You Only Live Once - Chap. 1
OMG You guys it is time! This is the very first chapter of You Only Live Once, the story that I wrote for the @yurionicebigbang with the amazing art done by @tk-a. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me while I got this taken care of. A special thanks to @inlovewithyoi, @yoyoplisetsky and @shadhahvar for taking the time to look this over!
Title: You Only Live Once
Author: @ladyley
Artist: @tk-a
Beta: @inlovewithyoi @yoyoplisetsky @shadhahvar
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Summary: Katsuki Yuuri otherwise known as Agape is a world class MMORPG competitor on the Grand Prix Circuit. After a less than stellar performance at the finals for You Only Live Once Agape fades into obscurity much to the disappointment of the world’s top MMORPG competitor LivingLegend: aka Viktor Nikiforov.
While Agape fades, a new player with inexplicable talent emerges from seemingly nowhere: Eros. LivingLegend is drawn to the player after he saves his life in game. There is something vaguely familiar about Eros though... but he can’t quite put his finger on it.
Chapter 1: The Rise of Agape
Truth be told, the line was too long, the crowd too big, and Yuuri was beginning to feel the panic rise bit by bit. Knowing that his salvation was in the form of a door only a few meters away had him honestly toying with the idea of escape; but he had been waiting for far too long for this game to come out. He counted down the days on a calendar in his room as well as an app on his phone. The adrenaline from his excitement helped to temper the panic a little, but he would have been lost if it wasn’t for Phichit.
“Smile!” Phichit grinned as he threw his arm around Yuuri and smooshed their faces together so he could fit both them and the You Only Live Once banner in the frame. Yuuri gave a weak smile as he looked at the camera knowing there was no way he was escaping without at least one picture making it to Instagram.
He loved his friend, he really did, and Phichit was here specifically to give him moral support today, which was saying something. It wasn’t everyday someone traveled across oceans to stand in line with a friend for a video game. But then again it wasn’t every day a game like You Only Live Once came out either. If the only thing Phichit asked for during his stay in Japan was a few pictures to post on Instagram, who was Yuuri to deny him that?
“Excuse me?” A loud, vibrant voice called out and Yuuri turned towards the sound. He could see a blonde and red blob ducking around other people waiting in line and muttering apologies as he pushed his way forward. Yuuri was about to step out of the way when the teen stopped right in front of him and smiled maniacally.
“Um, I am sorry and I know this is random, but you are him right? I mean you have to be him.” Yuuri, to his credit, smiled at the enthusiastic man in front of him. “You’re Agape!” The young man’s voice screeched. Phichit hid a giggle behind his hand knowing how awkward it was for Yuuri to be noticed when he was in public.
The boy’s eyes grew ten times larger, if that was even possible, as Yuuri nodded his head in confirmation. “I am such a huge fan!” He went on waving his hands sporadically. “I watch your Twitch stream every other night. The way you play the Paladin in King’s Quest III…. I didn’t even know some of those combos were possible!”
“Th-thanks.” Yuuri said more as a question than a statement. The teen was bouncing up and down, his excitement apparently too much to be contained. Yuuri gave Phichit a glance that let his friend know he was trying to remain polite, but the fear that continued to bubble in his gut was threatening to burst out. He smiled fondly as Phichit placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder and took his attention away from Yuuri, if only for a moment.
Yuuri was not an average player; he never thought he was. He knew that there was a risk of people noticing him in public. He was after all living part of his dream. Yuuri was one of the players in the Grand Prix Circuit, and while he would never admit it out of fear of bragging, he was one of the top 10 ranked MMO players in the world. When King’s Quest III had been the biggest game around, Yuuri place 8th on the international circuit, just missing the cut off for the Grand Prix Circuit finals by two places. Out of thousands of players, he was 8th in the world. However, Yuuri liked to keep some measure of modesty, if he didn’t do it himself, his anxiety would be sure to do it for him.
“You know that if it wasn’t for me, Yuuri here wouldn’t be gaming at all?” Phichit said with a proud little pat to his chest. The boy looked at him in awe.
“YOU CREATED AGAPE?!” the boy yelled out and Phichit could only laugh.
“I don’t know if I would go that far.” Phichit waved a hand in front of his face, “I gave him a nudge. Yuuri here is the one that did all of the work!” Yuuri felt his cheeks go warm.
“Please? Can I have a picture?” he asked, pulling out his cellphone and opening the camera app without even waiting for confirmation. He pushed himself up to his tiptoes to make up for the height difference between them and clicked the picture before Yuuri even knew what was really happening. “Thank you so much! My name is Minami by the way. I really hope that I can play against you at some point! I am currently in the Junior Grand Prix Circuit but I am hoping to move up next year!” Minami’s words began to run together losing all semblance of the words that they were meant to be and forming a single long sound that Yuuri had to work hard at deciphering.
“Oh, that is a really big jump. What is your online name? Maybe we can do a raid or two together?” Yuuri asked politely. Despite the anxiety he knew that it was most important to cultivate relations with the younger generation of gamers. There were two reasons for this: first, the younger generation would be their legacy, so he always tried to take the time to help anyone who asked him, and second…. It would only be a matter of time before the next generation moved up and started to kick the current top players off of the podium. If Yuuri was being honest with himself he was looking forward to the challenge.
In years past, no one that Yuuri personally knew believed that video games would take off the way they had. No one expected they would become so wildly popular that they would spawn a whole new kind of sport - electronic sports. There were more leagues popping up every day for almost any kind of e-sport out there. While Yuuri did play a few first person shooters, massively multiplayer online games were his real passion. It was for that reason this game’s release was so exciting.
“I am lil’ Spitfire,” he proudly declared, body bouncing with the nervous energy that came with meeting an idol. “Are you serious? You would really raid with me?” Yuuri nodded with a smile. He had to give it to the kid, his enthusiasm was contagious and it was that kind of attitude that made e-sports fun. “Ohmygodohmygod! I mean….! You really inspired me to keep going when things got hard. It feels like the first person shooter circuits aren’t the only ones with really stiff competition! MMOs are getting harder and harder every year. You evolved your play style so much each year just to keep up with the rapid changes. While others are failing miserably at it you seem to be doing something amazingly right. It is really pretty incredible!”
Yuuri could feel his cheeks getting a little more red as the compliment passed easily from Minami’s lips. It was true, as technology developed the way MMOs were played became more and more complicated. At this point the circuit really was an adapt or die environment. He had been lucky that he had several play styles that seemed to work for him. Honestly, it was the only thing he credited to keeping him relevant in the sport.
“I don’t know if I would say all that.” He opened his mouth to say something else but a man at the front of the line bellowed out for the crowd to hush so he could give them directions on proceeding with pick ups. “Ah - well it seems like this is it.” Yuuri whispered, feeling excitement start to push away the anxiety, “I’ll be sure to look you up tonight and send you a friends request.”
Minami looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Phichit could swear he saw the moment the poor boy’s brain ceased to work at all. “Y-y-y-you want to play with ME?!” he screeched loudly causing a few people to turn and look at their group in annoyance. “I-I-I would be so honored!”
“Good, I am glad to hear that.” Yuuri whispered with a slight laugh. “Then how about we get these games and learn how to play them?” Minami nodded his head enthusiastically and Yuuri wasn’t sure if it was the idea of playing a new and groundbreaking game or the idea of playing the new game with someone he looked up to, but either way Minami looked like he could pass out with happiness and Yuuri felt warm with the satisfaction of having done his job. A fan was happy, he was helping the next generation of gamers, and he managed not to have a total meltdown in the process. So far it was shaping up to be a pretty awesome day. Phichit threw Yuuri an all knowing smile and he couldn’t help but grin back.
Yuuri carefully unboxed his treasure when he got home. While VR gaming wasn’t anything new, the way this particular game was presented required a few extra components and boasted a whole new playing experience. In the past VR was more of a visual experience only. Games were presented in a way that allowed the user to have a 260 degree view of the field with the turn of a head rather than having to scroll with a mouse or a controller. Movement, attacks, spell casting, it all required the use of a controller. You Only Live Once was revolutionary in its design which allowed the user to BE the controller. The thought of it made Yuuri feel like a little kid on Christmas morning.
Gone were the stick controllers of the past, replaced with adjustable gloves that allowed the user complete control of their movement. Yuuri carefully placed them on giving a slight hum of approval at the feel. He was half expecting them to be stiff, maybe a little plastic feeling, but they fit nicely. It was almost like wearing a pair of gloves you would wear for winter except they breathed better.
“They are nice, I take it?” Phichit laughed from where he was lounging on Yuuri’s bed watching his friend with an amused smile.
“They are surprisingly comfortable!” Yuuri nodded as he took his VR set in hand and gingerly placed it on his head. He couldn’t keep the smile from his lips as the screen lit up and he saw the banner flutter across. You Only Live Once was proudly displayed in a beautiful flowing script. The music was low but heroic, an orchestra piece that brought to mind large battles and fights for glory. His heart started to beat a little faster in his chest as he waved his hand and the screen disappeared, leaving him to look at an old man dressed in simple brown rags. If Yuuri didn’t know better he would have sworn the man was right in front of him.
“‘Ello adventurer, I am Egered, what might your name be?” Yuuri knew instantly that this was everything that he was missing from every other MMO he had ever played as he progressed through the character builder choosing a tried and true Paladin.
