☆ : obsession (?)
✦ : verity™ x gn!reader , they/them used for reader, up to you if reader is amab/afab (it’s not plot relevant), no use of y/n, r/n is over eighteen
✧ : synopsis: omniscient helper friend x charismatic idiot. r/n downloads a mod their friend shares with them and ends up acting a fool with their new buddy on minecraft. ☆ : warnings: this was written before pt.3 came out. if any of this is inaccurate, don't burn me at the stake. sexual jokes, swearing, guns, occasional unsettling dialogue, the entity will appear at the end
if thatmob and/or whispy (if they even sees this) would like for me to take down this fic, please reach out to me and i’ll be rid of this work as soon as possible. thank you! ^_^
sunlight peeks through the blinds, shining down on sleeping, peacefully closed eyes. the morning sun had risen—and thanks to r/n finally having some self-restraint for once, they were able to wake up in the morning and not in the middle of the afternoon like usual. who knew sleeping earlier had its benefits?
however, there were its downsides, too. r/n’s eyelids fluttered in protest of the sun rays in their face, a low groan rumbling in their throat. they turned so their back faced the window, their lips curving in discomfort as their slumber was disturbed by the sun. the audacity, really.
after a few minutes of r/n keeping their eyes closed in an attempt to get some more rest—they ultimately decided to give it up. they begrudgingly kept their eyes open for longer than three seconds, their hand already stretching out to grab their phone on the nightstand.
with their cheek plopped against their pillow, their half-lidded eyes briefly looked through their notifications for the early day. soon, they unlocked their phone and opened up the sanctuary app for mental illness—discord. considering the time, barely anyone had shot them a direct message.
except for the ones who sent messages like sending a letter via pigeon, of course. it didn't take long for r/n to either ignore certain notifications and simply mark them as read—or skim over the ones they actually wanted to read. with a sigh, r/n opened the last dm that reached out to them. unsurprisingly enough, it was the person they goofed off with the most.
…i guess, bro.
following those messages came the download page link for said mod. r/n scrutinized the preview for a moment before ultimately deciding—why the hell not? they had nothing better to do, anyway. they typed up a quick, dismissive and despicable response before shutting off their phone and getting up to get ready.
once they were done brushing their teeth and grabbing a quick snack that definitely shouldn’t be considered breakfast, they sat down to turn on their pc. they slipped their phone out of their pocket to review the mod link again, curiosity gnawing at their heart as seconds passed. it didn't look like any usual mod they were used to downloading. maybe that's what made it interesting?
soon enough, they had everything ready. as soon as the new world began booting up, r/n yawned as they stretched their arms. they had no idea what they were in for—and knowing their friend, this was probably about to be some bullshit. as soon as they finished stretching, they let out a faint sigh while putting on their headphones.
“alright, les’get it.”
they spawned in a dark forest biome, the game looking relatively normal at first glance. r/n rubbed their eye for a moment, wiping away any leftover sleepy residue before locking in. their ears abruptly perked up, however, at the sound of a muffled voice coming from the game.
“hellooo? is someone there? anyone?? helloooo???”
“…huh?”
they quickly snapped their eyes open, zeroing in on an in-game cardboard box sitting in front of them. their fingers whipped to their keyboard and mouse again, their eyebrows furrowing in skepticism and curiosity.
“…uh. okay,,”
soon enough, they click on the enclosed box in an attempt to see what was inside. they watched as it rose two blocks in the air, their mouse following the package. r/n had no idea what to expect—was it going to be an overpowered item? an entity? a jumpscare? a pet mob?? what was in that thing???
nope. it was none of the above. the box opened mid-air, only to vanish with circular whimsical smoke fading out to reveal its contents. what r/n saw was… a ball. a small, yellow sphere. with a smiley face. soon enough, it fell to the ground with cartoony falling sound effects. the ball’s face shifted into one of discomfort while it bounced against the grass and grunted from the impacts.
as r/n ever so slightly shifted their in-game perspective to watch the ball, they noticed its 3d shape instead of the usual 2d designs of minecraft. a circle in a world of squares. nothing out of the ordinary for mods, but this one will likely be something r/n will have to get used to. they also had to assume the muffled voice from earlier belonged to this thing.
once it finally settled on the ground, the smiley face returned on the sphere. almost immediately, it began speaking with a joyous smile and delightful tone.
“hellooo! i’m verity, your personal helper friend! ask me anything, i know everything.”
r/n blinked, their lips parting in slight surprise as they listened to “verity’s” introduction. the first thing they noticed was the almost confident shift in tone at the ball’s last retort. r/n didn't know what to expect—frankly, when they go into things blind, they never know what to expect.
their head tilted slightly while one of their hands moved from their mouse to their keyboard. with both hands on the keys, r/n murmured under their breath as they opened the chat and hesitantly began typing their first question.
“well, alright. i’m assuming i have to talk in in-game chat—”
“nope! i can hear you just fine.”
r/n blinked, freezing for a split second. five seconds hadn't even passed when verity responded—he was so quick to answer. what kind of mod was this?? nevertheless, r/n was somewhat pleased they didn't have to type. verbal conversations worked better while they're playing.
“…oh! that—well, that works too,”
r/n chuckled nervously, leaning slightly forward toward their monitor while their hand moved back to their mouse. they stared at the smiling sphere in front of them, crouching in-game to get a better look at verity.
“do you… know my name?”
r/n inquired reluctantly, testing the waters. they weren't sure if verity had knowledge outside the game itself. in reality, coders could likely just rip the name players use on their microsoft account and call it a day, but how does this ball have dynamic voicelines for the player?
“yep! hello, r/n!”
r/n bristled, exhaling in disbelief. they slowly leaned back in their chair, their chest rising and falling at a fairly rapid pace. their head tilted away ever so slightly, their in-game character standing up straight. their model craned their neck down to continue looking at the sphere, r/n gingerly walking on eggshells with their new companion.
“hello to you too.”
they hummed warily, their eyes negligibly narrowing. soon, they let out a sigh, crouching and slowly nudging themself closer to verity. so the… sphere thing had knowledge outside of the game. wonderful. but the whole… personal dialogue thing was bugging r/n.
“are you a—… are you an ai?”
“can’t say for sure.”
verity responded with a light-hearted tone. well. how exactly does that even work in a minecraft mod? whatever. r/n’s chin slowly dipped as they thought about their next question—then eventually decided it was probably a better idea to ask the deeper questions later.
“can i pick you up?”
r/n inquired—mostly to themself—as their in-game model stood up yet again in front of verity.
“you sure can!”
verity spoke merrily as r/n soon picked him up. the text of his name faded in atop their item bar, showing “verity™” and soon fading out. as they held verity on their right blocky hand, r/n scrutinized the yellow sphere in their possession.
“verity™, huh?”
r/n mumbled out loud, the name sticking to their head. eventually, a quaint smile etched on their lips as they scrolled down on their item bar to put verity™ away. they didn’t question the trademark—they figured the trademark was maybe the reason as to how whoever coded this mod managed to get artificial intelligence to power this thing. then again, what did they know?
“it’s nice to meet you, verity™.”
from then on, r/n started actually playing the game. they started with getting wood. after crafting a wooden axe and a wooden pickaxe, they went on an onslaught of killing every animal in sight for food. afterward, they briefly went toe-deep into the nearest cave they found for some cobblestone.
they stayed silent the entire time, unsure if verity could even hear them from inside their inventory. they decided to quietly go about their adventure, feeling the subconscious urge not to bother asking their “helper friend” questions unless they really needed help.
about an hour passed by in the real world, and r/n still hadn't said a thing to verity after their first interaction. they deliberately kept their new companion at the far end of their toolbar just in case—but still, nothing after three in-game days.
finally, r/n began working on their house. they knew they weren't going to build anything fancy—far from it—just something small and simple would suffice. a bed, crafting table, furnace, and a couple of chests would do the trick.
as r/n stacked the wood blocks that defined the width and length of their house, r/n glanced down at their hotbar and was reminded of verity™’s presence. their eyes widened ever so slightly, as if they were woken up from their concentrated daze. this could be an opportunity to get to know their companion better—if he even had anything to know about in the first place.
“…hey, verity™?”
they cautiously called out, still unsure if verity™ was able to hear them from their hotbar.
“yeees?”
verity™ responded in an instant. he sounded almost expectant, almost distasteful—perhaps he was waiting for a command or a question. the poor guy was ghosted for, like, three days. r/n wouldn't blame him if he sounded a little off behind the cheerful facade.
“what’s your favorite part of minecraft?”
“beating the game! playing the game with you in general is fun.”
verity™ answered cheerily, the disdain in his voice from earlier mostly dissipating. he didn’t sound as happy-go-lucky as he did the first time r/n heard his voice—but it wasn't like he hated being there with them.
“cool! i think my favorite part is the mining. i like testing my luck in caves.”
“well, with me, you won’t have to test your luck. you can ask me anything, i know everything.”
r/n moved on to placing the blocks between the “pillars”, defining the walls of the house. they hummed in thought at the familiar sentence. they figured it was a whole “wise-guy” situation with verity™—but considering the context of them talking about ores and him bringing up his vast knowledge, r/n took the hint that they could just… ask where the stuff they were looking for was.
“…right. got it. thanks, verity™.”
“no problem!”
verity™ perked up with a melodic hum. for a couple of minutes, there came the silence again. it was slightly more comfortable, but the charged tension wasn't entirely gone. r/n was lost in thought, wondering about the nature of verity™’s code and complexion.
it didn't take long for the in-game moon to rise. r/n quickly finished up the roof of their house so they could get to sleep as soon as possible. once they were done with their ceiling, they made their way to their bed.
but one glance at verity™ in the ninth slot of their hotbar made them hesitate. they reluctantly scrolled down on their item wheel to grab verity™, looking for a place to place verity™ afterward. soon enough, they figured the crafting table on the opposite end of the small house would do.
“would you like a little space to yourself? when i’m—finished with the house, i mean.”
r/n offered politely. verity™ didn't respond immediately like he usually did, simply staring at the player with the same generic smile.
“ooh! that’d be nice.”
he enthusiastically agreed. r/n quickly moved their mouse up and down to move their character’s head, mimicking a friendly nod.
“you got it. g’night, verity™.”
admittedly, r/n felt fairly silly for acting sentimental with… something that wasn't even alive. they felt the need to not bother him so much—but based on his shifted demeanor, that was probably the wrong move. they should start talking to him more. the avoidance was a mistake, maybe “befriending” him in some way could help?
r/n turned and right-clicked their in-game mattress. once the sun loaded, that marked the fourth in-game day. so far, they’ve only got a house—more like a shed—some food, and stone materials. they left some iron in the furnace to smelt overnight. that way, they could make an iron pickaxe and get back to the caves.
r/n got up from their bed and automatically faced the front door a couple of blocks away. they slid their perspective to look at verity™, who was still standing on the crafting table, idly sitting still on the surface.
“good morning.”
they hummed somewhat timidly, feeling self-conscious. what, were they role-playing or something? get over yourself, r/n. they walked over to the yellow sphere, crouching in front of the crafting table to get a better look at verity™.
“i’m gonna go mining. do you wanna come with me?”
r/n asked, a faint tinge of curious circumspection hiding in their tongue. they wanted to see if verity™ had free will—or, at the very least, could make choices for himself. somehow. either that, or it could be another one of those times where he just doesn't say anything.
“sure thing!”
he chirped, his circular body stretching before defaulting back to his normal sphere shape. it was fun to inspect verity™’s body language as he talked—you’d think it’d be impossible for a sphere to squish and elongate like that. the world of minecraft works wonders.
r/n shifted their mouse up and down again to indicate they nodded, soon picking verity™ up from the surface of the crafting table. they switched some items around from their hotbar to their personal inventory to make room in the ninth slot for verity™.
“yaaay!”
at the gleeful exclamation, the corners of r/n’s eyes crinkled as a smile tugged at their lips. truly, verity™ was endearing—and even if his origins were mysterious, r/n could find themself growing a little more comfortable with hanging out with him.
before r/n went out, they grabbed their iron ingots and made their iron pickaxe. they sorted some of their old tools out, filtered out anything in their inventory they didn't need to transfer to a chest, and decided they were practically ready to go.
r/n walked out of the house and stepped into the outside world. they listened to the artificial grass crunching beneath their character’s footsteps in their headphones, currently holding their newly crafted iron pickaxe. while making their way to the nearest cave in a path they memorized, they suddenly got an idea.
“…hey, verity™? i, ehm—i hate to do this to you, but could you tell me where the… uh—the nearest diamonds are?”
“y-level -54, 143 blocks southwest.”
oh. shit.
once verity finished speaking from their hotbar, r/n blinked in surprise as they continued walking. wow, alright. good to know. well, this was potential r/n probably could’ve tapped a long time ago, but whatever.
“thanks, verity™.”
r/n hummed lowly, their unpretentious voice filled with surprise and gratitude.
“of course!”
by the time they made it to the cave and began mining—with the answer spelled out to them, it didn’t take long for r/n to find what they were looking for. as soon as they spotted the diamond blocks—an unreasonably loud gasp escaped their lips.
“HOLY SHIT—”
r/n scrolled up on their hotbar just to grab verity™ in their digital hand, a bright smile forming on their face as they stared at their monitor in awe.
“verity™, i’d suck your dick if i could—holy shit, that’s so cool!”
immediately, r/n scrolled down to grab their iron pickaxe again, getting to work on mining as many of the diamonds as they could find. after their excited verbal explosion… came silence. verity™ didn’t say a word, but r/n knew damn well he was always listening.
after two seconds, they stopped holding the “w” key and held their head in their hands.
“…i’d like to apologize for my words and actions.”
“no, no. just keep mining.”
“yeah. okay.”
after some time, nightfall was nigh, and r/n decided they ought to head home. satisfied with their results, they closed the door to their little home behind them and walked over to the furnace. they set verity™ down on the crafting table next to the structure, soon turning their attention back to the furnace to smelt more of the iron they got.
for the next few days, all was well. r/n and verity™ began having more interactions, rather than r/n straying away from him. they opted for more light-hearted conversations rather than constantly asking him for stuff. at the very least, they wanted to know about their helper. the best part was–verity™ understood their sense of humor! …to an extent.
r/n left the house with verity™ in their hotbar as usual. they were low on food, so here they were, running around to kill any animal in sight. they eyed white sheep, specifically, since they were aiming for a second bed and didn't have any wool for it. as they pursued a white sheep, they hadn't heard the hissing sound behind them.
“careful! there’s a creeper behind you.”
“oh, word?”
r/n reacted embarrassingly late. they had focused on landing the final swish on the sheep before swirling their mouse around to face the danger—only for them to blow up on the spot.
You died!
…shit.
in the blink of an eye, r/n respawned at their home. they stopped and stilled for a moment, staring at their monitor ludicrously. they sucked in air through their teeth, their elbow resting on their table as they held their forehead in the heel of their hand.
“…yeah, i’m not getting far.”
then, the realization dawned on them. they nearly knocked over all their equipment as their hands flied to their mouse and keyboard.
“OH, SHIT, VERIT—”
“well, that was a disaster, huh?”
verity™ perked up with a melodic hum at his usual spot on the crafting table. r/n whipped over to where they heard his voice. what? how? when did he get there? how did he get there?? why isn't he dead??? can he even die????
“…oh. well, then, um—”
“you aren't far from your stuff. they're just seventy-six blocks northeast of here.”
“…ah. uh–thanks, man.”
“uh huh.”
verity™ knowingly drawled, a teasing undertone in his voice as r/n regained their composure from being shaken up. finally, r/n started moving again and went over to the crafting table to pick verity™ up. with a shuddering sigh and head filled with questions, they went out the door once more with the location in mind.
“then i… guess we’ll go grab it,”
verity™ was silent for the whole trip back. r/n couldn't explain why, but they preferred to have verity™ handy. not because he was a helper—he was just genuinely good company. sure, he was purposefully vague and secretive at times, but good company nonetheless.
in a couple of minutes, r/n spotted their belongings from afar. they listened as the items popped back into their inventory, opening their menu to arrange everything back in order again.
“you’re a life saver, verity™.”
“i know.”
verity™ responded with a playfully snarky attitude. r/n could sense the very thin layers of narcissism deep beneath his tone, however, they wouldn't verbally point it out. there were countless things, tiny things, that they couldn't point out. and right now, they weren't sure if they would be able to keep it in.
once their armor was put on and their inventory was organized albeit in a rush, r/n and verity™ made their way to walk back home. they had enough food to last a while—and dealt with as many creepers as their ego could handle.
the second they got inside and closed the front door behind them, they speedran getting everything out of the way. they placed verity™ on the crafting table, then walked to the furnaces to cook their food, and turned their head away from their screen once they were done.
r/n grabbed their phone and opened up discord to get… a reasonable amount off their chest. this was heavy—there was definitely more to verity™ than they thought, and it couldn't have just been them. it was a couple minutes until night, so this was a good way to pass the time until they had to go to bed.
r/n tsked in irritation. could this prick be any more dismissive? whatever. despite r/n’s soured mood, it was a nice and peaceful silence. the furnaces’ fires crackled, creating a warm, soothing ambience while their idle character stood in front of the stoves.
the thought of verity™ dealing with their bullshit crossed their mind. he was sitting there next to the player who remarked about sucking his dick and failed to react to a threat in time. does verity™ ever get aggravated? r/n liked to believe verity™ was either more resilient than most… or was just silently judging every player he had to help. they still appreciated him not being at his wits’ end, though.
“do you live alone?”
verity™ suddenly inquired, his voice not as enthusiastic as usual. still courteous, still casually light-hearted—strangely, r/n discerned something malicious hidden in his tone. for a moment, r/n couldn't believe verity™ was initiating conversation. nevertheless, they decided not to take the question so seriously.
“well, wouldn't you like to know? i thought you knew everything.”
“eh, i’m just curious.”
r/n smiled lightly, chuckling as they shut off their phone and put it away. they spun their camera to face verity™, noticing his face was now looking directly at them, when he originally was facing forward atop the crafting table. did that mean that he could “move”/turn around when r/n wasn't looking?
“in that case, yeah. i do. ‘ts my first apartment.”
r/n replied, briefly turning to walk toward the bed. midway to the in-game mattress, verity™ perked up with another question.
“what’s your favorite place in the world?”
r/n stopped walking, their eyebrows creasing together. in truth, an answer had popped up in their head, but they inevitably decided to test the waters and see what would happen.
“…is this something you ask all the players you guide, or do you just like me?”
silence. this time, more suffocating compared to the silence from when they got back home just a few minutes ago. r/n steered their perspective to glance at verity™ on the opposite end of the home.
“i’m only with you, r/n.”
r/n’s breath hitched at the sound of their name. oops. right, he knew their name. okay. great. why were they so surprised? can they go to sleep, already?
“i’m sorry. i–i didn’t mean to hurt you. if i c—”
r/n stopped, remembering that verity™ wasn't a human—so why were they treating him so… nicely? they didn't think they were that attached. yet, for some reason, they had this nagging feeling gnawing at their heart that said to treat him right. they turned to their bed, their eyes narrowing slightly at their screen.
“…i’ll make it up to you.”
the night cycle was skipped as they right-clicked the bed. soon enough, they got up and turned their camera to face verity™. they could very faintly distinguish an imperceptible change in verity™’s facial expression from afar, but it was probably just their vision messing with them.
“mornin’, king,”
r/n huffed in amusement, hoping their light-hearted words would lift the mood a little. yes, that entire conversation ended thirty seconds ago, but so what? they could move on in less than a minute if they tried really hard.
“let’s go make you a little room.”
they were hoping for an enthusiastic little “yippee!” or something, but they verbally got nothing in return. they walked over to pick up verity™ from the crafting table, soon walking out the door with their companion in hand.
“what's your favorite color, verity™?”
“any!”
he responded, technically giving r/n a lot of creative freedom. great. they had tons to work with. r/n moved their mouse up and down in a nod while walking on the vast fields of trees, grass, weeds, and flowers. they abruptly stop in front of a handful of poppies, letting verity rest in their hotbar.
“how do you like poppies, verity™?”
a beat of silence.
“they’re pretty.”
r/n picked the red flower from the ground and let it pop into their inventory. they walked a couple of steps further and found a dozen dandelions and red poppies.
“how about dandelions?”
“they’re nice, too.”
r/n chuckled, grabbing a plethora of flowers—at least one of each different kind they could find. by the time they returned home, they came back with more wood, a couple of dirt blocks, and about nine flowers. with four kinds of flowers—lilies, lilacs, red poppies, and dandelions—they could get to work.
r/n expanded the shed to have much more room. instead of giving themself space only for the essentials, they decided to have a little fun and make it a sort of “free-roam” type of house. why not give verity™ a little room of his own? that’d be cute.
soon enough, r/n built a seven-by-seven block room for verity. they placed a couple of dirt blocks in the center of the room, planting the flowers on the digital soil. afterward, they squeezed in a yellow bed in the corner, just for funsies. they weren't even sure if verity™ slept, but it looked cute.
they put a painting on the wall as well as a tiny little window. the small space was nice and cozy—perhaps verity™ will like it, too? r/n opened the wooden door from inside the helper’s new room, walking out with a smile behind the screen.
“i’m pretty sure it’s ready. let me know if you like it, okay?”
“i’m sure it looks wonderful!”
his voice was deceptively generically happy-go-lucky—and r/n assumed it was all part of him being the typical “helper friend.” they could catch moments where his facade dropped… sometimes. now was where they were struggling to tell if he was genuine or not.
r/n picked up verity™ and turned to walk in the tiny room. with verity™ in their hand, their geometrically shaped companion took a look at what they made. r/n was holding their breath, watching, waiting for a reaction. after a few moments of silence, r/n was about to speak—until verity™ beat them to it.
“…this is… so thoughtful. thank you, r/n, i…”
verity™’s tone turned dazed and taken aback. the usually composed and buoyant assistant is now anchored to the little room—his little room. r/n internally sighed in relief as they spoke after him.
“hey. don't worry about it,”
after taking a couple of steps around, they walked over to stand in front of the door. they placed verity™ down in the center of the flower-filled dirt blocks, a tiny hangout spot for the yellow ball.
“i hope, ehm… the flowers make up for yesterday,”
the air in the room shifted. they remembered how much verity™… changed when they talked about the possible past. they were curious, they couldn't help it—but they were worried verity™ might hold that curiosity against them.
“i know i already said i was going to make you a room. it’s just—i really appreciate you being patient with me. i know i can be… a lot. and i hope i can make our—”
“it’s perfect,”
r/n blinked. what?
“…the—the room?”
“everything. the room, the flowers, you—it’s… perfect. thank you.”
“o–oh. it—it’s nothing. it’s the least i can do.”
since then, things between the two had changed. something in the air, something hidden in the chemistry, something about the way verity™ spoke—it was such a minuscule change, it was a surprise r/n could even identify it. nothing felt wrong, just… different.
the method of not making it seem as though verity and r/n’s relationship was strictly helper and helpee worked for the most part. who would actually know if it sufficed for verity™? he hardly ever talked about himself—hence, the whole “secretive” thing with him—so r/n had no other option but to keep their head up and move on.
“alright, verity™,”
r/n yawned while getting up from their in-game bed. they practically spent the entire day playing this mod. yes, they occasionally took a couple of minutes to grab snacks and take bathroom breaks—but… that was it, really. it was getting late, they should be heading to bed soon.
“i’ve been avoiding villages long enough. i always get lost when i try to find them—but you’re here now, so.”
r/n walked over to verity™’s room, opening the door and approaching his bed. they gained a habit of placing verity on top of the bed as a way of “tucking him in”—they were still unsure if he even slept, but they felt it was nice. they picked him up from the pixelated bedsheets, making their way out of the house.
“alright! head to the village east of here where it bleeds into the plains biome. though, you should note that the village to the west isn’t worth the trip.”
“hm? how come?”
“it’s, uh–pointless.”
“…do the traders not have any good offers?”
“trust me on this.”
verity™ spoke the last sentence in an almost demanding, rushed manner. he cut off the end of r/n’s question with his eyes thinning imperceptibly. r/n felt an uneasy tug at their core, yet decided to brush it off. he knew everything, after all.
“…m’kay. if you say so, ver.”
r/n yawned once more, shifting their camera around to walk in the direction of the village. their exhaustion was getting to them. the fact that they hadn't done anything productive today popped up in the back of their mind, causing them to scarcely frown.
while they were lost in thought, they hadn't realized they were walking in the wrong direction and headed straight for the village verity™ just told them not to go to. r/n yawned again, briefly rubbing their eye with the hand controlling the mouse as they kept walking.
they quickly noted how the village seemed lifeless. no villagers, no iron golem, no animals, nothing. a barren wasteland. r/n’s tired mind was confused—why was no one here? they had loot in the chest boxes of the homes, all of the regular architecture was here, so… where were they?
“oh, shit, this is the one i shouldn't have—”
r/n groaned in frustration, their jaw clenching after mentally chastising themself.
“‘m sorry, verity™, i’m just–i-i’m a little out of it right now. let’s go home, i’m hopping off for the night.”
predictably, verity™ didn't respond. whenever he “ignored” r/n, they figured he simply had nothing valuable to add. this time, though... fuck, what if he was mad at them? they couldn't have that, they just tried to make amends with him!
r/n tried. yes, they really did try to apologize while they headed in the right direction of the other village—but they ended up with nothing. he didn't reply. the only change r/n noticed while he was in their inventory was his expression. oh shit, he had a deadpan look. r/n was so fucked.
“verity™—!”
r/n quickly scrolled down to grab verity™ in their hand. his unamused and almost peeved expression was as clear as day on r/n's screen—but in the blink of an eye, he smiled once more. except this time, he seemed to be straining his grin. it left an unsettling feeling swirling in r/n's sternum. weird.
“shit–verity™, are you alright? i’m serious, i didn't mean to ge—”
“it’s fine.”
verity™ forced out through gritted teeth. venom hid beneath the layers of emotional conflict in verity™’s voice, it caught r/n off guard. then again, with this mod, when does r/n not get caught off guard? their fingers twitched as their shoulders tensed ever so slightly. smiling uncomfortably, r/n's eyes averted away from the game.
“…if… if you say so, love.”
r/n chuckled nervously. no, it wasn't fine, idiot. now they weren't so sure if they should even hop off. would that make things worse?? they didn't want to lose sleep over some talking ball. they speedran looting and trading with the villagers and ran their ass back to their in-game home as soon as possible.
the air was quiet. both in-game and in minecraft. it was as if the digital barrier was holding its breath, waiting for one or the other to speak on the tension. r/n felt incredibly apprehensive, and they seriously didn’t know what to do. their lips pressed together slightly as they walked inside verity™’s room.
“hey,”
they murmured, placing verity™ on the dirt blocks and crouching in front of him.
“do you… want me to sleep with you tonight?”
silence. r/n figured this was another one of those times where verity™ just wouldn't answer a question. before r/n gave it up, verity™ finally cured the racing heart in r/n's chest by giving them an answer.
“…yes.”
verity™’s voice also dropped to that soft, down-to-earth mumble, dropping the helper guise entirely. r/n stared at their companion for a couple more seconds, swallowing the nervous lump in their throat as they felt a thin layer of sweat coat their palms.
“…alright.”
r/n walked over to verity’s mattress, the tension in their shoulders at an all-time high. they've never felt this anxious before—let alone about a mob. what if this entire ordeal was something bigger than themself? whatever, move on.
“g’night, ver.”
r/n right-clicked the bed in a rush. they leaned back in their chair to take a moment to compose themself. their hands covered their face as they exhaled heavily. the cutscene of the night skipping was the only opportunity they had for a few-seconds-break. after that, they needed to keep going.
it took a couple of seconds for r/n to reel back to minecraft. once they tried to muster up as much as their strength as they could, it would take a short while for them to snap back to reality. by the time they were done, they were met with the sign of verity™ facing them while they stood in front of the bed.
“hey, ver. are you alright?”
“something is coming in three days.”
verity™ spoke in a rush, his eyes dilated and his tone breathily panicked. r/n's heart dropped to their ass. something? in three days? it sounded hostile, and they only had a couple of days to prepare. wait, which days?
“…in-game days or real-life days?”
“in-game.”
fuck. so they had exactly one hour to prepare for whatever’s coming next. great. awesome. excellent. r/n paused, their breath picking up as their heartrate elevated from the stress.
“…will you be safe?”
“—…it’s not me you should be worried about.”
huh. okay. a pensive expression overshadowed r/n’s cautious one. they noted the tinge of wariness in verity™’s voice. nevertheless, r/n didn't hesitate to take action as soon as possible.
they installed a gun mod, set the display settings to be brighter, and had about six existential crises. they placed traps around the house, meticulously accounting for every scenario r/n could think of.
verity™ was being protected like he was the holy grail. r/n tried their best to make sure verity™ wouldn't be in danger, even getting to the point of considering putting him in a chest until the whole thing was over.
the next day, r/n was scrolling through their spotify playlist with minecraft running in the background. they’ve been lingering at home to stay with verity™ as much as optionally possible. even though his energy had shifted drastically, his “presence” was an anchor for r/n.
except they weren't feeling very anchored right now. they weren't vibing with any of the songs they were shifting through. they overplayed it, it reminds them of bad memories, it’s too brash, it doesn't match their current energy—it was a mess. even if they played it on shuffle, they were sure they’d just skip every song.
“ugh, none of these songs are good.”
r/n groaned lowly, pinching the bridge of their nose and shortly clicking off of spotify. so much for trying to lower their cortisol. they figured music would maybe help ease their mood—but they ended up with nothing.
“hey, verity™? d’you have any song recommendations, maybe?”
r/n inquired. verity™, of course, didn't respond immediately. just as r/n was about to give up on the idea—verity™ suddenly began playing music… on his own. with his mouth open. okay, so he can just do that.
the music sounded very, very old. simultaneously classy and catchy. verity™ had taste, r/n had to admit. it was a nice change of pace from what r/n was used to listening to. the tense atmosphere shifted, now more light-hearted than before. the uneasiness didn't completely go away, but the music helped.
“…thanks, babe. it doesn't sound too bad at all.”
the rest of the thirty-five minutes went by in a jiffy. in the moment, it felt like forever, but now that the third day was about to come? it didn't feel like enough. then again, no amount of time would've been enough for r/n.
r/n attempted to go to bed, but, of course, the dreaded message of monsters being nearby popped up. wait, did that say monsters? it looked different. oh, well, r/n was too tired for this. couldn't they just log off? nope, nevermind, they were too deep into this.
they scoffed behind the monitor while holding their diamond sword. this sucked. it was probably a raid, a monster, or just anything horror-like. they knew their friend was putting them on some bullshit. r/n paced around the in-game house, leaving verity™’s room undisturbed in case anything could potentially get in.
then, they heard something outside. the immediately stopped moving to listen carefully. good god, this was scary as shit. maybe those were the monsters that wouldn't let r/n sleep. after all, verity™ said three days, maybe that meant the issue would pop up in the morning?
r/n exited the house, briefly closing the door behind them with their weapon still in hand. beads of sweat formed on their forehead and hands as they looked at the environment. r/n resisted the urge to yawn, knowing this isn't the time.
faint, familiar music began to mysteriously play in the darkness of the woods. strange. this was the song verity™ played for them twenty minutes ago. what the hell was going on? and where the hell were the monsters?? even with the brightness all the way up, they couldn't see shit!
as they scrolled down to grab the flashlight in their hotbar, however, seeing a horrifyingly tall pale yellow entity snapped them out of their trance. r/n jumped in their seat, their eyes widening in surprise as they instinctively leaned away from their screen.
“fuckin’—!”
r/n immediately scrolled up and grabbed their gun, shooting at the… thing in front of them. particles of pixelated blood emitted from where r/n was shooting, but the actual creature itself didn’t falter. you’ve got to be kidding.
“shit, shit, shit—”
r/n yelped in fear as they watched its limbs crackle in preparation. they didn't wait to see what happened next—they bolted inside the base.
“verity™! verity™, we’ve got to go!”
the entity behind them began to emit a continuous, ear-piercing roar, and the distance between the entity and the player closed rapidly. r/n barged in verity™’s room to grab the yellow ball—quickly taking note of how he didn't have a face. what the fuck? no!
“fuck—verity™! verity™, are you there???”
r/n unfortunately couldn't waste any more time. as they heard the low-octave screech behind them in their headphones—they scrolled up their hotbar to grab their gun again. they whipped their perspective around to shoot at the monster, watching it retract ever so slightly.
at the small window of advantage, r/n immediately took advantage of it and broke through the wall of verity™’s room to head outside. their heart was pounding in their ears, their earlier drowsiness completely dissipating into urgency.
“verity™—just hang on, verity™, i’ve got you! i’ve got your back,”
“R/N!!”
the monster chasing them yelled out, r/n's teeth gritting as they kept running. soon enough, they equipped the stack of dirt blocks in their hotbar, hastily building an obstacle as they went along to disturb the creature’s path. was now a good time to assume the monster was verity™? well, now wasn't a good time to think, all they were worried about is how the fuck they were supposed to shake that thing.
“c'mon, verity™, don't give up on me now, not now–please. please! i’m here–i’m here for you, come on, just stay with me! stay with me, verity™!”
the music and the screeching abruptly faded out and came to a halt. r/n didn't notice it, however, still building and running as far as they could with verity™ still in their inventory. tears welled up in r/n's eyes as they clenched their jaw.
“now’s not the time to be—doing the shit that you do, verity™, please! i’m here for you, we’ll survive this together, just please—”
“together?”
r/n's breath hitched as they heard verity™’s muffled voice. their gaze darted down to their hotbar, finding verity™’s normal smiling expression in the slot. not the strained smile, not the deadpan look, not the faceless ball—verity™. their personal helper companion.
they instantly scrolled up their hotbar to grab verity™. their eyes continued to water in relief, their lips parting in pure, delighted surprise as they stared at verity™. they stopped holding the “w” key, their fingers shaking terribly.
“…yeah. together,”
☆ : shout out to:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/elinumberzer0?ref=yr_purchases
looking for whimsical accessories? maybe even a pin of verity for a cheap price?? 👀👀
this etsy shop also sells:
. . . and more! go check out their page if you’re interested. other than that, thank you for reading!
not very proud of this,,, nevertheless this is still my first fic of verity™—i started writing this four days after part one came out so excuse me if it just seems like a discreet in-character rambling session,, this probably deserves a rewrite
i would also like to clarify this is in no way shape or form any means malicious to whispy or to thatmob 💔 i love both your guys’ performance both of you are wonderful kudos and hugs
