Chapter Text
1.
The first time Luke reacts to Mando, it’s at his fans’ insistence—or if Luke has to be honest with himself, their fault that he embarrassed himself in front of ten thousand people and lost his favorite flannel to mayonnaise and ketchup.
Don’t get him wrong, Luke is thankful for his fans—no, really. As someone who started out as a small streamer and grew organically without any help and support from any big streamer, Luke appreciates every single one of them for coming and watching and donating. He’s even able to recognize some of them from their names, reading the chat probably too often for his own good, even getting himself distracted from the games he’s playing to thank people for their donations. At least once a week he makes sure to have a chatting stream to catch up with his fans, listening to their stories, answering their questions and even sharing a little bit of himself so the fans that dedicate so much of their time to him can get a glimpse to his life as well. Luke loves all of it, loves the community he built that’s so loving and supportive, and as much as streaming is his job—he still has bills to pay—it rarely feels like one.
There are times, though, that Luke thinks some of his fans have it out for him and intentionally go out of their way to embarrass him in front of the camera. There are entirely too many clips of him on the internet trying to keep his cool reacting to a chat message or a donation, water spilled over his keyboard or his clothes, cheeks flushed and hair a mess. Thinking back, Luke should’ve known that something was up the moment people started spamming for him to react to Mando, but it’s a Saturday, Luke is awake only thanks to three cans of Monster, and he thinks that if a fan is willing to donate a hundred bucks just so he can react to a video, it must be good.
Never again will Luke underestimate his fans’ delight in seeing him flustered.
It starts with an innocent donation, asking him what his ideal type in guys is. Luke can’t help chuckling, several fries in his mouth. “To be honest? I don’t really know if I have a type,” he answers, talking around his fries before he gulps them down with a sip of water. “Probably not the answer you were looking for, and this might sound a bit cliché, but personality is more important to me. I mean, take me for example. There are probably a ton of blonde streamers but y’all are here.”
Droidlover80: NOOOOO WE LOVE YOUUU
Rule66: ur the best blonde streamer smh
JizzFan68: luke stop that you’re AMAZING
BigBiggs: bc we’re all simps
His eyes flicker to the chat and laughs. “Thank you, JizzFan, yes, I think I’m amazing too. But that’s exactly my point. You guys are here because you enjoy who I am as a person, not because I’m blonde and maybe kind of hot. When I’m not going on three hours of sleep and three cans of monster.” He looks at his half full monster can. “Well, three and a half cans. Anyway. I don’t really have an ideal physical type, is what I’m trying to say. Anyone who’s kind and honest and loyal can steal my heart.” He stops to think for a moment. “And maybe a deep voice. I do have a thing for guys with deep voices, and no, chat, not because my voice is super thin.”
IzzyIzGay: DID SOMEONE SAY DEEP VOICE???
Emotionalsupporttwink: omg does he know about Mando
Rule66: DUDE YOU JUST DESCRIBED MANDO
KraytJustKrayt: MANDO?!?!?!?!?!?
SpicedSpotchka: REACT TO MANDO PLEASE
Simps4Luke: MANDO MANDO MANDO
Jizzfan68: he’s gonna lose it when he hears Mando
That was Luke’s first mistake. Because the moment those words slipped from his mouth, Luke only needs to take one glance at the chat to see Mando’s name repeated over and over again, with question marks and exclamation points and any and all emotes Luke can think of. “Mando?” he repeats, arching a brow, munching on another fry. “Is that some kind of TV show that I don’t know of?” And that’s the moment everything goes downhill.
Luke’s chat blows up the moment people realize he doesn’t know Mando, and the messages pass so quickly that Luke can barely read any of them.
BluMilkGang: YOU DON’T KNOW MANDO?!?!?!?!?!?!
CapitalistWorms: omg luke HOW
yoplaitgogurt: he’s a youtuber with a deep ass voice luke GET EDUCATED
yipples: OMG LUKE REACT TO HIM PLSSSSSSSSSS HE’S BLOWING UP NOW
manskydowalkerstan: MANDO REACTION? MANDO REACTION.
“A youtuber?” Luke reads, still chewing his fries. “Wait, he blew up? Guys.” Dramatically, he turns to his camera and rolls his eyes. “I’m a Twitch streamer. Why would I know some obscure guy from Youtube?”
The chat explodes with laughter and Luke grins, even though there are definitely a few that seem offended. “You guys want me to react to him?” Luke asks when the messages start to file in, more and more people joining the Mando train.
Jizz.ttv: YESSSSS
IzzyIzGay: omg yes pls
Artoodeetoo: YOU SHOULD
Emotionalsupporttwink: he’ll die I’m calling it now
double_ii: 100 bucks he’ll spill something on himself
brushyouryeet: REACTION REACTION REACTION
Just at that moment, 100 dollar donation comes in. “Thank you, Emotional Support…” Luke’s voice trails off reading it and he laughs. “Emotional Support Twink. Should I be offended? So you do want me to react to Mando.” He reads the donation message and sighs. “Okay, okay, fine. Give me a few minutes.” He pulls his keyboard close and opens up YouTube. “Can’t believe you guys had me open YouTube of all places on a stream. Okay, how do you spell that? Mando?” He types it into the search bar and the first thing that comes up is a channel with a silver helmet as a profile pic. Luke arches his brow. “Is this it?”
The chat’s answer is a unanimous yes. Luke sighs.
“Really, guys, I feel like you’re hyping this guy up too much,” he comments as he opens the channel and starts scrolling through the videos. It seems like this guy is…reading horror stories? Fun. “Sure, his content looks cool, but there’s no way his voice is that deep.”
Artoodeetoo: HAHAHAHH HE HAS NO IDEA
gay4luke: just wait Luke. you’ll see.
tattooinebitch: oh this will be fun
Emotionalsupporttwink: watch him die one video in
cursedheathen: HOW DARE YOU SLANDER MANDO
IzzyIzGay: so Luke what do you want us to play at your funeral
“My funeral?” Luke narrows his eyes and snorts. “Guys, I’m not going to die just because some guy happens to have a deep voice. I’m better than that.” He squares his shoulders and adjusts his headphones. “I still think you’re exaggerating, but here we go,” he murmurs and clicks on one of the videos, drumming his fingers over the table as he waits for it to load. He reaches for his fries, grabbing it from the table, ready to plop one into his mouth as the video begins…
“It’s dark outside on planet Sorgan—”
And Luke drops the entire box of fries onto his lap, jumping on his chair so high that he almost falls down. He tries to reach for his keyboard to turn off the video but his hand hits the Monster can and spills half of it on the table, and in the meantime the pillow on his chair slips, sending him stumbling to the floor. Worst of all, he doesn’t even manage to turn off the video in time, so it keeps playing, the deepest voice he’s heard in the planet ringing in his ears.
“What the—” he yells, sitting on the floor, ketchup and mayonnaise all over his clothes and fries scattered everywhere. He holds onto the table to pull himself back onto his feet and stares at the screen. “How’s that even possible?”
It’s clear, even through his headphones, that the guy’s voice is modulated somehow, but even that doesn’t change the fact that it’s deep. Luke doesn’t know how to describe it, but it feels like melted dark chocolate, smooth and silky, reaching to some part of him that he didn’t know existed. Luke barely even pays attention to the story—he imagines it must be scary, if the images on the video is to be believed—and just listens to Mando’s voice, holding onto the table to keep himself upright, eyes wide and brows arched.
He pretty much falls back onto his chair when he finally manages to turn off the video. His chat is going too fast for him to pick up any single message, but he still doesn’t miss hundreds of laughing emojis passing by.
coffeecatsme: HAHAHSHAHSJHAJHAHJ
double_ii: LUKE OMG ARE YOU OK
Emotionalsupporttwink: told you he was gonna die
yogurt: HAHAHHAHH WE TOLD YOU
“Guys,” Luke whispers, voice feeling even thinner after hearing Mando. “You didn’t tell me he would have the voice of the devil.”
gay4luke: LUKE OMGGGGGGGG
BluMilkGang: Mando is simply too powerful
Artoodeetoo: yall really have no mercy. look at him, he’s got anxiety
Emotionalsupporttwink: HAHA TWINK CRY MORE YOU BROUGHT IT ONTO YOURSELF
SpicedSpotchka: SOMEONE CLIP THAT AND SEND IT TO MANDO PLEASE
“No, wait, fuck—” Luke quickly cuts himself off. “I mean, frick, wait, no one send that to Mando.” He tries to smooth his clothes, but all that does is smear even more ketchup and mayonnaise over the fabric. He sighs and gives up, instead reaching for the Kleenex box. “You just said he had a deep voice! How does that even begin to describe that?” With shaky fingers, he tries to clean his flannel up and then drops three more napkins onto the desk, right where he spilled the Monster. “You can’t just spring that onto someone without preparing them. I could’ve actually choked and died.”
Another fifty dollar donation comes in and Luke glares at the screen. “Thank you, Emotional Support Twink, for the money. Yes, I could’ve paid for my funeral with that.” Luke turns back to the YouTube video, heart still hammering in his chest, and after he turns the volume way down, he presses play again. Mando’s silky voice fills his ears as he rests his head in his hand, watching the animation, barely even paying attention to the story in favor of listening to Mando.
yoplaitgogurt: look at him omg
Emotionalsupporttwink: HAHA SIMP
browneyes: is he in love or WHAT???????
Simps4Luke: I THINK WE FOUND LUKE’S TYPE GUYS
KraytJustKrayt: omg imagine if they had a collab
Droidlover80: COLLAB COLLAB COLLAB
Luke’s eyes flicker to his chat and laughs. “Yeah, right, because I’m sure Mando would love to collab with me after that mess right there.” He tries to run a hand down his hair to smooth it out and adjusts his headphones. He looks at the chat again and his brows climb to his forehead. “Guys, I’m not going to fall in love with someone just because I listened to them for like thirty seconds. Who do you think I am?”
The chat seems to reach an agreement. Luke rolls his eyes. “Okay, yes, I’m gay, but I’m not that gay. I have standards.” He glares at his camera just to make his points, and he thinks that if he didn’t have red splattered all over his flannel, he might’ve looked more believable.
Or if he didn’t turn on the video again a few seconds later, a soft sigh on his lips.
Maybe his chat does have a point.
2.
If there’s one thing Luke never imagined he’d blow up for, it’s his reaction to Mando.
And if there’s one thing he absolutely didn’t want to go viral for, it’s falling on the floor and spilling ketchup all over himself just because of a guy’s voice.
In his defense, at least, his reaction was completely genuine—he’s seen multiple people reacting to Mando’s voice online who absolutely “lost their shit”, even though it’s abundantly clear that most of it was an act. Still, seeing his face plastered on TikTok or YouTube, cheeks completely flushed red and eyes wide, isn’t something he wanted to be known for.
It doesn’t help that after that first reaction, whenever he streams, his chat keeps begging him to react more to Mando. At first Luke ignores it—he’s not going to embarrass himself in front of thousands of viewers, especially since his viewers doubled in size after he went viral. So instead of giving people what they clearly want, Luke just plays his games and opts to glare at the chat whenever it’s filled with chants of MANDO MANDO MANDO.
And no, Luke is absolutely not jealous that his chat seems to be more into Mando than him at this point.
It’s a few days later that Luke caves. He’s just finished a Minecraft stream and he’s munching on a veggie sandwich, reading the chat, when the hundred dollar donation comes in. And there’s nothing Luke can do to stop his bot, Artoo, from reading it out loud.
“I know you’re probably tired of these requests but please please react to Mando laughing compilation; you’re gonna love it.”
By the time Luke swallows his bite, his chat is filled with people pleading for him to react.
BigBiggs: YESSSSSSSS
arsebuttock: omg you should
SpicedSpotchka: LUKE PLEASE IT’S SO GOOD
BlueGin: MANDO MANDO MANDO
double_ii: don’t lie Luke we know you love it
BluMilkGang: MANDO REACTION MANDO REACTION
“Guys,” Luke sighs, dropping his sandwich onto his plate. “You do realize I’m not a reaction channel, right? There are tons of people reacting to Mando on YouTube, you can go watch their content.”
The chat’s unanimous response to that is that no one fell off their chair reacting to Mando, and really, Luke should maybe stop listening to his chat. He narrows his eyes and runs a hand over his hair.
“I fall down the chair one time and you guys don’t shut up about it. Y’all realize I’m a gamer, right?” He arches a brow. “And instead of making me go viral for literally anything else, you blow up a clip of me yeeting myself off of my chair and spilling ketchup everywhere. Thank you, guys, y’all are amazing.”
Simps4Luke: HAHAHAHHAHHAH
cursedheathen: but it was so funny
jizz.ttv: LMAO LUKE
Rule66: MANDO PLEASE
Emotionalsupporttwink: you looked so in love what were we supposed to DO?
“No,” Luke counters, eyes narrowed. “I did not look in love at all. Who said that?” The chat very helpfully reminds him of his flushed cheeks and wide pupils. “That doesn’t mean I’m in love!” He throws his hands into the air. “People can get flushed and have wide eyes when they’re surprised or scared, too. And if you remember, I was very surprised.”
theobot: sure jan
yoplaitgogurt: you can’t lie luke we know you
KraytJustKrayt: HAHAHAHHH YEA RIGHT
“Hey. No. I’m not lying.” Luke wags his finger at the camera, which, admittedly, doesn’t help his case at all. “I’m not in love with Mando because he just so happens to have a deep voice. And no, none of y’all can prove that I binge watched his videos over the weekend.” He glances at the chat. “No. No. I said I didn’t do it. Y’all. Stop it.”
That only eggs the chat on, who’s now spamming him with heart emojis and Mando’s name, even some people trying to come up with a ship name for them. Luke thinks he saw Manwalker pass by, and really, he could’ve happily lived without reading that at all. He rolls his eyes. “Fine. Fine. I’ll prove it to you. You want me to react to him laughing? I’ll do it. And y’all will see that I’m not in love with him at all.” He pulls his keyboard to himself and opens up YouTube, typing up Mando’s name in the search bar once again. His chat, very unhelpfully, doesn’t believe him at all.
theobot: SURE JAN
double_ii: wait until he hears Mando laugh he’ll be a goner
CapitalismWorms: no one can stand Mando’s charm
ChanelBoots: YESSSSSSS LUKE YOU’LL SEE
IzzyIzGay: Mando <3 Luke
yoplaitgogurt: MANDO SUPREMACY
“Is this the video?” Luke asks, ignoring the messages in the chat. The video is titled “Mando laughing for 5 minutes straight to boost your serotonin levels”, and immediately Luke thinks it’s an exaggeration. The chat, on the other hand, seems very excited at the prospect of Luke reacting to it, so with a sigh, Luke clicks on the video.
“As if I’d be in love with someone I never even saw,” Luke mumbles, leaning back on his chair and grabbing his cup of water, just as the video starts. He arches his brow when he sees Among Us gameplay, and he’s just about to ask his chat whether Mando is a gamer when Mando’s laugh fills his ears.
Luke spurts out his water and spills half the cup all over himself.
For someone who’s voice is deep and sultry, Mando’s laugh is…oddly enticing. It’s a bit higher pitched than his regular voice, breathy and quiet, soft snorts escaping him every now and then. Luke can more clearly hear the modulator distorting it and he doesn’t have Mando’s face to look at for reference, but he can imagine his lips curled into a smile, soft laugh escaping from them as he shakes his head, eyes wide and bright with happiness.
Heat rises to Luke’s cheeks and he doesn’t have to look at himself on the monitors to know he’s flushed completely red again. He’s sure the chat is blowing up with messages making fun of him but he can’t keep his gaze off of the video, hearing Mando laugh all over again, sometimes quiet and short, sometimes high pitched and loud, but fun and uplifting and pretty every single time. Luke thinks that maybe, just maybe, the video title wasn’t exaggerating anything at all.
Luke doesn’t even look away when the video is over, instead watching the screen for a few seconds before he slowly, very slowly restarts the video. And the chat seems very, very amused about that.
BigBiggs: HAHAHAHHAH TOLD YA
double_ii: you played yourself luke
Emotionalsupporttwink: LOOK AT HIS FACE OMG
BlueGin: MANDO AND LUKE MANDO AND LUKE
CapitalismWorms: new ship?!
theobot: HE’S SO IN LOVE OMG
Luke glances at the chat and for a moment opens his mouth to argue. And then Mando’s laugh fills his ears again and he shuts his mouth, resting his cheek on his hand. “Okay,” he murmurs, staring at the monitor with wide eyes. “Okay, y’all might have a point. His laugh is very pretty.”
The chat after that goes so fast that Luke can’s even pick out any of the messages. A donation does come in and when Artoo reads it off, Luke finds himself laughing.
“GOT EM.”
“Yes, you got me,” he says and rolls his eyes. “I’m so in love with Mando. It’s so obvious. Y’all can make all your jokes now.” He waves his hand in the air and shakes his head.
He doesn’t think about how he’s only half joking as he stares at the screen, listening to Mando’s laugh over and over again. And he’s not at all surprised that this clip, too, blows up even before he ends the stream.
3.
Luke finds out that Mando is a singer too late.
It’s another late night Saturday stream, and Luke is only awake with the sheer power of three cans of Monsters he downed throughout the day. He wasn’t planning on streaming until the clock hit 11 p.m. and Luke, not wanting to go to bed at all, dropped himself onto his chair and started an impromptu stream.
He’s only half surprised that he hits the 20k viewer mark with ease. After his two viral clips of reacting to Mando, even on a bad day he crosses 10k easily.
He’s also not surprised that before the stream even hits 10 minutes, someone donates for him to react to Mando. But this time, the request is a bit different.
“Please please react to Mando’s new song, it’s AMAZING.”
Luke arches his brow, putting his Monster can down. “Mando’s new song?” he parrots, looking at his chat. “He’s a singer? I thought he was just a YouTuber.”
The chat is decidedly not happy that Luke had no idea Mando made music.
JizzFan68: OMG LUKE YOU DIDN’T KNOW?????
Artoodeetoo: this is heresy
Simps4Luke: HOWWWWWWWW
BluMilkGang: you gotta react to it NOW
Rule66: LISTEN TO HIS SONGS PLEASE THEY’RE SO GOOD
Luke raises his hands, eyes wide. “Okay, okay, Mando’s a singer. Got it. Y’all don’t have to yell at me about it, you know.” Another tens of messages pass, all of them at least semi judgmental. “But hey,” Luke tries, arching a brow, “that means I can react to them now, right? And we all know just how much you guys like my reactions to Mando.” He pulls the keyboard to himself and before he can even open YouTube up, his chat explodes.
Droidlover80: YESSSSSSSSS
double_ii: haha he’ll DIE
BlueGin: you’re not prepared for this at all
arsebuttock: E GIRLS PLEASE
yoplaitgogurt: get your popcorn y’all
“So,” Luke starts, drumming his fingers over his desk. “Which song do you guys want me to react to?” And realizes immediately that it’s a mistake because the chat starts spamming him with so many song names that it’s impossible to pick any of them apart. Luke stops the chat and his cursor lands on one of the messages. “E Girls Are Ruining My Life? What sort of a song name is that?” He arches a brow and shrugs. “Okay. I guess we’ll go with that one. I don’t know if any song with that name can be good, but…”
sololover: LUKE NO
KraytJustKrayt: lmao just WAIT
yipples: funeral in 3 2 1
jizz.ttv: he has NO IDEA
IzzyIzGay: IT’S SO GOOD THOUGH
ChanelBoots: prepare yourself, luke
“Prepare myself?” Luke reads off, eyes narrowed. “You know it’s my third time reacting to Mando, right? Sure, I don’t have the best track record, but I’m not going to freak out over it again.” He quickly types the name to YouTube and clicks on the first one that comes up. “And even if I do freak out, no food or water in sight, so I won’t—”
Choke me like you hate me but you love me—
Before Luke can even finish his words, the song starts, and the moment Luke hears the first lyrics he jumps so high on his seat, trying to grab something to steady himself, that he hits the Monster can that seemed far enough away just a few seconds ago, spilling the liquid all over his desk. The pillow underneath him almost slips off of the chair and only by grabbing the arm is he able to steady himself, his sleeve completely wet because of the Monster, eyes blown wide.
He slams the spacebar to stop the song just as he hears a curse word, eyes blown wide and cheeks flushed. “Guys,” he chokes out—he really should stop thinking about choking—turning to his chat. “You didn’t say it would be intense!”
BlueGin: LMAOOOOOOOOOOO
manskydowalkerstan: what did you EXPECT LUKE
BluMilkGang: KNEW IT
double_ii: HAHAHSHHAHAHH HE’S DEAD
IzzyIzGay: luke “I’m not going to freak out” skywalker LOL
“I’m not freaking out,” Luke tries to counter, his cheeks heating up as if to advertise his lie. “This is my normal reaction. And I didn’t spill my Monster either.” He quickly makes a grab for the can to hide it, which only makes his chat explode more. “I just…didn’t expect the lyrics to be…” Luke bites down on his lip, hoping he isn’t as red as he feels. “That. You know.”
Emotionalsupporttwink: luke is there something we should know about?
SpicedSpotchka: OMG LUKE
Simps4Luke: HE’S INTO ITTTTTTTTTT
double_ii: luke inside “choke me mando”
KraytJusyKrayt: LUKE AND MANDO LUKE AND MANDO
“Excuse me?” Luke wheezes out, grasping the desk tightly as he reads the chat. “I enjoy what now? I don’t enjoy any of it. You don’t know that.” Luke tries very, very hard not to think of Mando’s helmeted face hovering in front of him, fingers wrapped around—And he stops right there.
theobot: SURE JAN
ChanelBoots: yeah right LMAO
yogplaitgogurt: we know what you want luke. we KNOW
yipples: you’re red all over you’re not kidding anyone
“I’m not red because of that!” Luke counters, covering his cheeks with his hands. “I’m red because I’m surprised. That’s it. I just expected a soft song. You know. His voice is kind of soft. Not…” Luke quickly blinks to get rid of Mando’s helmet swimming in front of his eyes. “That.” He curls his fingers on the desk and glares at the chat when more laughing emojis pass by, everyone seemingly enjoying Luke’s reaction. “Haha, yeah, that was very funny y’all. I swear to God if I react to anything you want me to again…”
BigBiggs: LUKE NO
double_ii: hey just because you freaked out don’t BLAME US
cursedheathen: luke is IN LOVEEEEEEE
yoplaitgogurt: next week: so I’m reacting to mando’s gameplay
arsebuttock: LUKE SEND THAT SONG TO MANDO
theobot: Luke you useless lesbian
Droidlover80: did someone clip that?
“No clipping,” Luke interrupts desperately, voice thin. “No. Please. Those reactions embarrassed me enough. Let’s keep this one between us, please.”
Not even five seconds later Luke sees the clip on his channel. He drops his head in his hands and sighs, shaking his head. “I hate you guys so much.”
The chat just laughs. And to no one’s surprise, the third clip goes viral on a Sunday morning, and Luke thinks that maybe, just maybe he should stop reacting to Mando altogether.
Never mind that he’s been listening to Mando’s songs on repeat. No one needs to know that.
4.
Luke promises himself he won’t react to Mando again.
For two weeks, he manages to keep that promise. Sure, his chat blows up with requests for him to watch Mando but he ignores them, point blank saying he’s not a reaction channel and the chat embarrassed him enough already, and instead goes on with his gaming streams. He’s proud of himself and very much ready to put the Mando fiasco behind him…
Until one day, a donation pops in, and Luke’s eyes widen. He drops the fries onto the table and wheels closer, eyes wide. “Mando has a son?” he asks without thinking, voice thin, and before he can put an end to it the chat blows up.
KraytJustKrayt: YOU DIDN’T KNOW?!?!?!
double_ii: luke you IDIOT
Simps4Luke: YESSSSS HE’S SO CUTE
IzzyIzGay: omg you should watch him they’re THE SWEETEST
CapitalismWorms: YES REACT PLEASE
Emotionalsupporttwink: BEST FATHER SON DUO. FIGHT ME
“Okay, wait,” Luke starts, waving his hand in the air as if he can will the chat to stop. “Wait, no, I’m not reacting to it. I told you guys. No more reactions. I was just…surprised.” Luke drums his fingers over the desk, nibbling with his lower lip. “You know, you wouldn’t expect a guy who writes songs like…that…to have a son.” Luke lets the chat run for a few moments until he has to stop it. His eyes widen. “He’s adopted?”
Luke slows the chat down, trying to read the messages, and is very glad when a 10 dollar donation from Emotional Support Twink comes in. He quickly clicks on the message. “’Yes! They apparently met when the kid escaped from his orphanage and ran into him. He says it was love at first sight.’” Luke stops, lips pursed. “Y’all, is that true? Because that’s really cute.”
cursedheathen: yessss it’s true
yipples: YES THEY’RE THE CUTEST
yogplaitgogurt: NO CAP IT’S FACTS
BigBiggs: react pleaseeeeeeeee
Rule66: you gotta see them now
“Okay, got it, it’s true.” Luke blows a few strands of his hair out of his face and glares at the chat. “I’m still not reacting,” he adds, arms crossed. “I told you. Go watch other reaction channels if you want to see people react to Mando. Despite what my viral videos might have you think, I’m not a reaction channel.”
The chat immediately explodes with pleases, a few donations even coming in with the same sentiment, and Luke sighs. “I’m gonna have to react to it now, aren’t I?” he murmurs, running a hand over his face. His eyes catch a message from the chat. “Okay, fine, yes, I’m curious, but I was planning on watching it off stream, when no one can judge me for my reactions.”
Droidlover80: LUKE COME ON
JizzFan68: noooooooo react live
Simps4Luke: REACT REACT PLEASE
Emotionalsupporttwink: but where’s the fun in that
“It’s not fun,” Luke counters, arching a brow. “Not for me at least. Just because you guys seem to enjoy me embarrassing myself in front of a hot YouTuber with the deepest voice in existence…” Luke arches his brows when the chat explodes immediately. “Wait, what did I say?”
arsebuttock: HE CALLED MANDO HOT
BigBiggs: WE KNEW IT
coffeecatsme: someone play you are in love by taylor swift PLS
SpicedSpotchka: LUKE <3 MANDO
yogplaitgogurt: MANWALKER SUPREMACY
“What?” Luke wheezes, voice thin. Did he really… “I didn’t call Mando hot. I don’t even know what he looks like!” He narrows his eyes at his chat, trying to slow it down so he can read, and heat rises to his cheeks. “No, I don’t need a clip of it. I changed my mind. Can we move on?” He scrambles to grab his keyboard. “I was supposed to be reacting to stuff, right? Mando and his son? I’m gonna do that. No one needs to clip…” Luke sighs when he sees a clip drop. “That,” he adds quietly. “Yes, thank you chat for commemorating that moment. I’ll cherish if with all my heart.”
He rolls his eyes and pulls up YouTube before he can say something even more embarrassing, typing up Mando son. Instantly, multiple clips pop up and Luke clicks on the first one he sees, desperate to get the chat’s attention on something else. He grabs his fries as he waits for the video to load—he’s reacted to Mando three times already, he doubts he’ll spill something this time—ready to pop one into his mouth…
His mouth drops open, the fry landing on his lap ketchup and all, when a guy pops up on the screen. He’s wearing the same helmet from his profile picture, the silver one with a T visor and dips on the cheeks, and underneath it Luke can see armor plates over a brown undergarment. And the first thing he thinks is that holy crap, Mando is buff.
Sure, it’s hard to discern exactly through the many layers, but Mando’s shoulders are wide and even through the armor, Luke can tell his arms are muscular. The breast plates cover what looks like a tight chest and for a moment Luke imagines himself pressed against it, feeling Mando’s muscles, strong arms wrapped around him to hold him close…
Luke blinks to pull himself together when a soft laugh escapes from Mando’s lips. He turns around, looking over his shoulder, and Luke sees the door being pushed open. “You wanna say hi, kid?” Mando murmurs, voice thick and silky and jaw-dropping as always, but there’s a softness behind it that Luke doesn’t think he’s ever heard. Mando shuffles, producing another, smaller helmet from somewhere under his desk, and then Luke sees the helmeted head of a small figure pop up from next to Mando’s chair. Easily Mando hauls the kid up to his lap, arms wrapped around the kid gently, and Luke thinks he’ll melt into a puddle right then and there.
“You guys were asking about my kid,” Mando starts, bumping the kid up to his knee, and earns a soft giggle. The kid’s fingers reach up, playing with his father’s armor plates, and Luke thinks he saw a flash of brown hair underneath the helmet when the kid lifts it slightly, before Mando takes his hand in his. He presses the kid’s hand to where his lips would be and tilts his head, and even with the helmet Luke is sure that the kid is smiling. “This is Grogu. Grogu, say hi to the fans.”
Grogu’s helmet tilts to the screen. Shyly, he waves his hand, and Luke can’t stop the smile that spreads on his face. “Guys, this is too adorable,” he tells his chat, resting his cheek on his hand. He’s pretty sure his chat is blowing up, making fun of him for simping or something, but he doesn’t care. He doesn’t take his eyes off of the video.
“This little womp rat has been trying to get into my streaming room for weeks. But we needed to get you a helmet first, right kid?” Mando runs a hand over Grogu’s helmet as if ruffling his hair. Grogu giggles and nods, shuffling on his father’s lap so he can rest his head on Mando’s shoulder. He lifts his hands, and it takes Luke a few seconds to realize Grogu is signing.
A soft gasp leaves Luke’s lips. “He knows sign language too?” he asks, straightening up, eyes firmly focused on the video. Mando easily signs back, pressing his helmet to Grogu’s before he drops Grogu onto the floor. Luke doesn’t need him to translate to get the meaning.
“He thanked you guys for watching,” Mando laughs, returning his attention back to the game. “I think he knows how much you guys make me happy. So. Anyway.” He shrugs and Luke is sure that if he could see Mando’s face, it would be flushed now. “That’s my son. He’s the sweetest kid. He wanted to meet you, so… Anyway, back to the game, that’s why you guys are here in the first place. Sorry for the distraction.”
The video ends when Mando pulls up gameplay, but Luke finds himself staring at the screen for at least another half minute. “Y’all,” he murmurs, eyes wide, and lifts his hands. Instead of saying it out loud he signs the next words, cheeks flushed red, eyes on the chat. The questions filter in before someone translates.
Simps4Luke: Y’ALL OMG
JizzFan68: wait what did he say??????
theobot: “is it possible to fall for someone from a two minute clip” OMG I CAN’T
yoplaitgogurt: WAIT REALLY????
IzzyIzGay: SOMEONE CONFIRM PLEASE
double_ii: LUKE YOU SIMP
BlueGin: OMG LUKE IS IN LOVE
KraytJustKrayt: YES MANDO AND LUKE PLEASEEEEEEEE
Luke laughs at the chat and drops his face in his hands. “Fine,” he murmurs, voice slightly muffled. “Fine, you win, okay? You might be right.” He lifts his head to look back at the screen. “I might actually be in love with Mando.”
The chat explodes again, and Luke can’t erase the dopey grin from his face. And if the stream turns into Luke reacting to any and all Mando content on YouTube, it’s fine.
He’s only half surprised that he doesn’t mind it ends up being his first stream to cross 100k concurrent viewers.
5.
Luke’s Twitter blows up one afternoon.
It’s four p.m. and Luke is home, munching on a vegetarian burger and salad—no one can tell him he’s eating unhealthy if he includes a salad with every meal, right?—when he starts getting the notifications. He frowns, opening his mentions, and his eyes widen.
“Mando saw my videos?” he screeches, his voice echoing in the empty kitchen.
It takes him about five minutes to set up and start his stream. He’s only marginally surprised that before he even begins to speak, he has about 20k viewers.
“Guys,” he breathes out, eyes blown wide, pulling the keyboard to himself. “So. Don’t freak out. But apparently Mando reacted to me.” He presses his lips after he says the words, trying to fight a smile, and looks at his chat.
BluMilkGang: YES WE SAW
Rule66: luke you need to watch it
manskydowalker: I’M TELLING YOU MANWALKER IS HAPPENINGGGGG
double_ii: LUKE WATCH IT
ChanelBoots: IT WAS SO CUTE OMG
Simps4Luke: react react reacttttttt
A chuckle escapes Luke’s lips. “Of course y’all know. Who am I talking to?” He pulls up his keyboard close to himself. “And, you know, I was thinking. I could react to the clip on my own, or alternatively…” He grins, pulling up his Twitter. “I could start an impromptu stream and react with y’all. Since you seem to like watching me make an absolute fool of myself on stream.” He takes a quick glance at the chat.
Emotionalsupporttwink: LUKE I LOVE YOU
SpicedSpotchka: omg yes please
KraytJustKrayt: YOU’LL DIE
manskydowalkerstan: this is the best thing ever omg
BigBiggs: YOU’RE THE BEST OMGGGGGG
“Thank you, thank you. I know I’m amazing, too,” Luke chuckles. “But anyway. Let’s see what Mando thinks about me.” He bites the inside of his cheek, his cursor hovering over the video. “All good things, I hope. I mean, I did embarrass myself multiple times reacting to him. God I hope those are not the videos he saw.” He takes a deep breath and clicks play. “Here goes nothing.”
The video shows an Among Us gameplay, with Mando’s helmet on the lower middle. His head is tilted and Luke can imagine him reading the chat. A soft laugh leaves Mando’s lips. “Thank you, Emotional Support Twink. Yes, I do know Luke Skywalker. He’s that cute blonde Twitch streamer, right?”
Luke is pretty sure his heart stops beating. “He thinks I’m cute?” he whispers with a thin voice, eyes firmly focused on Mando. He sees, from the corner of his eyes, that his chat explodes, but it’s impossible for him to read any one message. Besides, Mando continues anyway.
“Yeah, my son loves his content. He’s a really good gamer; I don’t know how he does it. And a great person, too. I don’t know if he’s watching this, but if you are, Luke, thank you for keeping my son entertained. He always laughs at your videos.” He stops for a few seconds, moving around on the map, before a soft snort escapes his lips.
“His reactions to my videos?” he laughs, and heat rises to Luke’s cheeks. His eyes flutter close.
“Please tell me he hasn’t seen them,” Luke murmurs, covering his cheeks with his hands in an attempt to hide his blush. He’s glad at least his headphones are covering his ears. Din laughs again, and Luke takes a peek at the screen.
“Yeah, I did see them. It was very adorable, actually.” A groan escapes Luke’s lips. Yeah, that’s what you want a big streamer like Mando to call you. “Don’t give him a hard time, guys, please. I thought it was charming and genuine. And hey, if I can get that kind of a reaction out of a cute guy with just my voice, I count that a win.” Mando laughs again before the video ends and Luke just drops his head into his hands. He’s sure the chat is going absolutely crazy, but Luke refuses to lift his head, sure that he looks beet red.
“He saw the videos,” he murmurs, glancing up, hair falling over his eyes. “He saw me making an absolute fool of myself. Yeah, that’s a great start for a friendship.”
Simps4Luke: LMAOOOOO LUKE
theobot: sure jan. uh huhhhhhhh
ChanelBoots: it’s a great start for a “””FRIENDSHIP”””
Rule66: HE SAID YOU WERE CUTEEEEEEEE
double_ii: at least you didn’t fall of your chair this time
“Yeah, right,” Luke mumbles, rolling his eyes. “A great victory. My cheeks are flushed and my hair is a mess but thank god I’m on my chair.” Luke drops his arms on the desk and sighs. “Yes, I didn’t spill anything either. I am doing better, thank you very much.” He drops his head into his arms and shuts his eyes.
“I’m never going to recover from this, am I?”
He doesn’t know whether he should be happy or frustrated that someone donates 50 dollars just for Artoo to read out “No, you won’t.”
+1
In Din’s defense, when he invites Luke to his stream, the last thing Din expects is for him to spill his entire energy drink onto himself.
It’s Saturday, and Din’s been streaming Among Us for a couple of hours when he gets a bit of a downtime on the stream. Their group is incomplete and instead of scrambling to find a fill, Din decides to check his chat.
He’s not at all surprised that the chat is spamming him Luke’s name. “You guys want me to invite Luke?” he asks, already knowing the answer.
helmethead: YESSSSSSSSSSSS
skymando: INVITE LUKE INVITE LUKE
yipples: omg omg omg is it happening?????
browneyesblueeyes: YES PLEASE MANDO
double_ii: YESSSSSSSS LUKE WILL DIE
“Guys, I don’t even have him in my contacts,” Din chuckles, shaking his head. “What am I supposed to do, just slide into his DMs and ask him to join us?” The chat unanimously agrees that yes, that is exactly what Din should do. He rolls his eyes. “He probably won’t even see it. I think he’s streaming right now.” Turning back to his computer, he opens up Twitch and goes to his followers, opening up Luke’s stream. “Yeah, I doubt he’ll even notice my text.” He glances at his chat. “Yeah, I know he’s following me on Twitter. But he’s talking to his chat right now.”
The idea comes to Din’s mind about a second before his chat explodes.
CapitalismWorms: SEND HIM A CHAT
manskydowalkerstan: omg DONATE TO HIM
Simps4Mando: YOU CAN DONATE
yoplaitgogurt: “slide into his dms” LMAOOOOO YOU’RE SMOOTH MANDO
Emotionalsupporttwink: PLEASEEEEEEEEE
Din stares at his chat for a few seconds, drumming his fingers over the desk, and then laughs. “Okay, fuck it. Give me a few.” He opens Discord back up and unmutes himself. “Guys, I might have a fill in a bit. Wait for me, okay?”
“Please tell me you’re actually inviting Luke,” Cara chirps, and Din rolls his eyes.
“How did you know?”
“You’ve been talking about it for weeks.” Cara stops for a second, and Din can imagine him leaning in. “Wait, are you actually doing it? I thought you were too afraid.”
“Cara…” Din sighs but it’s too late. The moment those words leave Cara’s mouth, his chat explodes.
lukeandmando: DID SHE SAY WEEKS?????
arsebuttock: omg I KNEW ITTTTT
manwalkersupremacy: THEY’RE IN LOVEEEEEEEEEEE
mandoluke: he was afraid that’s so cuteeeeeee
miggs: MANDO YOU DUMBASS
“I wasn’t afraid,” Din argues, narrowing his eyes at the chat. “I just…didn’t even know him. And I’m asking him now, okay?”
Cara chuckles. “Sure, Jan,” she says and Din can imagine her crossing her arms, a brow arched. Din rolls his eyes again before he deafens, turning back to Luke’s stream.
His fingers linger on the keyboard for a few seconds. “How much should I donate?” he asks, turning his eyes to his chat. “Fifty dollars? Is that enough?”
mandofan: “is fifty enough” he says DUDEEEEEEEEE
voiceofthedevil: NO GO HIGHER
double_ii: din you COWARD fifty is NOTHING
AAAAAAAAAAA: YOU’RE LIKE A MILLIONAIRE NOW YOU CHEAP ASS
bigbidumbass: five hundred or NOTHING
“Five hundred?” Din arches a brow. “Isn’t that a bit much?” A soft snort escapes his lips when he reads the chat. “Yes, seeing Luke’s reaction to that is very enticing, I’ll be honest.” He drums his fingers on the desk again. “I guess we’re going with five hundred, then. What am I writing as the message?”
mandowalker: JUST INVITE HIM PLEASE
manwalkersupremacy: ask him on a date
helmethead: wanna get a drink with me????
Emotionalsupporttwink: SEND HIM E GIRLS HE LOVES THAT SONG
“Yeah, I’m sure E Girls would be very helpful.” Din shakes his head and nibbles on his lower lip, thinking. “I think I’ll just ask him to check his DMs. Simple. That’ll be enough, right?” He reads his chat for a few seconds and sighs. “Guys, I won’t send him E Girls. I know he likes that song, but…” Din is very glad for the helmet for hiding his flush. “Yeah. I’ll just ask him to check his DMs. That’s it.” He quickly types in the donation amount and a text and sends it in, holding his breath as he waits for Luke’s reaction.
When the donation goes through, Luke lifts his head from what looks like a large cup of some sort of soda. “Oh, hey, thank you—” he starts, but before he can even finish his sentence Artoo reads the donation and promptly, Luke spills the entire cup of red liquid all over his white t-shirt. A laugh bubbles up Din’s chest at Luke’s wide, blue eyes staring at the screen, as if he didn’t even realize he’s holding an empty cup.
“Is that real?” Luke blurts out, voice thinner than Din’s ever heard. He drops his cup on his desk with shaky hands and absentmindedly pulls his keyboard close. “That’s not—That’s not from Mando, right? There’s no way. Five hundred dollars?” His fingers move on the keyboard and Din can almost pinpoint the moment Luke reads the message that accompanies the donation. He freezes, just staring at the screen for a few seconds.
“Check your Twitter DMs? No fucking way,” he breathes, fingers shakily moving over the keyboard. “That’s a joke, right? That’s just someone messing with me. There’s no way Mando just donated five hundred dollars just so I check my DMs.”
Din grins and adds another fifty dollar donation. Luke stops searching, eyes turning back to his stream, and his mouth drops open. “‘In my defense, I was gonna do fifty. Chat thought otherwise.’ Your chat wanted you to donate me five hundred dollars.” Luke glances at his camera as if he’s in the Office, and Din can’t keep his laughs down. He donates again and Luke’s eyes flicker back. “Yes. Thank you for clarifying. Wait, are you watching my stream on your stream?” Luke’s eyes turn back to his screen and Din can imagine him scrambling to open YouTube. He rolls his eyes.
Another fifty dollars goes in. “Are you going to check your DMs?” Luke reads off, and his cheeks are dusted red. “Oh shit, I forgot about that. Yes, I’ll do that. Just… Give me a break, okay?” His hands fly over the keyboard and finally, Din can tell that he opened Twitter. Luke’s eyes widen and he stares at it for a few seconds.
“Are you serious?” he blurts out, turning to the camera. “You don’t mean that, right?”
Din donates another fifty dollars. Luke just blankly stares at his chat. “Yes, you do mean that. Okay. Okay. And you couldn’t have DMed that to me?”
Din grins. “Where’s the fun in that?” Luke reads off his newest fifty dollar donation, cheeks dusted red. He narrows his eyes at his screen. “Are you just donating to see me react to it? Is that it? Is this your way of making fun of me?”
Another fifty dollars go in. Luke’s cheeks turn even redder. “I’m glad, uh, you find me cute when I flush.” He covers his face with his hands, staring at the screen, and a loud laugh escapes Din’s lips. “Do you really have to donate to say that, though? You have my DMs.”
Din’s lips curls up. He types up his new message and this time puts in two hundred dollars. He bites his lip before sending it in, holding his breath as he waits for Luke’s answer. Luke stares for a few seconds and his hands drop on the desk.
“I’ll stop if you let me buy you a coffee,” he murmurs, voice soft, and blinks at his screen. Luke doesn’t say anything for a few seconds and Din thinks he ruined it, that this was just a joke for Luke and he doesn’t want it, before Luke’s eyes turn to his camera. “You mean it?” he whispers, voice serious for once. “This isn’t… That’s not… Do you mean that?” And Din hears it in his voice—Luke is scared. Din’s shoulders relax and he smiles. He switches to his Twitter.
Yes, I mean it, he quickly types and sends it in before he can think too much about it. After a moment, he adds, Will you go out with me, Luke?
Luke watches his screen for a few seconds before a brilliant smile splits his face. He pulls his keyboard close and quickly types back an answer. I’ll go anywhere with you.
Din’s sure he’s completely red behind the helmet. He can’t erase his smile off of his face as he types back. Good. Does that mean you’ll join the game?
“The game?” Luke deadpans, staring at the screen. Realization hits him then. “Oh, the game! Yes. Yes, I’ll join. Just, uh… Gimme like a minute. I’ll definitely join.” He flashes the screen another smile. “Thank you. For inviting me. And for the coffee offer. That’s… That’s very nice of you.”
Din smiles softly under his helmet. “Anytime, Luke,” he murmurs, switching away from Luke’s stream to the Discord call.
He thinks he really shouldn’t be surprised that the moment he turns on his mic, his friends explode in cheers. “Fucking finally!” Cara screams with a laugh.
“A thousand dollars, Mando? For a date?”
“Oh, hush it Boba, our boy’s in love.” Din can almost imagine Cara grinning. “Let him live. Besides, who can say no to a thousand dollars?”
“I just don’t want people to think he’s Luke’s sugar daddy. I’m just protecting his honor.”
“Boba,” Cobb sighs, a chuckle on his lips.
“I’m just saying. Luke was enjoying that money.”
“Boba,” Din warns, biting down on his lips to keep himself from laughing. “I was just trying to get his attention. That’s it.”
“Uh huh,” Cara hums, amused. “A thousand dollars for a pretty boy’s attention. So needy, Mando.”
“Cara, I wasn’t…” Din’s voice trails off when Cara laughs and he gives up. Besides, that’s when Luke decides to pop into the Discord call anyway, and a quick glance at the monitor tells Din that he’s completely flushed, fiddling with his fingers.
“Uh,” he starts, voice quiet. “Hi guys.”
“Hey pretty boy,” Cara greets, a smile in her voice. Din watches as Luke’s eyes widen and the tips of his ears turn red. “I heard you got yourself a date, huh?”
“I’m—” Luke starts, covering his cheeks with his hands. “You guys watched all of that?”
The entire call bursts into laughter. “Watch?” Boba blurts out, sounding like he’s enjoying every moment. “We had a front row seat, kid. That was pretty funny, I’ll tell you.”
“How’s that thousand dollars treating you?” Cobb asks, and Din starts regretting ever inviting Luke to play with this group. He sighs and interrupts.
“Guys, please. Let’s give Luke a break. He just joined.” Din can tell, just from his eyes, that Luke is grateful. What he’s not grateful for is that his friends seem to completely ignore him. Cara snorts out a laugh.
“Yeah, he might use one too. Do you want to get a fresh set of clothes before we start, pretty boy?”
Luke blinks at the screen. “A fresh set of clothes? Why would I—” He looks down and his eyes widen. “Oh. That’s where my drink went.”
This time, even Din can’t help himself. He laughs as a fresh flush rises to Luke’s cheek. “I’ll just go ahead and change,” he murmurs, turning back to his screen. “Just give me a few?” He starts to stand up, and then completely freezes.
“No, chat, I’m not going to change on stream. That’s not— This is not what… I’ll just go.” Luke takes off his headphones and disappears behind a door, and the moment Luke goes away Din’s friends explodes again. Din interrupts before anyone can say anything.
“Guys, don’t.”
That’s not enough to stop Boba. “Wouldn’t you want to see that twink naked, Mando?” he teases, and Din glares at the screen.
“You know someone’s gonna clip that and send it to Luke, right?” he deadpans, and a chuckle escapes Boba’s lips.
“Yes. That’s the point.” Din sighs and drops his helmet into his hands. “And that’s not a no.”
Din almost leaves the call then and there.