Work Text:
It started well before they were dating.
At first it was a simple team bonding activity. Once a week on Mondays, the entire office would take an hour and play some games. Which had started as simple card games like Uno, but after a few weeks Adrian brought his switch in and John hooked it up so they all could take turns playing Mario Kart.
According to Adrian, that’s when he first figured out he was in love with her.
It wasn’t some sweeping big moment with fireworks and a realization of a lifetime, but a small moment, where they were sitting shoulder to shoulder and she leaned into him while they played. Her laughter filled his ears and caused him to smile as she passed John on the track causing the larger man to start cussing her out and she laughed harder.
He didn’t even care if he won because he just wanted to hear her laugh again.
Which was the craziest part of it all because Adrian was so annoying about winning. He was a sore winner and a sore loser, it had gotten to the point where Emilia and Chris refused to play a match if Adrian was playing. Which was fine with him since it meant she had to play with him.
That’s when he realized the whole time he never minded her soft touch, in fact he seemed to crave it. Same with her laugh, Adrian would try jokes almost every day to get her to laugh, frowning hard when someone laughed louder than her.
His favorite were the ones where her shoulders would shake and she’d slam a hand over her mouth to stop from laughing too hard, then he liked when she would chuckle and shake her head like she couldn’t believe him, and lastly he liked when she would giggle, short and sweet.
He decided one day that it wouldn’t hurt to be brave. To push back against their usual small touches and jokes.
“Would you want to come over and play games with me?” He blurted out on a cold Friday afternoon and she looked at him with wide eyes.
“Like tonight?” She asked, turning her head slightly which made Adrian’s heart race. She just looked so adorable, like he needed to protect her or squeeze her - he thinks Ads told him that’s called cute aggression and he should not squeeze her.
Despite the all encompassing feeling that he needed to.
“I mean, are you free tonight? I’m free, we can play games tonight, but if you’re busy tonight that’s fine we can totally do another night or never. I mean I want to don’t get me wrong, but if you don’t want to it’s ser-”
“Adrian, I’d love to play video games tonight. Should I bring anything?” She asked, interrupting his rambling with a soft touch of his arm. His whole brain went fuzzy as he struggled to focus on anything that isn’t the fact that she had just said yes and that she was also touching him in such a gentle way. As if he deserved it.
“Bring anything?” He asked, voice slightly raised as his eyes went between her face and her hand. He watched her smile grow.
“Yeah, like any games or snacks?” She asked and he blinked.
“Oh, I have like every switch game released that's good. But we can do snacks or order food?” He asked, suddenly thankful that he had moved out of his mom's house a few months ago. “Or both, we could do both. Whatever you want to do, I’ll pay for it.”
“How about I bring some snacks? I’m leaving work today around 5, I can come over around 7?” She said with a laugh and Adrian’s face broke into a huge grin.
“7 works perfectly, I’ll see you then.” He said standing still at her desk, not wanting her to remove her hand from his arm.
“Are you okay?” She asked with a laugh and he frowned slightly, trying to figure out why she was asking.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because you said I’ll see you then and then…didn’t leave.”
“Oh, you’re still touching my arm, I didn’t want to pull away.” He said like it was obvious and she pulled back as if she was burned, making Adrian frown. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Adrian, we still have like a whole work day, we can’t stay here with my hand on you.” She said with a nervous chuckle, her eyes suddenly avoiding him.
“I mean, we could?” He asked, attempting to duck down so she would be forced to look at him again.
“Adrian!” She said with a nervous giggle, one that sounded borderline uncomfortable.
“Okay, okay! I’ll see you at 7.” He said smiling as he knocked on her desk before retreating to his own desk. Chris threw him a thumbs up on his way back, which made Adrian’s smile grow.
The first night started a tradition. They had ended up playing a decent chunk of games. They started with Mario Kart since it was familiar from work, but they soon switched to Cook Out, and then near the end of the night Adrian let her make her own islander on his Animal Crossing save profile.
His smile was wide when she placed her tent right next to his fully upgraded house. He could barely focus on anything else as she ran around his island commenting on things she liked and his villagers.
He hadn’t really played the game since quarantine but after that first Friday, with a promise of another game night together, he spent hours he would normally use to get further in Princess Peach Showtime to clean up his island and collect furniture and decor he’d think she’d like.
To his surprise she did come over the next week, and the week after, and she just kept showing up. It honestly shocked Adrian, she never seemed annoyed with him and always seemed looking forward to their Fridays. After the third Friday in a row he did corner Ads to make sure she didn’t pay her to hang out with Adrian. But Ads scolded him and told him that she really liked Adrian and was doing it on her own accord - no one was paying her to be around him.
There was never a waver to their usual plans, she always arrived at 7, sometimes a little before, but never late.
He tried everything to make it clear his interest in her, he leans over while they’re gaming, he gets all her favorite snacks, he makes notes of what games she prefers, and any time he introduces her to a new game he’s overly touchy trying to show her the controls - even on the simplest games where he knows she understood. He tried every move that Chris had taught him - cleared by Ads first.
Despite it all she never really touches him back, she’ll lean and accept any touch he gives, but to Adrian it seemed like she was consciously making sure they didn’t touch at least up first. Now she sits close to him on the couch, leg pressed against leg, shoulder against shoulder, but that’s the closest she gets.
“You know when I first started coming over, I figured you were still moving in.” She said as she focused on their Puyo Puyo Tetris game.
“Why do you say that?”
“Adrian, your apartment is bare.”
“Oh, I guess. But I’m fully unpacked.”
“You should get some decor! We could go to T.J. Maxx sometime.” She said, almost a whisper and Adrian smiled. An outside hang out, a new one. He knew that must mean they were getting closer, making him feel a little braver than normal.
“We could get dinner, I mean like go out to dinner together beforehand. Like a date. If you want, but if you don't, that's okay.” She turned to him with a horrified look, one that instantly sent him spiraling.
He knows then that he’s been misreading all of this. That she was just doing this out of pity, that of course she didn’t actually like Adrian. She was just being nice to him. She probably thought he was just some freak and that hanging out with him counted as some kind of charity. He should’ve known better than for a girl to actually enjoy his company.
“Adrian, I thought these have been dates this whole time!” She said looking absolutely horrified, the switch controller shaking in her hands. It takes him beat, the game long forgotten as the switch in his head flips.
“Wait really!” He asked laughing, completely oblivious to her panic, just delighted that she thought these were dates.
“Oh my god, I’m so stupid. I’m so sorry.” She said, placing the controller on the coffee table, his heart was pounding as she got up and started to move away. He was quick to partially launch himself at her, unfortunately missing the mark and causing them both to tumble to his floor, the plush carpet keeping them from actually getting hurt. He smiled down at her as he looked at her as she looked up at him horrified from the floor.
“No! This is amazing!” He cried, hands coming to rest on either side of her head. “This whole time I’ve been thinking you’re just pitying me, but you actually like me back!”
He looked at her, his own eyes wide behind his glasses as he smiled down at her and it took a beat but she burst out laughing, turning slightly away from Adrian.
“What?” She said laughing as she pulled herself slightly up so she was resting on her elbows.
“Yeah this whole time, I just thought you didn’t want me to be alone or something and you were being nice.” He said smiling at her as he sat back on his knees.
“This whole time I thought these were dates. Ads told me you don’t like soft touching so I just assumed that was what you were comfortable with.” She said smiling at him, it’s a gentle almost shy smile and it lights Adrian’s heart on fire.
“I don’t normally, but with you it’s nice.” He admitted, he paused looking at her as a comfortable silence grew between him. “Does this mean you’ll be my girlfriend?” He asked, looking at her with wide eyes, clammy hands firm on his knees as the music from the game kept playing.
“Yes Adrian, I’ll be your girlfriend.” She laughed and with a bolt of confidence, she leaned in and planted a very soft kiss on his cheek, one that made him feel like he was on fire.
“Can we keep playing games on Fridays?” He asked and she laughed against his cheek before practically throwing her body weight on top of him, his hands flying to her waist to keep her somewhat steady against him.
“Of course.”