Together in VR RPG

– Oh, yeah, dude, this is my girl – Malcolm’s loud voice came from right above my ear, making me flinch with another wave of embarrassment, and at the same time, I ended up pressing myself against him even harder, so that my breasts were pressed against his chest. "Fuck, I hate all this! When is this going to end?!" I thought, feeling a smile creep onto my face while a familiar warmth settled in my lower stomach.

– Yeah, she's a hot chick! – the guy standing across from us, wearing a helmet and a vest made of scrap metal sheets, smirked – But I think you'd better leave her here. There’s no place for such delicate creatures.

Delicate creatures?! Fuck, this NPC is mocking me! If we met in real life, I’d have kicked his ass or at least made him pay for those words, and of course, I couldn’t hold back.

"What the hell did you just call delicate, you fucking asshole, I’m gonna kill you!" I wanted to shout, but instead, to my surprise, what came out was:

– Oh, please, don't be like that – I whispered with difficulty, not even believing my own ears. Damn this system and these filters! Just as I was trying to get my thoughts together and give it another go, Malcolm’s hand rested on my shoulder, freezing me in place.

– It's alright, Layla, – his voice sounded calm, almost tender. His eyes locked on me with some strange gleam, and once again, I felt heat in my chest. Damn, he doesn't even know who I really am! If he only knew… God, what would he think? But no, to him, I was just the hopelessly in love "girlfriend" who seemed ready to do anything for him.

It all started when Jake and I decided to try out a new VR RPG. The helmets we were given were supposed to transmit every sensation in real time. You could feel the smell, the texture of the skin, and even the wind, if it was in the virtual world. We both knew this wasn’t just a game, but a real adventure. But neither of us expected such... a twist.

– Are you sure you wanna be this redneck? – I asked Jake when he was choosing his avatar. I knew he always liked playing the bad guy, and it was his thing. He just snorted, not even bothering to look at me.

– You pick something normal, and I’ll go for something wild! I want some madness! – Jake added with a smirk, finishing his profile settings. The VR was so realistic that even choosing a character felt like real life.

I didn’t think for long either. My avatar was just a regular guy, but during the loading, something went wrong. I didn’t understand what happened when the helmet absorbed my consciousness. Everything spun, and when I opened my eyes, I was no longer myself. Instead of the usual male body, I was in a girl’s body. The virtual world had just... reshaped me. I tried to say something, but couldn’t. Instead of my usual deep voice, a high-pitched, almost ringing whisper came out, and everything I wanted to say seemed to go through some special filter, not allowing me to convey the full meaning of my words. But the dumbest thing was that I couldn’t tell anyone who I really was, and Jake... now Malcolm, was convinced I was just some NPC girl madly in love with him.

– I’ll be fine – Malcolm smirked as he let go of me. I felt his hand slowly pull away, but it stayed in my mind. A couple of seconds in the void, and then his voice again. Roughly tender, like usual, damn it, I hate how this body reacts to all of it, I didn’t even want to notice this tenderness! Ugh, gross!

– Don’t worry, Layla, I’ll be quick. – He slung his chainsaw over his shoulder so confidently, like it wasn’t even Jake, and leaned in, his lips suddenly pressed to mine, pulling me so close that my hand automatically grabbed his ass, squeezing it so tightly that Malcolm even pulled back.

– Hey, what’s up, babe?

"Babe! What the hell do you mean by babe!? I’m your friend, goddammit, and this is so fucking wrong!" I wanted to say, but instead, what came out was:

– Oh, sorry, babe, I just... I just love you so much – it slipped out, and I almost choked on my own words. My voice sounded so sweet, so stupid, I wanted to sink into the ground. But the body, that damn body, seemed to live its own life. It reacted to every touch, every look, and I couldn’t do anything about it. My hands reached for him on their own, my lips smiled without me thinking, and inside, everything burned with a mix of shame and... something else I didn’t even want to acknowledge.

Malcolm smirked, as if my words were something completely obvious. He ruffled my cheek, like I was some cute little dog, and turned to the guy in the helmet, lazily puffing on a cigarette and looking at me in a way that made me feel completely out of place in that moment.

– Alright, old man, I’m ready. Where’s the mission? – His voice was confident, almost defiant. He was… different. Not the Jake I knew. This Malcolm was rough, cocky, and, damn it, he was playing his role too well.

– The mission’s simple, – the NPC replied, pulling out a tattered map from his pocket. – There are mutants in the old warehouse. They’re messing with our work. Get rid of them, and we’ll reward you handsomely.

"Mutants?! Jesus, that’s terrifying!" flashed through my mind, and I scolded myself for thinking that! Why the hell was I suddenly scared of this? I came into this game to crush mutants, and now…

– Mutants? – Malcolm snorted, like it was something funny. – Easy. I’ll take care of it in a couple of hours.

I quickly glanced at Malcolm, and my face froze with silent admiration, which I didn’t even notice. But at the same time, I didn’t want him to go there because… because, damn it, then I’d be left all alone here. Even though I hated playing his girlfriend, at least I understood that it was better than the prospect of being a lone girl in some post-apocalyptic world, who, from what I understood, was pretty much defenseless.

– Are you sure you want to go alone? – I finally spoke up, feeling everything inside me tighten with worry. I really didn’t want him to leave. Something else inside me was stirring, and that feeling definitely wasn’t because, as I tried to convince myself, I was afraid of being alone. No, it was because… damn, I didn’t even know why. Maybe it was the body, maybe it was these feelings I couldn’t control. But I knew I didn’t want him to leave.

– Layla, baby, you know I always come back, – he smiled, and his eyes sparkled with that strange gleam again. – You don’t want me to look like a wimp in front of these guys, do you?

"No, I want you to stay here, because I have no idea what I’d do if you weren’t here!" – I wanted to shout, admitting my dependence on him, but instead, I just nodded and hummed, feeling my cheeks burn.

– Don’t worry, girl, – said the other NPC, coming up to me. He was a tall guy in a leather jacket, with a face covered in scars. – I’ll take care of your girl while you’re busy.

– Great, – Malcolm slapped him on the shoulder like they were old friends. – Layla, be a good girl. I’ll be back soon.

He turned and left, without looking back. I watched him go, feeling everything inside me tighten. His figure, his confident stride, his chainsaw on his shoulder… it all looked so… so cool. Damn, I didn’t even want to admit it, but he looked like a real hero. And me… I was just his "girl". Damn! What kind of thoughts are these?!

– So, beautiful, shall we go? – The NPC’s voice snapped me back to reality. I turned and saw his smirk. He was looking at me like I was his prey.

– I… I don’t want to go anywhere, – I tried to say, but my voice betrayed me again. Instead, I heard my own whisper: – Maybe we should just wait for him here?

– No, no, girl, you need to distract yourself, – he grabbed my hand, and I felt my body tense up. His touch was rough, almost painful, and I suddenly realized I didn’t want him to touch me. I didn’t want to go anywhere with him, but I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t even move or resist, feeling the influence of that "Layla" algorithm on me, which I was now regularly experiencing.

– Come on, I’ll show you something interesting, – he pulled me along, and I, like on autopilot, followed him. "This… this isn’t good! I need to stop, this guy clearly has something planned, and I don’t even want to think about what!" The thought hit me like a hammer, but I didn’t feel anxious, like everything was fine, even though it was definitely not. "Damn it, Jake, what the hell?! I was supposed to be the hero, and now it looks like your friends are gonna do something to me that I don’t even want to think about, and you’ll come save me like it’s some stupid side quest!"