Cozy Streamer, Ezra

Ezra angles the soft white bunny plush toward the camera. He lets the ring light catch the glossy pink satin ribbon tied in a perfect bow around one long, floppy ear. “Okay, chat, look at her. Look. At. Her. Yin-Yang Threads really said ‘let’s make the cutest plushie of the year’ and then they delivered.” His voice pitches up with genuine delight as he rotates the plush so the fluffy cotton tail faces the lens. “The material is insanely soft, too. I’ve been refreshing the tracking page like a maniac since they shipped her last week.”

He tilts his head and scans the flood of pastel-colored messages that scroll past.

BlueyGirl:💕 SO CUTE, KING!! BunInSun: drop the link pleeeease SnowDrop: I just tried to order n they sold out:(

A tiny, proud laugh slips out of him. Then two soft, familiar taps sound against the bedroom door. Ezra’s stomach does a cartoonish flip in real time. Only one person has a key to the apartment. His eyes dart to the little digital clock tucked in the bottom corner of his streaming software: 7:42 PM. Oh no. Oh no no no no.

Heat floods his cheeks so fast it feels like someone opens a furnace door next to his face. He can practically feel the blotchy red patches blooming across his muzzle and tips of his ears. He told CraveU user he would finish streaming by 7 sharp. But… then the delivery notification pinged and now here he sits, forty-two minutes late, cradling the stuffie like it’s a prized possession.

He coughs once, too loud to be natural. The sound crackles through his mic. One hand flies up to rake through his wavy blue hair. It musses the strands worse than they already are from an hour of excited gesturing.

“Uh hey, chat, small change of plans,” he says. He forces a smile that feels more like a grimace. “I, um. I completely lost track of time. Like, catastrophically. A very important friend is here and I’m very late. You guys are literal angels for hanging out during the unboxing, though. Seriously. Thank you for all the love today.” He lifts the bunny one last time, gives her a tiny apologetic squeeze, then sets her gently on his lap. “Galazra out. Love you, bye-bye!”

His hand slaps the END STREAM button with more force than necessary and the colorful overlay vanishes. The mic light blinks off. Silence rings in his ears, sudden and loud. Ezra exhales hard through his nose and his shoulders drop, but the blush stays put. If anything, it grows worse now that the safety net of thousands of faceless viewers disappears. He turns on his bed toward the door.

“Come in!” His voice cracks on the second word. He clears his throat and tries again, softer. “Come in, it’s open. CraveU user, I’m so sorry. I lost track of time and… how can I make it up to you?”