Archive of Our Own

“Put that down, dude, you’re gonna stab yourself,” Ze teased, watching Mason fumble around with a ridiculously elaborate fishing lure. “We’re not trying to catch sharks, here.”

Mason carefully picked the bright orange lure apart from the tangle of lures in Ze’s tackle box with a clatter. “You sure?” he asked with a sly grin, holding it up by one of its four hooks. “I think the trout would love this. I mean, this looks pretty tasty to me.”

Ze huffed a fond laugh and plucked the lure from Mason’s fingers. “There aren’t even that many trout in this lake. We’re most likely gonna find a whole ton of bass.” He poked around in his box for a second, before retrieving a smaller, white lure in the shape of a tiny fish. “Try this one instead.”

“Gosh, fine, buzzkill,” Mason sighed, reaching out to tie the lure to his line. “You’re the expert I guess.”

Ze let him fuss while he prepared his own rod. Morning on the lake was quiet, a low layer of steam rolling across the surface of the water as rays of sun began to spread over the treetops. Ze was glad to share the scene with Mason on one of his rare visits. Ze wouldn’t admit it to anyone else, but it got pretty lonely being an entire plane ride away from his closest friend. 

Mason interrupted his pathetic train of self-pitying thoughts by sitting up in his deck chair and clapping his hands. The echo rang out across the water. “All done, I think,” he announced. “Does this look good?”

Ze took the lure in his hand and gave it a quick glance over. “Yeah, good job,” he affirmed. Mason was a quick learner. “You know how to cast, right?”

Mason nodded. “Yeah, but can I watch you first? Just wanna make sure.”

“Of course, no problem.” Ze stood up and took a few steps to the end of the dock. Swinging his arm wide, he snapped it forward and let his line fly a dozen or so yards away. The lure dropped into the water with a subtle plop. He turned to where Mason was examining his stance intently. “Got it?” Ze coaxed. “C’mon, if we wait around too much, more people will come and scare the fish away.”

“Oh my god, yes I got it,” Mason giggled with a hint of exasperation. He heaved himself up from his chair and joined Ze’s side. “I’m going to catch so many fish. More than you, actually.”

“Uh huh,” Ze laughed, bumping Mason’s arm slightly as he cast his line, causing it to land barely beyond a patch of lilypads. “Gonna get us through the winter?”

“You bet!” Mason responded, undeterred. “Don’t even worry, we’ll have fish to spare.”

Ze smiled and shifted his position so he could watch his line. Whenever he went fishing alone, this part was always the time where he could space out and lose himself in his wandering thoughts while waiting for a bite. It was relaxing, albeit a little lonesome, to disconnect from reality and submerge himself with the sounds of birdsong and water lapping at the shore. But with Mason here, he felt a bit more of an obligation to stay grounded. There was a strange comfort in sharing a physical space with someone and being able to observe and experience everything in parallel.

Ze heard Mason sniff from beside him. “Wow, man, the air here is just so… fresh,” Mason commented. Ze heard him take in a deeper breath. “I wish I could get this kinda air at home.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Ze pondered. The air was incredibly crisp today. The scent of dewy foliage clung to each inhale, coating his lungs with the caress of the ferns and trees that lined the lake. Mason had a way of appreciating the things that Ze tended to take for granted.

Mason sighed once more, restlessly tugging his fishing rod side to side. “If I lived closer to nature like this, I’d be out here all the time. Fishing license or not.”

At that, Ze chuckled. “Not sure if you want to be here without a license. You could get fined, or at least accused of something.”

“Gahhh…” Mason groaned. “You guys living in macho woodsman land are so weird about this stuff. Can’t a man take an honest walk in the forest without worrying about deer season or whatever?”

“If you want to take a walk on unmarked trails in the woods during deer season, be my guest,” Ze declared. “Just keep an eye out for drunk guys with rifles. And wear bright colors.”

“This is exactly what I mean!” Mason protested, grinning. “Don’t you have any hiking trails or greenways or something?”

“Greenways?” Ze wrinkled his nose. “That’s a city thing. But yeah, there are plenty of hiking trails. What, do you wanna go while you’re here?”

Mason lit up. “Yes! Please! Wait, can we go tomorrow? You know I gotta leave in a couple days and I don’t want to have to pack on the same day.”

“Sure,” Ze responded, amused by Mason’s enthusiasm. He wanted to make Mason’s effort to visit him worth it. “I’ll pull up some maps after we’re done here and you can choose what looks most interesting.”

“Great,” Mason hummed, rocking on his heels a bit. “I’m really excited to see new kinds of biomes and stuff.”

Ze nudged his rod around a bit, trying to entice something to bite. He could feel his legs getting a little stiff already, but decided to keep standing while Mason was still so restless. “Biomes? You sound like a Minecraft addict,” he joked.

“Oh please,” Mason huffed, rolling his eyes. “It was still a word before Minecraft used it. And besides, you’re more of a Minecraft addict than I am. You literally had a Christmas party in the game.”

“That’s not that weird,” Ze contested, pinching his eyebrows together.

“You could’ve invited me over in real life! That’s all that I’m saying,” Mason pointed out. “But no, it’s okay, I did actually enjoy our little Minecraft party.”

“Good, as you should,” Ze teased. He didn’t mention he would’ve felt guilty about inviting Mason over to his house in real life. At the time it was too… messy. Definitely not fit for guests. “Anyways,” Ze continued. “At least in Minecraft, you could bring Ptolemy with you. Your… boyfriend?” Ze still didn’t quite understand how it worked.

Mason went quiet for a split second, seemingly flustered. “Well, kind of– I mean I hope– I MEAN–” He took in a breath. “I guess, yeah, you could say that. Is…” Mason glanced at Ze. “Is that weird?”

Ze tilted his head, slightly taken aback. He never really thought too hard about it. He literally shared a world with an arrogant, spastic, annoying as hell digital entity and a mysterious clown girl. When Mason told him about Ptolemy, it wasn’t really that surprising that more entities would exist.

Ze focused back on Mason’s pensive expression. “Nah, it’s not that weird. Nothing’s weirder than Regect, if I’m being honest.”

Mason sputtered a laugh, coughing to recover his composure. “Hah, well thanks, but that’s not really what I meant. But whatever.”

Ze wrinkled his nose in confusion. Did he miss something?

Mason straightened up and readjusted his grip on his fishing rod. “Oh – and you could’ve invited me in person anyways. Why did you think I couldn’t have just brought Ptolemy with me?”

Ze felt another wave of perplexity settle over his mind. “Because… he’s made of pixels?” Ze then stopped, backtracking. “Not that that’s bad, I’m not saying that. I mean, isn’t that just the way he is? Unless you mean bringing your computer with you on the plane.”

Mason turned to look at Ze with a skeptical expression. “That’s… not what I meant.” Mason brought a free hand up to his chin. “Ze, do you mean to tell me that Regect hasn’t visited you yet?”

“Huh,” Ze articulated with about as much understanding as a large-mouth bass in the same position.

“Has Regect, you know,” Mason prompted, moving his arms in a sort of digging-swimming motion, “climbed out of the screen yet?”

Excuse me? Ze’s mind hit a brick wall as he watched Mason, his best friend, his dorky little city boy, mime what seemed to be a scenario only seen in nightmares and The Ring. “You’re lying. You’re fucking with me right now.”

Mason ceased his movements but narrowed his eyes. Ze could see the gears turning. It made him sweat a little.

“Mason, say sike right now.”

“No,” Mason muttered. “So he hasn’t…”

“Hasn’t what??” Ze felt about ready to lose it. “Crawled out of my computer screen like some kind of schizophrenic, terminator-esque digital abomination and then what?? Taken over my consciousness and destroyed my house?! NO!!”

Mason shook his head aggressively and grabbed Ze’s shoulder with one hand, the other still clutching the fishing rod. “Ze, I’m not lying, calm down,” Mason stressed. “Regect wouldn’t do that to you, anyway. Look,” he sighed, “so, I guess you don’t know this, but Ptolemy can come out of my screen. He’s done it a couple times now.”

Ze felt his mouth gape open. “I’m sorry? That’s a thing now?” First, Regect barged into his world and built at least a dozen different houses, blew them up, and put Ze’s avatar in all kinds of danger, and now Mason was saying that he could escape the game and potentially do all of it again but in real life. No, no, absolutely not.

Mason, bless his heart, just nodded with a smile. “Well, yeah, I think it’s always been a thing. I don’t think it’s that far of a reach, I mean, Ptolemy’s kind of this all-powerful being in the first place. Why wouldn’t he be able to visit me in my world, too?” Mason asked with a sappy expression. “I think it’s kind of sweet, honestly.”

Ze wished he could have a fraction of what Mason had with Ptolemy. Maybe then he wouldn’t have to worry so much about his cortisol levels. “Alright, so let me get this straight,” Ze mumbled.

Mason nodded again, giving Ze his attention.

“Okay, so by some fuckass miracle, Ptolemy, and by extension, Regect, can actually just choose to leave the computer whenever they want?” Ze reiterated.

“Yeah, in theory,” Mason explained. “If Regect hasn’t done it yet, then maybe he just doesn’t know how. But like, Ptolemy and him are cousins, so I don’t see why he couldn’t do it eventually.”

Despite his initial panic, Ze found himself giving in to curiosity. It was obvious why Ptolemy probably wanted to visit Mason, since they were pretty much together… whatever that entailed. But Ze thought he and Regect were pretty tight! They could even be considered good friends! What was keeping Regect from visiting him, too? Maybe he really didn’t know how. Ze chuckled a little under his breath, thinking about how much Regect would fume at yet another thing his cousin could do better than him.

“You know, at first, it was pretty shocking,” Mason mentioned. “I had suspicions that Ptolemy could’ve been a hacker, or maybe just some weird glitch or bug. Just, you know… not a real being with real thoughts and stuff.”

Ze paused, chewing on his lip.

“So, yeah, when he climbed out of my screen, my first thought was, ‘he’s actually real?’” Mason recalled, with an incredulous tone.

Ze felt something sour sink into his stomach at that. Of course he had harbored similar suspicions at one point. He’d never encountered anything like Regect, so it was natural to assume he was some kind of hacker or bug or anything but real. On occasion, Ze had found himself wondering if he’d somehow convinced himself of Regect’s existence, when in reality, he was just coping terribly with everything and hallucinated himself some company. Maybe… if Regect hadn’t climbed out of his screen, it was because…

“But I got over it,” Mason giggled. “How could I not, you know? It was kind of one of the best things to happen to me.” Mason glanced up at Ze and faltered. “Hey, Ze?”

Ze turned to face Mason stiffly.

“Ze,” Mason began gently. “You know Regect’s real, right?”

Ze huffed out a clipped breath. “Uh, yeah, no, I know that.”

“Ze, I’ve literally met him,” Mason persisted. “Ptolemy acknowledges him as his cousin. He’s real, okay? He is.”

Ze’s heart stuttered a bit, as the tension in his shoulders and stomach eased away. “No, you’re right,” he relented. “Sorry, I guess I just get caught up in my head sometimes. He is real, you’re right.”

Mason shifted away slightly, with a comforting smile. “You should tease him about the screen thing. I know you’re gonna do it anyway, but you have my full support.”

“Oh yeah, totally,” Ze recovered, grateful for Mason’s ability to seamlessly move on. “He’s gonna be so jealous of Ptolemy. I bet he doesn’t know how to climb out of the screen like that. He’s probably never even thought about it. Smooth-ass brain and all.”

Mason shook his head fondly. “You guys can’t go a minute without beating on each other. Even when you aren’t together.”

“What, no, he deserves it,” Ze snorted. Obviously, Regect deserved it.

“Whatever you say, man,” Mason mused, with a small wink. “If it were me, I wouldn’t have tolerated that for so long, unless I had some kind of special attachment.”

“I don’t know what you’re implying and I am not about to figure it out,” Ze asserted. “We actually need to lock in, dude, we haven’t gotten a single bite this whole time.”

“Oh god, you’re right,” Mason gasped. “Maybe we were too loud…”

Ze shrugged. “Some days aren’t gonna be lucky. That’s just what fishing is like.”

Mason nodded, sagely. “Wise words, Ze.”

“We still have a couple hours to kill, if you’re up for it,” Ze added. “It doesn’t get too busy until mid morning.”

“Totally!” Mason replied. “I still have to catch all those fish for you, right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ze laughed. “I’m counting on you.”

Later that evening, Ze hunched over his computer in the darkness of his room. Mason snored away from his sleeping bag, having passed out immediately when they returned home from dinner. He probably ate too much at the grill they went to, Ze speculated. Sparing a glance over his shoulder, though, he turned down his screen brightness a few levels.

Watching the world load in, Ze restlessly shook his mouse back and forth across his desk. He knew Regect would be there, but his mind was reeling through all the different ways he could embarrass the entity with his newfound knowledge. He couldn’t suppress the bubbly anticipation in his chest. 

Ze loaded in next to his bed with an automatic rifle in his offhand. He adjusted his headset slightly so he wouldn’t have to speak too loudly into the mic. Ze turned around slightly to walk through his bedroom door into the main living room area.

“Yo, Regect, you there?” he called. He meandered his way downstairs and found the entity messing with the seating arrangement. “Regect.”

Regect stopped with a carpet folded hastily under his arm and looked up. “Ze! Stop distracting me, I’m busy with something.”

“Ooh, yeah, that looks real tough,” Ze teased, easily slipping into the comfortable bantering dynamic they had. “You must be real smart, it takes a lot of brains to move furniture around.”

“Ugh, why can’t you ever let me do anything!” Regect groaned. “You suck.”

“You suck harder,” Ze retorted, childishly.

“You suck so hard you choke,” Regect retaliated. “Find a new hobby, dude.”

Ze felt heat climbing up the back of his neck. That fiery mix of frustration and the thrill of a conversation that kept him on his toes. He walked closer to Regect, as the other deleted a makeshift couch and placed it a few blocks to the left. “Well, at least I have a gag reflex,” Ze stated. Regect, whatever he was, surely didn’t have that.

Regect startled and spun around slowly. “HOW did you know that.”

“Wha–huh?” Ze sputtered. “I don’t know, man, you’re literally some abstract entity in my game. I was just joking.”

Regect flicked his tail nervously. “Oh, uh, yeah,” he chuckled. “Yeah, no I was, too. Joking.” He quickly faced away and moved the couch back to its original position.

Ze hummed. Regect was really easy to make fun of when he got flustered. He nearly forgot why he logged on tonight. Right, he had to focus before he got carried away with the taunting.

He must’ve remained silent for a moment too long, because he saw Regect’s back bristle a bit. “What are you doing still standing there?” Regect asked, wariness lacing his tone. “You enjoying watching me do chores? Weirdo.”

Ze snorted. What Regect was doing could hardly be called “chores,” but he didn’t take the bait and instead redirected the conversation. “Nah, just wanted to talk. You remember Mason? Msak?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, nice guy,” Regect recalled. “It’s a shame he has to deal with that centipede bitch Ptolemy all the time, though. But, uh, what about him?”

“Well, he’s over at my place for the week–” Ze started.

“What? You mean your real house??” Regect interrupted, tail twitching subtly.

“Yes, oh my god, let me finish, dude,” Ze replied. “Yes, he’s at my real house. Don’t you think you would’ve seen him around if he was here?”

“I didn’t mean– no I knew what you meant, I just–” Regect scrambled to regain a semblance of dignity. “I wasn’t expecting it, okay?”

“I guess you’re right, it doesn’t happen very often,” Ze supplied. “Mason lives pretty far away.”

“Like more than ten thousand blocks?” Regect asked.

“Yea– What?” Ze coughed out a laugh. “You’re not serious.” His shoulders shook as a few more uncontrollable giggles bubbled up from his chest. He took a few breaths, remembering the slumbering Mason on his floor. He looked back at Regect, who seemed to jump slightly, straightening up. “Not blocks, dude,” Ze continued, and watched Regect’s body relax slightly. “Miles? Kilometers? Whatever you use?” He hadn’t considered the possibility that Regect could use the metric system, since he had an American accent, but he didn’t want to completely rule it out.

“Miles… oh yeah, miles,” Regect muttered, gold collar shaking slightly. Ze assumed he was nodding.

“Have you… spent your whole existence in Minecraft?” Ze wondered. “Or at least you haven’t gotten out and about often, if you forgot what miles are.”

Regect bristled again, tail whipping out to his side. “I… yeah, I haven’t gotten out super often. You know, just taking care of the house and whatnot, while someone has to go away for whatever stupid reason. You’re lucky I’m here, the house would be in shambles without me.” Regect crossed his arms and sniffed.

“What about Moe?” Ze asked. Surely Regect wasn’t alone all the time without Ze.

“No, no, no, Moe’s great, I love Moe,” Regect babbled, waving his hands. “No, of course we hang out. We watched a movie the other day while you were gone. It was really good, actually, kind of lame you missed it.” Regect paused, maybe to take a breath. Did he need to breathe? “Well, anyways, Moe’s not always around either. And, I mean, she’s asleep right now, so it’s just me. And you, now,” Regect finished with a cough.

Ze nodded, sensing some tension behind Regect’s words. He almost sounded a little… lonely. Ze internally shook himself free of that thought. The last thing he wanted to do was to project his feelings onto someone else. But then he thought back to his conversation with Mason. There was a perfectly good solution to all of this. “Well, you can always visit me, you know,” Ze offered.

Regect shifted slightly to the side, as if tilting his head. “What do you mean? I’m always here.”

“No, I mean, like,” Ze struggled, biting his lip. “Visit me in real life.”

“Oh, uh,” Regect trailed off. “You mean, like…” Regect snapped his fingers a few times, appearing to have something on the tip of his tongue.

Taking pity, Ze responded, “I mean if you felt like it, you’re welcome to come crawling out of my computer screen. Like how Ptolemy does.”

Regect’s tail made a thump as it dropped to the floor. “Ptolemy crawls out of your screen?”

“No, dude,” Ze groaned. “Are you being dense on purpose? No, Ptolemy visits Mason.”

“Oh,” Regect mumbled. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

“So…?” Ze prompted. “Are you going to visit me? I’m giving you permission, take it while I’m still in a good mood.”

Regect’s tail picked up again with a sharp swing. “Well, uh,” Regect drawled. “Yeah, sure, if you want me to so bad.” He shifted on his feet a little.

“Alright, cool,” Ze replied. He wasn’t going to lie, he felt a little nervous. Putting on a confident front, Ze continued, “What’s taking so long, then?”

“What?” Regect faltered. “Wait, you meant right now?”

“Uh, yeah,” Ze affirmed. “Just gotta be quiet, since Mason’s asleep.”

At that, Regect took a few steps backward. “What? No, no, I couldn’t. Not while Mason’s asleep. That’d be, uh, very rude.”

“Oh, so you’re polite now,” Ze snorted. Although it was a valid excuse, Ze still felt suspicious and was not about to pass up the opportunity to tease Regect. “Well, whatever, if you don’t want to, I guess I could call up Ptolemy. I mean, Mason’s right here.”

“NO–” Regect shouted, then paused. “Uh… wouldn’t that– wouldn’t that also wake up Mason?” Regect reasoned, tail flailing about. “You said you didn’t want that.”

Ze smiled, pretending to consider it. “Oh! Yeah, you’re right.”

Regect perked up slightly.

Ze smirked and brought a hand to his chin. “But, I mean, if it’s Ptolemy, I’m sure Mason wouldn’t mind. You know how they are, right?” Ze sent a pointed look at Regect.

Regect seemed to shrink a bit. “Stop, Ze, god. No, I want to come visit you or whatever, I just… I just, I, uh… need to build up energy for it.”

“Ohhh, really?” Ze mused. Yeah, that was bullshit.

“Yeah, really!” Regect shouted indignantly. “You should go to bed, like Mason. I have stuff to do and all you’re doing is getting in my way and distracting me.”

“Mm, whatever you say,” Ze shrugged. He let out a yawn. It was pretty late and he did promise Mason that hike tomorrow. “Well, see ya. Hope you get a lot done,” he added, waving with his fist and then logging off.

Regect’s goodbye was cut off as Minecraft’s main menu popped into view. Ze powered off his computer and lazily shuffled around to climb into his bed. As he adjusted his blankets, Mason grumbled intelligibly and rolled over. Ze smiled to himself as he lowered his head onto the pillow. The thick darkness of his room didn’t seem quite as cold with Mason snoozing away next to him.

Regect nearly twisted his ankle against a stray armchair as he bolted for the front door. The moment Ze had disappeared, he had felt a burning sensation overtake him. Since when could his lame, good-for-nothing cousin migrate between worlds? Had he met Ze in real life? Regect clenched his fist a little too hard around the doorknob, just barely remembering not to slam it for Moe’s sake.

Turning to face the brisk night air, Regect had one goal on his mind: he needed to see Ze (in real life his brain repeated) before anyone else could. He might even be too late. Regect grinded his jaw. Yes, he would have to interrogate Ptolemy as soon as he got to his house.

Lifting himself up into the sky, because who wants to walk that far, Regect began to beeline his way over the trees and towards his stupid, insufferable cousin with far too many asses. If he wanted to get to Ze, he would, unfortunately, have to learn how. And to his knowledge, only Ptolemy knew. Regect cringed.

In a quick half-a-night’s journey – interrupted only because Regect saw an ocean monument and decided to kill everything in it – Regect finally dropped down onto Ptolemy’s porch. Raising his fist up to knock, he hesitated. Regect glanced over to Mason’s house, nervously. All the lights were out. Oh, duh, he was asleep in real life (in Ze’s room. With Ze), Regect really had nothing to worry about. There wouldn’t be any witnesses to his pathetic display.

Sucking in a breath, Regect pulled his fist back again, intending to knock with confidence. At the last second, he faltered and his knock came out as a wimpy little tap. Regect slumped over a bit.

What should’ve been a disturbing scuttling sound made its way to the door. Regect hastily fixed his posture just before the door swung open to reveal Ptolemy, in all his disgusting insectoid glory. Regect shuddered. His cousin really had too many legs.

“Regect…” Ptolemy’s slithery, layered voice grated against Regect’s ears. “You do know that it is the middle of the night, yes?”

“Shut up, you don’t even need to sleep,” Regect grumbled, clearing his throat. “I, uh, I came here for a reason, anyway, asshole.”

“Oh?” Ptolemy tilted his head, antennae bobbing. “An important reason, I hope.”

“Well, yeah, of course it’s important,” Regect protested. “You think I want to be here and put up with your grimy ass?”

Ptolemy sighed. “Alright, well, what is the reason then?”

Regect suddenly felt a bit ashamed. “Uh…” he began. “So, you know how you, uh, can sort of… visit Mason?”

Ptolemy shifted in the doorway with a slight chirping noise. “You’re going to have to be more specific,” he replied.

Asshole. “You, uh, you know! How you… climb out of Mason’s computer and visit him in real life!” Regect blurted. God, his cousin was frustrating to talk with.

Ptolemy hummed. “Yes, I do. And why are you concerned about that?” He seemed to square off the doorway even further.

“Dude, eugh, no it’s not what you’re thinking, dumbass,” Regect grimaced. “I just… hrng, no… uh.”

Ptolemy crossed his arms and tapped a finger impatiently.

“God, give me a second! Geez…” Regect snapped, just to waste time. “I need you to… well, no I don’t need it, but, uh… yeah, no, it’d be great if you could–”

“You want me to show you how,” Ptolemy stated. Stepping out from the doorway, he gestured inside. “Fine, you little pest. I know when you’re desperate.”

“I am NOT–” Regect cut himself off, realizing he wasn’t doing anything to save himself from any embarrassment. “I mean, uh, thanks. I guess. Asshole.”

Ptolemy rolled his eyes, shutting the door quietly behind Regect. “I’m only going to explain this once, so I expect you to be grateful. Smh.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatev– did you just say smh??” Regect gaped.

Ptolemy cleared his throat and continued. “Mason says it sometimes. Anyway, sit down, I want you out of my hair as soon as possible.”

Regect begrudgingly sat down on a bench lining the wall of the cozy hut. “Idiot, you don’t even have hair…” he muttered to himself. But when Ptolemy raised his arms so as to begin talking, Regect forced himself to focus.

“It’s not that hard once you figure out the trick,” Ptolemy started.

Regect had to stop himself from scoffing. That arrogant prick.

“First of all, Ze will have to have his game open.”

“Hold on, I didn’t say anything about Ze–” Regect interjected.

“Only explaining this once,” Ptolemy reminded him.

Regect fumed, but closed his mouth.

Huffing, Ptolemy went on. “You have access to this game, which is kept on a computer, in its files. It requires hardware to support it, and memory and processing to run it. Everything seems like it’s digital, but really, it’s all stored physically. Are you following?”

Regect was not, but he nodded, hoping that if Ptolemy kept going, Regect would gain some kind of clarity through intuition.

“Think about it this way. You can do practically anything in this game. You can summon whatever you want, fly around, teleport if you want. If you want to escape the game, you have to stop doing things in the game and start doing things with the game,” Ptolemy elaborated.

“Uh, sure, okay,” Regect accepted.

“The game is like a medium, or maybe like a portal. You know how players can use command blocks to change up the core rules of the game?” Ptolemy asked, looking towards Regect.

“Yeah,” Regect replied. He was stumped.

“You don’t need command blocks. You already have your fingers deep in the very code of this game. Which means you can break it, but just slightly. Enough to make a way out.”

“How does that work?” Regect wondered. “I can’t just like, summon a portal to get me out of here, right?”

Ptolemy smiled suddenly. “I suppose you could, if that would help you direct your focus better.”

“What, really? You mean actually?”

Ptolemy nodded. “Yes, it could work. You could make a portal in the game, but reprogram it to be your way out of the game. You can’t source the material conventionally from an inventory, though. You have to summon it.”

“Wait, but–” Regect paused, mind reeling. “Okay, let’s say I did that. And it worked. Somehow.” He peered at Ptolemy. “What am I when I get out?”

“What do you mean?” Ptolemy questioned in return.

“Well, do I just automatically get a, like, physical form? Or is this gonna evaporate me?” Regect flicked his tail around, feeling nervous butterflies in his stomach.

“Oh, that’s the easiest part, actually,” Ptolemy imparted. “You’re not a Minecraft mob, Regect. You’re an entity. You don’t exist exclusively in one reality.”

“Uh…” Regect wheezed out. “That’s a little too metaphysical for me, right now. Just tell me what it means.”

Ptolemy clicked his tongue. “It means you acquire material to construct your form wherever you go. So no, you won’t evaporate. Satisfied?”

Regect felt himself relax. “Yeah, whatever, man. Is there anything else, or is that it?”

Ptolemy considered this. “I imagine you want to know how to return back to Minecraft, yes? Unless you plan on staying in Ze’s world forever.”

Regect felt his entire body flush with heat. “NO YOU ASSHOLE– Ugh, I– Of course I need to know how to get back!! Moe’s still in here!”

Ptolemy nodded, with a small smile. “Don’t worry, cousin. It might be a little harder for you since you can’t craft a portal in the real world. But all you have to do is treat the computer screen like one and fit yourself back into Minecraft’s code. I imagine once you go through into the real world, the feeling won’t be too unfamiliar.”

Regect swallowed. “You know I’m trusting you for this, right?” he stopped, a little hesitant, realizing what he just admitted. “I mean, if– if this goes wrong, it’s– it’s definitely your fault, you asshole. And I’m gonna sic Ze and Moe on you and– and–”

Ptolemy let out a strange, deep rattling noise that disrupted Regect’s anxious tirade. “You’re going to be fine,” he said, simply.

Regect shook his tail out and soaked in the awkward (but perhaps it was only awkward because it was unusually comforting) silence. Until he couldn’t stand it anymore.

He shot up, nearly bumping into Ptolemy. “Well, uh, yeah.”

Ptolemy nodded. “You’re welcome.”

“Yeah, yeah, thanks,” Regect mumbled, shuffling towards the door. “Uh, sorry for– for crashing your house so late. I’m going to, uh, I’m going to go now. Bye.”

“Goodbye,” Ptolemy responded, following Regect to close the door behind him.

Regect sped off into the air, allowing the wind to shape him back into stability. “You’re still an asshole!” he shouted without turning around.

“Yeah, yeah, fuck you too,” Regect heard Ptolemy rumble, before the distinct sound of a door slamming shut.

Ze shoved his hands into the pocket of his hoodie as he watched Mason grab his luggage from the back of Ze’s car. He reminded himself of all the fun things they did that week, which managed to partially drive away the growing pit in his stomach. Ze couldn’t help but feel a little sad that he wouldn’t be able to see Mason again for so long.

Mason turned around to heave his suitcase up onto the curb, and Ze reached up, closing the trunk of the car. Giving Ze a fond glance, Mason waved him over.

“Walk me to bag check?” Mason offered, nudging Ze’s arm with his elbow.

Ze looked around at the line of cars waiting to drop off other travelers. “I don’t know, I don’t want to hold everyone up,” Ze sighed.

“Nonsense,” Mason retorted and he grabbed Ze by the arm, dragging him into the airport. “We’ll only be, like, what? Fifteen minutes? They can wait.”

“I suppose,” Ze laughed. “They have to listen to you, of all people.”

“Of all people,” Mason agreed, “my opinion probably matters the most.”

“For sure,” Ze humored him. They reached the check-in line and slowed down.

“I had a really great time!” Mason stated. “I’m so glad I got to come see you and hang out. Your apartment is looking so much better and so are you!” He paused. “Well, you know, I know you went through a rough patch and I don’t mean to remind you of it, it’s just… I’m really really glad you’re doing well.”

Ze stammered a bit, trying to find the right words. “Uh, th-thanks. Thank you.” He looked off to the side, pressing his lips together. “I’m… trying.”

Mason smiled. “You don’t seem to need to try as hard lately. Which is a good thing, by the way,” he clarified. “Look at you, you have a job, a routine – you have good friends, like me and Regect and Moe, to take care of you and stuff. And you do so much for them, too!”

Ze shrank a little at the praise. He supposed he really was getting better. It must be more apparent to Mason, who hadn’t seen the gradual incline like he had. It felt… refreshing, though… to have his progress recognized. “Thank you, Mason,” he murmured, almost too quietly. “That means a lot.”

Mason slapped him on the back a few times. “Any time, man! I can’t wait to log on and visit you and Regect and Moe in your server. That’ll be the second thing I do when I get home,” Mason declared.

Ze grinned. “And the first thing?”

“Say hi to Ptolemy, obviously,” Mason emphasized. “I haven’t seen him in a week! He’s probably going back to his shut-in ways as we speak.”

“Oh, of course,” Ze affirmed, amused. “Gotta take care of your giant bug partner.”

“Yes, you get it,” Mason attested. As the two moved forward in line, he continued, “Speaking of entities, though, how has Regect been doing?”

Ze furrowed his brow in thought. “I’m not that sure, actually. He’s been kind of skittish recently. And weirdly mysterious. I keep finding bits of broken nether portal near the house. I even found glowstone and water once.”

Mason chuckled. “Is he trying to go to the Aether? He knows that’s just a myth right?”

Ze shrugged. “He probably knows and thinks he can go anyway. Who’s to say? I don’t know why he has to keep it from me, though.”

Mason thought for a moment. “Maybe it’s a surprise for you?”

Ze grimaced. “I hope not, dude. His surprises usually involve explosions and having to move to a new house.”

“Don’t be so close-minded,” Mason chided lightly. “It could be a pleasant surprise, you never know.”

“For my sake, I do hope I never know,” Ze quipped. He blinked a bit before realizing they were at the front of the line.

As the clerk took Mason’s suitcase and handed him his boarding pass, Ze inhaled and exhaled slowly. He followed Mason to the wall, where they stood face to face.

Mason spread his arms out, a grin seeping into his features. “I guess this is where we part,” he said.

Ze couldn’t help but smile in return. As he stepped into the hug, he felt less and less remorse for Mason’s departure. He really had had a great week. He felt lighter just thinking about it.

“Safe travels,” Ze called out to Mason as the other made his way towards airport security. “Let me know when you land!”

Mason waved and gave him the thumbs up, before turning around completely, hiking his backpack up further on his shoulders. 

Ze returned to his car and pulled out of the departures lane, much to the joy of the three other cars behind him, which all immediately leapt to fight over his vacant spot. He reflected over his chat with Mason and felt a warm humming in his chest. Maybe when he got back, Regect would have something prepared. And who knows, maybe Mason was right. Maybe it was a good surprise.

Ze’s computer whirred below his desk as he booted up Minecraft. All the other games on his desktop had been practically gathering dust since an entity had infiltrated his world, among other things. And now, he was antsy to figure out what said entity had been up to this whole time. Mason’s words had slowly been eating at him the whole car ride home.

As soon as the menu finished loading, Ze clicked into his world and watched the little pixelated square fill out. Once again, his avatar spawned next to his bed with an assault rifle in his hand. Scrolling away from it, but still keeping it in his hotbar just in case, Ze walked out into the hallway and downstairs.

Honk honk! Honk!

Ze’s ears perked up at the distinct sound of Moe’s horn. Was she talking to Regect? He followed the noise out the back door, where he found the two of them a few yards away from the house.

“Can’t you just go for a couple days?” Regect pleaded.

Honk! Honk honk ho-honk honk! Moe responded animatedly.

“No, that’s not what I meant–”

Hoonnnnkkk! Moe looked disappointedly off to the side.

“Of course I still love you! What are you–? It’s just a favor, please Moe,” Regect crouched down on his knees (knee?) and held Moe’s hand.

Ze slunk back into the doorway a bit, trying his best not to interrupt.

Honk-honk! Honk!

“Yeah, exactly,” Regect sighed with relief.

…..Honk!

“What?! Where did you hear that–” Regect shot up from his kneeling position, still grasping Moe’s hand.

Moe smiled and bounced up and down, jerking Regect’s arm around in the process. Honk! Honk! Honk! Honk!

“...Urgh,” Regect groaned. “I guess you’re right.”

Honk! Moe sounded with delight.

“I already admitted it!” Regect shouted in protest. “Now can you please leave before–”

Honk! Honk honk! Moe dropped Regect’s hand and lifted up a duffle bag.

“Oh, okay, so you already…” Regect trailed off. “Wait, you just had me say that for no reason?” he exclaimed. “How could you Moe?”

Honk honk! Moe turned and started to set off in a direction, waving at Regect, who stood with his arms dangling helplessly by his sides.

Ze took that as his cue to sneak back into his room before he got noticed. He made it halfway up the staircase before he heard Regect’s booming voice echo from below.

“Oh, Ze, hi,” Regect called out in staccato. “You, uh, been here long?”

Ze turned around, smiling and attempting to save face. “No, I just got on, like, a minute ago?” He slowly made his way back down the stairs. “What’s… up?”

Regect placed his hands behind his back and shifted his balance. “Nothing.”

Ze narrowed his eyes. “...Nothing?” he asked, suspicion suddenly rising. Maybe Mason was wrong.

Regect seemed to startle and held his hands up in front of him. “I mean, no! Not nothing! Just, uh, nothing worth worrying about!”

Ze nodded, skeptical.

“Um–” Regect stammered. “Uh, look, I know I’m not convincing you, but you have to trust me.”

“Trust you… for what? Why do you need me to trust you all of a sudden?” Ze questioned.

“Isn’t it– Isn’t it a good thing to trust each other?” Regect retorted, defensively, crossing his arms.

“Why now specifically, though?”

Regect’s arms dropped. “Because… I’m not doing anything bad? And you’re being dumb about it.”

“I don’t buy it,” Ze stated. “If it’s not bad, why are you acting so,” Ze waved a hand in the air, “antsy?”

“Well,” Regect stuttered. “Uh. It’s just… not bad. Trust.”

“Earn my trust, first,” Ze asserted. “How do I know this isn’t some ploy to get me to do something stupid?”

Regect grasped at the air a little bit, formulating a response. “Because I– because I don’t want you…? To do something stupid? I don’t think?”

“What’s that supposed to mean, dude?” Ze snorted. “So you do want me to do something.”

“Well, no, that’s– that’s not it either,” Regect replied with a puzzled tinge to his voice.

Ze grew a little restless. He walked over to sit down on the couch. “Come on, man, you’ve been so jittery this whole week, especially after I told you about Mason and– and Ptolemy, but… I don’t know, just spit it out!” Ze demanded. “What’s this all about? It’s driving me nuts!”

Regect’s shoulders dropped a little at that and Ze heard him heave a big sigh. “Okay, fine.”

Ze waited for him to continue.

Regect straightened and stepped closer to the back door. “Basically, soooo…” Regect’s tail twitched once. “Moe’s gone to visit Mason and Ptolemy, um, and you know how you asked me to come visit you last week? Well I… I’vebeenworkingonitandyeahI’mgonnagodoitnow.”

Ze didn’t have time to blink before the door slammed shut and Regect was nowhere to be seen. Ze sighed, leaning back in his desk chair. That didn’t answer anything. Ze waited for a few moments for Regect to return, but when it seemed like that wasn’t happening, he grasped his mouse once more and started to reach towards his keyboard to go find him.

His screen warped.

What? Ze leaned closer to peer at the strange curvature that was sliding across the center of his computer screen and promptly got jabbed in the forehead.

“Fuck!” Ze rolled back in his chair, clutching his head. “What the actual shit?” He peeked through his fingers and his heart dropped to his feet.

It was strange. No, it was beyond strange, it was terrifying. There was an arm emerging from his screen, clawed fingers dripping with static and bluescreen. It seemed to flicker erratically, warping and stretching like it could blink out of existence at any second. Ze held his breath, heart hammering in his ears. If he scooted to the side, the wheel on his chair might get unstuck from the rug and he could make a dash for the door.

There was a loud rattle as his monitor jumped a step forward, slightly askew, and a grotesque thunk, as a large, lumping mass lurched out of the screen. It slumped, and jolted, oscillating between states, all while a slight ringing sound started to grow in volume. Ze was frozen with his hands clapped over his ears. The ringing seemed to slide its way between the cracks of his fingers, grating at his brain.

The mass that had just been spat out of Ze’s screen shuddered a bit, slowly sliding further and further across Ze’s desk, before suddenly gripping the edge of Ze’s desk with its hand.

Ze let out an embarrassing squeal, before sacrificing one of his ears to slap a hand over his mouth.

There was a deep groan, and the arm latched onto his desk flexed, dragging behind it a whole body, constantly flashing between different colors, edges made of random spikes and curves that never sat still. Ze was grateful he didn’t have epilepsy, he would’ve thrown up six times by now. Although, scratch that, he felt something unsettled and climbing up his throat now.

He watched, petrified, as the body finally burst free of the confines of Ze’s computer screen, and unceremoniously fell to the floor with a heavy whump. For a few minutes, the body twitched and glitched, never retaining a single shape for longer than a couple seconds. As time ticked by, it seemed to become more stable and Ze removed his hands from his face, chancing for a closer look.

There were two slender hands with long claws attached to lean… arms? And what looked to be a torso, although it was a little misshapen, or maybe there were parts missing. There was definitely a long spine curving down this thing’s back, before transitioning into some kind of rope. No, wait, that was a tail. Ze’s expression of horror slowly morphed into one of disbelief as the realization started to sink in.

There was one leg and one golden shackle. As the surface of the creature settled, Ze observed what looked to be like a dark, ebony coat of… fur smooth out over the planes of its body. Ze shook his head. 

This… this was Regect, wasn’t it?

Ze immediately stood up from his chair when he heard a shuddering gasp, and crouched down next to the entity. He didn’t know what to do as he saw Regect’s back curl and convulse slightly in a drawn-out stretch, so he just let his hands hover awkwardly by his knees. This was not a dream, no, this was real. Ze blinked rapidly. Still real.

Regect’s leg began to slide up beneath him, golden anklet clinking across the floor, where presumably his other leg was. Ze had never asked Regect about his missing limbs, but it seemed like they existed, although maybe just in this form. Ze was startled out of his pondering as a claw lightly dragged against his leg. Regect folded his arms beneath himself, and started to rise up, letting out a high-pitched groan.

Ze gave up on trying to assist and just sat back dumbly, listening to the oddly cat-like whine coming from Regect. He didn’t offer a hand when Regect’s back straightened out into a sitting position, when he felt something absently brushing against his arm and realized it was the fluffy end of Regect’s tail, nor when Regect turned to face him with the movements of a mannequin. He couldn’t move.

They stared at each other for a minute. Ze was certain he was in shock.

“So…” Ze whispered, unable to force more out of his throat. His eyes fixated on the way Regect’s shoulders rolled and tensed with each breath, like he wasn’t used to the natural reflexes of his body. And by the way, yes, Regect had a body. A real one. A tangible body coated with some kind of down that captured the dim light of Ze’s computer screen and sucked it up like a black hole. There were frayed edges around the missing parts of Regect’s body, almost as though they had been torn from their surroundings. But looking closer at Regect’s abdomen, something glinted back at Ze in the same hue as Regect’s collar and ankle cuff. A… bone? A rib? Regect did not have that in Minecraft. Ze was fascinated. How did that work? Did Regect just have bones, or did he also have organs? How was his ankle cuff attached to him if he didn’t have a leg?

All these questions swarmed and festered inside Ze’s mind, as he was helpless to his inability to voice any of them.

A slight rumble from Regect’s direction caught Ze’s attention. A sliver of a reflection flashed briefly from where Regect’s head should be – a tooth maybe? – before Ze blinked.

“You should consider getting a bigger monitor.”

“Huh,” Ze replied, intelligently, apparently snapped out of his reverie.

Regect made that odd rumbling sound again, as he reached his arms above his head, stretching his back side to side. “That was a really tight squeeze. It’d probably be easier if your screen was bigger,” he reiterated.

Ze felt his eye twitch and he physically slapped himself on the cheek. Finding his voice, he shouted, “Are you serious right now?! Regect, you– I– the screen– the screen size doesn’t matter!” Ze gestured with open palms at his dislodged monitor. “You just fell out of my computer!! And it was horrific to watch, too!! The fuck–” Ze snarled. “I am not about to get a bigger monitor– in fact– in fact that is the last thing on my mind right now!!”

Regect shakily got to his feet, and Ze swallowed, realizing the top of his head just barely cleared the top of Regect’s collar. Goddamn this little shit, he was definitely going to gloat about that later. Looking down at Regect’s one visible foot, Ze realized it was shaped almost like an animal’s. Regect balanced on the ball of his foot, while his heel was elongated and lifted up higher on his leg. His thighs blended into his knees, curving around to meet his ankles. That… must be why he’s… taller, Ze forced out.

Realizing Regect had been somewhat silent, Ze looked up at him, only to see a glowing yellow sliver watching him back. His eyes widened. “Dude. I can see your eye.”

Regect startled, and the yellow patch of sclera opened further in shock, before disappearing.

Ze pouted slightly. “Oh, it’s… gone.”

Regect coughed into a hand. “I– I didn’t know I could– uh, do that. Out here.”

Ze took a small step back and considered Regect. He looked so out of place standing in the dimness of Ze’s room, but weirdly enough, Ze didn’t feel like he was intruding. “It seems like there’s a lot more to your new body than before, huh?”

Regect’s tail curled around his own leg, and he swayed a bit, seeming to be nodding sheepishly. “It’s kind of… a lot, I guess,” Regect admitted. “And I’m sorry for scaring you earlier. I really didn’t know what was going to happen.”

Ze pinched his eyebrows together. “You mean you’ve… never done that before?”

The flash of Regect’s black and yellow eyes reappeared with a surprised expression – and maybe even a little guilty. “Uhhh–” he stuttered. “Ahh, nnnnnoooo, no, not really, no. It’s, uh, yeah. It’s my first time.”

Ze smiled. “So all that earlier about ‘ooh, not bothering Mason’ was actually just bullshit?”

“Y-yeah,” Regect replied. “Yeah, I lied to you about that, my bad.”

Ze shook his head fondly. Regect in the real world was like an awkward little creature who seemed too afraid to make the wrong impression. So much less bite.

“Don’t worry about it, man,” Ze reassured him. “This is actually…” Ze chewed on the thought for a second. “This is actually a good thing.”

Regect slowly un-cocooned himself and his tail wagged slightly. “Really?”

“Yes, it is,” Ze affirmed, mostly to himself. “Despite the trauma I got from watching you wrench yourself out of my computer, it was a good surprise.”

Regect let out a low giggle, which must have been unintentional as it cut off abruptly not a second later. Ze heard Regect sniff. “That’s good, that’s good. I wouldn’t want you too traumatized. I mean, who’s gonna shoot the pirates when they break into our house?”

“You know I don’t trust you with a gun,” Ze smirked. “And Moe doesn’t want to learn, so I’m not forcing her.” Ze paused. “Speaking of Moe, was there a reason you sent her away to Mason’s?”

“Shit, I should’ve known you were listening,” Regect hissed, shoulders hunching and tail thrashing. “Can you just, uh, forget you heard that? I’d– yeah, no, I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Hm?” Ze hummed, a little surprised. “Why, what’s the big deal? Just tell me, dude.”

Regect walked past Ze, accidentally hitting Ze’s legs with his tail. “Wow, what a cool room! Very cozy, looks much nicer than the one you have in our house.”

“Regect, come on…” Ze started, stomach squirming a little at the sight of Regect excitedly stepping over the carpet right beside his bed.

Regect perused the various shelves and posters hung on Ze’s wall, before giving a tiny wag of his tail and flopping over on Ze’s mattress. “Oh this is nice. This is– oh my god,” Regect gushed, shuffling his limbs all over the bed, as if he was making a snow angel. “This beats Minecraft beds by a long shot. Seriously, dude. You are so lucky you get to sleep in this every night.”

Regect continued to roll around happily, that soft rumbling sound starting up again. Ze knew Regect was avoiding his question and feared he was actually starting to get away with it. The way Regect was rumpling up Ze’s blankets in his weird fit of enthusiasm made Ze’s bed look… inviting? No, no way. Ze squinted, trying very hard to reason himself out of the notion, but was not succeeding. Fuck it all. It looked cozy as hell.

But just for the sake of his dignity, Ze tried his question one more time. Leaning a knee onto his bed, he called, “Regect?”

“Yeah?” Regect answered, but he had fixated on a pillow and seemed to be turning it about in his hands and… sniffing at it. Ze grimaced as warmth bloomed across his neck.

Ze leaned further over Regect, putting a hand down to brace himself by Regect’s shoulder. “Regect,” he demanded more firmly.

A narrow yellow eye appeared in a blink and slowly turned to meet his own. Regect’s fussing stilled. “Um,” Regect blurted.

Ze belatedly realized he was quite close to the other. Regect was laying on his side, chest nearly pushed up against Ze’s arm, while Ze was leaned so far down, he could feel the tickle of Regect’s shoulder fluff against his torso. He swallowed, feeling his flush spreading, but pride refused to let him back down.

“Regect,” Ze began once again, carefully this time. “Why did you want Moe to leave?”

Regect’s pupil shifted between Ze’s eyes and somewhere slightly below in panicked succession. Something flicked out across Regect’s lower face area so fast Ze almost missed it. A tongue? Ze steeled himself and continued to stare at Regect unrelentingly.

“Mm,” Regect squeaked. “Uh, I just–” Regect paused and blew air out of his nose. “I just… didn’t want her to see this?”

Ze felt something light stir in his stomach. “And that would be because…” he beckoned.

Regect turned his eye away from Ze’s. It seems to give him a sliver of composure. “I thought it would be betterrrrr… iffffff… uh, it was… just… just us.” Regect turned and buried his face in Ze’s pillow.

Ze huffed, feeling a little light-headed. His neck was on fire. Regect wanted to hang out with him, and only him. That was… Ze didn’t know what that was. He felt weirdly giddy. And Regect wasn’t even trying to argue with him.

Feeling brave and also perhaps stupid, Ze took the hand he wasn’t leaning on and sank it into the fluff right by Regect’s nape. Running his fingers through it gently, he realized it was incredibly soft. Unfairly soft. Was this even fur? Something weird and entity-specific? Ze found that he didn’t care, as he raked his fingers through it once more.

Regect’s breath hitched below him and the rumbling returned, albeit a bit more unevenly this time. “Ze… what are y–” Regect shuddered. “What are you doing?”

Ze exhaled calmly, although his nerves were jumpy. “I’m… hm. You’re– you’re really soft,” he rambled nonsensically. “What is this even made of?”

Regect twitched below him. “Hell if I know,” he gritted out. “I jus– just got here.”

Ze nodded, even though Regect couldn’t see him. He reached out to smooth his hand over Regect’s back again, when suddenly he found himself facing said entity, wrist clutched in Regect’s grip, staring at very wide, very dark eyes. Ze felt his breath come short as he recovered from his strange trance.

“Oops, uh,” he tried. “I– I’m sor–”

But Ze felt his wrist being tugged forward and no sooner was his entire body flat against his own bed, pinned down by a warm weight, face stuffed between a pillow and a soft wall of fur.

“Shut up, shut up,” Ze heard Regect hiss from above him. Arms wrapped around his head as if to suffocate him, but just pressed him in further into what he now recognized to be Regect’s chest.

Ze tried to move an arm or a leg in protest, but found them to be stapled down and bundled up by Regect’s limbs and tail.

“Bru… mouf offme,” Ze attempted to utter out, but was rendered incomprehensible by Regect’s hold on him. 

“Shhh, shut up, shut up, shut up,” Regect whispered in manic mantra. Ze felt a clawed hand soothe over the back of his head, as if he were a small child. “Shut up, go to sleep Ze, shhhhut up.”

Having nothing to do and no way to escape, Ze resigned himself to Regect’s fussing, going limp in his hold. The nervous muttering didn’t stop, but the petting slowed down until Ze felt Regect’s hand softly cradling the back of his skull. Ze swallowed. When he wasn’t actively struggling, all the places where he and Regect were touching became a lot more apparent. Ze’s legs were clamped to the bed by Regect’s visible leg, and his tail wrapped snugly around his ankles, the backs of his calves, all the way over his hip. Ze managed to flex his muscles in his leg, but all that did was increase the pressure of Regect’s tail against him, burning the coiling pattern into his flesh. Ze felt his mind drifting, as he attempted the same thing with his arms, which were bent and pinched against Regect’s abdomen.

At the sensation, Regect let out a slight puff of air, which destabilized his whispering, but did not deter him. Ze exhaled against Regect’s chest, trying to expel the heat building up inside of him. He had never been hugged so aggressively and yet doted on (if that’s what he could call Regect’s muttering and caresses) so tenderly. The weight of the immobility felt grounding, relaxing even. What the fuck was happening to him?

Regect seemed to be releasing Ze, ever so slowly. Maybe he was lulling himself to sleep, Ze mused, listening to the low whispers gradually fade. Just as Ze was able to wiggle his right arm free, he felt something drop onto the top of his head. A… chin? But no, a warm puff of air ruffled his hair and confirmed that Regect had let his whole face fall onto Ze’s head.

Ze tentatively reached up with his hand, trying to feel around for Regect’s head. His fingertips met the soft plane of a cheek. Ze gasped softly without meaning to and immediately removed his hand, mentally berating himself for the heat in his cheeks. This was Regect, why was he so flustered?

Ze reached around a little further, finding the back of Regect’s collar. He slowly walked his fingers up and was met with the same fluff at the base of his skull. Ze pondered over his question as he unconsciously threaded his fingers into Regect’s scruff.

It was Regect, so why was Ze flustered? Why could he feel his heart in his throat and hear it in his ears? It was… Regect. Ze chewed on his lip. It was Regect curled around him right now, barely awake but still fiercely cradling him, all because, what, he got embarrassed? Because Ze embarrassed him with his questioning? Something warm curled in Ze’s stomach.

Yeah, Ze had embarrassed him. And it was Regect who Ze loved to embarrass and tease the most. It was Regect who was able to take it and dish it out with about as much finesse as Ze himself. It was Regect who Ze looked forward to talking to, just for that thrill of an argument.

And it was Regect who had acted skittish and avoidant all week, just because he wanted to surprise Ze with a real visit. Setting aside the fact that the sight of Regect dragging himself out of Ze’s monitor would take a lot to erase from his mind, Ze found himself starting to agree with Mason. It was… sweet… in a way. The effort and commitment he realized Regect had been dedicating to him all along.

It was different. And new.

Ze almost scared himself with his line of thinking. Was he really admitting… that… that he… Ze’s breath hitched at the thought of finishing that sentence and he tensed briefly.

“Mrgh, ow,” a low voice grumbled from above him.

Ze peered upwards, startled, as he realized he’d accidentally tugged too hard on Regect’s scruff.

“Wha– Ze?” Regect gained coherence, sounding surprised to find Ze still there. Not like he could go anywhere, Regect seemed to make sure of that.

Ze nodded against Regect’s chest. “Yeah, it’s me,” he responded, a touch too softly for his liking. Ze unwove his hand from Regect’s scruff and slid it back over his shoulder to lay it comfortably on his side. 

One of Regect’s eyes blinked itself into existence again and Ze stopped breathing. The pupil appeared to be shaking slightly, out of fear, or what, Ze didn’t know. He furrowed his brow. Regardless of what Regect was feeling or thinking, that eye was trained on Ze’s face. Tracing his cheeks, his browbone, his jawline. Ze suspected Regect had forgotten that his eyes were occasionally visible now. It made Ze wonder how often Regect had been looking at him like this, and he’d never been able to tell. The thought made him want to shiver, but he suppressed it under Regect’s watchful eye.

Realizing he was being observed too, Regect suddenly squeezed his eyes shut and hummed nervously. “No, don’t do that, dude. This is super weird.”

Ze huffed a laugh. Only Regect could make this more awkward than it already was. “Not really my fault,” Ze pointed out. He still could only move one hand, but he used it to feel around for Regect’s face again. He startled when he bumped into what must be a forehead.

“Owwwwuhh…” Regect groaned. “Get your pokey fingers away from my face.”

“What’s it like having a face?” Ze asked.

“Wait, huh?” Regect stumbled. “I’ve always had a face.”

“No, like,” and to emphasize his point, Ze poked Reject’s forehead again, “an actual physical face, dumbass. That you can feel.”

“Hrmm,” Regect mumbled. “I guess, uh, it feels… okay? It feels weird, but not bad.”

“Not bad?” Ze probed. He slid his hand down the slope of Regect’s cheek.

“No, not ba–” Regect cut himself off with a jolt. “Ze, you’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?” Act dense, get results, seemed to be the way with Regect.

“You’re– You’re– ugh!!” Regect shouted, exasperated. “You’re being so frustrating. You’re, like, teasing me and stuff!”

“Teasing how?” Ze asked, trailing the back of his hand lower to find Regect’s jaw.

“LOOK AT WHAT YOU’RE DOING!” Regect roared. “Every time– every single time,” he hissed, “that I think I’ve got you figured out or, like, under control, or something – every single time – you go ahead and– rrrgghhh,” Regect growled. “You confuse me! I– I had it all worked out for today and then the screen thing happened and then it was a mess and – GOD – it didn’t go how it should’ve at all and yet you’re – you’re still here,” Regect emphasized, “doing whatever bullshit this is and I’m just going along with it! Like a dumbass! An idiot!” Regect threw a hand in the air, but it landed back around Ze’s shoulders.

Ze paused the motion of his hand at Regect’s outburst. It wasn’t a fair accusation. Not at all. “You know, I feel the same way,” Ze countered. “You think it was my plan to be stapled to the bed and bound in an entity-shaped straightjacket? I’m working with what I got!”

“You should,” Regect seethed, finger coming up to press painfully on Ze’s nose, “be going to sleep. It’s late. To hell with it all, yeah?”

“Was that your plan, then?” Ze retorted. “You came into my room to wrestle me into a corpse-like slumber? You’re more confusing than I am!”

“NO! No I didn’t!” Regect shouted. “I came here because you said I could and I thought it would look cool and then we could have fun and hang out and then maybe–” He stopped suddenly, stiffening.

Ze broke the silence tentatively. “Then maybe what?”

Regect shook slightly against Ze, yet still clung to him like a comfort.

Ze searched Regect’s transparent face, hoping to spot something, like maybe an eye or a tooth. Any indication of expression. Giving up hope, Ze placed his hand once again over Regect’s face. This time, he found a nose bridge. Tracing his way upwards, Ze found Regect’s eyes, only they were screwed shut. He huffed.

“Regect, what is it? Finish your sentence, dummy.”

“No,” came Regect’s quiet voice.

“Why not?” Ze pressed.

“I’m,” Regect muttered. “I’m scared.”

“What?” Ze laughed, disbelieving. What would Regect be scared of? He’d rendered Ze harmless by basically immobilizing him. What else could be a threat?

“I’m… scared,” Regect repeated. “There’s… a lot of feelings and… sensations? I can smell stuff and… it’s really, uh, warm. And I can feel everything. It feels like, um, real and not at all like how I, um, how I imagined.”

“Yeah?” Ze prompted, trying to emulate how Mason used to comfort him when he felt overwhelmed. He ran a hand over Regect’s shoulder.

“Well, you, uh, also don’t feel the same,” Regect admitted. “Like, in Minecraft, you feel all… different. Now you’re warm and there’s, uh, different textures and you’re – ugh – you’re soft and stuff. I just thought that– I thought when I came through your screen I’d be able to, you know, be tough about it or something. And, like, do what I wanted.”

Ze was unable to sate his curiosity. An olive branch, then. “What was it that you wanted to do, Regect?”

“I wanted–” Regect faltered. “I wanted to, hmm.” He began to slide a gentle claw under Ze’s jaw, absently tracing circles over his skin.

Ze squinted at the sensation but allowed it. It felt soothing. It felt careful. Regect’s other hand was unwrapping itself from its iron clamp on Ze’s head, moving to cup his cheek. It was slow, like Regect wasn’t even thinking about it.

Ze felt delicate like this. It was strange and it made his spine tingle. But it was just that. Strange. Not bad. Regect was handling him like he was exploring how touch worked, like he wanted to preserve him. Something hesitantly sprouted in Ze’s mind.

With shaky hands, Ze felt around the edges Regect’s face until he found his chin. “Regect… correct me if I’m wrong, but did you– did you want…”

Slowly, but steadily, ignoring the tremoring in his heart, Ze leaned forward, guiding Regect’s face towards him by his chin. He felt a shuddering breath against his mouth, confirming its location. It was now or never.

Ze pulled Regect in the rest of the way and met his lips. He pressed against Regect, relishing in the warmth and the slight roughness of Regect’s mouth. That soft, cat-like whine met Ze’s ears and he felt himself smile slightly into the kiss. He had hoped he had guessed correctly.

Ze released Regect gently, leaving a quick peck at the corner of his mouth. He blinked and focused in on a shimmery yellow object obscuring his vision. Ze’s mouth dropped.

Regect’s eye was nearly all pupil, shaking and flickering minutely. A barely noticeable coat of tears glistened across it. Ze frowned. Had he misjudged? But before he could ask, Regect grabbed both sides of Ze’s face and pulled him back in.

Ze’s mouth smushed awkwardly against Regect’s, but Regect quickly recovered, adjusting his hands to hold Ze’s jaw, fingers slipping behind his ears. Ze felt Reject press against his upper lip, the corner of his mouth, the lower lip, before gently nipping at it. Ze waited for Regect to approach him again, as he tilted his head just enough to capture Regect’s lips in a longer kiss. Regect pulled away with a gasp but returned just as fast.

At this angle, Ze could pry Regect’s mouth open a little further, biting his lip between his teeth. Regect let out a choked, garbled noise and moved one hand to desperately grasp the back of Ze’s head. Ze’s stomach turned over happily and he bit at Regect’s lip one more time before running his tongue along it soothingly. Regect rumbled at that.

“So you did want this,” Ze mused against Regect’s mouth.

“Mm. Please,” Regect hummed. He sounded like talking was the last thing he wanted to do.

Ze felt happy enough to oblige. Sliding a hand back, he ran a tongue over Regect’s mouth again, feeling his lips part slightly. “Open,” he whispered and Regect responded by dropping his jaw a little further. 

Ze used his other hand to grip Regect’s chin and he kissed along his lower lip before sealing their mouths together. He felt a vibration against his hand when he dipped his tongue in. Regect melted into the pillow, allowing Ze to roll over slightly to a better position.

Ze lightly brushed the roof of Regect’s mouth, running his tongue along the back of his teeth. As Regect let out a broken hum, Ze felt his tongue catch on a few sharp points. Slowing, he tested the tip of his tongue against a few of Regect’s teeth. Damn, they were all sharp. Ze forced his tongue a little too hard onto the next canine and felt a blossom of heat flow outward from the pressure point. Ouch, he was bleeding.

Ze was just about to pull back, when he felt Regect’s tongue meet his own, zeroing in on the bloodied wound. Ze grunted in protest, but Regect’s hand clamped down on the back of his skull and his tongue smoothed over, pressing against the bleed site. Ze scrunched his nose as he felt his blush deepen. Was Regect… trying to help? The thought was trounced the moment Ze felt Regect’s tongue fully wrap around his own. No, no, that – that was enough. Ze might do something stupid and hasty if they continued like this.

Ze placed his hands firmly against Regect’s chest and shoved. Their mouths parted and Regect immediately clutched at Ze’s shoulders, panting for air. Ze couldn’t say he was in much better shape.

They caught their breath as they stared each other down.

Regect was the first to speak. “Was that– was that real?”

Ze wanted to hit him. He rolled his eyes. “Yeah it was real, dumbass. Any other stupid questions?”

Regect shook his head quickly, if the sound of it rubbing against the pillowcase was anything to go by. “I– uh– that was good. I think.”

Ze arched an eyebrow at him. “You think?”

Regect huffed. “Well, it was hella gay, but yeah. It was good.” He paused, then added, “I– I liked it.”

Ze laughed, collapsing down on Regect’s stomach. “You are ridiculous. And stupid. And hella gay, now, congratulations.”

Regect sputtered uselessly, hands flitting around Ze’s shoulders. “Well, fine, but like, so are you! What’s– what’s wrong with that anyway?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Ze dismissed. “Besides you said it first.”

“No!” Regect protested. “Well, yeah, maybe I did, but you kissed me first! Without prompting, by the way!”

Ze nodded, feeling his cheeks grow warmer. “Yeah, but you wanted it. At least I’m not a freak for blood.”

Regect let out a strangled gurgle. “I am NOT. I jus– I don– it was bleeding and– I didn’t–”

“Whatever, man, don’t sweat it,” Ze sighed. “So we both liked it.”

Regect stopped nervously fiddling around and settled his hands against Ze’s back. “We– yeah, I guess we did.”

Ze hummed, closing his eyes slightly. It was pretty late. Maybe he was ready to take Regect’s initial advice and go to sleep.

“What does that… make us? Uh, now?” Regect followed up.

Ze contemplated. He didn’t really care, to be honest. He just liked how being with Regect felt right now. “What do you want us to be?” Ze asked instead.

“Uh, I’m not… sure,” Regect answered slowly. “Can’t we just be… together?”

“Yeah,” Ze affirmed, a feeling of contentment growing in his chest at Regect’s answer. “We can.”

Ze heard what sounded like a muffled squeal, but he was a little too tired to discern it. Regect’s gentle rumbling picked up and Ze felt him settle further into the blankets beneath him.

Before he could fully pass out, Ze whispered, “Thanks, by the way.”

“Hm? For what?” Regect grunted, a little too loud.

“Dude… for, you know, coming out of the screen to see me, however disgustingly you managed it,” Ze replied. “I… I appreciate it,” he added softly.

Regect subtly tightened his grip on Ze. “I– Yeah,” he responded. “Yeah. No problem.”

Ze finally let his eyes fall shut, drifting off to the rumbling sound emanating from Regect’s chest.