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Minho got to their agreed meeting spot early. He’d been too nervous to sit around in his dorm so he’d decided to just take the long route to the main entrance of the campus instead. He’d still arrived well before their agreed time of 7pm, but luckily Felix wasn’t far behind. They’d exchanged polite and slightly timid greetings. Despite their several fun and easy in-person interactions over the last few weeks, the ‘date’ label they’d put on tonight’s activities had initially set them a bit on edge.
Luckily, the short walk to the arcade had broken most of the tension as they settled back into their regular rhythm. Minho wasn’t the most talkative person, so he was more than happy to listen to Felix ramble on about how he was sure some guy named Hyunjin in his class was going to out-dance him at their next showcase. After listening to his concerns, Minho was quick to reassure him and offer any help or advice he needed. Coming from a dance background himself, it wouldn’t be a hardship. The only reason he’d not majored in performance arts was because of parental pressure but tonight wasn't the time to dwell on all that. Felix had accepted the offer gladly and casually mentioned that he’d booked a practice room on Sunday if Minho was free to accompany him then.
By the time they’d reached the arcade, Minho’s jitters had eased. He’d even found the courage to wind his fingers through Felix’s as they’d browsed the machines and casually discussed which ones they wanted to play most.
Once Minho had an idea how many games they’d be likely to get through, he encouraged Felix to go and wait by the Pac-Man machine before he headed over to the kiosk to buy some tokens. He brought enough for five games each, reasoning with himself that he could buy more later.
Felix smiled brightly as Minho approached. “Ready to witness greatness?” He asked, his smile quickly transforming into a smirk.
Minho nodded as he handed over the tokens. “I hope you live up to your own hype, Pretty Boy.” He teased lightly. “I bet I can give you a run for your money.”
Narrowing his eyes as though he didn’t quite believe him, Felix stepped aside. “Okay, let’s see what you got.”
Instantly regretting his decision to embellish his minor gaming achievements, Minho stepped forward and popped the token into the slot. He was surely about to embarrass himself miserably but he’d just blame it on the nerves.
***
Pac-Man was the first of four games that Felix had absolutely wiped the floor with Minho on. The blonde had seen right through the ‘it’s only ‘cause I’m nervous’ argument as well as the ‘I wanted to let you win’ ruse. Luckily he seemed to find Minho’s lack of hand-eye coordination endearing rather than pathetic. It even led to one of Minho’s favourite parts of the date so far, when Felix had stood behind him, pressed closely against his back as he reached around and placed his hands over Minho’s on the gun when they played Operation Wolf.
When it was time to eat, Minho had once again taken Felix’s hand and led him through the arcade towards the little dining area in the back. They were almost there when Felix stopped, his eyes wide and face soft as he stared at a claw machine full of little cat plushies. “They’re cute!” He gushed, drifting over to place his hand on the glass box. “Look at the orange one!”
Minho couldn’t help but smile as he took the last token out of his pocket and slotted it into the machine. One token gave him three attempts. He only needed two in the end. As the little cat stuffie tumbled into the prize chute, Felix actually gasped, reaching into grab it the second it hit the bottom. “No one’s ever won me a plushie on a date before.” He said, standing up to his full height and hugging the kitten stuffie to his chest.
“I’m happy to be your first.” Minho giggled, unable to resist wrapping an arm around his date. “Ready to eat now?”
“Wait a sec…” Felix said, “what about you? Have any of your dates ever won you a prize?”
Minho shook his head.
Felix’s face lit up with another smile as he turned to face the machine again. “Do you like that one?” He asked, pointing at a little grey kitten plush with its butt sticking up from the pile. Minho nodded, his heart feeling so full he was scared it could burst at any moment. Without another word, Felix grabbed the joysticks on the machine and carefully lined up the claw with the grey kitten’s butt before pressing the button to deploy it. Amazingly, it worked the first time and a few seconds later, Minho was cradling his own little plushie under one arm as he wrapped the other round Felix’s shoulders again. “Thanks, Lix.” He grinned shyly, pecking a kiss to the blonde’s cheek. Before he could suggest that they head over to the dining area, Felix turned in Minho’s arms and gently pressed him against the glass box that housed all the cat plushies. “Is It okay if I kiss you before we both get burger breath?” He asked, his tone far more confident than Minho’s would have been had the roles been reversed. He nodded, probably a little too eagerly but it was hard to care when Felix closed the gap between them.
The kiss was close to perfect as Minho could imagine. Soft and gentle but with just enough heat to confirm that the spark between them was more than just friendship. “Okay that seals it…” Minho said as Felix stepped back and took his hand again. “I’m sticking to fries because if we dont do that again before the end of this date I’ll never get over it…”
Felix laughed, holding his plushie close with his free hand.