Archive of Our Own ^beta

It was a quiet afternoon, one that they definitely deserved after everything that has happened, Roshan thought. He was sitting on the couch in the apartment he shared with Tremaine, playing Mario Kart on a console with a few friends. The Neurolink still wasn’t back online, but Emika was working hard with Hideo, Tremaine, and a few others. Tremaine was just in Japan, and got back to London yesterday. He was currently laying down with his head on Roshan’s lap, which was covered by a Halloween themed blanket Tremaine insisted on buying. It felt nice, having him so close, especially since he was gone for a week and a half. 

He was only supposed to be gone for a week, but decided to stay a few extra days to help Emi with a last minute issue. Roshan understood completely, but he still missed Tremaine. At least he was back now, and they were enjoying the peace together. If anyone deserved peace, it was Tremaine.

“Who are you playing against, again?” Tremaine asked, the sleepiness in his voice making him sound so soft. Roshan suspected it was jet lag, which was usually the worse for Tremaine on the second day.

“Jesse, Darren, Jena, Ziggy, Emika, Hammie, and Max.”

“Hammie and Max are in the states, though, aren’t they?”

“Hammie just flew into Tokyo earlier today- you two just missed each other- and I think Max is visiting one of your old teammates?”

“Oh, right,” Tremaine said. “He’s visiting Ziggy. I think he might head here and Ireland to see me, Jena, and Darren.”

“Does that mean I have to see him?” Roshan asked, eyes still on the screen.

“He's one of my best friends, so yes,” Tremaine let out a small laugh at Roshan’s reaction. To be fair, Roshan and Max never got along, but they always sucked it up whenever Tremaine was around. Most of the time. Honestly, it was nice knowing that Tremaine wasn’t alone after he left the Riders. 

“Fine,” Roshan grumbled out. He couldn’t fight the smile at Tremaine’s second chuckle, though. It was music to his ears, even moreso than his well aimed green shell hitting Jesse’s character, Mario. Jesse was probably cursing, but Roshan couldn’t hear them. All of their friends were on a voice call with each other, but Roshan declined, saying that Tremaine wasn’t up to playing. Of course, they were all more than okay with Tremaine joining the call anyways, but Roshan knew that his boyfriend would be too tired to converse. 

That, and if he’s learned anything, it’s that Tremaine will end up falling asleep at some point, and Roshan wanted to make sure it was as quiet as possible for him. Even though Tremaine’s jet lag always knocked him out into a deep sleep, it was second nature for Roshan to keep everything as quiet as possible. He also loved it when Tremaine fell asleep on him- it reassured him that his boyfriend felt safe and comfortable around him, something Roshan would never take for granted. 

He almost lost Tremaine twice- when they broke up, and when he almost died. Having the reminder that Tremaine was alive and breathing was another reason why he loved being physically close to him. But falling asleep on the couch could cause Tremaine discomfort like neck cramps. 

So, Roshan asked “Are you sure you don’t want to lay down in our bed?”

“I don’t feel like moving, you’re comfy,” he mumbled, shifting his position a bit so he was laying on his side to watch the screen. One of his arms was bent as he placed it on Roshan’s lap and then put his head on it. Tremaine seemed content, and Roshan would be lying if he said it didn’t make his heart burst.

“Okay, whatever you want, love,” Roshan said, crossing the finish line in first place. Hammie came in second, with Max coming third. Jesse followed after recovering from the green shell. The rankings came on the screen for a few seconds before the next round began in a different track- Bowser’s Castle. 

“Hey, that’s one of my favorite ones,” Tremaine noted. 

“I know, that’s why I chose it. Jesse and Max agreed when I suggested it when we were choosing the tracks,” Roshan replied. His personal favorite was Rainbow Road because it was challenging, but Tremaine loved the aesthetic of Bowser’s Castle.

“You’ve always been sentimental,” Tremaine teased, his eyelids growing heavy.

“You’re not going to say that about your friends?” Roshan raised an eyebrow as the race started. He collected a speed powerup while driving past Hammie’s Princess Daisy.

“Eh, they know it’s my favorite one. That’s probably why we always played that track whenever I was with either of them.” That, and after he and Roshan got back together, they knew Roshan would play Tremaine’s favorite track and figured they could practice to beat him. That has yet to happen. “Is Rainbow Road in this?”

Roshan cracked a grin. “Of course, it’s right after this one.”

“I remember you were absolutely ruthless to me whenever we played Rainbow Road.”

“I can’t play favorites,” Roshan reminded him. He threw a red shell at Ziggy and drove by her. “You were the only exception.”

“Only because you wanted to date me,” Tremaine smiled. “I still can’t believe you went easy on me before we got together, instead of after.”

“Well, at that point, I got you to fall in love with me and I doubted you would’ve left me over Mario Kart,” Roshan explained. He wanted Tremaine to date him, and figured he wouldn’t be interested in him if he kept sending blue shells after him. That was probably how everyone realized he had a crush on Tremaine… except for Tremaine. 

“I would’ve fallen for you, anyways,” Tremaine’s voice was still filled with sleepiness, and he was more focused on staying awake. He didn’t notice how Roshan’s cheeks heated up at his words. Roshan knew that Tremaine wouldn’t make up some excuse to leave him, not after everything they’ve been through, but it was still nice to hear him say those words. 

The two stayed quiet for a few more minute until Roshan won the race at Bowser’s Castle. He pulled his signature blue shell move on Darren before crossing the finish line. It was surprising that Tremaine didn’t say anything about it, since he was close with his former teammate. Roshan admitted that he was jealous of Darren when he saw how close he and Tremaine were after he joined the Demons, something Tremaine teased him about. (To be fair, there were a few tabloids that reported the two of them were dating, and they always seemed close). He would certainly have something to say about Roshan beating him in a race. 

“Babe?” Roshan asked, keeping his voice low. There was no response, so he looked down and saw Tremaine laying still, his eyes closed and breathing even. His face looked peaceful and it warmed Roshan’s heart. He placed his controller down just as the countdown for Rainbow Road began and reached for a pillow that was next to him. He tried to stay as still as possible, since his boyfriend’s head was still on his lap.

“Can you lift your head up, love?” He asked, in case Tremaine could hear him. He didn’t react, so Roshan carefully lifted Tremaine’s head and placed the pillow on top of his bent arm. He gently lowered Tremaine’s head until it hit the soft pillow. Next, he reached for a red fleece throw blanket that was folded in two on the back of the couch. He unfolded it and draped it over Tremaine, bringing it up to his shoulders. Satisfied with his efforts to make his boyfriend comfortable, Roshan leaned down and pressed his lips on Tremaine’s temple. “I love you,” he whispered. There was no response, of course, but the sound of his steady breathing was more than enough for Roshan.

He sat back up and grabbed his controller. His character was the only one still at the start line, so he had a lot of catching up to do. Maybe he’ll end up breaking his winning streak, but he was completely okay with that. As long as he had Tremaine, he was winning at life. 

(Roshan still came in first place, though.)