By some divine stroke of luck, their re-match occurred sooner than Tiza would think.
He made it home in record time that night, only beating Sean and Momo there by about ten minutes. Positioning himself on the couch, he tried to look casual and aloof while also hiding his labored breathing from the last sprint home.
Momo and Sean entered not long after, laughing at the previous conversation they were having. Tiza called out to them as they came into the living room.
"Sound's like you guys had fun."
"Should've come and you would know," says Sean.
Tiza shook his head.
"Nah, I'm still good. They're your friends."
Momo kisses him on the top of his head and pats his shoulders.
"Domonic was asking about you. Looks like you have a little admirer," she giggles.
"Two is a little too young for me," he said, patting one of her hands.
"Well if you want, they got a sitter tomorrow and we'll be going to go see Miranda's last show before the season ends."
Miranda and Katie were both dancers. They danced with a ballet company a couple of cities over, the same one that got Sean and Tiza to move to the States from France. Miranda, the prima ballerina of that company, was quite talented; but Tiza wasn't so sure she deserved the position she was in.
Maybe it was his more prestigious dancing background that made him critical of her abilities or the fact that he was jealous she was with a company and he was stuck teaching.
Afterall Omegas weren't even considered for positions like a prima ballerina, they were considered too 'high risk'. Tiza was still a little bitter at his rejection for the title.
The two Beta women were nice though and helped Sean and Momo get together. So naturally, they were all friends while Tiza most of the time was the fifth wheel. They were such good friends the four of them had plans to go on a weekend away together towards the middle of August, in just a couple weeks.
Tiza was looking forward to the trip probably more than the couple. He'd be glad to have plenty of time alone and not be subject to his brother's strict rules. Hearing they were going to be gone two nights in a row already made him happy and his brain had a plan brewing that would occupy his time alone.
He casually brushed off Momo's invitation.
"No, I've got plans tomorrow."
Sean sent him a questioning gaze.
"What kind of plans? Usually, you love going to the ballet."
Tiza searched his brain for a suitable excuse. However, before he could say anything, Momo quickly caught on to the situation and interrupted.
"If he wants to spend another night in, let him. Sometimes people need alone time, honey."
She guided her husband down the hallway, urging him to get ready for bed, and sent a wink back in Tiza's direction. The Omega didn't know what that meant, but he was thankful Momo took the out for him.
After doing some research on that game the two played earlier, Tiza sent Aosh a barrage of texts about it. He felt a little humiliated at his performance earlier and with an extra day away from his nosey brother he was going to jump at the chance to get his re-match.
.............................................….
Black and neon played with Aosh's eyes as he looked around the arcade. Synthwave music and chimes came from nearby games; children and teens ran around from machine to machine, hands full of tickets that dragged behind them in a trail. The darkness seemed to soak up the yellow, blue, and pink lights but also reflect it giving everything a vintage glow.
This arcade was, like most things in the area he lived, not far from home. When Tiza mentioned he wanted a re-match the next day Aosh quickly agreed and sent him the address of the arcade he mostly visited as a kid. It was a stand-alone building but it was huge.
It even had a roller rink attached from which you could always feel the gentle thumping of the loud music while you played games. He may or may not have used that as an excuse for why he sucked at pinball so much, but if he did it was at least a valid excuse.
Venturing further in he headed straight to where he knew the DDR machines were, thinking that if Tiza wasn't going to meet him out front then maybe he was inside. He sent a text message just to be sure that the other was there though.
The heavy saccharine smell of cola and the familiar aroma of cheap pizza wafted into his nose bringing forth a wave of nostalgia. Aosh loved this place and had always pictured bringing Tiza here. Now that the opportunity had finally presented itself, he was trying to soak in the reality of it all.
He came to an abrupt stop some feet away from where the DDR machines were. His breath was taken from him. Leaning against the bars of the dance pad was the Omega. The man was clad in a loose t-shirt tucked into tight jeans; very casual but somehow Tiza made it look elegant. Pink and blue neon flashed above from the machine, casting a colorful glow on him. His hair shimmered and soaked up the nebula-esque hues; Aosh's heart seemed to stop for a second.
Calming his nerves he approached and attracted the other's attention. At the moment that the other turned to look his way he could've sworn in a fraction of second, he saw a hint of a smile. If it was there it disappeared quickly after.
"About time, and here I thought you'd always be early."
"Sorry, I had to sneak out of class."
They both spoke loudly trying to get their voices to carry over the external sounds of laughter and games surrounding them.
"Well here," Tiza hands him five one-dollar bills and then holds up the same in his other hand, " You get five rounds to beat me." He said it like his victory was guaranteed, his lips pulling into a smug grin.
'God, that grin should be illegal,' Aosh thought.
"Alright well, don't get upset when I beat you!"
Aosh grabbed the money and inserted a bill into his machine and Tiza did the same with his. Then the two took their positions on the dance pads. While Aosh was scrolling through the songs he noticed Tiza pulling his hair up into a bun atop his head. His pale neck was barred for all to see, the intense black of the anti-bite collar a stark contrast against it.
'Ok, no, THAT should be illegal.'
Aosh averted his gaze feeling his ears begin to burn. Hearing the automated countdown start he quickly returned his attention to the screen and picked a mid-level difficulty song as a warm-up. The song began and both their feet hit the arrows in tandem, feverishly moving about to the rhythm. By the time the song ended Tiza laughed only slightly out of breath.
"Ha! Look at that. I think 'A' outranks 'B'," he said gesturing to his screen.
"Were you practicing before I got here?"
The Omega was better than yesterday, his form even looked different.
"Well, you've been playing for years! I'd hardly say practicing for a few minutes before you got here would be able to give me an advantage anyway." He huffed.
"You just got lucky, there are still four more rounds."
..........................................
A small crowd of about ten people gathered around the DDR machines on the last song that they played. Slowly they had trickled in to watch the Alpha and Omega duo who were getting outrageous combos and adding some flair to the otherwise plain dance moves. On the last song, everyone around watched with bated breath. The pink and blue arrows flew up the screens and the combos kept getting higher and higher.
The pair were intensely focused, their feet stomping around erratically, and sweat glistened across their brows. The bass dropped for the final time and a barrage of arrows flooded the screen. Curious eyes flitted left and right to see if either would slip up and miss an arrow. The tension in the air grew until the notes came to a close and at the very last second Aosh's foot slipped and hit just outside the arrow causing his combo to stop.
A chorus of voices sounded behind them and it was then they both turned around to see they were being watched. Tiza ignored them to see his score on the screen, a golden 'S' shown there and an 'A' on the Alpha's side. His face lit up immediately.
"AH! HAHA! I DID IT! YOU LOSE!" he yelled joyously as he tried to catch his breath.
He jabbed a finger at Aosh's chest enunciating his defeat. Aosh was silent for a bit his chest heaving to catch his own breath. Tiza looked up at him, eyes bright and lively, his face holding the most emotion the Alpha had ever seen in it. Grabbing the finger poking his chest he laced his fingers in the Omega's hand, pulling him close.
A look of surprise washed over Tiza's face, Aosh brought his other hand up to cup his cheek and ran a thumb over his lips where they glowed neon pink just waiting, no, begging to be kissed. Slowly his head dipped down to-
"Are you that blown away by the defeat that you have nothing to say?"
The finger pushed harder, shaking Aosh from his daydreams. Tiza was still next to him and not in his arms about to be kissed.
"...Uh. Haha, yea! I lost. You did great though! I haven't gotten an 'S' rank before."
The finger was removed and Tiza averted his gaze.
"Flattery will get you nowhere…" the Omega's ears were tinted pink, but it went undetected in the low light.
"Well what do you want to play next?" the Omega's eyebrows arched in confusion, "I mean we are at an arcade, might as well play more than one game." He shrugged.
Tiza chewed his lip looking around at the games and then at the Alpha.
"Mmn. Fine. You pick since I chose this one."
He wasn't about to admit he didn't know the first thing about arcade games and therefore didn't even know where to begin to pick the next one. Hell, he was overwhelmed right when he walked in, it took him a while to find this game alone.
Aosh looked around too until his eyes settled on a racing game. Figuring they needed a break to sit down he chose that one and on the way over exchanged some bills for a pocket full of quarters.
Tiza gave the game a once over and made a face. He didn't know how to drive.
Aosh patted the seat next to him and reluctantly the Omega sat down. The Alpha bent between them, inserting the quarters into the slot. Revving engines and tire screeching played over the speakers while the game booted up and the two picked their cars. Tiza's choice was solely by look. All the words, acronyms, and stats for each car going far over his head.
While they waited for the course to load, Aosh glanced over to see a very pensive gaze coming from Tiza as he eyed the buttons next to the steering wheel and looked to the floor at the different pedals. He leaned in closer and spoke in Tiza's ear so he would be heard over the background noise.
"That pedal's the gas and that one's the breaks. Don't worry about the buttons if you haven't played the game before, it'll make it easier."
Aosh's breath was hot in Tiza's ear and he shied away from it.
"Ok, Ok I got it, now get back to your side," he chided pointing at the screen.
The game started and by the end, both of them didn't place very high in the rankings. Aosh placed fifth and Tiza placed tenth. The Omega let out a sigh.
"Guessing you didn't like that one too much, huh? Let go find a couple more."
The two flitted around the arcade, Aosh going off every which way trying to find a game Tiza would like. They played quite a few and on some Tiza seemed to enjoy, but it's when they are playing skee ball Tiza finally sees a game he's interested in. He is so interested in it to the point he throws his last ball and then walks away without a word.
Aosh is talking to himself until he realizes he's alone. Looking around he sees the retreating back of the Omega and gives chase.
Tiza comes to a stop at a gaming booth that is isolated by a curtain. The outside is littered with blood, zombies, and screaming people.
"You want to try this one?" the Alpha asks.
"What is it?"
"It's a shooter game where you kill zombies."
Tiza's face lit up in interest and Aosh lifted the curtain so he could go inside. As the two entered, the noise from outside was replaced by the ominous music playing inside the booth. The space was small and the two sat shoulder to shoulder. The Omega ran his hands over one of the plastic guns in front of him before noticing Aosh's outreached hand. In it lay two dollars worth of quarters for Tiza to put into the coin slot on his side.
Tiza took them, his fingers brushed the palm of the Alpha's hand sending a small shiver through Aosh.
A shrill scream played as the game started. The main story played out on the screen.
'What are we going to do there are zombies everywhere!'
'Let's just stay inside, they can't get us here.'
'No! Let's fight! We can't let them win!'
'Look! I found guns in the safe!'
'There must be a cure somewhere!'
'I'm coming for ya' you zombie son's o bitches!'
"Pfft."
Was that a laugh? Aosh looked beside him to see Tiza holding his gun and wearing a poorly suppressed smile.
The game began shortly after the opening monologue and soon the pair were shooting zombies as they appeared onscreen. The graphics were sub-par, the gore overdone and dramatic, it wasn't the type of game Aosh would usually pick, but…
"Ha! Take that! Oh my god...are you serious!? Hahaha-HOLY SHIT! AHAHAHA!"
...it seemed like Tiza was having fun, finally, and that was all Aosh wanted. Yes, it was at the expense of poorly rendered civilians getting mauled by the undead, but Tiza was so cute when he laughed. Totally worth it in Aosh's book.
Aosh was the first to die, which earned him a few playful jabs which he took in stride, he was never good at shooters anyway. After a while, Tiza was taken out by a massive horde of zombies with only one bullet to his name. Setting the gun back into the holster he sighed.
"Ok, now THAT was fun."
"I'll have to keep that in mind next time you come over then. There are plenty of games like that we can play on console."
The Alpha wasn't above the idea of buying a couple of these sorts of games, as long as it would mean Tiza would come over more often.
"Well, now what?" Tiza asked.
Aosh had completely taken the reins on what they were doing tonight, he had only planned on playing that dancing game then going home. Aosh had been thinking what to do next for a while and smiled.
"Follow me."