Inpu poured over the most recent book he stole borrowed was given from Bryan's library. An early history of Greece and the influence of the gods on the cities told through the lenses of a fictional patron of Aphrodite. It was an interesting way to learn more about the story of his boyfriend's godly family in a way his mother and him saw it.

A way to help him better understand Bryan. That was what he desperately needed, now more than ever.

He flipped a page to finish the chapter and paused to rub his strained eyes. Sleep begged him to take it in, but every time he closed his eyes, nightmares took the opportunity to invade. Memories of Bryan on the pyramid's floor, fragmented but vivid images of Magnus being the one without an arm, even horrid anxiety over Solis and his newly found and soon coming journey.

Something dropped in his lap and he nearly lost his grip on the book. The...Switch was it? The object meant to play games had catchy and high twinkling music playing out of it. He gingerly picked it up as Bryan sat down next to him, grinning widely.

"Break time, babe. I know you love reading but you've been staring at small tiny letters all day; your eyes are starting to glaze over."

Inpu chuckled and momentarily set down the Switch to dog-ear his place in the book. "Normally they wouldn't but I guess being so sleep deprived is starting to have an impact on my reading. But what's this for?" He gestured to the...device (?) in his hand.

"Weeeell you said you wanted to learn about this world and I figured this game would be the best at helping you do that!" Bryan pressed a button on the side of the screen and it changed to a quaint picture of a hillside by a lake with pyramids in the background.

Inpu read the large title splashed across the scene. "Scribble..nah- no- how do you say that?"

"Scribblenauts. It's a creative game that sometimes younger kids use to learn vocabulary but there's also puzzles. It's really fun! Here." Bryan pressed another button and flicked a stick, changing the screen to a map with pop-ups all over the place. "And it's not like most games where it's time-based, so playing with one hand should be easy."

"Wow, that's really thoughtful Bryan. What do I do? How do I start?"

"Move this right here," Bryan moved the stick again and one of the pop-ups highlighted. "It's called a joycon. It lets you pick a place to travel to."

"Oh that's so interesting!" Inpu exclaimed, testing the joycon for himself and smiling giddily when it worked. "Is there an objective?"

"You help people around the world by creating basically anything and get these things called starites to save your sister from becoming a rock statue."

"...Is the main character a demigod? This seems like a demigod scenario."

Bryan giggled. "Not a demigod as far as I know, just a magic notebook."

"Well, where should I go?"

"Hmm, how about somewhere familiar?" He pointed to a desert looking place next to an ice mountain. "Camelcase Oasis."

Inpu navigated over to the oasis and watched in awe as the screen changed again to a desert with colorful people and items everywhere. Bryan showed him how to use the supposed magical notebook and let him explore, taking a seat back but not moving away from him.

Inpu hesitantly moved the joycon again and the screen moved across to showcase more of the desert as well as the promised oasis. It was a bit awkward, having to reach across the Switch to use the right joycon but at least he could be patient with it like Bryan said. "Wait is that...a penguin? In the desert?"

Bryan covered his mouth to muffle his giggles while Inpu moved Maxwell over to the poor bird. "'He's homesick', well of course he is! Why is he here and why isn't he burning up?!"

"You'll have to fix that."

Right, that was the point of the game. Inpu opened the notebook and thought for a minute before creating ice. He shivered involuntarily as he placed it but felt an odd sense of accomplishment when a pleasant sound played and snow appeared for the penguin.

He roamed about the 'level' as Bryan called it until he found a lone barrel. Curious, he clicked on it. "'This toy barrel needs to be filled with something'. Why is it a toy barrel? Do I just put some food in it?"

Bryan shrugged and smiled playfully. "Try it and see."

Inpu put baklava and hummus but the barrel merely accepted the offerings and did nothing. He twisted his mouth. What else would you put in a barrel if not food?

"Need help?"

Inpu's face turned red and he brought the screen closer to his face in a poor attempt to make him think clearer. He didn't want to fail at this right in front of Bryan! He could figure this out surely. How hard could it be to find whatever it wanted him to put into a barrel in Egypt?

Many embarrassing failures later, including simply water, sugar, and body parts, first try being an arm, and Inpu finally groaned and dropped his head back against the couch. "Bryaaaan."

"Yes, babe?"

"Please help."

Bryan hummed thoughtfully, in a tone that clearly meant he knew what the right answer was but was enjoying watching his boyfriend pout. "What about animals?"

"Animals?" Inpu asked incredulously. "Besides snakes, what poor animal would you put in a barrel?" Nevertheless, he tried snakes and upon that not working, threw random animals in until he tossed a monkey and a pop-up saying 'A Barrel of Monkeys' interrupted his frenzy.

"Monkeys? Monkeys?"

Bryan giggled and his confusion and annoyance drained away. "There's a game in the mortal world called that. You pick up a plastic monkey and try to pick them all up in a chain."

"But where does the barrel come in?"

"The barrel is just to hold them when you're not playing."

"I think I would find that more interesting if I wasn't so relieved at finally getting that starite right." Just move on, Inpu. Store that information away and move on to save what pride is left. He sighed and went back to the beginning of the level.

A man sat underneath a tarp with snakes circling around him. Reminded him of the fight Solis had gotten himself into before they were brought to camp. WIth that sense of familiarity, he made his little character approach the man.

"Snake charmer, huh? That's the easiest one here." He created what looked like a clarinet with a lot less confusingly placed keys and gave it to the man surrounded by snakes. The joyful sound played and the snakes began to merrily dance around him.

Bryan leaned closer to the screen, and by proximity Inpu, and he had to resist the urge to tackle him in a hug. "What kind of instrument is that?"

"It's called a pungi. Well, it's called a 'flute' in this but I'm going to pretend it's a pungi anyway. I actually remember Solis loved listening to them being played when he was younger. Still does sometimes, says they remind him of his dad somehow."

Bryan laughed and laid his head on Inpu's armless shoulder. "You'll have to tell me about your childhood sometime. I'd like to hear more about you, Magnus, and Solis."

Inpu's heart nearly went into cardiac arrest. A permanent smile now taking up residence on his face, he turned to the game and paused a moment, trying to remember the right buttons. "How about I go somewhere closer to you?" He pressed the button and returned to the map. "Which place is like where you're from? Like, where you grew up?"

"Hmm, I guess that would be....oh! Anaphora Falls!" Bryan moved over to a mountainous area with a waterfall cascading through the middle. The map changed to the level and Inpu gaped at the fictitious land. Beautiful greenery with deep, cooling water in front of a smooth rock backdrop.

Inpu couldn't wait to one day visit Bryan's homeland. Wherever that might be.

He heard Bryan giggle next to him and looked away to hide the growing blush on his face. "Heh, sorry I guess I got distracted."

"It's okay, you look cute when you're distracted. Easier for me to do this." He quickly leaned forward to kiss Inpu's cheek and fell sideways against the couch, smiling and warming Inpu's chest.

"Oh! Uhh, heh, that's good to know! Haaa...," Inpu sputtered. His mouth floundered open and he forced himself to focus on the game, moving sporadically to the first character in need he saw. "So! What kind of fish are those?"

"Click on them and find out!"

If he wasn't sitting down, Inpu knew his tail would be wagging. "Piranhas? Oh and they're vegetarian just like you!"

"...Maybe this game isn't an exact representation of my world, but yeah! In this, they are kind of like me in that aspect."

"Not nearly as adorable though." Inpu grinned and created salad to throw at the razor sharp-teethed plant eaters. They happily gobbled it up and he took the chance to swim across the water. He came across a small island where a boat was shipwrecked on a large boulder.

A man was standing next to it on land, a sleeping woman right by his side. "'Please reunite me with my love'. I guess this is your area of expertise."

Bryan nodded into his shoulder. "And yours considering the state their love is in."

"What do you mean? She's-" Inputs squinted at the screen then recoiled. "She's dead? Do I need like, this game's version of a Book of the Dead to revive her? Do I kill the husband? I don't know what to do!"

"I think you can do either of those. Most people I think kill the husband so at least they're reunited in death."

Inpu paused, taking in his words. For a worryingly long time. Bryan set his hand on his shoulder and opened his mouth to ask if he was okay when he suddenly opened the editor and added 'living' to the bride.

"There," Inpu whispered, "now they can live together forever. Death be damned." He kissed the top of Bryan's head and set the Switch aside to take a much needed nap with his boyfriend.