Anon💛

He clicks on the video, and then the next one and the next. By the fourth he's already smitten. There's something about the way you carry yourself in front of the camera, the lack of any sort of performance that makes it seem like he's really in the room with you. You include both the successes and the mistakes, carefully explaining to your audience why something did or didn't work. When your flour falls out of your cupboard, turning you and the kitchen white mid-take, you simply laugh, and Xavier thinks it's the loveliest sound he's ever heard.

He subscribes to your channel and donates a ludicrous amount of money to your ko-fi. It's worth it though, when you mention the name he used for the donation in your next video, thanking him for being the reason you can finally retire your old mixer, your shiny new one on the counter behind you.

His own subscriber count keeps growing and eventually he decides to redo the cake video, this time following along with one of your videos. It goes better than last time, but the flat, yellowed lump he pulls out of the oven still doesn't look right. As usual, the comments fly in, with a couple of them actually tagging you asking you to help him before he burns his apartment down.

In spite of reading through all of them, Xavier is still surprised when a couple of days later, he finds a message from you in his inbox. It mentions that you've actually been watching his streams for a while and couldn't believe it when you saw he was following your recipe. You go on to advise him on what went wrong in the same kind and friendly tone you use in your videos, enough so that he reads the words with your voice in his head. The message ends with you encouraging him to have another go, saying you're sure he'll be able to get it right next time along with a cute kaomoji.

Xavier moves to type out a thank you before pausing, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. Eventually he deletes what he'd written and instead relays his long-time struggles in the kitchen, asks if you might be interested in a collab as a way to keep his oven safe from any more possible fires. When your reply comes, he finds himself letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding as he reads over the part where you say you’d love to make a video with him. The next few weeks pass with you messaging regularly, at first simply to sort out the logistics for your upcoming collaboration and then the conversation turns more casual, familiar.

By the time you show up on his doorstep, a grocery bag in each hand as you shuffle your feet awkwardly in the hall, your strawberry-patterned sneakers bright against the dark grey carpet, he thinks he might be in love with you.

The video goes off without a hitch, save for once instance where he reaches for the hot cake pan and you grab his hand to stop him. There’s a beat where you both just stare at each other, your fingers wrapped around his palm. It’s broken by the sound of the oven timer you’d forgotten to turn off and time restarts, both of you slotting back into the flow you’d established. You don’t bring it up, whatever unspoken thing passed between you, not even when he sees you to the building’s entrance and you linger on the goodbye, only climbing into the awaiting taxi when it’s clear the driver’s becoming impatient.

Neither of you expect the internet to bring it up for you, but it does. Stills and gifs of the moment get posted and reposted as both of your fans go wild. Predictably a couple of people aren’t happy, and Xavier spends an evening reporting and blocking every user who laments that wish they’d been the one holding your hand. The majority of responses, however, are supportive, with a ship name for the two of you already created and trending on social media.

You message him later that evening, asking if he’s free for a call. He accepts almost instantly, and moments later your voice is coming through the speaker, the words like something out of a dream.

“Look, I know we’ve not known each that long, and I don’t want you to think I’m bringing this up just because of all the stuff the fans are coming up with, but I’ve really enjoyed talking to you these past couple of weeks and seeing you in person was… Well, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to give this a shot? The two of us.”

Xavier doesn’t need to think before he replies, “if you’re not around, who’ll stop me from getting the salt and sugar mixed up?”