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-- First Game --
“90% of gamblers quit before they win big.”
Yumeko muttered under her breath, eyes focused. One hand gripped the joystick so tight like it would escape if she didn’t, and the other poised on the yellow button as she aimed for the wolf plushie with blue-green eyes.
“And where could you have possibly learned that crooked wisdom from?”
Behind her, Kira sat on a circular high stool, legs crossed, brow raised.
“Stan Twitter.”
Yumeko replied, deadpan, swiping her powercard for the seventh time.
Actually, neither of them were sure if it was just the seventh.
“Baby, you know I can just buy you one. Claw machines are scams. Huge scams.”
“Where’s the thrill in winning on my first try?”
Three more swipes.
Three more almost.
Each time, the claw hovered, clutched, and failed—dropping the wolf just inches from the prize hole, only to tumble even farther than before.
Whether it was bad luck or the whole thing was rigged, Yumeko didn’t really care, as long as she won that cursed plushie.
Then...
Buzz.
The scanner blinked red on Yumeko’s eleventh swipe.
Insufficient credit.
Credit balance: 3
Credit needed: 26
Kira shook her head as Yumeko pouted at the screen.
Too cute. Just too damn cute.
“Yumeko, I’m calling a staff. I’ll ask if the plushie’s for sale. Hell, I’ll ask if all of them are.”
Kira was already half-standing, mentally stringing together words she hoped would sound more persuasive than pushy for when she calls a staff over.
Then she added, “You know what? Let me ask if this stupid machine is for sale.”
“But I want this one.”
Yumeko didn’t even blink. Her eyes were still glued to the same spot.
“Then let me try. I’ll have them reload your card.”
“I want to win it myself.”
Kira tilted her head. She was both confused and amused at her girlfriend’s dedication.
“Why do you want it so badly?”
“Because it looks like you. Look!”
Yumeko turned, gesturing for Kira to come closer.
“It’s a wolf. Its eyes are green.”
“Baby, they’re blue.”
“No, they’re green. Look closer.”
Another gesture. Yumeko then scooted slightly, just enough to make space for Kira in front of the glass.
“Okay, you’re right. They’re green. Can I ask the staff now?”
Kira knew damn well they weren’t green.
They weren’t fully blue either, but she’d bet her credits they looked more blue than green. But of course, she didn’t have the heart to tell Yumeko.
If her girlfriend says they’re green, then they’re green.
What mattered was that Yumeko thought of her.
“No buying! I have to win it myself.”
-
Safe to say, Yumeko ended up spending 200 more credits before she finally hit “big.”
She also hadn’t let go of the plushie since.
Every one of their friends knew Kira had the patience of an old lady that had lost her dentures somewhere in the house.
What they didn’t know, though, was that all her patience seemed reserved exclusively for her girlfriend’s whims and wishes.
-
“Yumeko, aren’t you forgetting something?”
Kira asked, just a tad bit coldly, as they roamed the arcade in search of a new game.
Or rather, a new machine they’d lose their next few hundred credits in.
Yumeko tilted her head.
Focusing. Thinking. Thinking very hard about Kira’s question.
Then, like a dart hitting the dead center of a dartboard, she remembered.
“I’m sorry.”
A chuckle.
“I haven’t forgotten. I was rather... occupied.”
Her voice was soft as ever. Tone too sweet for one’s heart. Especially Kira’s.
If Kira hadn’t already been used to Yumeko’s antics by now, she would have immediately forgiven her.
But this is Kira Timurov we’re talking about.
She had actually already forgiven Yumeko for whatever she was hinting at.
It was that fast.
She wasn’t going to say it out loud, of course.
She preferred to let her girlfriend work for it..
...especially now that Yumeko is trying to charm her way out of it with that tone.
Yumeko then reached for Kira’s hand—the one she had swapped out earlier for the wolf plushie she won.
“No, you did forget.”
Kira rolled her eyes at Yumeko’s attempt.
“Are you—”
Yumeko stepped ahead, cutting her off.
She’s now standing in front of her. Blocking her path.
“...jealous?”
A pause.
Kira raised a brow, wearing the same expression she had when her goldfish choked on a pebble: mildly horrified, vaguely insulted, and very much not amused.
“Me? Jealous?”
If there was one thing every soul at St. Dominic’s could agree on, and something even Yumeko would admit herself—it was that Kira was bad at lying.
The absolute worst.
She couldn’t lie to save her life.
And in front of her girlfriend? Somehow, it was possible to be even worse.
Safe to say, Yumeko already knew the answer before she even asked the question.
But a little teasing wouldn’t hurt, right?
“So you are jealous.”
Yumeko clasped Kira’s hand in hers, wolf plushie still tucked under her other arm.
“You’re imagining things.”
Kira replied quickly, eyes doing their best to avoid looking at the stuffed animal.
“Mr. Wolf says jealousy is valid. But lying?”
Yumeko gave a mock gasp.
“Definitely not.”
Thanks to the overstimulating mix of flashing lights, loudspeakers, and half-shouted victories and frustrations, everyone else was too busy to notice whatever these two were on.
Not even halfway through Yumeko’s coaxing, a smile was already forming on Kira’s lips.
“But I’m right, aren’t I? My hand’s been empty since you won him.”
Kira finally got up. A little fumbling at first, sure.
But she had to stay competitive somehow.
“And for that, I am guilty. I apologize.”
Yumeko said it with the kind of formality you'd expect from a courtroom apology, not a girl with a wolf plushie coaxing her girlfriend.
“But see, you birthed him. You two are identical.”
She lifted the stuffed animal and held it up near Kira’s face. Then a giggle escaped her lips.
At this point, every little thing Yumeko said was enough to tip Kira’s heart over.
“You like him that much, huh?”
Kira teased as she finally held the plushie for the first time that day.
“Not as much as I like you.”
Yumeko smiled, both dimples on full display, each one landing a clean hit to Kira’s already vulnerable heart.
-- Second Game --
“Let’s spice things up,” Kira said. Then she added, “A bet.”
She knew exactly how to make Yumeko’s ears perk.
If there was one thing Yumeko loved more than gambling, Kira knew it was the arcade.
Well... gambling in the arcade might be more accurate.
She insists it’s the same concept. Just with louder colors and worse odds than regular gambling.
“It’s the one place people actually enjoy getting scammed,” Kira says,
to which Yumeko always counters,
“This is better than gambling, because every time I lose, you look at me like I just set fire to our savings. It’s adorable.”
A straight jab.
Their banters were never just sweet. They often came with teeth.
And they were rather... threatening and affectionately mean at the same time.
“Whoever loses has to sleep on the couch tonight?” Yumeko asked, though it felt more like a commanded suggestion.
“You’re making me regret ever suggesting a bet,” Kira replied, stifling a chuckle.
“Well it has to be hard. Where’s the fun in a low-stake bet?” Yumeko responded ever so giddily.
Then they started.
The game? Basketball.
It was a fair choice—neutral ground. No one had the upper hand.
Good thing too, because if the game had been a dance machine?
Yumeko would’ve already lost before the countdown hit "3."
If Kira was the worst at lying, then Yumeko was the final boss of two left feet.
Dancing was her greatest enemy. Her nemesis. Her downfall.
An apparent master at gambling… a complete loser at dancing.
Dori and everyone who witnessed their painfully embarrassing 1v1 on the dance machine back at St. Dom’s could vouch.
It had now transcended into a tragic tale told through poorly timed stomps, I fear.
-
Buzz.
Blue, score: 87
Red, score: 79
When it comes to officiated bets, Kira isn’t one to back down.
Well, not when Yumeko told her not to go easy on her—or else she would’ve definitely slept on the couch tonight even before the final verdict of the basketball machine.
Kira won by an arm’s length.
Yumeko accepted defeat.
But the day isn’t over yet.
-- Third Game --
“Let’s try that one!” Yumeko pointed at the boxing machine.
Kira nodded, and they headed straight for it. They were third and fourth in line respectively.
First player: 678
A guy and his friend were already hogging the space.
Second player: 792
“Ha, weakass,” the second guy teased his friend who went first.
Then, just as the girls were preparing to step up, the second guy decided to linger.
Feet firmly planted. Ego somehow louder than the machine.
“You girls know what you’re doing? This is a boxing machine. Clearly not for…” He gave them an obnoxious look. “...girls.”
He said it with that tone. Mocking. Uninvited. Unnecessary.
An opinion absolutely no one in the entire arcade asked for.
“Everyone knows how to punch,” Kira replied promptly, trying her best not to grit her teeth while doing so.
“But not everyone can punch like me. Tell you what, if you can’t beat my score, you give me your number. My friend here can have hers.”
He tilted his head toward Yumeko, as if he had just done them a favor.
Worse? He casually inserted himself into the space between the girls like he owned it.
Kira thought, somehow, in his tiny little brain, he actually believed he was entitled to both their attention and their numbers.
She was mentally preparing not to punch the guy instead of the machine.
And it was taking every fiber of her being to come up with a sentence that didn’t sound like:
“I’ll bury you. And your friend. Under this machine. Right here. Right now.”
How dare a man interrupt a perfectly good date between two women clearly out of his league?
Just then..
BOOM.
Third player: XXXX
Error: Maximum score exceeded.
Please call staff.
The machine practically short-circuited.
“I beat yours and everyone’s that had ever touched this machine. Are you the next target, perhaps?”
Yumeko asked, voice smooth as silk with a hint of something sharper. Cunning. Dangerous.
Not the kind of tone someone uses when they’re kidding.
And no, she was not kidding.
“Ehem... must’ve been a fluke,” the guy muttered, ego clearly bruised but pride too stubborn to admit it.
Kira, too amused by the whole thing, had practically forgotten the sentence she was mentally drafting earlier.
“I don’t know whose limit is higher: this machine or that ego of yours?” Yumeko said.
But no, she wasn’t done yet.
Not just yet.
She stepped aside slightly, just enough to face him head-on.
“The machine could take a punch,” she added. “And you? You can’t even take a hint.”
Like a nail in the coffin, that was the line that did it.
The guys turned and walked.
Partly from shame, but mostly, and definitely, from having their masculinity crushed.
-- Fourth Game --
They were now at their fourth game.
But what happened earlier was, Kira had to wait for the staff to manually reset the machine after Yumeko set a score it couldn’t calculate.
Fourth player: 874
Her score wasn’t too far from the actual limit of 1000, but it was higher than any of the guys’ earlier.
So far, the girls were tied: 1–1.
When it came to accuracy, Kira was better.
When it came to strength and agility, Yumeko was.
Not surprising, since Kira had been practicing archery since she was a kid.
And Yumeko had been learning martial arts since she was still little.
So now, they had to find a game that gave neither of them an advantage.
The claw machine didn’t count.
It was one of the games Kira suggested they never place a bet on, mostly because she thought it was the biggest scam in the whole arcade.
And partly because she didn’t want to ruin Yumeko’s love for it.
Then finally, they stumbled upon a game that was surprisingly empty by the time they arrived.
Well, it wasn’t exactly a game, but people often enjoy seeing the scores the machine would give after they’re done with their turn.
Karaoke.
How was this not an advantage to either of them?
Simple.
They both could sing.
Really damn well, too.
But they also knew the scoring system was mostly just for shits and giggles.
It wasn’t exactly built to judge or calculate one’s vocal range and skill.
-
“Still sure about the consequence?” Kira asked as they stepped into the karaoke room.
“Afraid to sleep on the couch, baby?” Yumeko teased, turning her head with a smirk.
“Afraid you won’t sleep next to me tonight, actually.” Kira countered.
It was a challenge and a confession at once, because ever since they got together, one could never sleep without the other by her side.
Swipe.
Buzz.
Select a song: 143
You have selected: ‘My Love Mine All Mine’ by Mitski.
Kira volunteered to go first.
It wasn’t obvious earlier, but she was actually more excited than Yumeko.
“You really don’t want to sleep on the couch, do you?” Yumeko huffed, eyes on the screen, questioning Kira’s song choice.
“I haven’t even started yet and you’re already folding,” Kira shot back.
She knew the song by heart.
She’d practiced it before.
Many times, actually.
But even more times since she had someone to dedicate it to.
The start button lit up. She pressed it.
And Kira began to sing.
Her voice was deep. A bit raspy, but soft enough to send tingles to Yumeko’s ears.
And of course, she chose to sit across from Yumeko, not beside her. Better angle for eye contact, Kira thought.
It was as if they both forgot the whole point of the game was to compare scores in the end, and not who folds faster at each other’s singing.
“Moon, tell me if I could
Send up my heart to you?
So, when I die, which I must do
Could it shine down here with you?”
By the second stanza, Yumeko swallowed a lump in her throat. One that wasn’t really there.
And it wasn't from the thought that she’d lose this round, but because she didn’t know it was still possible—
...to fall even harder than she already had right now.
“'Cause my love is mine, all mine
My love mine, mine, mine
Nothing in the world belongs to me
But my love, mine, all mine, all mine”
In between each line, Kira would glance at Yumeko with a gaze so loving, Mitski could probably write a whole song about it.
Her eyes, even in the dim light of the karaoke room, sparkled brighter than anything outside.
Or at least, that’s how Yumeko saw them.
Kira’s eyes, much like the wolf plushie’s, weren’t exactly blue or green.
They were a beautiful mix of both—though hers leaned more green, unlike Mr. Wolf’s, whose leaned more blue.
Yumeko knew that. She’d always known.
So yes, Kira was right all along.
Mr. Wolf’s eyes were more blue than green.
And Kira’s?
Definitely more green than blue.
But she liked the idea that Kira would rather lose a silly little argument if it meant letting her be right.
“My baby here on Earth
Showed me what my heart was worth
So when it comes to be my turn
Could you shine it down here for her?”
At certain angles, Kira’s eyes glowed like emeralds.
And sometimes the green would catch the light just right, and Yumeko swore it felt like being pulled into a forest she never wanted to leave.
From another angle, they looked like the sea.
Like tides of blue washing into the dark shore.
...like her eyes meeting Yumeko’s own.
“Nothing in the world is mine for free
But my love, mine, all mine, all mine”
The last two lines finally came.
And finally, Yumeko could breathe.
Your score: 98
“Mhm, not bad,” Kira said as the screen faded.
“That thing is broken. What do you mean 98?” Yumeko retorted, cheeks partly red from disbelief, and partly from a blush she didn’t expect to wear today.
“Baby, it’s a karaoke machine, alright? No punching this time,” Kira teased. “And aren’t you supposed to be challenged? You look like you want me to win.”
“I might as well do,” Yumeko replied, cracking her knuckles in mock protest. She looked like she was about to throw hands with the machine.
Then she stood up.
It was her turn now.
She’d already picked her song earlier, flipping through the songbook before Kira even started singing. She knew better than to waste a single second looking away from her girlfriend during a performance.
Not that she could.
Well, she hadn’t really taken her eyes off Kira since they walked into the room.
And during the song? Yumeko wasn’t just listening.
Kira sang, and Yumeko sank deeper, quietly, and completely.
It’s as if she hadn’t already fallen even harder at the beginning of the song.
Each line, each glance, each soft note felt like it was meant only for her.
The thought of it made her heart flutter.
A fuzzy feeling, she thought.
And maybe she did want Kira to win.
Maybe losing didn’t sound so bad, if it meant watching Kira sing to her like that again.
Buzz.
Select a song:
You have selected:
“Okay, you had me there. I thought you’d already picked a song?” Kira asked, shooting Yumeko a look of complete confusion because it looked like Yumeko stood up just to stare at the machine.
“Baby.” Yumeko replied in a tone Kira swears she hears whenever Yumeko has an idea in her mind that is not what one would normally have, regardless of the context.
“Mhm?”
“I’m giving you a chance.”
“A what?”
“A chance. Who do you want me to beat... your score,”
A pause.
“...or whatever’s stopping you from kissing me later?”
“W-wha..”
“Good choice.”
Buzz.
Kira didn’t know what Yumeko had planned, or even what song she picked. Mostly because Yumeko was blocking the screen.
It was only when the beat dropped that Kira realized...
Select a song: 1432
You have selected: ‘telepatía’ by Kali Uchis
“What the hell.”
Not even a question mark could be heard from the intonation of her words.
Just a period from pure shock. Maybe a little fear. Or maybe.. excitement?
[There’s an english translation for this song. Search it up if you want to feel exactly how Kira feels.]
“Quién lo diría
Que se podría hacer el amor por telepatía
La luna está llena, mi cama vacía
Lo que yo te haría
Si te tuviera de frente, la mente te la volaría
De noche y de día, de noche y de día”
First stanza in, and Kira swore she was already seeing stars.
Where the hell were they again?
Oh, right. Karaoke.
Definitely not outer space.
To be fair, her brain seemed to have left the building at the first word of the song.
“You know I'm just a flight away
If you want it, you can take a private plane
A kilómetros estamos conectando
Y me prendes aunque no me estés tocando
You know I got a lot to say
All these voices in the background of my brain
Y me dicen todo lo que estás pensando
Me imagino lo que ya estás maquinando”
Then, the second chorus came.
“Quién lo diría
Que se podría hacer el amor por telepatía
La luna está llena, mi cama vacía
Lo que yo te haría
Si te tuviera de frente, la mente te la volaría
De noche y de día, de noche y de día”
What was supposed to be a two-minute and forty-second song, was suddenly cut short to a minute and twenty seconds.
No, the karaoke machine didn’t break or explode.
No, their time wasn’t up yet.
And no, it’s not because the song sucked or anything of sort.
It’s because Kira decided that the song shouldn’t finish.
At all cost, it mustn’t.
Not if Yumeko was going to keep singing it like that.
Kira didn’t say anything, but the line “Fuck it,” was evident in her eyes.
She stood up.
One slow, deliberate motion.
Then she crossed the tiny space between them.
Time felt slower as she did.
Then, without a word..
She kissed Yumeko.
The heat and impulse of soft lips met even softer ones.
And for the next minute and twenty seconds, the music played, the lyrics stopped, and that was it.
There was only the air between them.
The way she held her.
And of course, the kiss.
-- At Home --
“So who’s sleeping on the couch?” Yumeko asked, or more like, teased.
“How was I supposed to know? You cheated,” Kira replied.
“I didn’t. You stopped me before I could finish the song.”
“And whose fault was that?”
Yumeko walked over and draped her arms over Kira’s neck, planting a soft kiss on her cheek.
“Mine. But I’m not sorry. Should I be?”
“You’re gonna be the death of me.”
“But your love transcends death, right? Or isn’t that what Mitski’s song was about?”
Kira nodded, then gently slid Yumeko’s arms down and took her hands in hers.
She led them toward the couch.
Yumeko blinked. A little confused.
There wasn’t supposed to be a loser tonight.
“Why the couch? Do you admit defeat, baby?” she asked.
“No,” Kira said, settling down with a grin.
“But I figured... if the bet never really ended, maybe we’re both still playing.”
She patted the space beside her.
“Next round starts here.”
Yumeko plopped down with a soft laugh, head on Kira’s shoulder.
Then a pause.
“What was the other song?” Kira asked suddenly. “The one you almost picked.”
Yumeko tilted her head up, grinning.
“Kiss Me.”
Then added, “By Sixpence None the Richer.”
Kira blinked.
“Are you kidding me?”
Yumeko only smiled.
“I was going to sing it slow,” she said. “Really slow.”
Kira stared at the ceiling for a second, like trying to reset her brain.
“God, I don’t know if I would’ve handled that better or worse.”
“Definitely worse.”
Which didn’t even make sense, considering telepatía was sultry and bold and was literally about making love through the air.
But something about ‘Kiss Me’ felt sneakier. It was soft. Romantic. Dreamy.
And without a doubt, it was both sweeter and more dangerous in its own way.
“Did you have another song in mind as well?” Yumeko asked, voice lighter now.
Kira hesitated for just a second.
Then, almost shyly, she says, “Close to You.”
It was now Yumeko’s turn to blink.
“Carpenters?”
Kira nodded.
“Because... well. You know.”
She didn’t need to explain.
Yumeko did know.
She knew exactly what line made her pick it.
“Just like me,” Yumeko whispered.
“They long to be…”
“Close to you,” Kira finished.
Their fingers laced instinctively.
Another pause.
Then they both laughed, soft and sleepy.
But right before both could doze off, Kira muttered,
“Still... telepatía was a deadly choice.”
Yumeko smiled into her shoulder.
“Too much?”
“Almost,” Kira whispered. “We were in a karaoke room, for Christ’s sake.”
Yumeko let out a soft laugh.
“Well,” she said gently, her fingers brushing against Kira’s. “You deserve it.”
Kira paused, yet again.
“For what?”
Yumeko shifted closer, voice lower, softer than the sleep seeping in.
“For all the times you let me win.”
Then they finally settled. Snuggled.
Curled up in each other’s arms, with Mr. Wolf tucked between them.
And they were fast asleep before either of them could decide who actually won.
Or before one could come up with another bet.
But maybe, just maybe… this was the prize all along.