"Just Another Stream"
The city of Metropolis was quiet.
No alien invasions.
No rogue AIs.
No emergency calls from the Watchtower.
Just... another Thursday.
A familiar notification appeared on millions of screens.
🔴 KAI.EXE is LIVE! Title: "Building a Holographic Gaming PC That Absolutely Doesn't Violate Physics."
The stream instantly exploded.
Viewers: 3,000... 50,000... 300,000... 1.7 Million.
Kael adjusted his microphone while wearing his oversized white hoodie.
"Good afternoon, everyone."
The chat became unreadable.
BlueFox: HE'S EARLY?!
PixelKnight: Hair reveal when??
TechNeko: CAT PIN SPOTTED!!!
Coffee.exe: Barry's gonna be late again lol
Kael laughed.
"...You guys know him too well."
Almost on cue...
DING!
Someone entered the Discord call.
Barry Allen
Username:
âš¡ FastGuy1998
Kael sighed dramatically.
"...You're thirty-two minutes late."
Barry's voice came through the headset.
"I brought donuts."
"...You're forgiven."
The chat exploded.
BEST GUEST IS HERE
SPEEDSTER UNCLE
DONUT MAN
Barry wasn't famous online.
To Kael's audience...
...he was simply that awkward forensic scientist who somehow appeared on almost every stream.
Nobody questioned it anymore.
"So," Kael asked while tightening a screw inside the PC.
"How's work?"
Barry answered absentmindedly.
"Oh, pretty normal."
A pause.
"...Except for the gorilla."
Kael froze.
Barry froze.
The chat exploded.
WHAT GORILLA???
EXCUSE ME??
BARRY??
Barry immediately corrected himself.
"I mean..."
"...a gorilla at the zoo."
Kael slowly looked at the camera.
"...The zoo."
"...Right."
The chat spammed laughing emotes for five straight minutes.
As Kael continued assembling the computer, Barry quietly disappeared from the webcam.
Three seconds later...
He returned holding coffee.
Fresh.
Hot.
From Kael's favorite café.
Kael blinked.
"...Did you..."
Barry smiled innocently.
"...Delivery."
The audience thought nothing of it.
Kael simply took a sip.
"...Thanks."
Only the audience couldn't see the tiny holographic text floating beside Kael's monitor.
Speed: Mach 3.
Travel Time: 0.84 seconds.
Kael silently dismissed the notification before chat could notice.
The stream shifted into gaming.
Today's game:
A co-op survival horror.
Barry screamed first.
Naturally.
A monster jumped out.
Barry nearly launched his keyboard across the room.
Kael didn't even flinch.
"...Barry."
"It was behind me!!"
"It was literally announced with dramatic music."
"I PANICKED!"
The chat clipped the moment before Barry could even finish the sentence.
Hours passed.
Coding.
Gaming.
Chatting.
Reviewing weird gadgets sent by viewers.
Someone donated.
"$100 if Barry can beat Kael in chess."
Barry grinned confidently.
"Easy."
Kael smiled.
"Sure."
Five minutes later...
Checkmate.
Barry stared.
"...How."
"You forgot I can simulate twenty million chess games while talking."
"...I hate your brain."
Halfway through the stream...
A small red notification appeared only inside Kael's contact lens.
Justice League Priority Alert
Level 2.
Metropolis Harbor.
Kael's expression didn't change.
Another notification appeared.
Superman responding.
Wonder Woman responding.
Situation under control.
He quietly dismissed it.
Barry's phone vibrated at the exact same moment.
He glanced down.
Then casually stood.
"...Bathroom break."
Kael nodded without looking.
"Take your time."
Barry disappeared.
The viewers assumed...
Bathroom.
Reality?
A red lightning bolt crossed half the city.
Three minutes later...
The Flash had evacuated civilians, helped Superman stop a collapsing cargo crane, and delivered the culprit to the police.
Barry returned to his chair carrying...
Another donut.
"I'm back."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"...That was a productive bathroom."
The stream finally ended after six hours.
"Thanks for hanging out today."
He smiled warmly.
"I'll see everyone tomorrow."
The screen faded to black.
Only after the stream ended did Kael activate the holographic privacy field around the room.
Barry stretched.
"Whew."
Kael handed him one of the leftover donuts.
"You know..."
Barry took a bite.
"...Your viewers are starting to think I'm just unemployed."
Kael chuckled.
"Considering how often you show up..."
"...they're not entirely wrong."
Barry laughed.
"Fair."
That evening, Kael packed a small bag and headed for the Watchtower.
Not for battle.
Just dinner.
The Justice League had a tradition.
Every Thursday, if there wasn't a world-ending crisis, everyone shared a meal together.
Clark cooked.
Diana brought homemade bread from Themyscira.
Arthur insisted seafood was mandatory.
Victor and Kael argued about whose newest software update was more efficient.
Barry arrived ten minutes late.
With donuts.
Again.
Batman looked at the box.
"...Why do you always bring donuts?"
Barry smiled.
"They're fast food."
A long silence filled the room.
Even Superman groaned.
Kael quietly activated a holographic scoreboard that appeared above the table.
Barry's Bad Pun Counter: 247
Everyone burst into laughter, and for one peaceful evening, Earth's greatest heroes were simply friends sharing dinner after an ordinary day.