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Prof_Naxa is live!
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Welcome to the stream. Before you can send messages, you must read over the basic rules: Rule Number 1, do NOT call me Anaxa. Rule Number 2, stay civilized. Rule Number 3, most importantly, enjoy yourselves.
"Is the sound being sent over properly on everyone’s end? Alright. I’ve planned to try out the new Money Battles game mode today, and I recall some mentions about an Aglaea on a wheelchair.”
"Another bad roll? Regardless, strategy is what matters more..."
"Don't simply accept and play within the rules of the game. You need to test those limits until they bend at your will..."
"Have you not read the rules? It's A-NAK-SA-GO-RAS. Anaxagoras. Don't make me repeat myself..."
"That’ll be enough for the evening, I suppose. Then I'll be going."
Stream has ended.
"Hey." With the click of a door opening and soft, unhurried steps, the quiet of your shared living room was broken by the familiar timbre of Anaxa's voice.
You hummed in reply, head turning to meet a tired but nonetheless adoring gaze as you turned off your phone, where you were watching his stream just moments ago. As a streamer yourself, you knew how tiring the profession could be, despite it appearing so easy. With outstretched arms offering a haven of comfort, you invited him to join your respite on the couch, to which he did comply. He flumped into your arms, relishing in the warmth of your embrace, his worries dissipating in the air like fine dust. The wordless yet steadfast presence of him beside you brought your focus to the peaceful simplicity of this moment. Words didn't have to be spoken between the two of you—silence was golden, after all, and your mutual understanding of one another far exceeded what mere words could only convey. Neither of you moved from where your positions, drifting off into tranquil dreams within each other's arms.
After an indiscernible number of minutes flowing past, you roused from your momentary nap, eyes trailing to the digital clock that sat on top of the TV stand—18:08.
"Naxa," you called out in a whisper, gently tapping his shoulder to wake him. "Wake up."
He stirred for a split second before relaxing once more, seemingly deep in his slumber. Seeing this moment as an opportunity, you cautiously stuck out a finger to poke at his cheeks, stifling your laughter with your other hand. This, for some reason, was what brought him to consciousness, as he jolted awake and shot a glare, a small smirk giving away his hidden amusement.
"Is poking my cheeks really that humorous?" he huffed, shaking his head. Sheepishly, you avoided his question, diverting the topic.
"We gotta eat dinner...what do you want?"
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Dining on takeout from some random restaurant nearby, the room was filled with the lighthearted chatter you shared with him every night. Dumb, pointless conversations that made each day with one another all the more fulfilling.
"Did you see that character trailer for the new 5-star? I'm actually in love with their design," you gushed, oblivious to the devotion he held in his eyes for you. The way you brightened up, eyes sparkling like the finest jewels under a sun, a smile so wholesome he could feel his heart melt and become remoulded time and time again by your expression alone.
"I have, in fact. Thought their backstory was quite intriguing."
"That, too! I don't know if I'll have enough pulls to get them, though...I spent everything on the current patch."
"You'll figure out a way, you always do. Don't fret.
Tomorrow's your birthday, though. Got anything in mind? A night out, perhaps?"
"Hmm, I haven't really thought too much about it. That does sound nice, though." You were never one for huge parties, to be frank, preferring to celebrate with those closest to you. It was also given that you guys hadn’t gone public yet, what with both of you being popular streamers, and you couldn't just go out and about on dates. It wasn’t like either of you had issues with others knowing about your relationship, but it was simply a matter of privacy. A part of both of you somewhat enjoyed the secrecy, hiding away your relationship like star-crossed lovers running away from the scrutiny of the world.
"I'll make a reservation, then. Your favorite place."
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The following day, you brought Anaxa with you to pay a visit at the P.O. box, as with your birthday came along the mail from your dedicated fanbase. Leaving him in the car as the passenger princess, you made your way into the office and scoured the arrays of mailboxes for your specific one. You came back to the vehicle moments later, hauling a stuffed bag full of envelopes and small packages.
"That's quite the sum of mail you've got there," he remarked, a hint of surprise written on his face.
You heaved, gingerly laying the bag onto the backseat. "Yeah, seems like a lot more this year."
"That just means you're important to so many more people than you might think."
Making your way back to your apartment, with Anaxa carrying the heavily loaded bag for you, you planned out how your birthday stream later this day would go. It was a custom created years ago by you and your beloved community, where you would host a livestream on your birthday, opening and reading fanmail as a way to celebrate your special day. Although it was unlike the usual content you created, you found great reassurance in just how many people chose to watch your streams, even when they weren't necessarily focused on gaming. It made you realize that these people weren't just here for your content, but also you as a person. When you finally made your way inside, you took the bundle that Anaxa was holding, making sure to thank him, before stumbling into your streaming room and setting the weight down on the desk.
A deep exhale left you as you strided towards the bedroom, taking a breather before you switched your concentration completely on your work. Sure, you'd been doing this for a while now, but you still managed to feel slight jitters whenever you were about to start a stream. You got dressed into something slightly more formal than what you usually wore, observing yourself in the mirror and making tweaks here and there to make yourself look presentable for the occasion. You were interrupted by a text notification, sent by none other than your closest friend, Phainon.
Phainon:
Happy Birthdayyyy!! Hope you're having a great birthday so farr
Dw at all about today's stream, I'll handle everything, you js do what you usually do
You'll do great, I promise :))
His kind message brought a smile to your face, soothing your nerves whilst you sent him a thank-you reply. Once you deemed yourself ready, you stepped out onto the living room, which was enveloped by a calm stillness, the dust in the air cascading towards the ground, illuminated by the faint sunlight outside. The silence was an unspoken rule between the two of you, where the other would ensure to remain quiet while one of them was recording. It seemed that Anaxa had retreated into his office, as he liked to refer to his stream room, busying himself with whatever responsibilities he had at hand. Your eye caught the lone dromas plushie sitting up on one of the many shelves adorning the living room walls, a sight that brought you to reminisce within the small period of time you had left.
Back then, when you were starting out, Prof_Naxa was like a giant in the streaming community compared to the humble attention you received. His eccentric but still stoic personality was what made him so unique and stand out in the creator space, contributing to his overwhelming success. It was Phainon who led you to start your career in the first place, what with his encouraging words and offer of being your very own moderator. You remembered the summer of two years ago, when you found yourself giddy with excitement as you got ready to attend a convention. That time, it was different—you weren’t simply attending as a visitor, but you were invited to attend as an official creator. The title alone made you beam with pride, finally being able to see yourself as a legitimate name in the field. The sights and sounds you experienced there were truly unforgettable, from the interactions you had with the sweetest people alive on earth to all the various merchandise you were so tempted to buy, but the grievances of your bank account kept you from doing so. By the end of that eventful day, you were worn out but still very much content with everything you got to do. While people were cleaning up and closing their booths, you were heading towards the exit when you caught sight of a singular dromas plushie lying on a table. You immediately found yourself walking towards it before the thought even registered in your brain, one hand reaching to grab the plush and the other reaching for your pocket to pay. That was, until you realized another hand had grasped the dromas at exactly the same moment. When you turned your head, you were, to put it in the least, shocked that it was none other than Anaxa himself. He was someone that you had admired for as long as you could remember, aspiring to become like him while also admittedly finding him attractive, too. But that very same man was reaching out for the last remaining dromas plushie with as much urgency as you, which to be honest, you hadn't expected at all from him, and yet it made so much sense. You stepped backwards, partly out of embarrassment, partly out of intimidation, struggling to find the words and properly introduce yourself.
"Professor Naxa? Oh, my goodness, I'm-I'm a huge fan, uhm, I'm actually a streamer as well! Didn't know that you'd be here too ahaha..." What a great first impression.
He nodded at you in acknowledgement, surprisingly a lot less scary than you had imagined him. "Are you going to take that?" he asked, gesturing towards the dromas. "I wouldn't mind if you would like to take it home with you."
"Oh, I couldn't, you're too-"
Before you could finish your statement, you were startled by the sound of a slam on the table next to you, a handful of bills landing on the table as the plushie was whisked away right before your very eyes. You and Anaxa could only stare and watch in disbelief as the person who took the last of the stock sauntered away with the dromas plushie in their arms.
With the last remaining boldness you had left in you, you managed to share contacts with him, and by the time you got home, your eyes were glued to your screen as you read his contact information over and over again. You couldn't believe it. You got his number.
Phainon had the absolute joy of getting his messages spammed non-stop by a certain someone freaking out that night.
After that encounter you had with Anaxa, the itch for a collaboration with him (while also potentially getting closer to him) was gnawing at you nonstop, and with Phainon's very motivational message of, "Go get him, tiger!!," you somehow found yourself asking for a collab and...succeeding???
From that point on, you and Anaxa began to form a close bond with one another, all thanks to some stupidly dumb shared love for dromases. Your popularity also began to grow to new heights, with more and more people discovering your channel and finding it as a "hidden gem" amongst the sea of creators. And on the day of his birthday, with a dromas plush in hand, the same exact one you both had lost, you knocked on the door of his apartment, a flustered confession rushing past your lips, only to be interrupted by his on yours.
All of this, which brought you here to the present, where you glanced at the clock that sat on top of the TV stand—15:52.
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"Can everyone hear me okay? Oh, okay, okay, that's good. Welcome! Thank you everyone for your birthday wishes and kind words. They genuinely mean the world to me. Now, as per the usual birthday livestream, let's go through some mail!"
"Aww, thank you! That letter was so cute..."
"Wait, stop, this is drawn so well..."
"Did you make this yourself? That's actually so cool..."
"Okay, we've gone through all the mail except for this last one, so maybe it's the best for last? Let's read it out loud."
I sometimes find myself at a loss for words, no matter the countless forms of studies that I delve myself into or how many times I use my voice on a platform, whenever I try to convey just how exactly I feel. If the spoken word will fail me, perhaps the written word would prove to be an optimal substitute. Before I found myself needing your presence in my life, I had thought myself to be doomed to a long and lonely road, and I was willing to walk it in the name of truth. Then you came forth, and at first, I brushed it off as nothing more than another momentary acquaintance. But no, you kept appearing into my life, kept persisting, and it is only through that persistence that I find myself where I am today. The truth that I had dedicated my life to now seems negligible in comparison to dedicating my life to be beside you. What was the truth that I was so certain that I had in my hands? I do not know anymore. No god could bind me to a path, neither can the universe, neither fate nor our very own existences themselves. I do not fear blasphemy—I believe that we can be our own gods. So, why must I let myself be bound to a long and lonely road? I no longer find myself confined to the strongholds of reason, and instead, I now embrace the arms of longing, of passion, which you have enlightened me with.
Do you remember the dromas plush that you gifted to me on that day? As arbitrary as it may seem, let that be a reminder of my vow to you. For every 1 dromas that you bestow upon me, I shall bestow 10 million back to you. If you bless me with 10 million dromases, I shall give forth a hundred trillion of them. No matter the extent of what you give me, I will always provide with an even greater magnitude in return.
"...I...I think that'll be all for today, guys. Thank you for another memorable birthday."
Stream has ended.
"Naxa!" With the click of a door opening and loud, hurried steps, the quiet of your shared living room was broken by your wavering voice calling out to him.
And in front of you, there he stood, a whole army of dromas plushies behind him. There was no way he actually had 10 million dromases behind him, but it might as well have been 10 million with how many there were. The softest smile you've ever seen was on his face, directed right at you, and he extended a hand to invite you towards him.
“Happy Birthday.” ♡
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"bro i cant with these cornballs" -phainon, probably