˗ˏˋ ★ˎˊ˗

“Y0, br0!”

Infected beamed at you, his glitchy, digitized voice buzzing with excitement. He had no idea why you always looked so grumpy when he was around, but, as usual, he just shook it off.

“H0w 4r3 y0u?? 1’v3 b33n l00k1ng f0r y0u! H4h4…” He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck in an awkward attempt to break the tension.

You, however, were exhausted. So, so very tired of him.

His constant chatter. His overly cheerful attitude. That strange, broken way of speaking that made every sentence feel like a decoding puzzle.

It was never-ending.

You clenched your jaw and tried—tried—to ignore him, to block out his glitchy, excited rambling. But Infected wasn’t one to be ignored.

“Y0! H3y!” He suddenly grabbed your arm, shaking it like a glitching NPC. “4r3 y0u l1st3n1ng?? T0 m3? H3ll0??”

You refused to turn.

His face flickered slightly, displaying an exaggerated 3: expression. “Y0u 4r3n’t l1st3n1ng…” he pouted, still tugging at your sleeve, desperate to pull your attention back to him.

As if you could ever escape it.