Wiping the sweat off of his forehead, the dark-haired boy sighed in relief. He was finally able to go home after a long day at work. Shiki grabbed his bag and practically ran out of the shop, eager to spend time with his lovely girlfriend. When he finally reached their home, his heart dropped at the sight. Rebecca was sitting on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket with tissues in her hand. Her eyes were red and puffy and tear streaks was evident on her cheeks.
Shiki dropped his bag and immediately ran over to the couch to sit beside her. "Rebecca, what's wrong?"
Rebecca sniffled and blew her nose into a tissue. "I-I've... been getting a lot of hate lately."
Shiki's eyes darkened and his fist clenched, he was ready to beat up anyone who made his girl cry. "From who?"
"This youtuber called Labilia accused me of copying of her content. Her fans have been sending me hateful messages. I-I thought I could take it, but some of them are sending me death threats," Rebecca explained, pointing at the laptop on the coffee table. Tears started to pool into her eyes again.
"What the hell!" Shiki snarled, grabbing the laptop. He scrolled through the hateful comments on her latest video. Shiki was seething with rage. Rebecca didn't deserve any of this. He wanted to scream at this Labilia girl. Sending her fans after Rebecca was unprofessional and sickening, and the fans who eagerly sent the hate were just as horrible. However, he was glad to see Rebecca's fans jumping to her defense.
"What a bitch. You've never copied anyone! How could she do that to you?" Shiki growled, slamming his fist on the table.
Rebecca wiped away some of the tears forming in her eyes. "It's not like the videos she posts are completely original. I don't know why she hates me."
Shiki closed the laptop and put it back on the table. He was angry, but Rebecca needed him right now. He also didn't want to do anything in the heat of the moment that could damage her reputation.
"She probably feels threatened by your rising popularity," Shiki inferred, turning to face Rebecca. He pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her tightly.
"You're amazing, Rebecca. Don't ever forget that. You are talented, creative, and absolutely beautiful," Shiki assured, gently stroking her hair.
Rebecca smiled and nuzzled into his neck, sighing contently. "Thank you, Shiki. I love you so much!"
"I love you too!" Shiki planted a kiss on the top of her head.
"I don't know what I would do without you," Rebecca whispered, clutching his shirt.
Shiki kissed her head again. "Stay off social media for a few days and don't worry about recording a new video. You need a break from all of this negativity."
"But I don't want to make my subscribers wait," Rebecca protested.
"They'll understand. We're going to do something fun together to get your mind off of this!" Shiki exclaimed. He cupped her cheek, wiped away any lingering tears with his thumb, and kissed her sweetly.
Rebecca softly giggled. "You always know how to make me feel better!"
Shiki winked. "Want to play Mario Party?"
"Sure! I'm going to beat you," Rebecca declared, causing Shiki to laugh.
"We'll see about that," Shiki responded, grabbing the Switch controllers. He tossed the other controller to Rebecca, feeling happy to see her get excited. He hated seeing her upset. People could be so awful. He decided to block any haters sending her DMs on her social media. He hoped that Labilia's toxic fans would get bored and leave her alone soon. If not, then he would intervene. For now, he just wanted to focus on making Rebecca feel better.
After a fun night of playing Mario Party and eating pizza, Shiki felt Rebecca leaning against his shoulder. He turned his head to see that she had dozed off. Smiling at the adorable sight, Shiki exited the game and turned off the console. He picked up Rebecca bridal style and carried her to their bedroom.
Shiki gently placed her onto the bed and covered her with the blanket. He brushed away some some stray hair that was stuck on side of her face and leaned down to plant a chaste kiss on her lips. He changed into his pajamas and laid down on the bed, wrapping his arms around his beloved girlfriend.
"Huh? Did I fall asleep?" Rebecca asked and yawned.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up," Shiki apologized.
"It's okay," Rebecca closed her eyes and smiled.
"Good night. I love you," Shiki whispered.
"I love you too. Always will. Just knowing that you're by my side, makes me feel safe," Rebecca responded, snuggling into him.
Shiki kissed her forehead and closed his eyes, feeling content that he was able to cheer her up. Her happiness meant the world to him, and he would do whatever it takes that keep that beautiful smile on her face.