“Thank you ‘twirlinglotus’ for the… woah, 27 months!” Kaveh’s eyes widened as he read the notification out loud. “I always get so surprised by notifications like these…What do you meanyou've supported me for over two years?"
A few seconds later, Kaveh smiled brightly into his webcam as his chat erupted with lovely comments from his viewers. "Aww, thanks, guys. I appreciate the support from allof you, even the lurkers.”
For the next few minutes, Kaveh spent some time conversing with his chat as he waited for his friends to hop on. While Kaveh was usually a solo streamer who typically did art or Sims house-building streams, twice a week, he would be joined by his friends Cyno and Tighnari for a joint stream. This week's theme was board games, card games and co-op games. Earlier in the week, they played Overcooked together. The three of them had congregated at Tighnari's appointment, and while it had been incredibly fun, it had also been so chaotic that they'd sworn off playing it again for a long, longtime. This time, they were going to play Mario Party, which had been highly anticipated by each of their communities.
For the most part, Kaveh’s chat didn’t give him much trouble at all. Still, the size of his community meant that it was necessary for Kaveh to have a team of moderators. It was a team of five people, and they tried to ensure that at least two of them were present for every stream. Sometimes, there was only one moderator around—Alhaitham, who Kaveh’s chat seemed to adore. He was Kaveh's most consistent moderator, having only missed two streams since Kaveh started to pursue streaming full-time.
"Oh, I think I missed a question; hang on… let me read it out."
gildedstratagems: am i the only moderator here today?
Kaveh pursed his lips as he read the message. "Mmm… you might be? Ah, wait, no, hang on, I just saw another message…"
pantarhei:no, i’m here too.
"Nope, looks like we have two moderators in chat today," Kaveh said. "And before you all ask… no, Alhaitham is not here to moderate today. He's busy right now. Don't worry. Alhaitham told me that he might come around later on if he gets home on time."
gildedstratagems: oh? alhaitham isn’t around? that’s a surprise.
Before Kaveh could respond to the message from one of his moderators, two dingsrang out, signalling Cyno and Tighnari's arrival in their private voice channel. Kaveh quickly muted his microphone's feed to his stream so he could talk privately with his friends.
“Hey, Kaveh. Sorry, Cyno took foreverto get here,” Tighnari complained. “Just let me set up my Switch, the lobby, and actually start my stream.”
Kaveh hummed quietly. “It’s alright, take your time,” he replied. Then, he turned the feed to his stream back on so he could address his chat. “Alright, everyone. Cyno and Tighnari are just getting set up. When they’re ready, I’ll get them to say hi to you all, and then we’ll start.”
While he waited, Kaveh scrolled back through chat to see what he'd missed while he was chatting with Tighnari and Cyno. It was mostly filled with messages of excitement for the upcoming Mario Party stream, but there were also quite a few messages of disappointment. Alhaitham was strangely popular in Kaveh's chat, and some people seemed down about the fact that he wouldn't be there. Honestly, Kaveh didn't quite understand why they were all so endeared by him; Alhaitham spent most of his time in chat just bickering with Kaveh over every little thing. If Kaveh took too long to read through something, Alhaitham would call him out on it. Kaveh missed a key detail and had to redo something? Alhaitham was the first person to call him out on it. It was infuriating, at least for Kaveh.
As he continued to read the chat, one message in particular caught his eye.
auricblaze: wait, why isn’t alhaitham here today?
"Oh, Alhaitham had a couple of appointments to go to, that's why he isn't here," Kaveh explained. "Today's stream is a lot earlier than usual, since Tighnari and Cyno couldn't do our usual time. Unfortunately, it was a last-minute change, so I think many of our moderators got caught out."
Kaveh's phone buzzed, and he quickly glanced at it to read the message he got. Then, he promptly messed with a few settings on his stream and addressed his chat again. "Alright, everyone, Cyno and—oh. Hang on, one moment…"
With a frown, Kaveh leaned closer to his monitor to read a series of messages that had caught his attention; as he read through them, his frown deepened.
auricblaze: i see, makes sense.
sirajnumber1: how does kaveh even know that though?
alcazarzaraypalacefan: i'm telling you, those two are dating. if not, kaveh and alhaitham definitely live together!
alcazarzaraypalacefan: why else would kaveh know that? see? i’ve connected the dots.
twirlinglotus:what is wrong with you? you know that this isn’t something to be bringing up in the chat where kaveh can see it.
See AlsoTighnari Quick Guide - KQMTighnari Guide and Best BuildsGenshin Impact Tighnari Guide: Best Build, Artifacts, Weapons, Teams, and MoreGenshin Tighnari Build Guide: Best Weapon, Artifacts, and Team - Genshin Impact Guide - IGN[This is only visible to the streamer and moderators. alcazarzaraypalacefan has been timed out by gildedstratagems for two days. The following warning message was sent to alcazarzaraypalacefan: ‘you’ve been told multiple times to stop speculating about kaveh’s private life. do it again and you’ll be permanently banned.’]
[This is only visible to the streamer and moderators. gildedstratagems has deleted messages from alcazarzaraypalacefan and sirajnumber1.]
[This is only visible to the streamer and moderators. pantarhei has issued a warning to sirajnumber1. Reason: Instigating discussion on banned topics.]
Before he could stop himself, Kaveh pinched the bridge of his nose. Then, after realising that his webcam was on and people could see his frustration, he schooled his expression into something more neutral. "Well… now that my moderators have swiftly dealt with certain things, I guess we can get started. Cyno, Tighnari, would you like to say hello to my stream?"
Tighnari chuckled. "Wow, your chat is being a pain…all because Alhaitham isn’t around? Wow. Anyway, hi, everyone in Kaveh's chat. And Kaveh, say hi to mine. It's just me streaming today—it's too much of a pain to set things up so that both Cyno and I could stream from my apartment."
"Hi, Tighnari's chat… and Cyno. Hi to you, too," Kaveh replied, eyes trained on his own chat as he monitored the messages coming through. "Oh dear, someone said that they hope we're all still friends after that Overcooked stream on Monday."
Momentarily, everything was silent. Then, out of nowhere, Cyno spoke up. “Ah, hi to Tighnari and Kaveh’s respective chats. As for the chatter in Kaveh’s stream… Well, let me tell you something. That Overcooked stream was the Worcestershire situation I've ever been in.”
Both Tighnari and Kaveh groaned at the terrible joke. Then, as he read through his chat a bit more, Kaveh huffed out a reply. “I should stop being friends with you after that…worst of all, that pun only half works.”
“Ugh, that has to be one of your worst ones yet,” Tighnari quickly said, following on from Kaveh. “Oh, Cyno, let me read this comment out…
sunsetclause: that may be one of the worst jokes I’ve ever heard, but i kind of respect cyno for not faltering at all with the pronunciation of Worcestershire.
I hate to admit it, but I agree.” Tighnari sounded pained as he read the comment, which caused Kaveh to laugh.
Kaveh was conscious of their time limit—Cyno and Tighnari would need to leave in three and a half hours. So, not wanting to waste any more time, Kaveh moved things along. "Alright, everyone is here, and the lobby is set up…who's ready for some Mario Party?"
Unbeknownst to Kaveh, while he was busy bantering with his friends, Kaveh's chat was split between topics. Some chatters were focused on the stream at hand, while others still debated whether Alhaitham and Kaveh were dating. It was causing quite the commotion in Kaveh's chat and was a massiveheadache for his moderators—they constantly had to give out warnings, delete messages, and time people out.
[This is only visible to the streamer and moderators. gildedstratagems deleted multiple messages:
auricblaze: guys, just because alhaitham is kaveh’s top donor, longest subscriber and kaveh’s main moderator doesn’t mean they’re dating.
auricblaze: okay, i realise how that sounds now that i’ve typed it out, but still.
danatheflowerscholar : yeah, i’m sure it’s all a coincidence.
danatheflowerscholar : i would still put money down on them dating, though.
haravatathouseholdname : wow, you don’t understand privacy at all. kids these days…
Danatheflowerscholar: why are you talking like you’re 100+ years old
Danatheflowerscholar: anyway, i’m just saying… there’s no way they aren’t dating.
goldenvow : @gildedstratagems
gildedstratagems has issued a warning to auricblaze and haravatathouseholdname, timed out danatheflowerscholar.]
[gildedstratagems has pinned a message in the chat: 'Last warning: any discussion of Alhaitham and Kaveh's relationship status—which is none of your business—will result in a three-day ban.']
See AlsoTighnari Team Guide | GenshinLab
***
After two rounds of Mario Party, Kaveh was equal parts amused and frustrated. He, Cyno, and Tighnari were all incredibly competitive, which meant that they were all ruthlesswith each other, freely utilising mechanics to steal items, coins, and even the sought-after stars from each other with no guilt at all. Thankfully, Kaveh managed to easily win their first round, but in the second round, he lost right at the end.
“This is actually rigged,” Kaveh joked as he watched yet another bonus star be handed to Cyno. “You’re literally only going to win because of pity stars.”
Sharp laughter filtered through Kaveh’s headset, bringing a smile to his face. “Well, Kaveh, a win is a win, and I’ll take it.”
“No, I agree with Kaveh. This is ridiculous,” Tighnari replied, clearly disgruntled. “I can’t believe I’m about to come last for this round too. Ugh.”
The telltale victory music began to play, and Cyno was crowned the winner of their second round of Mario Party. Kaveh took a quick glance at his chat, fully expecting them to be teasing him for losing to Cyno because of the bonus stars, but instead, he was caught off guard by what he saw.
viraf: so much for alhaitham being away for this stream
ambrosialessence: okay, how did alhaitham predict that?
contractzero: @kaveh, get good
contractzero: [This message has been deleted by a moderator.]
contractzero: [This message has been deleted by a moderator.]
[This is only visible to the streamer and moderators. gildedstratagems has issued a warning to contractzero with the following message: ‘okay look that’s kind of funny but don’t be an ass.’]
bloomingloom: poor kaveh :(
Confused, Kaveh scrolled up through his chat in an attempt to figure out what they were talking about. Then, once he saw it, Kaveh quickly rolled his eyes and shook his head.
alhaitham: wow, i’m gone for three hours and everything falls apart. how have so many people been given warnings and temporary bans?
alhaitham: @kaveh also, calling it now, you’re going to lose because of the bonus stars.
“Well, well, well, look who finally decided to show up?” Kaveh teased. “Also, Alhaitham, the polite thing to do would be to notcall attention to the mess in the chat while you were gone. It’s all under control now. Wait, hang on…no way it’s been three hours already?”
At the mention of how much time had passed, Tighnari swore quietly, though it wasn't quiet enough—it was still picked up by his headset. "Has it been three hours already? Those games took a lot longer than I thought they would. We don't have time to play another one then… aw, I'm gonna be the only person who didn't win a round today."
As soon as Tighnari said that they wouldn't have time to play another round, Kaveh's chat erupted with disappointed messages. Kaveh read a few of them out loud and then chuckled quietly to himself before addressing Cyno and Tighnari. "People seem really upset about the fact that we'll be stopping now. Guess we'll need to do this again, hmm?"
Cyno hummed in agreement. "Definitely. We should rope Alhaitham into it, too, actually."
Immediately, Kaveh rolled his eyes. “Yeah, so we can watch him win every single round because of the bonus stars? No thanks.”
“No, no… I will be winning at leastone of the next ones," Tighnari replied, voice tinged with amusem*nt. "Anyway, Cyno and I should probably head off now. This was fun, we definitely need to do this again."
“Definitely,” Kaveh agreed. “Alright, well, my chat is already saying bye to the two of you… see you later, Cyno and Tighnari! I’ll text you both a bit later.”
Cyno and Tighnari both left the Mario Party lobby. Then, a moment later, two dingsrang out, signalling that they had both left their private voice channel. Now that he was alone, Kaveh sighed and stretched his arms out. His shoulders were a bit sore, and so was his neck. "Man, I'm getting old, I think. Anyway, chat; I think I'm going to jump off now. I know, I know, Alhaitham only just arrived, and I normally stick around for a while when these joint streams end, but I'm reallysore, and I'm hungry, too. I think my roommate has brought food home—I can smell something delicious, and it isn't helping with how I'm feeling either."
Kaveh read through his chat for a couple of minutes and responded to a few people, then flicked his stream over to his 'ending now' screen. "Alright, thanks, everyone. I'll be heading off now—see you next time!"
Once Kaveh had ended his stream, he got up out of his chair and winced as he heard his knee pop. Before he left the room, he double-checked to make sure that his stream was actually off. Kaveh had left it running for eight hours once before after 'ending it', so now he always confirmed that it had, in fact, turned off. Then, once he was satisfied, Kaveh wandered out of his room and headed off to the kitchen, following the absolutely divinesmell of food.
There was food waiting for Kaveh in the kitchen, and so was Alhaitham. With a bright smile, Kaveh bounded over to Alhaitham and pulled him into a tight hug. “Okay, I know I said that I didn’t want to watch you win every round of Mario Party, but it would be a lot of fun if you joined us next time.”
"Yes, hello. I'm doing great. Thanks for asking," Alhaitham deadpanned as he reciprocated the hug. Then, after Kaveh pinched his side, Alhaitham rolled his eyes and sighed. "In all seriousness, if you want, I'll join you for that. Or if you guys play Uno again…that was fun."
Kaveh pulled away from Alhaitham so he could fix him with a sharp glare. “That might have been fun for you, but I somehow ended up with 36 cards. I don’t want to deal with that again.”
“That is exactlywhy it was so fun,” Alhaitham teased, already leaning forward so he could kiss the top of Kaveh’s head as an apology. “Also…I don’t know how you feel about it, but maybe we should just tell your chat that we’re dating.”
Kaveh grimaced at the mention of their relationship and the current, incredibly persistent problem with his chat. "Mmm… we'll see. I don't know how I feel about telling everyone, though it would hopefully stop the insane speculation."
***
"…So yeah, Alhaitham and I have been dating for a while. We're only telling you this because the speculation has kind of gotten out of hand, and I felt sorry for my moderators. Please don't try to pry any further," Kaveh explained, head resting in his hand. His other hand was out of sight of his webcam and tightly gripped Alhaitham's. The other man was just off to the side, not yet comfortable with being on camera.
Thankfully, Kaveh’s chat took the ‘reveal’ well. If anything, they seemed to be feeling validated—almost everyone seemed to have suspected it already, even if they hadn't ever voiced it in his chat.
alcazarzaraypalacefan: aw, i can’t believe they’re dating!
alcazarzaraypalacefan: and some of you had the audacity to doubt me!
[This is only visible to the streamer and moderators. gildedstratagems has issued a warning to alcazarzaraypalacefan. The following warning message was sent to alcazarzaraypalacefan: ‘Read the room.’]
auricblaze: does this mean alhaitham is going to ban people who are too flirty with kaveh now
alcazarzaraypalacefan: it’s a shame though that kaveh is taken…
sirajnumber1: ugh, kaveh could do better.
[This is only visible to the streamer and moderators. alhaitham has banned alcazarzaraypalacefan and sirajnumber1.]
alhaitham:yep.
alhaitham:let that be a warning to you all. i willbe petty.
[This is only visible to the streamer and moderators. kaveh has unbanned alcazarzaraypalacefan and sirajnumber1.]
“No, you cannot ban people because of things like that,” Kaveh said, clearly exasperated.
[This is only visible to the streamer and moderators. alhaitham has banned alcazarzaraypalacefan and sirajnumber1.]
“—Alhaitham!”
