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Ronaldo wasn’t much of a gamer—he liked games just fine, but he wasn’t super into the whole thing like Draluc was. But even he was aware that there was a highly-anticipated game from a beloved series that had just come out, and he had fully expected Draluc to spend a few days obsessing over it. He was resigned to it. But that didn’t mean he was particularly happy about it.
The first few days were lost to the game completely. Ronaldo would leave for a hunt with Draluc glued to the couch and come back hours later to find him in the exact same spot. The most he could hope for was getting him off the couch long enough to cook something quick, but once he was done, it was right back to the game. He wouldn’t even sit at the table while he and John ate. After a bit of prodding, Ronaldo was finally able to get him to leave the game for a bit to help out with hunts. But even then, he would be distracted the entire time (Ronaldo silently cursed whoever decided that this game console should be a handheld as well).
Now it was a week after the game had come out, and Draluc was still hooked. They barely talked. When they did, it was usually about the game. At this point, he legitimately missed Draluc, as if he wasn;t there at all. It was really starting to wear on his nerves. Missing someone who was right next to you was a new sort of pain Ronaldo had never had to deal with before, and it was awful.
As he settled onto the couch after dinner, Ronaldo hatched a plan. He had been more than accommodating, way more than he ever would have before they started dating, and so now he was going to act out for the attention he craved. Draluc had left him no choice.
After watching for a few minutes, Ronaldo piped up, “Hey, if you’re going to keep ignoring me, can you at least sit on my lap while you play?”
Draluc clicked his tongue. “I’m not ignoring you. I just need to finish this so I can go back online without the risk of seeing spoilers.”
What game takes more than a whole week to beat? Ronaldo thought, but he wasn’t going to bring that up right now lest they simply have an argument and ruin his plan. “You can still play, I just want to be close to you if this is the only way we can hang out.”
Draluc sighed and paused the game. “Fine. But don’t distract me,” he said as he got up and then flopped back down between Ronaldo’s legs. “I’ll be pissed if you start messing me up.”
“I won’t,” Ronaldo lied, and wrapped his arms loosely around Draluc’s midsection. Did he figure out his plan already? After just one question? Maybe not, if he still trusted him enough to actually sit with him.
Draluc unpaused the game and kept playing while Ronaldo snuggled into his back. He’d give it some time, let him forget that he was even here, and then he’d start. As it was, though, even being this close to him was nice. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed Draluc’s scent, and he tried to take deep but subtle breaths to absorb as much of it as he could. But he wasn’t going to let himself be satisfied with just this bare amount of acknowledgment.
Eventually Ronaldo sat back again. He pulled out his phone and started flicking around on it, just to really drive home the idea that he was going to be good and not bother Draluc. It was hard to distract himself from the desire to mess around with him, though, especially with how intently focused on the game he was. He just couldn’t help but want to annoy him a little. It had been such a long time since they’d done their usual schtick together. But he bit the urge back; he had to wait and play his cards right if he didn’t want Draluc to just get up and go to the other room.
So he waited. Once half an hour had passed, he could barely contain himself anymore. Ronaldo shifted a bit until his face was close to Draluc’s neck—not too close, but close enough that he’d be able to feel his breath if he exhaled hard enough. And that’s just what he did: Ronaldo parted his lips just enough to let a tiny stream of air play over the nape of Draluc’s neck. Only a tiny bit at first, and only once in awhile.
Surprisingly, he didn’t get a reaction. He couldn’t see Draluc’s expression, but he hadn’t turned around to yell at him yet, so that probably meant he was getting away with it. But Ronaldo knew he still had to be careful, so he was sure to leave decently long pauses between breaths. After a few moments, he started gently blowing on Draluc’s ear instead—a riskier move considering that was a weak point of his.
Sure enough, Draluc shivered as soon as he felt his breath, but he still didn’t turn around. He was truly committed to this stupid game. Ronaldo had expected as much, but it was nice to confirm it. This meant he could probably get away with even more.
He wasn’t quite ready to start pressing his luck much further, though, so he simply kept up his current strategy. Draluc was definitely starting to notice; each time Ronaldo puffed on his ear, he would tilt his head ever so slightly as if he was trying to avoid it. But he still refused to pay attention to anything other than the game.
Ronaldo couldn’t help but feel somewhat put out that Draluc was so determined to ignore him, but it did nothing but fuel the fire. He began slowly running a hand along Draluc’s thigh instead—gently, of course, and so slow he might not even notice his hand was moving. It was going to be a war of attrition for them both, Ronaldo could already tell. He wasn’t going to go easy on him, though. He began moving his hand just the slightest bit faster, hesitating for just a teasing little moment at the top of his thigh before easing it back down again. Feeling somewhat emboldened after still not getting a reaction, he crept his other hand towards Draluc’s chest.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Draluc finally snapped, pausing the game and twisting around to look behind him.
“What?” Ronaldo replied innocently.
“Don’t ‘what’ me. You and I both know what you’re doing.”
“Then why’d you ask?”
Draluc gave him a tight-lipped smile as if to say ‘yes, you’re so clever’ before frowning again. “Stop trying to mess with me. I’ve been trying to beat this shrine for the past twenty minutes and I’m really not in the mood.”
He really did look irritated, which gave Ronaldo a bit of sick satisfaction. “Okay, fine, I’ll stop.” Ronaldo obediently returned his hands to his sides.
Draluc took a moment to scowl at Ronaldo before he turned around again, leaned forward a bit, and continued playing.
If that’s how he was going to be, Ronaldo wasn’t going to keep trying to be subtle. After just a few minutes, his hands were right back where they were before, earning himself a beleaguered sigh from Draluc. But he was still playing, and not returning to the other side of the couch, so Ronaldo’s hands stayed. He gave him a bit more time to get used to the feeling, and then slowly started moving them again. His right hand worked up and down Draluc’s thigh in that same teasing motion, and his left hand played gently over Draluc’s chest, under his apron, just shy of his nipple.
Ronaldo turned his attention to the game for a moment, just in time to watch Draluc’s character slip over an edge and plummet to his death. Draluc sighed the most passive-aggressive sigh Ronaldo had ever heard him sigh, but still refused to give any reaction more than that. But a small reaction was still a reaction, and that was good enough for Ronaldo.
The war had officially begun.
Ronaldo’s hand drifted down to Draluc’s nipple and caressed it. There was something fascinating about the feeling of it hardening beneath his fingertips, something he could never get enough of. He abandoned Draluc’s thigh in favor of his other nipple, and once they were hard enough to really feel beneath the fabric of his shirt, he gave them a little pinch.
Draluc twitched almost imperceptibly, but Ronaldo felt it. He grinned to himself as he continued playing with the little nubs, pinching and flicking and tweaking—never too roughly, he didn’t want to hurt him. It was just a fun little tease; he knew Draluc liked having his chest played with, even if he’d never admit it. He’d get all riled up, and then he really wouldn’t have a choice but to pay attention to him.
So far, though, Draluc was doing a pretty good job of focusing on the game. He was absolutely refusing to look back at Ronaldo again. But that was fine, Ronaldo knew he could get him eventually, he just had to raise the intensity a bit. Press his luck a little bit. No matter what happened, whether he pissed Draluc off enough or turned him on enough for him to give up on the game for awhile, it’d be worth it.
Ronaldo gently pushed the arm straps of Draluc’s apron down his arms and let the bib fold into his lap. He didn’t even seem to notice, save for moving his hands so it didn’t get in the way of his controller. Then Ronaldo set to work on Draluc’s shirt buttons, undoing just enough to slip his hand inside. Draluc inhaled sharply as Ronaldo’s fingers grazed his erect nipple, and Ronaldo smiled to himself. The tides of battle were in his favor.
He scooted forward a bit until his hips were flush with Draluc’s. At this point he couldn’t help but feel a bit hot and bothered himself. Even with Draluc trying not to react, Ronaldo could pick up on little things—his breath hitching when he tweaked his nipple just right, his usually vaguely-lukewarm body temperature heating up ever so slightly. If anything, him trying to be quiet was erotic in a weird way, like they were trying not to get caught by a nonexistent third party. He wasn’t completely hard yet, but he was definitely halfway there, and he knew Draluc could feel his burgeoning erection poking him.
And yet he still didn’t move away. He was still playing, and Ronaldo hadn’t even heard the game over chime in awhile. It was impressive, and Ronaldo was determined to ruin it. His free hand drifted down to cup Draluc’s crotch while the other kept playing with his chest. There was that deep inhale again, a subtle admission of weakness. He squeezed his package gently. It felt like Draluc was in a similar state as he was.
But Ronaldo wasn’t going to go much further than that, at least not yet. Instead, he kissed the bottom of Draluc’s neck, and made a little trail of kisses over to his ear. This would be his special attack, a direct hit to Draluc’s weak spot—a playful little bite at the very tip of his ear.
Suddenly, a victorious jingle rang out from the TV. “Ha!” Draluc cried, standing up and dropping his controller on the empty side of the couch. “I beat it!” He turned and grabbed the back of Ronaldo’s head, then crushed their lips together. “You couldn’t stop me. Ha.” He broke the kiss just long enough to say that, then immediately went back in for more. His tongue slipped into Ronaldo’s mouth and ran along his tongue. Ronaldo was too shocked to react. “Stupid gorilla. How do you like that?” With that, he pulled away for good and folded his arms over his chest, smirking triumphantly.
Ronaldo blinked and shook his head to try to wake his brain up. “I, uh. Fine?”
“Yeah, I bet it’s fine.” Draluc untied the knot around his waist and tossed his apron at Ronaldo. When he got it off of his face, Draluc was already halfway down the hall.
“Hey, wait, where are you going?” He called after him.
Draluc didn’t even look over his shoulder. “I’m going to take a bath.”
Ronaldo scrambled off the couch and hurried after him. Draluc had just stepped into the bathroom when he caught up. “Can I come in with you?” He asked.
“No.”
Then Draluc shut the door in his face.
A hot wave of rage flared up in Ronaldo’s chest, but he managed to keep his tantrum contained to just a petulant stomp of his foot. He stomped all the way back to the living room and flopped onto the couch as aggressively as he possibly could, as if Draluc could somehow sense his irritation from the bathroom. For a moment he just scowled at the game, that stupid game. It was all that game’s fault! It had sunk its claws into him and pulled him away from everything else. Sure, he looked pretty happy whenever he accomplished some boss thing or whatever, or when he was trying to tell him about whatever cool solution to a puzzle he had come up with. And sure, it was pretty cute when he was all excited for it to come out in the weeks before its release...
Ronaldo sighed. The game was still running, unpaused. The in-game day had turned to night, the player character just staring into the distance the whole time. Ronaldo picked up the controller and hit the pause button. The save menu popped up.
Ah, Draluc didn’t save, Ronaldo thought.
While Ronaldo wasn’t as much of a pro gamer as Draluc was, he at least knew how to save a game. So he did just that, and then set the controller aside and turned the TV off.
Now he was alone on the couch with just his thoughts. There was a weird mix of feelings weighing on his subconscious, and he wasn’t really feeling up for deep introspection. Especially not while he was still sporting a half-chub.
He looked over his shoulder. He could vaguely hear the shower running. Draluc usually took pretty long baths, so he probably had a decent amount of time to himself. Looking to his side, he realized he also had Draluc’s apron to himself as well.
Well, fine. If this was the hand he was being dealt, so be it.
He picked up the apron and brought it to his nose, burying his face in it and inhaling deeply. His other hand drifted down to unzip his fly. He shifted just enough to fish his cock out and slowly stroked himself till he was fully erect. Draluc’s scent was intoxicating somehow; he hadn’t liked it when he had first moved in, he couldn’t get enough of it once they started dating. He groaned under his breath as he sank back against the couch cushions, then moved the apron so he could smell a new part of it. It wasn’t fair how much of an effect just his smell had on him. As much as he wanted the real thing, the apron could at least make this J/O session a little more satisfying. He continued teasing himself with languid tugs as he drank in Draluc’s scent. Reality was just beginning to fade into the background, when—
“Hey. Hornaldo.”
Ronaldo nearly leapt out of his skin, inadvertently throwing the apron behind him. “Wh-Wh-Wh—?!”
Draluc stood in front of him, completely naked save for a small towel over his shoulders. His hair was still wet, his bangs hanging in front of his eyes. Before Ronaldo could process much more than that, Draluc had already started climbing onto his lap.
“Don’t think that this means I’m not still mad at you,” Draluc said. “I definitely am.” And then he pressed his lips against Ronaldo’s.
Ronaldo was too busy trying to catch up to what had just happened to kiss back, and Draluc made a little unsatisfied noise. “What are you acting so mind-boggled about? As if this wasn’t what you wanted.”
“N-no, it is, I just...” Ronaldo blinked a couple times and took a deep breath, then settled his hands on Draluc’s hips. “I was just surprised, that’s all.”
Draluc huffed. “It’s your fault I’m like this,” he said, leaning back and glancing down. Ronaldo followed his eyes and sure enough, he was just as hard as Ronaldo was. “So you’re going to fix it.”
“What, your hand not satisfying enough for you?”
A faint twinge of color rose to Draluc’s cheeks as he tipped his head back haughtily. “I’m just taking the path of least resistance. Why should I do all the work when I can make you do it instead?”
If that was really what it took, Ronaldo decided to let Draluc think he won this round. But he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself at his flimsy excuse.
“Hmph. Wipe that stupid smirk off your face,” Draluc muttered before kissing Ronaldo again. This time he responded, running his tongue along Draluc’s lower lip before slipping it inside. It had felt like ages had passed since they had done this, and the feeling of electricity shot through his spine like it had the first time they kissed. Ronaldo reached to cup Draluc’s ass in both hands, lifting and squishing together what little muscle there was.
Draluc pulled away and Ronaldo chased after him immediately, pressing short pecks against his lips and chin as Draluc tried to avoid them. “Mm. Hold on a second.” Then he hoisted himself up and over the backrest of the couch. Ronaldo heard the lid of his coffin clatter against the floor and a bit of rustling. He was just about to give Draluc a teasing little nip above his hipbone, which was currently pressed against his temple, when Draluc slid back into place. “Lube,” he said simply, handing Ronaldo the bottle he had presumably stashed in his coffin somewhere.
“Huh? Already?” Ronaldo was a bit put out. “You don’t want to mess around a bit more?”
Draluc snorted. “You already got to mess around,” he said, settling back onto the couch next to Ronaldo and spreading his legs. “Now you get to fuck me.”
Ronaldo pouted but dutifully lubed up his fingers and pressed them to Draluc’s entrance. Draluc hissed and arched his back ever so slightly as the muscle gave way and Ronaldo’s first two fingers slid inside.
“Starting with two?” Draluc murmured as he relaxed, the tips of his ears that had begun crumbling re-solidifying.
“If you’re going to act like we have a time limit,” Ronaldo shrugged.
“Jeez, you’re so needy!” Draluc sighed over-dramatically, but Ronaldo could see the beginnings of a grin at the corner of his mouth. He stretched his arms out. “Fine. Come here.”
Ronaldo wasted no time collapsing into Draluc’s arms, and as soon as his full weight hit him, Draluc collapsed into dust. Ronaldo jumped back. “Ah! Sorry!”
As Draluc began reforming, there was an irritated look on his face. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?”
“I—I really didn’t mean to that time, sorry,” Ronaldo said as he hurriedly applied more lube to his fingers. Once Draluc was back, Ronaldo carefully lowered himself on top of him. He reached down between Draluc’s legs, but Draluc put up a hand to stop him.
“Wait,” he said. “Let me bite you.”
“What? Why?”
“If I’ve got a little blood in me, it’ll be harder for you to kill me. Then you can be as rough as you want.”
It was a tempting proposition, as much as Ronaldo hated to admit. Especially after being pent up for so long, it would be nice to be able to really go at it without worrying about overdoing things. At the same time, though, he wasn’t sure how he felt about being bitten.
After a beat, Draluc spoke up again. “I’ll forgive you for messing with me earlier if you let me bite you.” He grinned.
“Mmm. I just, I don’t know,” Ronaldo muttered. Draluc was probably going to forgive him at some point anyway. How long could he really stay mad?
“Listen, I’ll just take a little bit. It doesn’t even have to be from your neck if you don’t want,” Draluc said, taking Ronaldo’s wrist and bringing it close to his face.
Ronaldo fought the urge to pull it away. “My wrist?” It was a little strange, but at least his gloves would cover it up for the most part...
“Just a little bit,” Draluc repeated. He looked up at Ronaldo with puppydog eyes.
“...Fine.” It would be worth it, probably. Besides, the longer they waited, the more his cock ached and begged for release. “Just a little bit,” he reminded quickly as Draluc brought his wrist up to his mouth.
“Just a little bit.” And then Draluc carefully sunk his fangs into Ronaldo’s flesh.
Ronaldo grit his teeth, though somehow it didn’t hurt as much as he had thought it would. The bite itself was over quickly, replaced with just a feeling of light suction as Draluc drank from the wound he had created. There was something about the sight of him with his wrist in his mouth, eyes closed, sucking gently—it was strangely cute.
“H-hey, that’s enough,” Ronaldo said after a few seconds. Draluc hummed and ran his tongue over the wound a couple times before pulling away obediently. As soon as he had, Ronaldo lifted his wrist up to inspect it. Two perfect little holes, smaller than he had expected. They were a bright angry red, but the bleeding had already stopped, and the pain was almost just an afterthought.
Draluc lay back, a satisfied little smile on his face. “Mm. I’d forgotten how rich virgin’s blood is.”
Ronaldo immediately bristled. “V-virgin?! You should know better than anyone that—”
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” Draluc said, raising his hands as if to block any possible blows. He was still grinning away, though, obviously proud of himself. “You’re so easy to rile up. Take it easy.”
Ronaldo snorted. “As if you have any room to talk,” he muttered under his breath as he slid his hand between Draluc’s legs again. “Ready?”
“Mm-hm.” Draluc reached up and looped his arms around Ronaldo’s neck, still looking like the cat that had gotten the cream.
As Ronaldo pushed his fingers inside, he leaned down and kissed Draluc. The taste made him flinch and he felt Draluc’s lips curl into a smirk against his. He retaliated by quirking his fingers up against Draluc’s prostate, eliciting a short, sharp cry from him. Ronaldo grinned triumphantly, breaking the kiss. He scissored his fingers apart a few times and nipped at Draluc’s ear. “So, since you got my blood, that means I can put it in now, right?”
“I thought you wanted to keep messing around.” Draluc simpered.
“Yeah, but I changed my mind.” Ronaldo dutifully kept fingering Draluc open as he spoke, though he avoided his gaze. “I might explode if I don’t put it in now.”
“Okay then. Go ahead.”
Ronaldo withdrew his fingers and, not wasting any time, sat back on his knees, grabbed the lube, and squirted a generous glob onto his cock. It took a couple of strokes to get himself back to a full erection, Draluc watching bemusedly as he sat up on his elbows. “D-don’t laugh at me,” he muttered, just barely above a whisper, as he lifted Draluc’s hips onto his lap. Lining up his cock, he spoke up, “I’m gonna put it in.”
“Okay, okay, enough with the pomp and circumsta-aaaance.” Draluc’s voice rose in pitch and volume as Ronaldo’s cock slowly sank inside. Ronaldo hissed as he was enveloped in Draluc’s cool, velvety inner walls. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to that difference in temperature; every time felt like the first, and it wasn’t helping that it had been so long since he’d gotten to feel it.
Draluc squirmed beneath him, his inner muscles tightening and relaxing rhythmically as they adjusted to the intrusion. “I-I didn’t,” he gasped. “think you’d go in so fast.” At least his voice sounded as strained as Ronaldo felt. Apparently he wasn’t the only one a bit overwhelmed by the feeling.
Once he was fairly confident he could speak, Ronaldo said, “Not my fault. I barely pushed and you swallowed me right up.” He rocked his hips forward, seating his cock somehow even deeper.
Draluc whimpered. “You’re so hot. I feel like I’m being boiled from the inside.” He put a hand against his lower midsection, over the subtle bump that marked the tip of Ronaldo’s dick.
Ronaldo huffed a short laugh. “Don’t change the subject. You like it, don’t you?” He punctuated his question with a quick jerk of his hips.
Draluc arched his back and cried out. “Ah, y-yes! Jeez. Don’t be so proud of yourself.”
And yet, Ronaldo couldn’t help it. Draluc always acted so aloof, like Ronaldo was the only one of them with any libido and anything he did was just to quell Ronaldo’s raging sex drive. But he liked it too. Of course he did. He came back from the bath, after all.
“Hey, stop grinning like that. You look creepy,” Draluc said, breaking Ronaldo’s reverie. It took all his restraint not to punch him into dust again. Instead, he channeled that feeling into a thrust, and then another, another, until he had built up a steady driving rhythm. At the crest of each thrust, Draluc gasped and whined and moaned.
“You’re so noisy,” Ronaldo murmured, leaning down to kiss Draluc’s jawline.
“Ah, hahh, sh-shut up,” Draluc moaned, his voice peaking and cracking as Ronaldo kept fucking him. “I-it’s just because, hah! Because you’re too being rough.”
“Ohh?” Ronaldo kept up the pace. “Pretty sure you drank my blood, so—”
“J-just fuck me,” Draluc muttered.
“Uoooh...S-sorry, can’t hear you,” Ronaldo lied, his voice wavering as he jackhammered away. “You have to say it louder—fuck.” He had been moving so fast that he pulled back too far and his cock flopped out of Draluc, who gasped and whined. “F-fuck.” He scrambled to line himself up again, but Draluc put a hand to his chest and stopped him.
“Maybe, slow down a little?” He said. “I know I said—”
“Yeah. Sorry.” Ronaldo sat up. After he caught his breath, he hoisted Draluc up onto his lap, and then pressed his cock against Draluc’s asshole. “This okay?”
“Mm-hm.” Draluc leaned back against Ronaldo’s chest. “I’m ready. Do it.”
Ronaldo obliged, pushing against Draluc’s rim until it yawned open around his cockhead. He let himself sink in slowly, nipping at Draluc’s ear as he did. Draluc covered his mouth loosely, though he still groaned when Ronaldo brushed past a sensitive spot or bit a little too hard. Eventually his cock was all the way in again. Draluc’s inner muscles twitched around him, and he had to bite his lip to keep it together.
Then, before Draluc could say anything, Ronaldo pulled back and rolled his hips up again. Draluc gasped softly and Ronaldo leaned down to kiss his neck. Then again, pulled back and rolled forward. He kept that same languid pace as he continued teasing Draluc, kissing along his ear down to his neck. After a bit, Draluc moved his hands away and began moaning openly again.
“It’s so hot,” he whined. “Ah. Your dick is so hot...”
Ronaldo’s breath hitched and he felt that telltale pull in his lower abs. “You like it, huh?” His voice was strained as he worked to hold his orgasm at bay.
“Yes, I like it, I like your stupid dick,” Draluc groaned. “I like it, I like the way it feels, and I like you, you idiot! S-so—”
“Gonna cum,” Ronaldo interrupted, his hips faltering. “Wh-where...?”
It took a moment for Draluc to respond. “Quick,” Ronaldo prompted.
“Inside,” Draluc gasped. “Cum inside me.”
He didn’t need much more urging than that, managing a couple more jerks before burying his cock as deep as he could. A thick rope of cum burst from his cock and a low, guttural moan rose from his throat. Draluc gasped, his inner muscles seizing and squeezing Ronaldo’s dick. Another shot of cum, then a final, weaker spurt, and then Ronaldo was spent.
“Um...Did you cum too?” Ronaldo asked awkwardly, his mind still catching up to the whole situation.
“Mm,” Draluc hummed. “Just a little more...”
Ronaldo reached down and palmed Draluc’s cock, still heavy and dripping precum. Draluc hissed at the sudden friction, then moaned sharply as Ronaldo closed his hand around it and gave it a firm jerk. Draluc squirmed and moaned and pressed against Ronaldo’s chest. He continued stroking until he felt his cum shoot into his hand, giving him a few more tugs as he rode out his orgasm, then they both fell still.
Draluc was the first to move. He took a sharp breath before lifting himself off of Ronaldo’s lap. “I’m going to the bathroom,” he said, and then started off.
Ronaldo grabbed his wrist at the last second. “Wait. You don’t wanna stay and cuddle a bit?” He gave him his best puppydog eyes.
“Not unless you want to sleep on an even wetter couch,” Draluc said dryly. “I’ll be right back.”
And then he was off down the hallway again. For awhile, Ronaldo just sat back, staring at the ceiling, keeping his hand closed tightly in a fist lest dirty the couch any further. After a few moments, he reached for a tissue and cleaned his hand. The temptation to go bother Draluc in the bathroom was great, but he knew better than to indulge that particular urge. Instead, he stood up and took stock of the couch—yeah, some wet spots here and there, but nothing a towel couldn’t handle. He got up to fetch one and ran into Draluc, who had put his nightshirt on.
“Ready for bed?” Ronaldo asked.
“Yeah. I’ll wait for you.” Draluc trailed his fingers along Ronaldo’s arm as he passed him.
A peculiar heat thrummed inside Ronaldo’s chest as he grabbed a clean towel. Not a burning frustration or rage, but just a nice, pleasant warmth. Hurrying back to the living room, he saw Draluc over by his game console.
Ronaldo froze and Draluc looked up. “Just turning it off,” he said. “Don’t worry.”
“I saved your game for you,” Ronaldo said quickly, laying the towel over the wet spots.
Draluc smirked. “Thanks. But, you know, it auto-saves whenever you accomplish an objective.”
“O-oh,” Ronaldo said, deflating somewhat. “Really?”
“Yup.” Draluc put the controller in its charging dock. “But thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Um, yeah, sure,” he mumbled as he grabbed his boxers and pulled them on. Then he flopped onto the couch. Perking up a bit, he said, “Hey, sleep with me tonight. I’ll lay the backrest down.” He reached for the lever on the side of the couch and yanked it. The backrest thudded down with some noisy mechanical creaks. He patted it invitingly.
Draluc snorted, but walked over and sat beside him on the couch. “Leave it up. It’ll feel more cramped that way.”
“Oh, uh,” Ronaldo said, jumping off and quickly pushing the backrest back up into position again. “I guess that makes sense. If you really think we won’t be too close.”
Draluc hummed and pulled Ronaldo back onto the couch, then lay down beside him. He snuggled into his chest as Ronaldo threw his blanket over them and settled back. “I guess I can stand it after a week of sleeping alone.”
Ronaldo kissed the top of his head. “And tomorrow?”
“You want me to sleep with you tomorrow?”
“Mm-hm.”
“...As long as you don’t pull any more stunts like today..." Draluc looked up and tilted his head from side to side as if he were doing mental math. "Sure." He closed his eyes and smiled, and Ronaldo found himself smiling along with him.
Victory.