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“Oh come ONNN!” Ricky cried out as EJ slid right past him into the finish line, “I almost had you that time!”
“Uh huh, sure you did,” EJ laughed and ruffled Ricky’s hair playfully. In the freedom of college, Ricky had allowed his curly hair to grow and grow into a fluffy mane, making it perfect for tousling whenever EJ trounced him in a game. By this time of night, Ricky had curls sticking out all over the place from the probable dozens of losses he’d sustained. EJ had stopped counting when he hit the 20s. “I keep telling you to watch your corners and drift responsibly, or you’re never going to beat me,” EJ teased.
Ricky pouted a little, “I don’t get it, how is it that I taught you how to play Mario Kart and only a couple weeks later you shot past me in skill and have been beating me for MONTHS!?” Ricky slid over and leaned his head on EJ’s shoulder, looking up at him, “You can’t even let me win just one?”
EJ struggled to resist those big brown doe eyes Ricky had mastered, but pecked him on the forehead and gently shoved him back to his side of the couch. “Sorry, Bowen, but skills like these just can’t go unused,” EJ smirked. What EJ wasn’t telling Ricky was that he’d actually been trying for the past week to do precisely what Ricky was asking…he just hadn’t been successful yet because even handicapping himself by not using his favorite characters and setups, he was still winning every time. His boyfriend was getting better…but not that much better.
“Okay, new game then,” Ricky sprung from the couch, “we’re doing Smash Bros now.”
“You know I’ll always beat you at that too, right?” EJ chuckled.
“Maybe, but maybe I’ll get luckier in a different type of game, who knows?” Ricky said as he swapped the cartridges. “Another game I taught you by the way,” he glowered at EJ, who just smiled innocently.
“I guess I’m just a natural,” EJ batted his eyelashes. Ricky rolled his eyes but planted a kiss on EJ’s forehead before he sat down.
After a few rounds where Ricky spammed his way to some KOs (but EJ always pulled out the victory anyway), Ricky grumbled, “Okay, maybe if I switch to one of your mains, I’ll unlock the secrets of your winning strategy.”
EJ shrugged, “I don’t think it’s going to work that way, Ric, but be my guest.” As predicted, even with Pikachu and Yoshi, Ricky proceeded to lose the next five matches anyways. His hair was a veritable bird’s nest at this point like he’d just woken up, but EJ just thought it made him all the more adorable as he sighed and collapsed dramatically into EJ’s and buried his face in EJ’s neck.
“It’s impossible,” Ricky groaned, “You’re too good at everything, I’m destined to be in eternal second place.”
“That’s not entirely true,” EJ smiled and pulled Ricky in closer, “I happen to know you’re a first-rate kisser.”
“You knew I meant video games,” Ricky sighed as he slumped down and rested his head in EJ’s lap, rolling over to stare up at him, “and I’d say you’re better at that game too anyway,” a grin spread across his face…that was just as quickly interrupted by a hefty yawn.
EJ glanced at the clock, “Yeesh, 11:30 already? I’d better get going and let you get to bed. You’ve got class tomorrow morning, don’t you?” He started to gently move Ricky’s head but Ricky grabbed the hem of his jacket and held on.
“Yeah, but only at 9:30 or something. We have time for one or two more rounds,” Ricky whined.
“But it’s a 15 minute walk back to my dorm, and you’re already yawning,” EJ booped Ricky on the nose and shifted his head to the couch cushion, “you sir, need to go to bed anyway, and I should too so I can rest up for my oral presentation tomorrow.” He lifted Ricky’s chin, ignored the pout, and kissed him goodnight, “I can trounce you again tomorrow night,” he teased, letting his fingers linger over Ricky’s prickly stubble before he pulled away.
EJ had his coat in hand and his fingers on the door handle when Ricky blurted out, “what if you stayed here tonight?”
EJ paused, a bit startled, and looked over his shoulder, “like…in your room here? Don’t you have a twin bed?”
“You told me it was a Twin XL,” Ricky corrected with a sly grin, “and if you were really too shy to share the bed there’s always the couch.”
“The tiny couch that’s barely big enough to seat two?” EJ chuckled, “I think the floor would be a better option at that point.”
“But it would be an option?” Ricky looked at him hopefully.
EJ shifted on his feet, “I mean…I guess. I don’t have any stuff here though, and I’d need fresh clothes, pajamas, my toiletries, the rest of my class stuff–”
“Hey,” Ricky cut him off by grasping him on both shoulders, “you don’t need all that. You can run back to your dorm room in the morning and shower and change and do all those things later. No harm no foul. And I happen to know sleeping in your underwear is a very comfortable way to sleep.”
“Oh you do, do you,” EJ raised his eyebrows, unable to stop himself from smiling, “and how, pray tell, did you figure that out?”
“I have personal experience,” Ricky laughed, wrapping his arms around EJ’s neck and brushing his nose against EJ’s own, “besides, worst comes to worst you can always throw on one of the sweatshirts I’ve borrowed from you.”
“I think the word you’re looking for is stolen, Richard.”
“And I think I just borrow things for longer than you’re used to, Elton.”
EJ thought for another moment, and then dropped his bag, “Alright, you’ve convinced me Bowen, but you better not make me regret this.”
Ricky jumped a little as a victory celebration before recomposing himself, “So, does that mean a few more rounds?”
EJ pretended to roll his eyes but allowed Ricky to drag him back to the couch, “two more, and then you’re going to bed, even if I have to drag you.”
“Three, and I won’t even fuss,” Ricky stuck out his pinky, “and I’ll be a good sport about you beating me on top of that?” he pleaded.
EJ let the request hang for a moment just to get a longer look at Ricky’s puppy-eyed stare before aligning his pinky with Ricky’s. “I’ll hold you to that,” he laughed, tugging Ricky’s hand closer and kissing it with a wink. The three rounds went by a bit slower than EJ was expecting. Maybe Ricky really was getting the hang of tilts and shielding…or maybe EJ was more tired than he realized. Either way, he still won all three games, though the last one Ricky got him down to his last stock. Ricky opened his mouth as though he was going to request one last attempt, but a knowing look from EJ said everything he needed to hear.
“Fineeeee,” Ricky stood up and stretched, “off we go to bed I guess. One more and I could’ve won though!”
“You keep telling yourself that and maybe it’ll happen in your dreams, sunshine,” EJ teased, patting Ricky on the stomach.
“Yeah, yeah,” Ricky yawned again, pulling his shirt off and tossing it in the hamper as he shuffled over to switch off the television and console and start prepping the bed. As Ricky pulled open the covers and tugged off his pants, he looked up to EJ still standing next to the couch awkwardly, “you’re not planning on leaving after all, are you?”
EJ kicked his toe against the ground awkwardly, “uh…no, I just…we didn’t really decide where I’d be sleeping for the night and I didn’t want to presume…”
Ricky gave EJ an exasperated look, climbed into the bed and forcefully patted the sheets next to him, “take off your clothes and get in here, Elton. If you’re sleeping over, you’re sleeping over.” EJ blushed, but complied, stripping off his shirt, jacket, pants, and socks and leaving them all in a neatly folded pile next to his backpack, before sliding in next to Ricky, who immediately snapped to his side like a magnet. The feeling of Ricky’s cheek pressed against his torso, his arm wrapped around Ricky’s back holding him tight, Ricky’s arm laid across his stomach, their legs brushing against one another, it all felt so natural and easy, like they were meant to just…exist like this. They sat for a minute like that in silence, just enjoying the feeling, before Ricky spoke up again.
“Why do you think you’re so much better than me at games I’ve been playing so much longer than you have?” Ricky asked quietly, tracing a finger around EJ’s nipple. EJ opened his mouth to respond with a sassy remark, but Ricky cut him off, maintaining the quiet tone, “I mean that for real, Eej, am I just that bad at it? Or are you just that good? Or…” Ricky trailed off.
EJ played with Ricky’s curls absentmindedly as he thought, and then spoke, “I guess some patterns are just…hard to break. My dad’s lesson always used to be that if I couldn’t be the best at something, it wasn’t worth doing. I don’t…want to live like that anymore, but the habits are so deeply ingrained that I can’t help following them sometimes. When you taught me how to play, I looked up tier lists, top players, strategies, all of that, even for something as simple and basic as Mario Kart. Some part of my brain just…couldn’t stand to not excel.”
Ricky pondered for a moment, continuing to wander along EJ’s torso with his fingertip, “That’s not a terrible habit to have though, is it? It’s a shitty mindset your dad forced on you, but at least it proves you’re good at…well a lot of things, right? You’re my hyper competent boyfriend,” Ricky smiled and kissed EJ under the chin.
EJ couldn’t help but smile back and cuddle Ricky closer. “I guess you’re right, I just hate feeling like he still has that kind of power over me. That I can’t even share a hobby with you without my stupid dad getting in my head about it.”
“But it isn’t your dad, it’s you,” Ricky corrected, poking his finger into EJ’s sternum. “You’re the one who follows through on the habits, even if he’s the one who originally drilled them into you. You’re the one who gets to use them however you want…even if that includes stomping your boyfriend in all his favorite video games.”
EJ giggled softly, “I guess you have a point, for once,” he teased, “you should use that big brain of yours in our matches and maybe you’d win more often.” He tapped Ricky on the forehead to emphasize the point, to which Ricky scoffed and jostled him playfully.
“Yeah, right,” Ricky smirked, “as though I could ever hold a candle to Rocketman’s soaring heights.”
“Well I, personally, think you’d surprise yourself, Richard,” EJ smiled down at Ricky, “you’re a lot more talented than you give yourself credit for.”
“Not–not really,” Ricky yawned, wider and longer this time, “I barely got into college in the first place and I’m scraping Cs and Bs with your help, meanwhile you’ve got straight As, extracurriculars, everyone loves you…”
“Everyone loves you too, Ricky, more than they love me, by a long shot. You should see the disappointed looks I get whenever they find out I didn’t bring you along to a social event.”
“Oh I’m suuure they do,” Ricky rolled his eyes but continued to smile, “and I’m sure they also tell you about how they think I should be selected to speak for the class at graduation and maybe get elected school president.”
“Hey,” EJ dug his fingers into the curls on the back of Ricky’s head and forced Ricky’s gaze to meet his own, “you’re invaluable, you know that? I couldn’t–I wouldn’t be able to do this without you. Without…us.”
Ricky’s sparkling brown eyes brimmed with a hint of tears, “EJ I–I don’t know…”
EJ immediately regretted snapping like that and pulled Ricky back to his chest, “you don’t have to say anything Ric I just…I need you to know that, alright? I know it, and so many other people know it too. You matter. So, so much.” Ricky didn’t respond with words, but the tighter squeeze of his arm around EJ’s torso was answer enough. EJ returned to gently running his hand through Ricky’s curls, and soon Ricky’s breathing pattern began to slow. By the soft rise and fall, EJ guessed that Ricky was down for the count. “Bowen? You still with me?” he asked in a whisper. No response except for the soft sound of Ricky’s breathing, in and out, his body perfectly curled around EJ’s own.
EJ smiled softly, “I love you, Ricky.” He was almost shocked at how easily the words slipped out, but they just…felt right. With one more kiss to Ricky’s temple, he reached up and flicked off the light.