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School was never meant to be easy, to leave you mumbling “Eh, I already knew that” after every piece of information it provided you; that was the social norm for everyone.
Of course, Xeno wasn’t everyone; he was someone special, someone very intelligent and filled with nothing but knowledge, like a walking Wikipedia.
It would be surprising to see a top student not stressed about his exams, but Xeno was full of surprises, and having free time during finals week was one of them. Free time brought boredom, and boredom brought the pending need for entertainment.
That’s how Xeno’s weekly streams started, but due to how entertaining they were and the amount of free time he had, they had now become almost daily.
It was supposed to be something to pass the time, something he didn’t need to plan or think of, but here he sat, staring at a scheduled stream, which was one of many.
His streams didn’t skyrocket, but compared to others, he was a fast-growing streamer with a supportive and friendly community mostly made up of nerds or nerd lovers. Some used his facts to calm down their worries about theoretical ways the world could end, and some used his voice as background noise for their lonely study nights.
Xeno did everything: watch videos and react, play games, and explain a lot of science. ,A nerdy jack of all trades would be a fitting description for him.
But that wasn’t the only reason Xeno had gained an audience; Stanley, his childhood friend and roommate, had gained a habit of entering the streamer’s room and taking all his attention when doing so.
Even when it was for a few minutes, the people watching could easily tell the two had something deeper going on, and they themselves didn’t realize it due to how normal it seemed for them.
Xeno sighed as he looked at the list of streams he had planned one more time before confirming and starting his stream, watching as his screen changed colors to the waiting screen, allowing people to join before he started the stream.
Within the first minute, Xeno watched as people began to pour in; by 5 minutes he had already gained 1k viewers, 1 thousand people wanting to watch him, and 1 thousand people interested in what he was doing today.
He allowed his ego to grow but made sure to not let it clash or show in his mood, though a small smile did manage to sneak its way onto his lips.
The white-haired to-be scientist wanted to put his headphones on but stopped, getting up and walking to his door. “Stan, I’ll be streaming!” He yelled out from his doorframe, pausing for a moment to hear Stanley reply back approvingly.
A soft smile spread across his face as he turned around and closed the door. It was a blessing living with Stanley; the other was everything one would want in a roommate. That, or Xeno was biased because they’ve been friends for over a decade—not that Xeno felt ashamed for having bias when it came to Stan.
In a couple of steps he had made it back to his PC, and it didn’t take him long to finish setting everything up, allowing him to start the stream.
The start of his stream was always the same: start with a hello, read some comments asking how his day had been, and move on to explaining what the plan for today’s stream would be.
It was all a blur, all something he didn’t have to focus on but still enjoyed. Until the scientific questions came, and suddenly he’s focusing on every word of his, drifting into other topics and theories as he explained a single one. To Xeno, it was a reminder, reminding everyone how everything in the world was connected because of science.
The viewers listened as he ranted on and on, only to stop out of nowhere. The confusion lingered between everyone watching until someone realized the door had opened. Now the attention was shifted to no one other than Stanley, who had come in, stealing Xeno’s attention like it was a 9-5.
Xeno quickly turned to his screen, not to talk to the people watching but instead to turn the mic off, allowing him and the blond to speak without anyone listening.
The viewers didn’t need to listen; they could clearly see what couldn’t be said: the two were more affectionate with each other than high school lovers.
“I finished baking those cookies you wanted,” said Stanley, pushing the door further open, holding a plate of cookies that were clearly fresh, a knowing smile on his face as he watched Xeno get up and walk over to take the plate from him.
Xeno looked at the plate before catching his eyes wandering up to look at Stanley, who had worn a shirt that was just a tad bit too tight for anyone’s standards, but Xeno seemed to think otherwise.
There was no law that you couldn’t admire your best friend’s attractiveness and wish your hand could trace every feature of his while the camera magically stopped recording so he could stand this close a while longer.
“Thank you, Stan,” said Xeno, although it sounded more like he was choking the words out after realizing he had stared for too long, which only let him realize he had begun to blush.
Stanley, however, didn’t seem to mind; he smiled, enjoying the sight as he leaned further on the doorframe. He was used to this behavior, this nervous mess Xeno became whenever he couldn’t get what he wanted, whenever he looked at him and was forced to watch his eyes and mouth. It fueled his ego and let his eyes enjoy a sight.
“They were fun to make.” Stan’s answer seemed casual enough to make Xeno realize he didn’t care about the staring incident seconds ago. “Say, what are you even going to do today? ”Stanley’s eyes left Xeno, lessening a weight on him, and moved to the computer, seeming genuinely curious.
Xeno looked back, wondering if something specific had caught the other’s eye, but there seemed to be nothing interesting since Xeno’s desk looked the same as it did the day he settled into his streamer routine. “The viewers suggested I play horror games and said they think my reactions to them are elegant.”
Stanley absentmindedly nodded, and Xeno continued to speak; he had been looking at the chat, watching the people rave about his interactions with Xeno; some asked if the two were dating, and some denied it, while others were spreading rumors.
The blond wasn’t a secret Xeno hid; quite the opposite, he was always happy to talk about him, and to be honest, that fueled Stanley’s ego like no other.
“Stan? ” Xeno stopped his rambling and looked at the other, snapping him out of his trance.
The blond quickly looked away from the chat and at Xeno, a smile on his face as he gently pulled the other close and kissed his forehead. “Have fun then; I’ll be in my room if you need anything.”
Kisses weren’t a new concept between the two. They had been childhood friends after all, and physical contact was more than welcome when it was from the other.
With that, Stanley slipped away, taking his phone out once out of sight and looking at the chat filled with people who were now freaking out.
Xeno, on the other hand, was more than used to these kisses and once he sat down, didn’t understand why the chat was freaking out once his mic was back on and his attention was directed towards them.
“Are you and Stanley a couple?” Asked for a donation, making Xeno smile and shake his head.
“No no, I and Stanley are mere childhood friends,” Xeno answered as he scrolled up the chat, looking for anything noteworthy he had missed.
“Kissing is intimate though!” Said another donation, making Xeno almost laugh. “Kissing, when not on the lips, isn’t necessarily romantically intimate. I and Stanley are used to these acts of affection.” He explained, seeming to only convince those who wanted to be convinced.
As his eyes scanned the chat, he couldn’t help but smile at the references, like “Denial is a river in Egypt; you’re really gay,” and that got a chuckle to leave his lips.
He shook his head for a moment before focusing on the screen before him, working on the settings. “We’re childhood friends, nothing more.” His voice was a bit flat, and after a couple of minutes where he ignored every comment speaking of Stan, they stopped and instead focused on the game he was playing.
Stan would be lying if he said he wasn’t hurt; no, not because Xeno said they weren’t dating but rather because Xeno seemed to have forgotten their intimate