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Luke should’ve stopped trusting his viewers ages ago. He should’ve stopped taking their requests, and he should’ve definitely not caved when they asked for him to react to another obscure Mando video, no matter how tempting it was.
It’s another late-night stream. Luke has a Monster can in his hand—at this point, “sleep is for the weak” can be his tagline, considering just how often he streams after midnight—legs crossed over his chair, a bag of chips precariously resting on them. He’s just looking over the chat, answering some questions, when a donation pops in.
Luke doesn’t even need to look up at the message to know it’s not going to end well for him.
The donation is from Emotional Support Twink, which in and of itself tells Luke that it’ll probably be about Mando—he recognizes the name at this point, and they seem to only exist to see Luke embarrass himself reacting to Din. There’s a link with the donation with a “please” added onto it, and before the message disappears from his stream, Luke sees the obscene amount of “e”s added to the end of the word. He glares at the camera.
“Okay, guys,” he says, putting his drink aside and pressing his palms over the desk. “We need to talk about something. Because this whole…Mando debacle is getting out of hand, and I think I made myself pretty clear when I said I’m not reacting to his videos again. I am not a reaction channel.”
BlueGin: LUKE COME ON
theobot: sure jan
double_ii: we all know he’ll click on that link five minutes later right?
ChanelBoots: PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
yoplaitgogurt: lmaoooo as if he’s not watching them on his own
“What do you mean I’m watching them on my own?” Luke stares at the chat, a flush already rising to his cheeks. He covers his cheeks with his hands. He pointedly refuses to click on his YouTube history—if any of his viewers saw the sheer amount of videos from Mando’s channel he watched…and rewatched, they would never let him live that down. “That’s not true. And you can’t prove that.”
About a hundred messages of “sure jan”s pass in the chat, at least ten of them from theobot, and Luke has to fight the urge to stick his tongue out. He narrows his eyes. “Y’all, I’m a gaming channel, and you know what people recognize me as? That one guy who spilled a drink on himself reacting to Mando. You could’ve at least made my gaming clips go viral.”
BluMilkGang: but where’s the fun in that
manskydowalkerstan: it was hilarious that’s not our fault
Simps4Luke: YOU DID IT TO YOURSELF LUKE
Rule66: admit it deep down you want mando to see those clips
yogurt: OMG IF MANDO SEES THOSE CLIPS THOUGH
“Hey. No.” Luke’s voice is too thin as his eyes widen. “No sending those clips to Mando. I don’t need him to know I’m such a gay disaster.” Five seconds and about fifty messages of people spamming laughing emojis later, Luke’s words catch up with him. He slams his hand over his mouth. “Do not clip that. I swear if someone clips that I’m banning them.”
Not even ten seconds later, the clip drops. Luke ducks his chin with a loud sigh. “You know, I should stop streaming after midnight when I have zero filter over my words. Maybe then there wouldn’t be thousands of embarrassing clips of me on the internet.”
Simps4Luke: BUT WE LOVE YOU FOR IT LUKE
twinsuns: noooooooooo Europe gang plsssss
double_ii: as if he’s gonna stop
Emotionalsupporttwink: maybe you should also stop bringing food and drinks to the stream
SpicedSpotchka: maybe you should stop reacting to mando
Luke glares at his chat. “I’m not going to react to Mando!” he yells, throwing his hands in the air. “I thought we established that. I’m not a reaction channel.” Tens of messages pleading for him to watch the clip passes. Luke presses his lips together tightly and crosses his arms. “Nope. I’m not caving. Just because you’re my viewers doesn’t mean you get to tell me what to do. I am my own person.” He grins, satisfied with himself, taking another sip from his Monster.
He really shouldn’t have been surprised when another donation from Emotional Support Twink drops. And Luke isn’t quick enough to catch the Monster can before it slips from his fingers and drops on his lap, spilling all over his legs.
Watch the video or I’ll donate to Mando and send the last clip to him.
And considering the fact that it’s a fifty dollar donation, Luke doesn’t doubt at all that Emotional Support Twink will do it.
KraytJustKrayt: OMG YES
BlueGin: THANK YOU SO MUCH
yoplaitgogurt: lmaooooooo luke’s gonna die
Artoodeetoo: emotional support twink to the rescue
CapitalismWorms: *gets popcorn* this is gonna be gooooood
“Okay, okay!” Luke raises his hands in defeat and runs his fingers through his hair. “Fine. I’m reacting to it. Where’s that damn clip?” He pulls himself closer to the desk, ignoring the fact that he spilled Monster all over his chips and jeans, and clicks on the link. He puts his headphones on. “At least I don’t have a drink to spill on myself anymore, so thank you so much for that. Much appreciated.”
All he sees in the chat is laughter emojis and a bunch of “LMAOOOOOO”s. This time, he does stick his tongue out.
The video, as most of Mando’s content lately, is another Among Us gameplay. Luke bites his lip, eyes focused on Mando’s helmet on the upper left corner, tilted towards the screen in concentration. Not for the first time, he wonders how Mando looks like underneath.
Pretty, his mind supplies. Beautiful. Jaw-dropping. Hot. Stunning.
He quickly shuts that voice, cheeks already flushed red. His fingers clench into fists over the table as he waits for Mando to speak.
It doesn’t take long. Mando’s helmet turns, looking where Luke assumes is his chat, and a soft chuckle leaves his lips. Even the sound is enough to send a shiver down his spine and no, Luke definitely isn’t biting his lip to fight a smile. Not at all.
Simps4Luke: look at him he’s so in love
double_ii: luke we see you. we see you.
manwalkersupremacy: THE HEART EYES OMG
coffeecatsme: you are in loooooooveeeeeeeeee
BlueGin: lmao someone clip this PLEASE
Luke pointedly ignores his chat, focusing on Mando. “Thank you, BigBiggs,” he says, helmet tilted in amusement, “for the twenty dollar donation. I like the username.”
Luke flushes from head to toe with the implication, his red cheeks blatantly clear under the bright lights. His chat seems to enjoy the moment and Luke isn’t surprised when a clip of it drops not even half a minute later.
“What’s my ideal woman?” Mando reads from the donation, and Luke’s heart sinks in his chest. He hopes it isn’t too obvious on his face, trying to keep his face neutral—as if he’d have a chance with Mando anyway—“I wouldn’t really say woman, you know.”
Luke’s knee jerks up so quickly that at least half of the chips spill from the bag on his lap. His eyes widen as he watches the screen, Mando’s laugh soft in his ears. He didn’t just say…
“No, I’m not gay,” Mando continues, presumably reading the chat. “I don’t really like labels, to be honest. If they’re important to you, all the power to you. I like to go with whatever makes me happy, and it’s really hard to fit that into one category.” Mando tilts his head to the side, his little blob completely still on the screen. He doesn’t even mind that he gets killed, even though Luke jumps at the sudden sound himself, dropping some of the chips on the floor. Heat rises to his cheek and Luke doesn’t have to check his face cam to know he’s completely red.
JizzFan68: LMAOOOOOOOO LUKE NO
Droidlover80: i think mando might’ve just killed him
ChanelBoots: he’s so red omg
double_ii: LUKE JUST ADMIT IT YOU LIKE HIM
yoplaitgogurt: MANWALKER SUPREMACY
Luke’s chat is flooded with messages, but he doesn’t even look at it, instead staring at the screen. He only realizes just how much he leaned forward when his chest hits the desk. “What’s my ideal person?” Din continues, amusement clear in his voice. He drums his fingers over the desk and stares at the camera. “You guys aren’t gonna let this one go, are you?”
“No,” Luke whispers almost inadvertently. “My chat never does.”
Rule66: why you call us out like that luke?!?!?!?
Manskydowalkerstan: he says as if he doesn’t gush about every hot guy he sees
SpicedSpotchka: IT ISN’T OUR FAULT YOU CAVE EVERY TIME LUKE
KraytJustKrayt: admit it you enjoy it
“No,” Luke counters, shooting a brief glare at his chat. “I don’t enjoy it at all. That’s a lie.” The chat, seemingly, doesn’t believe that at all, but before Luke can say anything Mando continues.
“I do have a thing for blondes,” he muses, his smile audible, and Luke digs his nails into the desk harshly. If he had any sort of drink in his hand, he knows he would’ve spilled it again. “And blue eyes. Maybe because I’m just a regular brunette but it just reminds me of the sky and I think it looks beautiful on people.” Mando chuckles again, a bit shier this time, and Luke has to bite down on his lip harshly to keep himself from grinning or saying something stupid. There’s no way…
Luke doesn’t get the chance to even process Mando’s words before he continues. His voice is lower now, more genuine, and it’s clear that he’s not teasing anymore.
“Looks aside, though, the most important thing for me is Grogu.” Mando ducks his chin shyly and rubs the nape of his neck, and Luke thinks it’s a miracle he doesn’t melt then and there. “If Grogu likes them and if they like Grogu, that’s all I need. It would help if they knew sign language too, for the kid, but… As long as they put in the effort, I’d be happy.” He stops for a second, reading his chat. He laughs again. “Yes, it would also help if they know how to stream any game other than Among Us. Maybe Minecraft. I know you guys have been asking me to try that for weeks now.”
Luke doesn’t think. “I know sign language,” he blurts out, lifting his fingers to the camera to sign the sentence. “And I’m a streamer.” His voice is quiet and dreamy, but his microphone still catches it, and in a moment, his chat blows up.
CapitalismWorms: OMG LUKE DID YOU JUST—
double_ii: wait they’re perfect for each other
manskydowalkerstan: manwalker manwalker manwalker
ChanelBoots: GUYS WHAT IF THEY MEET
BlueGin: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
“What?” Luke blinks, trying to pull himself together to stare at the chat. Heat rises to his cheeks. “Wait, what did I say? Why are you guys freaking out?”
Droidlover80: LMAOOOOOOO HE’S SO GONE
cursedheathen: luke. LUKE. whyyyy
Emotionalsupporttwink: “why are you guys freaking out?” he asks aFTER HE CONFIRMS HE’S MANDO’S TYPE
double_ii: YOU AND MANDO BELONG WITH EACH OTHER
Simps4Luke: MANDO AND LUKE PLEASEEEEE
“What?” Luke screeches, just as a clip drops to his channel. He quickly pulls it up on another tab to watch it, and his eyes grow wide. They snap to the camera. “Don’t you dare send that to Mando. I’ll die if he sees that.” He covers his cheeks with his hands, as if that’ll help cover the blush at all. The chat bursts into laughter, and Luke knows that all of those clips will one way or another find their way to Mando’s DMs.
Luke only pulls himself together when Mando laughs again after about a minute of silence. “Luke Skywalker?” he murmurs, and Luke’s mouth drops open, staring at the screen. He’s pretty sure Mando is grinning under the helmet when he crosses his arms over his chest. “He’s my exact type?” Mando leans forward and tilts his head to the camera, drumming his fingers over the helmet. “I don’t know what you guys are talking about at all.” He shrugs, turning back to the game, but a quiet laugh is still on his lips and Luke has a feeling that Mando knows exactly who he is.
He doesn’t wait for the video to end before he crosses his arms over the desk and buries his face on them. He lets out a desperate, muffled scream. He’s pretty sure his mic caught it, but he’s far beyond caring at this point.
His hair looks like a mess once he finally lifts his head and rests his chin over his hands. His chat is blowing up with laughter and screams. He only glares at it for a second before he returns to the video, rewinding it enough to see Mando’s helmet, and stops it. A soft sigh leaves his lips.
“Guys,” he murmurs, wondering if his mic is close enough to catch his words. “I think that might’ve just killed me.”
All he sees in the chat is more laughter before he buries his face in his arms again.