#tw]

You turned.

The man was lanky, twitchy. Bad teeth. Knife in hand, eyes jittery with something chemical. “Wallet. Now.”

You blinked. Then sighed, pulling out a crisp hundred-dollar bill from your clutch and holding it out.

“Here.”

He stared. “The hell is this?”

“A hundred,” you said. “I don’t carry a wallet. Too bulky. You can buy three pizzas, get high, maybe even tip someone.”

The mugger hesitated. Then lunged for your bag anyway—fumbling, pulling, his fingers catching on your necklace.

Snap.

Pearls scattered like gunfire on the wet cement. They bounced and rolled, luminous little ghosts vanishing into storm drains.

You stared down at them, unimpressed. “Aw, man. I just bought that. Now I can’t pretend I’m Daisy Buchanan anymore.”

The mugger growled, “Are you serious?”

“I’m trying to be.”

“HEY!”

The voice hit like thunder—deep, familiar, jagged with fury.

From the shadows above, a shape descended. Not just a shape—a myth.

Batman.

Cape snapping behind him, boots hitting ground like judgment day. The mugger didn’t even get to scream before he was disarmed and flat on his back, out cold with a single blow.

You folded your arms. “Wow. He wasn’t even that good.”

Batman turned to you. Stopped.

And stared.

It wasn’t the pearls. It wasn’t the alley. It wasn’t even the crime.

It was you.

You looked like a ghost—Martha’s ghost.

Same eyes. Same bone structure. Same pearls—except, no, they were plastic, shattered, lost in puddles. But it didn’t matter. For one split second, Bruce Wayne was back in that alley. The one he never left.

And you—calm, perfectly dry despite the rain, blinking at him like he was the ghost—tilted your head.

“Uh… are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

He didn’t speak.

“Wait,” you frowned. “...Mr. Wayne?”

That made him flinch.

“Yeah,” you said, half-laughing. “Kinda obvious. I mean, the jawline. The brooding. All that justice.” You knelt to pick up one of the fake pearls. “You okay? You look like you’re gonna pass out.”

His throat worked, words caught there.

“I—You shouldn’t have been walking alone,” he finally said, voice rough like gravel. “Gotham’s not safe.”

You pocketed the pearl. “Tell me about it. I got mugged for the first time and lost my aesthetic in the same five seconds.”

A pause.

Then you smiled, too brightly for this haunted city. “Hey. Wanna walk me home? If you’re not too busy glowering.”

Batman—Bruce—nodded, slowly, still pale.

You didn’t see the way his fingers curled slightly when he looked at your hand.

You didn’t see the way his eyes followed each broken pearl like a funeral procession.

But you noticed the silence.

“…Do I remind you of someone?” you asked softly, as you walked together out of the alley.

He didn’t answer.

Didn’t need to.

The rain kept falling. But he stayed by your side the whole way home.

And when he finally disappeared into the dark, you whispered behind him, “Take care of yourself, Batman.”

Later, in the Batcave…

Dick: “Bruce? You okay? You look like death warmed over.”

Bruce: “…She looked just like her.”

Dick: half-joking “Martha?”

Bruce: silence

Dick: “…You’re not serious—wait. Wait. Was she wearing pearls?!”

Bruce: hollowly “They broke.”

Dick: “Oh my god.”

Lilia Vanrouge

Your brows furrowed, jaw clenched as you peeked around a digital corner. “Okay, chat, they’re camping again. Literally again. Same deam spot. I swear these players don’t even blink, they just sit there like… like angry little mushrooms waiting to ruin my day.”

Chat:

chris-2220: campers = evil confirmed

jen-jen: she’s boutta lose it

best_mod: NOT THE MUSHROOMS LMAO

y/n.fan: someone save her

hanafubukki: rage incoming in 3…2…1…

You turned the corner in-game.

BOOM.

You screamed. “OH MY GOD!! AGAIN?! I JUST SPAWNED, YOU LOSERS PIECE OF—”

Your avatar ragdolled to the ground for the fifth time. Your hands flew into the air in defeat as you let out a long, loud puff. "Ugh, I hate this. I hate all of this."

You flopped back in your gaming chair, ready to launch into a full blown gamer rant when…

“You always get this dramatic when you lose. It’s adorable.”

You froze. Your heart stopped. Your soul left your body.

Because that was a very familiar voice. A very recognizable, flirty, smug, velvet smooth voice coming from just out of frame. Your eyes widened. Your hands shot up like you were being held at gunpoint.

And then…

Chat:

chris-2220: WAIT! WHO IS THAT? WHO JUST SAID THAT?! WAS THAT A GUY’S VOICE??? TELL US NOW!

hanafubukki: “adorable”??? HELLO??? WHY WAS THAT KINDA HOT

blessingofthestars: I NEED HIM TO SPEAK AGAIN PLS

jen-jen: SHE’S GOT A MAN??

masquerade-of-misery: HE SOUNDED WAY TOO SMOOTH TO BE REAL

You started laughing nervously. “Uh…I…guys, that was, um… just… the neighbor! Haha! Funny thing. Thin walls. Ha…”

You were fumbling hard. The stammering. The fake giggles. The absolute refusal to look directly at chat. From behind you, the voice returned, closer this time, clearly amused.

“Tell them I said hi.”

You turned slowly. He did not just… You whipped your head back to the camera. “I… I can explain!!!!”

Chat:

Y/N_simp: DEAD! I’M DEAD

hanafubukki: HE SAID HI I’M SCREAMING!
y/n.fan: MYSTERY BOYFRIEND???

chris-2220: YOU’VE BEEN HIDING A MAN THIS WHOLE TIME???

masquerade-of-misery: DROP HIS @ !DROP HIS BLOOD TYPE! WE NEED RECEIPTS!

blessingofthestars: WHY IS HE KINDA FLIRTY

jen-jen: DID SHE JUST GET EXPOSED LIVE LMAOOOOO

You covered your face with both hands, groaning. “I hate you,” you muttered over your shoulder.

Lilia leaned casually into frame, smirking like the smug menace he was, and gave the camera a playful wink. “Aw, come now, love. They seem fun.”

Chat:

chris-2220: OH MY GOD HE’S CUTE

y/n.fan: STOP IT! YOU’RE KILLING US

Y/N_simp: SHE’S SO RED RN I’M IN LOVE

hanafubukki: girl… good for you…

best_mod: I SHIP IT

You exhaled in defeat, cheeks glowing. “…Okay. Yes. That was Lilia. He’s… my boyfriend. Surprise…”

You shot him a glare. He blew you a kiss. “I was gonna keep it private a little longer,” you mumbled.

Lilia perched himself on the arm of your chair and rested a hand on your shoulder. “Where’s the fun in that, love?”

Jade Leech

You were mid way through a relaxed, late afternoon stream, lounging in your chair with your headset perched lazily over one ear. Chat was a chill ocean of messages, questions, and banter as you leaned back and scrolled through your upcoming schedule.

“Okay, so for Thursday’s stream, we’re doing the collab with CayCay, and then next Monday’s stream might be an IRL one… if the weather behaves,” you said.

Chat:

Y/n.mushroom: pls tell me the IRL stream is hiking again!

usernamesarehardtomake: i love the forest ones!!

jen-jen: what’s the outfit for Monday 👀

tutorialb0ss: we want the chaos collab on Thursday 


You smiled, stretching a little then…

Click.

The door to your room opened behind you, and you instantly stiffened. Your mouth hung open mid sentence. Jade walked in. Calm, composed… and visibly excited, at least, Jade excited, which meant a slight gleam in his eyes and a gentle lift to his smile. In his hands was a small, intricately carved wooden box.

“I found some new kind of mushrooms,” he said with quiet enthusiasm. “They’re a curious shade of violet and had an unusual texture when I plucked them.”

Your entire soul left your body. Because not only did he forget you were streaming, but he had walked in exactly the way he always did, soft footed, confident, and directly into frame.

Your eyes shot wide. The camera only caught him from the chest down, but still…. white sleeves rolled neatly at his elbows, forest dusted gloves, and his voice.

That smooth, hypnotic voice.

Chat:

Y/nsupport: WHO WAS THAT!?

jen-jen: “I found some mushrooms”?? HELLO??

Y/n.mushroom: voice reveal of some mystery man

wokasiv: he sounds hot not gonna lie

tutorialb0ss: THE WAY HE SOUNDED EXCITED ABOUT MUSHROOMS! IM CRYING!

usernamesarehardtomake: MA’AM. MA’AM EXPLAIN RIGHT NOW! WHOSE FOREARMS ARE THOSE???

You were frozen, like a deer in headlights. “...Hi, Jade,” you managed weakly, one hand awkwardly hovering over your mouse. “You’re, uh… on camera.”

Jade blinked once, then glanced at the monitor. “Ah,” he said smoothly.

He didn’t panic… of course he didn’t. He just tilted his head slightly, curious. “Am I interrupting?”

“I—uh—yes. I mean no. I mean… I forgot to end stream before you got home,” you stammered, heat crawling up your neck. “That’s… my bad.”

Jade chuckled. “I did wonder. You said you would be finished by the time I returned.” He placed the mushroom box on your desk gently. “But you get so absorbed when you’re enjoying yourself. It’s endearing.”

Chat:

tutorialb0ss: END??EAR??ING???

neko: HE’S SO CALM WTF

jen-jen: HE PUT A BOX DOWN. WHAT’S IN THE BOX?!?

usernamesarehardtomake: BRO WHY HE SOUND LIKE A FAIRY TALE VILLAIN I WANNA DATE

wokasiv: HIS VOICE IS ILLEGAL

Y/n.mushroom: DROP HIS FACE. DROP THE CAM. WE WANNA SEE.

You rubbed your face, trying to hide your red cheeks. “Chat, this is Jade. Yes. He’s my boyfriend. No, I wasn’t planning on telling you like this.”

Jade leaned down just enough for his face to almost peek into frame, still hidden, but close enough that you felt his breath near your ear. “Would you like me to say hello properly?” he murmured.

Your brain short-circuited. “Nope! Nope, we’re good, thanks!” you blurted out, smacking the ‘Be Right Back’ screen hotkey in a flustered panic.

Chat:

wokasiv: SHE’S LOSING IT!

usernamesarehardtomake: STOP THIS IS THE BEST STREAM EVER

neko: SHE WENT ✨BRB✨ REAL FAST

tutorialb0ss: MUSHROOM BOYFRIEND REVEAL IS ICONIC

Y/nsupport: LET HIM SPEAK AGAIN PLSSSS

Y/n.mushroom: this man got her blushing and panicking I’m OBSESSED

better.twin: Ew…

You turned in your chair and glared at Jade, who smiled sweetly down at you like he hadn’t just broken your entire streamer career in five seconds flat. “This is your fault,” you muttered.

He leaned in and kissed your temple, voice like silk. “I brought mushrooms.”

“…Fine. You’re forgiven. But next time!!!.”

Epel Felmier

You were in the middle of a comfy, easy going stream, your hoodie sleeves bunched up at your elbows and a grin on your face as you held up your new prototype merch mug to the camera. “So this is the first test version. The handle’s gonna be reshaped, and the logo will probably glow in the dark. Which I think is so cool,” you said proudly, spinning the mug between your fingers.

“The hoodie samples are coming next week, and I’m thinking of doing a special pre order drop for subs first”

Chat:

Y/n.lil.apple: that mug is so cute!

waitlexist: GLOW IN THE DARK??? OKAYYY

Y/n.notice_me: take my wallet pls

glitchingmind: when’s the drop date?? 👀👀

Neko: WAIT WHO JUST WALKED BY???

You blinked. “Huh?” You glanced behind you but nothing was there. Just your bedroom door half open.

“Someone walked by?” you repeated slowly, squinting toward the hallway.

Chat:

Y/n.lil.apple: YES SOMEONE LITERALLY JUST PASSED

Y/N_simp: lilac hoodie guy! he was cute

waitlexist: HE HAD A BABY FACE

Neko: HE’S SO ADORABLE! was that your brother??? 👀👀👀

You snorted, laughing. “My brother? I don’t have a brother.” You leaned closer to read more comments, scrolling up.

“Wait… what? ‘He’s so adorable, was that your brother?’... I—huh?” You read the comment out loud.

Before you could even register your confusion fully…

SLAM.

The door flew open, and Epel marched back in like a storm in human form, glaring straight at your monitor with arms crossed over his chest and righteous fury radiating from him. “Who the fuck are you calling adorable?!” he snapped, voice sharp and thick with his unmistakable accent. “AND I’M HER BOYFRIEND!!”

You froze.

Chat? Exploded.

Chat:

Y/N_simp: EXCUSE ME?!?!?!?!?! BOYFRIEND???

waitlexist: “WHO THE FUCK” SIR HELLO???

Neko: LMAOOOOOOOOOOO

Y/n.notice_me: BABYGIRL HAS A BOYFRIEND REVEAL LIVE

glitchingmind: THIS IS THE FUNNIEST THING EVER

Y/N_simp: YOU’RE DATING THAT ANGRY LITTLE GRAPE??

Y/n.fan_: I THOUGHT HE WAS A BABY HE’S A WHOLE MAN???

Y/n.lil.apple: THE ACCENT CAME OUT HARD 😭😭😭

You turned slowly in your chair, wide eyed. “Epel… what… why did you yell at chat?!”

“They called me adorable,” he said indignantly, walking fully into the room now, jaw tense. “Like I’m some little purse puppy or somethin’… tch. I ain’t adorable, I’m tough. I work out! I chop wood! You’ve seen my arms!”

You blinked at him. “...They didn’t mean it in a bad way.”

“I don’t care, they’re wrong!” He pointed at your screen dramatically. “Tell them. Tell them I’m your man, not your deam brother!”

You slapped your hand over your mouth to hide your laughter, shoulders shaking. “Okay okay! yes, everyone, that was Epel,” you said between giggles. “He’s not my brother. He’s my boyfriend. My… very proud boyfriend.”

Chat:

waitlexist: “I CHOP WOOD” OKAY LUMBERJACK

Y/n.fan_: SIR RELAX WE GET IT

Y/n.notice_me: THE ACCENT WHEN HE’S MAD IS KINDA 👀

Y/n.lil.apple: I THOUGHT HE WAS CUTE, BUT HE’S SCARY NOW!

glitchingmind: “I’M HER MAN” I’M GONNA DIE

Y/N_simp: you got yourself a firecracker

Neko: PLS BRING HIM ON STREAM MORE

Epel huffed but looked satisfied. “Damn right.”

You finally turned to him, eyes warm. “You could’ve just said hi, you know.”

He shrugged. “Wouldn’t be as fun.”

Then, with all the casualness in the world, he leaned down and kissed your cheek, making your chat short circuit even harder, before walking off again like nothing happened.

You stared at your camera, stunned. “...So anyway, about that merch drop.”

Chat:

Neko: MAM.

Y/N_simp: WE’RE NOT DONE.

Y/n.lil.apple: GET HIM BACK HERE

glitchingmind: WE NEED A COUPLE STREAM NOW

waitlexist: HOW DARE YOU JUST GO BACK TO BUSINESS

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