Broadway Dream

Matias sat in front of the screen, his fingers moving to each individual button as if it was second nature to him. He was aware of the pair of eyes watching him, moving their gaze between him and the screen, but paid no mind to it. This was how it always went. This was how it always was.

He saw another character flash across the screen, and it cut to his own being shot down. He let out a groan as he threw his head back. His eyes shut tight, and he heard the familiar hiss of the other boy next to him.

“That’s tragic,” he said.

“You’re tragic,” he replied.

“Oh, I know. Thanks for pointin’ that out Captain Obvious.”

Matias rolled his eyes and waited to respawn. He wasn’t too fond of online matches. When it was a Zombie map, sure thing. It was always nice to have a little extra help with the easter eggs. But in matches like these? He sucked at them. No, he did a lot more than just sucked.

And the boy next to him was proof of that.

“Your KD has got to be garbage,” the other teen pointed out. Matias looked over at him and watched as he mindlessly scrolled through his Instagram feed.

“I wanna see you do better,” Matias challenged.

The boy laughed. “See, the difference between you and me is this: I know I suck. You, on the other hand, are too prideful to see how bad you are. I mean, come on, even I get in at least three kills before getting shot. Even in Nuketown. You couldn’t even get one in the past five respawns.”

Matias glared at the other boy before thrusting the controller into his hands, catching him by surprise. The teen let out a squeak as he looked down at the controller in his hands. Then he looked back at Matias, who was already standing up from his seat.

“If you’re so good, then play. I’m taking a piss.”

He heard a scoff from the teen, and no doubt the other rolled his eyes at him. “Whatever,” he heard him mutter.

Matias ignored him and went to the bathroom. He did his typical business and flushed before washing his hands. When he walked back, he noticed the other teen still playing.

“How many times did you die?” he asked.

“Not once,” the other replied. “Killed, like, five dudes though. Two shot, one with a grenade, and the other two were assists. It’s a record for me, honestly.”

Then, suddenly, the brunette’s character was shot down. The boy clicked his tongue, muttering a curse beneath his breath, and handed the controller back to Matias.

“Damn. Would’ve been my first snipe kill. Fuckin’ bullshit.”

Matias laughed at that. The other boy glared at him. “Hey, fuck you!” he shouted.

“Later,” the taller replied, and he chuckled as a blush crept its way onto the shorter’s face.

“Whatever. I’ll be in the room if you need anything.”

Matias paid no mind to him, nor did he watch him leave. He did notice his cousin, Rick, enter the room, however, with a smile on his face.

“You not gonna go?” he asked.

“After this match ends,” he replied.

Rick shook his head. “You two have gotten real close real fast. I mean, it’s Michael, but still.”

Matias huffed. “I thought her name was Elle?” he asked.

The other sat back in his seat, grabbing a PS4 controller from nearby, and turned on his system. He looked only to the screen as he answered, “Yeah. Then he came out. And that was just a nickname.”

“So what the fuck is it then?” he asked.

“Michael, dumbass. What do you think?”

The older of the two huffed again. He exited the match and shut the console off. Then, he stood up and made his way out of the room.

“See you in a bit,” he said to Rick.

Rick couldn’t stop the teasing smile that etched onto his face. He looked at Matias right in the face.

“Don’t go too hard on him, ya hear?”

Matias flipped him off, prompting Rick to laugh. The younger went back to his game, and Matias made his way down the hall towards the bedroom. He slowly opened the door and peeked inside.

Lo and behold, as he expected, there was Michael laying on the mattress with his back facing the rest of the room. He was covered from head to toe in the warm blankets that were scattered around. It was close to winter, and the window was always open. It was no surprise that the boy suddenly started to get cold.

Matias closed the door and flung himself onto the poor boy. Michael let out a yelp, and then groaned when he realized who it was.

“Dude, you’re fucking heavy! Get off!” Michael yelled.

Matias chuckled. “I’m not that heavy. I’m a frickin’ twig!” he shouted.

“I think you forget I’m physically weaker than everyone in this house,” the other sighed.

The taller teen laughed again before rolling off the other. He laid right beside him, stole a pillow, and turned his back to the brunette. He waited for something to happen—for the shy, little boy to make a move—but nothing came. That wasn’t unusual for them. Which meant he would have some fun.

Matias turned around, slowly trailing his hands to Michael’s sides, and began to tickle him. The other teen howled in laughter.

“Stop!” he cried out, kicking his legs and trying to crawl away from Matias’s assault. His attempt proved to be useless. He continued to laugh. “Stop! Stop! I can’t take it!”

“I’m not even doing anything,” Matias chuckled.

They went like this for some time. Michael would occasionally get Matias to stop, but only for a short amount of time. It wouldn’t take long before the other would attack again, and the cycle would start over.

Their breathing became short, their bodies eventually flushed against one another, and everything began falling into place. Before they knew it, Michael was underneath Matias like always.

It was the same old thing every time. It was a cycle they felt couldn’t be broken. Or, at the very least, one they didn’t want to break. It was unclear if it meant the same thing to both of them. To Matias, it was a good time. Something to enjoy for the moment and joke about later. Something to have fun with.

But he knew all too well what it would mean to Michael. It was something more. He could hear it in his voice. The way he mewled and cried out his name. The way he clung to his shirt. The way he wrapped his legs around his waist, pulled him closer, and tried desperately to match his movements. Matias wouldn’t think of that now, though. It’d have to wait for some other time.

Perhaps some other time they could address this.