Chapter Text
When Angela asks for help to win 7th in Mario Kart, He almost thinks she’s lying. He hadn’t done anything but stare at her unless someone had said his name at the pitch meeting. So when she strolled up to his desk a few days later and told him how badly she wanted to win, he said yes instinctually.
His mind was a repetitive cycle telling him over and over to take any opportunity for more time with Angela and playing video games together meant spending time at his house, alone together. So he slipped out of work early, ignoring the knowing smirk from Shayne as he did. He started cleaning the second he got home, stopping only when Zelda or Freya demanded his attention.
Then his doorbell rang. Great. He hadn’t done a second pass of the kitchen. Angela was going to think he was a disgusting slob, who didn’t care about his friends or take care of himself. She’d be embarrassed to know him, insulted that he called this affection. She’d never like him back. There it was, the truth he had been trying to run from for months. He liked Angela. He maybe even loved her, no that was a later thought. He couldn’t think about that now. His hand hit the door knob and he turned it, opening the door. She had a massive grin on her face and held up a multitude of things in her hands.
“I brought us food! I got sushi because I knew you liked seafood but I didn’t know where to get just a pound of crab and I assumed you wouldn’t want crab-y hands on your controller” She said. He couldn’t hold the tension in his shoulders even if he tried. Angela always had a way of making him feel free.
“Yea, Sushi works great! Come in!” He steps back to let her into his home and she immediately heads to the kitchen. She starts unloading things and describes everything she has. She had the tiniest upturned quirk on the right side of her smile when she was focused like this. He had always noticed it but it felt like a much more intimate detail here. Her lips were upturned here, in his kitchen, when it was just them.
“Damien? The real world’s calling.”
He snaps out of it and turns to look at her eyes and not just her lips.
“Sorry. What was that?”
Angela smiles and leans forward ever so slightly, her eyes soft like she thought he was a scared dog she had to approach with care. “I just said thank you. I know having people in your home takes a lot of trust and I’m really glad you’re willing to help me with something so stupid.”
Damien smiles and the conversation flows from there. They eat, laughing and joking like they always do and then they start to play. Every race they play they try different strategies, attempting to see if averaging out or just staying consistent worked, seeing if there were skills that got you there. Angela’s averaging method gets her seventh place four of the times they play through. She jumps up and places her hand, warm and firm, glowing warmth through hIS bones, on his upper arm.
“I’M A LITERAL MARIO KART GOD! I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT WORKED! I THOUGHT FOR SURE IT WOULDN’T”
Her excitement reverberates and he almost doesn’t hear himself say it. It just kind of slips out.
“I love you”
If it weren’t for the way, Angela stops, looking at him like he told her she had actually lost the game.
“Me? Why?”
He doesn’t know what to say to that. He doesn’t quite understand her. “What?”
“You said you loved me”
“I did.”
“Why me?”
“You make me laugh. You’re selfless and kind. You push me to be myself while be aware of my discomfort. You make my mind quiet”
“Oh.”
“Yea.”
“Okay,” Angela readjusts on the sofa and Zelda sits on her lap. Angela starts petting her back while Damien instinctually starts to scratch along her cheek. “I love you too.”