My Cuddle Buddy

"DAMMIT!" Arin cursed through gritted teeth. It was another typical day at the Grumps office. Arin and Dan were playing another level of Mario Maker 2 cooked up by Ross, and as per usual, Arin kept on failing through Ross' devious level design. He lost count on how many times he had to restart the level, but Arin was far from ready to quit.

"Alright, this time for real, dude. I got this, Ross is gonna pee his pants so hard when he sees this." Arin said in a determined voice, grinning widely. Dan, on the other hand, wasn't really feeling his co-host's determination.

"Hell yeah, man." The older man said sleepily while letting out a light yawn. Arin's grin faded into concern, noting on Dan's strange behavior. He paused the game, speaking into the mic, "Hey lovelies, we're having some technical difficulties. We'll be right back with more Game Grumps after this." He turned off the mic and then turned towards Dan, who was leaning and dozing off onto Arin's left side.

"You OK, Dan? You've been really quiet the whole recording, is everything alright?" Arin asked while placing his hand on Dan's forehead, checking for any sign of illness. Surprisingly, nothing. But he knew something was still up.

"I'm fine, it's just..." Dan let out another breathy yawn and scooted away a bit from Arin, making the younger man grow more concerned. "I've been up almost all night yesterday. Writing and recording for NSP, relationship stuff, and... I'm tired, babe." He rubbed his eyes, trying to let the sleep escape him, but it wasn't any use.

"I'm sorry for not calling out, I-I thought I would be fine while recording after some coffee, but... I'm sorry, Arin." The older man slowly sat up and rubbed his temples, feeling a slight headache seeping through after a night of endless insomnia. "Just record the rest of the episode without me, I'll be fine." He frustratingly sighed as he fell back asleep, leaning onto Arin's opposite side of the couch.

"Dan..." Arin said worriedly. He felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He could tell Dan was frustrated, maybe also a bit mad at him. All of this screaming and yelling over a dumb level of a dumb game, and he forgot about his own best friend's well-being in the process. He scooted over to Dan and wrapped his arms around and pulled him into a tight hug. Dan jolted a bit, taken aback from Arin's genuine support.

"Danny... you know I would never record Game Grumps without you if the both of us aren't doing OK." Arin whispered as he slowly started to rock Dan back and forth while still hugging him. "I'm so sorry for not paying attention to you. I promise you, you're always and forever will be my number one priority with Game Grumps. If anything's wrong, just give me a nudge, OK?" Arin paused as he kissed Dan's forehead, making the older man giggle lightly. Arin's heart fluttered at the sound of Dan's laughter, as he started to play with his soft curly hair. "I love you, Danny, don't ever be afraid to talk to me if something's wrong~."

Dan smiled, his mood brightening up as he hugged the younger man back. "I love you too, big cat~. Thank you for being there for me~." He whispered while feeling the comfort of Arin's gentle touches. He softly nuzzled into Arin's chest, basking into his warmth and listening to his soft heartbeat. The younger man took note of this and smiled gently.

"Do you wanna nap for a bit, sweet siren~?" He whispered, not slowing down on playing with his boyfriend's hair. "I'll give you lots of cuddles, Danny-boo~."

Dan giggled at the little nickname, as he reached over and kissed Arin's cheek. "That would be lovely, baby boo~." Arin smiled, as he settled himself down onto the couch, laying on his back. Dan crawled up to Arin and laid down on top of him, resting his head on his shoulder.

"Comfy~," was all that Dan whispered while giggling to himself. Arin chuckled lightly while pulling the older man into a hug and kissed his forehead. "You really love resting on that, huh?" Arin chuckled as he played with Dan's hair again.

"Yeah, baby~" Dan whispered sleepily. He let out a soft yawn while his eyes were drifting off very quickly, as Arin watched him sleep. He petted Dan gently on his head, taking note on his soft breathing and overall tranquility, until he started to feel sleepy as well. He fully wrapped his arms around Dan and hugged him softly, keeping him real close.

"I love you, my Daniel~. Rest well, my sweet siren~." Arin whispered as he gave Dan one last kiss on his forehead before finally closing his eyes and falling asleep. Dan heard this and smiled, nuzzling up to Arin's cheek and kissing it softly, before resting his head on the younger man's shoulder again.

"I love you too, baby boo~. Thank you, my big cat~." Dan whispered in his sleep-induced state. Arin smiled at the older man's whispers, feeling at peace, as they napped together safe and soundly, enjoying the sweet silence.