#do japanese arcades have gacha machines? idk

[riaki]

arcade date w childhoodbsf!gojo, who doesn’t go to your school, except even though the arcade is emptier than it usually is, there’s still enough stragglers for ur egotistic bestfriend to feel the need to show off. n so he pledges to win u every single thing u want on sight— whether it be that silly little plump cat plushie smushed between mounds of stuffed animals that caught ur eye, or the keychains in the gacha capsule dispensers that he knows he probably shouldn’t attempt since they’re just rigged like everyone knows— but the way you were eyeing them with stars in your irises makes it so much harder for him to resist. after all, he can’t resist you either— so he empties his wallet on those evil machines anyway.

it’s all fun and games; the prizes in your arms are stacking up like fuzzy icecream scoops in a waffle cone, and although gojo gets more jealous of the stuffed toys than he’d like to admit— he likes seeing the way your eyes light up when you smile like that, so he toils at the games until his arms are sore from shooting hoops and his hair is a frazzled mess from all the times he’s ran his hands through the white strands. it’s great to hang out with him after so long— growing up together has always made you close, even though going separate ways after jr high, so time flies when he’s around. ur so engrossed in winning a game of streetfighter against him that neither of u notices when the cute guy from ur school shows up and slides a hand onto ur shoulder, from which u immediately lose to gojo due to the distraction. ofc gojo likes to toot his own horn whenever he wins n so he jumps up from his seat in excitement— until he catches sight of that bastard who dares lay a hand on his best friend.

and so it dials up a notch— gojo works his ass off trying to prove himself to u, caught in this secret competition with this irritably good lookin guy who’s clearly out to steal u from him. ofc he won’t have any of that. but you’re completely oblivious— bless your sweet heart, so the reason ur childhood bsf gets so angry all of a sudden is completely bewildering to u. is he mad at you…? were u not good enough at street fighter for him???? and so by absolute mistake u dump gojo and ur school friend together at a machine ‘for a game against a more suitable opponent’ and skitter away to mind your business elsewhere— and win those cute keychains u saw earlier to match w gojo.

and obviously gojo doesnt take kindly to that— but instead of acting like a normal person and letting it slide, he vows to beat ur friend’s ass (‘in the game’ ofc..) as an act of vengeance, more for himself than for u. but he’s never gonna admit that to your face, is he? much less the way he so desperately wishes for you to notice his overwhelming feelings; the fluttering in his chest he gets whenever he’s around u that your school friend so helpfully points out while they’re duking it out in a game of tabletop hockey. apparently, ur friend has no interest— it’s a free game for gojo. but he can’t seem to work up the nerve to tell u, even when you offer him the keychains u won with ur blood sweat and tears; the reason you were gone for so long in the liminal space of the arcade, and the reason his tiny, itsy bitsy harmless crush turns into something much more staggering, a stake in his heart that only drives deeper everytime he sees the lonely keychain hanging from his school bag and is reminded that you’re nowhere near him. he’s never gonna be able to say it to ur pretty face, and ur scumbag new ‘boyfriend’ hanging around u knows it too.