Love Addict's RPG Ch. 57 (Patreon)

A notification appeared before Oliver's face as his brain music switched back to the victory fanfare. It was Mia's mini profile, and he watched with pride as the gray heart with the strength icon padlock burst into dozens of pieces. Though no one else saw this happening, the crowd cheered with conspicuous timing, making him feel even better about himself for overcoming the first obstacle of his romance with Mia.

And then Oliver almost fell over. He would have, too, if Mia hadn't gotten there in time to catch him. As established, she was a pretty weak girl, and it took a lot of effort to keep him propped up until he could stabilize himself with her help.

"Hey," Oliver said. "Mind if we... ah... skip the part where we have a moment together, maybe? I got my fill of public flirting earlier and... not gonna lie, I'd like very much to lay down now."

Mia smirked. "Halfway tempted to up and do something insanely trashy to you as it is, so, yeah, prolly best that we do. Here's a compromise, though."

Mia gave Oliver a quick kiss on the cheek as she hauled him closer to the ropes where Bradley was waiting to help him down. The kiss felt warm and full of love, and the notification that popped up confirmed it was.

"All according to PLAN, huh?" Bradley joked as he took Oliver from Mia and did the bulk of the work toward getting him downstairs.

"Something like that," Oliver laughed.

When he got out of the ring, Rebecca and Stacy were right there waiting to congratulate him, along with a host of other boxers all trying to get in and ask him questions. That was the last thing Oliver wanted, so Bradley helped by taking the heat off of him by manifesting a previously unseen cooler full of beers. He passed them out to the boxers, herding them away like cattle and chatting them up.

It was a good thing, too. Rebecca was starting to get really nervous from all the musclemen.

"Where to even begin?" Stacy wondered as she placed her hands on her hips. "That was one hell of a ride, hon. I didn't know you had it in you."

Oliver, now mostly able to stand on his own two feet, regarded her with a somewhat sarcastic grin. "Be careful who you make fun of back in high school, am I right?"

Stacy found dry amusement in his little joke, as did Mia. There were smiles and cheap laughs all around.

"Thanks for the help on Juan, by the way," Oliver said. "The same advice didn't help me so much with Julio, but hey, one out of two's not so bad."

"Would've had this in the bag ages ago if someone had the common sense to bring their pom-poms," Mia shook her head with disapproval. "Had one job, perra. One."

"I agree," Oliver played into the joke. "The lack of pom-poms was kind of a letdown..."

"You guys are really set on that, huh?" Stacy rolled her eyes. "Tell you what. I'll try to have a pair ready before the next time you make a public spectacle out of yourself, hon. Sound good?"

It actually did. The last time he saw her cheerleading, Stacy was only fourteen. Time had done the already beautiful girl a lot of favors since then, and the mental image of her adult self jumping around while cheering his name had his thoughts drifting in unwise directions. Corresponding with the softening of his heart, another affection increase happened for Stacy that only increased the burden on his troubled mind.

Mia shot him a quick, knowing glance suggesting she knew what he was thinking about, but it came packaged with one of her catlike grins. Mixed messages as always, it seemed.

Sighing, Oliver ignored Mia for now and removed his gloves, wearily placing them on the surface of the ring, expecting someone to pick them up sooner or later. "I'm hoping nothing like this'll happen again, but I'll hold you to that if it does..."

Rebecca was feeling significantly out of place. She'd been hiding behind Mia once she returned from the ring as the celebratory mood intimidated her. It was understandable that she felt like this, considering she barely knew Oliver, but she still wanted to do a better job than she was.

Steeling her heart and diving outside her admittedly small comfort zone, Rebecca inched out from behind Mia, asking, "H-How are you feeling, soldier? You did really well up there, um, except for all the parts where you got hit... ah- but even then, you were really cool, I-I mean... sorry..."

Oliver turned his attention towards the petite girl behind his girlfriend, giving her a tired smile. Getting praised by someone he didn't know very well was a nice feeling. Sure, it didn't come out remotely the way Rebecca intended, but he understood it was meant as a compliment, and it was cute how she was doing her best.

"Kind of a mixed bag. Emotionally, I'm on top of the world. Physically, I'm buried beneath a burning garbage heap."

"O-Oh, no... that's not good..." Rebecca gulped. She tried to think of something more thoughtful to say about but only came up with, "Maybe you should, um, make sure you get plenty of rest after this...?"

"Oh, he will," Mia purred in a low voice. "Wouldn't worry too much about that."

Oliver felt distinctly threatened by her statement, albeit not in a bad way. Stacy shook her head in mock disapproval while the joke flew over Rebecca's head. She was just happy she managed to get a few words in, then got really embarrassed when Oliver thanked her personally for the support. It almost caused her nerves to act up, but Rebecca fought tooth and nail to stave them off and was successfully able to stay out in the open as the conversation turned toward everyone's plans for the rest of tonight.

It was almost seven. Stacy was due for her yoga class, which she unsuccessfully tried to invite Rebecca to. Rebecca had plans with her dad who was already on his way to pick her up, though she wouldn't have come along even if her schedule was free, anyway. Stacy bid everyone goodbye, and Mia then led Oliver to a bench so he could sit down for a few minutes as she went to fetch him a drink before they left. Rebecca nervously kept him company as he waited but received a text from her dad before Mia returned, leaving as soon as she did.

Bradley was still passing out beers and hanging out with the boxers, doing an excellent job keeping them away, allowing him a moment of relative quiet with Mia as she sat beside him and handed him a water bottle. Oliver guzzled it all in one go, desperately needing it. She smiled at this and placed her hand on top of his.

"What about us, mi amor? What're our plans for tonight, mn?" Mia leaned her head against his shoulder as if she were somehow more tired than he was.

"It sounded like you had plenty of ideas a second ago," Oliver managed a smile.

"Was only joking, there's no pressure if you're too tired to mess around tonight..." Mia didn't sound especially honest with herself. There was definitely some pressure. She was still sexually frustrated, and God knows how aroused she was after watching him fight. "Would still prefer if you came over and hung out with me, though. Even if we don't do anything."

Oliver thought about it momentarily before taking her by the hand and squeezing it softly. Physical Conditioning helped mitigate exhaustion, and he could already feel his body piecing itself back together. It didn't seem outside the realm of possibility for him to regain enough strength to feel up for something adventurous before the night was out.

"I might be down to pick up where we left off last night, but you've got work in the morning..."

"Fuck work," Mia exhaled. "Taking a personal day. Way too much stress lately, and I just want to chill the fuck out and be together now that we don't have to worry about mi hermanos."

"That sounds amazing to me..." Oliver closed his eyes and leaned his head against Mia's. She still smelled good despite the boxing gym's best efforts at overwhelming his nostrils.

"Got a question for you, mi amor," Mia spoke quietly after several seconds of silence.

"Go for it."

Her voice somehow became even smaller as she whispered, "Think you have it in you to stay the night with me even if I'm not comfortable going all the way yet, or would that be...?"

Mia inflicted more damage on Oliver in one sentence than her brothers did with hundreds of punches. His pulse raced like he'd overdosed on sugar, and he struggled to breathe. "Wouldn't be a problem for me, I think, but could you handle it?"

"Long as I get out of my system one way or another, yeah..." Mia mumbled, her face flushed and her body trembling. "Just thought it'd be nice if we could start the day together and not have to waste any time, si?"

Oliver thought Mia's attempt to make excuses for why she wanted this was just about the cutest thing ever but was too overjoyed by the prospect to feel up to teasing her about it. "That does sound pretty nice," he admitted. "Maybe we could get high together tomorrow? I haven't had a gummy in over a week, and fuck if I couldn't go for one right about now."

Mia suddenly rubbed her right wrist and pulled her hand away. "Mn, maybe... might be fun, but... don't know if I'm ready to act all weird around you just yet..."

"It was just a thought. We don't have to..."

"We'll see," she gave him a quick smile, suggesting she wasn't entirely against the idea.

"I'll have fun even if you just want to lay in bed all day," Oliver assured her. "Really."

Mia continued smiling, her lips subtly drawing closer. Oliver went for it and disregarded his surroundings. The kiss was soft and delicate, but it didn't stay that way for long. There was too much tension between them for anything less than making out, and things only spiraled. A thin vestige of decency was the only thing that kept him from going full degenerate, that and an innate understanding it would be better to wait until they were back at her place for anything more.

It was good they stopped when they did. Bradley was approaching, and he wasn't alone. Juan and Julio followed behind him, each clutching a bottle of beer and wearing vaguely remorseful expressions.

"Good NEWS, my friend! The HEAT has successfully [Died Down], and I have [Thoroughly Explained] to the [Resident Coach] that you don't WISH to pursue a career in [Boxing]. The BAD news is that YOU have company!"

Mia closed her eyes and sighed. "Save it. Don't even want to look at you two till Sunday."

Julio scratched the back of his ear while Juan looked like a kicked puppy dog, hiding his sorrow behind a deep glug of beer.

"Figured," Julio solemnly nodded. "Still wanted to apologize, regardless. To both of you."

Mia looked at them like he'd spoken in tongues. "Fuck off," she laughed. "Fuck have either of you ever been sorry for?"

"...This?" Juan gestured at the immediate surroundings. "We flew off the handle, Mimi. It's hard to explain."

"Doesn't seem like it," she looked away. "Seems more like you two are just up to your same old shit."

Oliver frowned at the sudden tension hanging in the air. He figured they'd have to say something to each other before they got out of there; he was just hoping it would've been more cordial. Oliver wanted to give them a fair shake if nothing else.

"What's going on?" He asked.

Julio looked in his direction, the remorseful expression also extending towards him. "Haven't been ourselves the last couple days."

"Fuck, man," Juan agreed. "Don't know how things spiraled as fast as they did! Shit was like we were bulls, and you were the color red! Ain't that right, Julio?"

"Common misconception. Bulls are colorblind to red, idiota," Julio corrected. "But the message behind the metaphor still stands. Look, hermanito. Not gonna look you in the eyes and tell you we aren't huge assholes, cause we are. Even so, we would've waited a bit longer under normal circumstances before we did anything stupid..."

"Even then, the fuck did we think a boxing match was a good idea for?" Juan looked mystified. "Was like we took one look at you, and boom-"

"All of a sudden, we just knew we couldn't let you be with Mimi till we'd had one..."

Both of them were speaking from the heart. It was the honest-to-goodness truth, but that didn't somehow make it sound any less stupid. "...The fuck kind of junk weed are the two of you smoking these days?" She laughed. "Said I was done with you, so vámonos. We'll talk about this on Sun-"

"Hold on," Oliver's guilt peaked as he looked at his two unintentional victims.

The situation was muddier than Mia knew, but things were precisely as Oliver feared. His powers influenced the twins, making them antagonists and gameifying their legitimate concerns. That only left him one course of action, making things up to them like he'd discussed with Bradley, who tipped his cold one to Oliver in a sign of support.

"You said you kept trying to explain why all this was stupid and unnecessary, right? You might as well set things straight with them now that they're willing to listen."

Juan and Julio dared to look hopeful at Oliver's proposition, leaving Mia to feel the pressure. She folded her arms, frowned, and furrowed her brows only to soften after around ten seconds had passed. She looked at Oliver, his supportive expression being the final nail in the coffin of her resistance.

"...Whatever," Mia groaned, slumping her shoulders as she stood from the bench. She sounded like she didn't want to tell them shit but figured it would be worth ensuring they knew the truth so that there wasn't a repeat of this incident down the line. "Stay here, mi amor. Gotta explain this in private, or not at all."

Juan mouthed off the words 'thank you', and Julio nodded at him as their sister led them away. Oliver felt a little strange at their new, friendlier vibes but was happy he could help. As Mia left him momentarily, Bradley took her spot on the bench.

"So that's one [Heart Lock] down, THEN! How's the [Champ] feeling?" He said, nudging Oliver with his elbow.

"Like I never fucking want to go through another one again..." Oliver laughed. "Please tell me they're not all going to be big blowout events like this?"

"SUCH information is BEYOND me, I'm afraid! Of course, this wouldn't HAVE been so bad if you [Switched Course] and [Grinded LP]..."

"Can't just let me enjoy my victory, can you?" He sighed, collapsing against the back of the bench and staring at the ceiling. "I did grind a little. I texted Stacy. There wasn't much else I could do on such short notice."

"What about [Rebecca Bergmann]?" Bradley posed out of nowhere.

"...What about her? She's not a heroine. I couldn't have gotten anything from her even if I tried."

Bradley rubbed his chin and looked at him from the corner of his eyes. "On the contrary, MY friend. I think you could've gotten [A Lot] from her IF you had!"

"Bradley," Oliver groaned. "I'm close to passing the fuck out. If you're going somewhere with this, then tell it to me straight. I'm not in the mood for cryptic bullshit."

"A [Heroine] is a WOMAN with whom it's possible for you TO enter into a [Romantic Relationship]! What I'm [Positing] is that I wonder WHAT might happen if you [Ran Into] someone who didn't BELIEVE it was possible and you [Convinced] her otherwise?"

"I don't know because I'm not going to try and find out," Oliver stood his ground. "What you're describing would be manipulative as hell since I'd be getting her hopes up without any intention of following through."

Bradley paused and, after a couple of seconds, frowned. "...I'm sorry, Oliver. When you PRESENT me with a [Problem], I'm compelled to explain or reiterate WAYS that you might [Solve] it. It's NOT something I can [Fully Control]."

Now Oliver felt a little bad, causing him to lower his head and sigh. "...It's fine. Clippy only wanted to help, too, I suppose."

Oliver thanked Bradley for his invaluable support and then inquired about his plans for the rest of the evening. It turned out that Bradley rather liked this place and felt he was among his kin here, where it was nothing but dudebros as far as the eye could see. These fellows knew what it meant to appreciate a cold one, and Bradley wished to remain by their side for a while longer before setting off on his nightly journey.

Not knowing what to say to any of that, Oliver nodded and was grateful to see Mia on her way back. The twins had strange looks on their faces, while Mia herself looked somewhat embarrassed.

"...Everything good now?" Oliver inquired.

"Didn't even know they made chicks like that..." Juan muttered under his breath, his eye looking far into the distance. "I mean, I always knew she was... but... really...?"

"What?"

"Nothing," Julio rubbed his brow, his shoulders slumping. "Two of us just learned we were even stupider than we thought..."

"Almost like that's exactly what I fucking said would happen if you only listened to me sooner..." Mia grumbled as she returned to Oliver's side.

"So... no hard feelings?" Oliver looked around at the three of them, unable to gauge the mood.

"Oh, there are still hard feelings," Mia crossed her arms and glared at her older brothers, who shrank in response. "But hey, I do feel a little better now that we're on the same page."

"I still feel like I'm a couple pages behind, personally..."

"Long night ahead of us," Mia beckoned for Oliver to stand up and join her, rubbing his back and smiling softly at him when he did. "Plenty of time to catch you up, among other things. You about ready to hit the road, mi amor?"

There was an ominous feeling in the air, primarily thanks to the twins acting as if they'd been imparted with the eldritch truth. Even so, Oliver was more than ready to leave the world of boxing and underground martial arts rings behind him for the time being. He shared some words with Juan and Julio before taking off with their sister, promising they would have to start things over one of these days and grab some drinks or something.

Oliver wasn't sure why he'd said that, given that he didn't really drink or have any experience hanging out with male friends other than Bradley. It was mostly that he felt it was the right thing to say from one dude to another when you wanted to show there were no hard feelings. Evidently, that was the correct assumption. Juan clasped him on the shoulder as Julio lit up a joint in public and gave him a respectful nod as they said their goodbyes, Bradley positively vibrating with approval at the newly forged bonds between men.

"Really shouldn't have offered to get drinks with them, mi amor," Mia sighed on their way to his car. "Fuck am I supposed to do if they actually start liking you and try and hang around us all the time?"

"That desperate to keep me all to yourself?"

Mia stopped in front of his car, stared at him for a few seconds, then shook her head tiredly.

"What? Was it really that unfunny?"

"No," she exhaled and laughed at the same time. "Just getting tired of all the dramatic irony and looking forward to moving past it. That's all. Now give me your keys. You're in no shape to drive, so I'm gonna take you to my place, get some dinner in you, and see where the night takes us after we've had time to chill. Sound good?"

Oliver didn't even stop to dwell on it; instead, he took his keys and handed them over without hesitation. "Sounds amazing. Take me away, Mia."

"Famous last words," she gave him an exhausted smile before taking off with him.

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