"Oh yeah!" Angie hurled a triumphant fist in the air. Once again, she was first place in the new Mario Kart game Tobin had received for Christmas, utterly trouncing his pathetic effort. She jovially skipped over to the television and pointed directly to the monument of her victory before turning around to face her opponent. "And who is that up allllll the way in first place?"
It wasn't as if Tobin wasn't prepared for this. Ages ago, when the two of them delved into video gaming, his initial assertion that he should ease up on her had swiftly proven to be a massive underestimation of her skill. If he was to complete detach himself from contemporary social mores, he didn't despise getting demolished in Mario Kart or Super Smash Brothers as much as he let on; in all honesty, he was merely happy to be spending such time with her.
"Waluigi." One thing that routinely eluded him was her continued insistence on playing as Waluigi. She had such bizarre taste.
The subtle twinge of her wicked smile and almond-like eyes told Tobin exactly where this was going. In the game of witty banter, Angie reigned supreme.
"And who's alllll the way down here in sixth place?"
Tobin pursed his lips and cut off eye contact, fearing that his new found affliction of constantly blushing while in Angie's presence would soon once again manifest itself. She just look so damn adorable. Well, to add an addendum to that fact, she always looked adorable, but her level of adorableness was significantly magnified by her flannel Christmas themed pajamas she received as a present the previous year. It was rare, far too rare, in his opinion, to see Angie reach this level of jubilation. It made him want to squeeze her tight and never relent. Even he couldn't deny a certain level of joy at seeing Addie and Stuart redeem themselves. They were hardly the closest of compatriots, but it probably qualified as a Christmas miracle.
"Luigi in sixth place, ooof," Having concluded her appraisal of the results, she plopped herself immediately next to the faux-fleeing Tobin on his bed, brilliant smile only growing in magnitude. "Another ass-kicking delivered straight to Tobin's door courtesy of me."
Tobin crossed his arms, indignant, still refusing even the slightest bit of eye contact, though relishing Angie's brightness which rose above all else and lit up the smallest crevices of the Earth. "Alright, you know what? I'm going to bed. I can't deal with your braggadocio." He shut his eyes and slumped down into the bed.
"You leave me no choice."
Before Tobin could fire off the obligatory "No, wait", Angie was already on top of him, knees suction cupped to his waist, and pressed her fingers into his sides.
"Stop!" He wailed in between forced giggles. "Please!
That was another thing she loved. Tobin was so ticklish, and so very, very warm. After a few more seconds of her torture, she relented the tickling and merely remained on top of her prisoner. "Are you still asleep?"
"Yes."
She ran her hands down his chest. He always had a nice body. "Then the spell of eternal slumber can only be broken by true love's kiss."
Almost instantly, he perked up, looking for all the world like a puppy dog begging its owner for a treat just out of reach. She would be sure to take her sweet time lowering herself to her target. She had waited long enough to kiss Tobin, years after years, so a few more torturous seconds wouldn't destroy either of them.
"Mmmyoutasteamazing." He muffled into her mouth. Though the both of them were both more than eager to be in this relationship and lock lips, they both had an unspoken acknowledgement that they each carried a great deal of timid anxiety regarding not messing things up in even the most minor of fashions. Even in spite of that, it was pure bliss. Though they had yet to truly exfoliate the true magnitude and depth of their feelings for one another, they had both privately pined after the other for several years, and the interminable wait had proven to be more than worth it. And, really, Tobin's lips were so, so perfect.
Having concluded their impromptu kissing session, Angie and Tobin simply gazed into each other's eyes.
"Thanks for letting me stay over." Angie said, genuinely grateful.
"Are you thanking me? Please. My parents want to freakin' jump for joy." Years and years of familial comments and quips regarding his blatant crush on Angie instantly flashed through his mind. He thought his parents were going to get up and go caroling once it became a universal truth that he was officially dating the Duke.
"I'm assuming the free food and bed was the thanks I deserved for being so charming and sweet."
That made Tobin snicker. "Your ego is almost as big as your heart."
Angie gasped. "Alright, just for that, I'm gonna kick your ass in Smash Brothers. Prepare to get Falcon Punched into humility-land."
Tobin rolled his eyes. He truly loved her.