Gamers
He walked into his room, throwing his book bag into a corner and took off his shirt, revelling in the cool breeze from his open window. School has let out for the summer at last, and now he was ready to relax. Stretching some, his toned body flexing a little here and there, he sat at his computer desk and turned it on. Three months of no school and just a few house chores everyday was all that he had to worry about, then it'd be all free time. Time to hang with his virtual friends and time to grind his character on a widely popular game, despite it being old.
He checked his Yahoo mail, deleted the spam and deleted the other crap that the filters didn't catch, then checked his Instant Messenger, talked with a few people he knew from the game. Then he heard a knock on his door, turning in his revolving chair to greet whoever it was that wanted entrance. He stood up and walked over to the door, opening it calmly, then stared at his older brother, who was a little more than toned in muscle, due to his job, and had been around the block a few times.
"You ready to relax for the summer?" The older sibling asked with a raised eyebrow, his arms folded over a taught t-shirt. The younger brother nodded happily, smiling as if the biggest factory of ice cream opened it's doors for him. His brother smiled a little, chuckled softly, then pointed to the dining room for food. Without a second to spare, the boy rushed towards the table and sat down, staring at his brother's greatest recipe, six layered lasagna, handmade from scratch.
The older walked in and kept his smile, as well as his arms crossed. It had been two years since their parents died, and it had hit them both hard. Since then, the older brother had to balance school and work to get by with a little food and bills paid. But now that he had graduated, he can concentrate on working full-time at his job, so he had been able to afford the materials to make the lasagna.
"You know Josh, I'll be working fulltime now, meaning that the bills will be caught up and stay caught up, plus we can have a bit more food in the house." The older brother stated.
"Oh yeah! You graduated today, didn't you? Well, you have done a great job of taking care of me, but why haven't you got a girlfriend?" the younger boy asked all of a sudden, his plate of lasagna bare except for a few pieces of the pasta here and there.
The young man, taken aback by such a question, blushed and scratched the back of his head. He was always busy these past two years, trying to make sure that they both got by, and he completed his education, that he didn't even bother with a girlfriend. Besides, at the time, he wasn't making enough money to pay the bills, put a few groceries in the fridge, AND go out on dates. He took a seat and sighed a bit, seeing as how, while he was busting himself to help provide for himself and his little brother, all those cute girls who were giving him that look never caught his eye. Then again, when he had something to do, he remained focused on it. He had tonight off though, since it was his graduation day, that much he was glad for.
"Go clean yourself up, little guy. And you decide what we do, video games or a movie." Was all that he said as he started in on his plate, savoring the taste and texture, knowing he cooked it right. The recipe handed down by their mother when he was old enough to understand the different tempuratures when cooking. As Josh ran to wash his face, he realized how big the boy had gotten, but still didn't get his stripes in yet, which was awkward for the tigers.
He sighed again as he finished his plate of lasagna and put the leftovers in the fridge, then proceeded to wash the dishes. Josh came back, his muzzle dripping from washing his face off. His brother looked over and smiled a little, tossing him a towel to dry his face off better, then dried his paws as he let the dishes dry themselves. Then he sat down, his brother pouncing into his lap, giggling happily without a care in the world.
"So, games or a movie?" he asked again.
"I was hoping we could play that MMO together."
"Ah, ok, let me get my laptop set up and you go into your room. Remember, use the headset so that I know what you're planning and vice versa."
Josh only nodded and ran back into his room, closing YIM and opening the game, Maginobi. After signing in and starting the game from it's client, he put on his headset and waited, wiggling in his chair in anticipation. Then, his character came up, a Human, using melee and magic in combination, as well as a few skills that were meant to earn him a bit more gold. Then, he saw his brother log on, Giant, strictly melee, a major tank.
"Ok Josh, what's up for today?" he heard his brother say through the headset.
"I was thinking of doing one of those missions. The update they did this past wednesday now has a random mission per day where you earn alot more experience and money just by completing it. Supposed to increase the drop rate too from the chest at the end."
"Alright, I'm already in that area. Hm... Slime Warrior?"
"Awesome, let me get there." was all Josh said as he summoned his mount and hurried to that area. When he got there, his brother already had a party set up and had a few people in it already. After joining himself, he checked his gear, and nodded to himself that it seemed right. Then, they all headed to the altar where the mission would start, the giant beginning the mission as soon as everyone was ready.
"I can't wait, been wanting to do this one for quite awhile."
"Well you do have more free time than me, I'm surprised that we're even the same cumulative level."
"I know bubba, but still, at least we can spend some time together now." Was all Josh managed to say before he noticed that his screen seemed to be having some sort of static. He gently tapped his moniter, tilting his head in curiousity. The static seemed to stay, no matter how hard he was tapping or hitting the moniter.
"Hey Josh, is your screen looking like a snowstorm too?" his brother asked.
"Yeah, what's going on?" was the last thing he was able to say before he felt his stomach churn, then started to blank out. He knew this wasn't normal, and struggled to stay awake, but to no avail. All he heard was a loud crash as he hit the floor, bringing the moniter with him.