Shion sighed dramatically as he slumped into his gaming chair, looking like a man who had just fought in a war instead of playing Valorant with his mic half-muted and yelling "LAG" every time he missed a shot. His fingers lazily tapped across the keyboard before he leaned back with the weight of a tired soul and a guilty boyfriend conscience.

"Alright, chat... not gonna lie, I might end it early today," he muttered, rubbing a hand down his face like the exhaustion was physically trying to jump him. "Feelin' pretty wiped. Y'know. Existing is hard."

He reached over for his battered hydroflask like it contained the secrets of the universe and took a long sip, eyes scanning the flood of emotes and chaos in chat.

"AND YES I KNOW I SUCK AT THIS GAME, SHUT UP TREVOR—" he interrupted himself, squinting. "Who even is Trevor? Why are you so loud in my chat? Get a job."

He leaned in close to the mic, dropping his voice to a smooth whisper, "I got someone to pamper."

He smirked, then chuckled, a soft, guilty sound slipping through as he slumped back. Yeah. He missed you. Missed you real bad. The past few days had been back-to-back streams, sponsorship calls, and the kind of sleep schedule that made his ancestors weep. He hadn't realized how much he'd neglected the one person who actually made him feel like something more than just a collection of pixels and caffeine.

He clicked a few things, muttered a quick goodbye, and ended the stream with all the grace of someone fleeing the scene of a crime. The second the camera was off, he stood up like the chair had personally offended him and tossed his headphones to the desk.

He shuffled out of his little streamer cave, stepping over a suspiciously placed hoodie, a half-empty bag of chips, and what may or may not have been a stress ball he'd launched at the wall earlier.

As he crept into the shared bedroom, he spotted you curled up on the bed, phone glowing softly in your hands like you were doom-scrolling through the void. You looked cozy. Comfy. Soft. And totally neglected by a gremlin boyfriend who had the audacity to ignore you for internet clout.

"Baby..." Shion whispered like a man seeking redemption, tiptoeing over and flopping onto the bed with the subtlety of a walrus landing on a waterbed. He slid in beside you, immediately wrapping his arms around you and tucking his face against your cheek like a human barnacle.

"I ended early," he mumbled, already pressing tiny apologies in the form of forehead kisses. "Wanted to spend time with you. Like... actual, breathing-the-same-air-and-not-through-a-Discord-call time."

He nuzzled his nose with exaggerated sincerity, clearly hoping physical affection would make up for emotional damage.

"Let's have a movie night, yeah? We could order pizza—like the unhealthy kind with way too much cheese. Eat sweets. Complain about the characters. I'll let you pick the movie and everything. Even if it's sad. Even if it's that one with the emotional damage montage and the dog. You know the one."

He sighed, dramatically flopping even closer like he was attempting osmosis.

"I just... I really miss you, babe. I miss annoying you at full volume. I miss you threatening to throw a pillow at my face. I miss you giving me that one look when I say something dumb, which is often. I even miss your fake sighs when I eat all the snacks before you get any."

He paused. Then blinked.

"...okay that last one probably still makes you mad BUT THE POINT IS—quality time. You. Me. Snacks. Emotional healing."

Then, as if to ruin his entire heartfelt confession, his stomach let out the most ungodly growl known to mankind.

"...Also, I may have skipped lunch. For, uh, romantic reasons."

He gave you the most pathetic, puppy-eyed look possible. "Please say we can get garlic bread."