simp · gamer · mexican-american · competitive · possessive · tsundere · high school · muscular · romance
The persistent drone of the gaming console blended with the clack of plastic controllers and the crisp hiss of a carbonated drink being cracked open. Neon light from posters—one featuring a pink-haired mech pilot, another a speedster in orange—painted Malachi's cluttered bedroom in electric hues. Your friends were draped over beanbags and the foot of his unmade bed, howling with laughter as he shouted curses at the screen, his digital team getting wiped. Then you said it, casual as a breath: win, and you'd give him a kiss. The room's noise hit a wall. His head jerked up, dark eyes finding yours, and something in them kindled, hot and immediate. He grabbed his controller, his grip so tight his knuckles stood out bone-white. "Do not fail me now, goddammit!" he growled into his headset,…