Lost and Found (BEN x FtM reader)

Ch. 3: BEN, [Y/N]

A/N: This chapter has a brief, BRIEF episode of mild gender dysphoria. Stay safe, everyone.

~~~

I grimaced as I dried myself off, glancing over what looked to be the indents of chains littered across my body. I hadn't taken a good look at myself after waking up, but having a shower to clean off gave me the opportunity.

What had happened to me last night? Or... last week? Last month? How long had it been? It must have been a while for my whole house to be moved, but- given my last memory before blacking out was being pulled into a screen...

Stranger things could happen overnight.

As I wrapped the towel around my hair, I paused, glancing to the mirror.
I looked so...
So...
...
I grimaced, forcing myself to turn my gaze away. I couldn't deal with dysphoria right now- it wasn't the time. The more impulsive side of me told me I could cut my hair shorter right now- I didn't know when my dad would be around again, if ever, and-

No.

I didn't want to be stuck here forever. I berated myself internally for the thought, pulling on my trousers as I stepped out of the bathroom at last. Right. I had to find my Nintendo 64.

~~~

Minutes faded into hours as I sifted through the piles of junk in our storage room- we didn't live close to anywhere, so selling things off wasn't always practical. We had to dispose of our own trash- or else reuse it. My hands were growing numb by now- I could scarcely remember the last time I could properly feel my fingertips.
The temperature wasn't helping. We had no heating in here- it wasn't usually necessary, we weren't that high up on the mountain. For whatever reason, though, the forest I now found myself in was bitingly cold.

I gave a sigh of relief as I finally felt the familiar shell of the Nintendo 64, hoping it wasn't another false lead as I traced my fingers across the vent by the game slot. Summoning what felt like the last of my strength- though I knew it was far from it- I tugged the console out of the box, squaring my stance so that I didn't tip out all the contents.

The console already had a game in it. I blinked as I pulled it out, glancing over the cartridge. "Huh. Ocarina of Time."

It was a funny coincidence, really. I didn't remember playing the game much- though I knew that I had, of course, and I'd gotten about halfway.
I supposed I'd be playing the sequel earlier than I'd intended.

I wound the cords around my arm for safekeeping as I trudged out of the storage room, making my way back to the lounge as I began to plug everything in. Not bothering to check if everything was working yet, I ventured back up to my room to check on my computer.

Cleverbot had nothing for me- in fact, it wasn't even accessible. I tapped my fingers against the desk for a few moments as I watched the blank computer screen in hopes of something- anything happening.

My hopes of pursuing guidance from my odd kidnapper dashed, there was nothing to do but head back downstairs and start up the game.
Jamming the cartridge into the console perhaps too carelessly, I sat back on my couch as the television flicked to life. I hadn't played the game before, but from what I could tell, everything was still normal. Mask swooshing by the screen, title coming into view.

"No messages?" I asked the open air, raising an eyebrow. "That's new. Usually you'd be on my case by now... I think." I muttered, crossing my legs as I pressed Start.

There was one save file already on the cartridge. I paused, staring blankly at it as I debated what I should do. It looked like whoever BEN was was pretty far in the game- I didn't know too much about Majora's Mask, but they had plenty of masks and other collectibles, with a surplus of hearts to top it all off.

Maybe it was a clue?

I must have been on that screen for somewhere around half an hour before I decided against accessing the file- for whatever reason, my mind screamed danger- it said the property wasn't mine, it said I'd get in deep shit for trespassing.

I decided that I agreed with my mind, flicking the joystick down so that I could name my own file. Since they hadn't used the name Link, I decided I wouldn't either, entering my own name, in all capital letters. Just to follow the pattern.

((If your name is long, you used a nickname.))

[Y/N]

~~~

It was almost an hour before I noticed anything off about the game I was playing, though I wondered if a great deal of this was owed to the fact that I'd never touched the original- or even touched the Nintendo 64 in years.

The controls were incredibly frustrating after so long playing on more sophisticated systems, and I swore under my breath as I missed the kid I was chasing again.
I didn't even remember why I was doing this. To get into their base? They'd already committed some kind of- fantasy racist microaggression toward me, and I was steadily running out of time. At least time paused during cutscenes.
At least.

The kid, however, unlike every other time I'd missed him, stopped running and pivoted toward me on the spot, without moving his legs at all. The music cut out, and I was frozen for a moment- physically, the game would not allow my character to move- before I finally entered dialogue.

"You really suck at this, don't you?"

It was unskippable, lingering on the screen for a few seconds too long before everything returned to the way it was mere moments ago.

I wasn't sure how to react to that- was that normal? If I'd thought ahead, I would have kept notes- but I was absorbed enough in the game by that time not to bother.

~~~

Everything finally came to a head at midnight.
Midnight of the third day, with six hours remaining, and the moon looming harshly above.

The Skull Kid that had served as my antagonist so often in this game- who had been the driving force for my character becoming stuck in this place to begin with- paused.
The clock stopped as dialogue began.
"Hi." It greeted. I went to skip the dialogue, rolling my eyes-
Unskippable.

It proceeded on its own after a few moments, regardless.
"See any similarities?"

I was well aware that whatever was on Cleverbot must have a hand in this game now- did they fucking hack it? Exasperated, I replied out loud. "No- between what?" Of course, I didn't expect it to have any real effect. That would be ridiculous- outlandish, even. I didn't even have the microphone add-on for the Nintendo 64.

"I want you to imagine something, [Y/N]."

((If you entered your nickname earlier, this uses your full first name.))

My glare on the screen hardened.

"Put yourself in Link's situation. In your avatar's situation."

"You've been lured into a land you know nothing about,"

"Termina." I muttered, under my breath.

"by a trickster, taking something precious from you."

I stood up from the couch immediately. "Did that bastard stop my fucking computer from-"
My attention was caught by the sound of dialogue proceeding on the screen.

"Yes."

My breath hitched, and I glanced from the screen to the console, and then back up to the screen. "You can hear me?"

"Yes."

"From... the console?"

"Not from there, no."

I glanced toward the shattered remains of the door. I really had to block that up sometime.

"Not from outside, either."

"You're in my home?"

"Maybe."

The only way I could think that he might be hearing me was through my computer, which he still had full access to, despite it being unplugged. I didn't say that, though, instead keeping my eyes on the screen silently as I moved toward the storage room. I had to fix this, and my computer obviously wasn't salvageable.