"It isn't how it looks like!" panic seizes me when I perceive Erik's turbulent emotions. Gosh, did I just say the cringiest sentence ever? What if he's not going to believe me? But I feel too weak to properly defend myself.
Thankfully, Liana and Ingri appear from behind the corner and my sharp viceroy gets the gist of the precarious situation right away. Before I can even catch my breath, she's already explaining how things really are and making peace with Erik while he forcefully tears me away from Fefnir.
"So we were together in a restaurant when suddenly Aefener got really sick and we had to carry him home," she summarises.
"Aefener?" Erik blinks and clutches me more tightly.
"Oh, sorry, I meant Ryuuto," Liana says my real name. "Aefener is his gaming nickname. I was under the impression you're his boyfriend...?"
"I am," he doesn't deny it even though he promised me that we're only sexually exclusive for now and taking it slow. I don't oppose it. In fact, I kind of like how it sounds which surprises me. I thought I wanted to give it more time to process but right now it's really comforting.
Erik is looking at me, not furious anymore, but still somewhat pissed and confused. He's challenging me to read his hurt emotions. He wants to make me feel guilty for not responsing to his texts. And he's successful, I do feel guilty.
"I'm really sorry, Erik, I've been kind of... indisposed," I apologise properly and because we're touching, I send my sincere apologises also in a form of a strong emotion.
His anger calms down immediately, now he's only worried. He knows I'm not able to lie when we're connected telepathically. Conveying emotions doesn't work that way. I could maybe lie in my thoughts but never with feelings.
"You haven't replied to my texts so I came here," he says and touches my forehead. "Shit, you're running a fever. Did you catch the flu? What happened to your hair?"
"Something potentically much worse, I'm afraid," I cough because it's getting really difficult to breathe with my ribs hurting so much.
"Let's get you to bed then," he helps me take out the key chip from my pocket.
He unlocks the apartment and we all come in. My place is pretty big for one person but it immediately gets crowded with four visitors. My first visitors ever.
Shit, I naively thought I left my apartment quite tidied but I didn't. It looks pretty okay to me but judging from my friends's facial reactions and emotions, they feel horrified. I turn red with shame. Do most normal apartments look like Erik's neat home? Am I that bad?
"What's with this avalanche of stuff?" Liana is inspecting my possessions all over the place; shelves overflooding with action figures, comic books and other merchandise. She's half laughing, half shaking her head in disbelief.
"Gifts from fans and promo items from Draconia's developers," I try to explain.
"You get the latest gadgets as presents?" Ingri curiously picks one box I still didn't find time to open.
"I also review stuff from time to time."
"Your bedroom? You're barely standing," Erik pokes me, totally not interested in the merch.
"That door."
"Seriously, Ryuu?" my boyfriend rolls his eyes when he walks me there. Oh, did I just call him my boyfriend in the thoughts? Did he catch that? Gosh, he did, he smiled!
The bedroom is even worse than the living room, merch literally everywhere. My bed is covered with comic books and VR gear because I like having everything I currently use near me. I'm used to it but, well, compared to Erik's bedroom, it is extremely messy.
"How can you even sleep here?" he helps me sit down and starts to clear all the books and cables.
"Figured as much," Liana and others step in and look around, amused. "No wonder you have to use digital backgrounds," she comments while pointing at my 3D projector.
Erik finishes cleaning my bed and decides to help me take off my hoodie. I whine when he touches my ribs which startles him.
"Oh, right," Liana stops inspecting the room. "Well, the thing is... Ryuuto doesn't have the flu. He has... we don't know what it is, actually."
Erik stares at her, dumbfounded.
"Did you give him drugs or something?" he hisses. "Ryuuto, did you go to a bar when you left my place yesterday?"
"God, no!" Liana shakes her head. "We're his ingame friends. My name's Liana, that's Fefnir and Ingri."
Erik frowns, not approving of being told only nicknames.
"Erik, they really didn't give me anything," I grab his hand. "Do you remember when I mentioned that my back hurts?"
"Yeah," he nods slowly. "What does it have to do with anything?"
"Everything, it seems," I sigh. "Take a look."
Erik purses his lips but he pulls my t-shirt up. And instantly freezes.
"SHIT! What the hell, Ryuuto?" he gasps.
YOU ARE READING
Draconia Offline vol. 1
FantasíaHave you ever loved a videogame so much that you wished you were somehow magically transported into it? Tough luck, this isn't your typical isekai story where the protagonist ends up in a different world. The videogame becomes the new reality in thi...
