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Spencer couldn't remember how this little game between him and Shayne came to be. It started small, obviously. A touch on the shoulder here, a lingering look there. Then it turned into a gentle ruffling of hair, more lingering touches as well as looks, and getting far too comfortable inside each other's personal bubbles.
Spencer didn't fully understand what was happening here, but he knew that he felt an overwhelming rush every time Shayne touched him or looked at him just a second too long.
That's probably not a normal thing to feel about someone who's just your friend, right?
But still, they were both trying to steadily one-up each other at every turn—a constant air of I dare you on the tips of their fingers and the burning in their eyes.
Spencer wondered when it would end. And at what point would it be too far?
Maybe it was today. The two of them stood right next to each other at the counter in the break room, both making coffee in silence, but Spencer was painfully aware of their barely-there contact from shoulder to hip. Shayne didn't need to stand that close to him, but he chose to anyway. Spencer turned around and faced the other direction, coffee cup in hand, leaning against the counter. The room was blissfully empty minus himself and Shayne.
So, Spencer rested his head on Shayne's shoulder.
He felt Shayne tense up, but only for a few seconds. Spencer heard the clink of a spoon hitting the counter, the drag of a sliding cup. But then Shayne laid his head on top of Spencer's.
"Do you want to—" Spencer's voice felt rough, so he cleared his throat. "Do you want to hang out tonight, maybe?"
"And do what?" Spencer could feel Shayne's voice rumbling in his body.
"I don't know. Watch a movie? Game? Usual stuff."
Shayne lifted his head, so Spencer did the same. They looked at one another, and despite all of this closeness, Spencer couldn't get a good read on what was going through Shayne's mind.
But Shayne smiled. "Sounds good. See you at around seven?"
Spencer nodded. "I'll plan on it."
He watched Shayne walk out of the break room and wondered why he'd chosen today to dive into the deep end.
~
Spencer made it home from work, setting his backpack down in its usual spot as the door closed behind him, but he remained frozen in place otherwise. He couldn't get his mind to focus or begin what he wanted to have done by the time Shayne got here.
He was nervous. The fact that Spencer felt that way at all made him feel even more nervous.
Whatever. It's just Shayne.
Finally, Spencer decided to grab a quick shower, hoping that it might clear his mind a bit. He found his favorite hoodie and a clean pair of sweats to change into, and he already felt more comfortable. He made his way to the kitchen and started opening cupboards, trying to pick out snacks that both of them would like. Luckily, he always kept a hefty snack stash with plenty of choices. He managed to grab a Kickstart out of the fridge, even with his hands mostly full, and brought everything into the living room.
With all that out of the way, Spencer sat down on his couch and checked his phone. Shayne had texted him while he was raiding the kitchen.
Shayne: Need me to pick anything up before I head over?
Spencer: Nope, I'm good here.
He grabbed a Switch controller and began playing something mindless to pass the time. But before long, there was knocking at the door.
"Come in!" Spencer yelled, looking over his shoulder at the door.
Shayne walked in, shutting the door and locking it behind him.
"Dude, I could have been anyone." Shayne approached the back of the couch, rolling his eyes at Spencer.
"Yeah, but it was you, so it's fine." Spencer looked up at him and grinned.
Shayne shook his head, but he was smiling. "Whatever. So, what are we doing?"
Spencer shrugged. "Mario Party?"
"What are you, a glutton for punishment?"
"Come on, it might be fun. And if not, we can rage quit and watch a movie."
"Deal." Shayne walked around the couch and sat next to Spencer. Spencer leaned forward to grab all the Joy-Cons off the coffee table. After handing some to Shayne, Spencer shifted his position on the couch until he was leaning against Shayne, legs tucked beneath him and squished up against Shayne's side.
Shayne adjusted for Spencer's weight, but made no other motion to move away.
"Which board do you want to play?"
~
After 20 grueling turns, Spencer barely made it out ahead of Shayne for the win.
Shayne put the Joy-Cons back on the coffee table. "So, anyways…" His voice drifted off and he started to laugh, which made Spencer start to laugh. He threw his Joy-Cons to the side and settled back into the very comfortable spot he'd made for himself, still leaning against Shayne but now his head was on Shayne's shoulder again.
Neither of them said anything for a few beats. But Spencer didn't want Shayne to leave just yet.
"You wanna watch a movie?" Spencer quietly voiced the suggestion.
Shayne nodded. "Yeah, I do."
As they debated what they even wanted to watch, Spencer felt Shayne's arm move behind his back, his hand landing on Spencer's hip.
Even while calmly discussing the pros and cons of a movie, Spencer knew deep down that this might be where the game came to end. He had to know the answer. For as much as he'd been trying to ignore it, he was sure he knew what this whole thing was now.
It was a long, drawn out gamble to see how much was too much. And if nothing was, what did that mean for both of them?
They picked something they'd both seen before, which Spencer was secretly thankful for. If they got distracted, it wouldn't matter.
Spencer shoved his fear down and instead did what he actually wanted to. Shayne's hand was still on his hip, so he moved his arm and gently rested his hand on top of Shayne's.
Shayne somehow tried to pull him even closer, only there wasn't a whole lot of places for Spencer's body to go, so he just sat higher up instead. Spencer didn't dare look at Shayne yet, so he paused one last time to just be in that moment.
Spencer couldn't deny how nice it felt being this close to Shayne. Feeling the solidness of his body, half-wrapped in his embrace, warmth radiating from him… Spencer could get used to this.
But he needed to look Shayne in the eye before he made his next move. Spencer glanced at him and saw that Shayne's eyes were forward, watching the movie. Or pretending to, anyway.
Spencer squeezed Shayne's hand and fully looked up at him. Shayne turned his head to look at Spencer, and for a moment, they could only stare at one another. Spencer smiled and squeezed his hand again.
Shayne not only smiled back, but leaned down and gently kissed the top of Spencer's head. He felt like he was going to burst at the seams, so Spencer made his final move.
Spencer leaned forward out of Shayne's grasp, kneeling on one knee and pivoting around until he landed right in Shayne's lap, Spencer's knees on either side of him.
Like it was as natural as breathing, Shayne's hands went to Spencer's hips and gripped.
Spencer couldn't tear his eyes away from Shayne. Without thinking, he reached up and cupped Shayne's face in his hands.
Just one last obstacle.
"This is real… right?" Spencer whispered.
Shayne nodded quickly. "It's real."
"Good."
Spencer leaned down and gently pressed his lips to Shayne's. The world went fuzzy around the edges and cataloging what was happening now proved more difficult. Shayne's hands moved from his hips, and now his arms were wrapped around Spencer's waist entirely. Shayne kissed him back. That part was important too.
Spencer pushed forward a little more and teased Shayne's bottom lip with his tongue. Shayne hummed, grabbing the collar of Spencer's hoodie and trying to tug him closer still. Spencer licked into Shayne's mouth, his chest now flat against Shayne's and his fingers running through Shayne's hair. Finally, Spencer leaned back to catch his breath, but Shayne followed him for one more short kiss and then grinned at him.
"Took you long enough."
Spencer rolled his eyes. "Dude, I could say the same about you. Looks like I win though."
"Win what?" Shayne gently ran his hands up and down Spencer's sides and he squirmed a little.
"This little game we were playing. Which I guess boiled down to who would make the first move."
"You're an idiot, Spencer. But…"
"But what?"
Shayne's face was already flushed but it somehow got even redder. "But I really, really like you."
Spencer grinned, leaning forward and gently kissing Shayne on the cheek. "I really, really like you too."