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Another late shift, another takeout dinner; the bags of food weigh heavy on your arms. As you reach your flat, you shut the door behind you, and drop your belongings onto the kitchen counter.
"I'm home," you call out, unbuttoning your coat and slinging it over a chair. To your surprise, you're left in silence; no 'welcome back' from your boyfriend, no excited scurry from your pet dog.
You're puzzled, but only for a moment; there's a series of scratching noises from one of the rooms, followed by a cacophony of whimpers.
A loud curse echoes through the flat.
You look to the source of the noise; it's the room farthest down the hall, the one covered in posters and old memorabilia—the office. So Kaminari's streaming, it seems; a later stream than usual, though you can't say you'd expect any less of the boy. He's never been one to stick to schedules.
You yawn. It's well-past dinnertime, and, judging by the still-spotless kitchen, your boyfriend definitely hasn't eaten. You doubt he would have snacked, either, given the streams—and so, taking in a breath, you stride over and enter the room.
"Denki?" you say, knocking as you push the door open. Your dog leaps up at you immediately, yipping excitedly; he's a larger breed (adopted as he is, though, you'd be lying if you knew exactly what kind), and you stumble slightly under his weight.
The room is dim. Kaminari took to decorating with LED lamps a while back; a warm purple hue envelops the little area. There's a small beanbag in the corner, just by the TV and consoles, and a large bookcase right by the door. Various trinkets, as well as a hefty game collection, litter its shelves.
Kaminari himself is seated by a desk on the far side of the room, eyes fixated onto one of three monitors. A camera and tripod are set neatly up behind it all. The boy seems immersed in something or other, his knees tucked to his chest and neck craned forward; there's an unfamiliar game playing on-screen (there's always something new coming out—you tend to lose track), and he's biting his lip in concentration. There's an empty drink can on the ground.
He has yet to notice you. Eventually, he turns away from the game to glance at the stream's chat—which, it seems, has flooded in excitement; there's a sudden wall of new messages on-screen.
'Is that (Y/N)?' one says. You've become a familiar face as of late; Kaminari's been more lenient with letting you onto his streams as of late. '(Y/N)! (Y/N)! (Y/N)!' another chants. There's visible confusion in his eyes as he reads through them.
You're beside him now, reading the messages with him. "They seem excited," you say, drawing your words out teasingly.
The boy startles. "Holy shit!" Kaminari swivels in his chair, eyes wide as he takes sight of you. He tugs his headphones down. "(Y/N)," he says, flabbergasted.
"I'm home, Pikachu," you say, grinning cheekily at him.
'Pikachu!' reads the chat.
"Welcome back," he breathes, the scarlet hue rising rapidly his face. You laugh, ruffling his hair affectionately. He sneaks a peek back at the stream; the chat has continued to blow up, and you wave at the camera with a smile. "Looks like we have a guest," Kaminari says to the camera, laughing sheepishly. Then, turning to you: "Sorry—I didn't know it was so late."
"I brought food," you tell him, motioning towards the kitchen. "You haven't eaten, have you?"
"Ah—no," he admits.
The chat explodes yet again, this time chiding the boy. 'It's ten at night!' one user says. 'You're neglecting your health!' scolds another. 'Thank god (Y/N)'s there to feed you..' There's one particular message, however, that sticks out: 'Poor (Y/N), taking care of a toddler.'
You laugh, pointing at the line, and Kaminari rolls his eyes. "A toddler? Hilarious, guys.." He shoots an indignant look at the camera. "I'm a grown adult!" he proclaims, chest puffed up proudly.
'A grown adult that needs to be reminded to eat.'
"Okay, I think that's enough slander for tonight," Kaminari grumbles, ignoring the amusement in your eyes. "I guess it's dinnertime, yeah? We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow?" The chat answers in affirmation. "Gotcha. Thanks for today, guys!" He beams a signature Kaminari grin, and raises his hand to salute to his audience.
With that, he ends the stream, and you watch as the boy deflates with a sigh.
"Long day?" you ask, watching as he begins to stretch himself out; his usual post-stream routine.
"Way too long," he mutters. "I'm exhausted."
"Same here," you agree, chuckling. You extend a hand to him, smiling; he slips his hand into yours, and you help him up. "Dinner and a shower?" you offer.
He perks up, giving you a smile.
"Hell yeah."