In A Scam of the Heart, popular YouTuber DuncanYouNot is known for his prank calls to scammers, but his life takes an unexpected turn when he falls for Ravi, an Indian scammer caught in the web of online fraud out of necessity. As their secret relat...
Duncan's phone buzzed incessantly as he sat at his desk, nervously scrolling through his YouTube comments. Ever since his relationship with Ravi had begun, a storm of worries had been brewing in the back of his mind. What would his fans think if they ever found out? Would they support him, or would they turn against him?
He had built his entire brand on pranking scammers—on exposing people like Ravi. The irony wasn't lost on him. Now, he was dating one. He had kept his relationship with Ravi private, not out of shame but out of fear. Fear of losing his fan base, of losing everything he had worked so hard to build.
But his fears were about to be realized.
The first hint of trouble came when his phone buzzed with a notification from one of his social media accounts. It was a direct message from a fan:
"Hey Duncan, is this you? Saw this online... kinda shocked. What's going on?"
Attached was a photo—grainy but unmistakable. It was of him and Ravi, sitting close together in that little Indian café where they had first met in person. Ravi was smiling, and Duncan had that same soft, almost shy expression on his face that he hadn't seen in his videos before. It was a candid shot, clearly taken without their knowledge.
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His heart dropped. *How did this get out?*
Before he could even process what was happening, more notifications started flooding in—tweets, Instagram tags, Reddit threads. The photo had spread like wildfire, and his fans were reacting. Some were supportive, posting messages like:
"Love is love, Duncan! You deserve to be happy. ❤️"
But others were less kind:
"WTF Duncan? Dating a scammer? Really?"
"Bro, how could you? Scammers ruin lives, and you're dating one?"
"First of all, ew. Second of all, India? Couldn't find someone closer to home?"
And the worst of them, those steeped in hatred:
"Disgusting. First, he's gay, and now this? I'm done with you, Duncan. You should've stuck with the abby lee miller impression videos"
Duncan's chest tightened as he read through the comments. The mixture of homophobia, racism, and sheer hatred stunned him. He had always known that the internet could be a cruel place, but seeing this directed at him—and at Ravi—was a gut punch he hadn't expected.
His phone rang, and he saw Ravi's name flash on the screen. Taking a deep breath, he answered, "Ravi... did you see?"
There was a pause on the other end. "I saw, Duncan. The photo... it's everywhere. My colleagues have already started talking about it. I don't know how it got out, but... it's bad, isn't it?"
"It's pretty bad," Duncan admitted, his voice trembling. "Some fans are supportive, but there's a lot of hate. I'm scared, Ravi. I'm scared of what this could mean for us, for my channel... for everything."
Ravi's voice was calm but laced with concern. "Duncan, we knew this was a possibility. I didn't think it would happen so soon, but... we have to face it. Together."
"But what if this ruins everything?" Duncan blurted out, the anxiety in his voice palpable. "What if people stop watching my videos, or I lose sponsorships? What if—what if they come after you, Ravi? This could make your life even harder."
Ravi sighed softly. "I've faced worse, Duncan. Trust me. But you... you've built something incredible. I don't want to be the reason you lose it all. Maybe we should—"
"No!" Duncan interrupted, his heart pounding. "We're not ending this. I care about you, Ravi. I don't care what they say. We can get through this."
Ravi was silent for a moment before speaking again, his voice full of quiet strength. "Then we need to be strong, Duncan. For each other. We can't let them win."
Duncan nodded, even though Ravi couldn't see him. "You're right. But we need to be careful. Maybe we should... lay low for a while. I need to figure out how to handle this."
"Whatever you decide, Duncan, I'm with you," Ravi said softly. "But please... don't let them make you doubt us."
As the call ended, Duncan sat in silence, staring at his computer screen. The comments kept flooding in, a relentless wave of support and hate. But one thing was clear—this wasn't going to go away on its own.
He knew he had to address it, but how? How could he possibly explain this to his fans, to the people who had supported him for so long? Would they understand, or would they see him as a traitor? And even more pressing—could he continue making videos, knowing the damage it was causing?
After agonizing for hours, Duncan decided that he couldn't stay silent. His fans deserved the truth. So, he set up his camera, his hands trembling slightly as he adjusted the focus. He took a deep breath and hit record.
"Hey, everyone," he began, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "This is probably the hardest video I've ever had to make. By now, most of you have seen the photo that's been going around, and I wanted to take some time to address it."
He paused, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Yes, that's me in the photo, and yes, the person with me is someone I care about—a lot. His name is Ravi, and we've been seeing each other for a while now. I know this might come as a shock to some of you, especially considering what I do on this channel, but... I want to be honest with you."
Duncan could feel the tears burning in his eyes, but he kept going. "I didn't plan on falling for someone like Ravi. It just happened. And before you judge, I want you to know that Ravi isn't just a scammer. He's a person—someone who's been dealt a tough hand in life and is doing what he can to survive. I know it's complicated, and I know some of you might not agree with my choices, but this is where I'm at."
He took a deep breath, steadying himself. "I've seen the comments—both the supportive ones and the hateful ones. And I get it. This isn't what you expected from me. But I'm asking you to please try to understand. I'm still the same person, and I still care about the same things. But now, I care about Ravi too."
Duncan paused, gathering his thoughts. "I'm not going to stop making videos, but I'm going to be more careful about the content I put out. I don't want to hurt Ravi, and I don't want to hurt anyone else. This is going to be a tough journey, but I believe we can get through it... together."
He ended the video with a heartfelt plea. "If you've been a fan of mine, if you've supported me over the years, I hope you'll stick with me now. And if you can't... well, I understand that too. But please, don't let hate win. Not here, not in this community."
As he uploaded the video, Duncan's heart raced. He didn't know what the reaction would be, but at least he had taken a stand. Now, all he could do was wait and hope that his fans would see the sincerity in his words.
But deep down, he knew this was just the beginning of a battle—one that would test not just his relationship with Ravi, but his entire identity as "DuncanYouNot." And whatever happened next, there was no turning back.
