ONWARD IMAGINES

Passionate | Barley Lightfoot

happy Easter, guys! ♡

this was requested by ILoveFandomGuys

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Since you first asked Barley out, he was set on showing you his second favorite thing in the entire world (aside from you, he reassured you). He was obsessed with Quests of Yore,  his roleplay game that he typically played with friends or Ian, if he was convinced.

You sat down at the kitchen table and Ian took a seat next to you, handing you a cold can of Mountain Doom.

"Thanks," you said.

He nodded, smiling kindly as his brother kicked his bedroom door open and sang out, "I got it!"

Your eyes widened and Barley stumbled to the kitchen with his arms weighed down by a cardboard box filled way past the top with game piexes. He dropped it in front of you.

"Wow," you said, pulling your arms off the table.

"Wow is correct, my dear," he said, emptying out the box. "You are about to learn every single thing about the game."

"Oh great," Ian said, shaking his head.

You looked at him. "What... will that take long?"

"No, not at all," Barley said.

Ian rolled his eyes. "Only nine hours, give or take."

"Oh." You scooted in your chair. "Then I guess you'd better start explaining."

"You'll be an expert in no time," he promised you, taking out a viking helmet. He placed it on his head and then pulled out a sword. He put one leg up on the seat of his chair and placed his free hand on his heart. "And I, your brave and noble warrior --- and boyfriend --- will lead you through this quest for knowledge!"

"Warrior, huh?" you asked. "What does that make me?"

"Whatever you want!" he said. "That's the beauty of the game. You want to be a rogue? Go for it! Or you can be a wizard."

"I'm not sure I am much of a wizard," you said. "What should I be?"

"Well, now that you've asked..." He chuckled nervously as he reached into the box and pulled out a leather-bound notebook. "I've actually drawn up a few character ideas, if you want to see."

"You did?"

"Yeah." He flipped through the pages and leaned across the table to show you. On the page were several sketches of you, in silver armor, in a wizard robe, with a bow and arrow, a sword.

"Wow," you said. "You put a lot of thought into this, huh?"

"Trust me, it's all he talks about," Ian said.

"Me playing?" You smiled. "Really?"

"Yes," he said.

"Well, it's a huge deal," Barley said. "You have to pick what fits you exactly, but don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone! Let me explain..."

For the next several hours, Barley walked you through every single part of the game. Although he often got sidetracked and went off on tangents about the history of the Manticore and the origins of mermaids, he made sure he covered every detail.

While he lost Ian halfway through the run through, you sat in your spot, completely enthralled and entertained by him.

Quests of Yore wasn't your thing, and both Ian and Barley knew it. Board games weren't your thing. Role-playing wasn't your thing. But Barley was so into the idea of showing you this that you wanted to hear every word.

This game was his thing, and he was super passionate about it.

"So, uh, yeah. That about sums it up."

You stood up from your seat and leaned across the table. You cupped his cheek and kissed him quickly, pulling back with a smile.

Caught off guard, Barley said, "W-What was that for?"

"You're cute," you said, shrugging.

"I'm cute?" he asked.

"Uh-huh."

Ian called out from the kitchen counter, "No flirting while I'm in the same room, got it?"

You glanced at him and laughed. Barley shook his head at his brother and sat down next to you. He sighed tiredly, then gasped.

"What? What's wrong?" you asked.

"It's dark already?! Oh man, do we even have time to start a game?"

You glanced at the clock behind you. "Oh, Barley, it's only nine. We're okay."

"Your parents set a curfew," he reminded you.

"We have two and a half hours 'til I gotta be home," you said. "Let's start. I've been really thinking about my role."

"We can't finish an entire game tonight though," he said, disappointed.

"Well, no," you said, "but we have plenty of days."

He looked surprised. "You want to keep playing? Really?"

"Barley," you said, "I'm having a lot of fun."

He smiled. "Thank you. I know you don't care much about the game, or any game like this. But I... thank you. It means a lot that you're listening."

"Hey, come on," you said, putting your hand on top of his. "I get to hang out with my boyfriend and pretend to be a wizard? That's pretty cool. Plus, you look pretty cute in that ridiculous helmet."

He laughed and you straightened the helmet on top of his head before pecking him on the lips.

"Flirting!" Ian shouted. "What did I tell you guys about the flirting?!"

You snickered again.

"Wizard, huh? So you've finally decided to be a wizard?" Barley asked.

"After giving it a lot of thought," you said, nodding, "I figure I have what it takes."

He smiled. "That's great, because that is the outfit I liked you best in."

"The purple robe?" you laughed.

"Uh-huh. You think I'm cute in the helmet? Well, you're cute in the wizard robe."

You shook your head at him.

"What? You look good in purple." He shrugged.

"Oh. Well, thank you."

"Why am I even still trying to hang out with you guys?!" Ian asked, covering his face as he hurried out of the room. "You guys are so gross."

You and Barley laughed and you turned towards him. "Well, now that he is gone, we can kiss more."

He laughed. "Like you had any problem with kissing in front of him!"

"Of course I didn't, and you didn't either!" You grabbed the front of his vest. "Look, we are really good at embarrassing your little brother, and that is funny. Now come on, are you gonna kiss me or what?"

"Okay, okay," he said, still laughing. He leaned in, his hands falling on your waist. "Hey, you don't got to tell me twice.'

You kissed him and smiled, the game forgotten. It didn't matter. You'd play tomorrow, and every day after that.