The Master Chief and His Gamer... Origins

Origins

What was the one event you remember that changed your life? Maybe it was when you got your first A in school or when you had a younger sibling.... Perhaps it was an accident that gave you a scar that EVERYONE asks about, or maybe it was making your first friend. Regardless of how those life-altering moments may have come about.... Allow me just a few moments to tell you the story of an unlikely pair. The only one of their kind, finding one another through impossible circumstances, and the special bond forged through this life-altering event.

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A bored sigh escaped your lips as you watched the clock tick. Your college classes seemed to be dragging by today for no reason whatsoever. You looked down at your books then over your test sheet once more. This class was so easy it wasn't funny. You'd learned all this history in grade school; why did you need to know the EXACT placement of some ancient royals' toilet again?? You felt your phone buzz but knew that the second you tried to open it, your professor would look up from his desk, and you'd be screwed. So you waited.... Bored out of your damned mind until the rest of your slowpoke classmates finished before rushing up to the front and turning in your test, quickly exiting to catch your next class. You took out your phone to check your messages, smiling as you saw a text from your friend Chris.

C: Kat and I are having a movie night. Wanna come with? It's at the drive-in.

You made a disappointed face as you realized what day it was. It was Wednesday.... And that meant you had the long shift tonight.

(Y/N): Sorry, I can't; I have the closing shift at the cafe today.

C: You know you work too much, you need to live a little, play hooky and come with us.... Pweeeaaasssseeeee???

(Y/N): I wish I could.... Rent is due soon.

C: ............ Oh.... I really wish you'd just move out of that place. They're suffocating you (N/N).

(Y/N): Just a little longer, if I stick it out for another year.... I'll be able to strike out on my own and never have to worry about them again.

C:..... Just make sure that it's NEXT year.

(Y/N): It is. They can't touch it once I turn 25 next year. That was the agreed age.

C: Well, for their sake, they better not try anything funny, try and have a good day (N/N). I'll talk to you later.

(Y/N): Thanks, Chris, will do.

After getting through the rest of your classes, you hurried out of school and ran, yes... ran to your workplace. It was a cafe in the dead center of town that was always busy because it was open until midnight. Making it the only feasible option with how your classes were scheduled,

"Hi, May!" You greeted as you skidded in, huffing from your jog as you walked over to clock in. The woman in question turned from her spot at the coffee grinder to face you, her hands on her hips.

"(Y/N)?... what have I told you about coming in an hour early? You live here, child; it's not healthy for you to always be working."

"Rent is due soon, May, you know how it is...." You stated as you put a short, olive green apron on. May sighed, shaking her head as she walked over to you, her dark eyes staring into yours,

"Let me guess, you had another fight with your parents, and they upped your rent?"

You averted your eyes, staring down at your slightly beat-up sneakers, "Maybe...."

May shook her head, huffing in disbelief as she reached out and gently held your hands in her own,

"Have you had anything to eat today?"

Your stomach growled in response, causing you to blush. Another habit you had when things got busy or your parents stressed you out was you often forgot to eat. You'd even fainted at work a few times, giving poor May a heart attack more than once.

"I'll take that as a no...." May sighed as she motioned for you to sit in the back room while she made you something, claiming that you were the only child she had to worry about feeding constantly. So while you waited, you caught up on a few episodes of your favorite show and checked your email, your heart jumping for joy as you saw an email you'd been waiting forever to see. It read:

Your order: HSAN123X84057 was delivered to your PO box.

You nearly jumped out of your seat, silently cheering. You'd been waiting for almost a month and a half to get this package. It was one of the first things you'd bought yourself in forever. And it would totally be worth the wait.

"Here you go, hun, protein box... you'll need it for tonight."

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The rest of the night went by in a flash, the cafe typically wasn't super busy by ten, but that night you ended up having to shoo customers out so you could lock up. Thank goodness you had late classes tomorrow. You said goodbye to May and the rest of your coworkers before starting your walk to your house, it was a decent hike, and you didn't really like walking home in the middle of the night, but you didn't have other means of transportation, so your legs would have to do. As you walked, you put some earbuds in and played some soft music as your accompaniment to your walk home.

Eventually, you came to a lonely-looking street that had been gated off, tall hedges lining either side of the entrance as you typed in your access code. The heavy gates swung open slowly as if they resisted letting you back inside. You personally wouldn't have cared if they didn't; you quickly stopped at a small mail station once inside the gates to see a decent-sized package with your name on it. You carefully picked it up with anticipation growing in your heart as you made the final stretch to a giant house at the end of the street. The street wasn't so much a street as it was the driveway leading up to this grand, two-storied, modern-day mansion, with the front being made of almost all glass and a spiral staircase that led up to the second floor where there was a long balcony attached to an attic bedroom. You looked up the iron stairs with disdain as you began to ascend the winding staircase to the second floor,

'They couldn't have bothered to leave the front door unlocked?" You grumbled as you tried opening the outer door so you could get inside........... Only to find it locked, but luckily for you, you were more intelligent than your parents gave you credit for. You always kept a spare key hidden in the potted plants on the far side of your balcony. Placing your package down by the door, you crossed the terrace and extracted the small key from under the soil. You smirked as you held up the shiny key, quickly unlocking the door before shuffling into your room. You breathed a heavy sigh as you sat on your bed, looking down at your feet before you glanced over to your package.

"Well.... At least they can't ruin the night completely...." You stated as you opened your package, smiling widely as you unboxed the long-awaited item..... A console. You quickly set it up in the far corner of your room with the meager setup you had, the familiar X button flashing white as your thumb brushed over it. Chris had introduced you to gaming a while back when the both of you were still stuck at boarding school, and you had instantly become hooked. Much to your parents' dismay, who think that gaming is for children who have no lives nor could ever be successful. You quickly browsed the game section by giving yourself an accomplished nod until you came across a game that you'd tried on Chris' Xbox years ago.

"Halo? Oh my gosh! They have a whole collection now! Damn, I'm so behindddd...." You groaned as you began to download the game, your eyes full of anticipation as you watched the download, your eyes heavy as you stifled a yawn,

"I'll start playing tomorrow.... I'm too tired tonight." You said to no one in particular, stretching before you got up and changed into pajamas. Stopping to look out your bedroom door at the sky,

"Just one more year...." You whispered to yourself before looking back at your game setup, "Just one more year, and I can finally be free from this place."