The Light that Shines Within

The Masked Singer

So Steve and I were actually having a great time together at PAX. I showed him off to some of my old friends from my days as a Youtuber and they all couldn't tell he was the real Steve Rogers, they all just thought thought he was a hot guy in a costume. I was really happy seeing all my old friends again too. Even Pewdiepie came over and said hey to us as I passed. That was a huge surprise considering I had no idea Felix was even going to be here this year. But nice to see him nonetheless and others were just as I remembered them, sometimes that not being a good thing. ( Jake Paul, cough, cough ) Steve was pretty quiet when we talked to people, and that was ok. I was just happy he was here with me, to meet my friends from when I was your average, as normal, teenager. 

"Hey Cass, Loki says he's by the musical games and this guy is talking about you?" 

I glanced up from the collectable PEZ dispensors I had been looking at for flaws to look up at Steve. There was a reason why I had chosen to stay away from the musical games area and I had a feeling Loki just met the one guy I really had hoped to avoid this trip. "Just tell him to ignore Skip, ok? I really just don't want to go over there...." Steve looked at me in suspision. "Skip? You know the guy I take it?" I nodded and looked around to see if anyone was watching us, probably as paranoid as MatPat about this. No one could know my old gamer identity, so I pulled Steve aside and behind a pillar. Poor guy looked so hopelessly confused. "Cass, what's going on? Who's Skip, and why are you acting so suspicious and weird?" He asked me and I took a deep breath, looking up at him. 

"Skiperton Jones, Game designer." 

"Ok....so why are you afraid of him?" 

"That guy is the only who knew who I was as a gamer...." I said quietly. Steve looked more confused, face scrunching up and I could almost see those wheels in his head turning. "I thought everyone knew who you were as a gamer? All the people we met today..." I held a hand up, shaking my head. "No Steve. Those people only knew me as Youtuber, not a gamer....thier totally different things in this business. Unless your really established like Markiplier or Jackespticeye. A gamer plays games without a camera, in competitions. A Youtuber plays games at home and shows others how to beat the game. Or talk and do tutorials, skits, and any videos you make on YouTube." I sighed again, shoving hands in the pockets of my dress, looking at my boots in embarrassment. "So, why did you keep it a secret? How did you keep it a secret?..." He asked me. "I wore a mask, and used a gamer name. My specialty was puzzle and music games.....Just Dance, Sing Off, and Tetris were my kingdoms... But Guitar Hero....oh that, was my bitch...." Steve coughed once.

"Language, Cass." 

"Sorry Steve..." 

We sat there a moment in silence and he shrugged. "So, what was the story behind you and Skip?" I blinked a second and laughed." We didn't date, if that's what your asking Rogers." He looked sheepishly at me and blushed. "What? Its a worthy question..." I just shook my head at him and we headed to the food court to grab coffee and donuts from Krispie Kremes, sitting at a corner table to talk freely. I was eyeing the others around me, running a finger along my coffee cup as I was lost in thought. "He was the one who gave me my start in gaming, was my first real shot at hit video games before anyone else." Steve nodded as he took a bite from his chocolate long John. "So you were a game tester." I nodded and sipped my coffee." Yeah, then, when he realized I was so good at his games he decided to put me in contests. I began to develop a reputation, and so in my shyness I used as mask and went by my alias, the Music Master....." My voice trailed off as I confessed my nerdiest secret to Captain America. But, Loki thought he and I were a good match after all, so why not?

"I was great, the best for three years...."

"Then what happened? Why did you stop?" He asked me, those eyes looking into my own from underneath Tony's sunglasses and I sighed in defeat. Taking another sip of my coffee and telling him.