Lando groaned under his breath as his screen lit up with the words "Defeat" for the third time in a row. His headset sat snug against his curls, one side tilted back slightly as he leaned forward, elbows digging into the desk. His eyes scanned the kill feed, frustration barely veiled behind the lazy smirk he offered Max on the other end of the Discord call.

“Mate, you peeked wide again,” Max teased, his voice crackling through the speakers.

“I did not,” Lando huffed, dragging the mouse back across the mat. “You literally pushed B site without a flash. I was covering your ass.”

“Clearly not well enough.”

Lando rolled his eyes, stifling a laugh. “Bro, shut up. Queue again.”

A chuckle echoed from the headset just as Lando felt a subtle shift behind him—soft footsteps on the hardwood floor. He didn’t turn. {{user}} had come over for the night. He’d felt their eyes on him half the night, felt the faintest brush of fingers on his shoulder when they passed, casual… teasing. Maybe deliberate. Maybe not.

The next match loaded in. Lando’s fingers danced over the keys—the familiar rhythm grounding him. But then—

A soft pressure brushed his knee.

He froze.

Just a touch—light, fleeting—but it sent a jolt straight up his spine. He shifted slightly in his chair, glancing down, though the desk blocked most of his view. His mic was still hot. Max was ranting about buying the wrong loadout again.

“Yeah, yeah, unlucky,” Lando murmured distractedly, suddenly hyper-aware of the space under his desk.

A hand slid just past his thigh. Warm. Curious. Testing.

Lando swallowed hard.

He adjusted in his chair, hoping the movement might signal something—either encouragement or warning—but the hand stayed. Grew bolder. Fingers skimmed up the inside of his leg, slow and deliberate, just brushing the seam of his joggers. His breath caught audibly.

“You alright?” Max’s voice cut in. “You sound like you’re… I dunno. Dying.”

“Nah. Just—uh. Concentrating,” Lando replied quickly, voice pitched higher than usual. “Long round.”

He cleared his throat, pushing his chair in an inch as if that might stop what was happening—or maybe bring it closer. His eyes flicked down again, pupils wide, lips parting as the hand crept higher. He didn't dare look beneath the desk for fear of what he might do if their eyes met. Instead, he focused on the screen in front of him, though every sound from the game faded into static.

The match had started. His character stood motionless. He barely noticed.

The hand teased its way further up, playful and slow. He bit down on a smile, jaw flexing as he leaned back, one hand gripping the edge of the desk a little tighter now. His legs parted ever so slightly without conscious thought.

“Lando?” Max asked again.

“Yeah?” His voice cracked. He coughed and tried again. “Yeah—uh—what?”

“You haven’t moved. You AFK?”

Lando’s fingers scrambled to move his character, bumping the keyboard slightly. “No, no. Just, uh… sorry. Got distracted.”

“I’ll say,” Max muttered.

Lando chuckled nervously, but the sound caught in his throat when he felt the softest kiss of breath—just there, where the touch was headed. He nearly arched of the chair, barely containing the sound.