A game for two
Arthur didn't like video games. No surprise there.
Alfred, on the other hand, adored them. Horror, adventure, survival… Anything and everything. He loved games of all sorts.
He also loved Arthur just as much if not way, way more. So, needless to say, his constant video-game playing put a strain on their relationship. Arthur always complained, saying that the American seemed to love his video games a lot more than he loved him, and rarely spent time with him, and such and so.
Alfred's response was always "Just let me save!" or "Wait a sec, boss battle!"
Of course, he stopped playing eventually and the time they spent together was worth the time they didn't. And don't you think for a moment that Alfred did any of this to annoy Arthur, or that he didn't want Arthur to be around or talk to him while he was playing.
Arthur just wouldn't try video games. He got them a Wii, thinking it would be a lot of fun to play together (And that he could get rid of all the fat from his hamburger and coke diet…), but Arthur wouldn't try it. He didn't want to, no matter how much Alfred begged and pleaded and encouraged…
No.
It was no.
Figuring that maybe Arthur would be interested in what he was doing if he showed any interest in what he was doing, Alfred sat down beside him on the couch one day, staring at the book he was reading. It seemed familiar, but Alfred couldn't remember exactly why.
"Whatcha reading?" He asked.
Almost instantly, he found himself pulled into the marvelous world of a fantasy book, with elves and fairies and nymphs and all, much like a game he used to play… But what was really special was that it was all words, narrated passionately by someone who truly believed these things really lived among them, in hidden away places. It was nice, to sit there and listen. He certainly didn't regret it, especially not with the smile he swore he could see and the happy glint in the other's eye.
After supper, Alfred dug out his old XBOX, long since replaced by the newer XBOX 360, as well as the games. He found exactly the one he had been looking for, a game with the exact same name as the book they had shared earlier. He called Arthur over and handed him a controller. Of course, Arthur stared at him, stuck between glaring and face-palming but not having time to do either, or rant, before the American spoke,
" It's the game your book is based off. Try it with me, you'll like it, promise!"
Arthur still didn't look too happy.
" I just wanna play with you, okay? Don't worry, I used to be really good at this game, so I've got your back!" With a sigh, Arthur sat beside him and nodded.
"Now, how in the world does this thing work? "
"Well, the top button, yeah that one, is for magic, and the bottom one is for attacking…