“Alice asked when we can go see her dance rehearsal,” Flambae says, coming out of the bedroom into the living room.
Robert is sunk into the corner of the couch, one leg tucked under him, the other stretched across the cushions. The shifting glow of the TV washes over his profile, sharpening the line of his nose. In his hands, the Nintendo Switch lights up his face while his thumbs move quickly over the controls.
Robert just hums in agreement.
Flambae frowns. He stops behind the couch, watching Robert’s concentration — the way Robert bites the corner of his lip when he’s invested in something as trivial as a game. It’s annoyingly adorable.
“I’m talking to you, Bob,” Flambae tries again, leaning closer to Robert’s ear.
“I agreed,” Robert replies, still not looking away from the switch.
Flambae scoffs. He walks around the couch and drops himself on top of his boyfriend. He slides between Robert’s parted legs and settles there on his back, resting his head against Robert’s chest.
Robert automatically shifts to make space, bracing both forearms along Flambae’s biceps while the hands, holding the switch, come to rest over the fire hero’s abdomen.
“It wasn’t a yes-or-no question, dumbass,” Flambae says softly despite the insult, relaxing into the embrace.
“Sorry, then,” Robert answers, completely distracted.
He waits. He expects Robert to ask what the question actually was, or what Flambae had been talking about, or honestly anything else. But Robert doesn’t. In fact, the only thing filling the silence in the living room — besides the low volume of the TV — is the upbeat music looping from the console in Robert’s hands.
That’s enough to catch Flambae’s attention, too.
He tilts his head down to look at the screen Robert is holding in front of him.
Bright colors flash cheerfully. A pastel sky hangs over a rotating, candy-colored island. Tiny avatars wobble along paths between cartoonish buildings. A speech bubble pops up above one of them with an exaggerated scribble of frustration.
Flambae tips his face up toward Robert. “What game is this?”
“Tomodachi Life,” Robert replies absently. “Well. The new version.”
“And like…” Flambae glances back at the screen. “What do you do?”
“Mhm, it’s like… you create Miis, and they live on an island. I take care of them. They have problems. I solve them.” Robert finally looks away from the console for more than two seconds to make sure Flambae is following.
Flambae narrows his eyes. “You solve their problems,” he repeats dryly.
Robert shrugs, turning his attention back to the game. “It just is.”
Flambae watches for a few more seconds. On screen, one of the tiny characters is stomping in place with a comically furious expression. Robert taps it, and the image zooms in on the avatar. A new speech bubble appears:
Feed me, bitch. I’m hungry!
The Mii has dark hair pulled into a ponytail with a loose strand falling over his forehead. Orange eyes. Visor sunglasses with a black frame and fiery gradient for its lens.
He’s wearing a hoodie with a flame pattern suspiciously similar to the one Flambae is currently wearing.
Robert scrolls through a menu and selects a plate of pixelated spaghetti. The tiny avatar claps happily and starts eating with excessive enthusiasm.
Flambae slowly turns his head toward Robert.
“Is that me? Are you feeding me??” he inquired, slightly offended.
“I made a lot of people. The whole Z-Team. Chase. Royd. Mandy. Everyone. Even Mr. Whiskey has a Mii.”
As if that isn’t already enough to leave Flambae stunned, his eyes flick back to the switch just as another Mii walks into the house. This second avatar looks a little disheveled, wearing a simple dark blue hoodie, with a few freckles scattered across his cheeks — something that vaguely resembles Robert.
On screen, the two Miis stand face to face. A pink shimmer effect bursts between them. Little pixel hearts pop dramatically into the air.
“You made us date on your little fake island?”
Robert shakes his head. “Actually, we’re married.”
Flambae makes a strangled sound. “Married?”
“Yeah. It was one of the first things that happened. Your Mii proposed to mine. It was quite... remarkable.”
Robert looks down at Flambae, eyes bright with amusement. “Yeah. Your Mii confessed his feelings to my Mii and then proposed. And I said yes.”
Flambae stares at him, stunned, then looks back at the screen where their miniature selves are now standing too close together in a kitchen.
Mii Flambae turns and presents a gift. The box pops opens in a burst of sparkles. Inside is… a frying pan.
Robert huffs a quiet laugh. “He keeps giving me cooking equipment.”
“What the hell?” Flambae exclaims.
On screen, the Miis begin dancing together in a stiff, ridiculous loop. More pixel hearts explode around them. A caption appears:
You’re so important to me!
Heat creeps up Flambae’s neck.
“And you built an entire apartment just for us?” he asks, visibly confused.
“It’s a whole island,” Robert corrects. “You live next door to me. I moved you closer.”
“You were complaining about being too far away.”
“I would never do that in my entire life.”
Robert scoffs, amused. “Sure.”
Flambae doesn’t deny it. Meanwhile, Robert keeps paying more attention to his Mii boyfriend’s needs than to his real one.
“Okay, that’s enough screen time for you today, Bob Bob,” Flambae declares. He snatches the switch from Robert’s hands and sets it on the coffee table before wrapping himself around Robert against the couch.
“But you didn’t even hear how I spent almost two hours customizing your Mii,” Robert teases.
“And yours looks like it took five minutes,” Flambae shoots back, casting one last glance at the screen where their avatars are chatting animatedly.
“Yeah, well. I know what to prioritize,” Robert says calmly, shrugging.
“That’s not what it felt like when I was trying to talk to you,” Flambae whispers, leaning in closer.
The game’s music keeps playing in the background while Mii Flambae and Mii Robert perform some random, probably uninteresting activity on their little digital island — while the real Flambae finally succeeds in stealing all of his real boyfriend’s attention.