It wasn't heavy, but it was a load. Shin shuffled down the hall carrying it all in one big gray armful of wires, controller pieces, and boxes. As a group of female students approached, dressed in the latest fashions, Shin spun to the side of the hall, out of their ways. He huddled in a doorway for safety.

The girls eyed his as they passed. One of them pushed up her glasses curiously. "Nintendo 64...?" She trailed.

"The one and only," Shin replied sheepishly.

"They make all those old games in a single box now, you know? They call it a Wii."

"But I'm using that one!" Shin defended his course of actions. "... And she already has my laptop."

"O-oh..." The girl replied uncertainly. "She?"

Her other friends turned back to see what was keeping her.

"What's the hold up, Jessica?" One asked.

"We'll be late to the movie," another with a short bob of brown hair exclaimed hurriedly. At her side, a girl with short blonde hair cut in a way that resembled a duck tail around the back tapped her foot impatiently, crossing her arms.

"My girlfriend..." Shin told the girl named Jessica. "I wanted to introduce her to a webcomic... and now, it's old Nintendo games..."

Jessica stared at him for a second with newfound appreciation. "Probably the coolest boyfriend ever..." She trailed.

One of her friends tugged her arm. Another hauled her off by her elbow. "Come on, Jessica! Quit drooling! We'll be LATE!"

"Huhbwuhhuh wha?" The girl stumbled backwards down the hall. As she went, she gave Shin a little wave 'good bye'.

Shin blinked, then offered a confused wave in return.

Well, that was weird! He thought as he turned back down the hall. Nice girls, though... now... onto Kealey's room!

And he was off!

By now, the routine was down to a science. A couple knocks, the blonde came to the door, Shin popped in with whatever he had on him, giving her a quick peck on the cheek and a 'hello'. Shin set the Nintendo 64 console down on the floor of her room, spreading out the game cartridges, the various wires, and the controllers. He smiled up at her in his pink polka dot hoodie, from his seat on the floor. "Another present."

It was a routine now, and Kealey loved every bit of it. She knew what the knocks at her door meant as soon as she could concentrate on the knocker enough to know who it was and she always dropped what she was doing to open it.

It was actually harder this time…she was still reading the web comic Shin had shown her. It was an intermission, but it was a good intermission. There was a lot of time jumping, and blood trails, and clocks. They clocks were getting broken though. All the clocks. She was in sweats and a long-sleeved t-shirt that she’d stolen from Shin at some point…she’d dug in for the long haul. No class on Thursday…she was going to read…until the knock.

Kealey made her way to the door quickly though and let Shin in.

He kissed her cheek and Kealey grinned, wondering exactly what it was he had bundled in his arms. As usual, he was excited about it, and she watched with rapt interest as he started laying things out on her floor. They looked electronic.

It was probably a videogame of some sort. Kealey shot a glance over her shoulder at the laptop.

”I just finished the intermission between acts three and four.” she said, fidgeting a little bit. Was this what addiction felt like?

She turned her attention back to Shin. He was wearing the hoodie she liked him in most. Homestuck wasn’t going anywhere. She dropped down on the ground next to him.

”This looks like a complicated present. I hope we don’t have to put all these pieces together.”

>>”I just finished the intermission between acts three and four.”

"Awesome," Shin grinned at her. There would be no spoilers from his lips. He left the statement at that.

Things were plugged in, cables connected. Kealey's small TV was just right for the N64. Maybe after this was all done, he'd haul his old SNES to her room too? Maybe he'd make a little nest there, so while she was busy studying, he could crash on the floor with his bean bag chair and a game controller? Maybe he'd smuggle in a nice cold chocolate milkshake and make a Friday night of it? Or maybe a Saturday morning...

>>”This looks like a complicated present. I hope we don’t have to put all these pieces together.”


He glanced towards Kealey. "It's easier than it looks. In fact... it's all set up." He plugged in the last cord.

It seemed she was ferreting away his clothes now. He was fine with that. He was fine with a lot of things. "I'll have to lend you my Homestuck shirt, once I get it. So cool. But anyways," Shin turned back to the N64. "This," He began. "Was the most advanced game system in its day. It could play things like Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Paper Mario, Megaman 64, Banjo Kazooie... the list goes on and on." He held out the controller for her. "I am your addiction dealer. I give it to you. Have fun."

Shin was pleased with her progress on the comment and for a moment Kealey simply basked in the glow of the happy feelings. All he’d say on the matter was awesome though. No spoilers. That was okay though, Kealey didn’t really want spoilers. She wanted to read it all herself. She glanced at the laptop again. What was going to happen next?

She’d have to wait. Shin had something new to show her. He noticed she was wearing his shirt, and Kealey grinned and snuggled into it further. Blue eyes widened at his revelation, ”There are Homestuck shirts?” and Shin said she could borrow his. ”I’m so definitely taking you up on that offer.”

Then, he launched into his description.

Apparently this was a Nintendo. Kealey had heard of Nintendo, and she knew that Shin had several of their products. It made her smile that he wanted to share them with her. He wanted her to be interested in the things he loved, he didn’t mind her stealing his clothes, and he liked being around her even when they weren’t doing anything. Best boyfriend ever. Seriously.

He worked on hooking everything up and Kealey watched with a grin. Good thing he’d come along to hook things up. There sure were a lot of wires.

Shin pointed out that he was supplying her with addictions, and Kealey laughed, taking the controller from his hand.

She was going to play Zelda.

One more glance at the computer, then back to Shin. ”Fire it up. Of course it will be fun.”

She tilted her head as the thing booted up.

”What is an Oc…oc….that thing you said?”

>>”There are Homestuck shirts?” and Shin said she could borrow his. ”I’m so definitely taking you up on that offer.”

Shin grinned. "Mhm. John ones, troll ones... lots." She was so taking him up on that offer. It was an offer he was all-too-glad to let her take him up on, too. Did they have Squiddlies shirts ala Rose yet? He'd have to doublecheck. They really had to make Rose dresses, too...

But that was a matter for another time. Kealey'd already decided on the game from his collection of great titles. She hadn't even waited for him to go into his spiel. She'd just picked one up, and whoom, it was in the game slot.

Then, she asked what an Ocarina was.

"A musical instrument," Shin replied. "It's one of the major items in this game. You'll see," He nodded to the screen. The opening intro animation was playing, with the horse galloping, the hillside, and the moon.

He helped Kealey select an unused file slot, and let her start the game. "This is one of my favorites," He chimed in as the game began. "Lots of magic, memorable music, and--" He stopped talking. She was playing. He was distracting her with his dialogue. "Triforce," He finished quietly, scooting across the floor to sit at her side.

Trolls. Kealey hadn’t gotten to the trolls yet…unless the brief “trolling” conversations she’d seen with the kids counted. She was eager…she looked over her shoulder at the laptop again. No no…it was video game time. Shin had taken the time to get all of this together and bring it to her. He’d offered to let her steal the Homestuck shirt he’d gotten, he’d worn the pink polka-dot hoodie.

She was going to play Zelda.

An ocarina was a musical instrument. Kealey screwed up her face in concentration for a moment, didn’t Link use a sword? She didn’t ask though, she figured she’d find out soon enough. Besides, Shin was already explaining things as the game started.

There was magic…and music….and he was so happy about the whole thing that Kealey couldn’t help but be a little giddy. Shin scooted back so he was next to her and Kealey closed the space between them so they were touching. Even though it was just video games, and she probably looked like some sort of vagrant, it was still together time.

The Triforce, Shin seemed very into that. Kealey didn’t have a clue what that was.

She chuckled and got ready to play. The controller felt a little funny in her hands, but she’d get used to it.

”This will be the first video game I’ve ever really played.” she commented as things got started.

"It's one of the best," Shin replied quietly but confidently.

Here's a story of our blond-haired hero,
Who was living in a forest full of elves~

All Kokiri had fairies like their mothers,
It was a fairy-laden world~

Here's the story, of a girl named Navi,
Who had lived with no Kokiri of her own,
Every fairy in the forest had a child,
Yet, she was all alone.

Till the one day when Great Deku made an order,
and she knew it was much more than a hunch,
Her and Link would team up and save their God,
That's the way they'd save the forest before lunch~

Yes, before lunch~ They'd save a bunch
Of Ko-kiiiiriiii kids, they'd save a bunch~!

(All before lunch!)

That's the way they tried to save the world befoooore lunch!

Shin stopped. He just stopped. He glanced at Kealey's progress, and decided none must ever hear the story he'd just made up for this game. He hadn't even used the line 'most useless and annoying sidekick of them all'. The lyrics were rubbish. Why'd he even started mentally singing that, huh!?

"So... uh... how do you like it so far?" He asked her, changing the subject from his own belittlement to her progress. It was a much better topic. It didn't even have lyrics involving fairies.

The horse had ran through the field, Kealey had entered her name, and the game had started. Kealey had learned about the Deku tree and the “children of the forest” . She was playing as one of those children…except he didn’t have a fairy.

Hmm. This was definitely interesting.

Oh. Now she had a fairy.

And she needed to talk to the Deku Tree. Out of the humble little abode Kealey went as her little grin fellow. Then she ran around the town for what seemed like forever, trying to figure out the controls, and get accustomed to the way the controller felt in her hands.

It was distracting to say the least. At least until something more distracting came along…

By the time Shin asked her how she liked the game, Kealey had stopped playing and had started staring at him while he stared at nothing at all. Something strange was happening with his emotions. It was almost like….he was beating himself up.

”Oh, it’s good so far. I think it’s going to take me a calendar year to figure out how to play though. Are you okay? You were kind of far away for a minute there.”

"Oh, um..." Shin blushed, clenching his pant legs. "I just... thought of the lyrics to some show, and applied them to this game... dunno why... it really came off awful... Like, Brady Bunch theme song Legend of Zelda awful, and hey... wait... did you name Link 'Kealey'?" Shin stared at the screen, and Kealey, alternating between the two. "And you need help figuring the controls out? That, I can help with!"

Shin held out his hand for the controller, but he stopped himself. There was another way do to this.

"Sit on my lap," He said simply, without elaboration.

Kealey laughed, shaking her head slightly at the song Shin had come up with in his head. She was actually a little relieved, and mentally berated herself a little for being such a worrywort. They’d been having an excellent time so far, and there had been no reason to believe that Shin would derail everything just because his mind drifted away.

”Don’t suppose you’d want to share your song?” she asked, even though she knew he would most likely decline.

Shin’s attention was on the game now, though, and he wanted to know why she’d named the male main character ‘Kealey’. She tilted her head at the game, watching Shin look back and forth. ”I thought I was naming my game…not the character.” she said, then frowned, ”Is that going to be a problem?”

As for help with the controls, when an expert offers lessons in the area of their expertise…you just don’t say no. Shin momentarily reached out for the controller and Kealey momentarily held it out for him to take. Then he suggested she sit in his lap.

If the request was a strange one to make during video game lessons Kealey didn’t know, and she simply grinned and did as she was told. Again…when an expert offered lessons, you didn’t question their methods. She held her controller like she had been and waited, snuggling in to get comfy.

Share? Haha! More like change the subject! (Which he did, quickly). Kealey as Link's name, really? That was kind of silly. Kealey'd thought she was naming her file, not the main character? Cute.

She frowned and asked if it was going to be a problem. Shin smirked at her. "Nope... though it could get awkward. It isn't too late to restart, you know?" Maybe he could still save her from Lesbian Ruto? At the very least, he could help her figure out the controls!

And so, she sat in his lap. When she was nice and comfy, Shin reached around her to get a solid grip on her hands on the controller. Pool-table style control lessons. He could get used to these.

"Alright. Now, see these buttons?" He tapped various buttons, pointing out what they did. One was used to lock on, another to raise up the shield, yet several more for rotating through quick-use items, or talking to fairies or first-person viewing. He took her to the lock-on rock and showed her how to do a backflip for some rupees. Then, he showed her the stepping stones with rupees, and turned it over to her to try out all the fun stuff.

"Do you want to restart, to avoid lesbian fish-girls?" He asked, as she worked on figuring things out on her own, post-Shin-Demonstration.

Awkward? How could it get awkward? Kealey let it pass for the moment and decided to ask later what Shin had meant by that statement. The game had asked for her name and hadn’t given her any specifications…so it had gotten her name.

Hrmmm. Apparently her mistake had been big enough to warrant a reset. Kealey frowned slightly at the game she’d started…she was only a few steps in. If there was a time to start over and fix the name…

It could wait.

Once she was comfortable, Shin held her hands and guided her through the basic functions of the game. It seemed simple enough, but Kealey figured once Shin stopped guiding her hands it would be a little different.

She knew the basics soon enough and Shin moved his hands so she could practice. He watched for a few more minutes, then asked a question that caused Kealey’s head to snap up. She turned slightly so she could look Shin in the face with a questioning raised eyebrow.

”Really?” she said, then shook her head and laughed. Of course he ws being serious. ”Yes, I think that would be awkward enough to require a reset at this early stage.”

She paused for a moment, ”Does that mean one of us has to move though? I’d like to change my mind of that’s the case. I might need more controller lessons.”

Shin leaned forwards and tilted Kealey's head into a kiss. He shifted them so he could wiggle free, leaning her back in a dip, then deposited her on the floor. He'd taken matters into his own hands. "That'll tide you over for the few seconds I'm gone," Shin said with a laugh. He shot to the N64 and hit the 'reset' button. A moment later, he was back at her side. The opening animation was playing again. Kealey hadn't even had the chance to save! Oh, he was sneaky.

Shin hauled Kealey back up again onto his lap, hiding a smirk, and pressed the controller into her hands. "His name's Link," He whispered into her ear, hugging her from behind. "Not Zelda."

Apparently it did require one of them to move. Kealey thought about pouting for a moment, but couldn’t help but smile when Shin tilted her head up. She kissed him back and sat happily and unhelpfully as Shin worked his way out from under her.

”I dunno….” she said with a grin and chuckle when he pointed out that the kiss would be enough to hold her over. It was hard to follow through with that though …especially considering the fact that Shin was back almost before she’d finished talking.

Kealey watched the game boot up again, determined this time to make sure she didn’t mess up the name. Shin, it appeared, was also devoted to the cause. Kealey took the controller when he handed it to her and worked her way through the prologue instructions. He whispered in her ear and she laughed.

”That doesn’t make much sense. Why is the game called 'The Legend of Zelda' If it’s all about Link?" She said, moving her arms so she could be hugged better as she played.

The fairy was waking her character up again and Kealey huffed a little impatiently, ”I’m not sure I’m going to like this fairy.” she commented.

”You think you could show me those controls again?”

>> ”That doesn’t make much sense. Why is the game called 'The Legend of Zelda' If it’s all about Link?"

"She's the princess," Shin joked. "So, what she says goes. If she says the story is all about how she did nothing and some boy from the forest saved the world, the story is about her saving the world. ... Seriously, though... it is one of Man's greatest questions, up there with 'who let them name it Castlevania'." Worst title ever. Lazy game namers.

He snuggled closer, chuckling at naming conventions. Shin rested his chin on her shoulder and watched Kealey play.

She huffed. She didn't like Navi.

"She is probably the only bad thing about this game," Shin stated with a smile.

And then, Kealey wanted more control help. "I can do that," Shin replied. "Pay close attention, though. You need to learn these. Hold on while I show you how to get the sword."

Link shuffled through an obscure hole. He dodged a boulder and got an item.

Dunanananaaaa!! Link got the Kokiri sword. (He borrowed it).

Shin showed Kealey how to whip it out.