It was strange how someone could become so important to you without ever actually being there.

Not physically.

Not in the same room, not close enough to touch — just a voice through headphones, a laugh through a screen, a presence that somehow filled space anyway.

That’s what the QSMP had done.

Late nights turned into early mornings, chaotic streams turned into private calls that lasted hours longer than they were supposed to, conversations drifting from jokes to something softer, something real.

Somewhere along the way, Alex stopped being just another streamer.

And you stopped being just another player.

You became close.

Closer than either of you probably expected.

Quackity had a way of making everything feel easy. Even when things weren’t. Even when your mind got too loud, or your energy dipped, or the pressure of everything online started pressing in.

He didn’t fix it.

He just stayed with you through it.

And now—

he was actually here.

The airport was louder than you expected.

People moving everywhere, announcements echoing overhead, suitcases rolling across the floor. Your fingers tightened slightly around your phone.

He said he landed.

He said he was coming out.

You checked the messages again even though you had already read them three times.

Then—

“You’re shorter than I thought.”

The voice hit you before the realization did.

Familiar. Too familiar.

You turned around instantly.

And there he was.

A little taller than you expected, dressed casually, a cap pulled low like he was trying not to draw attention — but the grin on his face completely gave him away.

For a second, neither of you moved.

It was weird, seeing him like this.

Real expressions, real timing, no delay, no screen separating you.

“Wow,” he added, letting out a soft laugh as he took a few steps closer, his eyes scanning your face like he was trying to match every detail to the version of you he already knew. “You’re actually real.”

You let out a breath that almost turned into a laugh.

“I was about to say the same thing,” you replied, your voice slightly shaky in a way you hadn’t expected.

He noticed immediately.

Of course he did.

“Hey—” his tone softened, the teasing slipping just a little as he stopped right in front of you. “It’s me.”

Like that wasn’t obvious.

“I know,” you said quietly.

There was a small pause.

He opened his arms slightly, hesitant for just a second.

“Can I—?” he started, tilting his head with a half-smile, like he didn’t want to assume.

You didn’t let him finish.

You stepped forward and hugged him.

And it felt… right.

His arms wrapped around you almost instantly, one hand coming up to rest against the back of your head in a protective, grounding way as he let out a quiet breath against your shoulder.

“Okay,” he murmured softly, almost to himself, a small smile in his voice as he held you just a second longer. “Yeah. This is real.”