Vengurd

A couple notes.
Firstly, I rarely, if ever, finish writing projects that I start.
Secondly, This is following a man that's on the spectrum, written by someone on the spectrum, albeit, someone able to blend in well enough that most folks wouldn't guess it apparently.
Thirdly, the LitRPG elements will begin to pop up either in the next chapter or the chapter after that.
Fourth, and lastly, I've marked this s a harem book, though to be honest, I may not write any sexy times into it, if that's the case, I will remove that mark to be more honest with readers.

    He was hungry, but all he had in the kitchen was a half package of crackers, a random V8 from his 'I need to get healthy' kick a few months back, and a can of green beans. He sighed as he looked at his tablet, then his computer monitor. He wanted to read or watch something while he prepped food, but he had forgotten to go to the store. Again. He made a face and smacked the side of his head. Stupid. Now it seemed that he would have to go outside. With people. No no no no! He sighed again before he closed the cupboard he had been looking in and moved into the living room. His apartment was probably on the small side, the living room only separated from the kitchen by a counter, his room and the bathroom both connected to the living room by doors on the left, while the front door was to the right, smack in the middle of the wall.

He grabbed his faded, once black, now kind of gray cap and set it on his head as he grabbed his belt and keys from hooks on the wall by the door. He clipped the keys to a belt loop and threaded his belt on, then went for his shoes, and laced them, left shoe with the left lace above the right, and the right shoe with the right lace above the left. He enjoyed the tedium of the task, even if most people that would see him do it found it odd.

Probably because he was odd, with his preference of being alone most times, he was extremely introverted, had social anxiety, was socially awkward, and generally didn't pick up social cues at all. The one upside he to him was that he felt emotions at a distance, or as the shrinks had said, he had 'delayed emotional responses'. Probably more accurate in a technical sense, but to him, his way of thinking was more accurate in a practical sense.

Shoes laced, hat on, phone in pocket with his earbuds in, he patted his other front pocket- Yep, wallet where it should be. He was ready to go. He unlocked the door, stepped out and quickly closed it and took a moment to let his eyes get used to the sunlight. After a few seconds, his eyes were good and he started his trek to the store a mile away. Years ago he would have been lucky to bump into anyone, as he was among the few that choose, or had to, walk instead of driving from place to place. Things changed years ago though, and now more people walked and rode in public transport. Or in the case of the linked, private transport.

Now he had small crowds to contend with, not many, but enough that he had to weave through people either standing or walking. Spending so much time alone could drive people insane if they don't, can't, find a way to amuse themselves, and he had many ways to amuse himself doing absolutely nothing. If one were to focus on any part of the body, particularly a muscle or group of muscles one know existed, one could, through practice, patience, and a dose of idle curiosity, learn to flex or move said muscles. Take that with the knowledge that flesh is actually rather more malleable than most would think, and one could weave through a tightly packed crowd without touching a soul, despite being just a hair over six feet and just over two hundred pounds. His body was built like that of a football player. His bone archetype anyway. He was rather quite lazy and knew that he had squandered some great physical potential but... he was too lazy to bother doing anything about that, even when in one of his 'I need to be healthy' kicks. No drive.

That didn't bother him, nor that the change years ago also changed the laws - after a certain point his parents had been forced to let him go and be independent when he really shouldn't have been. Not that he had any desire one way or the other, and not that his parents didn't still try to help him where they could, though even they admitted that he really did well at being a recluse.

He blinked as he arrived at the store, his idle thoughts carrying him through his mile long journey. Now the part of getting food. He grabbed a cart and entered the aisles as he marshaled his thoughts for the task at hand - getting what he wanted while avoiding people, even if it meant revisiting an aisle at another time. Sugar. Oh, cheese. Low on coffee Cheese, mustard, mayonaise, corn dogs! He grabbed chips, contemplated if he really wanted juice, set a gallon of milk in the cart and generally explored the whole store for very little return. He knew he wasn't the best at shopping, but he thought he was doing pretty well, even if he wasn't aware he'd have to be back within the next week or two for more food.

Done with his shopping, he bypassed the lines of people waiting for the cashiers to finish checking out the people in front of them and took his time going through the self check out. Much like him, the machines were temperamental, finicky, and completely unaware of people's frustrations. He liked the tedium of the task of holding his items in front of the machine and giving it a bit of a wiggle before the machine beeped, then he set it down on the placement tray and going to the next item unless the machine complained about some unexpected weight at which point he would move an item to the cart and the machine would let him continue with his task. Tedious and predictable.

He made his way out after he dealt with the machine and the trek home was uneventful, though he did have to make noise and steadily push forward whenever there was a crowd, thankfully as small and few as before, as he had several grocery bags to contend with. At the apartment, he eyed the way to his door, making sure there wasn't anyone in the way. He disliked small talk nearly as much as he disliked people. He didn't see anyone so he went to his door, thankful this was a low density complex with no third or second story apartments to worry about.

He had just gotten to his door and inserted the key to unlock it when he heard a commotion off to the side. He finished unlocking his door and moved inside, unsure of what to do as he rushed over to set his groceries on the kitchen counter, turning back to the door with the intention of at least peaking outside to see what was what. He did have his trusty axe handle nearby as an effective club. He wasn't prepared for the two shapes slipping into his still open door and pushing it closed with a soft click, followed by the sound of the deadbolt sliding into place.

He was stunned. Who would come into his apartment? Who would lock his door? WHY!? He mentally screamed. He didn't know what to do and he could feel that tingly feeling of adrenaline rushing through his body at the unexpectedness of it all as he reached into his bag of groceries and pulled out and swung a... banana in the general direction of the front door.  "Whoa there, link with us, they can't have us if we're with you!"

"I-wha, okay h-" He blinked as he felt distinctly not him blossom into his consciousness. Oh. That's what it feels like? It was like his thoughts were drifting in a cloud. He felt giddy from the new links forming, his first ever, and he felt the bundles of thoughts and emotions at the end of the links, though he knew he couldn't read their minds or they his, he felt the certain intuition of what they were likely thinking through the link. Oh. Oh it had been women that dashed into his apartment to hide.

He wasn't sure how he felt about all this.

He felt the end of one link poke at his end and a gasp from one of the women. "He's broken! We fucking linked with a broken!" Harsh, but also true, and he didn't deny it, nor did he really care. One of the laws was they HE couldn't try to initiate links, nor look for them, by pain of death. The laws didn't forbid others initiating links with him, not that he had any intention of tricking anyone. He didn't like people to begin with.

"Shit. Shut up Gab, it was either him or some one outside. It doesn't seem like the link itself is broken. Is it?" This last was directed at him from the other woman. He blinked, adrenaline already draining from his system, his anxiety still cranked way up. He dropped his axe handle against the wall where he had originally left it and shrugged at the women. "dunno. Nor care. We seem fine." He calmed, unhurriedly walked to his kitchen, set the banana he had forgotten in his other hand on the counter and focused on a task of tedium - putting his meager groceries away, ignoring the fact that the two women that had gaped at him at his response had begun to whisper furiously to each other.

The only light on in the apartment was the kitchen light, which he had left on when he had left, so he couldn't make out much about either women other than that one was tall and appeared to be the athletic type while the other was of average height and seemed...just as healthy if not as athletic. Unfortunately, with what little he had gotten at the store, he was too quickly finished with his task and he had nothing to do now... So he busied himself with filling one of his few cups with water and taking his time to drink it, and refill it twice. He felt better immediately.

He turned toward the women whom had quieted down and had walked into the light, eying his cup of water. He didn't feel better anymore, but he got the hint, from the bundles, not the looks, that the women were thirsty, so he busied himself with fumbling two of his three remaining cups out of the cupboard and filling them with water before he set them on the counter wordlessly. All the while he had looked without looking. Both had short brown hair, though the tall athletic one wore her hair in a ponytail and the shorter one left hers down to brush past her shoulders. Both were cute in the healthy sort of way and shaped well. In short, if he were interested in sex as more than a curiosity, they'd both be prime examples of healthy young women. Fortunately, in his mind, he wasn't interested in more than an analytical curiosity, and neither of them were impressed with him - he was lazy and overweight after all.

They seemed to pick up on the direction of his thoughts, if not the actual thoughts themselves and they exchanged curious looks. Taking advantage of their distraction, he slipped by them and grabbed his tablet from the table on his way to his computer where he promptly sat down in one smooth motion. He had moved so silently and quickly that apparently neither woman noticed he had moved until they had looked back at where he was as they each reached for their water. Several seconds later both turned around to find him seated in the most comfortable seat in the apartment, with only a hard plastic chair and a stool to sit in. He was poor and what little he earned fed his hobbies, not the idea that he would entertain guests. Why spend money on that sort of thing?

Now he wasn't so sure as he sat in his chair, watching the two women watch him. "Damn, Jess, he must have flown right by us." The shorter of the two said, the one that called him broken. She winced slightly, picking up that thought even though he felt no real anger- just a distant twinge of frustration. "I uh, sorry. I didn't mean it, it was just so surprising. I'm Gabriel," the shorter woman, Gabriel it seems, apologized and introduced herself.

"I'm Jessica, what's your name?" He blinked slowly at the taller, athletic woman, Jessica. Oh His name. "Drake." He replied simply and sat there watching the two women. They shared a look. It spoke volumes and he didn't know to listen.

"Okay, Drake. We're linked to you now. Don't you have any other links? Why can we even link with you in the first place?" Jessica asked. Drake shrugged in response. "Don't have any. You're my first and the law only says I can't initiate the links, nor seek to get others to link. Has to be all you to do it or I'd be dead right now," Drake spoke matter of factly, as if he were merely commenting on how long it took to watch grass grow. Not that he watched grass grow or water boiling. Totally didn't do either.

Though he may not have cared, by their reactions, and the bundles in his mind, they did care. In that moment as the shorter one gasp at his matter of fact tone about how he could day in one way, and the taller one tried unsuccessfully to stop her brows from climbing her forehead, he felt the crushing weight of his loneliness stir, as if responding to the feelings of...something from the women. Care? Either way, he welcomed his feeling, mentally cuddling into it.

Drake opened eyes he didn't know he had closed when he heard a sniffle. He couldn't tell with woman it was, but he could actually tell that his loneliness bothered them on some deep level. He didn't care, though his sense of loneliness slunk away, as if satisfied with it's work.

"Why?"

The women looks at Drake oddly. "Why what?" Jessica asked, rubbing one muscular arm with her other - she really was athletic, well muscled and toned well, yet still feminine. "Why me." Drake clarified.

"Because you're the only real option right now. Were. We're committed now. We're of age to be set loose and we're friends. We'd been planning on looking for someone to link us both together but all the potentials wanted one or the other, not both, and when we wouldn't take that kind of deal... well, we became hunted." Gabriel explained.

Drake's breath hitched as he thought on that. Even as emotionally distant as he was, he didn't care for that practice - hunting unlinked women was such a stupid, asinine...retarded even in comparison to him practice that he felt a flicker of actual anger. It was so wasteful. The links and the laws of nature in relation to them were so against unconsenting linkage that any attempt at a forced link often lead to a very damaged and volatile link. Where usually the will of the woman would over time bend to the will of the man, still retaining independent thought, a forced link would pit the woman's will against that of the man's, and any other will that had been fully bent to his. It often lead to dead links that were considered lesser or weaker.

It was also why anyone on the spectrum was considered broken. For the links to work as likely intended, the brains of the participants had to be healthy, even traumatized individuals, victims of the most heinous of crimes, so long as not broken in the sense of sanity, could still form functional, healthy links. People like Drake, it was almost anathema to link with, though it wasn't unheard of either. Linking with Drake could lead to some seriously terrifying consequences in the future, and though the laws seemed to wish to protect all and only allow consenting connections, due to his mental health, Drake's link status was locked perpetually into the 'open for links' state, meaning that he didn't have to initiate on his end to link because his brain didn't link with others. His brain received links. Accepted them.

How he had managed not to be linked to anyone was simpler than anyone would probably think - his natural tendency to avoid others, his lack of friends, and his distance, by law, from family, separated him from anyone willing, or stupid enough, to link with him. Drake was confident that, had either woman had known what they were getting into, they would have slipped right back out of his apartment and would still have been hunted, and he'd have been none the wiser. Unfortunately for all involved, he had given verbal consent, and the women had sent the link his way. By law, it was legal, and he could feel the law, even now, investigating. Fortunately for him and anyone else on the spectrum, the law seemed to be a benevolent thing, somehow giving them knowledge of what would happen if they should ever link.

Unfortunately for him, the laws had given him very little bits of information regarding his links. So little in fact, that he only knew that anyone that did link with him would be fine. They just had to deal with his idiosyncrasies and he had to deal with people. Ugh. "Well. You're not hunted now. Do whatever, they should leave you alone now. The Laws will settle that," Drake spoke finally.