[Hey, dfc1992! You requested this an eternity ago; I hope it was worth the wait! God bless! ^-^]
"Okaaaaaaaaaaaay!"
You looked away from your laptop screen for the first time that evening, leaning out to peer down the hallway from where Will's voice had come from.
"Okay what?" you called back, rearranging the blanket around you, returning your attention to the story you were writing.
Or, attempting to write.
Will's interruptions had been frequent, most of them a hilarious attempt to get your attention, but distractions nonetheless. The most memorable included him skipping around the coffee table with a pillow on his head, making some sort of strange bird-call. It was after that he had disappeared down the hall. That was ten minutes ago, which would have been nice for your writing had you been able to concentrate, but the silence was unsettling, the unknown setting you on edge. Knowing your boyfriend, he could be up to anything.
"Will, if you're filling up the water guns again..."
A thumping, bumping, and rattling coming from the other room was your response. You paused mid-typing, letting the cursor flash on your screen impatiently as it waited for you to finish your sentence.
"Will?"
Silence.
You leaned forward again, trying to see as far down the hallway as possible without letting the warm, fluffy blanket slip off your lap. You were comfortable and didn't want to move, but if Will came shooting into the room with a water gun, that was an entirely different story.
Suddenly, what sounded like a battle cry erupted from the end of the hall, and you tensed, preparing to abandoned your laptop to it's fate and fling yourself behind the couch. A second later, Will came sliding in on his socks across the hard wood floor and made a little leap onto the carpet. You heard a pleased chuckle and relaxed as he peeked his nose over the numerous, colorful boxes wobbling in his arms, wiggling his fabulous eyebrows temptingly at you.
You raised your own, questioningly.
Will's happy expression intensified. His eyes shone with child-like enthusiasm as they jumped from you to the boxes and back again.
"Well?" he finally asked.
"Well...?" you echoed, obviously knowing what he wanted but having fun messing with him.
"Which one?" he asked, holding the boxes out away from him, jerkily balancing them as the mismatched tower swayed precariously.
"What are we, five?" you teased.
This elicited a chuckle from Will, who didn't dare take his eyes from the wobbling boxes of games. "Maaaaaaaaaaaybe. Besides, no one ever gets to old for games!"
"Maybe you don't."
"Hey, Candy Land says three and up," he pointed out. "So there."
You shook your head in defeat. You had to admit that the sight of games like Monopoly, Sorry, and Candy Land brought back memories. You honestly couldn't remember the last time you'd played Twister. And of course the sight of your tall, muscular boyfriend balancing the stack of them and smiling dorkily like he had just discovered a colorful, plastic ball-pit, only added to the warmth in your heart. Then the boxes tipped dangerously forward.
"Will," you cautioned. "Those are going to--"
You shut your eyes tightly, wincing at the cacophonous crash that inevitably ensued. When you managed a peek, you saw Will on his hands and knees, gathering scattered game pieces and dented boxes. He grinned sheepishly up at you, but the excited gleam in his eyes remained unfazed.
"You coming down here or what?" he shot you a mischievous look paired with a grin that awoke the butterflies in your stomach.
Unable to keep the grin from your face you shoved the laptop aside and slid onto the floor, crossing your legs Indian-style and pulling the blanket down around your shoulders.
* * * * *
"Noooooooooo!" Will shouted at the dice, the four-side undeniably facing up. "No! No! No!"
You didn't even bother to hold back your laughter at his continual misfortune; only something like that could happen to Will repeatedly.
"Down you go, boy!" you prodded, sitting up and pushing back the blanket (that had fallen from around you ages ago and was now just getting in the way) and other games that had served their use.
Each game you guys had played resulted in a back and forth of win-lose. You were the first to reach the Candy Castle while Will was stuck with teeth-breaking snacks at Gramma Nutt's during Candy Land. Then Will ran circles around you completing Sorry (which he had not at all been sorry about). After that, you left him homeless in Monopoly, before his little team of pegs had out-marched yours, crowning him the undisputed winner of Trouble. So now you were neck and neck, Chutes and Ladders serving as the tie-breaker, and you were savoring your sure victory.
"That's so wrong!" he whined in frustration. "Five times! I've been forced down that slide five times!"
You laughed again, "I believe the correct term is chute," you informed him, stretching for the dice--which Will quickly snatched up. "Hey!" you protested, flailing your arms at him, but he twisted and dodged, keeping it out of reach as he peered at it closely, weighing it in his hand.
"This dice is rigged," he stated with finality, tossing it to you.
You made a grab for it, but it bounced off your hand and clattered to the board, rolling a ways before finally skittering to a stop near the couch.
You scrambled for it, but before you could catch it you were yanked by Will's firm grasp on your arms, holding you back.
"Wait!" he commanded, "That's a six! Look!"
"What?" You paused momentarily in your struggling as you turned to glance at the dice. "Yeah, so?"
"So," Will continued, a smile sneaking into his voice. "Now it's your turn to go down that ridiculous slide! Oh, excuse me--chute."
"What!?" you shrieked. "Nu-uh! I didn't roll the dice, you threw it!"
"It bounced off your hand," he pointed out. "So technically you were the last one to toss it."
"Will," you huffed. "That's not how it works."
You twisted sharply in his arms winning your freedom and making a dive for the spotted cube. Your calf and ankle were harshly intercepted in his strong grasp.
"Yeah-huh!" Will insisted, pulling you across the floor toward him, ignoring your yells of protest.
"Nuh-uh!" you insisted, flopping around like a pinned fish.
Will pulled you to him, his strong hands tickling laughs and shrieks out of you.
"Will!" you squeeled. "No faaaaaair! You're cheating!"
His deep laughter resonated through you as he held you tighter against his chest, wrapping his arms around you in a calming hug. You gave in, resting your head on his shoulder, unable to move anything else in his grasp.
"Not fair," you mumbled in a half-hearted pout. "You're stronger than me."
He chuckled again, deep and resonant, then pecked the top of your head, rocking you gently.
"Okay," he whispered, warm breath caressing your cheek before melting you with a kiss, his lips warm and soft. "You win."
