Identity Crisis (Boy x Boy)

Intermission II

"Yes!" Jackson cheered as he pumped his fist into the air. "About time I won a game against you, Cody." He then turned to Marcus for a high-five.

"I'm at a bit of a disadvantage here," Cody said coolly. "I have a guy in my arms." I felt a peck against my neck from the man himself after that was said. With his arms wrapped around me and a controller in his hands, my boyfriend held me close to him as I sat on his lap. He was radiating the perfect amount of warmth for a chilly night like this one. I could've certainly dozed off in the comfort I was being provided.

Jackson rolled his eyes. "Maybe you and Riley should keep your paws off each other." He added a chuckle afterwards to indicate his comment wasn't ill-natured.

Jackson and Marcus were Cody's best friends from high school. One look at the two of them and I immediately knew where Cody got his sense of humor from. They were a wild duo who couldn't take anything seriously. Per their personalities, they often made fun of Cody and I's relationship, but Cody was quick to let me know that they weren't bothered by us in reality.

According to him, they were the first people outside of his family to know about his sexuality and they were pretty respectful about it. Then the two of them held signs on the school courtyard the following morning that read: 'Anybody gay? Asking for a friend!' with hearts all over. Brotherly love presented itself in enigmatic ways.

Nevertheless, Cody let me know that if their teasing about our relationship bothered me that he could always get them to knock it off. I didn't mind. It was refreshing to be around people who just wanted to have fun and nothing else. Admittedly, it was a bit difficult to learn that 'fuck you' and 'go die in a hole' held friendly connotations in their language in contrast to how I used those terms. But once I adjusted, I quickly melded into the group as if I was there from the start.

Besides, I wasn't going to be that one boyfriend of Cody's who made a big deal out of teasing. Soft-hearted wasn't a trait I liked to be identified with no matter which identity I was in.

"Alright, Riley, now it's our turn." Marcus grabbed the controller that Jackson was previously holding. He then shot me a sly grin. "Prepare to get your blond ass beat." Cody handed me his controller as well.

Cody's friends would come over some nights to play video games. Tonight's game of choice was Creature Dungeon 6. One wouldn't expect a group of grown men to be playing something like that based off the title alone (or the cutesy cover art, which looked way too innocent for its teen rating printed on the bottom of the case), but it was a pretty decent combat game for the thirty bucks it was worth.

In all honesty, though, everyone was probably more excited about the food we were eating while playing. Containers, plastic silverware, and chopsticks were littered across the coffee table from the Chinese takeout we had delivered to the apartment. It was a good thing that we were a tight-knit group, because after a while we lost track of which silverware belonged to who and instead used whatever was closest to us.

I faced Marcus with a smirk of my own. "Big words you got there. You compensating for something?" Fortunately, my sarcasm blended well with the group's humor. All I had to do was make sure that it didn't come off too snarky or else it would be taken too seriously. The silent ruleset of the group's norms were mildly exhausting in that aspect.

Jackson burst out into laughter while holding his stomach. "Oh, man, he got you on that one, Marcus."

The other hit his friend on the arm as he progressed to the character select screen. "Shut up. You're supposed to be on my side," he grumbled.

I turned around to look at my boyfriend. "Hey, Cody," I called out to him in order to get his attention. "If I win this, you gotta kiss me, alright?"