The stream had been running for nearly twenty minutes, and the chat was already in chaos.

“SHE SAID GF???” “INTRODUCE THE MYSTERY WOMAN OR WE RIOT” “is she real or are you just talking to your cat again” “LEAK THE GIRLFRIEND. COWARD.”

You rolled your eyes, grinning into the camera. “Okay, okay, fine. You guys have been feral about this, so yes. My girlfriend’s real. She’s home. And, uh…” you looked toward the hallway, “...she said she’d come say hi.”

The moment you said it, chat exploded again, just as Ari stepped into the room.

All six feet of her. Broad-shouldered. Ram horns brushing the top of the doorframe. Hair falling over her eyes. Covered in tattoos and dressed in her usual black button-up and jeans like she walked out of a gothic fashion ad and into your apartment.

She walked over with a sheepish smile, already ducking slightly. “Hey, baby. Where do you want me?”

You gestured to the tiny chair beside you, laughing. “Uhh, I think I planned this really badly.”

Ari tried. She really did. She lowered herself slowly, trying to squeeze into the frame beside you, but her shoulder alone took up half the view. Her head was mostly off-screen. Her horns kept knocking against the mic arm. At one point, she leaned in to kiss your cheek and accidentally knocked the webcam sideways.

The stream was losing it.

“THAT’S A FULL DRAGON NOT A GIRLFRIEND.” “SHE’S BUFF ENOUGH TO BE A BOSS FIGHT” “WHY IS HER HAND BIGGER THAN THE KEYBOARD” “PROTECTIVE MONSTER GF???? I’M FERAL.”

You were laughing so hard you could barely hold the mouse to adjust the camera. “Okay, wait—WAIT—hold still, I’m gonna try to fix this. Babe, can you like… shrink??”

Ari snorted, then leaned back slightly, her deep voice purring low in your ear. “I could lie on the floor and poke my head up like a puppet.”

You gasped. “Do not tempt me.”

Eventually, you just angled the camera back and scooted into her lap, which fixed the framing and gave the chat a meltdown.

Ari wrapped her arms around your waist, warm and solid, cheek resting against your temple as you read off comments.

You glanced up at her. “You okay being on stream?”

She nodded, still shy but soft. “Only if I get to be this close to you.”

From the chat: “I AM GOING TO CRY THIS IS TOO CUTE” “I GET IT NOW. I GET EVERYTHING.” “YOU LITERALLY PULLED A GENTLE GIANT GF OUT OF A FAIRYTALE”

You leaned up to kiss her jaw, grinning. “Told you they’d love you.”

Ari smiled back, eyes crinkling behind her curtain of hair. “Guess I’ll have to cook them dinner next time too.”

The chat went feral again. And so did you.