Despite never having enough money to do so, Kari actually loved flying.

She loved the adrenaline rush of the plane accelerating to lift up off the ramp, and the series of bumps as the plane landed. She loved having quiet time with her headphones and no one to bother her, the only background sound being the hum of the plane and whatever music she put on. Unless fate was working against her that day and placed her next to a bunch of screaming children – luckily, not the case on Kari’s first international flight. She loved watching the clouds pass slowly, as if they were simply floating above them at a relaxed speed. The free ginger ale and biscoff cookies weren’t anything to complain about either.

No, what Kari hated most of all was fucking airports.

They were either too crowded or moving so slowly that Kari’s feet would ache horribly. 

Kari also very quickly realized just how popular she was now. She severely underestimated the kind of reach her whole scandal had. That is, until she was recognized eight seconds after passing through the door.

The first time she sheepishly said yeah, she was Kari, and yes, she was Gamer Sheridan’s soulmate (she didn’t know whether to say that or ‘Gamer Sheridan’s Discord mod’).  The — what, thirteen year old? — The kid asked some very invasive questions, and Kari only escaped because her mom got so embarrassed and pulled her away. A mere few minutes later, she was approached by someone looking twice her age asking her the same confirmation, but Kari had learned better and said no before rushing away. The straw that broke her back was when another teenager shrieked at her excitedly across the whole ass airport, with most eyes and cameras on her in an instant. Kari ran off, hiding in the bathroom, and — once she finished her pre-boarding panic attack — ran to a duty free store. She bought a spare hoodie, a fashionable scarf to hide behind, and a pair of fingerless gloves to disguise her soulmark. And deodorant. Soulmate or not, Kari knew what gamers were like as a whole. Feeding two birds with one scone — the airport was freezing anyways.

None of that, though, compared to the pain and shock of suddenly having to move across the ocean.

Sure, she only had one real friend, with whom she had a very teary goodbye party. Yeah, she wasn’t in contact with her parents anymore (though her father tried to contact her after she went viral— a DM that went ignored and blocked). She definitely didn’t care about her job enough to mourn leaving. Yes, she found someone to take over her lease very easily. And sure, yes, of course she was grateful to the Bureau of Soulmates for paying for everything. That didn’t change how much it sucked, the way the reality kept sinking in a bit deeper with each new development, and that Kari was somehow even deeper in denial.

The plane calmed her. Sort of. It was a medium for her already fracturing sense of reality to dissociate into. The flutter in Kari’s stomach whenever she flew during rough turbulence felt a little like a liminal space. Couple that with a situation that felt absolutely dreamlike — in the worst  way — and Kari’s consciousness was all but floating above her body.

Even though she spent the entire time scrolling through the convention website, marking panels she wanted to go to, she had no idea what she was doing by the time she landed.

~~

Perhaps Kari was just ignorant to international airports, but good god the London one sucked ass.

She wasn’t sure if all international airports were just a round room with a whole selection of three options for food. Kari heavily doubted that was the case. The second she got off the plane, her plane’s passengers were cut off by another plane deboarding. Why in the world that warranted halting the rest of airport operations was completely beyond her. Kari tapped her foot impatiently — or anxiously. She didn’t know. 

It also didn’t help that many, many, many other people were heading to REX. Presumably. Based on the amount of gamers, furries, and nerds she clocked instantly. Which meant that someone was obviously going to recognize her if she wasn’t careful. Kari adjusted her scarf, her gloves, and kept her eyes on the floor.

The second the path was clear, Kari bolted as fast as she could without standing out. Once she was through the exit, she retreated to a corner where she had a few feet of space. She hated crowds and she hated this goddamn airport. Sighing in exasperation, Kari pulled her map from her pocket. Then her phone. Ah… she had a notification. Gamer messaged her while she was on the plane. Well, Kari needed to tell them that she landed anyway.

The message had a photo of Gamer blowing a kiss to the camera— to Kari. She smiled, and her brain must have been broken beyond repair because she smiled wider when she saw the caption. 

> me when i kick ur ass in fortnite

What a goddamn idiot. Kari hated how much she was starting to love—

She was jolted out of the revolting thought as an unruly child rammed into her, making her drop her phone. Thankfully it fell face-down. The exhausted father caught up to the child, with an apologetic gesture to Kari.

Her scarf fell to reveal her face as she picked up her phone. Hopefully no one noticed.

But just before she was about to pick up her phone, a different hand grabbed it. Kari’s heart sank, bracing herself for the inevitable. Her mind raged with what-ifs and scenarios. Kari tried to deflect, to get away. She didn’t want any more trouble or exhaustion. Hopefully she’d be able to get her phone back and be on her merry way.

When she looked up, though, she saw a skinny individual in similar secretive attire to her. A gray hoodie, cut up jeans, and simple black shoes. But under that hoodie, Kari could have sworn she saw a flash of green.

Her guess was confirmed correct for her as their hoodie fell off.

Both of them were too starstruck to say anything.

“Uh… hi, Mod,” Gamer stammered casually, handing the phone back to her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Oh good gods of gaming and gooning. Gamer did not expect Kari to look cuter in person.

Of course, Gamer thought — knew — Kari was adorable. But one could only see so much through a phone camera. It didn't show Kari's freckles, nor her adorably starstruck face, nor the way her hands shook, nor how warm her hands were, a warmth Gamer had been yearning for, for... who knew how long.

How would one even greet such a girl?

They couldn't even think of an ironic joke to make. They couldn't think of a way to make Kari cringe with horror and feigned disgust. So neither spoke, and neither moved. Wow, they were both overcome with anxiety and nerves. It'd be a miracle if they could make that work.

Gamer was suddenly overcome with a weird sense of imposter syndrome. No... that wasn't the best way to describe it. They were scared, scared of their own inadequacy, and they were already scared to be left behind.

And they had a feeling Kari felt the same way too. Suddenly, they felt Kari's hand shake in anticipation. That snapped Gamer out of their stupor, and when they looked Kari up and down, they saw her legs were clacking together repeatedly, quickly. It was clear she was struggling to keep her balance.

Despite their fame, Gamer was beyond clueless. But even they knew what to do.

Gamer wrapped their arms around Kari. Compared to Kari's full body, Gamer hoped their scrawny arms would provide the comfort she needed. They pulled her close, allowing her to lean onto them. Kari stammered for a bit, and almost pulled away, but eventually leaned into it.  

She hiccuped, her back shivering. Gamer knew that a dam in her  broke. They held her tight as Kari tried to hold herself back.

Finally, one of them broke the silence in the noisy, crowded airport.

“Hi, Gamer,” Kari choked.

“Hey,” Gamer said, trying to sound much less awkward than they did. “I’m glad you’re here.”

They felt something drip onto Gamer’s shoulder. Instinctively, Gamer knew to just pet her hair softly. They had to go. Both of them were going to be recognized. Gamer was beyond certain that people were already snapping pictures. They were going to be harassed. Gamer knew that. They knew. And they had a feeling Kari knew, too. They knew that would only stress Kari out more

And yet, all they wanted was to freeze this moment in time.

Gamer stood there, holding Kari, continuing to pet her soft, luscious hair. Kari smelled of warm lavender tea. Gamer wished they wore deodorant that day, so as to not ruin her beautiful scent.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Neither of them wanted to break the moment, but the moment they heard excited whispers and squees, they knew it was their cue to leave. Holding Kari by the hand – Gamer couldn’t help but note how perfectly their hands fit together. One soulmark reading ‘Discord Mod’, and the other reading ‘Gamer’. It sounded so silly, so absurdist, like something out of a masterclass shitpost. But here they were. And… Gamer didn’t know how they felt. But they didn’t feel empty.

They made it to the limousine. Gamer relished in the shocked look on Kari’s face, the way her jaw dropped to the floor. With a light tap on Kari’s back, they both shuffled into the van. People were still for certain gazing at them. While they wanted to show their Soulmate, their Discord Mod off, time and place. Time. And. Place.

The ride was silent. Comfortably silent. Kari rested her head on Gamer’s shoulder, and eventually fell asleep. They supposed they couldn’t blame her. Planes were exhausting, airports were sensory hell, and carrying so much physical and emotional weight must have taken it out of her. Luckily, Gamer got the best room in the hotel – with one bed, of course. Now that they were together, they could shower their Soulmate with luxury, decadence, and comfort.

It was the least they could do. Gamer had to compensate for their rampant insecurities.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Thank god for the hotel staff. Gamer always held such a fondness for hotel staff. They were always beyond helpful. Gamer always made certain to leave a sizable tip – many people don’t, after all – and it seemed they’d be doing the same here when they helped carry the heavy luggage to their rooms.

Kari was still quiet. Some weird, foreign, protective flame lit in Gamer’s chest, and despite Gamer wanting to shut down as well, they took over verbal communication. Kari seemed surprised at first. But she accepted it, a hand weakly clinging onto the hem of Gamer’s shirt.

Finally, the door closed, and the two had the room to themselves. Almost instantly, Kari threw herself on the bed. Gamer chuckled and followed, ripping off their boots and collapsing right next to Kari. Ah, her scent of lavender. Now that they were in a socially anxious introvert’s haven – empty, quiet hotel room – they could properly relax. Properly talk. Properly-

Kari wrinkled her nose. “Are you wearing deodorant?”

“That’s not very kind of you, Mod,” Gamer teased back, laughing as Kari rolled her eyes. “Sounds like you’re breaking rule one.”

“Can’t believe I clocked you correctly,” she murmured, “I got you some deodorant at the duty free store. I’ll grab it when I feel like getting up.”

“Good Mod, being so attentive to people’s needs!” Gamer purred in her ear, sending a chill up and down Kari’s spine. Seeing her shudder only egged Gamer on further. But just as Gamer was about to go in, just as they were about to get their hands all over Kari, just as they were about to make her bend to their will–

Ring, ring, ring…

Gamer muttered a couple expletives under their breath as the mood died instantly. They fished through their pockets to find their phone, eventually grabbing it near their ankle. “Who is it?” Kari asked, narrowing her eyebrows. Gods, they wanted to play with her more. They supposed they had all the time in the world now.

“I ‘unno,” Gamer said. And they didn’t. It was an unknown number, and though they could recognize it as a UK number, Gamer didn’t know anyone in the UK. Not on a personal level, at least. But they were in London. And they were going to a conference in London starting tomorrow. They were at the hotel. So it was highly likely it was someone from con staff or a volunteer.

Bracing themself for the worst, they answered. The voice that came out was a crisp, bubbly voice with a London accent. “Hi!” she said in a sing-song voice. Already, Gamer felt overwhelmed, but they suppressed the urge to hang up instantly. “Is this Gamer Sheridan?”

“That’s me,” Gamer replied with a bit of hesitation in their voice, “and you?”

“Oh, great! My name’s Melody Everhart. I’m working as a talent handler for the con this weekend?”

“Uh-huh…” Gamer couldn’t say they weren’t any less confused. After all, they’d never gotten a call like this. “Is this something urgent? I don’t usually get calls like this before cons.”

Melody gasped. “Oh, I had assumed they told you! They hired me to make sure everything goes smoothly with your panel, and signings, and whatnot,” she explained. Kari shuffled in her bed and made a vague noise of confusion, but Gamer was too locked in on just why they hired a talent handler. Then again, they supposed Melody called them to answer those exact questions.

“Ah… I see. I’m sorry, they haven’t done this before.”

“Oh, yeah, they said they usually don't. It’s just ‘cuz of the whole… well, you know.”

Gamer and Kari locked eyes. Yeah, they knew. Kari still held her breath, but it seemed they were on the same page. They brought a talent handler in to mitigate the whole… incident around their Soulmark status becoming beyond well-known. If the airport or Kari’s daily life were bad enough, being in a con of – probably – exclusively people who knew Gamer in some way sounded like actual hell.

“But – but if I would get in your way, just let me know!” They could swear they heard the inklings of a voice crack, a brief blip of nervousness, but they ignored it and listened to Melody. “I’m here to make your life easier, not harder!”

“Y-yeah. I want to hear more, at the very least.”

“Okay, great! I’m bringing plans, schedules, and blueprints with me. I’ll see you in a couple min, max!”

And then she hung up, before Gamer had any protests. Okay. Okay. This was fine. Stay cool. Stay calm. Stay collected. They couldn’t fall apart within the first minutes of being with their Soulmate, it was out of the question entirely. It was so far out of the question that Gamer was ashamed of thinking of it in the first place. Like seriously, who would do that?

Finally, as Gamer tried to calm down their irrationally worked up nervous system, Kari spoke up with a single question – “did she say she was coming here? Like, here, here?”

Fuck. Yeah, she did. “Where’s that deodorant, Kari?” they asked in lieu of, oh, they didn’t know, answering.

“Wearing deodorant to meet a stranger instead of your Soulmate? God, you’re a handful, aren’t you? At least wipe off your sweat.” Kari sighed with exasperation.

“It’s my gamermusk, I’ll have you know,” Gamer corrected, throwing in some more teasing that got Kari to make that incensed face Gamer was so enamoured with. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Gamer had to say, for someone now planning events at a massive gaming con full of nerds, Melody was about the farthest kind of person they could have expected. When Melody walked through the door, the best way Gamer could describe her was “just a normal girl”. No nerd attire of any kind. Her hair was styled neatly, platinum blonde hair tidied up into a cute bob, sepia skin with warm gold undertones accented by dark freckles across her cheeks and – from what they could see – her upper shoulders as well. She wore an airy light blue dress with a light yellow cardigan on top, completing the outfit with subtle anklets and bracelets.

If she wandered into someone like Gamer’s streams, they’d think she was on the wrong website. But she had an air of warmth around her. Gamer hoped they didn’t look creepy staring at her so intensely, and they hoped Kari wasn’t getting jealous. But when Gamer turned to Kari, she was similarly stunned and taken in. Glad they were both gay in the same way.

“Hi there!” she said in a bubbly, cheerful voice, reaching out to shake Gamer’s hand. “My name is Melody. I’ll be helping your engagements go smoothly. May I come in?” Gamer motioned to the room, and they all sat down.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” she continued. “I’m an event planner, talent handler for now, as you both know by now. I know you both have had long flights, so I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

“N-no, don’t worry about it,” Gamer reassured. Melody smiled, and began to rummage through her bag to find something. She murmured incoherently to herself as she did so. It took a couple minutes, but eventually she pulled out two brochure-styled schedules and handed one to each of them. Kari immediately opened it to look in detail, but Gamer merely opened it and directed their attention back.

“So, let me know if any of this sounds not okay with you all. These are meant to help you have a good event and focus on doing your work; not to further stress you out.” Gamer nodded in understanding. Melody cleared her throat and opened up her notebook, a pink bullet point style journal with a leather cover. “What we’re thinking is that we’ll have two security guards around you to help push through the crowds, keep overenthusiastic people away, and get you from one place to the next without getting mobbed. So two for each one of you, and four for both.”

Kari shifted nervously. Gamer glanced over at her. She already had gotten so much unwanted attention; maybe this was a good call on the part of the organizers.

Melody picked up on it, too, continuing in a softer voice. “There are also designated staff-only quiet spaces that are low-traffic and accessible. If anything becomes too much for you – even if you’re in the middle of a panel or signing – let us know and we’ll escort you over there. They have the map memorized and are there specifically to help you.

“The security have your schedules memorized too,” Melody went on, “oh, and on your schedules are a list of hand signals – things like ‘move me to this place’, ‘get me away from this person’, ‘let me stop walking and talk to this person,’ and so on.”

Gamer raised an eyebrow, looking at the back of the schedule. Sure enough, there was a list of eight hand signals, all with the goal of keeping them as calm as possible without causing a scene. Damn, they were really diligent. Props to the con for knowing to keep them safe. The gaming gods knew that it’d be particularly necessary this time around. Gamer usually hired their own security, so not having to worry about that in the midst of everything was quite a nice surprise.

“It’s kind of like a safeword,” Gamer remarked, thinking no more of it than a simple phrase.

Melody blinked cluelessly. “Um, I’m not sure what that is–” Oh right. Normal person. It didn’t seem she was lying to make things less awkward, either. “But I’m guessing it’s what it says on the tin,” she chuckled nervously. “In that case, definitely. It’ll keep you safe – emotionally safe, too.”

Gamer locked eyes with Kari by accident. She scowled at them, her eyes narrowing. Gamer couldn’t help but smile in response. Kari was cute, but she was adorable when she was embarrassed. 

Melody cleared her throat, and continued in a soft tone. She knew the topic incoming was sensitive. “Is there anyone who the security should be on the lookout for? I’m unsure if anyone has been particularly a bother – I’m sure many have – but the security guards can keep an eye out if any particular person is incoming. So…?”

Gamer and Kari looked at each other, their faces falling. Both of them knew how to answer that question.

“Well, actually,” Gamer’s tone softened, their voice quieting to a murmur, “there is one person I’m concerned about. She’s well-known enough in the gaming sphere that it wouldn’t surprise me, but I want her far away from me as possible. And even further away from Kari.” Obviously, Kari knew who she was talking about. Thrill had given them a very interesting start to their Soulmate relationship. It was an understatement to say that Kari wanted her nowhere near them as well. “She goes by ThrillElite in these spaces. Her legal name is Jessie Garland. Skinny, white, brown hair as a bob, usually wears a dark blue collar and goth clothes.”

Melody diligently jotted down notes. As she did, she regarded Gamer with a sympathetic gaze, her posture softening. “That should be enough info. I’ll relay that all to security, and they’ll be on the lookout. Someone will stand at the entrance to your panels and at the end of the line for your signings.”

Gamer nodded. That was about all they could do. If Thrill had, perhaps, wore a face mask, changed her username, dyed her hair so she could have blue hair and pronouns, and/or dressed in frilly pink instead, then she’d be able to circumvent those measures. It wasn’t beyond her; she always had a petty streak. But there wasn’t a ton else the con could do. Hiring Melody was above and beyond in and of itself.

“I appreciate your help,” Gamer said.

“Me too,” Kari agreed, nodding her head. She must have felt a bit awkward, not saying a ton, but Gamer couldn’t blame her for silence. Kari didn’t exactly have an easy couple of weeks, either.

Melody gave them a big smile, beginning to gather her things in her bag. As she rummaged around, she pulled out two business cards – hers, of course – and handed one to each of them. “I’m happy to help. And if anything comes up? Give me a buzz. You two are my priority this weekend. But if nothing else comes up, guess I’ll see you at your panels!”

She extended her arm out, offering a handshake. Gamer took it. Her hand was so warm and soft. Melody let them go and began making her way out the door, leaving with a “buh-bye!”

They heard the footsteps walk away. Once they couldn’t hear her anymore, a faint elevator dinging in the distance, Kari threw herself back onto the bed with a heavy sigh.

“Thanks for taking care of all the talking and logistical crap,” Kari said, looking away, blushing, clutching Gamer’s arm as they walked to the king-sized bed to join her. “I didn’t feel like doing it. How do you deal with all this attention, even?”

Gamer smiled wryly. “Not well, I can tell you that.”

Kari chuckled, “I guess that makes sense.”

“It’ll be fine, though. Because…” Gamer looked away awkwardly, a subtle blush rising to their cheeks. “Be… Because I’ll be here for you. No matter how overwhelming this all gets.”

They felt so ironic saying that. Cringe, one might say. But the way Kari’s body deflated in relief made it worthwhile. They couldn’t say they’d get used to all that kind of sweet mushy talk. But it was a start. They had to start somewhere, surely.