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Craig can't remember when the idea for his game shop even first bubbled up in his game obsessed head. All he knows was that where most kids in the summer had lemonade stands to maybe get that new toy, he was running around doing odd jobs from six in the morning till his mother called him in for dinner. Or till somebody said his mother called for him to go home for dinner. He'd only been eight and he told everyone who would listen he was saving for his own shop.
Opening this place when he was barely out of High School was the best day. He leans over the desk looking at the set op on the raised part of the floor. Two third of his shop is dedicated to tables to play the games on he has in his shop.
He smiles when his favorite group of players come in. He's seen the group grow from it being only the Nikiforov boy, who's grandparents own the large mansion up the hill, and the Giacometti kid, who's father works in the local Hotel over the summer, to it being a group of over twenty people if everyone is present. Today it's only a small group moving to their favorite spot.
"Craig, you wouldn't happen to have WizardCharm lying about somewhere." Victor smiles to Yuuri before he looks back at Craig. "We have the feeling to be nostalgic today."
Craig laughs, he can imagine they are. He ducks under his desk and takes out the small box with the card game he knew they would ask for. He looks at the faded cover and smiles, remembering the day he took it out of the foil to hand it to Victor all those years ago.
It had been a day like all others. He had his shop for about three years at that moment, and had gotten used to it being the place to be on those days going to the beach was the last place you wanted to go to in the summer. So seeing two little kids come into the shop, clearly too young to be allowed out without supervision, he expected to see a parent or older sibling coming up with them.
When the oldest of the two had asked if it was true you could play games in the shop, they had gotten a deep blush over them. Craig quickly saw that the younger one was the one comforting the older one. He remembers asking for their names and ages and was thoroughly surprised to find out that Yuuri was already twelve. He would normally play with his own friends at home but he was spending the summer with his uncle, and the younger boy was called Phichit was nine and was staying in the house next to theirs.
Craig looked up and had seen two of his summer regulars playing some board game and an idea hit him there and then, not knowing what it would end up with.
"Nikiforov, Giacometti! Can you two show these kids how things work here? Sometimes I think you lot know better how the game section work than me. Plus I got some new shipment I need to check."
Victor had looked up to accept, but somehow his eyes had met Yuuri's and he had gotten the biggest grin on his face. "Sure Craig. We'll break these darlings into the sinful world of gaming." The sixteen had walked up to the desk and introduced himself. Craig had seen Yuuri taken a shine to the older boy, but he knew Victor well enough to know he would never abuse the situation.
He had taken out the WizardCharm card game one they had settled at the couch debating what would be the best game for them to play. Seeing as it would have to be fun for both Victor as Phichit. The image on the cover looked really sweet, but he knew it was a fun game. He had pulled of the protective foil, walked up to the group, and placed it on the table between them.
"Why not try this new game I just got it. It boast to be for all ages, so I bet it's just what you guys will like. And as first players you guys can tell me if I did right by ordering a whole box, or if I got a dud."
They all laugh about it, but when he looks in their direction for the next few hours they are still playing it. Turns out Yuuri was a bit competitive. So when his sister walked in telling him it was time to go back, he tells her that he was not leaving till he won one more round. He and Phichit had indeed left after that, only to return the next day, and the day thereafter. Always playing with Victor and Chris.
Once summer ended Yuuri had spend his summer savings to buy a copy of the game so that he could play it at home. By then he had learned that spending the summer away was something special. Craig had not expected to see the kid again.
So when the summer the next year had come he had been a bit surprised to see the two of them walking back in. Soon the four of them had slipped in the same routine, somewhere during summer they had gotten the towns Mayor's kid to play along. He was older, technically already an adult but he was a calm young man that Craig actually liked.
Over the years the group kept growing every time one of them made a new friend. Some dynamics changed, especially when Craig had walked into Chris and Masumi kissing behind one of the cabinets when Chris was barely eighteen. Turned out they had liked each other for years but never acted on it because of Chris' age. It turned out great as tehy were still together.
Victor and Yuuri though. Everyone had known of Yuuri's infatuation, everyone but Victor, the kid made it clear with everything he said. Craig was blown clear out of the water when one summer Yuuri had walked in with a girl he introduced as his girlfriend. The girl is the only one that didn't last in the group, but she was the first of may people Yuuri dated. Victor dated a few people over the summers as well. With that Craig had decided that they were simply friends.
Then came the summer Yuuri didn't show up. Phichit had brought his own boyfriend with him, and his new camera. The camera was soon replaced by a better model, the boyfriend was still there. Phichit had made dozens of photo's to send to Yuuri who was helping his parents and finishing something for college. Phichit got teased a bit about going of to college the next year as well, at which he surprised them by telling them he was already attending. He and Yuuri were even roommates at their dorm.
Craig looks at the group again. When Yuuri and Victor had entered holding hands last year he had been the first to look up at it. Turned out they had bumped into each other on a trip over winter holiday, different setting had finally make them realize they liked each other. Although Victor had to do some work apparently. Mari ended up telling him he had dropped by at their parents place in the middle of the night, out of nowhere to proclaim his love for Yuuri.
He saw the group grow up from kids to young men, all sharing the love for games, he can't help but smile when he walks over to the table. He place the game on the table.
"Twelve years ago there was a group of kids that declared this their favorite game of the summer. And look at you lot now." He grins at Victor and Yuuri. "Congratulations on getting married. Enjoy the honeymoon."
Craig moves back to his desk seeing two young girls eyeing a certain game he is certain they might enjoy. Knowing they will need an extra player he calls one of his regulars over, the baker's kid knows the game and he can easily explain it. Seeing the look one of the girls give the boy he wonders if that is going to be another happy story.