Viewers started spamming heart emojis to make you feel better, desperate to see yiu smile again. Another surge of texts overwhelmed your chat, claiming the chaos on stream was over. "Finally!" you announced. "Let's get back to the game!"

You unmuted the stream, and were immediately bombarded with Wilbur shouting. The streamer held his diagram up to his webcam. "And THAT'S why Nihachu is a host I rest my case."

(A/n: Y'all wanted to see this cursed image, so here you go!)

You honestly didn't know what to say. You knew the British streamer was eccentric, but was he actually insane? Wilbur must be doing a bit, you thought, amused by his crude drawings, because this is ridiculous.

At the Brit's closing statement, Eret whooped and hollered as he clapped loudly. "Yes! Preach, Wilbur!" Meanwhile, Nihachu had been reduced to a giggling mess, with Puffy not too far behind.

Austin cleared his throat. "Well...That was an interesting point of view, Wilbur," he spoke tentatively. "Sadly, that's all the time we have for Technoblade today. Thanks for joining us, Techno!"

"Anytime, Austin," the warrior god replied. He paused briefly, then added, "Y/n! Don't forget to vote off Puffy! She's totally sus-!"

A sudden ding! sounded off over the call, signaling the man's abrupt departure. "Damn, I think I lost him," Austin muttered. "Moving right along, though- We still have one more player to interview! Eret! Tell us one toxic trait about yourself."

"Uhm, I strike fear into the hearts of straight men." Everyone lost it at Eret's claim. Tears began to well in your eyes as you imagined a straight man marvelling at Eret's beauty- It could very well happen! Eret was bisexual royalty, and he owned it in every right; he was simply fabulous.

Once the other candidates had settled down, Eret was able to continue. "No, what I meant was I'm very blunt. Sometimes, I need to be careful, but I choose to be honest because the world needs less liars. You can count on me, Y/n."

You smiled. "Thank you, Eret!" Hearing that someone valued honesty gave you hope in the end results of the show. Maybe, just maybe, someone had actually chosen love over host. There was only one way to find out.

"Alright, Y/n!" Austin exclaimed. "It is now time for you to- Oh, wait! Something's going on in the chat! It seems like the viewers want to vote someone off the show! Should we let them?"

You gasped. Leaving your platonic love life in the hands of two hundred thousand strangers was risky, but it was a risk you were willing to take. You trusted your chat to make the right decision. After all, they had never failed you before, so why would they start now? "Austin! I think we should do it! Let chat vote."

"Okay, sounds good! But here's the catch, Y/n...You still have to eliminate someone this round!"

You froze. "Oh, no-"

"That's right!" Austin declared. "All viewers in the chat can vote by typing the name of the player they want off the show. Only one vote per account!" The game show host quickly adjusted his mic for better quality. "The rules are simple," he explained "If Y/n picks the same candidate as chat, then only one will go home. But if they choose a DIFFERENT candidate, then TWO get to go home! Mods, are you ready? Let's vote!"

Your breath hitched as the chat went wild. No, I need to be impartial, you scolded yourself. I can't look at the chat! As soon as you turned off the chat display on your screen, you drew in an anxious breath. What were you going to do? At this point, each candidate emulated many of the qualities you looked for in platonic love interests: caring, open-minded, honest...But to your dismay, two of your favorite streamers stood out in your mind: Wilbur and Nihachu.

Wilbur just seemed so carefree and laid-back. The Brit had been nothing but kind to you, but he had gone out of his way to tease players multiple times. You weren't sure your sensitive heart could take the persistent jibes, no matter how innocent they were.

And Nihachu- Damn that British boy for soiling your view of her. Nihachu was the sweetest human you had ever met. You wanted to believe that she was every bit as nice in real life as she was on stream, but Wil's argument had changed all that...Had Niki been faking this entire time?

What about Puffy? Would she even have the time to build a relationship with you? And what if Eret had secretly chosen host, his humorous comments acting as a cover for his true intentions? You didn't know what to do!

As the seconds ticked by and the vote drew nearer to its close, you realized you only had one option. Which love language did you value most: quality time or words of affirmation? You took a deep breath, slowly releasing the air in a cleansing exhale. Yes, you had made your decision- and just in time.

"And we're back! Y/n are you ready?"

You nodded. "Yes. I choose Puffy."

WHAT A PLOT TWIST!!! Get ready for another plot twist next round!!

Also I asked for 5 votes last update and you guys literally hit in the goal in 30 minutes asdfghjkl THANK YOU SO MUCH YOURE AMAZING!!! Y'all are so powerful!!!

7 votes for this update and I'll do an extra chapter on Puffy's reaction to being voted off!!

And as always, thank you so much for the love and support. We've gone up like 300 reads in 2 days!!! THANK YOU SO MUCHHHHHH!!!! I'm incredibly grateful <3333

[Image Credits] "Strike fear into the hearts of men" (Cropped Slightly) by Quinn Dombrowski (https://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/5788263815)