Archive of Our Own

By the time Chanyeol slammed the door to his dorm behind him, he was 99% sure the universe was actively trying to end him. Not in a cute “haha life is hard” way. More like a full on cosmic middle finger.

The day had started with him oversleeping his 8 a.m. lecture because his phone betrayed him and died overnight. Then he spilled half an iced coffee directly onto the sleeve of his favorite hoodie like a clumsy idiot. Got publicly executed by his stats professor in front of thirty silent witnesses with zero emotional gentleness. And to top it all off, some guy on a scooter nearly ran him over outside the library while yelling “WATCH OUT, BRO” like Chanyeol had personally paid to ruin the guy’s day.

By 11 p.m., he was exhausted, a walking corpse if you will, so naturally, he did what he always did after bad days.

He turned on stream.

The familiar glow of his setup filled the room as Twitch loaded up. Chat immediately started flooding in, greetings racing down the screen faster than he could read them.

PCYYYY
bro survived college again
u look dead??
DID U EAT TODAY OR ARE WE CONCERNED

Chanyeol collapsed into his chair like his spine had quit. “Hello to you fucking too,” he groaned, shoving his headset on.

LMAOOO
hes so done
drop out king and go pro

“I would go pro if Riot respected me.” He rolled his eyes fondly. “I had the worst day of my entire miserable life, thanks for asking,” he said, already cracking open an energy drink like it was a coping mechanism. “We’re climbing ranked tonight. We’re healing. We’re manifesting. Shut up.”

Chat instantly started spamming COPIUM.

Two games later, he was in Diamond promos and his silly vibes were dead. This was war now.

The room was basically a cave lit only by monitor glow, casting long, jittery shadows against his face and the walls behind him. At 2:13 a.m., he was sitting so close to the screen he could probably count Lee Sin’s pores. Empty energy drink cans littered his desk everywhere. Somewhere behind him, his mini fridge made a brrr noise like it was personally judging him.

This was it. The final boss of the week: Diamond Promos. Two wins, two losses. This fifth game was the tiebreaker that determined if he’d finally climb out of the salt mines or spend another month being called "hardstuck" by twelve year olds in his Twitch chat. God how he hated those children with unsupervised screen time.

Chanyeol rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles loud enough for the mic to pick it up. "Team comp’s actually good, chat." Chanyeol said, his voice dropping into that focused, low register that usually meant he was trying to manifest a win through sheer willpower.

“We’ve got engage, we’ve got peel. As long as our last pick takes a solid frontline top, we’re golden. Just no weirdness. Please, for the love of everything holy, no weirdness."

“I need a Renekton with unresolved anger issues. That’s all I want in this cruel world.” He pointed threateningly at champion select.

The sound of a lock in echoed through his headset, a light, whimsical chime that sent a physical shiver down Chanyeol’s spine. A small, magical, blue cat with a piece of bread adorning its head appeared on the screen.

CandyB0y has locked in Yuumi.

Chanyeol’s hand went limp. He stared at the screen, waiting for the trade request. Maybe the support was going top? Maybe it was a misclick?

His chat exploded instantly.

RIP PROMOS
TOP YUUMI LMAOOOOOO
ITS SO OVER
REPORT IN CHAMP SELECT
PROMOS DIED FOR THIS

Chanyeol’s soul immediately tried to yeet itself out of his body. “...No.” He leaned forward so abruptly his webcam shook.

RealPCY: top?
CandyB0y: yes ^^
RealPCY: they have darius why r u the fucking cat
CandyB0y: he looked lonely meow
RealPCY: candy im literally in my promos.. please ill play anything else for u just dont do this
CandyB0y: trust the process ^^ i have 100% win rate on top yuumi ;)

Mid lane decided to join the war crimes

xXShadowZedXx: in my promos too btw
xXShadowZedXx: just wanted everyone to know before whatever this is happens
CandyB0y: negativity lowers lp gain btw <3

"He’s trolling," Chanyeol whispered as he turned to look at the camera like a man who’d seen hell, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Chat… he’s actually griefing me. Before minions spawn. Is this a bit? Am I getting punked by a twelve year old with a Twitch account?"

The loading screen felt like a funeral procession. Chanyeol’s Lee Sin looked valiant and ready for war, everyone else had intimidating splash arts and edgy poses and then there was Yuumi next to him who looked like she was five seconds from asking for head pats. As soon as they spawned into the summoner's rift, Chanyeol watched in horror as the cat didn't buy a Doran's Shield or even a Corrupting Potion. This CandyB0y gremlin bought a Dark Seal and a single health potion, then started scurrying toward the top lane with a cheerful little "mew" emote floating over its head like he’s on a magical girl adventure.

RealPCY (Lee Sin):at least buy wards pls
CandyB0y (Yuumi): warding is for scaredy cats~

Chanyeol took a deep, shaky breath, trying to ignore the way his chat was currently moving at the speed of light with "F" and "RIP PROMOS." He cleared his first buff, trying to keep his pathing efficient, but his eyes kept drifting to the top lane.

The lane was a disaster. It wasn't just that the Yuumi was losing; it was how she was losing. This guy wasn't even staying near the tower. He was standing right in the middle of the lane, walking in tiny, erratic circles around the enemy Darius, who seemed just as confused as Chanyeol was.

"What is he doing?" Chanyeol groaned to his chat, his voice cracking as he watched the Darius finally lose patience and pull the cat in. "Candy, move you fucking! Flash! Press anything! something!" Chanyeol screamed, voice cracking.

CandyB0y did not flash. Instead, he used his zoomies to move slightly faster into the enemy jungle, let out one pathetic looking magical spark, and promptly exploded into a pile of gold for the enemy team.

Chanyeol groaned as he heard the First Blood announcement through his headset.

[All] DariusDaddy (Darius): ?
[All] CandyB0y (Yuumi): wow hes fast
RealPCY (Lee Sin): HES A DARIUS HE HAS GHOST OF COURSE HES FAST
CandyB0y (Yuumi): dun be toxic pcy its bad for my aura
MILFSlayer69 (Miss Fortune): top gap at 2 mins is crazy work

Chanyeol slammed his hand onto his desk, the sound echoing through the mic. "Your aura? Your aura? I’m having a fucking mental breakdown and this cat is talking to me about his aura!”

He tried to focus on his own jungle, but the psychological warfare had already begun. Every time Chanyeol looked up, CandyB0y was doing something increasingly nonsensical, like trying to leash the enemy’s top side krugs or sitting in a bush waiting to ambush a champion that had five times his health bar.

RealPCY (Lee Sin): why r u behind his tower
CandyB0y (Yuumi): mind games
RealPCY (Lee Sin): WHOSE MIND
CandyB0y (Yuumi): idk yet hehe

Chanyeol was fully deranged at this point. "I have to go up there," he muttered, his jaw set in a hard line. "If I don't help, he's going to end up 0/12 by fifteen minutes. I'll gank. I'll just... I'll force it to work."

He finished his scuttle crab and started heading toward the top river brush, pinging On My Way with frantic intensity. He just needed this Candy person to bait. Just a little bit of cooperation.

RealPCY (Lee Sin): candy im coming just hit him with ur q so i can follow up
CandyB0y (Yuumi): oki doki captain :P

Chanyeol waited. He saw the opening. Darius had used his Q on the wave. Chanyeol lunged out of the brush, landing a perfect Sonic Wave. He flew through the air, ready to execute the combo. He just needed the cat to attach and give him that tiny bit of extra shielding.

Instead, CandyB0y accidentally, or not perhaps, hit his ultimate. Five waves of golden light erupted from the cat’s book, shooting directly toward the safety of their own tower, hitting absolutely nothing but the air.

Chanyeol died screaming under the tower three seconds later.

[All] LuxSupportMain (Lux): DID HE JUST MISS HIS ULTI
[All] DariusDaddy (Darius): nah let him cook
CandyB0y (Yuumi): mb finger slipped
RealPCY (Lee Sin): UR FINGER SLIPPED TOWARD OUR FUCKING BASE?
CandyB0y (Yuumi): yeh

Chanyeol stared at the gray screen, his hands trembling. He didn't even look at the camera. He just leaned back, covered his face with his hands, and let out a long, silent scream while chat spammed crying emotes. This wasn't just a game anymore; it was a test of his soul.

The silence in Chanyeol’s headset was actually deafening, save for the rhythmic thump thump of his own heart and the frantic clicking of his mouse. He was trying to farm his raptors, but his eyes were glued to the top lane. The Yuumi icon hadn't moved in sixty seconds. She was just standing there, tail twitching, right in the middle of the river like a discarded plush toy.

"He's gone," Chanyeol whispered to his stream, his voice reaching a level of exhaustion that bordered on physical pain. "Chat, look at him. He’s standing in the river. He’s not even under a tower. He’s literally offering himself as a snack to the scuttle crab."

The stream immediately exploded with IS HE AFK, WHY IS HE JUST STANDING THERE, HE LOOKS TAXIDERMIED LOL

Chanyeol typed desperately.

RealPCY (Lee Sin): candy?
RealPCY (Lee Sin): hello??
RealPCY (Lee Sin): yuumi pls blink twice if ur alive?

Nothing. A minute passed. Then two. The enemy mid laner noticed the stationary cat and wandered up, casually picking up the free kill and a shutdown bonus. Chanyeol watched his Diamond dreams drift away like smoke. He felt a hysterical laugh bubbling up in his chest.

"You know," Chanyeol said, leaning back and looking at the camera with a glazed expression. "I prepared for this. I did hand stretches. I chugged a protein shake. I studied the fucking patch notes like a nerd. And yet, here I am, being held hostage by a goddamn bread cat in a storybook who has decided to astral project midgame."

Suddenly, the Yuumi icon flickered.

CandyB0y (Yuumi): sorry lol
RealPCY (Lee Sin): SORRY? U WERE GONE FOR 3 MINUTES
CandyB0y (Yuumi): i had to go my pizza arrived and the guy was cute so i had to give him a fat tip
RealPCY (Lee Sin): U GAVE THE PIZZA GUY A TIP WHILE I GAVE THE ENEMY TEAM 600 GOLD
CandyB0y (Yuumi): sharing is caring pcy dont be greedy.
MILFSlayer69 (Miss Fortune): valid tbh

Chanyeol slammed his forehead onto his desk with a muffled thud.

His chat lost its mind.

HE’S DEAD
CALL AN AMBULANCE
SOMEONE CHECK HIS VITALS
THE CAT BROKE HIM

"I’m in a fucking nightmare," he groaned, staring dead-eyed into the camera. "This isn't League anymore, this is a psychological experiment designed to see how long it takes for a 6 foot something man to lose his mind on the internet."

The mid game hit like a truck, which for Chanyeol’s team meant complete and utter chaos. Since his top lane was basically a decorative ornament, the enemy team was roaming freely. In a fit of what could only be described as chaotic malice, CandyB0y finally decided to use his "W" ability. He zoomed across the screen and attached himself to Chanyeol’s Lee Sin.

"Oh, so now you wanna play?" Chanyeol muttered, feeling a tiny spark of hope. "Okay, fine. We have the cat's stats now. We can maybe win a 2v2."

He started pathing toward the dragon pit, looking for a steal. But as soon as he got close to the enemy team, his chat box started scrolling with terrifying speed.

[All] CandyB0y (Yuumi): hey guys
[All] CandyB0y (Yuumi): my jungler is right here
[All] CandyB0y (Yuumi): hes worth a fat bounty and super squishy bc hes tilted af
[All] CandyB0y (Yuumi): kill him first and ill give u a thumbs up emote
[All] CandyB0y (Yuumi): he also missed smite earlier but dont mention it hes sensitive

Chanyeol’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "HE’S SNITCHING? HE’S LITERALLY SNITCHING ON ME TO THE ENEMY TEAM?"

RealPCY (Lee Sin): CANDY STOP WHAT THE FUCK ARE U DOING
CandyB0y (Yuumi): making the game fun u seemed bored
RealPCY (Lee Sin): I WASNT BORED I WAS CALCULATING
CandyB0y (Yuumi): anyway look out behind u lol

Chanyeol barely had time to react before the entire enemy team, tipped off by his own teammate, collapsed on him like a pack of starving wolves. He dodged one ability, shielded himself, and tried to ward hop away like his life depended on it, but the cat attached to him was doing absolutely nothing, no heals, no shields, just happily spamming the "Cheers" emote with a cup of tea.

Chat was moving faster than his FPS.

THE TEA EMOTE LMAOOOO
YUUMI IS JUST SIGHTSEEING
bro got a parasite

"I’m literally a taxi," Chanyeol told his viewers, his voice trembling with a mix of rage and genuine awe at the audacity. "I am a high speed Uber for a troll. I’m playing League of Legends and he’s playing Animal Crossing on my back. He’s just here for the ride!"

He died pathetically under the midlane bush, the enemy team dancing over his corpse while the cat, somehow, managed to scurry away with 10 HP, spamming mastery emotes as it retreated like a smug little shit.

CandyB0y (Yuumi): pcy why did u die?
CandyB0y (Yuumi): u need to work on ur positioning king
RealPCY (Lee Sin): im going to find u i don't know how, but im going to find u and im going to delete ur account myself
CandyB0y (Yuumi): sounds like a date
CandyB0y (Yuumi): buy me chicken wings first tho im not easy
MILFSlayer69 (Miss Fortune): enemies to lovers arc starting in my ranked game im seated ToT

The "DEFEAT" banner slammed onto the screen in a shower of ugly red sparks like the game was personally flipping him off. Chanyeol sat in his chair motionless, staring at the statistics page. He had dealt more damage than his entire team combined, while that fucking cat on his back had ended the game with a score of 0/18/2 and a total of 400 damage dealt, mostly from that one time he accidentally auto attacked a ward.

Then the post game lobby chat lit up

CandyB0y: gg wp
CandyB0y: pcy u should try a tutorial or something maybe play vs bots for a bit dont give up <3
CandyB0y: keep ur head up tho! some people just arent meant for diamond ;)
RealPCY: im gonna see u in my nightmares

Chanyeol instantly closed the lobby before he typed something that would get his account perma-banned and his mom called by Riot. He spun towards his second monitor, where his Twitch chat was a literal blur of laughing emotes, clip spam titled "PROMO RUINER 1000 IQ" and people asking if he was going to cry on stream. One guy donated $5 just to say “bro got cyberbullied by hello kitty”.

"I'm not crying, chat," Chanyeol said, his voice reaching a pitch that screamed he was, in fact, very close to crying. "I’m just... I’m amazed. I am in awe of the sheer, concentrated toxicity of one human being. Who wastes thirty minutes of their sad little life playing a bread cat just to ruin a random stranger's day? Who does that?"

Another donation popped up: queue again coward

He rubbed his face, his skin flushed from the stress. "Whatever. It’s fine. We go again. One loss won't break me. The law of averages says I can't possibly get that guy twice. The universe isn't that cruel."

He clicked find match as his chat began spamming funeral emojis and crying cats. The queue popped stupidly fast. Chanyeol accepted, holding his breath as the champion select screen loaded. He scanned the names on his team. No CandyB0y. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"See? Justice," he told the camera, trying to regain his swagger. He locked in Lee Sin again, determined to redeem himself. "We have a real team this time. A real top laner. Let's get this win."

Chanyeol scanned the loading screem to check the enemy team’s names, and his heart skipped a beat. There, sitting pretty on the enemy list, was the name: CandyB0y. Except this time, he wasn't a Yuumi. He had locked in Ezreal with a Smite.

Chanyeol’s soul visibly left his body. His chat exploded so violently Twitch compression gave up.

NO WAY
BACK TO BACK
THE DEVIL RETURNED
THE SMITE EZREAL IM CRYING

[All] RealPCY (Lee Sin): HEY.
[All] RealPCY (Lee Sin): TO THE ENEMY TEAM REPORT UR ADC.
[All] RealPCY (Lee Sin): hes a troll he literally just threw my promos playing top lane yuumi good luck you guys are playing a 4v5
[All] CandyB0y (Ezreal): hi pcy :3 u talk a lot for someone who misses smite.
[All] RealPCY (Lee Sin): I MISSED IT BECAUSE U WERE SINGING IN CHAT

Chanyeol started his jungle clear with murder in his heart after that, feeling a smug sense of satisfaction. He was going to camp the bot lane. He was going to make this guy’s life a living hell. He moved toward the bottom brush at level 3, ready to pounce. Easy gank. Smite Ezreal troll pick? Free kill, free therapy.

But as he crept into the bot line brush, something was wrong. CandyB0y wasn't walking in circles. He was kiting perfectly like a god. He was hitting every single Mystic Shot with pixel perfect precision. Chanyeol lunged out of the brush, but Ezreal shifted away instantly, buffered the CC, and landed a combo that took half of Chanyeol’s health before he could even blink.

"Wait, what the fuck!?" Chanyeol stuttered, scrambling to ward hop away. "What was that? Why is he faker now? Chat, did you see that movement? That’s not a troll. That’s... that’s a script. He’s scripting!"

Five minutes later, it was clear he wasn't scripting. He was just disgustingly good. CandyB0y was playing like a god, 1v2ing the lane, stealing Chanyeol’s blue buff with a blind ultimate, and then typing '?' in the chat every single time Chanyeol died.

CandyB0y was 7/0. Smite Ezreal was somehow working, worse than working actually, he was dominating Chanyeol. Every fight ended the same way, Ezreal dashing forward like a caffeinated mosquito and deleting people while typing between autos.

[All] CandyB0y (Ezreal): ?
[All] CandyB0y (Ezreal): jungle diff maybe

Chanyeol was losing his mind in real time. “NO,” he shouted at stream. “No, no, no, because THIS makes me angrier. If he was bad all the time, fine. But THIS means he ruined my promos for fun!.”

He tabbed scoreboard aggressively. 13 CS per minute. Perfect KDA. Vision score somehow decent despite Smite.

[All] CandyB0y (Ezreal):: shouldve practiced more against bots pcy

Chanyeol stood up so fast his chair flew backward. “HE’S MOCKING ME WITH MY OWN TRAUMA.” His character sat motionless in river while he paced around his room with both hands on his head. “I HATE HIM. CHAT I ACTUALLY HATE HIM.”

Donations were pouring in too fast to read and one message flashed across the screen.

sexual tension kinda crazy tho

“NO IT ISN’T!” Chanyeol yelled instantly, almost screeching.

Then another message

he only bullies you specifically O.O

Chanyeol pointed accusingly at the chat. “Because he’s EVIL guys!” he shouted as he sat back down, pressing Enter to open chat and start typing like a madman.

[All] RealPCY (Lee Sin): WTF??
[All] RealPCY (Lee Sin): R U TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE?
[All] RealPCY (Lee Sin): why were u a useless cat ten minutes ago and now ur playing like ur challenger?
[All] CandyB0y (Ezreal): i told u pcy. i was bored before.
[All] CandyB0y (Ezreal): also the pizza was good. gave me energy.
[All] RealPCY (Lee Sin): U TROLLED MY PROMOS FOR FUN AND NOW UR TRYHARDING AGAINST ME?

Chanyeol was screaming now, standing up from his chair and gesturing at the screen while his character stood idle in the fountain.

[All] CandyB0y (Ezreal): u should focus more on the map and less on the chat.
[All] CandyB0y (Ezreal): stay mad tho, its cute.

Chanyeol’s Twitch chat detonated when they read CandyB0y’s reply.

OOOOOOOOHHHHH
HE CALLED HIM CUTE
ENEMIES TO LOVERS SPEEDRUN
KISS HIM RN
PCY IS BLUSHING GUYSSS

Chanyeol’s brain short circuited. "Cute? Cute?! Chat, he called me cute while he’s taking my LP! I'm gonna lose another game! I'm going back to Gold! I'm gonna be a wood tier player because of a guy named CANDYB0Y!"

Baekhyun leaned back in his creaky chair, the glow of his rgb keyboard reflecting in his eyes as he took a satisfied bite of his pepperoni pizza. On his left monitor, the League of Legends screen splashed across the display. On his right monitor... well, that was where the real entertainment was.

"Oh my god, he’s actually turning into a tomato," Baekhyun giggled, licking a bit of sauce off his thumb before wiping it, mostly, on a napkin. "Look at him. He looks like a giant, angry cherry with anxiety"

He had stumbled upon the stream purely by accident after the first game. He’d just wanted to see if the Lee Sin he’d spent thirty minutes terrorizing as a top lane Yuumi was actually as tilted as his frantic keyboard smashing suggested. But finding out the dude was a popular streamer with twenty thousand people watching him have a full meltdown? That was better than any LP gain.

During a death timer, he typed the username into Twitch, and immediately found: LIVE NOW, 20.4K VIEWERS, RANKED GRIND TO DIAMOND. Baekhyun had clicked instantly, and there he was. Tall guy, messy dark hair, huge gaming headset, looking one missed Smite away from throwing his PC out the window.

Baekhyun had stared for maybe three seconds before bursting into laughter so loud his upstairs neighbor banged on the floor. “Oh my god,” he whispered delightedly. “He’s STREAMING this?”

That changed everything, because before, trolling Chanyeol had been funny, but now? Now it was performance art with a live audience. So naturally Baekhyun locked the fuck in.

He had spent the last twenty minutes playing like a god on crack, specifically because he knew Chanyeol was watching every move. He wasn't just playing Ezreal, he was performing. Every Arcane Shift was perfectly timed to make Chanyeol look like he was swinging at air. Every global ultimate was aimed precisely to snatch an objective right out of those big, trembling hands.

Every Ezreal shift timed for maximum psychological damage. If Chanyeol missed a skillshot, Baekhyun made sure to pause just long enough afterward for the embarrassment to marinate. If he stole an objective, he’d glance immediately at the stream to watch Chanyeol’s soul leave his body in real time.

And the best part, Baekhyun thought, was that Chanyeol was so expressive. The man wore every emotion directly on his face like subtitles. At one point he literally leaned back and stared at the ceiling after getting outplayed at dragon like he was asking God personally why this was happening to him. Baekhyun almost choked on his pizza laughing.

"Let's see what he's saying now," Baekhyun whispered to himself, leaning in as Chanyeol started shouting about how ‘nobody behaves like this naturally, he must wake up and choose violence for fun' into his high end condenser mic as he is typing away furiously.

Baekhyun grinned around another bite of pizza. “You’re making this way too easy for me, giant cherry.”

[All] RealPCY (Lee Sin): im literally streaming to 20k people right now and ur making me look like a bot
[All] RealPCY (Lee Sin): do u have no shame? u ruin my promos as a cat and now ur playing like fakers secret apprentice?

Baekhyun’s eyes crinkled as he let out a sharp, bark-like laugh. He reached for his keyboard, his fingers dancing over the keys with a speed that would have made Chanyeol’s head spin.

[All] CandyB0y (Ezreal): u stream?
[All] CandyB0y (Ezreal): like... on purpose?

He watched the stream delay. Three seconds later, Chanyeol’s face contorted in a way that made Baekhyun howl. The guy looked like he’d just been told his dog ran away.

"He's so dramatic," Baekhyun cackled to his empty room "‘Yes, on purpose!’ Who says that? He’s basically begging to be bullied at this point."

[All] CandyB0y (Ezreal): wow. brave.
[All] CandyB0y (Ezreal): i didnt know people watched national geographic jungle disasters live .

Watching Chanyeol clutch his chest and gasp for air like he was shot was more satisfying than the 500 gold shutdown bounty Baekhyun had just collected from him. Baekhyun wasn't usually this much of a menace, okay maybe he was, but there was something about this ‘RealPCY’ guy that made him want to poke and prod until the man totally snapped. Maybe it was the serious tryhard energy, or the way his ears turned bright pink when he got flustered.

“No way,” Baekhyun whispered, leaning closer to the monitor and zooming in on the stream. “He blushes when he’s mad?”

That was catastrophic information to give someone like him, so he immediately teased him.

[All] CandyB0y (Ezreal): pcy are u okay
[All] CandyB0y (Ezreal): ur ears are red on stream

On stream, Chanyeol physically recoiled, like somebody had shot him. “Oh my GOD,” he shouted. “HE’S WATCHING THE STREAM NOW?”

Baekhyun saw the chat flying uncontrollably bombarded with:

HE FOUND THE STREAM
ITS OVER
PCY HIDE YOUR ADDRESS
BRO IS GETTING CYBERBULLIED FOR FREE
THIS IS PEAk ENTERTAINMENT

The effect was immediate, Chanyeol slapped both hands over his headset so fast he almost knocked it off. “WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT MY EARS??”

Baekhyun nearly slid out of his chair laughing, full-on tears in his eyes. He moved his Ezreal straight up to the enemy's base, dancing just outside the fountain laser. He knew Chanyeol was reading every word of the chat, probably shaking so hard he could barely hold his mouse to aim properly.

By now he wasn’t even fully focused on the game anymore, half his attention stayed on the stream permanently because Chanyeol’s reactions were honestly more rewarding than the LP. Every time Baekhyun landed a combo, he’d glance sideways immediately, only to see Chanyeol again, hands in his hair and mouth hanging open, looking personally betrayed.

“This guy is unbelievable,” Chanyeol muttered at one point, staring at the death screen. “He’s ruining my career for sport.”

Baekhyun smiled around another bite of his pizza. Cute. Not that he’d say that out loud, probably. Okay maybe a little.

The game dragged toward the end with Ezreal monstrously fed and Chanyeol emotionally decomposing by the second. Before the final push, Baekhyun walked his champion right up to the enemy fountain laser and started dancing just outside its range purely to irritate him one last time before typing.

[All] CandyB0y (Ezreal): dont be mad pcy.
[All] CandyB0y (Ezreal): it’s just a game.
[All] CandyB0y (Ezreal): tho if i were u, i’d turn the stream off before the clip of me 1v1ing u goes viral on twitter

On the stream, Chanyeol let out a guttural noise and ripped his headset off, his hair looking like he’d stuck his finger in a light socket. Baekhyun cackled, leaning his head back until he was staring at the ceiling.

"“Oh he’s DONE done," he whispered, eyes sparkling with pure evil joy.

The Nexus exploded seconds later. Victory. Baekhyun stretched lazily, cracking his knuckles while the post game honors screen appeared. Honestly? Incredible match, maybe one of the funniest solo queue experiences of his life hands down.

He exited back to the client, still smiling to himself, then noticed the blinking notification. It was a friend request from: RealPCY.

Baekhyun’s grin widened slowly, clicking onto Chanyeol’s stream again. The guy was currently lying face down across his desk while his chat spammed for Baekhyun to read.

ADD HIM BACK CANDY
KISS HIM
RAGE QUEUE TO MARRIAGE ARC

“I hate all of you,” He heard Chanyeol’s muffled voice say, face planted on his desk.

"You just can't stay away, huh, giant cherry?" Baekhyun murmured, hovering his cursor over the request. He didn't accept it immediately. He wanted to let the big guy simmer for a few more minutes.

He took another bite of his pizza, watching Chanyeol on the second screen tell his viewers he was becoming a silent monk.

"We'll see about that," Baekhyun said, finally clicking Accept. "I haven't even showed you my midlane Teemo yet." Baekhyun took another bite of pizza thoughtfully.

A message popped up almost immediately.

RealPCY: listen carefully u little demon

Baekhyun snorted so hard he inhaled pepper flakes. He wiped his eyes, still laughing. “Oh, this is gonna be fun.”

Baekhyun leaned back, a stray pepperoni slice dangling precariously from his hand as he watched the chat box in the client flicker to life. The speed at which that message had appeared was impressive; it meant Chanyeol hadn't even waited for the post game tilt to wear off before hunting him down.

"Little demon?" Baekhyun repeated out loud, his voice airy and full of feigned offense. "And here I was thinking we were having a romantic evening," he pouted.

He glanced at the stream. Chanyeol was back in his chair now, though sitting was a strong word for it. He was hunched over, his face so close to the camera he looked like he was trying to physically fight his monitor. His dark hair was sticking up everywhere from repeatedly shoving his hands through it, and there was a faint shine of stress sweat across his forehead under the led lights. The man was a whole mood.

Meanwhile, chat on Chanyeol’s stream was going crazy.

HE ADDED HIM BACK
ITS HAPPENING u GUYS
THEYRE GONNA KISS IN BOT LANE
PCY STAND UP

Baekhyun wiped his greasy fingers on a napkin that had long since given up its purpose and started typing with evil intent.

CandyB0y: demon? :(
CandyB0y: wow
CandyB0y: and here i thought we bonded tonight ... so ungrateful.

On the monitor, Chanyeol let out a sound that was less of a human word and more of a strangled squawk. “BONDED?” Chanyeol repeated loudly. “Chat, he thinks torturing me for two games straight is bonding!”

Baekhyun laughed quietly to himself and typed again.

CandyB0y: also i carried ur bot lane btw
CandyB0y: show some respect <3

That one got a spectacular reaction. Chanyeol actually stood up, his chair rolled backward and smacked into the wall while he pointed furiously at the monitor. "CARRIED? HE ADMITS IT!" Chanyeol shouted, slamming a fist onto his desk. “He admits he was tryharding against me on purpose!” Chanyeol shouted. “This guy played Yuumi top like he was controlling the game with oven mitts and THEN turned into Faker the second he saw my LP was vulnerable!”

RealPCY: i have a STREAM
RealPCY: i have SPONSORS
RealPCY: do u know what u did to my mmr tonight u actual menace

Baekhyun popped a crust into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully while he watched Chanyeol pace behind his chair. The guy was tall, distractingly tall, even through a webcam he took up too much space, and he was currently waving his arms around like a giant, frantic windmill. It was stupidly entertaining.

"He's so easy to rile up," Baekhyun giggled, his eyes sparkling. "It’s like poking a giant teddy bear, except the bear is wearing a pastel headset and pouting."

CandyB0y: i told u, i was eating. hard to aim skillshots with one hand
CandyB0y: plus, u were just more fun to hit than the minions.
CandyB0y: u react so loudly. i could hear u screaming from across the map.

Chanyeol froze. He slowly turned his head toward his second monitor, staring at the message. "He... he could hear me screaming?" He blinked, then turned back to his camera, looking genuinely horrified. "Chat, is he…is he in my house? Is he a ghost?"

"Oh my god, he's actually a bit of a dummy," Baekhyun wheezed, clutching his stomach as he watched the streamer check around him. "I meant the pings, you giant! The pings!"

But it was too late. Chanyeol was already checking behind his curtains.

Chat lost its mind instantly.

HE THINKS HES BEING STALKED
PCY IQ DEBUFF LOL
HES LOOKING FOR HIM LMAOOOO
HIDE UNDER THE BED KINGG

Baekhyun folded in half laughing, wiping tears from his eyes. “Oh my god. He’s actually dumb.”

On stream, Chanyeol was now peering suspiciously toward his bedroom door like a suburban father after hearing a raccoon outside. “Chat,” he whispered cautiously, “what if he’s nearby.”

That destroyed Baekhyun completely, he had to set the pizza down because his hands were shaking too hard.

CandyB0y: relax ghost hunter. i meant ur pings
CandyB0y: anyway u still tilted?
CandyB0y: or do u want to actually win a game for once? i’m feeling generous :3

Chanyeol stopped midway through checking under his desk. He sat back down trying to regain some semblance of dignity. "He's asking if I wanna duo," Chanyeol told the stream, his voice dropping an octave as he tried to act cool. "The guy who ruined my night is asking to duo. What do we think chat? Do we trust the demon?"

DO ITTTTT
ENEMIES TO LOVERS QUEUE
GET CARRIED AGAIN
HE WANTS U BAD
PCY NEEDS THAT DEMON D
HE'S GONNA TROLL U AGAIN LOL

Chanyeol pointed aggressively at the chat. “Nobody say ‘wants you bad’ ever again.”

Baekhyun leaned back in his chair, watching him with growing amusement. There was something incredibly entertaining about how expressive Chanyeol was, every emotion crossed his face instantly and dramatically like he’d never learned how to conceal a single thought in his life. Especially annoyance, and annoyance looked very good on him.

Without waiting any longer, Baekhyun sent the duo invite, the notification popped up on stream immediately.

Chanyeol stared at it long and hard. “This,” he announced solemnly, “is how horror movies start.”

ACCEPT IT COWARD
HE’S YOUR SOULMATE!!!
KISS QUEUE WOOOooo

“I hate every single one of you.” He said, but his mouse was already moving, accepting the invite.

Baekhyun’s smile widened instinctively at the sound notification.

RealPCY: one game
RealPCY: ONE
RealPCY: if u lock yuumi again im flying to wherever you live and taking your keyboard away!

Baekhyun giggled quietly.

CandyB0y: wow possessive already
CandyB0y: should i dress nice for our game date?

Chanyeol made the exact same strangled noise as before. “WHY DOES HE TALK LIKE THIS.”

Chat was scrolling too fast to read now.

BRO IS FLIRTING
PCY BLUSHING AGAIN
HE CANT HANDLE THE DEMON!

And sure enough, the tips of Chanyeol’s ears were pink again. Baekhyun noticed instantly, his heart gave a strange little hop. Dangerous. Very, very dangerous.

CandyB0y: aw
CandyB0y: ur ears did the thing again

Chanyeol slapped both hands over his headset in frustration. “STOP MONITORING MY EARS YOU WEIRDO.”

Baekhyun bit his lip to stop another laugh. Cute, he thought. Way too cute.

RealPCY: queue up before i change my mind

Baekhyun clicked Find Match lazily.

CandyB0y: yes captain
CandyB0y: lets show ur little viewers what a real carry looks like ;)

"He's so annoying!" Chanyeol yelled, though he was finally, finally smiling a little bit. "I hate him! Chat, I hate this guy!"

The queue popped almost instantly, which, according to Chanyeol, was already suspicious. “Nope,” he said immediately, narrowing his eyes at the screen like Riot personally wanted him dead. “Too fast. That’s a cursed queue.”

Chat disagreed violently.

QUEUE WITH UR BOYFRIEND
ITS DESTINY
LOCK IN THE CAT

“I would rather eat my own hoodie.” Chanyeol deadpanned.

Champion select loaded and this time, thankfully, they were on the same team. Chanyeol locked in Lee Sin and Baekhyun went mid LeBlanc. Not Yuumi, not Smite Ezreal. An actual mid champion. Chanyeol was trying to act cool again, adjusting his collar and telling his chat that this was a "strictly business arrangement to recovery his LP."

BUSINESS PARTNERS HE SAID ToT
THATS UR MAN
HES TRYING TO LOOK COOL AGAIN

Baekhyun, however, had zero chill and zero business intentions. He had his second monitor ready, Twitch open so he could watch Chanyeol’s face in real time without tabbing out. He watched the way Chanyeol’s tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth when he was concentrating, and the way he leaned closer to the screen during a jungle clear, and the little frustrated huff noises.

"He really is a lot to handle," Baekhyun murmured, a devious thought crossing his mind. "Let's see how he handles a direct hit."

While Chanyeol was busy kiting the Blue Buff while lecturing chat about optimal jungle pathing like a nerd, Baekhyun didn't type in game chat. Instead, he pulled up Twitch, and slid into his DMs.

[Twitch DM]
CandyB0y: hey pcy :)
CandyB0y: u know u look way cuter when ur not screaming at ur monitor ;)
CandyB0y: anyway drop ur discord? i feel like we’d sync better if i could hear u tilt in high definition

Baekhyun sat back and waited. On the stream, Chanyeol’s eyes flickered to his side monitor.

Chanyeol’s champion stopped moving entirely, standing idle right in front of the Blue Buff while it slapped him in the face. Chanyeol’s eyes widened, his mouth falling open slightly as he read the message. Slowly, a deep, undeniable crimson began to crawl up from his neck like a forest fire, flooding his cheeks and staining the tips of his ears.

"Oh my god," Baekhyun wheezed, hitting his desk. "He’s actually malfunctioning."

"U-uh," Chanyeol stuttered into the mic, his cool gamer persona shattering into a million pieces. He looked like he’d forgotten how to breathe, let alone play League. "Chat... uh... the jungler, the enemy jungler, I think I’m lagging. Yeah. Lagging."

PCY HIDE THE BLUSH
BRO IS BEAMING
LOOK AT HIS EARS LMAOOOO
HE’S REDDER THAN THE DEFEAT SCREEN
PCY.exe STOPPED RESPONDING
THE BLUE BUFF IS WINNING LMAO

Chanyeol’s hands were shaking as he fumbled with his keyboard. He wasn't even looking at the game anymore, even though his health bar was dropping from the jungle monster’s attacks. He was frantically typing back.

A notification pinged on Baekhyun’s end.

[Twitch DM]
RealPCY: stop looking at my face!! and i dont tilt!!
RealPCY: its pcy_0461. but only for the game!! don't get weird!!

Baekhyun cackled, quickly adding the tag on Discord. " 'Don't get weird,' he says," Baekhyun mimicked in a deep voice, his eyes crinkling. "Too late for that, giant cherry. You already gave me the keys to the castle."

Back in the game, Chanyeol finally realized he was dying to a neutral camp and panicked, flashing away from the Blue Buff in a blind frenzy of embarrassment.

CandyB0y (LeBlanc): nice flash pcy
CandyB0y (LeBlanc): was that a tactical retreat or r u just happy to see me?

Chat detonated.

HE FLASHED THE PVE
NOT THE BLUE BUFF LMAOOOO
BRO GOT CYBERFLIRTED INTO A MISPLAY
PCY U DOWN BADDDD?

"I'M NOT- I HATE THIS! I HATE HIM! I ACTUALLY HATE HIM!" Chanyeol yelled, throwing his hands up, his face still glowing like a neon red sign. "I am blocking him! I am blocking him after this game! Chat, stop laughing! It’s not funny!"

And because God had abandoned Chanyeol completely tonight, Discord suddenly made the little bloop noise of an incoming call making Chanyeol freeze in place slowly looking toward the notification then toward chat.

“Absolutely not.”

The call kept ringing while chat spammed ANSWER IT.

Chanyeol groaned dramatically. “You people want me dead.” while he accepted the call.

Immediately, Baekhyun cleared his throat, wiped the pizza grease off his face, and leaned into his mic, his voice dropping into that smooth, honeyed tone he knew was lethal.

"Helloooooo? PCY?" Baekhyun said into the headset, purring. "You still blushing, or can we actually start ganking now?"

The silence from Chanyeol’s end of the call was long, loud, and incredibly satisfying.

The Discord call audio was patched directly into the stream, and the moment Baekhyun let out that low, melodic chuckle, Chanyeol’s chat transformed into a vertical wall of text. 20k people were collectively losing their minds over the voice coming through Chanyeol’s headset.

WHO THE FUCK IS THIS
HIS VOICE IS BUTTER
ITS ILLEGAL
PCY YOURE LITERALLY BLUSHING STOP

The silence on the other end of the Discord call was so thick you could have cut it with a Zeal shard. Baekhyun sat back, swirling the last of his Coke in its glass, watching Chanyeol remain completely motionless on the stream. The giant was frozen, staring at his Discord overlay like it was a ghost.

"Pcy~?" Baekhyun purred into the mic, pitching his voice just low enough to be dangerous for 3 a.m. "You gone quiet on me? I thought you had a lot to say about my 'demon' behavior."

On the stream, Chanyeol finally found his voice, though it came out an octave higher than usual. "I-I’m here. I’m just... focusing. My chat is being weird. You’re being weird. Everything is weird."

HE’S DYINGGGG
BRO IS FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE
PCY YOUR VOICE JUST DID A BACKFLIP

“I AM FINE,” Chanyeol barked, then immediately cleared his throat aggressively and sat up straighter, trying to reclaim dignity. Unfortunately for him, Baekhyun had already smelled weakness.

"Is it weird?" Baekhyun chuckled, the sound vibrating through the high quality audio. "I thought it was nice. You have a really deep voice. It’s much better than the screaming I heard on Twitch earlier. It’s actually... kind of hot when you’re not yelling at me."

Chanyeol’s Lee Sin, walked straight into a wall and stayed there, walking in place like a glitchy NPC.

"STOP!" Chanyeol yelped, but he was smiling, that flustered, helpless smile that made his dimple pop. "Stop talking. We have to secure the Rift Herald, focus on the game, Candy."

"But I am focusing," Baekhyun teased innocently, kiting his LeBlanc toward the top side of the map. "I’m focusing on how pink your nose gets when you’re flustered. Do you always get this worked up over a little compliment? You’re so sensitive. It’s cute."

ZOOM IN
HES RIGHT
ITS PINK LMAOOOO
PCY FACE CAM 4K EXPERIENCE

"I am not sensitive!" Chanyeol shouted, slamming his desk. "I am a professional! I am a—"

"A giant cherry?" Baekhyun interrupted. "A grumpy, handsome giant cherry who’s currently failing to hop over the Dragon pit wall?"

Chanyeol let out a groan of pure agony as he indeed failed the ward hop. "I hate you. I actually, truly hate you. Chat, I’m disconnecting. I’m done."

"No, you’re not~," Baekhyun laughed softly, his voice softening into something more playful, more intimate. "You like the attention. Admit it. Your night was boring as hell until I showed up with my cat and ruined your life."

"You did ruin my life! You cost me my promos!"

"And now I'm winning you the game," Baekhyun reminded him, effortlessly snagging a double kill in the mid lane. "I’m your guardian angel, just with a bit of a mean streak. Now come here and give me the Blue Buff. I want to see if you’ll actually hand it over or if you’re going to be stingy."

Chanyeol huffed loudly, but he obediently started the Blue Buff and pulled it toward the edge of the camp like a trained puppy. "Here. Just take it and shut up."

"Good boy," Baekhyun whispered, slow and syrupy.

Chanyeol’s head hit the desk with a loud thwack. He didn't even move for five seconds, his headset lopsided on his head. The stream chat was absolutely disintegrating into chaos, with 20k+ people witnessing Chanyeol’s total surrender.

"Did you just 'good boy' me?" Chanyeol’s muffled voice came from the desk. "On a Discord call? While I’m live?"

OH MY GODDDD
HE SAID GOOD BOY!!!
HE KILLED HIM
PCY IS DEAD
DOWN BAD ARC IS REAL
SOMEONE SAVE PCY

"Did it work?" Baekhyun asked, a grin stretching across his face as he watched Chanyeol slowly lift his head, his face a shade of red that shouldn't be biologically possible.

"I'm blocking you," Chanyeol whispered, though his hand wasn't nowhere near the block button. He was actually leaning closer to the mic, his eyes bright. "Right after we win this. I'm blocking you so hard."

"Sure you are, handsome," Baekhyun laughed, clicking his mouse with a flourish. "Whatever helps you sleep at night." He leaned back, biting his lip to hide how much he was enjoying this.

The moment the words “face reveal” hit the chat, everything went downhill immediately.

FACE REVEALLLLL
TURN ON HIS CAM
WE NEED TO SEE THE DEMON
CANDY FACE REVEAL OR RIOT
SHOW US THE YUUMI TERRORIST
TELL THE DEMON TO TURN ON HIS CAM RIGHT NOW

Chanyeol glanced at his second monitor and his eyes widened. "No! No face reveal! We are here for the ranked gameplay!. Educational content. Focus on the match!" he shouted, though he was frantically trying to clear his throat to find his deeper register again."He’s a troll! He’s a menace! You don’t want to see him, he probably has horns and a tail!"

More messages flooded in.

HE’S HIDING SOMETHING
BET HES BALD
HE SOUNDS HOT THOUGH
SHOW UR MAN PCY

Someone donated ten dollars. “educational what? watching u get flirted into missing smite?”

Chanyeol looked personally victimized by his own audience. “Moderators,” he said weakly, “please help me.”

"Horns? That’s a bit much, don't you think?" Baekhyun’s voice came through, sounding impossibly amused. He was watching the stream on his side monitor, his chin resting in his hand as he effortlessly kited the enemy mid laner into a trap. "Actually, I see the chat. They’re being very persuasive. 'Face reveal or riot' is a pretty strong threat to your career."

“YOU psychologically tortured me for two games and don't listen to them!" Chanyeol hissed, his Lee Sin accidentally walking under an enemy tower because he was too busy yelling at his chat. "They’re vultures! They just want clips!"

Chat kept escalating.

WE NEED VISUAL CONFIRMATION
FACE CAM OR FAKE EGIRL
SHOW THE DUO PARTNER
CANDY WE’RE ON YOUR SIDE

Baekhyun’s eyes skimmed lazily over the scrolling messages, then one particular chat caught his attention.

wait why is candy kinda obsessed with chanyeol ToT

Baekhyun blinked.“…Chanyeol?”

More messages immediately followed.

HELP HE DOESNT KNOW PCY’S NAME IS CHANYEOL
BRO THEYRE ALREADY INTIMATE AND HE DOESNT EVEN KNOW HIS GOVERNMENT NAME

Baekhyun slowly smiled, as he watched Chanyeol twitch a little, visibly realizing what his chat had done. “No no no NO,” he said immediately, face reddening. “Ignore that. Nobody say my real name. Why would you do that.”

Baekhyun leaned closer to his mic, voice dropping into something soft and way too dangerous “Chanyeol,” he repeated thoughtfully.

The effect was devastating for Chanyeol. He froze completely, his character stopped moving again.

“Ohh,” Baekhyun said softly, clearly enjoying himself now. “That’s cute.”

“Do not start using it.”

“Why not, Chanyeol?”

The full government name in that flirty tone hit like a sniper shot directly to the chest.

HE SAID IT
THE TONE IS CRAZY???
PCY IS BLUSHING AGAIN
HE FOLDED IMMEDIATELY

“I hate every single person here,” Chanyeol muttered, covering his face with one giant hand.

Baekhyun grinned. “Aw. Chanyeol’s shy?” he teased, voice dripping with fake sympathy.

“I AM NOT SHY.” Chanyeol shouted at the camera.

“Your ears disagree.”

“I TOLD YOU TO STOP LOOKING AT MY EARS.”

Baekhyun laughed quietly to himself, then glanced back at the chat.

FACE REVEALLLLLL
CANDY PLEASEEEEE

"They’re asking pretty nicely. I don't mind," Baekhyun said, his voice light and teasing. "I’m actually having a pretty good hair day, so I’m in a great mood. Should I, chat? Should I show you the face of the person who owns your favorite streamer?"

Then Baekhyun saw another chat message fly by.

HE PROBABLY LOOKS LIKE A REDDIT MOD

His eyebrows lifted slowly. “Oh,” he murmured. “Now I kinda have to defend my honor.”

"CANDY, NO—"

It was too late. Baekhyun’s Discord avatar flickered and disappeared, replaced by a small, rectangular video feed in the corner of Chanyeol’s screen.

Baekhyun wasn't a demon. He wasn't a sweaty, basement dwelling troll. He was sitting in a cozy looking room, wearing an oversized white hoodie that made him look soft and approachable. He had messy, soft looking hair, a pair of slightly droopy, puppy-like eyes, and a mouth that was currently pulled into a tiny, mischievous smirk as he chewed on a piece of pepperoni.

The contrast was lethal. The man who had spent an hour psychologically torturing Chanyeol looked like a literal angel.

The chat froze for exactly one second before exploding and absolutely lost its collective mind.

WAIT HE IS SO CUTE
HE LOOKS LIKE A PUPPY
THATS THE DEMON??
PCY RUN HES A SIREN
HES LITERALLY PRETTIER THAN THE GAME
OH MY GOD HIS EYES
PCY STAND UP HES BEAUTIFUL

Chanyeol didn't say a word. He didn't even move. His Lee Sin stood perfectly still in the middle of the river while the scuttle crab started hitting him. His jaw dropping, eyes glued to the small video box on his screen. He wasn't looking at the minimap. He wasn't looking at his cooldowns. He was just... staring.

"Chanyeol?" Baekhyun leaned closer to his camera, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he noticed Chanyeol’s stunned expression. He waved a small, pale hand. "You’re getting hit by a crab. Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

BRO IS GONE
HE LEFT HIS BODY
LOOK AT HIS FACEEEEE
THE MAN IS STUNNED

"You..." Chanyeol started, his voice cracking hard. He cleared his throat and tried again, though his face was now a shade of red that was borderline concerning. "You don't look like someone who plays Yuumi top."

"What do I look like then?" Baekhyun asked, tilting his head, looking right into the lens, his expression pure, unadulterated mischief. "Your new duo partner? Or maybe just someone who’s going to make sure you never win a promo match again?"

"I..." Chanyeol’s character finally died in game, the 'You Have Been Slain' message flashing across the screen. He didn't even care. He was too busy watching Baekhyun wipe a bit of tomato sauce from his lip.

"Chat, I think I’m lagging," Chanyeol whispered, though he wasn't looking at the ping counter. He was looking at Baekhyun’s smile.

"You're not lagging, Yeol," Baekhyun laughed, the sound bright and musical. "You're just distracted. Focus up. I can't carry you if you're too busy staring at me."

HES DEADDDD
THEYRE FLIRTING LIVE
THIS IS BETTER THAN NETFLIX

"I am NOT-" Chanyeol started, but he immediately looked back at the camera feed instead of the respawn timer. "Okay, fine. But keep the camera on. I need to see when you're about to troll me."

OOOOOOOOH
HE WANTS TO LOOK
HE FELL HARD

"Is that the only reason you want the camera on?" Baekhyun teased, biting his lip with a wicked little smile.

Chanyeol slammed his hands over his face, but he didn't turn off the call. "Shut up! Just... play the game, Puppy Demon!"

The game was still technically happening, but for Chanyeol, the map might as well have been a black screen. He was playing entirely on pure muscle memory, his eyes stayed glued to the tiny Discord window where Baekhyun was now leaning back, hoodie sleeves covering half his hands , looking entirely too comfortable for someone who had just committed high profile cyberbullying.

"Yeol-ah," Baekhyun cooed softly, his voice honey thick. He shifted in his chair, the oversized hoodie sliding slightly off one shoulder. Chanyeol's eyes snapped toward the Discord window immediately, like a dog hearing a snack bag open.

Baekhyun reached up, ruffling his own messy hair, then looked directly into the camera with those big, deceptively innocent puppy eyes. "You’re doing it again. You’re staring. I can see the reflection of my face in your glasses."

Chanyeol choked so hard, his Lee Sin accidentally kicking the enemy tank away from certain death. "I am, I’m looking at the cooldowns! The UI is right there!"

"Sure, sure," Baekhyun giggled, popping a stray crust into his mouth. He chewed slowly, his gaze never leaving his own camera, knowing exactly what kind of damage he was doing. "Is that why you’ve been standing in the same bush for thirty seconds? My cooldowns aren't that interesting, I promise."

The stream chat was basically a digital riot at this point.

MARRIAGE ARC IS REAL
PCY IS GONE.
HES FOLDED LIKE A CHAIR
GUYS I ALREADY BOOKED THE VENUE
CANDY FOR PRESIDENT OF CHANYEOL’S HEART
I’VE NEVER SEEN PCY THIS STUPID LMAOOO

"Look at them," Baekhyun teased, glancing at Chanyeol’s stream on his second monitor. "They're already picking out flower arrangements, Yeol-ah. Someone said lilies, but I think I’m more of a white rose kind of guy. What do you think? Does that fit our duo aesthetic?"

"Stop! Stop talking!" Chanyeol shouted, though he looked like he was about to melt into his expensive gaming chair. He tried to focus on a team fight, but his brain was just a repetitive loop of how is he that cute? and why is he still looking at me like that? "Chat, ignore him! He’s a tactical distraction! He’s weaponizing his face!"

"Is it working?" Baekhyun asked sweetly, leaning in closer, his face filling the Discord frame. He blinked slowly, his long lashes catching the light. "Are you distracted, Chanyeol-ah?"

Chanyeol’s hands actually abandoned the keyboard for a second as he covered his face, his ears a shade of magenta that shouldn't be possible. "Yes! Okay? Yes! You’re-you’re very distracting! Are you happy now? I’m 0/4 and it’s entirely because your face is... symmetrical!"

"Just symmetrical?" Baekhyun pouted, a tiny, devastatingly cute lip tremble that he knew exactly how to weaponize. "That’s so clinical. I thought I was at least pretty."

"You're-" Chanyeol started, then bit his tongue so hard he winced. He looked at the chat, which was now screaming 'SAY ITTT' in all caps. He looked back at Baekhyun, who was waiting with a triumphant, expectant smirk.

"You're gorgeous, okay? You're a gorgeous, annoying, pizza eating troll menace," Chanyeol blurted out, finally snapping. He grabbed his water bottle and took a massive, desperate gulp, trying to cool down his internal temperature.

Baekhyun beamed, a bright, eye crinkling smile that was more blinding than a Leona ultimate. "There we go. Was that so hard?" He winked, a slow, deliberate wink right at the camera. "Don't worry, honey. I'll carry us. You just keep looking at me and stay handsome like that."

Chanyeol let out a muffled scream into his hands as the "VICTORY" screen appeared. He didn't even check his LP. He was too busy watching Baekhyun blow a kiss to the camera before reaching for another slice of pizza.

"I’m ending the stream," Chanyeol announced, his voice trembling. "I’m ending it. I can't do this with 20k witnesses. Goodbye, chat. See you at the wedding, apparently."

"Wait!" Baekhyun called out, laughing as Chanyeol’s hand hovered over the 'End Stream' button. "Don't leave yet! I haven't even told them about our honeymoon in the bot lane~."

Chanyeol slammed the End Stream button so fast the stream went black mid sentence, leaving 20k people screaming into the void while, in a private Discord call, Baekhyun’s bright laughter echoed in Chanyeol’s ears like the sweetest, most annoying sound he’d ever heard.

The second Chanyeol killed the stream, the room went heavy with a different kind of silence. On the Discord call, the chaotic energy of twenty thousand people screaming into the void was gone, replaced by the soft, rhythmic hum of Chanyeol’s PC fans and the occasional clink of Baekhyun’s soda can.

Chanyeol slumped back in his chair, dragging both hands down his face. Without the pressure of the audience, the heat in his face felt even more intense. "You’re a nightmare," he groaned, his voice cracking. "I hope you’re happy. My reputation is in tatters. I’m going to be a meme for the next six months."

Baekhyun’s laughter was softer now, more intimate, just warm little bursts of amusement through Chanyeol’s headset. "Reputation? Yeol-ah, you should thank me. I just doubled your sub count. People love a good rom-com."

Chanyeol narrowed his eyes at the small Discord window, his pupils darting back and forth across the pixelated feed, then, he squinted even harder.

"Wait, hold up" Chanyeol muttered, his brow furrowing into a deep, heavy line as he stared at the little rectangular box on his right monitor.

On the other side of the connection, Baekhyun stopped mid chew, a half eaten piece of pizza hovering an inch from his mouth. He blinked, the picture of pure, fake innocence on his camera. "What?"

"I've been calling you Candy for like two hours," Chanyeol said, his voice dropping into a flat, bewildered register.

"Hm." Baekhyun carefully set the pizza back down on its cardboard box, wiping his thumb on his hoodie sleeve, his eyes fixed on the empty gray avatar that represented Chanyeol’s mic.

"And I don't actually know your name, and you know mine"

Silence stretched over the voice call. It was a thick, heavy sort of quiet, broken only by the rhythmic hum of Chanyeol’s computer fans. Baekhyun just stared into his camera, his face totally blank for three seconds.

Then, very slowly, a grin began to spread across his face. It was a slow, dangerous, corner of the mouth tilt that Chanyeol had learned to associate with imminent disaster.

"No way," Baekhyun whispered, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

Chanyeol’s posture stiffened, a defensive frown pulling at his lips. He looked genuinely offended now even if Baekhyun couldn't see him. "What?"

"You just now realized?" Baekhyun leaned forward, his puppy dog eyes widening with malicious glee right into the lens. "You've been getting absolutely bullied by me for hours," Baekhyun giggled, the sound sharp and delighted in Chanyeol’s headset, "and you never even thought to ask my name?"

"I WAS DISTRACTED!" Chanyeol yelled, throwing his hands up in the air, his face instantly flaring into that familiar, brilliant shade of cherry pink behind his unlit camera.

Baekhyun immediately burst out laughing, throwing his head back against the cushion of his creaky chair. "Distracted?" he repeated, his voice dropping into that smooth, suggestive honey tone he’d been using to terrorize the streamer all night. "By what exactly, Chanyeol?"

"STOP MAKING IT SOUND WEIRD!" Chanyeol shouted at the monitor, his ears turning a deep magenta that completely gave him away to his empty room. He looked like a man who had successfully walked into his own trap.

Baekhyun pressed his lips together, his cheeks puffing out as he physically forced himself to stop howling. He adjusted his stance, leaning his elbow on the desk and resting his cheek against his palm. He looked incredibly soft in the neon blue light of his room, the oversized white hoodie enveloping him like a cloud.

"Hm," Baekhyun hummed softly, his eyes locked on Chanyeol's glowing green Discord circle.

"So?" Chanyeol prompted, crossing his arms over his chest and huffing like a stubborn child.

"So what?"

"So WHAT'S YOUR NAME?!" Chanyeol exploded, leaning close to his screen.

"Ohhh." Baekhyun dragged the word out dramatically, tilting his head from side to side as if considering a very serious business proposal. "You wanna know my name."

"YES."

"You sound kinda desperate, Baekhyun." Baekhyun froze because he meant to say Chanyeol’s name, not his.

The word hung in the air between them like a flashbang. Baekhyun’s mouth stayed open slightly, his brain catching up to his tongue a millisecond too late.

Chanyeol froze entirely, his arms remaining crossed, his head tilting down in a slow motion realization. "Wait," Chanyeol whispered and very slowly, the giant looked up, a tiny, brilliant spark igniting in his large eyes. A slow, triumphant smirk began to crack through his blush.

"You just said it yourself," Chanyeol whispered, his voice rising in pitch.

Baekhyun’s eyes widened in genuine panic on camera for a fraction of a second before they immediately narrowed into an aggressive glare. "No I didn't."

"You DID."

"No."

"You literally said Baekhyun!" Chanyeol’s voice cracked with pure joy.

"Nope. Didn't happen. Audio glitch." Baekhyun refuted.

Chanyeol suddenly sat up perfectly straight, practically lifting out of his gaming chair. "Oh my god." He pointed a long, dramatic finger directly at his right monitor, targeting Baekhyun’s video feed. "OH MY GOD, I GOT YOU! I LITERALLY GOT THE DEMON!"

Baekhyun stared at the screen for two seconds, his lower lip throwing itself into a heavy, genuinely defeated pout. "I hate this."

Chanyeol felt like he had just been reborn. The absolute misery of losing his Diamond promos completely vanished, replaced by a grin so wide his dimple looked like a crater. "No, no, no, hold on," he chuckled, leaning his face closer to his monitor, his eyes sparkling with a warmth that hadn't been there when he was playing League.

"Baekhyun?" Chanyeol called out, testing the weight of the syllables on his tongue.

Baekhyun looked away dramatically, staring at a random patch of acoustic foam on his wall, refusing to acknowledge the lens.

"Baekhyun." Chanyeol’s voice dropped an octave, softening into something deep, smooth, and entirely too fond.

"Baekhyun."

"Stop saying it," Baekhyun mumbled, his tough guy troll persona completely melting away. He reached up with both hands, pulling the oversized sleeves of his hoodie over his face until only his dark, messy hair and his flushed forehead were visible.

Chanyeol’s grin widened, but the mocking edge was totally gone. He just stared. He rested his chin in his hand, his eyes glued to the little ball of white fabric on his screen.

Because somehow, the master saboteur who had ruined his life with a magical book and a cat emote looked weirdly fragile now. Less CandyB0y. Less the toxic mid laner who kited him into oblivion.

More just Baekhyun.

Cute, flushed, hiding his face Baekhyun.

"Hey," Chanyeol murmured, his voice incredibly soft as he watched Baekhyun peek out from behind his sleeves with one single, hesitant eye. "It’s a nice name, Baekhyun."

Baekhyun’s eye blinked on screen, and then he pulled the sleeves right back over his face, a muffled, embarrassed groan echoing through Chanyeol’s headset. “Shut up.”

With a deep, quiet breath, Baekhyun deliberately forced his shoulders to relax. He dragged his hands down from his face, tossing his head back slightly so his messy fringe fell perfectly out of his eyes. By the time he looked back into his webcam lens, the soft, defenseless puppy was gone. The dangerous, sharp eyed corner of the mouth tilt was right back where it belonged.

He leaned back, his own face still glowing in the dark of his room, entirely reclaiming his teasing composure as he picked up his soda can and took a slow, deliberate sip. His eyes drifted over to Chanyeol’s dark Discord icon. Then, with a playful pout, he tapped his screen. "Hey. Why’d you turn your camera off? Stream’s over, but I’m still here."

"I needed to stop the bleeding," Chanyeol muttered, though his hand was already hovering over the toggle button. "I felt like I was being dissected under a microscope."

"But I want to see," Baekhyun pouted, his voice dropping into a low, honeyed murmur that made Chanyeol’s stomach do a slow flip. "I can't tease you properly if I can't see those big ears turning pink. It’s my favorite part of the game. Much more interesting than the Nexus exploding."

Chanyeol let out a huff, but he clicked the button. His feed flickered back to life. He was still flushed, his hair a total disaster from where he’d been clutching his head, looking every bit like the victim of a very cute criminal.

"There he is," Baekhyun whispered, his eyes widening slightly as he took Chanyeol in without the distraction of the Twitch chat. He leaned in so close to his own camera that his nose almost touched it, his puppy dog eyes searching Chanyeol’s face. "Wow. You’re even hotter when you aren't shouting at a monitor."

"Stop," Chanyeol said immediately, but it lacked any real bite. He leaned his cheek against his hand, looking at Baekhyun, really looking at him. Without the 'CandyB0y' troll persona, Baekhyun just looked soft. "You’re actually a menace, you know that? You can’t just say things like that to people."

"Why not? If it’s true?" Baekhyun tilted his head, a stray lock of hair falling over his eye. He didn't brush it away, just kept his gaze locked on Chanyeol's. "I wasn't lying, you’re stupidly handsome even if you are a terrible Lee Sin when you’re flustered."

"I am a great Lee Sin," Chanyeol defended weakly.

"Sure, honey," Baekhyun teased, using that pet name again, but this time it didn't feel like a jab for the viewers. It felt heavy. "You know, it’s a little sad. I spent all that time trying to get your attention, and now that I have it, we’re just sitting in our separate rooms in front of glowing boxes."

Chanyeol’s heart hammered against his ribs. The flirting had shifted from 'troll' to 'real' so fast he had whiplash. "What are you suggesting, Puppy Demon?"

Baekhyun’s smirk returned, but it was smaller, more vulnerable. "I’m suggesting that maybe next time, you can buy me those chicken wings in person. No stream. No trolls. Just you, me, and maybe I’ll let you win a 1v1."

Chanyeol stared at him, his heart doing a chaotic dance. "You'd let me win?"

"Don't get used to it," Baekhyun winked, his voice a warm silk. "But for a first date? I might be willing to go 0/10 just to see a smile on that handsome face or yours."

As it turned out, the universe had a bizarre sense of humor. Over the next few days, their late night Discord calls became a permanent fixture, an effortless routine.

Amidst the chaotic banter, the casual roasting, and the increasingly intense flirting, they stumbled upon the ridiculous realization that they actually lived less than fifteen minutes apart in the same neighborhood.

What started as a joke about Baekhyun bringing his infamous Yuumi gameplay directly to Chanyeol's doorstep quickly evolved into a genuine, highly anticipated plan. They kept talking every single day, trading streams, song recommendations, and relentless text messages until they finally picked a local, cozy chicken wings place to meet up.

The walk to the chicken place had been a blur of Chanyeol tripping over his own feet, but the moment they stepped into the harsh, clinical glow of the PC Bang, reality finally set in.

Chanyeol kept stealing glances at the man walking beside him. On the monitor, Baekhyun had been a distraction, but in person, he was a health hazard. The camera hadn't captured the way his eyes actually sparkled when he laughed, or the way he smelled like expensive fabric softener and faint traces of strawberry. He was smaller than Chanyeol expected, which only made Chanyeol feel like a giant, clumsy puppy following a very graceful, very dangerous kitten.

"If you keep staring at me like that, you're going to walk into a trash can, Yeol-ah," Baekhyun teased, not even looking up as he navigated toward two empty seats in the VIP corner.

"I’m not staring," Chanyeol lied immediately, his voice cracking. "I’m assessing the environment for tactical reasons."

"Sure. Tactical staring. I like it." Baekhyun slid into his chair and pulled his hoodie sleeves over his hands, looking entirely too comfortable. He logged in with a practiced flick of his wrist, his fingers dancing over the mechanical keyboard. "Log in, giant. Let’s see if you can actually hit a Q when I’m sitting right next to you."

Chanyeol sat down, his knees bumping against Baekhyun’s under the narrow desk. He jumped slightly at the contact, but Baekhyun didn't move away. In fact, he leaned closer, his shoulder pressing against Chanyeol’s arm as they queued up..

"Okay," Chanyeol muttered, trying to steady his breathing. "Serious mode. No trolling."

"No promises," Baekhyun whispered into his ear, sending a physical jolt down Chanyeol’s spine.

The games that followed were a complete slaughter. Without the lag of a stream or the distraction of twenty thousand people, they were a terrifying duo. Chanyeol played like a man possessed, his Lee Sin flying across the map with a precision he’d never reached before. Every time he landed a kick, Baekhyun followed up instantly, his Ezreal erasing enemies from the map before they could even flash.

"Nice one," Baekhyun murmured after their third win in a row, bumping his shoulder against Chanyeol’s. He turned his head, his face just inches away. In the dim, neon blue light of the PC Bang, his skin looked like porcelain, and his lips were pulled into a genuine, soft smile. "See? I told you we’d sync better in high definition."

Chanyeol looked at him and completely forgot how to click his mouse. Up close, he could see the tiny mole near Baekhyun’s lip and the way his eyelashes cast long shadows on his cheeks. "The camera... it really didn't do you justice," Chanyeol blurted out, his brain to mouth filter completely failing.

Baekhyun paused, his eyes widening slightly before they crinkled into a soft, triumphant glow. He didn't look away. Instead, he reached over and covered Chanyeol’s mouse hand with his own. His skin was warm.

"Is that your way of saying I'm pretty, Mr. Streamer?" he asked, tilting his head with that deadly little smirk.

"I'm saying I might never win another game in my life if you keep looking at me like that," Chanyeol admitted, his voice low and breathless.

Baekhyun laughed, a quiet, melodic sound that was meant only for Chanyeol this time. He squeezed Chanyeol’s hand before letting go and turning back to the screen as the next match popped.

"Then it's a good thing I'm a Master tier carry," Baekhyun said, his smirk returning. "Don't worry, Yeol-ah. I’ll keep you winning. As long as you keep looking at me with those big dumb heart eyes."

Chanyeol buried his face in his hands, groaning. “I hate you.”

Chanyeol leaned back in his chair, his fingers tingling from the last hour of high octane gameplay. They had just finished a five match win streak, and the "Victory" screen was still glowing bright on Baekhyun’s monitor. Baekhyun was leaning forward, focused on checking the post game damage charts, his face illuminated by the cool blue light of the screen.

He looked ridiculous. Ridiculously pretty. The way his brow was furrowed in concentration and his lips were slightly parted. It was too much for Chanyeol to keep to himself.

"Hey," Chanyeol said, pretending to fiddle with his phone lock screen while tapping his chin thoughtfully. "What’s your IG handle again? Just wanted to look up that clip you mentioned earlier."

"Oh, it's baekpuppyy" Baekhyun murmured absently, not even looking up from his deep dive into the damage dealt graphics. "Why? You trying to scope out my gaming clips?"

"Yeah, something like that," Chanyeol mumbled. He quickly typed the handle into his search bar.

Chanyeol’s curiosity got the best of him, and he tapped into Baekhyun’s profile. He instantly froze. The screen was filled with rows of the most devastatingly cute selfies he had ever seen in his life. There were photos of Baekhyun holding a fluffy calico cat against his cheek, pictures of him squinting into the sun with a messy bedhead, and close ups that showed off the soft line of his jawline and those ridiculously pretty puppy eyes in perfect daytime lighting. Chanyeol felt his breath hitch in his throat, his heart doing a violent, erratic thud against his ribs. God help me, he thought, gripping his phone a little tighter. He’s a hazard to human stability.

"Hey, don't move," Chanyeol whispered, shaking off the sudden dizziness and quickly pulling up his camera app.

"What? Why-"

Click.

"Chanyeol!" Baekhyun hissed, reaching out to swat at him, but Chanyeol was already ducking away, dodging the pale hand and grinning like a madman.

"Too late! The evidence is captured," Chanyeol laughed. He quickly opened Instagram, ignoring the way his heart was racing. He didn't even filter it, the raw, neon soaked aesthetic of the PC Bang made Baekhyun look like some kind of ethereal pro gamer god.

He tapped the screen, added the tag for @baekpuppyy right over Baekhyun's cheek in the photo, and typed out the caption, his thumbs absolutely flying:

real__pcy: Found the demon in the wild lml. Turns out he’s actually just a tiny strawberry scented puppy who steals all my kills and my chicken. LP is recovered, sanity: gone. Send help. @baekpuppyy #LeagueOfLegends #Duo #CandyB0y

He hit Post and placed the phone on the desk, trying to look casual.

"You didn't," Baekhyun said, his eyes narrowing, though his cheeks were definitely pinker than they were five minutes ago. "You didn't actually post that to your millions of followers."

"I have a journalistic duty to expose the truth," Chanyeol teased, leaning back with a smug, self satisfied grin.

Five seconds passed. Then Chanyeol’s phone began to vibrate so violently it practically walked across the desk. Simultaneously, Baekhyun’s phone, which had been resting innocently next to his keyboard, suddenly lit up. A relentless, unending stream of push notifications started cascading down his screen so fast the phone began to glitch.

"Uh, Chanyeol?" Baekhyun picked up his phone, his eyes widening as his follower count started climbing by the thousands every single second. "What did you do? My phone is literally melting."

"I just gave credit where it’s due," Chanyeol chuckled, though he was secretly losing his mind watching Baekhyun's flustered reaction.

He pulled his own phone to check the damage. The comments under his post were a literal tidal wave of digital chaos.

PCY_STANN: "Found the demon" BRO YOU TOOK HIM ON A DATE WE ARENT STUPID
LeagueLeaks: the marriage arc is moving faster than an ezreal E
User88: look at how pcy is looking at him in the reflection of the monitor... he’s GONE
Mommy_Yeol: Finally, the family is complete. Welcome home, son-in-law ;;

"The comments," Chanyeol muttered, running a hand through his hair as his own face grew increasingly hot. "They’re... they’re already calling you my husband, Baekhyun."

Baekhyun snatched Chanyeol's phone right out of his hand, scrolling through the madness with a look of pure, comedic disbelief. He hit a comment that said 'They’re literally wearing matching hoodies, wake up sheeple!' and let out a loud, genuine cackle that echoed in their little VIP corner.

"A complete family?" Baekhyun read aloud, his voice dropping into that sweet, teasing tone that always made Chanyeol’s knees turn to jelly. He leaned in, sliding closer until his shoulder was pinned firmly against Chanyeol's arm, looking up from the screen with his face just inches away. "So? You gonna tell them they're wrong, or are we going for game six, honey?"

Chanyeol looked at the phone screen, then down at the real thing sitting right next to him, the messy hair, the sparkling eyes, the devastatingly mischievous smile that was currently entirely his to look at.

"Game six," Chanyeol said, his voice dropping an octave, firm despite the deep blush creeping right back up his neck. "But only if you promise to stop snitching on my position in AllChat."

"No promises, honey," Baekhyun winked, reaching past Chanyeol to click Find Match on the monitor with a dramatic flourish.

Six months later, Chanyeol’s stream wasn’t just a gaming stream anymore. It was a high-priority, heavily scheduled appointment for 50,000 people to witness what the internet had officially dubbed "The Great Folding of Park Chanyeol."

The webcam setup had undergone a massive, expensive upgrade. The camera frame was significantly wider now, capturing a spacious studio background instead of a cramped corner, and the desk had been cleared to comfortably accommodate two premium gaming chairs.

Chanyeol sat on the left, looking completely transformed, the tense, hyper fixated posture from half a year ago was entirely gone, replaced by a loose, deeply relaxed confidence and stupidly happy. On his right, Baekhyun was practically drowning in a chair that was clearly too big for him. He was curled up sideways, his knees tucked to his chest, wearing a thick, oversized black hoodie that every single person in the chat instantly recognized as a staple from Chanyeol’s wardrobe.

"Okay, focus, chat," Chanyeol said, adjusting his headset. Though his tone tried for professional, his large eyes kept drifting helplessly to the right every three seconds. "We’re one win away from Master. This is serious. No distractions. No reading donations until the Nexus explodes."

Right on cue, Baekhyun, who was entirely unbothered by the high stakes match, let out a tiny, frustrated huff. He was aggressively wrestling with a stubborn, slick foil bag of shrimp crackers, his small fingers slipping off the plastic edge. Without a single word, and without even tilting his gaze away from his own monitor, Chanyeol casually reached his long arm across the desk space. He snatched the bag, firmly ripped it open with a smooth snap, and handed it right back into Baekhyun's waiting hands.

The stream chat instantly turned into a vertical white out of pure, unhinged hysteria. The text scrolled so fast it was a vibrating blur.

[Donation $20]: DID YOU SEE THAT??? THE NO-LOOK POP?? HE DIDN'T EVEN ASK. THE MUSCLE MEMORY IS INSANE Y'ALL THEY LIVIN TOGETHER AT THIS POINT
Look at Chanyeol's face. He's literally glowing. That's not a ring light, that's the aura of a man who is completely gone.
Guys, look at Baekhyun's left hand. They’ve been wearing the exact same silver promise ring for three weeks.
WE ARENT BLIND STOP GASLIGHTING US
Chanyeol you just missed an entire wave of farm because you were opening snacks for your support.
PCY IS WHIPPED ON MAIN

"You're missing CS, Yeol-ah," Baekhyun mumbled around a mouthful of shrimp crackers, completely proving the chat right. He leaned over the armrest of his massive chair, sliding across the small gap between them until he rested his chin right on Chanyeol’s broad shoulder to judge his monitor. "That cannon minion was a literal gift from the gods and you just threw it away. Trash Lee Sin."

Six months ago, Chanyeol would have flinched, turned bright red, and started screaming about his esports reputation. Instead, he didn't even blink. A soft, possessive smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he deliberately tilted his head to the side, pressing his temple firmly against Baekhyun’s soft hair, pinning the smaller boy against his shoulder.

"I was distracted," Chanyeol said softly, his voice dropping into that deep, intensely fond register that usually made his headset microphone clip from the viewers screaming in response. "Someone’s being entirely too loud with their snacks right in my ear."

"I'm being a puppy, remember?" Baekhyun teased, shifting his chin on Chanyeol's shoulder so he could look up at him from below. The look in his eyes was no longer just the theatrical 'CandyB0y' performance for the stream. It was soft, immensely private, and utterly devoted. "Puppies need constant snacks or they bark."

Chanyeol finally stopped clicking his mouse altogether. He turned his head, his face just inches from Baekhyun's, entirely abandoning the match. He reached his hand up, his thumb catching a tiny, stray crumb right on the soft corner of Baekhyun’s bottom lip. He didn't pull his hand back quickly, either. He let his fingers linger, his palm cupping the side of Baekhyun’s jaw, his thumb smoothing over the warm skin of his cheek in a gesture that was entirely too natural to be fake.

The chat went completely off the rails. It was a literal cascade of capital letters.

HE DID THE THUMB THING THE POSSESSIVE GRIP???
HE IS HOLDING HIS JAW OH MY GOD THEY ARENT EVEN TRYING TO HIDE IT ANYMORE
SINGLE PEOPLE CLOSE YOUR EYES
"CANT U SEE THEYRE DATING" - YES WE CAN SEE IT FROM SPACE WITH THE NAKED EYE
PCY SAY IT. SAY THE WORDS. INK THE CONTRACT.

Chanyeol caught a fleeting glimpse of a bright green donation alert flashing on his left screen: "PCY, just admit you're completely whipped so we can all move on with our lives. The sexual tension is literally killing the jungle camps. Just come out already."

Chanyeol let out a short, breathy laugh that rumbled deep in his chest. He didn't look back at the game. He didn't care that his character was currently walking into a wall under an enemy turret. He looked right into the high definition lens of the webcam, a proud, immensely lopsided grin spreading across his face.

"Whipped?" Chanyeol repeated, his voice echoing with a distinct lack of shame. He slid his arm off the desk and wrapped it firmly around the back of Baekhyun’s chair, pulling the smaller boy inward until their matching oversized hoodies blurred into one single mass of fabric. He practically tucked Baekhyun against his side. "Yeah. I think that's pretty obvious by now, isn't it? Trust me, if you had someone this cute sitting next to your desk every single night stealing your snacks and your LP, you’d be losing your Master promos too."

Baekhyun completely froze, a shrimp cracker caught halfway to his mouth. He blinked up at Chanyeol, his small frame tensing in genuine shock as his eyes went wide. "Are you... wait. Are you actually admitting it live? Right now? In front of fifty thousand people?"

"Why not?" Chanyeol shrugged, his eyes crinkling at the corners with a deep, radiant warmth that made the entire live chat feel like they were suddenly intruding on an incredibly private anniversary dinner. "I'm tired of reading the donations calling you my 'duo partner.' It’s getting to be a bit of an understatement, don't you think?"

He finally turned his eyes back to the screen, his left hand casually returning to the keyboard, but he didn't dare move his right arm from where it was securely locked behind Baekhyun’s neck, anchoring him close.

"Yes chat, we're dating," Chanyeol said, his voice entirely casual, as if he hadn't just set the entire gaming community on fire within a span of ten seconds. "He's my boyfriend. He’s also still a tiny demon who trolls my ranked games and steals my jungle camps, but he’s my demon. Now, chat, can we please take Baron? I have an actual dinner date with him after this stream and I don't plan on being late because of a bad call."

Baekhyun made a tiny embarrassed squeak and instantly buried his entire face directly into the fabric of Chanyeol’s shoulder trying to disappear completely, his ears flaring into that incredibly familiar, brilliant shade of hot pink, while Chanyeol just kept playing and smiling broadly.

The screen eventually faded to the End Stream graphic, the neon overlay pulsing gently as it always did, but the open Discord audio lingered for a few precious seconds, a lingering habit of Chanyeol’s to give the fans one last, unscripted goodnight.

But this time, the goodnight was entirely different. It wasn't a wave to the lens or a rehearsed catchphrase, it was the raw, unfiltered sound of a giant completely losing his composure in the quiet of his studio.

"You're so embarrassing," Baekhyun’s muffled voice echoed clearly through the high end microphone, sounding thick and close, like he was still entirely buried in the fabric of Chanyeol’s shoulder. "'He's my demon'? Really, Yeol? You literally sound like a character out of a bad fanfiction. I can't believe you said that out loud and on stream."

"It worked, didn't it?" Chanyeol’s voice dropped lower now, the bright, booming 'performer' energy he usually reserved for the 50,000 strangers completely evaporating. It was replaced by a deep, heavy kind of affection that felt almost too intimate, too weighted, to be traveling through a digital connection. "Besides, I saw you blushing through the preview window. Your ears were practically glowing in the dark, Baek."

"It was the monitor light! The RGB was reflecting off my skin!"

"Sure, okay baby. Whatever helps you sleep at night, Puppy."

There was the distinct, heavy sound of a premium gaming chair creaking under Chanyeol's weight as the giant stood up, followed immediately by the soft, rhythmic patter of Baekhyun’s socks against the hardwood floor as he scrambled to follow.

"So," Baekhyun’s voice suddenly drifted much closer to the mic, dropping into a conspiratorial whisper that sent a collective shiver through the few viewers who hadn't closed the tab yet. "Since you officially told fifty thousand people we’re dating... does that mean I don't have to pay for the chicken tonight?"

A heavy, incredibly fond sigh rumbled through the audio track. "You never pay for chicken, Baek. You haven't paid for a single meal since that first day at the chicken place."

"Exactly. Consistency is key in a relationship. I'm just maintaining the meta."

A sharp, soft, incredibly distinct wet smack echoed directly into microphone, the unmistakable sound of a quick, accurate kiss delivered straight to Chanyeol's cheek, followed instantly by the giant's surprised, breathless laugh and the clumsy sound of him stumbling back into his desk.

"Hey! I wasn't ready for that!" Chanyeol complained, his voice echoing from a few feet away.

"A Master tier player should always be ready for a sudden ambush, Yeol-ah," Baekhyun’s voice giggled, fading as he moved toward the studio door. "Level up."

The audio line finally cut out with a sharp click, leaving the empty stream chat in a state of absolute meltdown, the text scrolling so fast it looked like faulty code.

The public "Match History" for RealPCY would show a long, brilliant string of victories from that night, culminating in a hard fought promotion, but for the first time in his entire gaming career, Chanyeol wasn't looking at his LP.

He was looking at the pretty, mischievous boy sitting across from him at a small, greasy table in a 24 hour neighborhood chicken spot, watching the same menace who once griefed his promos with top Yuumi now happily stealing his fries and kicking him under the table like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Chanyeol rested his chin on his hand, smiling like an idiot. “You know,” he said quietly, “losing those Diamond promos was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Baekhyun looked up, cheeks full of chicken, eyes sparkling with that familiar mischievous glow. He reached over and stole another fry from Chanyeol’s plate.

“Duh,” he replied, grinning. “You got me instead. Best trade deal in League history.”

Chanyeol laughed, soft and warm, and flicked a fry at him.

“Best defeat of my life.”