𝓛𝓮𝓸𝓷 𝓚𝓮𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓭𝔂| ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ 4

Gaming and Grumbles

AN: I've mentioned a few other games I've been obsessed or played a lot of in the past, maybe some of you might know them?!

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I sit on the living room floor between Leon's legs, controller in hand as my eyes stick to the screen as I navigate the eerie yet comforting underwater city of Rapture from one of my favourite games; Bioshock. The soft glow of the TV casts a faint comfortable glow around the living room, a comical contrast to the chaos happening on the screen when strange and creepy figures jump from the ceiling and dart out from rubble ruins. Leon's on the sofa behind me, one hand holding an open book whilst the other gently massages my hair, a soothing motion for both of us. His presence is nice, even when we're doing two different things it still feels like we're together. I lean forwards every now and then as I face off against the ominous 'Big Daddies' and 'Splicers' but Leon's hand seems to follow my head. 

I let out a small sound of victory when I've defeated the enemy, even doing a little wiggle as Leon huffs a laugh behind me. "Why are you cheering at that creepy looking thing?" Leon asks, setting down the book as he peers over my shoulder. I smother a laugh, glancing at him before turning back to the screen. 

"That's a Little Sister," I explain as I move my character over to the child-like figure on the TV, "She's kind of important. You can either rescue or harvest her." 

Leon's brows knit together in confusion, I look back at him, tilting my head towards the screen as I silently let him choose what do do. "Rescue, obviously. She looks like she needs a hug, not an execution." This time I laugh at Leon's commentary, nodding at his choice as I press the right button and set the action in motion. We both watch as the sequence plays, then I feel Leon lean back into the sofa cushions again. "You're really good at this, you seem to know a lot about it." Leon states, now using two hands to play with my hair. I sigh into his touch, scuttling back a little as his knees close in around my shoulders, keeping me close. 

I shrug. "I've played this game quite a few times, it's one of my favourites." I reply, biting my lip as I pick up ammo and continue playing. Around half an hour passes until Leon breaks the silence between us with a yawn, his breath coming out in a sleepy sigh. I glance at the clock, noticing how it's past midnight. My eyes are admittedly beginning to strain, but I'm so close to finishing the game, and I always feel an odd sense of familiarity and comfort playing this particular game. 

"It's getting late, I think we should head to bed." Leon, ever the responsible one, mumbles as he sits up and rubs my shoulders lovingly. I tilt my head back, craning my neck to meet his warm smile. Leon leans forwards, closing the distance with a tender and lingering kiss until I pull back and put on my best puppy eyes. 

"Let me just do a little bit more, then I promise I'll come to bed. Just ten teeny more minutes." I sweetly say. Leon huffs at my addiction to the game, but nods regardless before getting up. I don't even notice he's making us both hot drinks until he brings them over to the coffee table, setting them both next to each other in a way that's cute and domestic. I play for a little while longer as Leon watches, every so often mumbling something about needing to sleep and hating the way I love gaming, until I finally turn it off. We drink our tea in peace as I let my eyes adjust to the darker lighting and real world. "You know, you should try playing it some time." I suggest to Leon. Unlike mine, Leon's game night involves some kind of board game or cards. 

"I wouldn't even know where to start, honey." He arches a brow at me, shaking his head ruefully. 

"I'll teach you," I say as I stand up, holding out a hand for him as he takes it and lets me lead him to the bedroom, "you'll pick it up quickly. You're good at everything you do. Come on, let me teach you tomorrow night. Please?" I beg. Leon gives in pretty much straight away, nodding as he collapses into bed and tugs me on top of him, his arms encircling me as he pulls the covers over us. 

"Alright." He whispers. The next night Leon finds himself sat next to me on the floor as I lean over him and point to the buttons on the controller, explaining what each one does and how to play Bioshock. I started a new game since I didn't want to finish it anyway, it gives me another sneaky opportunity to play it all over again. Leon frowns as he watches the cutscenes then begins playing, he looks a little out of his depth but the man's persistent and determined. I help him along the way, glad that my prediction was right and he picks it up pretty easily, manoeuvring through the hallways and rooms of Rapture whilst eyeing up every dark corner. However, his logical mind clearly wasn't made for gamer logic...

"Why can't I climb over this rubble?" Leon mutters, frustration evident as he keeps trying to jump over the game's invisible barrier. I laugh, shaking my head at him. 

"You can't. You've got to find another way around." I guide gently, but Leon isn't having it. He grumbles, mumbling nonsense at the illogical logic which is the gaming world. His commentary has me in stitches, I find myself laughing more than watching him play, especially when it came to his thoughts about the characters. Regardless I encourage and praise until he finally begins to enjoy himself, after a few nights of him playing I finally break into the good games, choosing two player coop games which we can play together. I start off simple, choosing a Call of Duty game as well as an oldie but goldie, Gears of War. Sometimes we work together, other times we just have fun and go against each other in matches, trash talking each other, our playful insults echo around the living room until late into the night. 

We always end our newfound gaming nights with tea and cookies, opting to talk to each other rather than about each other. We do compromise, and I find myself tossing Uno cards off of the table when Leon pulls out the reverse card. We always have fun together, teammates in both fiction and in real life.