advance to go. [a & rylan] (Patreon)

synopsis: A and Rylan have developed a tradition of playing monopoly at A's apartment. it's just... common sense.

note: i'll be doing a miniseries of some rare pairings for the next couple of drabbles, just for some change. after that we'll be back to our regularly scheduled polls and ro x hunter stories <3

"I'll trade you two of my light blue properties for one of your dark blues," A offers. They hold up their cards, waving them in Rylan's face with a teasing grin.

The half-vampire is not amused. "That's a scam."

"It's a fair trade!"

"A scam."

A's mouth opens then closes. As much as they like playing with Rylan, a downside to their opponent being a half-vampire is they can't lie. "Okay fine, maybe it's a bit of a cop-out, but if you get the third light blue property, then you can charge me double any time I land on them."

"And how many times have you landed on those houses exactly?" Rylan points out. They flick one of A's houses off the board, the piece bumping into A's leg. "Right, none. Meanwhile, I've landed on them so much, I have their prices memorized."

"All the more reason for you to make the trade!"

Rylan huffs. "Absolutely not. You're not getting away with your puppy dog eyes this time, Blondie."

"Rylan," A whines, dragging out the last letter.

"No."

A sighs, knowing the battle is done and lost. They drop the cards to their side as they fall back against the floor, the soft tuffs of the carpet cushioning their fall. An arm raises to shield their eyes, though with the sun setting in the background, there's hardly any use for it.

Rylan hums. A can feel their breath on their arm as they lean forward. "Does this mean you forfeit?"

"Just give me a five-minute break. My head is hurting."

"Ah, I knew all that math would prove to be too much for you." A thump comes from A's left that sounds suspiciously like Rylan falling on the floor. A lifts their arm just high enough to sneak a peek and, sure enough, Rylan has pulled back and is settling themself into a comfortable position beside the monopoly board.

A closes their eyes again. "If you bring up the fact that you have the multiplication table memorized again, I'm kicking you out."

"Me? Bragging that I know what twelve times twelve is? Why I could never." Another shift. "Exactly how low do you think of me?"

"Very."

Rylan throws a plastic house at their arm and A laughs as it ricochets onto the board, likely knocking over some properties in the process.

It's funny how things happen.

All of this started from a text message. A simple "I'm bored please someone save me" sent to the groupchat at one in the afternoon. No real intentions behind it, no actual hope that someone would actually cure Rylan's boredom—but A did.

It wasn't like they were doing anything. That Saturday, they were laying around their apartment, bored out of their mind as they flipped through Netflix for what seemed like hours trying to settle on something.

Rylan's text was an opportunity for A to actually have some entertainment, so, ignoring K's comment about Rylan needing to get a life, A invited them over. Except, when Rylan arrived, they didn't want to do anything but stay inside. The moment Rylan got inside, they groaned, fell dramatically on A's couch and complained that it was ridiculously hot and they'd melt into the sidewalk if they had to leave the air conditioning. A rolled their eyes, but honestly, they weren't too keen on leaving the chilled apartment themself.

It was why they eventually pulled out monopoly, stuffed at the back of A's spare closet. They'd initially been looking for flashlights—for some reason A doesn't remember anymore—but the moment Rylan saw the board game, they declared that's what the pair would be playing.

The rest is history. One loss led to Rylan showing up at A's apartment the next week for a rematch, which led to A demanding Rylan for another rematch the following weekend, which led—

Yeah.

At some point, it became more of enjoying each other's company than actually getting revenge for their losses, but neither have said that aloud. A and Rylan might be good friends, but they still walk a thin line. A knows Rylan doesn't fully trust them yet—and A doesn't blame them. Still, A is determined to make Rylan open up to them one day.

Even if it takes years.

"Blondie?"

A takes their arm off their eyes and turns, gray-blue eyes meeting bright brown ones. Rylan blinks owlishly. There's a stack of cards between them, just short enough that A can see the curve of Rylan's hesitant smile.

"Rylan."

"Do you still want to play?"

A keeps their expression neutral as they examine their companion. Rylan's worried about their answer, that much they can tell, but for what reason they don't know. It's easy to forget how vulnerable Rylan can be sometimes. They exude so much confidence that you become caught up in it, sometimes even stuck.

A shakes their head. "Do you want to go get food instead? I know a great place around the corn—"

"Say no more!" Rylan jumps up and flashes A a blinding grin, so bright it can only be genuine. They rush over to A's side and pull them up, ignoring the protests that spill from A's lips between laughter. "Come on. I've been starving for an hour now. I might actually die if I don't get food in my stomach."

"I doubt it."

"I'll collapse over the board and ruin the entire game," Rylan warns.

A laughs again and sends Rylan a grin of their own. "I was getting tired of it anyway."