm still kinda illiterate!
<Kiht Polaali> 誰のせいだ
<Etgar Stark> :(( ok it’s kind of my fault but i've been trying to study kanji in my off time!!!
Alfred, worried he actually upset his friend by bringing up a sore subject, began to type out an apology. He was halfway through when Kiht responded.
<Kiht Polaali> If the person I liked brought me a bento, I would die.
Alfred quickly erased his apology.
<Etgar Stark> that’s a little dramatic buddy
<Kiht Polaali> They make me dramatic.
<Etgar Stark> here let’s turn this into homework
<Etgar Stark> i try to make friends with my person, u try to allow ur person to exist in the same space as u w/out freaking out
Alfred wasn’t sure if the long silence was Kiht contemplating the homework, or if he was focused on crafting. Or both.
<Kiht Polaali> Okay
<Kiht Polaali> I will update you next week.
Kiht finished crafting and walked over to Alfred’s character, initiating the trade window and gifting him the gear.
<Etgar Stark> thanks kiiiiiiiiht
<Etgar Stark> u sure u dont want anything in return? i've got… eggs? like 5 stacks of eggs?
<Kiht Polaali> Just keep progressing through MSQ and enjoy the story.
<Etgar Stark> ur the best buddy i'll still repay u someday when im super rich <3 <3 <3
Kiht was a great friend to Alfred. He met them earlier in the year, sometime after he relocated to Japan as a contracted English teacher for a high school. It was in a decently sized city in the Kansai region, not a metropolis like Tokyo, but not too rural. A decision that could have easily ended badly, as he had flipped a coin on whether he should try teaching English in a random country or continue to feel like he was rotting away at his desk job.
While he didn’t feel like he was rotting away anymore, he still struggled. The social butterfly that he was, he struggled making close connections with coworkers and the general people around him.
In his experience up to that point, the only people who were excited to get to know him were his elderly neighbors and the older housewives in his area. They would spot him walking to or from work, then stop to say hello or to give him a container of homemade food. They would speak to him in short phrases of broken English and get excited when he’d speak to them with his imperfect Japanese (he was working on it!).
They were kind people, and Alfred enjoyed their company. Given that they were older and didn’t seem to get many visitors, he was sure they were just as lonely as he was, but he also wanted friends a little closer to his age.
He loved his experience so far, his students were fun, but some days, he wondered if he would have preferred rotting back home instead.
During one of his worst bouts of homesickness, he purchased a PS5 in hopes to reconnect with friends and family (mainly his brother) back home. Of course, time zones and work schedules made playing together impossible.
That’s when he fell for the online ads. The memes going around in random gaming circles he browsed. ‘Have you heard of the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV?’
He was desperate. He just wanted friends.
Alfred started the trial, made his character, picked what he thought would be the coolest class that was available (Gladiator), and joined a random server in Japan. He was so unfamiliar with MMO’s that the entire control scheme and UI confused him—frustrated him— that he dropped the game for a while.
He wasn’t sure what made him pick it back up, maybe a clearer mind and less desperation, but he found the game easier to figure out on the second try. He took things slow, bought a cheap keyboard to chat easier, paid for the full game even, and eventually, when he jumped into his very first dungeon with other players, he realized the class he chose gave him a bigger responsibility than he anticipated. He had no idea all the jobs in the game had a specific etiquette to follow!
As he fumbled around leading the group through the dungeon, the party seemed surprisingly patient with him. He managed to type out a “Sorry!” through all the chaos, to which some of the party members just jumped repeatedly at him in response, realizing he couldn’t understand the instructions they were writing.
One of the party members, the healer, typed short English phrases into chat to explain certain mechanics he needed to remember if he wanted to keep acting “as a tank.” The other party members assisted with taking the lead, all jumping along to ensure Alfred was following.
After they completed the dungeon, and the party stood in the arena where they beat the final boss, Alfred quickly typed out his appreciation for their patience. He couldn’t figure out how to switch to Japanese input, so he sent out a simple “Arigatou gozaimashita!”
The party presented a variety of emotes towards him: cheering, clapping, random dancing…
Alfred left the dungeon feeling good, albeit still a little embarrassed.
But after he left…
The healer sent a friend request. Of course, Alfred would accept! He was clearly lost in this game and needed some kind of mentor!
From there, bloomed Alfred and Kiht’s friendship. Kiht even invited him to the guild they were a part of, though most of the members had stopped logging in a long time ago.
It seemed Kiht was in the same boat with lacking friends to connect with, but unlike Alfred, they weren’t lonely. In fact, they craved their time alone.
It made their friendship interesting. Alfred couldn’t understand how it worked out, but they clicked. Somehow.
Kiht helped him better understand the game mechanics, how fights functioned, and the like. All of this, he learned through the chat box. Voice chat was a dangerous option; just the sound of his regular speaking voice in his own apartment space would rouse multiple neighbors in the complex if he dared attempt voice chat.
An exaggeration of course, but Alfred got loud and excited easily.
The chat box was the next best thing, since he needed to improve his reading and writing skills. Even if Kiht mostly spoke with him in English.
Alfred and Kiht eventually began talking about things outside of the game, though nothing too detailed. Conversations drifted to talking about their day, fun things they’ve seen… and eventually, they admitted to having people they were already interested in. Somewhat.
It was a relief, given Alfred’s main concern was their online friendship being one big misunderstanding, where one unintentionally “led” the other on. If they both liked someone else, it would be fine!
…
It wasn’t fine at all, though. Alfred was into his co-worker, who always found some way to escape the room whenever he walked over.
The co-worker in question was Kiku Honda, or as staff and students referred him, Honda-sensei. He was the science teacher at their high school.
And oh boy, was he cute.
And skittish.
Thus, impossible to strike up a conversation with.
Was Alfred really that imposing?
They’ve only had about a handful of “conversations” in the several months they’ve been coworkers. Their teaching schedules barely allowed them to cross paths, so chances to talk in general were minimal.
Hell, just the other day in the staff room, Alfred thought he finally had his chance. Honda-sensei was at his desk, head down, focused on lesson plans.
Alfred hyped himself up, attempting not to trip himself as he strolled over to the other teacher’s desk.
“Honda-sensei!” This was it! And he was confident enough to flex his (okay) Japanese with the most basic sentence! “Would you like to get drinks with me after work?”
Honda-sensei looked up at him from his seat, baffled. The blond grew self-conscious; was it his pronunciation?
“Sorry, I--”
Honda-sensei shut his notebook and stood, “I’m sorry. I’m a little busy…” Alfred watched him shuffle out of the staff room.
With how quickly he always left after being approached, Alfred was beginning to believe that Honda-sensei just didn’t like him.
Which lead up to his venting to Kiht about the whole event. Kiht was right, though; Alfred couldn’t force Honda-sensei to hang out with him if he clearly didn’t want to. He at least wanted to attempt the bento of friendship. Or something. Maybe a bento was too forward.
…He wasn’t going to think about that now.
<Etgar Stark> u wanna make plans for the new year?
<Kiht Polaali> What kind of plans?
<Etgar Stark> u live in Kansai too right? why not meet up somewhere during summer break?
<Kiht Polaali> I believe I can make some time then, yes. How far away are you from Kyoto?
<Etgar Stark> like probably about an hour by shinkansen?
<Kiht Polaali> That’s about the same for me. Shall we make it a day trip?
<Etgar Stark> heck yeah dude!
Their characters sat together on hanging bench.
Alfred checked the time.
<Etgar Stark> are u still planning on jumping on tomorrow? i've got nothing going on
<Kiht Polaali> I just need visit my family, but other than that, I’m free.
<Etgar Stark> awesome, i'll probably be on by the time you’re back!
Alfred was worried he’d feel down during this time of year, but Kiht’s presence as his friend really helped. Not that either of them were online talking constantly! They were both busy, and Alfred appreciated their company on the brief occasions they could play together.
As the seconds counted down to midnight, he smiled at their characters on the screen, enjoying this comfortable moment he could only describe as theirs and theirs alone.
<Etgar Stark> happy new year, kiht!!!!!!
<Kiht Polaali> :)
<Kiht Polaali> Happy New Year, Etgar.
<Kiht Polaali> I look forward to another year of a wonderful friendship.
Alfred smiled, watching Kiht let off some festive party poppers.
Here’s to another year of us.