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Megan Skiendiel loved playing Valorant, and she was a pretty good player to go along with it. So good, in fact, that she played in official tournaments with her teammates. And when there weren’t tournaments to play in, she streamed herself playing anyways. The fact that she could make a career off of playing one of her favorite video games was something she took a lot of pride in. How many others could say they get paid money just by being good at the game they liked, or by being entertaining enough for fans to just send her money? It was a dream come true.
But she had just one small thing she needed to keep a secret from everyone. Jeung Yoonchae.
The two of them had met years ago, when they both ended up in the same lobby, and they decided to keep playing with each other. They built a strong friendship, and when they met each other in person, the two couldn’t help themselves from falling in love. Their relationship had been going strong for a couple of months now. They still often played together, although never on stream together. Megan didn’t want to deal with rumors or speculation, and Yoonchae didn’t want to be in the spotlight all of a sudden. So it worked out pretty well for the two.
Today was an important day. Megan’s team had made it to the grand final of a masters tournament, and today was the day they finally competed. She was a little nervous, she couldn’t lie. For the past couple of nights, she had stayed up way too late to practice. Yoonchae would see that Megan was still playing when she went to bed, and oftentimes, she would wake up to see that her status still said she was playing. She knew why Megan was practicing so much, she knew she hated losing. But was it worth the sleep deprivation? Yoonchae had appreciated the good morning messages every day, though. She could get used to them.
Now Megan was backstage in a dressing room, slightly panicking as she got ready. She had already thrown on her bright pink and blue jersey, her black and pink hair in a messy ponytail behind her. She was staring at herself in the mirror, frowning when she noticed the dark coloration underneath her eyes. Maybe staying up so late wasn’t her brightest idea. She reached for her concealer, dabbing it on and blending it in hopes that she wouldn’t look as tired as she felt. A knock on her door jolted her out of her thoughts.
“Megan? You have a visitor.” Her team manager’s voice traveled through the door.
“Let ‘em in!” Megan focused back on herself in the mirror as she replied.
She could hear quiet muttering from outside the door behind her, but she didn’t really care. In the mirror, she saw the door open, and her frown quickly turned to a smile when she saw who had walked in. Yoonchae. Megan had no idea she was even coming, she had just assumed she would watch a livestream from the comfort of her own home. Yoonchae closed the door behind her, and Megan whipped around, her makeup forgotten on the counter. Megan ran towards her girlfriend, nearly jumping on her and wrapping her up in an incredibly tight hug.
“You came!” Megan exclaimed, laughing and tightening her grip on Yoonchae. “I thought you were gonna watch from home!”
“How could I miss your biggest game yet?” Yoonchae smiled softly, one of her arms wrapping around Megan in return.
Megan finally took a moment to pull back, to properly look at Yoonchae. She looked really nice today. She always loved looking at Yoonchae, every inch of her was gorgeous to Megan. And the fact that she was physically there, standing in front of her, made it so much better than when she saw her through photos or video calls. Yoonchae was holding a poster in one of her hands, and Megan tilted her head slightly to look at it. She was met with a slightly crude drawing of her face, as well as her name scrawled out in marker. She couldn’t stop herself from laughing, almost doubling over as she giggled.
“Hey! I only had like, three minutes!” Yoonchae protested, pouting slightly while Megan laughed.
“No, no, it’s nice…It’s great, baby.” Megan manages to control her laughter, standing back up again and resting her hands on Yoonchae’s shoulders. “I love it. I love everything you do.”
Yoonchae stopped pouting, and she hummed in satisfaction as she was reassured that Megan loved whatever she did. “Good. Now, I should probably get going…”
“Wait.” Megan gripped Yoonchae’s shoulders tighter, looking up at her with her big puppy-like eyes. “Stay with me? Just a lil longer?”
“I’m sorry, Meimei. I have to go.” Yoonchae replied, pushing a strand of Megan’s hair behind her ear. “We can talk after your game, alright?”
Hanging out with Yoonchae after her match sounded like a great idea to Megan, and reluctantly, she let go of her shoulders. “Alright…”
“I love you, Meimei. You’re going to do great.” Yoonchae leaned down slightly, giving her a quick peck on the cheek, before turning around to leave the dressing room. Megan smiled brightly, her cheeks starting to flush. She had to win this match. Sure, for her teammates. But more importantly, for Yoonchae.
After Yoonchae made it out of the backstage area, she returned outside, waiting in line at a merch stand. She had her sign for Megan, but she wanted to show even more support for her and her team. So she wanted to buy a jersey for herself as well. The blue and pink always looked cute on Megan, so she figured it would look good on her too. Or at least, she hoped it would. She was a couple spaces down the line before she heard a voice behind her.
“You’re a Megan fan too?”
Yoonchae whipped around, turning around to see the guy behind her looking right at her. He was wearing one of the pink and blue jerseys that Megan’s team wore, although he didn’t look like any of the teammates she had. Yoonchae’s best guess was that he was also a fan of the team, and that he just had a jersey to support them as well. Yoonchae just stared at him for a moment, pointing at herself as if to make sure he was talking to her.
“Yeah, you. Uh, cause of your sign?” The guy spoke up again, pointing towards the sign in her hand. “It’s cute.”
“Oh. Uhm, yeah.” Yoonchae replied, albeit a bit awkwardly. She was quite a bit more than a fan, that was for sure, but she couldn’t really tell him that. “I’m a fan.”
“Nice. I didn’t know Megan had many female fans.” The man behind her just continued to talk, despite how awkward Yoonchae seemed to be. Maybe he was just bad at reading the room. “She’s super cool, right?”
“Uh huh.” Yoonchae glanced away from him, noticing the line ahead of her had moved forwards. She moved up in line, trying to avoid any further conversation.
“And she’s pretty, too.” The man continued. “I’d like to make her mine one day. Or like, someone like her.”
“What?” Yoonchae whipped around again, staring at the man behind her. Her tone probably came out sharper than intended.
“I mean, it would be pretty nice to have a girl like her, ya know? A good looking duo to match my skill. She’d make a great pocket.” The guy shrugged, seemingly unbothered by Yoonchae’s sharp tone and pointed stare. “A dream come true, if you ask me.”
Yoonchae bit her tongue to hold back the countless rebuttals that were brewing in her mind. There were just so many things wrong with what he had said to her. Megan, matching his skill, as his duo? She was a professional player, and he was just some random man! Did he seriously think they were even close to the same skill level? And to say she would make a great pocket for him? The idea was almost laughable. Megan almost never played supportive characters. She just didn’t like them nearly as much as the more aggressive options.
But the worst part was that this man said he wanted to make Megan his. It was more likely that he meant it as some unattainable dream that he had, but it still made Yoonchae jealous. Megan’s purpose wasn’t to be owned by some random guy, someone who probably wouldn’t understand her in full anyways. She didn’t really hold any claim over her, nor did anyone know that she was dating the gamer. But now, more than ever, she just wanted to rub it in this mans face. Her grip tightened on her sign, and she managed to calm herself down before she revealed anything.
“I guess so.” Yoonchae coolly responded, turning back around in the line. She noticed that she was next, and she quickly moved forwards, finally getting a chance to move away from the man. She swiftly purchased her jersey before walking away, making sure she could get as far away as she could, hoping to avoid any more interactions. Going out in public was always draining for her, and she wanted to keep as much energy as she could so that she would be able to cheer Megan on. She slipped the bright pink and blue jersey over her shirt, smiling to herself.
Thankfully, Yoonchae was able to get into the arena earlier than she had expected. And this meant that there was plenty of room near the barricades right next to the stage, so she could be as close to Megan as possible. She walked around, eyes glued to the stage as she tried to catch any indication as to which computer Megan would be playing on. She caught a glimpse of the gaming chairs that had Megan’s team colors, the familiar blue and pink she loved so much. She moved to stand at the barricade, leaning against it as other fans started pouring into the arena with her. She was already getting packed in between countless other fans, and now she was really starting to regret not just watching from home.
But when the commentators came over the loud speakers, announcing the players that would be competing, all those regrets faded away. She held up her sign, ready for when the players started to come out onto the stage. It was incredibly loud. The fans around her were cheering and talking loudly, while the speakers blared music and the voices of commentators throughout the entire arena. After a couple minutes, the music was lowered, and the commentators started building up to the players walking out. Yoonchae could hear other fans cheering around her, some cheering for teams, for specific players, or just for the event starting.
When the players finally started walking out, the arena erupted into loud applause. Yoonchae stood up on her toes to get a better look to see who was walking out first. Not Megan’s team, but their opponents, were walking out first. She craned her neck, trying to spot any familiar glimpses of pink hair. After the first team finally took their seats, the commentators announced Megan’s team, and the arena was filled with cheers once again. This time, Yoonchae cheered along, jumping up and down as the team started to walk out. She stood up as straight as she could, smiling brightly when she finally got a glimpse of Megan.
Yoonchae cheered even louder, holding her sign in one hand and using her other hand to amplify her voice. Her eyes were locked onto Megan, her heart rate skyrocketing. She looked amazing on that stage, and she had even added a fox ear headband to her outfit since she had last seen her. It only made her look even cuter in Yoonchae’s eyes. When Megan and the rest of her teammates took their seats at their setups, she was delighted to see how close Megan was to her. Yoonchae was only a couple of feet away from her, almost the closest she could possibly be. Just where she wanted to be. After Megan got situated at her setup, she started looking around, constantly checking different spots in the crowd.
Soon enough, she spotted Yoonchae, pressed right against the barrier as she cheered. She waved at her, and Yoonchae’s heart skipped a beat. She held up her sign again, waving at Megan with her other hand and cheering as loudly as she could. To anyone else, she looked like a regular fan. But she knew she was far more than that. Megan made a small heart gesture with her thumb and index finger before turning back to her computer, starting to set up for the matches ahead of her. Yoonchae’s heart felt like it was about to explode, and she took a couple of deep breaths to try and calm herself down.
Finally, the first match began. Everyone’s eyes were glued to the giant screens that played footage of the match, but Yoonchae wasn’t looking. She kept her eyes locked on Megan, watching her as she played. Every time Megan celebrated something, Yoonchae celebrated with her, cheering her on loudly. She was pretty sure Megan couldn’t hear her, considering she had a giant headset on, and she was probably busy talking to her teammates. But what kind of girlfriend would she be if she wasn’t trying to cheer her on anyways? She noticed that Megan would occasionally glance at her between rounds, and each time she did, she would cheer as loud as she could.
Megan’s team had won the first two matches, practically steamrolling over the opposing team. Yoonchae wasn’t worried about Megan losing anymore, it felt pretty obvious that they were going to win at this point. She was too focused on actually looking at Megan instead of focusing on the game, so when some of the fans around her groaned in disappointment, she was momentarily confused. She looked back up at the screens, noticing that all of Megan’s team had died, and frowned slightly. When she looked back at Megan, she looked pissed. She leaned back in her chair, glaring at the screen as she ran her hands through her hair. It was just one round of one match, but Yoonchae knew how frustrated Megan could get at these events.
“Come on, Megan! You’ve got this!” She continued to cheer, ignoring the strange looks she got from the others around her. “I believe in you!”
Although she knew Megan couldn’t hear her, she still wanted to try and support her in any way she could. After moving onto the next round, Megan focused back on the game, although she still looked frustrated. By the time the players were at the final round, Yoonchae’s throat was a bit sore from how much she had been cheering. Megan’s team was expected to win, with the commentators already predicting the win. Most fans were already cheering before the round even ended, and Yoonchae was no different. Her eyes were glued to the giant screens, watching the final round as Megan’s team won the entire tournament.
The entire arena filled with cheers, while all the players on Megan’s team stood up and started to celebrate. Yoonchae looked back at Megan, seeing her stand and pump her fists into the air, a giant smile on her face. All of Megan’s teammates huddled around each other, celebrating their win. But Megan had managed to slip away, finding a way off of the stage and down near the barricades. Fans held out their hands and their phones, hoping to get a high-five or photo as Megan passed. But she ignored all of them, her eyes focused on one person in particular. She started to run over to Yoonchae, approaching her from the other end of the barricade.
“Wait, Megan-!”
Yoonchae’s protests were cut off by the time Megan had reached her, immediately pressing herself against the barricade and bringing her lips to Yoonchae’s. She grabbed the sides of her face, trying to keep her from pulling away. Yoonchae was wildly caught off guard, her cheeks slowly fading into a light pink. They had been keeping their relationship a secret for a while now, did Megan want to change that? Was she even thinking clearly at the moment? Yoonchae pulled away, and Megan whined quietly in response, barely audible over the loud cheering and the music blaring through the speakers.
“Meimei, people are watching…”
“I don’t care. Kiss me.” Megan replied, a wide smile on her face as she leaned back in for a second time.
And this time, Yoonchae reciprocated instead of pulling away. Megan had already kissed her once, there was no going back from that. She leaned against the barricade, trying to get as close as she could to Megan. She deepened the kiss and brought her free hand to the back of Megan’s head. Secretly, she hoped that somewhere, one of the cameras was focused on the two of them. That they were displaying Megan’s act of love for the entire arena to see. That the guy she had encountered before the event was watching this somewhere in the crowd. Realizing that Megan wasn’t his, that she never would be. That she was hers.