The Bet

“I know my little bumblebees, I love Celeste too! She’s just the cutest thing.” Asa twisted to the side, stretching from where he was seated cross legged on his computer chair in order to grab a big, soft plushy of the owl from the wall of cubes filled with stuffies and other little gifts his viewers had decided to send him before settling back in his seat and wrapping his arms around her. “See? The cutest! An amazing fan sent me this and she’s perfect for cuddling.”

Asa’s arms wrapped around the plushie, the switch controllers making it easy to cuddle while he played. “I do love cuddly things, I think they’re perfect for early morning gaming, especially with a cozy game. Cuddles, a nice cup of cocoa, and a cozy game really is the best way to start the day.”

As he continued his blue eyes flicked between the screen he was playing on, and the screen with the stream of comments from his fans, cupid’s bow mouth smiling at the camera when a donation flashed on the chat screen. “Aww, thanks Princess Peach. The kitties will love their new treats and toys from today’s session. For those who don’t know, today all donations are going toward Cute Cat rescue, the rescue I got princess from! They take amazing care of their cats, and only let them go to indoor only homes so they are safe and not killing birds. Tomorrow’s donations will be going toward the Bee Conservancy, an organization trying to protect native bees and safeguarding their natural environments. You can always check my streaming schedule to see what non profit I’m playing for, and I am willing to consider requests if there is one near and dear to your heart you’d like me to support.”

A few more donations trickled in, and Asa took the time to thank each of them as his avatar ran around the island, talking with neighbors, watering crops, fishing, and catching bugs.

Finally a notice flashed on his screen, a reminder that he had to wrap things up before he played on stream all day and leaving him feel guilty the rest of the week. It had happened before until his roommate had gotten the alarms set for him, making him promise to stick to them. “Alright my bumblebees, I’m afraid we need to wrap it up here so I can get ready to go to work.”

He glanced to the feed again, expecting to find people wishing him well, only to note a surprising increase of viewers right at the end of his session. A little frown crossed his face at how frantic things seemed to be on it. “Whoa, slow it down everyone. Terrordog? What’s a Terrordog?” One of his mods sent him a message, letting him know that another streamer had mentioned him in their stream, and they were dealing with a flood of people coming from the other streamer’s channel to try and claim he wasn’t a gamer because he only played soft games.

A little snort of amusement escaped Asa as he realized what was going on. “Ah, I see. Don’t worry bumblebees, just because some insecure boy wants to act tough by trying to belittle games they don’t like doesn’t mean he’s a good player. Sad when streamers can’t validate themselves by their skills and have to try and go after other people to make themselves feel big.”

He hugged the Celeste doll one more time as he smiled at the camera. “Alright everyone, I’ll be here tomorrow morning, just like always, so you can always get your hive time with me! We don’t let bullies try and bring us down when we know we’re so much better than that. Now I really have to go my sweet little bees, but you all have a beautiful day, and we’ll see you all tomorrow.” Once Asa logged off he stood, stretching before his attention shifted to changing out of the soft, flannel pajamas he’d been wearing for a soft button up, a vest, and slacks before pulling his horn rimmed glasses back on and combing his hair until it laid flat.

Once he was dressed and ready for work he glanced to the clock, deciding he had enough time for a little research on this TerrorDog person. It didn’t take long to find the other streamers account, and Asa scrolled through his YouTube channel, smirking when he saw a video labeled “KnifeSandWitch.” He settled into the fluffy bean bag once more as he hit play.

Asa had to admit that TerrorDog was pleasant to look at with his dark brown eyes, soft looking brown hair pulled back in a short ponytail, and amazing muscle tone. If he muted the video Asa was certain he could watch the streamer all day, but with the sound on he quickly found his personality annoying. TerrorDog was playing a shooter game in a random server where he ended up against one of the best streamers in the game. With each death he got more and more agitated, slamming down his controller, yelling, even taking a few quick breaks to hit a punching bag as he ranted to his viewers. The few times he got a kill himself he would gloat and flex, up-selling himself and his skills far more than Asa felt they were worth. “What a brat.”

“Who’s a brat?”

Asa jumped at the woman’s voice coming from the door of his office, though he quickly turned to smile at his roommate. “Oh, just some gamer.” He paused the video before pushing himself up to his feet. “What are you doing up here? Hell, it’s not even ten yet, what are you doing up?”

As he spoke he made his way over to the tall brunette, arms wrapping about her in a friendly hug she returned. “Well, since we have plans this evening when I’d normally stream I wanted to do some streaming earlier. I found a tournament that starts at ten and entered it. Figured you wouldn’t have left for work yet and I could get some snuggles in with my favorite streamer before you leave for work.”

Asa laughed, a grin on his face. “That sounds like a wonderful idea Amber. Lets go cuddle on the couch till I need to go.”

It didn’t take long before they were snuggled up on the couch, both sitting and leaning against each other under one blanket as they watched another of TerrorDog’s videos on the tv. “Yeah, I see what you mean about him being a brat. He doesn’t take a loss well.”

“He really doesn’t. Doesn’t really take a win well either. God he’s nice to look at though.”

Amber laughed, her hazel eyes twinkling in amusement as she reached up to ruffle Asa’s light brown hair, messing up the neatly combed look. “Why am I not surprised that’s what you noticed.”

Asa reached up to try and fix his hair. “Can you blame me? Look at how he nibbles his lip when he’s focused, and that adorable little wrinkle between his eyes. And then he goes and punches the bag so you can see his muscles at work. I’d be amazed if he didn’t spend half his free time at a gym to get some muscles like that.”

“And counts every calorie.” Amber wrinkled her nose.

“You’re one to talk. I know about your secret calorie tracker book.” He poked her in the side, grinning at her. “I honestly don’t understand how you spend so much time worrying about your weight. You’re stunning, a few more pounds isn’t going to change that.”

Amber shrugged, completely unconcerned by Asa’s comment. “That’s different. I’m a model. We have to maintain a certain look.”

“You know you could make a living off your streaming, right? You don’t have to model.” Asa tilted his head to bump it against her’s gently.

“You could too, but instead you’ve decided to be the best book binder in a thousand mile radius. Admit it, we’re both just workaholics.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m the only book binder in a thousand mile radius Amber.” They both laughed before Asa kissed Amber’s cheek. “I really should be going though. Promise me you’ll kick butt in this competition and get signed on to some huge photo shoot for being so awesome.”

“That’s the plan. Look sexy, kick butt, get the best jobs!” She smacked Asa’s ass before he could walk away. “Have fun at work Asa. Try not to get a papercut.”

“Haha. Very funny.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ted snarled at his screen, flinging his controller down angrily “You’re going to burn you bloody camper!” He’d been killed three times right as he spawned by someone playing as a sniper, and it was starting to piss him off. “See, this is the sort of bullshit I hate with this game. Spawning out in the open in the same place every damn time? Huge fault from the game devs. Clearly they aren’t real gamers if they didn’t see this as the issue it is. This is why I stick to the games I usually play.”

He glanced to his stream, smirking as everyone was agreeing with his statements. His little shows of temper really seemed to feed his viewer’s interest, and it brought in the tips and subscriptions that paid his bills. “Yeah, you guys get it. I think we’re gunna bail on this game. No point if it’s just filled with losers who have no clue how to really play.”

A few game options popped up on the screen, and Ted turned to the chat to ask which one he should play, only to pause at the sight of a link popping up over and over again on the stream chat, brow wrinkling in confusion. “What’s this shit? Who keeps posting about another streamer? Why the hell are you all trying to snipe my viewers.”

It took a few minutes for a mod to let him know that the viewers found something he needed to see. “It better not be something gross Dogs.” Ted hesitated before he clicked on it to find a clip from Bumblebees stream someone had saved and uploaded. As he watched it he could feel his anger returning. “What the hell? Who is he to say I don’t have any skills!” His gaze shifted back to his camera, another snarl escaping him.

“I know I said the goal today was to game for eight hours straight, but after that sniping jerk and the pup playing baby games not having a damn clue what real skill is I think we need something to work out the stress.” Ted stood, flexing a little before turning to the punching bag he had hanging right at the edge of the camera’s view. He spent a few minutes punching the bag before dropping back into his computer chair with a smirk. “That’s real power. That’s how you can tell a winner, not some pathetic wimp who can’t handle real games.” Ted shook his head. “And I’m not saying women can’t be real gamers, don’t even suggest that. Look at KnifeSandWitch! She’s one of the best players in the game, and no one with two brain cells can argue that. What I’m saying is to be a gamer you have to actually game, and that means real games with real challenges, not those stupid farm games that don’t require an ounce of skill.”

With that he turned back to his own gaming, finishing out the session strong, with plenty of donations and subscriptions coming in. Once the stream was over he leaned back in his chair, watching the clip from Bumblebee’s stream again. Irritation rose again, and another snarl escaped him before he stood and slammed his fist into the punching bag once more. “What kind of asshole does he think he is?”

Ted punched the bag a few more times before he finally caught hold of it to keep it from swaying, panting for a while to get his breath under control before heading to the bathroom to shower, his mind unable to shift away from Bumblebee. He’d stumbled across the other man’s stream when he’d done a quick search for cozy gamers to make a point about how the people who played cozy games were weak beta types, not the type of person you’d run into at a gym. He’d been such a perfect example too, he just looked so soft and was always cuddling something, but the easy comebacks on his stream hadn’t been something Ted had expected.

He groaned in annoyance as he finally turned off the shower and grabbed his towel, quickly rubbing over his body before wrapping it around his waist. A familiar voice distracted him on his way to the bedroom, youtube had kept playing through Bumblebee’s videos while he was out of the room. Ted sighed, heading over to the computer so he could close the window, only to pause as Bumblebee smiled brightly at his camera. “Look at how handsome he is! Maybe we should romance him.”

Ted sat in his chair, a little frown on his face as he watched the video. He’d joked about Bumblebee being gay in his feed, but he hadn’t actually realized the other man was gay or he’d never have used it as an insult. He really should have picked someone else to make his jokes about. No wonder Bumblebee had shot back so easily. He probably had a lot of experience putting homophobic assholes in their place. Not that Ted was homophobic, he just had a personality he had to play to keep his followers interested, and being an asshole certainly drew the viewers in. Still, what was done was done, and his viewers had certainly seemed to enjoy Ted’s take on the cozy gamer.

His phone ringing finally drew his attention away from the screen, his brother demanding where he was as soon as he answered. “Shit, sorry! I got distracted. I’m practically out the door now!”

Alexander’s voice was filled with annoyance, just like it always was when he talked with Ted. “You should be here now. This whole thing is waiting on you.”

“I’m not even late yet Alex!” He raced to his room, yanking on pants and a shirt before looking for his shoes.

“You’re supposed to be here now Teddy. If you haven’t left yet that means you’re late” Alexander’s tone was purely condescending. The brothers were nearly ten years apart in age, and Alexander had always treated Ted as if he were still an irresponsible kid.

Ted winced at the nickname his brother used, one that got him beat up regularly as a kid until his parents got him a gym membership and fighting lessons. “I’m on my way. It’s fine.”

“I should have just hired a moving company. I knew we couldn’t count on you.”

“Moving companies are shit. They damage things all the time.” He finally grabbed his keys and rushed out the door, not bothering to lock the apartment behind him. His apartment was a renovated basement, and even people he invited over always struggled to find the door.

“If they damage her things we could simply sue to make them pay to have it repaired or replaced.”

Ted rolled his eyes as he got into his car. “Of course the lawyer thinks the answer to everything is to sue.”

“And the loser who lives in a basement playing video games can’t be counted on to even show up on time. I’m hanging up now so I can help Grandma pack some boxes. Try not to be more of a disappointment than you already are.”

A growl of frustration escaped Ted as he hit the steering wheel, wishing yet again that he didn’t live in the same city as his older brother.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“-and Bumblebee. Glad you both were able to make it this evening.”

Asa’s head jerked up, having been distracted by the amount of streamers who’d made it to the get together for their city until he heard his streaming name. Recognition crossed over his face at the sight of the streamer who’d come up to them. “You’re Games Only, right? I’ve seen some of your videos, love your work. I’m Asa.”

The balding man grinned at the compliment. “Thanks. Name’s Geoffrey, or you can call me G.O. I have enjoyed what I’ve seen of your streams too Bumblebee, though I don’t think either of us hold a candle to the woman who is literally the face of women in gaming.”

Amber smiled at the compliment. “Thank you Geoffrey, but I’ve seen your streams too. You’re so entertaining and do a great job introducing people to games they may never have been willing to try before they saw you playing.”

“Well, I do try and remind people that games are for everyone. Any chance either of you would be interested in some collaboration in the future? I’m always looking for guests to bring onto the channel, and either of you would probably be a big hit with my viewers.”

Asa grinned. “I’d love to. There have been some two player games I’ve wanted to try out on live, but this one is always asleep while I’m on.” He playfully poked Amber’s arm at that, making the woman laugh.

“I don’t get why you decided to do morning streaming anyway! It’s a good idea you decided to stick to cozy games for your stream or I’d probably strangle you for waking me up every morning.”

Geoffrey arched a brow behind his glasses. “The two of you live together?”

“Yeah, Amber’s the one who convinced me to try streaming actually. I always enjoyed watching her videos, and played a couple games with her to help build her viewers back before she got quite so big. Course, now we hardly ever play together.” Asa pouted, though it only made Amber roll her eyes.

“You’re such a liar Asa! Just because we don’t stream together doesn’t mean we don’t play together. You’re just super strict about only streaming at a certain time with specific games.”

Geoffrey chuckled at their friendly argument. “I get that honestly. Having a set schedule helps your viewers get into a routine and feel comfortable knowing when you’ll be on.”

Asa smirked over at Amber, who simply shrugged. “If they want to watch me they’ll just have to pay attention to the schedule I post. It’s not like I don’t tell them when they can watch me, I just have a life outside of gaming too.”

“See, this is why I set my stream to be first thing in the morning. Nothing else ever goes on at that time, so I don’t have to juggle different stuff to be able to stream, plus it’s a relaxing way to start the day.”

“Ah, that’s why you went with cozy games for your stream.” Geoffrey nodded. “Makes sense. Especially if you have a roommate you don’t want to wake up.”

“Yeah, I didn’t really want to deal with the yelling and fits some gamers throw if they aren’t winning. I like a nice, relaxing way to start the morning before I go to work.” He gave a little shake of his head. “You should see a gamer I stumbled across this morning. I watched the video of him playing against KnifeSandWitch this morning and he nearly broke his controller when she shot him. Name’s TerrorDog, and I don’t get why people want to watch someone throw a tantrum all the time.”

Geoffrey chuckled. “Some people enjoy that sort of thing. Not my cup of tea, but it works for him. He’s local you know. We go to the gym together every week.”

The cozy streamer glanced around instantly, Amber smirking at the sight, though Geoffrey shook his head. “Ah, sorry. He wasn’t able to make it tonight. Had something come up and had to cancel on me.”

Asa’s attention shifted back to the conversation instead of looking for the streamer who’d sent his followers to harass his stream that morning. “Mmm, that’s too bad. I have some comments on his stream and followers.”

Amber continued smirking. “Like how you think he’s hot when he gets mad and punches that bag of his?”

Asa’s face turned red, and he gave his roommate a little shove. “Shut up!”

Geoffrey arched a brow. “Wait, you two aren’t together?”

Amber wrinkled her nose at that. “Eww. No.”

“Eww? Really? That’s the response you give?” Asa glared at his roommate, jabbing her lightly in the ribs. “How rude.”

“You know you’re not my type Asa. I love you, just not like that.”

“Well you’re not my type either.” He stuck his tongue out at her, still pouting a little.

Amber ruffled Asa’s hair. “No shit. You’re not a fan of the boobies. We all know it.”

Geoffrey snorted in amusement. “The two of you have been friends a while, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, we have.” They answered at the same time, only to break out in laughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Asa plopped into his computer chair, pushing the sleeves of his oversized sweater up as he got his stream ready to go. “Good morning Bumblebees! So lovely to see you all this morning.” He smiled at the well wishes from the viewers, though noticed a few comments that were either fans of TerrorDog trying to start trouble or were his own viewers letting him know about what TerrorDog had said about him. “Mmm, so someone decided all we play here is baby games hmm? Well, why not? Babies are adorable, especially baby animals, so lets take care of some!”

With that he loaded up a zoo game where the entire goal was caring for and raising a collection of baby animals. It required time management skills since he had to jump from one baby to another often without forgetting any of them, and some basic knowledge of what different animals need. The game was not only adorable, but educational, giving lots of little tidbits about each of the animals. “Oh, that’s neat guys! Did you all know that Artic Foxes are only about ten pounds? That’s about the same size as Princess!” He twisted in his seat, trying to spot his fluffy white cat, only to turn back to the camera with a little pout a moment later. “She must be napping out on the sofa. Sorry everyone, I know you all love when you get to see her.”

His attention turned to the chat, where most people were commenting about how they loved Princess or were sad she wasn’t there today, though he caught sight of a few that were clearly trolling and commenting on either the baby games or fake gamers. A little frown crossed Asa’s face before he pushed the sleeves of his sweater up again. “Well everyone, I think we don’t have much longer before these babies grow up. I think it will line up perfectly for the end of the stream.”

Asa paused for a few minutes, focusing on the baby tiger and it’s needs before his gaze shifted back to the camera and he gave a little smile. “Don’t worry bumblebees, I noticed the trolls trying to slip in, and it looks like our mods are shutting them down as fast as they’re coming. It’s pretty sad that people don’t have anything better to do with their time then try to harass someone they don’t even know, but I can’t say I’d ever heard of TerrorDog before yesterday, even though he clearly knows me well enough that I’m on his mind for random comments.” He shrugged, smile sweet as ever. “So I suppose the fact that he thinks that he needs to send his fans here to try and bother me means he sees me as a challenge for some reason. Maybe if he spent more time learning how to play and less time throwing a fit any time something doesn’t go his way he’d get enough attention for actual game play that he wouldn’t have to play these silly games.”

Instantly his feed lit up with his fans complimenting his mature nature, saying they didn’t know he could be so vicious, or even simply commenting things like “Burn!” He ignored it however, instead turning his attention back to the adorable little animals that were becoming more independent and athletic until they were finally ready to be released into their zoo enclosures. “Good job my bumblebees, looks like we managed to keep everyone happy and healthy! Look at that amazing score. A wonderful game, and it continues on through their adulthood and even to them having babies of their own if you decide to get them a mate and continue to keep them happy. If you are an animal fan I strongly suggest this game my sweet bumblebees. Now it’s time I get going, but I’ll see you all tomorrow morning for our game time together.”

He didn’t get up once he’d ended his feed, instead checking on what TerrorDog was up to. The streamer was annoying, but Asa had to admit that watching the muscular man punching his bag was worth a few minutes. If only he had a personality that was as enjoyable he’d truly be someone worthy of crushing on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Who the hell does he think he is, saying I can’t play?” Ted’s fist slammed into the bag with a growl after watching another clip his viewers had sent him. “I could wipe his ass in any game. He doesn’t even know how to play a real game!” Another solid punch met the bag before he dropped back into his seat, glaring at the screen. “That’s it, we’re not going to talk about him again today. We still have an hour of play time, and we shouldn’t waste it on some nobody like Bumblebee.”

His attention turned back to his game, though he was still furious about the clip his viewers had taken for him, the distraction leading to him getting killed shortly after the round started. “Damn it!” He dropped his controller on the desk before giving the bag a halfhearted punch once more.. “You guys have to stop giving me clips of that fucker. It throws off my game.”

Copies of the clip and others from Bumblebee’s stream instantly flooded the chat, and Ted rolled his eyes at the sight. “Okay, okay. I should have seen that coming. Good job you pack of trolls.”

Ted returned to playing with a few grumbles. He knew his viewers were savage, enjoying teasing him as much as they teased others. Still, they paid well, often giving more donations while they were giving him shit for playing poorly than when he was playing well. He wasn’t really sure if it was the punching and showing off his muscles, or if they were tipping him because they felt sorry for him, but either way he made sure to play up the losses.

Finally he wrapped up the stream, making sure to finish on a good game to make the point that he actually was a good player. “Alright you mutts, I’m logging off for the night. Might go out and see if I can’t find a different kind of entertainment.” He smirked at the camera. “Ladies, if you see me come say hi and shoot your shot. Always like to meet my fans, especially the hot ones!”

That instantly had the chat going, though Ted didn’t let them go too long, logging off while leaving them wanting more. He checked the amount he’d brought in for the day, grinning at how high it was. Well over his goal for the day, though he wasn’t too surprised. It seemed like every time Bumblebee came up he got some extra. His viewers just seemed to love how frustrated he got with the cozy gamer. He made a mental note to come up with some more things about Bumblebee to gripe on during the streams for the rest of the week as he made his way to the shower. Maybe he should talk about the cozy streamer’s outfits. Bumblebee always seemed to be wearing pajamas or oversized sweaters and sweatshirts.

He decided to focus on the lack of Bumblebee’s fashion sense in his next stream as he started washing himself, soaping himself up as he thought about the oversized sweater the cozy streamer had been wearing in the clips his viewers had sent him. It had slipped down over one of his shoulders in the clip, leaving his neck and shoulder bare while his hands had hardly even been visible in the too long sleeves.

Ted didn’t even realize as his cock started to harden as he washed over his abs, too focused on planning just what to complain about in his next stream. His hand slid lower, fingers circling around his shaft more out of habit than actual thought. The glasses were another thing he should bring up, and the way they constantly slid down Bumblebee’s nose so he had to push them back up. There had even been one time that his sleeve had been completely covering his hand when he pushed the glasses up. It had made him look so pathetic. A groan slipped from Ted’s throat as he came, the water washing his seed away as quickly as it had come. Ted rinsed off the last of the soap before grabbing a towel, thoughts shifting to where he wanted to go that night. He really did need to pick up some girl for a bit of fun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“He’s complaining about what I wear! What does that even have to do with gaming?” Asa grumbled as he cuddled on the couch with his roommate once again, a sigh escaping him. “It wouldn’t suck so much if he wasn’t so freaking hot.”

Amber blinked in surprise. “You’re more upset that he’s hot than that his followers are causing so much trouble on your stream feed?”

Asa waved a hand lazily. “They’ll get tired of it soon enough. But every time I have to go watch one of his videos it’s distracting as hell.”

“Of course it is.” She laughed, shaking her head a little. “We need to get you laid Ted. Scratch that itch.”

“You know I’m not into casual sex.” He sighed, closing his eyes. “And the gay community around here only seems to be interested in casual hookups.”

“Maybe you should try online dating?”

“Oh god no, that’s worse. People get pissed because you don’t give them your full time and attention immediately, even if they know you already had plans that weekend. It’s crazy honestly.”

“Oof, yeah, that sounds miserable. Well, I guess you’re just stuck with your one way crush.”

“God, crushing on a straight guy is one of the most pathetic things. I’ve got to get over this.”

“I don’t disagree with you, but it’s more cause the kid’s personality is shit than because he’s straight. Don’t fall for assholes, especially assholes who are picking on you.”

Asa groaned. “I didn’t think about it that way. I really do always pick the worst men, don’t I?”

“I’ve known you for years Asa, so understand that I say this with love. Yes. You have horrible taste in men.” She grinned at him. “But you’ve got great taste in your female friends, so that helps.”

“Gee, thanks. Just what I need.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ted settled into his computer chair, pulling up Bumblebee’s feed to see what he could work with when he filmed in own stream later that day. He was playing a dating sim in the video, and Ted couldn’t help but smile as Bumblebee gushed over one of the characters. It was almost cute how excited he got as he talked about the characters he liked. That was one thing he’d never brought up since the first day. Being gay wasn’t something someone could help, unlike what games they played or what clothes they wore.

“Who’s that?”

“A streamer named Bumblebee.” Ted turned his chair, taking a moment to admire the view of the woman he’d taken home the night before wearing one of his t-shirts. He didn’t remember her name, but that hadn’t been the goal of their evening either. “How did you sleep?”

“Mmm, good.” Her attention was still on the screen. “He’s cute. Do you make videos with him?”

“Not really.” Ted glanced back to the screen, frowning a little as he studied Bumblebee. “You think he’s cute?”

She settled into his lap, giving a small nod. “Yeah, he is. Look at his face. He’s got wonderful symmetry, and I’d just die for that mouth.”

Ted wrinkled his brow as he studied the screen, focusing on Bumblebee’s mouth. “Hm, I suppose so.” He had to admit, when it was pointed out to him she was right, the cozy streamer was rather good looking, for a guy anyway.

“Trust me, I’m a makeup artist, remember? I’d love to see what I could do with his face. I bet I could get some amazing reference photos with him. Do you think you could connect us?”

“Sorry, I’ve never met him in person. Don’t even know where he lives.”

She pouted, but shifted her attention to Ted as the video continued playing. “Well, I have about an hour before I have to leave. How about another round before we take a shower?”

Ted grinned at the offer, leaning in to catch her lips with his. “That sounds delightful.”