[Chester&Mosaic] Blind Date

It was one of his coworkers that invited Chester to try this new, cozy mobile game–stressing the word “cozy” because that was a game genre nowadays that even had its own bunreddit. He wasn’t terribly picky about games that he could just download for free and then delete later, but he was pleasantly surprised to find that the game was actually…not as predatory as others? Actually kind of fun and chill? And had a lot of customization and decoration options to boot! He found himself hooked, and couldn’t help but become one of those buns who also shared the game to others, which was what happened with another user that he talked to occasionally online. Chester quickly added him to the friend’s list, and so they play daily and send each other gifts.

It also just so happened that because of the Matentines theme, there was a “blind date” event going on (matching the one that the Church of Sulfur had around this time of the year). There were special items and clothes that one could get by participating, and the cool thing about this game was that there were avatars that could walk around on screen. He would be talking with others via the in-game voice chat, but he could control his character walking around and dress them up (the best part).

He was Castanea in this game, as he was everywhere else, and found meeting someone here to be more pleasant and less risky than going out, so what was there to lose? He entered the event, bringing him to an exclusively made area for the occasion: a forest with heart-shaped trees, mimicking cherry blossom petals, and a neatly laid picnic blanket where his character could position himself and sit on. Now, who was to be his date..?

~~ 

Mosaic put his headphones on, waiting for his phone to connect to them before booting up his new favourite game. He hadn’t had it for very long, but Mosaic had already integrated it into his routine. He did all his dailies, and realized that he had enough currency to buy something from the event shop; he eventually chose to replace his avatar’s normal freckles with pink heart-shaped ones for the rest of the Matentines season. 

Mosaic’s favourite thing about the game wasn’t the gameplay mechanics - which were extremely simple - or the music - it was quite calming, though - but instead was the fact that there were so many options in the character customization screens. Mosaic had spent almost three hours crafting his avatar when he first started, and had ended up making a giant bipedal Furdin with colouring similar to his own. 

His avatar - which he had named Artemis - helped make up for the fact that he could barely go outside on his own, and so opened up a world of possibilities when it came to socializing with other buns. 

With the help of the game’s Matentines event, he was also able to actually go on blind dates this year… Mosaic hesitated for a moment before entering the queue that would take him to the event-exclusive area, but decided to throw caution to the wind and tapped the button.

~~ 

A little jingle played when another user joined the private room he was in. Chester checked around the area by moving around the screen, before eventually an avatar popped in, which turned out to be a big imp of some sort. It looked like an imp, but not soot colored like they usually looked. Well, the initial surprise quickly faded when he saw the username, since he recognized it to be the said internet friend he recommended the game to. What were the chances? Or maybe the game specifically prioritized those on his friend list?

[heyyy arti!] he typed, accompanied by a sticker of one of the in-game creatures that was waving hello. Chester’s avatar shared a similar outfit preference to his own, with a nice turtleneck sweater and baggy pants, patterned up like chocolate in reference to the Matentines month. He also had some silly, heart-shaped sunglasses that he managed to get from the event shop, though it was one of the cheaper items being offered. [you checking out the blind date event too?]

~~

[Castanea???] Mosaic was surprised to see the username of somebody he knew. [It's not so much of a blind date if they match you up with a friend, is there?] Mosaic flipped to the Furdin-themed sticker set - his favourite - and sent one of a Furdin blushing and covering its face with its paw. 

He walked his avatar over to join Castanea on the picnic blanket they were seated on, and had his avatar sit cross-legged with its tail folded over its lap. [How are you?] 

~~ 

[id prefer thinking we just got lucky] well, he supposed that Artemis was correct–after all, blind dates were to get to know new people, and this user in front of him was someone he already knew. Sort of. In fairness, Chester didn’t know what the other bun looked like. What would the odds be if it turned out to be somebun that he already knew in real life? (Well, that already happened once, but it was not exactly a nice realization).

[vibing, you?] things were…okay, at the moment. Nothing crazy, but still stressful in its own way. He was here to chill and forget about all that, just immerse in the game with his cute little avatar and spend some time to get the exclusive item. It was no biggie as he had fairly lengthy chatting sessions with him before, though he had never tried voice calling. That seemed to be another level of the relationship (friendship) that they weren’t in yet. Or he was just not all that used to calling people. [how bout you?]

~~ 

[Eh, same old same old.] Mosaic decided he was glad that he’d been paired with Castanea instead of a stranger. They’d been internet friends for awhile; Castanea had even been the one to invite Mosaic to this game. He was excited to have an excuse to chat with a friend that would reward him with in-game exclusives. [My roommate has been going on a lot of Matentines dates, so it’s been a bit lonely, but that just means I get to watch whatever I want, however loud I want to, haha.]

~~ 

Chester raised a brow in real life at Mosaic’s reply, but in the game the avatar looked the same as ever. The only thing he could really use to translate his bemused expression was through a smug Corvat sticker. [ngl, i thought you meant that your roommate was also loud, but heh. i get that. its nice to have the place to yourself.]

And then he reread the message and realized he had misunderstood. Or maybe not? He and Artemis had never talked about sex since their conversations never really meandered there. They mainly talked about new codes, games, the weather, other things. The bun couldn’t help but wonder what his friend was like in bed though–it was an innocent thought, partially fueled by the hormones of Matentines, but should he ask more about it? Ah, fuck it.

[what have you been watching lately? stuff on bunflix?] Chester had never tried Bunflix and Chill, and he wondered if he should’ve mentioned it, but decided not to. Artemis didn’t seem like the type to appreciate the joke.

~~ 

Mosaic couldn’t help but laugh, sending Castanea the same flustered Furdin sticker he’d sent earlier. [Ari never brings his dates home, but knowing how he is in general, he probably is loud with them, haha] Catanea’s message had been playful enough, but Mosaic couldn’t help the blush that heated his face in real life. Mosaic didn’t consider himself a prude or anything like that, but his lack of experience essentially made him the opposite of any Lust bun when it came to how casually he could talk about sex. His blush intensified slightly as he wondered if Castanea was a Lust bun… He couldn’t remember if it had ever come up in their chats. 

[Mostly video essays on BunTube, but I’ll watch almost anything, honestly! What about you? Have anything to recommend?]

~~

Chester had actually never brought anyone home either, now that he thought about it. His place wasn’t exactly something he wanted to show to someone else; it was like his sanctuary (and it also wasn’t the cleanest, but he felt it was clean enough). On the times he had let himself go with the flow, he was usually in a hotel or someone else’s place. What was Artemis’s place like? From what he was getting with previous conversations with him, it felt like he rarely left home.

[loud as in?] He had sent it before he realized what he wrote, [wait nvm dont answer that] and he immediately sent an Impup sticker shaking its head, twice. It wasn’t like he wanted to know who this roommate was, but he supposed he was curious on how Artemis would discuss it for some reason?

[video essays are real cool tho! been getting some movie recaps recommended to me lately. theres this bun also who likes making real complicated set ups for their imps. not that id do that for mine, bc its expensive and graham is a basic bitch (affectionate)] He then sends a Bearly sticker to match; a happy one with its arms raised up. [do you have recs?]

~~ 

[I think ‘normal’ buns might find them boring, but I’ll send you a few links of my favourites later! Warning: I’ll watch anything even vaguely educational so my recs will be all over the place haha] Mosaic reacted to Castanea’s message about his imp with a happy Furdin sticker. [I wish I had an imp! I haven’t had the spare carats for one yet. If you couldn’t tell I love Furdins…] Mosaic had his giant Furdin avatar gesture to itself. 

~~ 

Chester didn’t think himself a normie, so he felt that these shouldn’t faze him all that much. [sounds good! and haha warning noted] he was surprised to hear that Artemis didn’t have one, since he gave the vibe of being a full on Furdin parent. [you know, id be down to gift you want, if you want to, yknow, meet up or something]

Imps were both a big responsibility and at the same time low maintenance, since they didn’t actually need to eat and sometimes just hung around the house, minding their own business. It just so happened that Graham was very clingy and threw tantrums when he left him in the house, but if he didn’t bring him alone, he’d find the Bearly just sleeping somewhere or watching TV.

Idly, the bun checked on the progress bar to see how much more time they needed to stay here to get the reward. It looked like it was more than halfway done actually, and it felt like it didn’t take much time at all to do it. Talking with Artemis was fun and chill, so he didn’t mind staying even past the designated time.

~~ 

He wants to meet up? Mosaic didn’t usually consider himself an emotional person, but he felt a flush of warmness in his chest as he processed Castanea’s offer. Mosaic couldn’t get out a lot due to his weakness, so it was really hard for him to make friends and he very rarely hung out with anybody other than his roommate and littermate Ari. [I’d really like that.] He sent a blushing Furdin sticker. [I have to be at home a lot so it’d be better if you came to me; I could pay for your Ubun! Just let me know when you have free time and we can work something out.] 

Mosaic opened up his phone to double check his and Ari’s shared schedule. [My roommate works until the evening, so you could even come over after our date if you wanted.] The last sentence was said a bit jokingly, but Mosaic realized that he really would love it if the other bun was available; he was excited to finally meet a close internet friend. 

~~ 

To be honest, Chester had offered mostly out of politeness rather than thinking he would actually push through with it, but when he thought about it, and also saw how excited Artemis was with his messages, the bun didn’t have the heart to rescind the offer. And it wasn’t like it was going to be a bad thing - hanging out with a friend. This wasn’t like he was being forced into something horrible.

[yeah sure!] he typed, finding himself smiling at the screen, [wait like right now? i mean] okay maybe that was a bit too soon. He needed to prepare himself first. He had never really met up with an internet friend before, even if they lived in the same large city. What would he actually look like? His real name? And how much of him would still be the same?

Would he mind if he brought a Furdin from the Imporium with him when he visited?

[ill check what i have to do today, but maybe i can! i should do work first tho, and we did fill up the bar] he sent a Bearly sticker with a heart, [ill hop off for now, so ill catch you later] his mind continued to buzz with what he could do today. Could he actually go? It was a weekday, but it was work from home today. And there weren’t a lot of tasks lined up; he could probably try to force himself to finish early. And then he could go to the store, and maybe not get a live imp but a stuffed toy. That seemed like a good plan. Oh, this was actually quite exciting, he thought with a grin.

He didn’t think he’d be this interested in meeting someone he had never met before.