Chapter Text
“You’re challenging me to a thumb wrestling match?”
Under normal circumstances, Neil would have laughed at Tigermonkey’s incredulity. However, these circumstances were definitely not normal – okay, well, maybe they were normal for him, since he led a pretty interesting life, but that wasn’t the point.
Somehow, the “Mitch Hutts quality control aka taste-testing party” at the Geek & Sundry offices had resulted in Neil ingesting a rather large amount of alcohol (unsurprising), challenging the one, the only, James ‘Tigermonkey’ Isaacs to a thumb wrestling match (somewhat surprising), and managing to hang on for a full five seconds before being soundly trounced by the reigning champion (quite surprising).
The match was over before it began, really: Neil’s desperate, fumbling attempts at victory were admirable, but in the end Tigermonkey came out on top. Neil wouldn’t have minded it all that much, except for the bet he had made (or, rather, the bet that Becca had made on his behalf).
“Come on, then,” Tigermonkey laughed, grinning from ear to ear, “clothes off, twerking time!”
The rest of the room joined in with loud whoops and cries of encouragement, most noticeably from Becca, Kiri, and Nika, while Amy hid her face and giggled uncontrollably. After just a moment of hesitation, Neil let out a sigh of defeat and did as he was told. The shirt came off first, then the pants, and before you could say “Miley Cyrus” he was doing what he did best. Someone – probably Becca – put on a Beyoncé song, and soon enough half of the group was up and dancing along with him.
When the song ended they all sat down again, laughing and breathless; but when Neil looked over at Tigermonkey, he noticed that the other man wasn’t grinning quite as widely as he had been before the impromptu dance party. He looked kind of distracted, and his cheeks were oddly flushed, but Neil figured it was just the alcohol. Still, he couldn’t help but sneak glances at Tigermonkey every now and then, wondering what could have caused him to look like that.
When the time came to head back to the hotel, Neil found himself stumbling just a bit. Mitch’s drinks were more powerful than they looked; if Neil had been a bit more sober, he’d have made a devastatingly witty geek-related pun, but as it was he had barely managed to put his shirt on properly. In fact, he was having some trouble navigating the shoe-crowded entryway. He was just about to ask Becca for help when Tigermonkey appeared, that strange look hidden by a small smile.
“Do you need help getting back?”
Not trusting his mouth, Neil simply nodded and allowed himself to be led out. The others straggled behind, some helping with the cleanup, some simply chatting. Before Neil could comprehend it he was outside, the cool night breeze ruffling his hair. It was only then that he realized Tigermonkey had wrapped an arm around his, ostensibly to make sure Neil wouldn’t fall over. He was warm, and Neil could sense a hidden sort of strength beneath the light fabric of Tigermonkey’s jacket. It was comforting, and as they walked he found himself leaning against Tigermonkey ever so slightly.
The hotel was farther than Neil remembered; either that, or he was walking much more slowly than usual. His eyelids began to droop a little, and perhaps he leaned a little too heavily on Tigermonkey because the thumb wrestler said softly, “Let’s take a break, yeah? There’s a bench over here.”
Neil was glad for his friend’s gentle movements, and he allowed his own body to be guided onto the bench. Without thinking about it he rested his head on Tigermonkey’s shoulder, a sleepy smile spreading across his face.
“Thanks for helping me,” he mumbled, shifting just a bit to get more comfortable.
Tigermonkey smiled down at him, but he was oddly quiet. It made guilt churn in Neil’s stomach, and he added hastily, “’m sorry if ‘m too much trouble...”
His friend shook his head quickly, cutting him off. It looked as though he was struggling with something internally, which only increased Neil’s anxiety. Then, suddenly, he spoke, his voice barely audible.
“You’re not – you’re not too much trouble.” Tigermonkey smiled again, but it was tight, strained, as if it had been cut off by a multitude of other thoughts.
They were quiet again for a moment, the only sound that of the leaves rustling, their breath coming in soft puffs which appeared like white fog and dissipated within seconds. The clouds of their exhalation mixed together, and it was in that moment that Neil realized just how close their faces were to one another. Warmth blossomed in his cheeks and he blinked once, twice, feeling a palpable tension in the air they were sharing.
“James-?” The name left his lips like a butterfly, tremulous and delicate, carrying with it an unspoken question.
Tigermonkey was still for a long time. Then the light in his eyes changed subtly, as though he had settled on a singular resolution, and without a word he tilted his head down ever so slightly to press his mouth to Neil’s.
It was barely a kiss: their skin brushed together for only a second before Tigermonkey had pulled back, anxiety clouding his face. It was easy to see that he was afraid of overstepping some boundary, of taking advantage of his drunken friend, and for some reason that made Neil break out giggling. He did his best to muffle the sounds by pressing his face against Tigermonkey’s shoulder, but his body was shaking with a mirth he could not stop.
“What – are you laughing at me?” Tigermonkey blinked, looking affronted.
“No – ” Neil looked up, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he grinned. “It’s just – you looked so cute – ”
Tigermonkey’s expression shifted then, and even in the dark Neil could see the pink in his cheeks. “You think I’m cute?”
“Well... yeah, cause you are.” The words left Neil before he had consciously thought of them. He’d never really thought about it before, but reflecting on it now, it seemed to be true enough. He’d always liked the way Tigermonkey smiled: slow, languid, a bit like a three-toed sloth. He only smiled when he was sincerely amused, and Neil liked that about him.
“Well.” The champion cleared his throat quietly, and when he looked at Neil again there was a hint of hope hiding behind his expression. “I – I think you’re cute too, Neil.”
Neil’s response was immediate and instinctive. “That’s cause I am.” He would have thrown in a Z-snap, if his arms weren’t so tired. He could feel Tigermonkey’s soft chuckle more than he could hear it, and it made his own heart feel bigger, somehow.
They were quiet, and then Neil decided to reach up and press a kiss of his own to Tigermonkey’s slightly-stubbled cheek. He had to hold back another laugh when he saw the other man’s eyes widen in response.
“So,” said Neil, reaching out to thread his fingers through Tigermonkey’s, “do you wanna be cute together, maybe?”
Tigermonkey smiled, and though it was slow it was filled with an honest happiness which Neil had rarely seen before. “Yeah.” He squeezed Neil’s hand and nodded slightly. “Yeah, I think I’d like that.”
Then he kissed Neil again, for just a second longer, their breath intermingling in the cool autumn air.