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"...So what are we supposed to do here?" Chishiya asks, glancing warily at the machines surrounding them.
He's never had time for meaningless pastimes such as visiting arcades. After all, he is fully convinced they're all money-grubbing scams.
But when Arisu begged him to accompany him to visit one, who was he to decline? There's always this glimmer in his boyfriend's eyes whenever he wants something. A glimmer that somehow makes it impossible to turn him down. Chishiya wonders if Arisu is aware of this gift of his.
"You're seriously confused?" Arisu exclaims, with a disbelieving smile on his face. Chishiya shrugs, because, well, he is. Arisu must sense his seriousness, because he's scoffing with an incredulous shake of his head.
"We do whatever we want to. Like, for example…” Arisu trails off, before dragging Chishiya to some sort of fighting game machine. Its speakers are booming with epic music and sounds of combat, and its screens are flashing repetitive gameplay, luring passersby to insert their money. “Surely you’ve heard of Street Fighter? Come on, you’ve gotta try it!”
In all honesty, Chishiya knows nothing about the franchise, aside from the fact that you get to play as big bulky men and beat up your opponent. But he figures, if Arisu is so eager to play alongside him, then it must be worth the try.
“Sure,” Chishiya mumbles, standing by as Arisu inserts some coins into the slots. As soon as he does so, the machine whirrs to life, loading up their game. Arisu’s fingers dance across each button at every pop-up - he's evidently experienced with how everything works. Meanwhile, Chishiya is still struggling to figure out which button to press to choose his character. “...Umm.”
When Arisu notices, he visibly struggles to stifle a chortle. “Come on, Chishiyaaa.... You’ve never used these machines before?” Chishiya stays silent. He’s not embarrassed, because why should he be? If anything, he’s just perplexed at how anyone could get accustomed to working with these janky controls. They’re worlds apart from the typical machinery he’d use in a hospital.
Arisu leans over, wrapping his fingers around Chishiya’s own, and guiding them to the correct buttons. “Use the joystick to change your selection, then press this big red one to actually select a character. Okay?” After Chishiya nods slowly, Arisu returns to his original position with a slight chuckle.
To be honest, Chishiya has no idea what Arisu just said. The warm sensation of his hands around his own sent his mind short circuiting. Those intricate words entered one ear and out the other. That pretty voice had him hypnotised with each and every syllable. God, he’s too in love with this man.
Somehow, Chishiya manages to learn the controls on his own, and he ends up deciding on the man named ‘Ken’, only because he’s the second option on his screen. At this, Arisu giggles. “Hey, Chishiya. Doesn’t he look a little like you?”
This profound statement wounds him. “As if!” he retorts, but Arisu continues cackling anyway.
Then the screen shifts to a new scene. Their chosen characters are facing each other, braced for combat. Then there’s a countdown, and before Chishiya knows it, Arisu’s character is lurching forward, dealing severe blows to his own. Everything is a blur - Chishiya can’t even keep up with the intricate combos and precise jabs that Arisu is somehow managing to perform. He’s pretty sure his health bar runs out not even a minute in.
Chishiya gazes upon his fallen character, as it lies (presumably) dead on the ground. He has lost. Though, he can’t find the willpower within to care. Especially because the melodic sound of Arisu’s celebratory laugh flows its way into his ears. His hypnotic laugh, that sounds like the rays of sun, and the tranquil wind. If anything, this only encourages Chishiya to lose a little more. Arisu’s laugh is a drug that you couldn’t find in any medicinal cabinet.
But he zones back in once he’s been forced into another round. Chishiya slams at the random multi-coloured buttons before him, hoping that he could miraculously catch Arisu off guard and gain an advantage. His strategy proves to be futile, because Arisu counters this spam attack with a skillful dodge and yet another detailed attack combo, hurling Chishiya’s character to the ground once more.
“Hah,” Arisu laughs, and when Chishiya turns to look at him, there’s this breath-taking grin on his face. Has he always looked this radiant? “You were playing like Karube, just now!”
“Oh, was I?” Chishiya can’t help the small smile that creeps onto his face.
“Yeah. That’s why I know exactly what to do against those attacks. You gotta think about what buttons you’re pressing and why. That’s the only way you’ll win, you know!” Arisu rambles on and on. He’s got more enthusiasm than all of Chishiya’s university professors combined. He's forgotten how obsessed Arisu is with these types of things, but he isn't complaining. Not one bit. It's endearing.
The final round starts with a buzz, and this time, Chishiya’s more willing to think things through. Whenever Arisu lunges forward with a piercing attack, Chishiya defends himself, before landing a kick on the other character. Then he leaps into the air, dealing an aerial attack, and Arisu doesn’t have enough time to block it. “No!” he cries out, and before long, Chishiya realises that Arisu’s health bar is all red. Arisu has lost.
Then, that means… He won? Oh, he won!
“Yes!” Chishiya grins to himself, slamming a hand against the buttons, succumbing to his pride. It takes a moment for him to notice Arisu’s silence. When Chishiya looks over at him, he’s staring so intently into his eyes, with a peaceful expression gracing his features. This only bamboozles Chishiya. “Why are you looking at me like that?” he interrogates, but he finds that his own smile has yet to fade.
“Your smile is so cute, Chishiya,” Arisu breathes, eyes still burning into his own, and Chishiya has to break eye contact first, with a cough. He can feel his cheeks tingle with redness, and he hopes it doesn’t appear too obvious.
“Let’s go find something else to do, yeah?” Arisu suggests, and Chishiya nods. So far, this arcade trip has actually been okay. Winning feels good, but watching Arisu have fun is even better.
“Chishiya, are you hungry? I think I want to snack on something for a while,” Arisu says, as his gaze flickers upon a nearby vending machine. Chishiya hums.
“I’ll go buy something, then,” he says, and Arisu grins again.
“Thanks - you’re the best!” Chishiya could never get enough of that illuminating smile.
He walks over to the machine, mindlessly picking out an assortment of snacks he thinks Arisu would like, before heading back to where he’d been standing. Blinding lights of game machines assault him as he walks through the arcade, and… Arisu is nowhere to be found.
“Arisu?” Chishiya calls out, but there’s no reply whatsoever. Huh.
It’s only when he turns to face a row of claw machines, when he realises that Arisu is standing at one. The sight of him so hyper-focused is amusing. He’s chewing at his lip, furrowing his brows, and he’s leaning so close to the glass, his face may as well be pressed against it.
“Those are a scam,” Chishiya remarks, and Arisu jolts so violently, he accidentally pushes for the claw to descend.
“Dammit! Chishiyaaa,” he whines, slamming his head against the window, looking on helplessly as the claw closes against nothing. “You just ruined my chances of winning!”
“What are you even trying for, anyway?” Chishiya inquires, looking over Arisu’s shoulder. In the claw machine, there’s a crowd of cat plushies, all wearing different coloured hoodies. They are, admittedly, quite pleasing to look at.
“There’s this cat that’s wearing a white jacket. It reminded me of you, so I knew I just had to try and win it!” Arisu gushes, and Chishiya swears there’s literal fire burning in his boyfriend’s eyes. He couldn’t be stopped, even if Chishiya tried to pry him away.
“Well,” Chishiya sighs in feigned exasperation, but deep down, he’s rooting for Arisu to win the plushie too. “Good luck.”
After exchanging small smiles, Arisu turns to face the prizes again, and with a focused breath, he slots yet another coin into the machine. A catchy tune plays as he manoeuvres the joystick. Chishiya is enamoured by the way those lithe fingers push, pull, twist at the round thing. Each movement Arisu makes is living, breathing proof of how much he needs this cat toy.
Arisu exhales after a moment, removing his hands from the controls. Before Chishiya can even ask him what he’s doing, Arisu slaps his palms together and screws his eyes shut. Is he… praying? Is he really that serious about this?
A shaky sigh leaves Arisu’s lips, and then he slams his fist down onto the button. With that, the claw lowers, travelling down, down, down…
…until it clasps the round head of the cat!
“I got it!!” Arisu yells, swivelling around to meet Chishiya’s amused gaze. “Chishiya, I got it!”
“I’m impressed,” he manages, gazing at the claw as it drops the plushie into the hatch. Arisu crouches down, reaches into the prize box, and retrieves the cat. Chishiya can’t believe his eyes - never before has he seen someone actually win one of these games.
And Arisu is right. This cat’s white hoodie resembles his own. It almost seems like his mini manufactured doppelganger.
“Look! You guys are twinning!” Arisu beams at him, pushing the cat towards Chishiya, who reaches out to hold it in his hands. It’s soft. Its face is chubby and cute.
Chishiya fails to suppress a tiny giggle. This whole situation is too much to bear. This tiny thing… It’s so adorable, and it does look like him!
When he glances up, Arisu is gazing upon him with a look in his eyes that Chishiya can only compare to pools of liquid honey. There’s so much endearment in those dark eyes. So much love.
“I love you, Chishiya,” Arisu whispers, a fragile sound that Chishiya can hardly hear over the deafening arcade machines around them. That doesn’t matter, though.
“Yeah. I… I love you too, I guess,” he stammers, and Arisu whacks him playfully.
“You guess? Chishiya! I put my blood, sweat, and tears into getting that plushie for you!” Arisu shouts, as he wraps his arms around his shoulders. Chishiya’s grip around the small cat tightens, but the crisp packets slip out of his grasp, and they fall to the ground with a pathetic crinkle. “Say you love me, and properly this time!”
“Yeah, yeah - I love you, now get off me!” Chishiya laughs breathlessly.
It doesn’t take much effort to pry Arisu’s arms away from his torso. Now, they’re standing dangerously close to one another, eyes locked, and hearts beating as one. This moment seems to last for hours.
But Arisu is the first to speak. “There’s one more thing I wanna try with you,”
“Hmm? And what is that?” Chishiya breathes.
Their lips inch closer and closer, until…
“Come on!” Arisu laughs so suddenly, jerking away to pick up the fallen snacks.
“Uh. What?” Chishiya asks. His mind grows cloudy - was Arisu leaning in to kiss him? Or was that moment a figment of his imagination?
“Let’s go to the photobooth! We need a souvenir, or else we’ll forget this day ever happened,” Arisu huffs, before clasping a hand around Chishiya’s wrist, and leading him to a booth in the corner of the room. Strange - it looks tiny on the outside, but once they crawl inside, it appears to be quite roomy.
For the last time of the night, Arisu inserts a coin or so, and then there’s instructions on the screen.
Smile! it says.
A toothy grin spreads across Arisu’s face, and it’s a vast contrast to Chishiya’s small smirk.
Arisu takes offence to this. “Come on, Chishiya! Smile! Smile like before!”
“No!” he protests, crossing his arms across his chest. Somehow, though, he senses a mischievous air grow within this shared space.
“I said,” Arisu whispers, drawing out his syllables, and Chishiya braces himself. If there's one thing that tone is indicating, then…
“Smile!” Arisu shouts, before assaulting Chishiya with his fingers, jabbing at his sides.
“What the f- fuck!” Chishiya yells, trying and failing to evade the ruthless attacks. The fingers stab him in all the right places, and he lets an involuntary squeal escape him. To his growing horror, the camera has apparently snapped the photo just as Chishiya does so. “You’re insufferable,” Chishiya snorts, glaring at Arisu, but Arisu’s grin only broadens.
“Oh, I’m honoured,” he sings, as they watch the screen for the next instructions. They appear promptly.
Pose! it orders.
Chishiya’s brows furrow at the vague suggestion. “Pose? What does that mean?” he questions, but Arisu wastes no time in striking the most flamboyant pose Chishiya has ever seen. He bursts into surprised laughter, much to Arisu’s bewilderment.
“What? What’s so funny?” he cries. His tone seems offended at first, but over time, his words morph into laughter too. “Please, Chishiya! Just this once, pose with me?”
“Yeah, no. In your dreams, Arisu,” Chishiya says, in between bursts of exasperated giggles. Arisu rolls his eyes.
“Suit yourself,” he mumbles, before returning to that ridiculous position once again. Chishiya has to physically restrain himself from laughing. Obviously, there’s no way in hell he’s going to pose like Arisu. Instead, he settles with a peace sign. The most rational decision one could make in situations like these.
With a gentle click, the camera captures the photo, and at once, the next prompt appears. Chishiya’s breath catches in his throat.
Kiss!
Kiss. Kiss. Kiss.
The daunting word engraves itself into Chishiya’s fried brain. They’re going to have to kiss for this photo?
He doesn’t even have time to contemplate the action. Arisu’s hand grabs at Chishiya’s jaw, forcing him to turn his head, then those soft lips are on his, and oh.
This kiss is such a gentle thing. Their pace is slow and sweet. Chishiya tilts his head, allowing Arisu to push himself closer, deeper. Chishiya’s hands snake their way around Arisu’s small waist, and he can feel Arisu smile against his own lips.
This is what Chishiya has been waiting for, this entire time. To spend so much time with such a precious angel as Arisu is a blessing, but to be able to kiss him in such a languid way? Chishiya must be in heaven right now.
He’s certain they could have continued in this way forever, but there’s a little girl sliding the curtain open, and Arisu jolts away from Chishiya in an instant.
“Excuse me sirs! There’s a queue! Please get out of there!” she screams, and they’re already scrambling their way out of the booth before she can finish her rant. Chishiya feels no shame, though. He would be satisfied with the whole world knowing of his love for Arisu.
After Arisu retrieves their photos, he hands one of the strips to Chishiya. There’s a giddy smile on his boyfriend’s face. “They turned out so cute, didn’t they?” Arisu chuckles, holding the paper close to his eyes, as if to inspect every minor detail.
“Thank you for today, Arisu. I had fun. I’m sorry for doubting you,” Chishiya manages. He’s cradling the cat plushie in his arms, clutching the photos in one hand, and their forgotten crisps in the other.
“I’m glad you enjoyed today, ‘Shiya. I had so much fun, too!” He beams again, and Chishiya’s heart sings. Every smile Arisu sends his way adds onto an incoming wave of euphoria that crashes onto him, drenching him from head to toe. Arisu is beautiful. A sight for sore eyes.
“I love you,” Chishiya says, and Arisu’s smile widens.
“You said it! I knew you had it in you!” Arisu squeals, pulling him into a crushing hug that sends their crisps hurtling to the floor again.
“Arisu, were you ever actually hungry?” he grumbles, pulling away to grab the crisps that have somehow made their way onto the ground for a second time.
“At the time, it was an excuse to get you away for a bit. Wanted to surprise you,” Arisu reveals, and Chishiya hums. What a thoughtful soul. “But now, I am a little hungry. Why don’t we eat them now?”
“No. We might as well visit an actual restaurant.”
“Good idea, Chishiya! You’re going to pay for the food then, right?” Arisu quips, with that signature sparkle in his eyes yet again.
“Yeah, yeah,” Chishiya sighs with a tired smile.
As they leave the arcade, Arisu gushes about his past experiences at arcades with his old friends. A few hours earlier, Chishiya would have probably fallen asleep from lack of interest.
But here and now, as he glances down at the adorable hoodie cat in his arms, he can’t help but acknowledge that perhaps this arcade visit was worth it after all.