Zelgadiss pulled up outside of Xellos' house and turned off the car with a frown. The porch light was out, and so were all the house lights. He checked his watch again, but he wasn't to early, so Xellos should be waiting for him. Getting out of the car he walked up the steps and found a note on the door.
Zelgadiss,
If Xellos doesn't greet you then he's still upstairs working on the new Realm specs. Feel free to come in and kick him off of the computer; his outside-interaction protocols are active. Take him out and make sure he enjoys himself. I have to go to a conference, so I'll be gone for the next few days. Have fun,
Zellas
Zelgadiss chuckled at the tone of the note, and entered the house. The last few lines stuck in his mind as he walked through the dark, quiet hallways. Zellas was going to be gone for the next few days. The house was empty.
No, no, no, no. He berated himself sternly. Xellos was nervous enough; there was no need to freak him out completely simply because this was a wonderful and rare opportunity.
And Zelgadiss was supposed to be the adult here? He was acting more like a besotted high-school student than his purple-haired crush. Shaking his head he frowned at the closed doors he faced and then chose one at random. He chose correctly. The room was dark, but he could see the flickering images on a variety of computer screens. He'd thought Xellos' set-up at work was impressive, but this was amazing. There were at least three active screens, and he could see reflections off two others. There were wires connecting them to each other, and to different outlets in the wall. Xellos was sitting in the centre of the technological chaos, a Realm-mask covering most of his face, gloves on his hands, and a connection on his neck that Zelgadiss had never seen before. For a moment, Zelgadiss could only watch in slightly disturbed wonder as the computer screens continued to change, and Xellos remained motionless. In an instant he could understand why it bothered his grandfather when he stayed in the Realm for so long. Being on this side of things was not at all reassuring.
Walking closer to the still figure, Zelgadiss leaned down close to his gear-covered ears and whispered, "Are you still hiding?"
The computer screens blanked for a moment, and then flashed rapidly as whatever Xellos was working on saved. A moment later the light vanished again as the purple-haired boy finally began to move. "I didn't realise I'd been here so long." He said just before reaching for his gear. The helmet came off easily and he set it off the table as the computer declared loudly,
"Kuraku Natte Kara is offline."
Zelgadiss froze.
"Do you mind if I get ready first? I kinda got distracted." Xellos said, moving around easily in the dark room.
"Go right ahead." Zelgadiss replied numbly as his mind tried to convince itself that he had heard the computer right. Kuraku? Xellos was Kuraku? He followed the other boy's movements in the darkness, and then sat down heavily on the bed as Xellos vanished into the hallway, presumably towards a bathroom.
This wasn't possible. Xellos was only seventeen and Kuraku was one of the Realm's original players. He'd been active since the first test, and those had taken place around twelve years ago. Xellos would have been five. It just wasn't possible; the Realm wasn't open to anyone under fifteen, and for good reason. At least, it wasn't now. At the beginning, had they had any idea how consuming the game would be? It was insane, but from what Xellos had said, it could be true.
So if Xellos was Kuraku, then... Zelgadiss began to smile. If Xellos was Kuraku, then Zelgadiss was suddenly freed of a rather pressing ethical dilemma, wasn't he? After all, his Realm-lover and his real-life lover were the same person, weren't they? He frowned again. Yeah, right. They were and they weren't. Personality wise, Xellos and Kuraku had almost nothing in common.
"Sorry I took so long." Xellos said cheerfully, coming back into the room and turning on the light. Zelgadiss shut his eyes against the suddenly assault against his eyes, and then blinked quickly as he took in the other boy's appearance. Xellos was smiling in an apologetic manner as he leaned against the doorframe. He was dressed in pale blue jeans, and a tight, black, long-sleeved shirt covered with a pale vest that matched his pants. "Guess I should have warned you first." He said with amusement in his tone.
Zelgadiss laughed and stood, walking across the room before wrapping his arms around the other boy. "That's not much of an apology you know."
"No?" Xellos asked, blushing lightly.
"Nope. This one is much better." He caught Xellos' lips in lips, teasing kiss. "All right, now you're forgiven." Xellos smiled, the blush still covering his cheeks, and they left the room without shutting the lights off again. Zelgadiss shook his head as they were getting into his car. Xellos and Kuraku the same person? He couldn't believe it.