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“I really don’t see why I need to pay for this if it’s our island…”
“Babe, just pay the raccoon. It’s part of the game. It won’t matter soon anyway.”
“Won’t matter? He wants thousands of bells!”
“Dark, babe, I know. Just trust me on this.”
—--------------------
Dark had cringed as he knocked at Shadow’s door earlier that week.
“What’s going on now? Off on another honeymoon with your honeybuns? Cat sitting time?” Shadow asked, smirking.
Dark hoped that by ignoring the jibe Shadow would drop it. “I need to borrow your switch.”
Shadow’s brows raised slightly, his smirk widening. “Sorry, but Four’s not really into you. Or into being shared. Ask him yourself. Arguably his preferences aren’t even really…”
“You know what I mean… Please,” Dark scowled, hating needing to even ask.
“Fine, fine. What do you need it for? Sick of your kind of smash?”
“You know what, this isn’t worth i-” Dark started, pushing off from the doorframe.
“Calm down, grouchy. I’ve got you. Didn’t really have you pegged as a videogame type,” Shadow interrupted, backing away to let Dark step inside.
The apartment was small, lit by a small lamp with the blinds drawn. Tidy, simple. Not what Dark had been expecting, honestly, though he couldn’t have said what he had expected anyway.
Shadow moved to his TV, unplugging a small console and coiling the cables.
Holding the bundle out to Dark, he pulled it back for a second, meeting Dark’s eyes.
“Why are you borrowing it? What game are you gonna play?”
Dark grit his teeth. “Animal crossing.”
Shadow snorted, loosening his grip on the switch as Dark snatched it from his hands.
“Really? Playing house in real life wasn’t enough for you?”
“Shut up. Do you have that game or not?”
“Dark. Look at me. Do I really look like the type to have a fictional island filled with cute animals?”
The stony glare was unreadable.
“Wow, you’re in a stellar mood today. Calm down. I’ve got the game. Don’t fuck up the island.”
“What.”
“Do you even know how to play the game, you geezer?”
“I think I can figure it out. Besides, what does it matter?”
“It’s Four’s island, and if you fuck it up I’ll fuck you up.”
Dark stared blankly, blinked, and turned to leave with his prize. “I’m serious. You make your own account and your own island, so help me.”
—--------------------
“So, I’ve got a surprise for you honeybuns,” Dark murmured as he settled into the couch with Twi.
“Oh?” Twi breathed as he leaned up for a kiss, eyes closing.
“Yep,” Dark replied as he pecked Twi on the forehead. He pulled a controller from behind him, dropping it in Twi’s lap and jostling Chicken who chirped and tightened her claws into Twi’s shirt.
“A switch? What? How did you afford this?” Twi gasped, looking up at Dark with shining eyes.
“It’s a loan. Don’t ask. But I heard you talking about Animal Crossing and thought you’d want to play for yourself.”
A slow grin spread across Twi’s face, his features absolutely glowing as he turned to face Dark more fully. “Thank you. But you know I can’t just play by myself you know.”
“Pretty sure you can, I’m certainly not playing with you,” Dark replied, leaning back and wrapping his arm around Twi’s shoulders.
“Mhmm” Twi mumbled, pulling out his phone and signing into his gaming account. He hadn’t used it since living in the Townhouse, and he couldn’t lie that he was excited to play.
—--------------------------
“Seriously. I’m not paying that rat. This is bullshit. It’s your island. Why am I paying to live here if you invited me. What kind of racket is this?” Dark grumbled, slouching into the couch as his character ran across the screen, net flailing.
“It’s just the game. It’s how it works,” Twi replied, leaning into his shoulder and watching intently. “Also, he’s a raccoon.”
“Why are they all animals? What kind of weird shit is this? Why are we people? Wait. Do they have pets? Do animals have pets in this game?”
“Yes. Well, bugs. But it doesn’t matter, just pay Tom and get on with it, I wanna see you decorate!” Twi nudged Dark’s shoulder, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Honeybuns, you’ve seen how I decorate. It’s called ‘curbside chic’, and you love it.”
Twi’s eyes rolled, leaning back into the couch.
—-------------
“Honeybuns, explain this,” Dark called from the living room. Twi leaned in from the kitchen, apron stained with tomato sauce.
“What? I’m kinda busy fighting off scavengers right now,” he called, a loud clatter following as Waffles ran from the kitchen, tail bristled.
“Who the fuck is on the island?!”
“What?” Twi called, grabbing Chicken under her front legs and hefting her over his shoulder as she yowled indignantly, parmesan cheese dusting her face.
Dark gestured at the TV indignantly, as a sheep painted to look like a clown walked through the island’s central square. “Who. The. Fuck. Is. This?”
“Oh, it’s Pietro!” Twi answered, unphased by Dark’s seeming ire. “I found him on an island earlier this week and invited him.”
Dark sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he set the controller down. “This game is ridiculous. I’m done. This is the last straw. I draw the line at anthropomorphic clown creatures. That shit is cursed.”
“Aww, babe, he’s cute! It’s wholesome!”
“Nope. No. We’re giving Shadow his console back. I’m done.”
—---------------
“I need it back,” Shadow grumbled as he stood at Dark’s door. “It’s been over a week. Hand it over,” he continued as he pushed past Twi into the living room. Waffles stood in the walkway, tail held high as he narrowed his eyes at the intruder.
Dark didn’t look away from the television as he said “Calm your tits, we’re making progress here!”
Twi sighed good naturedly and walked to the kitchen, leaving Waffles to glare idly at Shadow as he stood with his arms crossed, scowl darkening. A beer cap popped as Twi returned and offered the drink. Shadow took it, eyes moving from Dark sitting topless on the ratty couch, to Twi, and finally to Waffles who had sat himself firmly in front of Shadow, face inscrutable.
“You have until the bottle is empty and then I’m taking the switch,” Shadow sighed, moving to sit on the couch.
Dark grunted noncommittally, busy exchanging bells for a strange alien-looking robot statue. The fox’s garbled dialogue played in the background as Dark skipped through the speech screens. “Now this guy, this guy is decent. He should stay with us. I like him. He could give Nook a run for his money,” Dark said as he saved and exited the game.
Shadow perked his ears, not expecting to get the console back so easily. He shifted, but Twi slowly shook his head, sitting on the floor by the table with his own beer in hand.
Dark busily changed some settings before restarting the game, smirking as if he had hacked some top-secret system.
“Yeah, he started time-hopping a while back,” Twi murmured, nursing his beer slowly and glancing at Shadow. “He refuses to buy into the stalk-market, so I figure at this point it’s really just up to him now.”
Shadow looked at Dark, resisting the urge to roll his eyes as he took a long swig. “Just don’t let him get Stardew Valley, I need the damn console back eventually,” he rumbled, shifting to avoid Chicken as she climbed over his shoulder to get to Twi on the floor.
“Dude, I’m not as out of touch as you think,” Dark grumbled as he turned to glare while reaching for his open beer. “I’d worry more about the cowboy getting hooked on that one.”
“Babe, for the last time, a digital farm is not the same and I have no interest… We really should get our own console though. If I save up my tips from work I could get us a refurbished model,” he mused, and Shadow pulled out his phone as it buzzed quietly in his pocket.
🌈 So? Do I win the bet?
😈 No dice. Farm boy didn’t bite. They’re still on AC.
🌈 Fine, but who’s running the island?
😈 …
😈 Fine you get half the pot.
🌈 Called it. Told you.