Jason P
Shit. I forgot I told him we could hang out this weekend, with everything that happened.
sry, I had an emergency this weekend. Can I reschedule for this week, maybe?
It didn't take him long to answer.
sounds good. is everything okay?
Jason P.
yes, all good now. I'm going to stream, but I'll text you later to make plans.
I was already a bit behind on my pre-stream ritual, so I tossed my phone aside to start getting ready. Though I usually loved what I did, I wasn't really feeling it today, so I went for an oversized off-the-shoulder Screech poster T-shirt and some sweats—not like anyone would see those anyway.
Maybe my reluctance was knowing that if I didn’t have to go live tonight, I could’ve spent the evening smooshed between Cameo and Indi while we ignored a movie. Or maybe I was just tired of spending the last few nights doing exactly that.
And with Marcus.
And Joon.
I sat at my vanity, accentuating my lashline with a sharp wing and dabbing a bit of pink shimmer onto the centre of the lid. A bit of concealer, a big sweep of blush, and a lash so long I was fixing to take flight, I was ready.
"Clara, play my pre-stream playlist," I called to my home speaker system.
"Playing your pre-stream playlist," her robotic voice returned after a few moments.
Loud bass started to play, the beginning notes of one of my favorite songs starting making me feel a little bit more excited to get to work. In the kitchen, I grabbed a Cosmic Crush energy drink. It didn't matter what time I started stream, I always crushed one of these beforehand.
I started chugging and finally checked my phone again. Cameo had responded quickly.
your closet was a mess.
Stalker
The laugh that came out of me was so sudden that I ended up spitting some of my drink, leaving sticky flecks on my screen that I had to wipe away with my sleeve before replying.
and it was mine.
well, now you're mine. I fixed it. you’re welcome.
Stalker
My heart picked up at an alarming rate. Did he mean it? I couldn't be sure. I set my phone down, not sure what to actually say. An alpha who wanted me to have his baby, broke into my apartment to fuck me, and then did it again to clean my house, said I'm his? What even was there to say to that?
I chugged the rest of my drink, chucked the can into the recycling, and went to my desk to boot up my computer, where I did the final part of my ritual. After going live and setting up the stream countdown, I did a few stretches. This part of the ritual started because I'd been editing a video for hours and stood to do a round of stretches before I began my stream, and I ended up with my highest subscriber count to date. So now, I did a simple stretch routine before every live.
Was I being superstitious? Probably. But it made me feel better, and that was enough of a reason to keep doing it.
On my last hip rotation, my perfectly timed playlist ended. The last thirty seconds ticked off on the screen as I did my final check to make sure I had everything I needed. Giant water cup, check. A packet of drink mix to go in it, check. My blanket to keep me cozy, check. Lights on, check. Mic live, check. Headphones? I grabbed them off the decorative stand, pressing a button to turn them on as I pulled them over my ears. Good to go!
With nothing left to do, I settled into my chair, pulling my blanket over my lap and turning on my camera. With a couple of clicks, the countdown melted away, bringing me and my desktop up for my viewers.
"Hey killers," I said to the chat with a little wave. "Wanna play?"
"To your left!" I shouted, catching my mic levels flare into the red out of the corner of my eye. “Sorry headphone users!”
The Carmine in front of me, of course, veered right, directly towards the killer, and it wasn't long before he was lifted and stuck onto a pike.
