Epilogue
Rin
“Hello, everyone! Welcome to the stream,” I say, grinning into my camera.
Azaad(mod): What took you so long? Is someone there with you?
MischiefRus: Ohhh secret boyfriend??
BookLover4Life: Please tell me there’s a story behind that…
I do my best not to flush. Freaking Azaad and his teasing! He’s lucky I love him otherwise I would have fired him a long time ago.
Okay, that’s a lie but whatever. I can’t pretend I wouldn’t be lost without him!
“Sorry I’m late! Something was distracting me before I got online. Y’all have got to give me a little bit of slack. I’ve been doing this for four years, at this point, you should know I’m going to run a couple minutes late!”
ExcitedOwl(vip): Hi, Blue!
IwaZilla(vip): Did you see that Suga is still streaming? You guys don’t normally stream at the same time like this!
SqueakyWheel(mod): Hey, Owl! :)
ExcitedOwl(vip): HI SQUEAK HOW ARE YOU
I smile at the chat. I’ve noticed that Squeak, Owl, Glasses, and Libero have been spending a lot of time together. They’ve been in the Discord voice chat late at night. I’m gonna have to bully Squeak into telling me everything next time I talk to him.
“Okay, chat. You know how I don’t think I’ll be able to touch SkyDive with a thousand foot pool for a while?
That game is amazing and I think you should all check it out, but for me, personally, I need a very long break after my marathon.
” I nod along as chat starts to roast me over how badly I did during my marathon.
“Suga has decided he’s going to do an all accomplishments run. He’s going through and finding anything and everything. Every secret ending, every accomplishment, every secret. Everything. He’s properly hyperfixated,” I explain with a chuckle.
PourSomeSuga(mod): Come join MY stream for some real gameplay
Azaad(mod): Don’t make me unmod you for self promo…
PourSomeSuga(mod): …you love me
WizeWizard(vip): *squinty eyes at Suga*
PourSomeSuga(mod): IM NOT COMING FOR YOUR MAN CHILL OUT
Azaad(mod): *blushes while the boys all fight over me*
I pretend to let out a deep sigh, running my hands through my hair. “You’re all ridiculous.”
Azaad(mod): Making you feel single?? ;P
Well, I don’t think I could have come up with a better opening even if I wanted to. I look over to the right, where my bed sits in the corner of the room by the door. Maki is laying in my bed, watching the stream on his laptop. He looks over the top of his laptop, our eyes meeting.
Maki gives me a soft smile and my insides turn to goo. I can feel his affection inside my chest, a completely separate feeling to my own. I can feel how happy he is through our bond, can feel how content he’s feeling, watching the stream while lounging in my bed.
“Hey, Azaad? Do me a favor and turn the chat on VIP and mod only?” I wait a moment for the chat to change. Now, only mods and VIPs can chat. “Okay everyone, you know what time it is! Everyone who’s not single, type one in the chat!”
I wait for the delay before making my move.
BlueStreamer(LIVE): 1
BlueStreamer(LIVE): 1
BlueStreamer(LIVE): 1
BlueStreamer(LIVE): 1
BlueStreamer(LIVE): 1
BlueStreamer(LIVE): 1
BlueStreamer(LIVE): 1
BlueStreamer(LIVE): 1
Azaad(mod): 1
BlueStreamer(LIVE): 1
BlueStreamer(LIVE): 1
BlueStreamer(LIVE): 1
BlueStreamer(LIVE): 1
WizeWizard(vip): 1
Joker49(mod): OMG
ExictedOwl(vip): WAIT REALLY???
Azaad(mod): ..why are you so dramatic
IwaZilla(vip): What a way to announce this…
TwinkleKawa(vip): NO FUCKING WAY!!!
GlassesForDayz(vip): Congrats :)
ExcitedOwl(vip): HI GLASSES!!
SqueakyWheel(mod): Hi Glasses <3 You showed up at the perfect time!
I sit back in my seat, watching as the chaos unfolds. Chat is going nuts, even with it only being my VIPs and mods.
“Azaad, you can put it back to normal chat. Let chaos reign!” Maki chuckles from his place on the bed. “Would you like to add anything?” I ask him specifically.
Makiplaysvolleyball(vip): One.
WizeWizard(vip): OMG
ExcitedOwl(vip): NO FUCKING WAY
LiberosOnTop: Hi Maki! :)
TheGamer_JDB: You guys are cute *sobs*
WizeWizard(vip): BABE HOW DID YOU KEEP THIS FROM ME I SHIP THEM SO HARD
Azaad(mod): *red dot on my forehead* I promised the boss I wouldn’t tell…
WizeWizard(vip): release my man!
TwinkleKawa(vip): Jesus Christ you two STAWP
“Okay, chat,” I say with a giggle. “Who’s ready to jump into a game? Rodney and I are going to duo queue some battle royale. As we all know, I’m excellent at first person shooters!”
I jump into the Discord call with Rodney. “Blue! Chat is freaking out! What the heck did you do?”
“I simply typed one. No big deal.”
“Oh,” he says, stretching the word out. “You finally told the world about your love.”
“Yes. Yes, I did,” I say proudly. Maki shoots me another soft look from his place on my bed. I love it when he sits in here while I stream but at the same time, it’s rather distracting.
“Can you VIP, LiberosOnTop?” Maki asks softly. “That’s Kent.”
“For sure,” I say, turning towards chat. “Hey, mods? Someone please VIP LiberosOnTop for me!”
Rodney and I jump into a match. The two of us are crouching behind a wall together when a third person jumps into our hiding spot. We all point our guns at each other but none of us shoots.
“Okay, fellas. Let’s all put our guns down and talk this out,” the third person says, this voice smooth and silky through the in game voice chat. “Three people are better than two, right?”
“Oh my gods,” Rodney says softly and I can tell right away that something’s up.
“Your voice makes me wanna drop to my knees and bark like a dog. The things I would do to hear that voice in my ears, chat. I would beg and plead. I would write songs. I would become a poet. I would ride a dolphin into the sunset. Don’t even pretend you wouldn’t do the same, chat.
The only thing going on inside my head is how much of a gay disaster I am intermixed with bark bark bark bark bark. ”
There’s a long moment where everyone is quiet. The delay catches up and Maki bursts out laughing. It’s so rare to see him laugh so loudly that I can’t help but look over at him with wide eyes.
“Umm,” the third guy says slowly. “Thank you? I think I’m flattered?”
There’s another pause before Rodney starts screaming. “What? My mic was unmuted and you heard that? Oh my gods, Blue, shoot me. Put me out of my misery. Let me get out of this game. Oh my gods.”
“Wait, you can’t leave yet,” the guy says right away. “I wanna hear more!” I can’t stop laughing, wheezing so hard I can barely breathe. The third guy is also wheezing into his mic.
“The three of us against the rest?” I ask softly.
The third guy nods his character. “The three of us against the world.”
I cannot wait to rewatch this clip over and over again anytime I’m sad.
The rest of the stream goes by without much other fanfare.
We do learn that the third guy is also a streamer.
Apparently chat went and found him, letting us know we’re playing with one of the top battle royale players in the world.
How he ended up in our lobby? I have no idea.
At the end of the night, I crawl into bed beside Maki. I give him a soft kiss.
“Did you have fun?”
“Very much so,” Maki says softly. “I’ve grown to like chatting with everyone. Do you think Owl, Glasses, Kent, and Squeak have something going on?”
I kiss his cheek. “Now that you mention it, I’ve been seeing them in a call together late at night. I’m gonna have to get to the bottom of that.”
“Did I tell you the latest news about the team? Something weird is going on with Sullivan and Daniel.”
I snuggle against my mate’s side, resting my head against his chest. I can hear his heart beat against my ear. Raising my hand and lacing our fingers together, I stare at the bracelet that adorns my wrist.
Nothing can ever top this.
“Tell. Me. Everything.”
The End