Chapter Text
“And that’s gonna be all for today’s stream, everyone! Thank you all for tuning in, dear SukiSubjects and I’ll see you all in the next stream. Bye-bye,” Itsuki said into his mic, signing off the stream with his signature phrase. Quickly, he muted his mic and switched the screen to the “Stream Ending” page for a bit. He stretched, his body weary and tired from streaming longer than usual.
Itsuki ended the stream and powered off his computer. Standing up, he sighed as he felt the power of Carnage Form leave him. Itsuki flopped onto his bed as Chrom materialized into the room, watching him groan tiredly into his sheets.
Perhaps streaming the entirety of a game plus singing all the featured songs was not an amazing idea in hindsight, but it was fun at least. Both Itsuki and the chat enjoyed the story and the impromptu karaoke, so it’s worth it to him.
Itsuki rolled himself over to look up at the ceiling. He’d only started streaming a few months ago, but because he worked at Fortuna at the same time, he amassed quite the following quickly. He was proud of both his progress and his fans, however, Itsuki wasn’t sure if the same could be said from Chrom.
Chrom stared down at Itsuki, squinting. “Is something the matter, Chrom?”
“Why do you tire and display yourself in Carnage Form?” he asked, still staring at Itsuki.
Itsuki sat up on his bed, “Because that’s how I usually look when I’m performing?” Though Chrom was right, it was exhausting to stay in Carnage Form for more than a few hours, streaming in it for almost half a day was horrendous.
Chrom furrowed his brows, “Still, it is strange that you insist on changing forms for streaming…is there perhaps another reason?”
Itsuki looked down at his feet. He felt as though he had already been caught. “It’s just that I…” he trailed off, mumbling something too quiet to hear.
“What was that, Itsuki? I couldn’t quite hear you.”
“I said that I feelmrecmfrtabletonstreaminCrnageFrm.” Itsuki jumbled his words, too fast and pressured to comprehend.
Chrom knelt in front of Itsuki. “Slow down, Itsuki. Take a deep breath and say it again.” Chrom instructed calmly.
Itsuki nodded, breathing in deeply before sighing out, “I feel more comfortable on stream in Carnage Form.” Looking at himself in the mirror or in photos, Itsuki feels alright. But the moment he starts streaming, looking at himself feels unnatural.
Chrom hummed. “So what you’re saying is you feel better streaming when we are in Carnage Form?” Itsuki again nodded and Chrom furrowed his brows in concentration. “But it exhausts you.”
Itsuki sighed, “I know, but I don’t have a better solution. Should I give up on streaming?” He asked that question to no one, but constantly changing forms with Chrom was going to be too big of a burden on Itsuki’s body.
“I have two possible solutions for you,” Chrom admitted, Itsuki immediately perked up, “One: you can do shorter streams to give your body a rest, or two: you can do longer streams but have designated intervals to take breaks and change out of Carnage Form for a bit.”
Itsuki thought it over. They weren’t bad solutions, his fans could probably entertain themselves while he rested for a few minutes. He looked at Chrom and smiled, “Yeah, I think we can make this work. Thanks, Chrom!”
Chrom nodded. “You’re welcome, you can also use those breaks to give your body a break and remove your binder for a bit.” At that, a twinge of pain ran through Itsuki’s chest.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea too,” Itsuki hissed. “I’m actually going to go do that now,” Itsuki stood up and walked over to his closet to grab a pair of pajamas.
Chrom hummed in approval. “I’ll leave you to it. Goodnight, Itsuki.”
He disappeared before Itsuki could say “Goodnight, Chrom.” But he knew Itsuki said it, he always did.