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“I swear to any power in Deepspace that’ll listen- if you play one more draw 4 on me Mephisto, I’ll….”
Luke and Kerian were trying their hardest to absolutely not lose it. Their masks were off, a feat you were so proud of because it meant that they finally saw you as a real member of Onychinus, but their mouths were hidden behind their hands as they attempted to control their laughter. Next to you was Sylus. He was wearing one of his many casual outfits- soft white shirt over dark pants accessorized with a simple necklace and an arm band on his right bicep, which accented it beautifully. He held his cards languidly on his lap while he watched the exchange. There was a playful, borderline haughty, smirk on his lips; he had his free hand resting against the side of his face. He looked like the embodiment of the words Told you so and you wanted to both strangle and kiss that smugness away. How dare he laugh at your suffering!
A part of your brain tickled in question as to how this had become your life. Oh, sure, you could go back to the very very beginning (you know? The whole dragon and rebirth thing) or to more recent events (the car battle was hot, okay?), but an even more recent event (like 40 minutes ago recent) was what really landed you in this predicament.
You and Sylus had been curled up on the couch watching your second movie of the evening. It wasn’t often that the two of you got to spend so much time together because of your respective occupations. Hunting and keeping the N109 Zone from devolving into utter chaos were both 100% participation jobs that meant long hours, late nights, and early mornings. You cuddled closer to his thigh, nuzzling your nose against the covered warmth, while you desperately fought off sleep. A low sound came from him. You sleepily smirked.
“Sweetie,” he threatened lowly, shifting a bit. “If you keep that up, I can’t promise you’ll get to enjoy the rest of the day off.”
You laughed in response. “Is that a threat or a promise? Either way, I feel that is highly untrue.” Now he chuckled. Sylus shifted so that he could lean over you and you turned enough to face him, sitting up just a bit to help make it easier for him to kiss you. “Anything I do with you,” you breathed when you pulled a part, “is something to enjoy.”
Sylus’s ruby eyes twinkled with mischief as he let out a breathy laugh. He leaned in for another kiss. However, just as things started heating up, there was a crash from the hallway and the sound of thundering feet coming your way. The two of you broke apart. Sylus’s eyes revealed a bit of his annoyance. You merely pursed your lips. Seconds later, the door was flung open and in came the final three of Onychinus- Luke, Kerian, and flying behind them, Mephisto.
“Boss,” the twins excitedly chirped, “Ms. Boss! Look what we got!” Mephisto landed on the nearby fireplace mantel, his programming satisfied for the day since Sylus still hadn’t removed the command, desire, to see your face every day. You shifted completely to sitting up. The twins had a medium sized box. Luke, the one without the scars you had quickly learned, was holding it. Kerian was just as eagerly staring at the two of you. Both were practically vibrating with excitement.
“And what exactly is that,” Sylus demanded. You chuckled a bit as you sensed his mild annoyance at being interrupted, but you gently patted his knee as an assurance that the day wasn’t ruined, just delayed.
“Retro games,” Kerian explained. “We found a whole bunch of them getting tossed.”
Luke stepped in front of the two of you, placing the box on the coffee table. He opened it. Inside, you could see a lot of familiar and nostalgic board games, all still in their boxes- Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Sorry!, Skip-bo. You couldn’t help the involuntary grin. Your childhood was staring back up at you all wrapped up nice and neat. Luke quickly unpacked them, sitting each surprise out on the coffee table like a kid opening gifts on Christmas morning. You picked up the Monopoly box.
“Huh,” you noticed. “These are all brand new.”
“Right,” Kerian added, kneeling to sit next to Luke. He picked up a different game and expected it. There was still a cellophane wrapper on it, which really showed its age as this specific material had been banned by the International Environmental Act of 2029. These games were easily over twenty years old or close to it. “We went through it a few minutes ago to check if it was even worth showing you two and found them all in the same condition. Brand new.” He smirked as he shook the Sorry! game at them. “So, we were thinking….”
“Family game night!” Luke chimed in.
You and Sylus shared a look. Mephisto chimed in from the mantel, flying around to land on Sylus’s opposite shoulder, seemingly agreeing with the twins. The two of them stared up at you expectantly. Finally, you let out a sigh-laugh. “Sure, why not? It’ll be good family bonding.” You leaned forward, looking at the options until your eyes landed on a bright red box that was hard to miss. Excitedly, you pulled out the brand-new UNO deck. You shook it at everyone. “Best out of three?”
Sylus gently took the box from you as you sat back up. He examined it carefully, twisting it this way and that. “Doesn’t this game inspire anger more than family bonding? You sure you’re not going to be upset?”
“Hmmmm, I’m not going to promise that. I definitely had my moments when I used to play with Gran and Caleb, but this is still one of my favorites any way.”
Sylus only raised an eyebrow at you, but the twins excitedly stood and ran off to the game room to set up the table.
And now, here you sat. Each of you was around the table that was mostly used for poker games, playing an intense game of Uno. The order clockwise was Luke, Kerian, Sylus, you, and Mephisto, who had been given a special card holder to use so that he could participate. The game had been going on for nearly an hour. Every time someone got close to winning, they were undermined by anyone who could do so. You’d lost count as to how many times you’d called it. Sylus, ever the gentleman, had only called you twice before realizing that if he played it any more than that, the fun evening he had in mind would firmly be cancelled. He always played draw cards with sweet apologies on his lips. Luke and Kerian were getting a kick out of seeing him squirm. The one causing you the most headaches though was Mephisto. Play had been reversed, again. He was now aimed at you. In the last five turns alone, this damn mechanical bird managed to play not one, not two, but three draw 4s on you. There had to be a limit to what he had in his hand!
You’d called Uno again. You were so close to winning. Your last card was red. All Mephisto had to do was leave it red….
The mechanical bird took his time. He twisted his head side to side for a moment before, and you swore you saw the mischief in his eyes as he made up his mind, he grabbed a card, hopped his way across the table, and slammed it down onto the deck. You and the twins gasped.
Another.
Draw.
4.
Mephisto cawed twice- green.
You slammed your hands onto the table, “That’s it!” You lunged for him. Mephisto, with a laughing caw, flew up and back behind the twins. You quickly righted yourself before jumping off the table and sprinting at him. He led you around the table. Your fingers grazed his feathers a couple of times, but he always managed to stay out of your reach. Luke and Kerian were losing it. They were doubled over, laughing their hearts out at the sight, their cards splayed out on the table while Sylus merely sat there, a small laugh and smirk coming from him as well. The race ended when Mephisto flew up high on a statue. You, out of breath, tried to jump and catch him, but you had no energy left. You slumped to the floor in defeat. To add insult to injury, Mephisto landed on your head. He spread his wings and gave a series of satisfied caws. You pouted. A shadow crossed you and you looked up to find Sylus standing there. He held out a hand for Mephisto, who stood on it, and he placed him on his shoulder. Then, using his Evol, he picked you up gently to hold you in his other arm.
“Did you have fun, sweetie?” There was an air of mirth to the question. Your eyes narrowed at the bird who stood proud next to his owner’s face.
“It was fun,” you finally admitted. Threateningly, you pointed at him. “Next time, I’m sitting next to the twins.”
“No way boss lady,” Kieran laughed.
“We’re not trying to get on your bad side,” Luke added.
“Then I’m having mechanical bird barbeque later,” you snapped. Mephisto cawed again and then flew off. Sylus merely laughed and shook his head. He placed a soft kiss on your forehead.
“How about we make dinner and finish that movie from earlier to calm you down?” You nodded into his neck. He looked back at the twins who were cleaning up the game. Before you left, you looked up over his shoulder at them.
“How about Monopoly next week,” you asked. They shared a look for a moment and then gave you a thumbs up. Your heart felt full and warm and as you stepped into the hallway with him, you couldn’t help but nuzzle closer to his neck. “Thank you,” you breathed into him.
Sylus barely glanced at you. “Oh?”
“We didn’t have to do that,” you admitted. “I know it ruined our private time together, but…. I don’t know. It just made me feel good to play board games with people again. I haven’t had much of a chance to do that since I was in college.”
He leaned his head down a bit, kissing you softly on the top of your head. “Then we should make a habit of it. I know the twins, and yes, even Mephisto, want to spend more time with you too.” He gave you another squeeze. “After all, you’re a part of our crew now. Might as well make the most of it as we can.”