Love Addict's RPG Vol. 2 Ch. 76

Wasn't sure I'd get this done today, but I pulled it off and I'm quite happy with it! Lot of stuff going on here like our first deep dive into Rebecca's psyche, funny shit involving her favorite game, more playful Zoe and Mia asides, and Rebecca acting as Zoe's morality pet. Love writing fun fluff like this, but sadly, the plot is scheduled to happen any second now...

***

You've got this, soldier. You've got this.

Rebecca took a deep breath as everyone else started eating. There was chatter, but it was more of the same. Zoe and Mia kept teasing each other- or at least Rebecca assumed it was teasing- while Oliver stepped in occasionally to get them off each other's backs.

She was used to being the third wheel but not the fourth. It was new. Rebecca didn't generally didn't appreciate change, but new wasn't always bad.

She smiled plainly, picking the blueberries off of her pancakes. Those were for later.

Oliver suddenly said something funny. Rebecca didn't get it, but Mia and Zoe laughed, so she laughed, too. It was okay. She'd figure it out later, and then her fake laugh would retroactively become real.

She still felt bad about him. Or rather, herself.

Good job, Rebecca. You've got two friends in the whole world, and the second one of them gets a boyfriend who just so happens to act a liiiittle bit nice to you, you go and...

N-No. That's not it. You're not that shallow, and even if you were, it's not possible- and that's that.

Wait- crap.

Now Zoe said something funny. Oh. Wait, no. False alarm. Rebecca understood Zoe's joke, laughing louder than everyone else. Too loud. Everyone was staring at her.

They smiled like they were amused, but were these real smiles? Rebecca didn't know. She hardly ever knew.

These are your comrades, soldier. Of course they're real. They like you. Really. Don't hide in the trenches. Trenches are for cowards- like the spineless wretches in the Communardic Elygium.

She shrank, apologized, and the conversation drifted on without her. She degreased her bacon with a napkin, covering the motion with her hand. Stealth check; successful. No one saw her being weird.

...Or did they? Her eyes scanned her friends. Inconclusive. The thought scared her. It was like rolling a ten without modifiers on an unknown difficulty class.

She fought off anxiety but found something new to fret about before too long. Was she eating too fast? Too slow? Was Oliver talking to her right now or someone else? Was she not supposed to laugh at that? 

It was all so much. It was always so much.

She peeked over her shoulder at the space between the wall on the couch. Where it was comfy. Where it was safe.

No!

No trenches, Rebecca! No. Trenches. You can't go to your comfy spot while everyone is eating- they'll think you're weirder than they already do! Just get past this. It won't be so bad when you're not eating and you don't have to multitask, so just... do what you always do.

Put it on...

Rebecca closed her eyes, nibbling on her degreased bacon.

Put on your armor...

Salasta VII- an alien world ravaged by a never-ending war was waged in the name of the holiest virtue of all.

Genetic purity.

Far, far off in the distance was a citadel of the Elygium, and at its heart was a monolithic structure- a palace of sinful delight where traitorous humans submitted themselves to stress-free lives of illicit drugs and endless fornication with innumerable species of xenoscum, diluting the gene pool with abominable crossbreeds.

Fools, the lot of them. Casting aside their own genetic superiority for the sake of hedonism... have they no shame? If those Communardic bastards had their way, their lifestyle would be forced on everyone until the once proud human race ceased to exist altogether!

This grim, dark potential future must be avoided at all costs, but the battle was at a standstill. Waves upon waves of brave Neosoldats sacrificed their lives to breach the citadel's defenses, only for their efforts to end in failure. It was time to summon the big guns. The sons and daughters of the Vergoldet Uberfuhrer of Sacred Erde themselves- the Ubermensch Marines.

The duty fell to Kampfgruppe Festung, specialists in not only siege warfare but in defending their territory against all comers, and they sent one of their best to lead the charge.

Clad in a suit of hulking yellow power armor crafted from Neu Berlinian thulesteel, the ten-foot-tall, sole survivor of the Siege of Maskaltan leaped from her dropship into the active warzone. Fifty of her eugenically perfected brothers and sisters followed after her, each one sworn to obey her command until the day they drew their last.

Her name was Leutnantin Rebekkiller die Berg-Maneater, and with an StG 44000 in one hand and a roaring Kette Schläger in the other, she tore into the enemy with all mankind's righteous wrath.

The filthy xenoscum, human traitors, and crossbreeds alike never stood a chance.

Legions of the Leutnantin's foes died in a million different ways, limited only by her creativity and passing whims. Heads exploded. Arms were ripped straight off. Skulls stomped under heel. Bodies sawed in half. Fireworks of blood- gore- and viscera popped off everywhere she went. She was unstoppable- the strongest of the strong- and nothing could hurt her.

Not while she still had her precious power armor...

"You doing okay, Rebecca?" Oliver asked.

Rebekkiller's armor disintegrated like dust in the wind, leaving her naked, vulnerable, and as helpless as the day she was born.

"Huh-wha? What's going on?"

"Just making sure you're all right. You zoned out on us for a while there."

Rebecca looked around her. Her friends had finished eating, and so had she. Even the blueberries.

"T... tactics..."

"Huh?"

"Tactics. I was thinking about new tactics for my army, t-that's all! No need to worry about me, but, um, t-thank you anyway!"

Even Rebecca could tell Oliver didn't look too convinced, but he dropped it.

"Honestly?" He said. "We should be thanking you. Breakfast was great. Like, holy shit. Now I know why that place is so expensive..."

Mia agreed, "Gonna have to tell your dad I said thanks, Becca,"

Zoe leaned back in her beanbag, sighing, "Saaaaame. I just fuckin' wish there was more of it..."

"Sí, by all means, Zoe. Eat so much you go up another cup size, mn?" Mia grumbled.

"Hey, hey! Don't take your weight thing out on me, all right? It's not my fault my body knows exactly where to strategically store shit!"

"Not taking it out on you, only pointing out an injustice..."

"That's code for 'Mia misses her d-cups', Olive," Zoe smirked. "Just in case you didn't-"

"Yeah, Zoe, I read between the lines..." he sighed, then spared a glance at Mia. The catty back-and-forth hadn't actually made her mad, though she was pouting and crossing her arms.

Oliver rubbed his girlfriend's back, intending to cheer her up somehow, only for Rebecca to speak up in an attempt to remain part of the conversation.

"I, um, I-I feel your pain, Mia... all my fat just goes straight to my butt... and my thighs... and m-my belly... really, everywhere except... um..." Rebecca looked up to find everyone was staring at her now, because of course they were.

She really rolled a nat one on that one.

Even worse, Oliver looked down at Rebecca's pitiful chest. It only lasted a split second, and he wasn't a perv about it- but still. She noticed these things. Not that anyone had ever checked her out before- if that really was what he'd just done...

Oh, why on Sacred Erde did you just say that?! You don't always have to contribute. You could've nodded, or laughed, or... armor, Rebecca. Put it on. Put it-

"Here's an idea; how about we all stop talking about the size of everyone's tits long enough to clean up the table and figure out what we're going to do today?" Oliver suggested with a weary smile.

"You saying you don't get off on my boob envy, mi amor? Thought that was a thing with guys."

"No, no, I think your titty jealousy is adorable, Mia. But it's also making Rebecca uncomfortable."

Mia could've gone either way on that one, but she liked his honesty. And his concern for her friend.

[Mia has gained +1 Affection! +1 Smooth Talker]

Zoe apparently liked it, too.

[Zoe has gained +1 Affection! +1 Smooth Talker]

Rebecca thought she misheard him for a second, then tried to downplay her feelings.

"W-Wha? Oh, no, don't worry about me. I, um. I love talking about boobs! We can talk about them for as long as you guys want to! M-Mine are b-cups, by the..."

Zoe held back a snort, but it looked like she felt bad about it. Mia couldn't decide to wear a smile or frown, and that's about where Oliver was, too.

Right. To the trenches, soldier.

Rebecca got up from the couch, dropped to her knees, and crawled around behind it. Comfy spot; claimed.

Everyone else went quiet for a few seconds.

"Should I maybe-"

"Probably not you, no," Mia said. "Don't want to overstimulate her even more, do you?"

Oliver slumped his shoulders. "Good point."

"I'll handle her if you guys take care of the mess," Zoe stretched out and sighed.

"Anything to get out of cleaning, mn?"

Zoe ignored the jab and met up with Rebecca behind the couch.

"How's it hanging, sunshine?"

"How is what hanging, I- oh. You... weren't being literal. Right, duh... I, um. I dunno..." Rebecca shrank a little more. Then, Zoe's hand gently snatched the brim of her hat and took it away. It came out of nowhere, and she didn't know how to respond.

Before she knew it, Zoe's fingers dug into her hair and started giving her scalp a massage.

"Come on, Becca," she said, lowering her voice until it was smooth as silk.

Her face was all smiles. Real ones. Rebecca couldn't mistake them for anything less.

"What's the matter? Talk to me, girl."

"Ah-ahhhhhh..." Rebecca melted into Zoe's touch.

So good. So relaxing. It wasn't fair. Why didn't this ever work when she tried doing it on herself? Rebecca was helpless against it and owned up to her feelings.

"I'm just... stressed... work was really bad these last few days, and I'm more on edge than usual... t-that, and... I'm not used to him being here, I-I guess?"

"He's a good dude, Becca. He'd understand if you said this was too much for you right now and you wanted to make this a girl's only thing."

"N-No, I don't want him to go! I... I even brought him something, I-"

"You did?" Zoe couldn't restrain a smirk while sneaking a peek at Rebecca's bulging backpack.

She nodded sheepishly, and Zoe felt she shouldn't tease her about it. The smirk didn't go away, though. This shit was too hilarious.

"Then why don't you give it to him, you nerd?"

"Because I said the boob thing," Rebecca tried hanging her head, but she couldn't escape Zoe's persistent petting. She sighed. "And also, I'm nervous I'll keep saying other stupid things."

"So?"

"...Huh?"

"I've known you, what, Becca? Seven years? In all that time, you've blurted out so much stupid shit I can't even remember it all, and you know what? You're one of my favorite people in the fuckin' world."

"I... I am...?!" Rebecca gawked in disbelief.

A little embarrassed, Zoe tried to walk it back a tiny bit. "Granted, the list had like... one other person until fuckboy over there showed up, but... y'know... you're goofy as fuck, soldier. There's no getting around that, so own the fuck up to it! He'll like you more out there than he will back here."

Zoe's encouragement made Rebecca feel all warm and fuzzy. "...You promise?"

"Not gonna pretend I know the guy like the back of my hand, but yeah, fairly fuckin' sure he's not gonna treat you any different just because you had an anxiety attack or whatever," pressing her advantage, Zoe gave her friend a sincere smile and sat Rebecca's hat back on her head. "So why don't you pull yourself out of the trenches and go on the attack, huh? Give him what you've got."

Rebecca stared into her friend's eyes, wondering why she was cursed with a mind that made her constantly doubt the people around her. She bit her lip, nodded, and sucked in some air.

"Kay. I'll do it."

"Atta girl," Zoe sighed with relief, then got out of the way so Rebecca could leave her comfy spot.

"Thank you, Zoe," Rebecca said before hugging her friend again. "Thank you..."

"Aw, geez..." despite her grumbling, Zoe hugged her right back. This time, they didn't stop until a few moments later. "Come on, come on. Stop stalling, already."

"Kay," with Zoe's help, Rebecca fully emerged from her hidey hole.

Oliver and Mia had finished cleaning up a bit ago and were hanging around in the kitchen to give Zoe time to do her thing. Mia nudged him, hinting he should take the initiative.

"Hey," Oliver called out to her. "Are we good to come back, or do you need another few minutes to yourself?"

Rebecca perceived his tone as gentle. Supportive.

"I... I'm fine now..." she claimed, another deep breath filling her lungs. "I get nervous when I say dumb things, especially when I don't know the person very well, and you already know I have trouble being around men, and it also doesn't help that I'm really stressed out from my job, and also also..."

"It's cool, Rebecca. Really. I'm, like, the last guy in the world who needs a crash course in social anxiety, so I get where you're coming from..."

"...You do?"

"Sure," he confessed. "Not a minute goes by where I'm not second-guessing myself, worrying about what other people think of me, or unintentionally putting my foot in my mouth by saying something stupid..."

"It's true. Mi amor's foot spends so much time in there I can practically taste it whenever we're making out."

Oliver sighed as Zoe passed them by to grab a can of Gamer Gulpies from the fridge. "Bet your kinky ass is into that shit," she teased.

"Can't say for sure, but I'd reckon it tastes better than that sludge,"

"Feel free to let me know as soon as you find out, perv," Zoe cracked open her can and took a single sip rather than chugging it all at once. 

Rebecca giggled. She liked her friends, and the mental image of Mia licking Oliver's foot amused her. That, along with his reassurance, had her feeling a little better. 

"I, um... I wouldn't have guessed that we're so similar, ahaha..."

"Did Mia neglect to mention my defining characteristic is being a hot mess?"

"And ruin the surprise?" Mia playfully jabbed.

"You don't seem like a hot mess, though... you were so cool when you were fighting Mia's brothers..."

Zoe shook her head, saying, "Still can't believe you guys weren't gaslighting me and that Olive actually did that. The fuck else did I miss out on?"

"A whole lot of shit, perezosa. A whoooole lot of shit."

Zoe quietly had another sip.

Oliver took the initiative to head back into the living room. He was cautious, making sure Rebecca wasn't spooked by his approach. Much to his relief, she held her ground and seemed fine.

"I was pretty fired up back then, yeah, but this?" He gestured at himself. "This is the real me. I'm just a guy, Rebecca. A stupid one who makes lots of mistakes, has self-confidence issues like you wouldn't believe, and who's always worried about saying the right thing.  I'm just as nervous about being around you as you are about being around me, and that's the truth."

Rebecca stared at Oliver in silence for a long, long time. Uncomfortably long. He didn't know what was going on with her, and true to his words, he was desperately afraid he'd said the wrong thing.

He didn't know that Rebecca's heart was beating faster than if she'd topdecked the exact card she needed to win her a round of Sorcery. She didn't know what was going on. Oliver was... he was... he was like her.

It didn't make sense- but he wasn't lying to her, was he?

No, of course not. It would take a real asshole to lie straight to her face about something like this, and as anxious as she was, Rebecca refused to humor a single one of her doubts. Oliver was telling the truth, and upon that realization, something clicked for her in a way nothing else ever had.

She felt heard.

By Mia's boyfriend, Rebecca reminded herself, putting on her armor. It doesn't matter if he's the first person you've ever met who might actually be able to relate to you. He's Mia's boyfriend...

But...

That doesn't mean you can't be friends with him...

Right, soldier?

"Rebecca?" He asked, the awkward silence finally proving too much for him to bear.

"T-Thank you, Oliver. I... ah... I feel much better after hearing you say all that. There will definitely be times in the future where I, um, might be difficult on account of my, ah... w-well, I..." floundering, Rebecca sucked in as much air as she could and fired off her artillery. "Darn it. What I'm trying to say is that I hope you'll be patient with me so that we can be friends!"

Mia smiled. Zoe did the same, feeling slightly envious of her friend's honesty.

"Of course I will," Oliver promised wholeheartedly. "So long as you'll be patient with me, that is."

"Y-Yes, of course! I'm very patient- it's one of the core principles in war, after all! I'll wait as long as it takes to claim victory for Sacred Erde and the Vergoldet Uberfuhrer!"

"...Sounds great," Oliver exercised some of his promised patience right now by filtering out the mousy nerd girl pledging victory to what sounded like the obvious Hitler stand-in of her favorite wargame. "I'll hold you to it."

Back in the kitchen, Zoe had trouble repressing her amusement.

"I think Becca just fuckin' declared war on you,"

"Rather make love than war, but I suppose we'll march across that battlefield when we come to it..."

"You think he's got any idea how hard he's leading her on?"

"Absolutely not. White boy's built different, mi amiga. Got a tragic combo going on. His brain was born without self-awareness or the ability to take a hint."

"Well, when you put it like that, they almost sound like a perfect match..."

"Sí, don't they? Might've even felt threatened if I wasn't so-"

"Fucked in the head?"

"Cucked in the bed, more like," Mia shrugged as they rejoined the living room cringefest.

Feeling generous, Zoe thought she'd help her little friend some more. She sat her drink on the table and melted into her beanbag chair once again, exhaling in comfort.

"Okay. So. That's breakfast checked off the list, and we managed to fit in some nerd-on-nerd bonding while we were at it, too. That's all well and good, but my goopy gamer brain's piss-poor attention span is begging to know, guy and gals. What's fuckin' next? You got anything in that big, bulging sack of yours to keep us entertained, Becca?"

"Phrasing," Mia commented, taking Oliver's hand and leading him back to the couch.

"Uh, duh? That was the joke, Mia! You don't get to pull 'phrasing' on an intentional innuendo."

"Meh."

"Innuendo?" Rebecca tilted her head.

"Don't worry about it," Oliver sighed, holding back a smile. "I'm with Zoe, though. What's going on in the bag?"

"Ah- um, y-yes, that's right. The bag! I brought a couple of board games in case we needed them!"

"Oh, no..." Oliver said. "We might have a problem. I don't think Zoe knows how to play games that aren't on a screen." 

Zoe rolled her eyes and told him to fuck off, but Rebecca was quick to ease his sarcastic concerns. "Not to worry, I accounted for Zoe's preferences and brought something we could all enjoy!"

"Oh yeah? Interesting. Very interesting. Looks pretty stuffed, though. Is it all games, or do you got anything else in there, Becca?" Zoe hinted overtly, then winked when it didn't seem Rebecca followed along.

"Ah... well..." she got the message, blushing as she unzipped her backpack. Multiple board games threatened to explode out of it the moment the seal was undone. Rebecca then removed a medium-sized box and held it close to her chest as she approached Oliver on the couch.

"Y-Yeah. There was something else. Here-" Rebecca thrust it towards him. "I got some nice cards out of the Sorcery packs you gave me the other day, and, um, I... well, it's not much, but I wanted to give you a little something in return..."

Surprised, Oliver took the present and inspected it in closer detail. The box read '40th Space Reich: Start Collecting!' and the art on the packaging displayed five soldiers in blue power armor fighting against five generic-looking aliens. Included were model kits to build all ten of these mini-figures, a pair of hobby clippers, a brush, and all the paint he'd need to make them look like the ones on the box.

Oliver started blushing almost as bad as she was.

"Mn. Would you look at that, mi amor. Got the start of your own little army of space Nazis right there."

"I sure do. Wow, Rebecca. I... don't know what to say. This was really nice of you. I have to ask, though. This, uh... this didn't cost you too much, did it? Because I looked into the prices right after I met you and, well... it's an expensive hobby..."

"So it's okay for you to squirm when someone spoils you, but I get teased for doing the same? Double standards." Mia shot him a teasing glance, which he brushed off as best he could.

"No, no!" Rebecca huffed defensively. "Don't worry, it's not like that. These things are loss leaders meant to suck people into the game, you know? Once you've got your foot in the door with plastic crack, you don't come back. It's, um, probably worth about as much as the cards would've cost you if you'd bought them, so... consider us even, maybe?"

Mia was right about the double standards, but Oliver couldn't change his feelings. He disliked when people went out of their way for him, and he wasn't used to having friends. Even a box of plastic space Nazis meant the world to someone like him.

"Okay," Oliver smiled awkwardly, feeling like Rebecca had raised his affection meter by about ten points. "I won't fight you on this, so if you really insist-"

"I do, really," she squeaked.

"Welp. Okay, then. Thank you so much for this, Rebecca... I don't know if I'll end up getting into the game itself, but I'm definitely gonna build and paint these as soon as I've got the time. I promise."

Pleased with herself, Rebecca lowered her head and smiled. "Kay..."

"Not to ruin the moment," Zoe piped up, ruining the moment. "But you might want to look at the packaging a little closer, guys. Kinda looks like it's been opened before."

Oliver flipped the box around and confirmed Zoe's observation, only for Rebecca to clarify.

"Oh. That was me. I, um, I swapped some of the paints it came with so that you're not stuck with Kampfgruppe Blau."

Oliver politely looked at her like she was speaking another language.

"I-I'm talking about these guys-" Rebecca tapped on the blue space Nazis pictured on the box art. "I'll try not to lore dump too hard, but the Ubermensch Marines are all broken into big squads called Kampfgruppes, right?"

"Okay," Oliver nodded along.

"And each one has their own specialty, weapons, vehicles, and special units,"

"All of which are sold separately at about three hundred times their manufacturing cost," he continued nodding.

"Yes, that's why most people only build one or two armies, b-but that's neither here nor there. The blue ones are Kampfgruppe Blau and... um... how do I say this..." Becca closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Mia and Zoe exchanged looks, both thinking the same thing.

Heeeere it comes...

"They're the worst," Rebecca fumed. "Well, not in lore, but in real life. In lore, Kampfgruppe Blau are the elite of the elite. They can do everything, and they're treated as a step above all the other Kampfgruppes when that's simply not true! Amusement Atelier- the, um- the people who make this game- they give Blau special treatment. They get the most books written about them, they have the most models, the most merchandise, and the most representation in video game adaptations, but they're so BORING! They don't have any interesting lore or unique specialization, and the only thing that sets them apart from everyone else is that they're the 'perfect' ones. It's not like I don't get it, either. Every media franchise needs a proper poster boy, but... but..."

Halfway through her ranting, Rebecca acquired a hint of self-awareness. She doubted herself, at least until she found the courage to look up at Oliver. He didn't seem any different than he did a few seconds ago and was listening intently with a patient smile.

It made her cheeks burn hotter, and she cut herself short despite knowing she could've continued.

"A-Anyway, I took out the blue paint and gave you the colors you'd need to paint Kampfgruppe Festung... they're, um... they're my favorite..." she said, staring meekly at him in hopes of a positive response.

"Okay. Speaking honestly? I'm not gonna pretend like I understood... any of that, but hey, I'm always eager to listen to someone passionate about their hobbies, and I'm sure I'll be able to follow along eventually."

With tremendous gratitude and excitement over gaining a new method to train his spark stat, Oliver absorbed Rebecca's gift into his inventory.

[Item Acquired! 40th Space Reich Start Collecting Box - A gateway drug and potential pipeline to venomous ideologies depending on the level of one's media literacy. Do not paint the space Nazis blue under any circumstance. She will never forgive you.] 

"Just let me know if you need any help," Rebecca giggled, embarrassed yet over the moon at what she accomplished with Zoe's prodding. "Instructions are included, and these models all snap together, so you don't have to glue them, but, um, it can still be pretty intimidating when you're just starting out!"

Zoe wasn't done with her prodding. Not after noticing one last push she could make. "And how's Olive supposed to hit you up if he doesn't have your number?"

Rebecca took the implication about as well as she could've.

"W-What? Oh, um... well... he could contact Mia, and then Mia can tell me about the problem he's having, and then I can tell Mia what he should do, and then Mia can tell-"

"The fuck do I look like, some kind of mailman?" Mia couldn't hold back a laugh.

"N-No?" Rebecca shrank. "You're not a mailman. You work at a grocery store, a-and-"

"Why don't you just give me your number, Rebecca?" Oliver interjected, speeding her along to reaching the point. "I'd rather have someone I can talk to about this instead of going through online tutorials, and it'd be a lot faster if we skipped the middleman."

"You shouldn't discount online tutorials! There's so much to learn about painting mini figures that mastering the art without-"

"Becca," Zoe took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes. "Give the dude your number."

"R-Right, yes, of course... t-that makes more sense, ahaha..."

With great trepidation on her behalf, Oliver and Rebecca traded numbers. He couldn't believe how many cute girls were on his contact list compared to how barren it was a little over a week ago. Damn, that felt good.

Though he didn't get any milestones out of the exchange, his powers still had something to say about getting Rebecca's digits.

[Mia has gained +5 Affection!]

Of course she has, Oliver laughed to himself.

"Something you'd like to share with the rest of the class, mi amor?"

"Nope, nothing at all," he moved along. "I'm just curious about this board game you brought along that supposedly gonna hold Zoe's attention span, Rebecca. Care to tell us all about it in exhausting detail?"

Rebecca looked at him from the floor, where she sat digging through her backpack. She couldn't believe there was a cute boy on her contact list compared to how barren it was not even a few minutes ago. Damn, that felt good, but it also made her feel very conflicted.

He was smiling at her expectantly, waiting for her to go on.

You can't afford to take your armor off, Rebecca. He's Mia's boyfriend, and that's that.

But...

Maybe just your helmet?

Taking a deep breath, Rebecca yanked out the biggest box in her backpack and showed it off for all to see, saying, "I'm so happy you asked!"

***

Stat Changes

Mia Rosas | Status: Girlfriend | 46/300 | ❤❤❤♡♡

Zoe Myers | Status: Friend | 63/100 | ♡♡♡♡♡