Page 35 of Looking for Group

They took it a lot slower than Drew would have if he’d been playing alone, but it was honestly more fun this way.

They talked to basically everybody with a name and some people without names because Kit was slightly obsessive about it.

They went everywhere and discussed everything, and got far too invested in tiny decisions, like whether they should spend their limited resources buying a pet Lim-Lim (Kit felt very strongly that they should 6 ) or whether they should tell random strangers their name was Adahn even though it wasn’t (Drew felt very strongly that they shouldn’t 7 ).

It was like they’d stumbled into a lost wilderness of gaming.

Drew couldn’t remember the last time he’d played a game where he genuinely hadn’t known what he was supposed to do next, what was important, or what the consequences of his choices might be.

He honestly couldn’t decide whether it was terrible game design that the industry had quite rightly grown out of, or if it was something special that had been lost. Perhaps it was a little bit of both.

In any case, the evening whisked by as they snuggled even closer to each other beneath the laptop, heads together, feet entangled. Annoyingly, the more Drew noticed his own enjoyment, the more worried he got about it.

Which meant he finally blurted out, “Kit, do you think we spend too much time playing games?”

Kit parked their party of randoms in a corner of the Gathering Dust bar, and gave Drew a slightly quizzical look. “Well, no. But I’m confused why you’re asking.”

“You don’t mind we just played a video game all evening?”

“Again, not particularly.” Kit’s brow wrinkled anxiously. “Do you? Are you not having fun?”

“No, no, I’m having a great time. It’s just we spend a lot of time in HoL as well.”

“That’s where my friends hang out. And I like playing it.”

Drew felt sort of confused and uneasy. He’d been thinking about this quite clearly on his way down, but now, he couldn’t make the ideas stick together right.

It didn’t help that Kit seemed totally unaware of the possibility there could be a problem here.

And that made him wonder if Sanee had thought the same thing about him. “But you have to have other things.”

“What’s this about?” asked Kit gently, closing the laptop and putting it to one side.

That was the point Drew realised he hadn’t brought this up as casually as he’d meant to. “I just sort of realised I’m not hanging out with my friends as much as I used to.”

“I’d never want to get in the way.”

“You’re not. Seeing you is really important to me.”

Kit smiled. “Same.”

“I guess.” Drew played his fingers up the side of Kit’s wrist, catching the sweet responsive shiver in his skin. “Maybe if we just spent less time in HoL . Like the guild is cool and everything, but I’d really like if you wanted to spend time with me and my mates.”

Kit’s gaze lingered on Drew’s hand. He still seemed a bit bothered, but all he said was, “Sure.”

Just like when he’d been talking to Sanee, Drew still wasn’t quite sure he’d said everything he needed to say or said it right, but he didn’t want to make Kit feel like a loser any more than he wanted Sanee to think he didn’t care about their friendship.

But he also wasn’t sure how else the conversation could have played out.

Kit had agreed to spend real-world time with him pretty easily, so maybe everything would be fine.

And, in any case, angsting about it now was pointless.

“Um.” Kit lay back and stretched out, tucking an arm behind his head. “It’s quite late. Are you tired? Or do you want to do something else?”

He looked really good like that—sort of all lean and elegant and inviting. As if he was waiting to be touched. Drew dropped down onto one elbow, his free hand sneaking under the hem of Kit’s shirt. “I can’t think of anything to say that doesn’t sound like the flirt option in a BioWare RPG.”

“ Mass Effect or Dragon Age ?”

Drew thought about it for a moment. “Do you have a preference?”

“I’m good with you right now.”

“That’s a relief. Because I left my Commander Shepard costume at home.”

Kit’s muscles tightened under Drew’s palm as he laughed. And Drew rolled over him and kissed him into silence.

“You’re really beautiful, you know?” Drew said, a bit awkwardly. It was true, but he wasn’t quite sure if you were meant to say it.

“Oh God.” Kit went all pink and lifted a hand to stroke Drew’s cheek, palm curving beneath his jaw.

“I don’t know what… Sorry, I’m really bad with compliments.

” He went, if possible, even pinker, the heat spilling down his throat and disappearing beneath the open V of his shirt. “I’m glad you like me, though.”

Drew was suddenly very brave indeed. He kissed his way under Kit’s chin.

He was a little rough there—this pale stubble he could feel but couldn’t see.

Kit tipped his head back, no hesitation there, just trust and eagerness, a soft noise, half-sigh, half-moan, slipping from between his lips.

It made Drew sit up a moment. Kind of stunned and kind of flustered and excited at how right it all was.

Kit and him. Him and Kit.

Who was looking up at Drew, eyes expectant, still bright with memory of laughter. His breath was coming quickly now, matching Drew’s.

Well. It seemed as good a time as any. And it seemed kind of unfair to leave all the baring and trusting and scary stuff to Kit.

So he whisked off his T-shirt. And was especially glad for the rugby, since he was sort of right there, with nowhere to hide.

It wasn’t quite what he was used to, but it wasn’t as intimidating as he’d expected.

Not when Kit was gazing at him with such pleasure.

It felt pretty powerful actually. And in its own way, kind of hot.

He was starting to think that maybe one of the things about sex was that you put up your own barriers. Worrying about what someone else would think about you. Or what you might accidentally be showing them or telling them.

But if you liked someone— really liked someone—then…suddenly none of that mattered anymore. And it was no different from anything else you did together.

Talking or sharing a joke or playing a game.

He reached for the first button of Kit’s shirt. “Can I?”

“God, yes.” A long, hot shudder ran through Kit’s body. “Yes, please.”

And he caught Drew by the shoulder and pulled him down again.

***

That Friday, Drew made certain to go to the pub. He probably would have anyway, but he wanted to show his friends that he hadn’t forgotten them. Kit, of course, was raiding.

A tiny part of him was worried that Sanee was going to stage an intervention in the Slug and Lettuce, but once they’d all settled down with their drinks and burgers, he instead stood up, tinked on the side of his pint glass with his fork, and proudly announced that he and Steff were hosting the first annual Batstravaganza.

“The original plan,” he explained, “was to do Begins , Returns , and Rises , but then we realised that a) we picked up all four 1990s movies for less than a tenner back when HMV closed down, and b) they’ve done a version of the Adam West movie with Christopher Nolan–style packaging.

So we’re going to do all eight Batman films in chronological order this weekend. ”

“Why?” asked Andy.

“Because he’s the Batman,” replied Tinuviel in a surprisingly effective Christian Bale impersonation.

Sanee glanced round the table. “So who’s with us?”

“Okay.” Andy shrugged.

“And my axe.” That was Tinuviel.

“Fair warning.” Steff looked up from her chips. “At least a quarter of these films will be terrible, but we will have a lot of beer.”

“And bring sleeping bags,” added Sanee. “Because this is some hardcore movie watching.”

Steff waved a sachet of ketchup solemnly. “And honestly, as a medical professional, I recommend being unconscious through Batman & Robin .”

“Um.” Given Sanee’s comments yesterday and his conversation with Kit, Drew decided to go for it. He put up his hand. “Can I bring my boyfriend, please?”

“Oh.” Tinuviel put her hand up as well. “Can I bring my current romantic partner and/or my current sexual partner?”

Andy squinted across the table. “Are they different people?”

She squinted back. “Is that a real question?”

“Apparently not.” Andy gave up gracefully.

“Bring who you like,” said Sanee expansively. “We’ve got plenty of crisps, and the nice thing about movies is there’s no maximum number of players.”

Drew honestly wasn’t sure it would be Kit’s thing, but he seemed happy enough to be invited.

So the next day they met for brunch in this tearoom they liked, detoured back to Drew’s room for…

stuff, because they were getting pretty good at it, and then—only slightly late—legged it to Sanee and Steff’s.

Everyone else was already there, so the best beanbags were taken, but they found a corner, and Drew slightly awkwardly introduced Kit to his friends, stalling when he got to Tinuviel’s guests because he’d never met either of them before.

Tinuviel gestured left. “This is Tom.” Then right. “This is Melissa.”

Drew was about to ask which one was romantic and which one was sexual, but realised just in time there was no way it could sound good.

There was a slightly difficult silence.

“So,” said Sanee, “you’re Drew’s hot elf babe.”

“Dude.” Drew facepalmed.

Kit smiled shyly. “It’s the ears, isn’t it? They’re a dead giveaway.”

Steff disentangled herself from Sanee, and brought them a couple of beers. “Please forgive this tactless arse I’m somehow engaged to. He was trying very hard not to open with, ‘So you’re a gay, then.’”

“I was not,” Sanee protested.

“The important thing”—Steff scrambled back onto the sofa, and patted his arm—“is that you believe that.”

Now that first contact had been established, everyone could settle down, and Batstravaganza could officially begin.