8 Bit Glitch

Part 26~Credits

"Mum! Hey!" I waved my hand, smiling as mum waved back. Mark yawned, collapsing behind the booth as mum put her hands on her hip.

"Mark Benny Brite, have you not been sleeping?!" Mum glared at Mark who rolled onto his side and slid under the booth. "How many times do I have to tell you to sleep!"

Mark grumbled under his breath, something about 'yelling won't help me sleep now.' I simply rolled my eyes. Charlie looked annoyed, trying to walk off when I grabbed her. "Don't go. Don't want Mark to get in trouble now do we?" Charlie didn't try to fight back as I pulled her towards the booth.

"Izuku? What are you doing?" Mum glanced at Charlie but did not say anything about it.

"Mark's meant to be looking after her." I motioned towards Charlie as Mum smiled.

"Then she can stay here." Mum rushed Charlie behind the booth, taking over easily. "You can hang out here as long as you want. What's your name?" Charlie raised her eyebrow but provided her name and sat down. Mum froze upon reconsigning the familiar name. "Of the infinity network?" Charlie nodded as mum shook her head. "You're quite famous. Your parents must be really proud of you."

Charlie hummed in response and pulled out her phone. She plugged in her headphones and sat down. Mum didn't seem bothered by Charlie's attitude, all too used to the usual attitude of those in this place.

"Well, Izuku, do you want to help?"

Turning my attention to Denki, I linked our arms. "I was actually gonna show Denki around a bit more."

Mum glanced between the two of us, a kind expression on her face. "Alright, don't get lost."

Pulling Denki away, I led him toward the furthest parts of the convention, showing him the best games and giving him the best experience. Whispering something to one of the stallholders, they nodded to me and started talking to Denki, allowing me to slip away unnoticed.

Denki spun slightly, a confused expression on his face. "Izuku? Hey, did you see where my friend went?" Denki looked to the stole holder who glanced in the background before shaking their head.

"I'm sure he'll be back. Why don't you turn your attention back to the game?"

"No. He wouldn't leave without telling me. What if something is wrong?"

"I'm sure nothing's wrong."

Denki clearly didn't believe them. Pulling out his phone, Denki started ringing me. Chuckling, I watched Denki jump and spin around. "You called?" Denki tackled me into a hug, wrapping his arms around me. "Hey, you alright?"

"You scared me."

"I'm still here. How about we go back to the booth?" I ran my fingers through his hair as he nodded into my chest. "Come on. Thanks, Omi."

"No probs. But you owe me a rematch for this."

Waving them off, I led Denki through the crowd, keeping our fingers linked and a firm pressure on his hand. Raising my eyebrow, I smirked at mum. She had somehow dragged Charlie into helping to stall. She wasn't doing a bad job either. Talking about the gameplay and purpose and all the different elements. It was a little freaky how good she was at it. Though, she probably learnt it working for her parents.

"Hey, where did you get your scar from?" A small child pointed at Charlie's cheek as their parent scolded them.

"No, it's fine. I got it by fighting this horrible monster that attacked me and tried to kill me."

The child gasped, stepping back. "Really?"

Charlie chuckled. "Nope. I did it to myself. I tried to create a volcano and accidentally covered myself in lava."

"Why would you try to make a volcano?"

Charlie shrugged. "It was a challenge."

Gasping, I stared at Charlie, my eyes wide. "My one Hopping-Mantu minute! You're Kakashi's Charlie?! The volcano Charlie?!" Everyone stared at me in clear confusion. I swear this makes sense! "Kakashi told me he had a close family friend who tried to create a volcano, you're them right?!"

Charlie nodded though she didn't seem to show any sense of understanding. "How do you know Kakashi?"

"He ran into me... repeatedly. He's always running around the school."

A flash of recognition glinted in Charlie's eyes. "Wait, you're Dekiru?" Nodding, I smiled as Charlie stumbled back. "Mind blown." Charlie paused, looking me up and down. "I always imagined your buffer. Like, you're a noodle. No muscle at all." Charlie poked my arm as I rubbed it.

"Rude. Who needs muscle when you can have Katukatu fight for you?"

"You played Forgotten Spider Quest?"

"Hell yeah, I did! I used to spend ages on that game as a kid! One of the first games I played outside the company!"

Charlie seemed to gasp. "I helped design that game! I came up with Katukatu!"

Oh my gosh! Someone who understands!

Mark wormed his way from under the stole as Charlie and I continued to talk animatedly. "And we've lost Dekiru for the remainder of the day. Hey, you want a drink? I'm parched."

Denki looked between me and Charlie, sighing as he nodded.

~~~

Sipping at the slurpy, Denki walked beside Mark. "Hey, Mark? What is Izuku's favourite game series?"

Mark hummed, drinking his coffee. "I don't think Dekiru has a favourite series. He just plays everything. I guess you could make an assumption based on who he uses but I don't think that's a view on his favourite games."

"Oh... What was his favourite game as a child? You know, before Izuku swore to get strong."

This time Mark stumbled to a stop. His eyes widened as he thought about the question. "I-I don't know. I suppose there aren't a lot of people who could answer that question. Katsu would be able to tell you but I didn't know him before he became who is- or was until you arrived."

"Why do you say that? Izuku hasn't changed that much."

"Really? Come on, let me show you something." Mark grabbed Denki, bringing him towards a large collection of screens and photos. "These are all the predecessors of this convention. It shows the story over the last fifty years." Denki awed, stepping back to take it all in. "Look there." Mark pointed at one of the later images.

Denki leaned in, seeing a crowd of people cheering. At the very end, Izuku glared at the crowd, trying to play on the device in his hands. "I don't understand."

"Do you think a year ago, he would have shown you around? That he would have openly talked to you- or Charlie- or anyone? Dekiru used to be social, he used to walk around with that sparkle in his eyes." Mark turned Denki's attention to one of the earlier images. Izuku's dad lifted little, three-year-old him from the ground. He had the biggest smile on his face and the brightest sparkle in his eyes. "Then he changed. As much as I hate him being social, it's good to see him back the way he was."

"'I prefer him the way he was,'" Denki whispered under his breath as Mark nodded. "You're weird."

Mark laughed, finishing his coffee and pocketing the reusable cup. "I take that as a compliment. Let's get back and if you tell Dekiru about any of this, I will destroy you." Mark spun around and started the walk back.

"Huh, really weird." Slurping the remainder of his drink, Denki screamed.

"What's wrong?!"

"Brain freeze! Brain freeze!" Denki held his head as Mark relaxed with a small scoff.

"How are you the one he fell for?"

"Brain freeze!"