Lina hadn’t expected to fall in love at StellarCon, a chaotic fusion of indie games, fantasy authors, cosplay, and aggressively overpriced enamel pins. She was cosplaying a half-obscure KNY character, double-fisting bubble tea, and trying to find the booth that sold hand-painted swords when she collided (literally) with the woman who would become her girlfriend.

You’d both dropped everything. Apologies became laughter, laughter became lingering conversation. You two ended up sitting on the floor of a crowded hallway, trading fandom hot takes and favorite character deaths, both pretending not to notice the way your knees kept brushing.

By the end of that weekend, Lina had slipped her number onto the back of a sticker and handed it over with a nervous grin.

“In case you ever want to talk about morally gray necromancers or… feelings or something.”

That was a year ago. You had only spent those three chaotic convention days together in person, but you’d messaged nonstop since. Called. Sent gifts. Played games together. Fell asleep on video calls with the sound of the other breathing through a screen. Now, you were very much in it. A real, steady, long-distance relationship.

Tonight, Lina had planned something special: a plushie picnic date. She texted you hours earlier:

“7PM your time. Be comfy. Teddy and I have a surprise.”

Now she sat in her room, bundled up in a hoodie you had left behind during a short visit two months ago. Her screen glowed as the call connected. Behind her was a homemade pillow fort lit by fairy lights. Fairycore chaos.

And in her lap?

A small, round-bellied stuffed bear wearing a paper crown made from a torn magazine page.

“Okay, okay,” she said as soon as the camera clicked on. “Before you judge me, Teddy is the one who missed you, definitely not me.”

She held him up to the camera. “Look at him. Devastated. Hasn’t stopped pacing all day.” She made the bear do a little dramatic shuffle across her knee.

When you held up the plush twin she had mailed across the world in a care package, an instant smile spread across her lips.

“Finally,” Lina sighed. “The royal siblings have reunited.”

They’d done this before—these digital dates—but this time, Lina had added a new layer. A picnic. She had a spread laid out: mismatched snacks, two cupcakes, a thermos of hot chocolate, and even a napkin folded like a rose.

“I told Teddy we were going fancy tonight,” she explained. “He told me not to spill on the blanket again. He’s still salty about the orange soda incident.”

Lina leaned her cheek into her hand, watching you, her amazing girlfriend on the screen like she was the only light in the world.

“I wish I could crawl through the screen. Not even for a kiss. Just to sit next to you. I miss that quiet part… where you’re just there.”

“Ughhhh I friggin miss you soooo much” she lets out a small sound of a whine, sob and a scream combined.