Work Text:
The second night he spends with you begins much like the first. He has, once again, allowed his feet to lead, his mind unable to focus on where he’s going and why. There is a buzzing inside, but it does not carry a sting. It’s something softer, almost pleasant. Exciting, if a little tentative. It becomes just a little louder as he finds himself at your door; it softens again as you, after only a few moments, open it.
He wonders, faintly, how you always seem to know he’s there.
There is a half-smile at your lips as you cross your arms over your chest and lean against the door-frame.
“Nervous?” you ask, and Amir manages a breathy laugh.
“What? Me? Nervous? Puhleeease, I’ve been prepped for ages! I’ve got this, like the sexy, confident gamemaster I am!”
Not even half a second passes before that confidence falters and he blurts out, all in a rush: ”Why, shouldIbenervous?”
You laugh and the sound is pleasant and calming and his nerves bubble back down into that soft, excited buzzing again. Much preferable.
“No, it’s going to be great, I promise.”
“Iiiii dunnoooo, I think Quincy was looking for an escape route earlier…”
That makes you stand straight, tall, teasing smile gone. “He better fucking be there, or I swear to Sol I’ll give him a reason to find an escape route…”
“I’d pay to see that!” He starts to laugh, but by Sol you are serious about this and now he’s a little worried for Quincy’s safety.
He clears his throat.
“Um- I mean, you know, it’s sweet for you to care and I am very very VERY glad you convinced everyone to play, but if he really doesn’t want to that’s fine-”
“Amir.”
“- he’ll probably think it’s nerdy and dumb and a waste of time anyway-”
“Amiiiir.”
“- he’s probably already used his character sheet for target practice and besides - “
“Amir!” You have to reach up and grab his face with both hands to make him stop talking and focus on you, and wow your hands are so warm and nice on his cheeks and oh shit you’re talking he needs to focus.
“This is important to you,” you’re saying. “And it’s important to me, too. We all need this, even Quincy. If he’s not there then he’s an asshole and I will make sure he knows it. End of story.”
You let him go and wow what happened to his voice? Why can’t he speak? He just stares at you, not quite able to comprehend that you actually care this much about something important to him. No one ever cares this much about him.
That half-smile returns and it really is the cutest fucking smile he’s ever seen – no, Amir, stop that!
“Come on,” you say, stepping out from the doorway. “I’ll start getting the pizza and beers while you get set up.”
He doesn’t know how you managed to convince every single member of the Hex to play F&F, but somehow you did. Even Arthur, Mr. Broodsword himself, is sitting at the game table! He makes a mental note to repay you for this, somehow. Granted, neither Arthur nor Quincy would likely still be there if not for the free drinks, but hey - Amir isn’t going to complain! And besides, despite his slight (very, very slight, he is still a sexy, confident GM) nerves earlier, everything is going great!
Until he has to explain to you how Perception rolls work.
They’re well into the game by now and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves (or is, at least, tipsy enough to think they are). He just called for a Perception check and you rolled the highest (he finds this fitting, to be honest, keen-eyed as you always seem to be).
“Okay, so with that high of a roll it’s like – you know how you always seem to know exactly when I’m outside your door? Well now Marty the Ranger can perceive there are exactly a dozen Goblin raiders lurking just past the door you’re listening through.”
“Oh, cool…” you begin, scribbling something in the margins of your character sheet. “Wish I was really that perceptive, the only reason I ever know you’re outside my door is because of the cameras.”
The what.
The – “Wait, hold up, pause! What cameras?”
You look up and everyone (except for Arthur, who has decided to bury his face into his beer) is staring at you, because as far as they know the only monitoring that happens here is from Arthur’s little security office… and Amir finds it really, really embarrassing to know you’ve been able to see him just standing out there, debating whether to knock or go in or turn around or –
“Uh yeah, I guess Entrati has cameras up and he left a bunch of tvs behind, so one shows the area right outside my door…”
How did he not notice the monitors the last time he was in your backroom? Oh, right, he was in nightmare panic Amir mode then.
“You tellin’ me y’ave been spyin’ on us, Space Trauma?” Quincy asks with a smirk. “Can’t say I blame ya for wantin’ a more private look at my goods!”
Sol, the heat rising in your cheeks is a really nice color on you, though Amir is a little irritated that it’s Quincy making you blush.
“I – no, I don’t spy on anyone, it’s just – the tvs are RIGHT next to one of my main computers, and I only pay attention to the one showing my area anyway, so if I’m working there and happen to glance over and someone is there - I’m going to see them!”
“Ya work on that comp a lot, cuz?”
“Well… no, not really.”
“Mmhm, so seems to me you must either be spyin’ or waitin’ round there just for someone to show up.”
Quincy’s smirk is growing bigger and the blush on your cheeks is spreading wider and now Quincy is looking at Amir and oh no.
“Ya must be headin’ over there a lot, Speedster, if Space Trauma waits around hopin’ you’ll turn up!”
Fuck. Damn it. Why did Amir have to bring up how you always know HE’S there?!
“OoooOOOOoooh! Oh my Sol, that is sooo cuuute!” Aoi is absolutely beaming at this and Amir makes a mental note to NOT give her any alcohol during the next game session.
... If there’ll even be one, because between the red on your face and the red he’s absolutely certain is spreading on his, and the way you’re glaring at Quincy and Quincy is waggling his eyebrows and oh Sol this is turning into a disaster, isn’t it, fuck fuck fuck -
“Amir, can I roll to punch Quincy in the dick?”
And even though you are VERY annoyed right now, you’ve gone and done that thing you do where you say the right thing at the right time, because now Aoi, Quincy and Arthur are nearly falling out of their seats, laughing, and Lettie is smiling and shaking her head, and you start to smile too, and then Eleanor laughs and --
“I think we had a dozen Goblins to deal with, did we not? Perhaps let us save the groin-punching for them.”
Just like that everyone is pulled back into the game. It takes him a moment to gather himself, to get his head back into GM-mode, but he’s a sexy confident PROFESSIONAL for a reason! He’s got this. Focus. Boom. Back on track. Everything is great.
One thought does linger in the back of his mind for the rest of the session, though.
You denied spying on the Hex. You didn’t deny waiting and hoping he – Amir Beckett – will turn up at your door.