Chapter Text
Claire sat comfortably in her chair, one hand resting on the mouse and the other on the desk. She was wearing a loose black hoodie with a red print, and her red hair was carelessly tied back. A few strands had escaped the hair tie and fell against her cheeks.
Another skirmish was playing out on the monitor. The viewer count in the corner of the screen had stayed above twenty thousand for several minutes, and the chat was moving so fast that Claire could barely keep up with reading individual messages. Every few seconds, a new wave of comments, emotes, and random questions appeared, most of which had absolutely nothing to do with what was happening on the screen.
Claire pressed her lips together, tilted her head slightly, and focused her eyes on the screen.
“Come on…”
Her character dodged at literally the last second.
“Yes!”
Victory appeared on the screen.
Claire leaned back from the desk with a triumphant smile.
“And that’s exactly why you shouldn’t mess with me.”
The chat exploded.
LiamIsHere: THAT WAS SO CLEAN
MangoToast: GIRL HOW
starryeyes: teach me your ways queen
BlueberryMilk: I literally blinked and missed it
catlover2004: i am eating cereal at 11pm and honestly this feels illegal
Claire snorted with laughter.
“Cereal at eleven at night? That’s not illegal. That’s a lifestyle.”
For a moment, she glanced at the chat.
sleepybee: IT IS 4 AM HERE
notyourmom: go to sleep
sleepybee: no
Claire shook her head, amused.
“Very responsible community. Really. I’m proud of you.”
The chat started moving rapidly again.
ToastEnjoyer: can we talk about how red your hair looks today
PurplePenguin: REDVIXEN YOUR HAIR IS SO PRETTY
MoonCake: I NEED THAT HOODIE
frogfanatic: i have a frog
Claire’s eyes stopped on the last message.
“You have a frog?”
Her smile widened.
“Show me the frog.”
For several seconds, she read through the next messages.
frogfanatic: SHE IS SLEEPING
“Aww.” Claire put a hand over her heart. “In that case, I apologize to the frog. I didn’t mean to wake her.”
Someone sent a crying-laughing cat emote.
Claire laughed quietly and reached for the mug sitting beside the keyboard. She took a sip of water without taking her eyes off the chat.
That was what she liked about her streams.
It wasn’t even about the game itself.
Of course, she liked playing. She was good, sometimes even very good, and she knew it. But what she really enjoyed was that there were thousands of people on the other side of the screen whom she could simply talk to.
She didn’t know most of their names. She didn’t know what they looked like. She didn’t know where they lived or what they did during the day. And yet, after several months of regular streams, she had started recognizing some of the usernames. She knew who always showed up late. Who spammed emotes. Who only appeared to write one completely absurd sentence and then disappear.
There was something strangely pleasant about it.
Claire leaned back toward the desk.
“Alright. One more.”
MangoToast: NOOOO
MangoToast: YOU SAID ONE MORE THREE TIMES AGO
Claire raised an eyebrow.
“That’s slander.”
MangoToast: WE HAVE EVIDENCE
“You don’t.”
MangoToast: CLIP IT
Claire laughed.
“Traitors.”
She clicked the next option and prepared for the next round. For a few minutes, she really did focus on the game. The chat was still flowing, but most of the messages flew past her. Every now and then, she caught individual comments.
CloudyDays: I just burned my toast
Peachy: my cat is staring at me like I owe him money
sleepybee: still awake btw
BlueberryMilk: I forgot I had laundry in the washing machine
Claire glanced at the comments and shook her head.
“Are you all just… doing your own thing while watching me?”
Peachy: yes
CloudyDays: pretty much
“Fantastic. I’m very useful to you.”
Her character dodged another attack on the screen.
“Ha!”
Claire smiled to herself.
“But at least someone here is working.”
frogfanatic: THE FROG IS AWAKE
Claire immediately looked away from the game.
“The frog is alive!”
The chat flooded with emotes.
Claire laughed so genuinely that for a moment she stopped controlling her character.
“Alright, alright, calm down. The most important news of the day has been delivered.”
More messages appeared one after another.
starryeyes: REDVIXEN SAY HI TO MY MOM
notyourmom: absolutely not
Claire covered her mouth with her hand to keep from snorting.
“Your mom just said no.”
starryeyes: betrayal
“Tough life.”
Then a new username appeared in the chat.
Claire didn’t pay much attention to it. It was just one message among hundreds.
SilverKenn: hey
A few seconds later, another.
SilverKenn: you’re RedVixen, right?
Claire glanced at the chat.
“Yes?”
She said it with slight amusement, though more out of habit than genuine curiosity. New viewers appeared every day. Some were watching her for the first time. Sometimes they asked how long she had been streaming, sometimes where she was from, sometimes they simply wrote hi.
SilverKenn: heard you’re pretty good
Claire raised an eyebrow.
“You heard?”
The chat immediately reacted.
LiamIsHere: WHO IS THIS
MangoToast: NEW PERSON ALERT
MoonCake: BRO JUST WALKED IN
catlover2004: why does this feel like a job interview
Claire smiled to herself.
“Hey, new person.”
She looked at the next comment.
SilverKenn: wanna play against me?
Claire froze for a moment. Then she looked at the camera.
“What?”
The chat started moving even faster.
BlueberryMilk: OH
starryeyes: OHHHHHH
Peachy: WAIT
MangoToast: HE CHALLENGED HER
frogfanatic: THE FROG APPROVES
Claire read the message again, as if she wanted to make sure she had actually seen it correctly.
A new viewer.
SilverKenn.
She didn’t know that username.
She couldn’t remember ever seeing it on her streams. And this person had joined her stream and, after a few messages, simply challenged her to a match.
Claire leaned back in her chair. An amused smile appeared on her face.
“You…”
She laughed quietly and shook her head.
“You’ve only just gotten here and you already want to challenge me?”
SilverKenn: why not?
Claire looked at the chat.
LiamIsHere: REDVIXEN DESTROY HIM
MoonCake: YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT
notyourmom: this is getting interesting
CloudyDays: someone get popcorn
Claire laughed again, this time a little more broadly.
“God…”
She looked at the SilverKenn username, which was still visible among hundreds of other messages.
“Alright. You’re brave.”
Claire had already completely forgotten about the mysterious SilverKenn.
At least for now.
After his challenge, the chat couldn’t talk about anything else for a good few minutes, but Claire consistently pretended that the whole situation wasn’t amusing her at all.
“I’m not going to play a match with some random guy who joined the stream and decided after five seconds that he wants to play against me.”
MangoToast: COWARD
Claire looked at the message with mock outrage.
“Excuse me?”
MangoToast: YOU HEARD ME
“Okay. Ban.”
She laughed and moved the cursor toward the next game.
“I’m kidding. I can’t ban you.”
notyourmom: weak
“Very funny.”
The chat flooded with messages again.
SilverKenn: i’ll take that as a yes someday
Claire noticed the comment out of the corner of her eye.
For a second, she stared at it without saying a word.
Then she simply shook her head.
“We’ll see.”
And she returned to the game.
She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.
The stream had already been going for almost two hours. Claire had managed to win several rounds, lose one in a way she definitely wasn’t going to comment on, drink half the water from her bottle, and answer countless completely random questions.
At some point, she stopped even paying attention to the viewer count.
Over twenty thousand.
To her, it was nothing unusual anymore.
Her channel had grown faster than she had expected. Her streams regularly attracted crowds, and gameplay videos could rack up hundreds of thousands of views. She had fans practically all over the world.
And that was exactly why she had learned not to care that the internet could turn absolutely anything into an event.
Even an ordinary hello.
Claire was just trying to get through another part of the game when she heard the quiet creak of the door.
She didn’t pay attention to it.
Her door was usually closed, but Chris sometimes looked for things in her room. Most of the time, he didn’t even ask if he could come in. They were siblings. Their relationship had long operated on the principle of “it’s mine, but if you need it, you can take it.”
Claire was convinced that this time would be exactly the same. She didn’t turn around.
“If you’re looking for a charger again, I don’t have one.”
The door opened wider.
Chris walked inside.
“I’m not looking for a charger.”
Claire was still looking at the monitor.
“Then what?”
Chris walked over to one of the shelves.
“A black bag.”
“What black bag?”
“The small one.”
Claire frowned.
“Chris, that’s not a description.”
“I know.”
“Then how am I supposed to know what you’re talking about?”
Chris sighed.
“The one with the red zipper.”
Claire shook her head.
“That still doesn’t help.”
Chris started searching the shelf.
And that was when Claire glanced at the stream preview. She saw his reflection in the small camera window. She froze. Her eyes slowly widened.
“Oh no.”
Chris turned his head.
“What?”
Claire pointed at the camera. Chris looked. For a second, there was silence. Then they both understood. The camera was still recording. The chat was still running too.
And over twenty thousand people had just seen Chris Redfield standing in Claire’s room.
Chaos began almost immediately.
MangoToast: WAIT
MoonCake: WHO IS THAT
BlueberryMilk: IS THAT CHRIS
starryeyes: CHRIS???
frogfanatic: CHRIS IS REAL
catlover2004: OH MY GOD
LiamIsHere: THE BROTHER LORE
Claire closed her eyes.
“Well, great.”
Chris looked at her, slightly confused.
“What?”
“You’re on stream.”
Chris looked at the camera again.
“Oh.”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
Chris went back to looking for the bag.
Claire looked at him as if she had just lost all hope.
“Chris.”
“What?”
“People can see you.”
“I know.”
“And they’re typing.”
Chris shrugged.
“Let them.”
Claire snorted.
“Of course.”
Meanwhile, the chat had completely lost its mind.
Peachy: HE’S SO TALL
CloudyDays: WHY DOES HE LOOK LIKE HE DOESN’T WANT TO BE HERE
notyourmom: CHRIS PLEASE LOOK AT THE CAMERA
sleepybee: I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS
MangoToast: REDVIXEN MOVE THE CAMERA
MoonCake: CHRIS CAM
BlueberryMilk: THIS IS NOT A DRILL
Claire started laughing.
“Stop.”
LiamIsHere: ASK HIM SOMETHING
“No.”
starryeyes: ASK HIS AGE
“No.”
frogfanatic: ASK HIM IF HE HAS A GIRLFRIEND
Claire looked at the message and immediately shook her head.
“Absolutely not.”
Chris, who was still searching the shelf, looked at her.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Are you talking to me?”
“No.”
Chris stared at her suspiciously for a moment.
“Strange.”
Claire turned back to the monitor.
“Very strange.”
The chat exploded even more.
MangoToast: SHE’S HIDING SOMETHING
catlover2004: CHRIS JUST SAID WEIRD
MoonCake: THIS IS THE BEST STREAM EVER
Peachy: I CAME FOR GAMING AND STAYED FOR THE REDFIELD FAMILY
Claire pressed her lips together, trying not to burst out laughing.
“I really don’t know why you’re all reacting like this.”
BlueberryMilk: BECAUSE WE NEVER SEE HIM
“Because he doesn’t want to be on streams.”
Chris turned around.
“I don’t.”
Claire pointed at him.
“See?”
Chris frowned.
“Why are they screaming?”
Claire looked at the screen.
“Because you’re famous.”
“I’m not.”
“You are in this room.”
Chris sighed.
“Claire.”
“What?”
“Do you have my bag?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Chris started looking through the things beside the desk.
Claire watched him for a moment.
“What are you even looking for?”
“I told you. The bag.”
“What do you need it for?”
“I need it.”
“That’s a very detailed answer.”
Chris looked at her.
“You don’t need to know everything.”
Claire raised an eyebrow.
“I’m your sister.”
“Exactly.”
Claire snorted with laughter.
The chat immediately picked up on it.
starryeyes: THEIR SIBLING DYNAMIC IS EVERYTHING
MangoToast: CHRIS IS SO DONE WITH HER
CloudyDays: HE HAS THE OLDER BROTHER ENERGY
notyourmom: I LOVE THIS
Claire leaned away from the microphone.
“Stop analyzing my family life.”
frogfanatic: TOO LATE
“Fantastic.”
Chris finally found something behind the monitor.
“This?”
Claire looked.
“No.”
Chris took the item out.
“Are you sure?”
“That’s my backpack.”
“It looks like a bag.”
“Chris.”
“Alright.”
He put it back.
Claire started laughing.
“How can you not know what you’re looking for?”
“I know what I’m looking for.”
“But you don’t know what it looks like.”
“I do.”
“You just said…”
“Claire.”
“Alright.”
She fell silent.
For about three seconds.
“Maybe check under the bed.”
Chris looked at her.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because no.”
“That’s very convincing.”
“Claire.”
“Alright.”
The chat was literally drowning in messages now.
MoonCake: I LOVE THIS FAMILY
BlueberryMilk: CHRIS IS MY FAVORITE NOW
Peachy: sorry claire
Peachy: he stole your stream
Claire looked at the comment.
“Definitely.”
Chris raised his head.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You keep saying ‘nothing.’”
“Because it’s nothing.”
Chris sighed and glanced toward the camera again.
This time, a little longer.
The chat went crazy. Chris frowned.
“They want me to wave?”
Claire looked at the screen.
“Yes.”
Chris thought about it for a moment. Then he raised his hand and gave a short, rather unenthusiastic wave. The chat exploded.
Claire burst out laughing.
“Okay, that was weirdly cute.”
Chris lowered his hand.
“I’m not doing that again.”
“No one asked you to.”
“Good.”
“But thanks.”
Chris shook his head. At that moment, another message appeared.
MangoToast: CHRIS I WILL PAY YOU 10 DOLLARS TO SAY HI AGAIN
Claire read it aloud.
“Chris, someone is offering you ten dollars.”
Chris looked at her.
“For what?”
“To say hi.”
Chris looked like he was contemplating the meaning of his life for a moment.
“No.”
Claire started laughing.
“Twenty.”
Chris looked at the screen.
“No.”
“Fifty.”
“Claire.”
“One hundred.”
“No.”
Claire laughed even harder.
“Okay, okay.”
Chris finally found his bag, which had been on the bottom shelf the entire time, practically in plain sight.
He pulled it out and held it up.
“Got it.”
Claire looked at him.
“So it was here the whole time?”
“Yes.”
“Chris…”
“Don’t start.”
Claire smiled broadly.
“I’m not saying anything.”
“That’s a first today.”
“Very funny.”
Chris headed toward the door. Chris stopped at the doorway. He looked at Claire.
“Good luck with this.”
“Thanks.”
“And turn off the camera when you’re done.”
Claire gave him a thumbs-up.
“I know.”
Chris left. The door closed quietly. For a second, Claire sat motionless.
Then she looked straight into the camera.
“Well…”
She glanced at the chat. The messages were scrolling so quickly that she couldn’t read even half of them. Claire started laughing.
“I think I just lost control of my own stream.”
SilverKenn: your brother is funny
Claire’s eyes stopped on that one message.
She smiled to herself.
“Don’t tell him that. He might actually like it.”
And she returned to the game, while the chat spent the next several minutes refusing to talk about anything other than Chris.