MichaelChase

Luna Nakahara is used to playing games—on-screen and off. Sharp-tongued, reckless, and always toeing the line with her best friend Kai, their unspoken tension lingers like a loaded save file waiting to crash.

But when a chance encounter pulls her into the orbit of someone unexpected, the lines between control and surrender start to blur. Some connections are wired deeper than others, and this time, Luna might not be the one holding the controller.

Wireless: Glitches Between Us

The morning light was aggressive. Luna groaned, burying her face in her pillow as her phone buzzed incessantly on the nightstand. She reached for it, squinting at the screen. 112 New Notifications.

"What the actual hell…" She opened Twitter, her stomach dropping as she saw the trending hashtag: #LunaExposed.

The video was everywhere. Her, stumbling out of the gallery, face streaked with "tears" (courtesy of Violet's editing skills). The caption was brutal: "When the 'Glitch Goddess' gets ghosted… 🥺"

"Oh, you bitch," Luna muttered, her fingers flying across the screen as she drafted a clapback tweet.

Before she could hit send, her phone rang. Unknown number.

"Ms. Nakahara?" A woman's voice, crisp and professional. "This is Marissa Cole, Elias Blackthorn's assistant at RedLab."

Luna sat up, her headache momentarily forgotten. "Uh… hi?"

"We've seen the trending video, and while it's… unfortunate, we believe it's a prime opportunity to pivot."

"Pivot?" Luna echoed, her voice flat. "I'm getting dragged through the mud, and you're talking about pivoting?"

"Precisely." Marissa's tone didn't waver. "RedLab is hosting a gamer con next month. All our collab influencers will be there, including you. It's the perfect platform to reclaim your narrative."

"Yes. Think panels, meet-and-greets, and exclusive previews of our VR headset. You'll be front and center."

There was a pause, and Luna could almost hear the smirk in Marissa's voice. "He'll be there. But don't worry—he doesn't bite. Much."

Luna snorted. "Doubtful. But fine. I'm in."

"Excellent. I'll email the details."

The call ended, and Luna flopped back onto the bed, her mind racing. A gamer con. Elias. And, oh yeah, the entire internet thinking she was a heartbroken mess.

Kai stood in the kitchen, his coffee untouched as he scrolled through the #LunaExposed hashtag. His chest tightened with every comment, every meme, every cruel joke.

"You're up early," Luna said, padding into the room. She was wearing one of his hoodies, her hair a tangled mess.

He didn't look up. "Couldn't sleep."

"Same." She grabbed a banana from the counter, peeling it slowly. "So… about last night."

His grip on his phone tightened. "What about it?"

He finally met her gaze, his expression unreadable. "We were drunk, Luna. It didn't mean anything."

The words hung between them, sharp and final.

She forced a laugh, tossing the banana peel into the trash. "Right. Of course. Just another Tuesday."

He wanted to say more, to take it back, but the fear of losing her—of ruining what they had—kept him silent.

Elias sat in his office, Marissa's call on speaker as she debriefed him.

"She's in," Marissa said, her tone triumphant. "And she didn't even ask for more money."

"Surprising," Elias muttered, scrolling through the #LunaExposed hashtag. The video was… unfortunate, but the comments were worse.

"She's resilient," Marissa added. "And if anyone can turn this around, it's her."

"Or she'll implode and take RedLab with her."

Marissa laughed. "Always the optimist."

Elias leaned back in his chair, his gaze lingering on a photo of Luna from her last stream. She was laughing, her eyes bright, her energy infectious.

"Keep me updated," he said, ending the call.

Luna's phone buzzed with a text from Kai:

She stared at the screen, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. Finally, she typed:

Luna: Peachy. Heading to the studio to stream. Don't wait up.

Chapter 5: Patch Notes