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arcade games suck ass.
that was the only thought running through lu guang’s mind as he watched cheng xiaoshi’s depressingly futile efforts to latch onto a - rather deformed looking - white cat plush. they must’ve been standing there for at least fifteen minutes now, stuck in a repetitive cycle of inserting the money and positioning the claw of the machine perfectly over the aforementioned plush, only for it to slip out of the claw’s grasp.
it was quite the sadistic cat, lu guang thought, smiling up at the two boys all cutesy-like as it constantly evaded their clutches, as if enjoying their suffering.
but if it wasn’t for cheng xiaoshi, lu guang would have left that devil-cat alone with all the other devil-prizes. after all, it was their money that was being wasted, and he wasn’t about to let them go broke over a rigged arcade machine. but of course, cheng xiaoshi was adamant on staying there until he’d won!
“no, no, just - just one more try, guang-guang, please! it’s gonna come out this time - pspspsp, come on, kitty, come on~!!”
at this point, cheng xiaoshi wasn’t even making eye contact with him anymore, his focus solely fixated on winning that stupid cat. lu guang wasn’t even sure why he wanted it so much. he never was the type to be so obsessed with cute things like plushies - on the occasion that they did go to arcades, it was only ever to play the more retro-type games that brought them nostalgia. but he wasn’t giving up on devil-cat.
lu guang let out a sigh, a small smile tugging on the corners of his mouth. maybe they would go broke, but at least cheng xiaoshi was endearing enough to make up for it. besides, they could just beg qiao ling for some extra change... no harm done, right?
“...one more try? you’ve been saying that for twenty minutes now,” he said with mock frustration, “why do you want that cat so badly?”
after this comment was silence. there was no response from cheng xiaoshi, at least not immediately. “it’s cute! do i need a reason other than it’s cute? that’s the deal with all plushies, right? you want them because they’re cute and they make you happy.”
still no eye contact. in fact, it looked like he’d completely shrunken in on himself, as if to block out lu guang completely. yeah, there was definitely some sort of ulterior motive to wanting devil-cat so desperately. but he decided not to probe any further - it would be some stupid reason anyways, knowing cheng xiaoshi.
the all-too-familiar buzzing and whirring of the claw as it moved filled lu guang’s ears for the god-knows-how-many time, along with the frustrated grunts from cheng xiaoshi. the effort was futile, lu guang thought, another win for devil-cat and another loss for them! of course, it would just fall again, and then cheng xiaoshi would cry, and then—
“I GOT IT!! thank you so much arcade claw machine, omigod, lu guang look, i got the cat!!”
oh. so it really was the last time they’d use the machine, huh? what a surprise. cheng xiaoshi’s expression was nothing short of pure joy as he held devil-cat up to his face, running a finger along the soft white back of the plush. and honestly, lu guang couldn’t stop himself from smiling either.
“guess the machine worked in your favour finally, huh? you gonna name it? it’s yours now. treat it like a real pet.”
“about that!! actually, guang-guang, this was for you,” all of a sudden, cheng xiaoshi’s face flushed a deep pink, a nervous laugh bubbling up and out his throat, “y’know, it just reminded me of you. it’s got white fur, you’ve got white hair! and you act like a cat. seriously, the resemblance is uncanny!”
ah. so that was his ulterior motive? ...kinda cute. of course, lu guang tried to ignore the swelling of his heart in his chest, or the way he could feel the blood rushing to the tips of his ears, and with a tilt of his head, simply smiled.
“that’s why you were so adamant on getting it? that’s... so stupid. i look like this cat? that’s dumb.”
cheng xiaoshi gasped, placing his free hand over his heart in mock devastation. “you wound me, guang-guang. i had enough kindness in my heart to get this for you and this is how you thank me? maybe i should just put it back in the machine. say bye-bye, kitty!”
“i don’t think so,” lu guang leaned forward, snatching the plushie out of cheng xiaoshi’s hand and holding it as if it were a baby, “it’s my present, it would be rude to not accept a present... besides, it’s cute. ish.”
“am i cuter then?”
“no. stop talking, you’ve had your moment.”
“...you really do wound me sometimes.”
the two boys laughed, a genuine laughter that filled the air and kept lu guang smiling long after the moment had passed. maybe the devil-cat wasn’t so hellish after all. and if he looked close enough, he could start to see the resemblance between them both.
and maybe arcade games weren’t so bad after all.
they’d have to come and play together more often.