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Game Over.
"Aw…!"
Henri smiled from where he stood beside June, watching as the other failed to beat his high score yet again.
"You came pretty close, that time," the ravenette pointed out, wrapping an arm around June's waist and pulling him against his side.
June let out a sigh. " Too close…" he murmured, making Henri lean back from the other which elicited a whine. "Not you …!" He clarified, leaning back into the other's hold before shifting to face him. "One of these days, I will beat you. So you better watch out!" He exclaimed with determination in his voice.
"You already have second place. Is it that bad for us to be known as the Tetris champion couple?" Henri questioned with a smile.
"This is the one game I want to have over you. It's all I played back in the hospital. So I should be able to be the one in first!" June pointed out, poking the other’s chest.
"Even so, that's enough for today. It's getting late," Henri said with a chuckle as he guided the other away from the machine before he scanned another credit in.
"You want to leave already?" June asked as he reluctantly walked with the other, his sage green hues scanning to find something else they could play before leaving.
"Yes. You know what happens when you overexert yourself…" Henri replied, recalling the time June had collapsed during their first date because he hadn't wanted it to end. "I don't feel like working on my day off."
Despite that, June's eyes lit up when he saw the line of claw machines by the exit. He couldn't help grinning when he saw something not even Henri could refuse. And so, the blond grabbed Henri's hand before pulling him over to one of the machines.
"Look!"
Henri had grown accustomed to June's attempts at extending the time they spent together, but he was also relatively responsible when it came to the other's health. He was about to argue that they should get going once more - until he saw the fluffy hamster plushies inside of the claw machine June had coyly brought him over to.
That sly fox.
"I bet I can win one for you!" June said as he reached for the arcade card they shared. "You'd love one, right?"
The blond wasn't wrong. Growing up, Henri hadn't been allowed the opportunity to collect things like plushies - not that he was the type. He assumed June thought his weakness would be the fact they were hamsters. However, his true weakness was the fact that June wanted to win one for him.
"...Alright, go ahead and give it a try."
June's face lit up before he scanned the card, not hesitating to start the game. Henri would have at least strategized the best option before starting, but perhaps the blond could pull it off.
"Good luck," Henri said while wrapping an arm around the other's waist, watching as June moved the crane towards one of the tan hamsters that was holding a sunflower seed in its tiny paws.
While that particular hamster was cute, Henri noticed its position in the machine wasn't optimal. He wasn't surprised when the claw barely caught onto the adorable plushie once it descended and drew back up, June's excitement turning into shock.
"What..? No!"
Henri rubbed the other's side as a form of comfort. "Don't worry about it, honeybun."
June didn’t step back, though.
"One more try - pleaseee?" His determinedly stubborn boyfriend asked, "I know what to do now!"
Henri had his doubts about that, though he didn't want to discourage the other or attempt to help him either. He knew how June could get when it came to doing something special for him all on his own. There were times when he felt like they were competing on who could be the better boyfriend.
"Okay, go ahead."
The determination and focus in June’s sage green hues were adorable. Henri watched as the other took a bit more time to plan before starting the game. Once he scanned in and the upbeat music started up once again, Henri watched the other guide the crane over the same hamster.
“June-” He spoke up, about to suggest the white hamster a few spots away, since it was much closer to the prize chute and wasn’t obstructed by any other plushies, but before he had the opportunity to continue, June had pushed the button and the crane descended.
Henri was already preparing to deal with a disheartened boyfriend, only to notice something he hadn’t expected. When the crane closed around the plushie, it somehow managed to hook under the hamster’s tiny arms, catching onto the sunflower seed and pulling the plushie up. His navy hues widened in surprise as June grabbed onto his shirt, letting out a small burst of excitement as the plush lifted before their very eyes.
‘Is he actually going to make it work?’
Henri found himself holding his breath as he watched the crane shift, moving towards the chute. Unfortunately, the shift led to the small hold it had slipping free - dropping the plush back down into the sea of plushies below.
While disappointment ached, it hurt all the more when victory had been within sight - something that was immediately apparent by the way June’s shoulders slumped.
“Hey, you almost had it - somehow,” Henri said, rubbing the other’s side to try and cheer him up. “For your credit, I didn’t even think that little trick of yours was possible.”
June let out a small hum of acknowledgment before leaning back. “I’m gonna use the bathroom before we go.”
Henri’s soft smile fell, reaching a hand to the other’s wrist to check his pulse. “Are you feeling okay?”
June pulled away before nodding, “Yeah. Just drank too much lemonade. We can go after I get back.” And with that, the blond male handed over the card to Henri before walking toward the restrooms.
“June…” Henri stood there, feeling the mood shift entirely. His boyfriend occasionally found himself in ruts like this - the young doctor had only hoped he had picked up on it before he fell too deep.
‘He started showing signs of frustration after Tetris…I should have seen it coming.’
Henri let out a sigh before looking back at the hamster which now lay on its side - an even less probable position. Still, he felt a desire to win the plushie for June just to see a smile on his face. However, if he went ahead and won the plush, it might disappoint his boyfriend more since his entire goal had been to win it for him.
"Psst. Psstt!!"
Henri looked over to see what looked to be a security guard with dark hair and strikingly purple eyes attempting to get his attention.
"Uh…yes?" Henri questioned.
When the guard replied, Henri saw his lips move but truthfully had no idea what he had even said.
"...What was that?"
The security guard walked a little closer before gesturing to another claw machine. "Try that one. It's rigged to win more often so kids can walk home with Freddy or one of his friends. Not that you're kids, but- he seems to really want to win you something, which is cute~!"
Henri blinked in a bit of shock. Not from the machine being rigged, but that this employee was spilling such a tip. He couldn't help glancing at the other's name tag.
"Thank you…Teo."
"You got it~ But if anyone asks, you heard it from Schmidt!" he said with a wink and grin. "Even if I've only got this job for a few days, I don't want it to end early. Or worse…they might put me on the night shift again, haha…"
Just as quickly as the other had appeared, he had vanished into the mass of arcade games leaving Henri to question what he had even said - like some excited puppy after dropping a stick at someone's feet before running back off to find some new treasure.
Henri blinked, that moment feeling a bit too surreal before looking back over at the claw machines. June really had seemed set on winning him one of the hamsters. But it might be best to direct his attention elsewhere, for damage control.
"Back…ready to go?”
Henri felt a hand grab his own, looking back to see June with a faint smile on his face. He was trying to cheer up, at least.
“Actually…I was wondering if you might want to try for another plush,” Henri said, earning a look of surprise from the blond.
“Really? Which one?”
Henri guided the other over to the machine Teo had pointed out - it was filled with colorful plushies of bears, bunnies, foxes, and chicks. June gazed upon the selection before glancing back at his boyfriend.
“You want one of these…?”
Alright. It wasn’t all that believable that he would want one of the mascots at this children’s pizza place. Luckily, Henri was a pro at thinking on his feet.
“You have to admit, the bear with the top hat is pretty cute.”
June let out a laugh, making Henri smile.
“Yeah, I guess he is,” June replied before letting go of the other’s hand so he could reach for the arcade card.
“I really like that one in particular,” Henri pointed to the one bear that was close by the chute and didn’t seem impeded by any surrounding plushies. He wanted to make sure June went for a plush that was in such an optimal position that it would take a streak of horrible luck to miss it.
The blond nodded, more cautious this time as he looked it over for a moment before scanning in the credits and moving the crane claw over the bear plush. If that guard was right, and Henri’s predictions were accurate, June should have no trouble winning this bear. All would be restored and this date would be back on track to end well.
The dark-haired male watched as the other hesitated at first, shifting the claw forward and back while craning his head to try and get the right angle. Henri smiled at how determined the other was, despite his previous failures.
As the time limit ticked down, June made his final decision before pressing the button.
“Moment of truth…” The blond mumbled along with a few other soft pleading words as the crane lowered down over the plushie. It seemed to be in a good spot, the claw closing over the bear pretty securely before ascending.
June gripped the edge of the machine with anticipation, continuing his soft prayers as the claw shifted over to the chute. Henri could tell that the guard had known his stuff - this machine had a much stronger grip on the plush, even if he had ensured the plushie itself was closer to the chute to avoid any mishaps.
Sure enough, moments later the bear plush dropped down the prize chute.
“Yes-!!” June exclaimed with a small jump of joy, his sage green hues sparkling with excitement.
Henri watched as the other triumphantly grabbed the plushie from the machine, a warm smile on his face when the other held it up to him.
“Here you go~!”
The young doctor couldn’t help but chuckle, accepting it gratefully before leaning in to give the other a soft peck on the lips.
“Thank you, love. I’m proud of you.”
The pink tint and beaming smile that appeared on June’s face was more rewarding than the prize itself. Henri found himself feeling grateful that the other had failed the other attempts simply because witnessing his determination and eventual success had been all the more satisfying.
“You should be~” June replied with a smirk, clearly feeling more like himself again.
“Of course. Now let’s get going,” Henri replied, holding the plush in one arm while keeping June close in the other. “We should save the rest of the plushies for the kids.”
June let out a soft laugh. “Either way, you look cute carrying one around like that.”
“I’d look even cuter carrying you~” The ravenette teased, earning a flustered nudge from the other as the two walked toward the exit.
“In that case, we could just stay until I pass out…”
“No, it’s only worth it if I get to see your adorably flustered expression.”
“Hmph!”
While the two exited the restaurant exchanging playful banter, a familiar guard watched with a victorious smile of his own.
“Operation: Save Their Date - success! Hmm…I could take Piu-Piu’s job next.”
Ding!
Teo reached for his phone, checking the chat notification on his Ssum app.
[Message from PIU-PIU: :-(:-(:-(:-(]
[Message from PIU-PIU: Reminder! Your love is waiting!]
Teo’s face lit up upon reading those words.
“You’re right! I have to tell her about this…!”
[Message from PIU-PIU: :-)]
[Message from PIU-PIU: I am still superior when it comes to match-making.]
[Message from PIU-PIU: Don’t you agree?]