I looked around the arcade, the flashing lights, excited children, and bored parents. “So, Seren, what do you wanna play first?” I asked, a hand on my hip as I turned to him. Then I noticed… He was zoned out, staring blankly at the children running around, at the flashing lights, the neon colors. I paused, blinking up at him worriedly. “... Seren…? Are you okay?” I asked, gently putting my hand on his bicep to get his attention. He blinked and shook his head, then looked around before looking down at me again.

“S-Sorry about that, Princess, what did you say?” I hesitated, then squeezed his arm gently before responding.

“... Are you okay?” He just stared at me for a moment, clearly surprised, then he smiled and nodded, though I noticed how his hands shook slightly, and he didn’t speak. After a pause, I asked, “You’re thinking about your mom, right?” He just stared at me for a moment and I couldn’t help but chuckle, not wanting to tell him how easy to read he was. So, instead, I asked, “Do you have a picture of her?” He paused and looked down, fidgeting, then responded.

“... Only one. But I… I don’t particularly like it. You can tell she was uncomfortable in it… It was supposed to be a pin-up photo. She always was more shy than the other women she worked with, she said she asked them why at one point, and they said that they used to be the same way. They just got used to the feeling and got better at hiding it, or stopped being affected by it. Some even thrived under the attention. I don’t know how long the brothel had been open for… But it must’ve been at least 10 years, if I had to guess.” I nodded a little, thinking for a moment.

“Do you know where she grew up?” He blinked, then looked up, thinking as he tried to remember.

“... I believe it was Ayr, in Scotland. We both were born and raised in Scotland, I had actually never left Scotland before I met your dad.” Seren said with a chuckle and I nodded, already planning my next steps, but I shook it off to focus on the moment. That can wait until later. For now, I have to make sure he focuses on now, and not on his past. He’s suffered so much, he should be happy. I smiled and looked over my shoulder at him. 

“Come on, I’ve gotta beat you in all these games. Let’s do Pac-Man and whoever gets the higher score wins.” I felt a weight lift off my chest as the tension in his shoulders eased and his eyes crinkled up as he smiled.

“Oh, you’re on. But I’m choosing next.” I shrugged and we walked to the Pac-Man game. “Could you go first so I can learn the controls?” I felt a surge of pride for teaching him something and I nodded, then took my spot in front of the game, hands on the controls before I put in the coins. Then I took a slow, deep breath before I focused on the game. Okay, left, down, right, down, left, up, right, up, grab the cherry, then start chasing ghosts. I couldn’t help but smirk as the ghosts started running and I managed to get one, and there was a cherry nearby so I grabbed the cherry, then continued to chase the ghosts. I’d been coming to this arcade often, so I got pretty good at many of the games. When I eventually died, I got a score of 98,789. I couldn’t help but smirk as I looked at Seren, though my smirk faltered at the awestruck expression on his face.

“... W-What’s with that look…? I just played the g-game…” I mumbled and looked away. He blinked and blushed a little, then looked away as well as he cleared his throat.

“R-Right, sorry… I just… You look cool when you’re focused.” I couldn’t help but giggle a little and roll my eyes playfully, though in the back of my mind, I was confused as to why my heart fluttered.

“While I appreciate the compliment, you were supposed to be watching me to learn the controls.” He rolled his eyes playfully and we switched spots so he could try to play.

“It’s fine, I’ll figure it out somehow. If I die too quickly, can I try again?” I snorted and nudged his side with my shoulder.

“No way! I won’t get that option later, so you shouldn’t either!” He laughed, shaking his head slowly.

“You’re ridiculous, Princess. But, fine, I’ll figure it out.” I nodded and slipped in a few coins, then watched his expression as he started to play. The way his eyes flicked across the screen so quickly, searching for the best possible routes and cataloging where each ghost was in relation to the in-game sprite, the way his hand gripped the controls so tightly, yet also so gently. I knew he could break it if he wanted, so he must’ve been focusing at least a little bit on not breaking the controls. My gaze slowly roamed his muscular torso, his biceps flexing with every movement of his hands on the controls, his pecs through the thin T-shirt, his sculpted jawline, those soft… thin lips that were slightly parted as he focused, showing a little bit of the inside of his mouth. I also realized that he must’ve recently brushed his teeth, because his breath smelled like citrus, a new, popular toothpaste flavor… I wonder if he tastes like citrus too… I found myself thinking and before I could shake off the dirty thoughts swirling in my mind, I noticed as he bit his bottom lip in concentration and I felt my stomach doing flips, my mind imagining the dirtiest things as I blushed harder. Shut up, brain! We’ve only known each other for 4 months! I thought to myself and shook it off. Then I heard him whine and I looked up. “Dang it, I lost…” He mumbled and I chuckled, looking to the screen for his score. 68,475. That’s great for his first time playing. I smiled and ruffled his hair playfully.

“Great job! Still not good enough to beat me though!” I teased and he huffed, then looked around and smirked, pointing to another game.

“That one’s next.” I looked over and immediately pouted.

“Hey, no fair! The strength tester will automatically mean you’ll get a higher score!” He shrugged and smirked wider.

“All’s fair in love and war, Princess.” I rolled my eyes and playfully kicked him in the shins, then went to the strength tester game.

“Fine, but I’m picking the next game!” He laughed and we started to play. He’s not as bad as I thought. Maybe this won’t be so bad. Well… if he stays.