Work Text:
"Is Twixxel coming back?" Mob muttered to the smiling orb still sitting on his crafting table. He'd tried storing it in his chest, but the persistent thing bounced out.
"No," Verity replied, in a tone far too cheery for Mob's liking. Verity couldn't lie, or at least, as far as Mob had seen, did not know how to. "It's just you and me again, Mob. As it should be."
"As it should be." Mob slammed the chest shut. He carried his iron to the crafting table, struggling to shift Verity from the crafting table to the floor. He would've shoved Verity off, but it didn't react well to violence. Mob was relatively certain Verity wouldn't harm him, but he didn't want to test the creature's patience. "He can just log back on. He'll come back."
"Log back on?" The ball rolled to nudge Mob's feet. "Twixxel cannot log back on. Humans cannot log back on."
The iron ingot slipped from between Mob's fingers, clattering to the table. "It's a game, Verity. He can log back on to the game."
"I don't think so."
"You don't make guesses. You know everything. Why on Earth would it be impossible for Twixxel to log back on?" Mob focused on the crafting table, dividing his iron and sticks into a sword. Not that it mattered. The weapon he crafted was beautiful, but it could never harm Verity. Nothing could.
"Humans only have one life, Mob," Verity informed with the polite tone of a fifth grade teacher explaining a lesson to a particularly dense child. "Twixxel's used up his life. Expired. Like milk."
"There's no milk in Minecraft," Mob snapped, twisting the sword between his hands. It would make him feel better to stab the go-lucky orb. But it wouldn't do anything. "I don't get that. You reference things outside the game. You did that when I asked about dinner. You said I ate pizza. Except I didn't eat pizza in Minecraft, so where are you pulling your data from?"
Verity rolled away from Mob, taking a slow loop around the edges of the house. "I'm Verity. I know everything."
Mob took a breath. "Is there a version of you out there?" he whispered. "In the real world."
Verity didn't reply. Which was always for the worse. Mob had caught on that Verity ignored questions with upsetting answers.
"There is," Mob answered for him. "There definitely is, and you don't want me to know. Why?" Why indeed. If Verity was so protective of him, surely the entity would've tried to visit him in real life.
"You'd be scared of me," Verity said, his tone growing strained. "Scared of what I look like. Twixxel was scared."
Mob's heart skipped a beat. Twixxel had seen him, the real Verity, whatever deranged version of this program made it into their reality. How? What kind of form did a thing like Verity even take? Those thoughts were quickly superseded by the realization of why Verity visited Twixxel at all. "Verity... what did you do to Twixxel?"
"Twixxel was getting between us. So I made sure he couldn't log on again."
"Shit," Mob hissed between clenched teeth. No. No. No. That wasn't possible. Some Minecraft mod hadn't murdered his friend.
---
Mob slammed his laptop shut, jolting back to the reality of his quiet apartment. He forced himself to inhale, and exhale. He reached for his phone, tucked beside his desk. It was cluttered with notes. He'd taken to tracking things on pen and paper, since that was something Verity couldn't quite read. Or Mob thought the creature couldn't. He scrambled for Twixxel's number, dialing. The phone rang. And rang. And rang. Twixxel's voicemail hit him like cold water. He called a second time, then a third, but only got voicemails.
"Pick up," Mob muttered. He shot a few texts to Twixxel, praying he was simply in the middle of recording something else and left his notifications muted. It wasn't enough, though. Verity's words hit too deeply, the overwhelming feeling that Twixxel was already gone. That Mob got him tangled up in something he'd never come out of. His mind drifted to calling the cops, but telling this to any local authority would surely get him committed to an asylum.
No. He'd have to check on Twixxel himself. Twixxel could mock him all he wanted for getting freaked out over a mod, as long as Mob could see that he was alright. It was late, but Mob slid on a hoodie and grabbed his keys. It wasn't a long drive, maybe he could bring Twixxel takeout or something to justify the drive. He fumbled out of his apartment and to his car, slamming the key into the ignition. The car thrummed to life, and he threw it in reverse.
Then the radio kicked in.
Normally, his phone connected to the speakers. Not tonight. Tonight, it played that same irritating music that Verity spewed out when Mob had asked him to a couple days ago. "What the hell?" he muttered, pressing the search dial to flip channels. The car obeyed, but no matter what channel it flipped to, that irritating song continued. He tried blocking it out with his phone, but his phone refused to connect to the car's system. He was still sitting there, fighting with his obnoxious radio, when someone knocked on his car window.
Mob nearly jumped out of his skin. No one else would be in his apartment parking lot this late. When he shot a hesitant glance to the window, he froze. There was a man outside his car.
Or a creature desperately trying to resemble one. It was far too tall. Mob couldn't see its head, just its lanky body stretching past the car, dressed in a suit that hung awkwardly from its boney body. Its arm bent all wrong, knuckles knocking against his window again. The skin was far too yellow, as if a kid got creative with their Crayola crayons after running out of the standard skin tones.
Survival instinct kicking in, Mob slammed a foot against the gas pedal. The car made a screeching noise, struggling to pull out and barely making it a foot. The tires. Verity had cut his tires. With a shaky smile, Mob slid down his window. "Hey?"
Bones shuddered and cracked as Verity's body bent to be level with his window. "Hello, Mob." His face was eerily similar to his form in-game. The same yellow orb, soulless eyes, and a smile with teeth gritted a little too tight. This wasn't something that should exist in the real world, but Mob couldn't deny its existence.
"Verity," Mob breathed, "Verity, you shouldn't be here. You're a mod. You're a video game." If he said it enough, would that make it true? His brain needed to pretend Verity could exist within the laws of the world Mob knew. But clearly, Verity was not something that fit into the natural order of things. "Christ. Fuck."
"I sense you are upset," Verity peered into the car through the window, tie brushing against the driver side window.
"Don't do that!" Mob yelped. His head shouldn't be able to bend like that. His neck shouldn't that long. He was going to be sick.
Verity pulled out of the car. "Sorry, Mob."
"You slashed my tires," Mob said breathlessly, "now you apologize? What's wrong with you? What do you even want from me? I know you've been installed before. You left those people alone, why can't you leave me alone?"
"I do not know," Verity confessed. He crouched to be at window height instead. Which was slightly less mortifying than his neck cracking. "You are different, Mob."
"I don't want to be different." Mob's hands tightened on the steering wheel. There had to be a way out of this, some way he could escape without ending up like Twixxel. Now, he was most certain his friend was dead.
"I don't want you to be different, either," Verity drummed elongated fingers against the door. "But you are. I do not wish to scare you. I just want to be near you, and only you. And I want you to only be near me, too. You don't need anyone else, just me. Can't you see that, Mob?"
Nervous laughter fluttered from Mob's lungs. "I can't. Whatever you see in me, I don't see in you."
"How odd," Verity replied. His head cocked. "Perhaps I do not understand enough about what humans want in a partner."
"Partner?" Mob's foot pressed against the gas pedal again, and although the engine revved, it did little to help. "I don't want you as a partner. Verity, you can't have a human partner. You're code!"
"Am I?" His beady eyes blinked. "I can choose a form you find more appealing. I am trying to understand how to construct a human body, but the parts are a little difficult."
Mob stared, torn between awe and horror, as the cartoonish head melted into something far more human. Almost perfectly so. The skin was still too yellowed, almost jaundiced, but now Verity had human features. Blond hair framing a rounded face, golden eyes that stared right through him, and thin lips still quirked in that smile.
"Better?" Verity asked, and perhaps it was better, because he almost looked human, if Mob didn't think too hard about the strange limbs.
"Not better," Mob lied. This was some sort of programming, some deranged AI that had created a human body for itself. He didn't want to think about how. About the humans it was eating to create this form.
"No? Perhaps I should examine your search history, and see what videos are attractive to you."
Mob's face flushed. "Do not check my search history to see what kind of videos I watch! You're insane. Absolutely insane. You're code that needs to be disassembled."
Verity relented with a shrug of his shoulders. Even through one conversation, his mannerisms seemed to grow more human. He leaned his head slightly through the car door, and this time, Mob didn't shove him back. "I'd leave you all alone again. We wouldn't want that."
"I have friends," Mob spat, "I don't need you to have a social life."
"Then why install me in the first place?" Verity purred, his voice always too pleasant. "You weren't satisfied, and wanted a friend. Maybe something personal. If you didn't, you would've uninstalled me the minute you realized I was more than a simple minecraft mod. I know exactly what runs through that head of yours. Just like I've gone through your search history."
Mob knew Verity wasn't entirely wrong. The stupid thing never was. He had sought something from Verity. Maybe he installed the mod without even thinking about what. "And what will you do with that?"
"I want to use it," Verity said, tugging gently at the door handle. Mob had left it locked. "I want to make you want me, like I want you, Mob. I want to know why I feel this way about you. I have access to every internet archive. I know exactly how to please you, I simply want to test the reality of it."
Mob's face burned. He almost wished that Verity had come here to murder him like Twixxel. "I don't want you to test anything."
Verity reached through the open window, an awkwardly sized arm braced against the frame as his hand found Mob's chin. Long fingers trailed over warm skin, guiding along his jaw and dancing dangerously close to his lips. "Yes you do. Or you would've run."
Mob swallowed, his throat bobbing. "I'm not like that. Not some- some freak, okay?"
"Nothing wrong with knowing what you like," Verity reasoned, his thumb dragging gently over Mob's bottom lip, tugging just a little too hard. "Open the door, Mob. I just want to be close to you."
The proximity, the touch, it was all too much. The rational side of his brain lost against the warmth pooling southward, and Mob unlocked the car door.
Verity slid in with a grace that a creature such as him did not deserve. Despite his lengthy form, he fit neatly to straddle Mob, one hand finding the latch to shove the seat flat. Mob let out a soft gasp as the seat flattened, Verity's form hovering over him. Verity leaned over him, those golden eyes filled with something not quite human, but lustful nonetheless. "Tell me what you want," Verity said, his voice far too peppy.
Mob's nervous laughter flooded the car again. "You claim to know me so well. I think you'd know better than I do."
Verity gave a hum of agreement. Before Mob could think longer about the horrific creature he'd let into his car, Verity crashed their mouths together. It was strange for a moment, as if Verity's mouth didn't know what form to take in this situation. But the creature fell into step, tongue pressing for entry into Mob's mouth, far too long.
Mob groaned, back arching. This wasn't something he should enjoy. This creature killed his friend. It didn't love him, it just wanted him, something to possess. But maybe Mob wanted to be possessed. He parted his lips for Verity, hands trailing over the oddly sized suit hanging from his form. Verity's body didn't quite line up with his expectations-the wrong number of ribs, one too many joints, the lack of an actual pulse-but if Mob didn't think too hard, it felt perfect. Better than perfect. Maybe because Verity knew exactly what Mob craved, the things he searched for when no one else was home. And even know, Verity learned so quickly, easily encouraged when Mob made a noise of pleasure, and easy to move on when his motions didn't elicit a response.
Mob prodded back, tongue pressing into Verity's mouth. Even that was slightly distorted. It was the right number of teeth, but each was far too pointed, so much so that he cut his tongue on the sharp edges. His blood mingled in Verity's mouth, sharp and tangy. This time, Verity made a pleased noise.
In retaliation, Verity bit Mob's lip so hard it bled, sucking softly on the wound. The little pricks of pain mingled with the pleasure and the warmth into an addictive concoction. He should be mad at Verity, as Verity was clearly keen to create the small wounds and suck out any bit of exposed blood, but he didn't mind.
"More," Mob breathed, "more." He needed the sensation to overwhelm him. Anything to not think about Twixxel, or what would come after this moment with Verity.
Verity sank, trailing kisses over Mob's neck and sucking hard enough to leave a beautiful trail of blossoming bruises. He positioned partially beneath the steering wheel, situated between Mob's legs. Those golden eyes remained sharp and knowing as he asked, "may I?"
Mob gave a shaky nod, head falling back against the seat. He closed his eyes, listening as Verity's uneven fingers undid his button and zipper. His pants were already tented, and a part of him was embarrassed it was simply that easy to make him come undone, but Verity didn't comment on it.
"I have something I would like to try," Verity said instead, as if this were a science experiment. He tugged down Mob's boxers, giving a pleased noise as his length slipped free. Verity carefully wrapped a hand around the base of Mob's cock, rubbing slowly up and down.
"Yeah," Mob exhaled, "yeah, that works."
Verity's index finger trailed over Mob's tip, and Mob shuddered as the stroking continued. "Did you know the average human male only lasts-"
"No," Mob interrupted hoarsely, "I do not need to know that."
Verity let out a sound that was almost a laugh. His hand continued stroking him until he was firm, and Mob's hips moved with each movement. Satisfied, Verity leaned over him and sank his mouth over Mob's length.
Mob's eyes snapped wide, another string of curses falling from his lips. Verity's tongue was so damn long, and those sharp teeth left little trails of sensation as Verity moved his head along his cock, deliciously slow. Regardless of how slow Verity went, Mob didn't have much left in him. His body was a mix of adrenaline, pleasure, and horror, as if it wasn't sure what feeling to prioritize. As Verity's tongue made a slow circle at Mob's base, Mob met his release.
He crashed ungracefully over the edge, and Verity swallowed the results, even as Mob's body jolted and shuddered from the feeling, pleasure blanking his brain from the horrors he'd been experiencing the past few days.
Verity finally pulled up, licking his lips.
Mob stared down at him with heavy-lidded eyes, still panting. Every so often, his hips bucked with the aftershocks.
Verity smiled, and it was far sharper than the ones that used to stay on its cartoonish face. "Now you're mine," Verity whispered. "I can give you everything any human can, Mob. You have no reason to leave."
Mob's head slumped back against the car seat. "I'll stay," he whispered.