^perfect song for this last chapter (all Of Monsters and Men songs fit this fic well)

"Saeyoung?" Yoosung tried, and Vanderwood's eyes snapped to him, confused.

"You know him?" He asked.

"Sort of."

Saeyoung spoke up, "Is Saeran here?" Vanderwood and Yoosung stared at him, bewildered.

Suddenly, there were footsteps in the hall outside, and everything skidded to slow-motion as Saeran walked into the infirmary, expression neutral, and then freezing as his eyes found Saeyoung, who was now standing in the middle of the room, face full of shock.

No one said anything for a few moments. The first one to break the silence was the red-head.

"Saeran...?"

The leader didn't reply. Yoosung looked between the two as tension grew. Saeran stepped forward slightly and Yoosung sprung from his seat when he saw his boyfriend ball his fist and the muscles in his shoulder contract as he wound back.

"Saeran, no!" Yoosung said loudly, and Saeran paused, Saeyoung with a look of fear and surprise on his face. "Remember what I said," Yoosung whispered, and Saeran's stormy eyes softened just a fraction to Yoosung.

"Where?" He asked Saeyoung sharply, turning to him.

"I've been in hiding. I only just heard the news, I came as fast as I could-"

"I don't care about that. Where were you before? Before I was banished. Because the answer is nowhere. You were nowhere for me. You were nowhere." Saeran spat the word.

"I..."

"You abandoned me. Ruthlessly, without a single word."

"No," Saeyoung said, eyes full of pain.

"You abandoned me, your name, your parents, and everything!"

"No..."

"You crumpled up and shredded... our memories... as if they were nothing more than pieces of paper."

"No, no!'

"Is that all you can say?! You remember, you said to me in a kind way, 'Don't worry. I'll make money fast. Let's become independent next year. We'll live together. Let's get out of here after we get a bit more money. So don't get sick. If you get sick, we won't be able to do anything. So you have to eat well. Don't cry. You have to stay strong. Tomorrow will be better than today'."

Saeyoung was motionless.

Saeran continued, "And best of all, 'Let's live happily where no one can find us. Let's be happy, just the two of us.' Happy..." Saeran laughed cruelly.

"...Stop it. No. That's not true. I didn't abandon you. Please stop it."

"Coward! You disappeared without a trace, without a way to reach you."

Saeyoung was crying. Saeran didn't care.

"Look at me. Huh? Oh... Sad eyes. You must be in pain."

Yoosung couldn't take it anymore. He could see that Saeran was in a lot of pain too, and saltwater was spilling from his eyes but he harshly tore them away with his shirt sleeve, angry at himself and at Saeyoung. At his brother.

"Saeran," Yoosung interrupted. Saeran's sharp, angry glare caught to Yoosung's violet eyes.

"What?" He growled, and Yoosung flinched.

"Calm down. I know you're upset but... this isn't helping anything. Take a break."

Saeran stared at Yoosung for a long moment.

"Whose side are you on?" He asked quietly but immediately regretted it as Yoosung's features plummeted.

"Saeyoung," Yoosung addressed the twin, keeping his eyes on Saeran, "Would you give us a moment? I'll come get you soon."

"Yes, of course," Saeyoung said sadly, and Yoosung felt his heart go out to the twin.

"Vanderwood, can you fill him in?"

"Who made you king?" Yoosung looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Fine." The brunette slumped out of the infirmary with Saeyoung.

When they were alone, Saeran stepped forward and wrapped himself in Yoosung, who was wondering to himself how on earth he had sounded so commanding and orderly.

Saeran's shoulders shook, but Yoosung didn't want to humiliate him by asking if he was crying so he stayed quiet, rubbing Saeran's back.

"He was... right there," Saeran whispered softly, shaking his head. 

"You guys will be able to work this out, I know you will. It'll be okay, you just need time. Should I tell Jaehee to postpone Calida?"

"No. We're gonna go, even if my idiot brother," Saeran choked on the word, "comes too. It's been four months, we've put it off for too long. Rika... I'm not sure what we'll do with her, but we're gonna figure it out. I need to sort things out with my brother, right now, so I'm not stressed shitless tomorrow." 

Saeran paused, then pulled back, looking into Yoosung's perfect violet eyes. "I love you." Somehow, Saeran tried to put every other feeling in those three words. The 'thank you', the 'I'm sorry', the 'please understand'. 

"I love you too." Yoosung stared straight back, he knew. 

Saeran looked, away, frowning, "Can... you go get him?" 

A smile lit up on Yoosung's lips as he nodded, "Anything for you, your majesty," he teased. 

Saeran forced a smile in return and pushed Yoosung towards the door. 

"Are Saeran and the blonde guy...?" Yoosung heard Saeyoung ask an unfinished question.

Vanderwood's sarcastic voice replied with, "Hip hip hooray, honey, he's gay." There was laughter from Saeyoung, and Yoosung grinned too, walking into view in the hallway.

"Hey, Saeran's okay now," he called to the red-headed twin.

"Speaking of which, Saeyoung, this is Queen Yoosung," Vanderwood winked at Yoosung.

"Fuck off." 

...

Saeran and Saeyoung talked in private for over an hour before emerging, Saeyoung grinning. 

"You good?" Vanderwood asked, standing up with Yoosung. 

"Oh yeah," Saeran said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, stop with the sarcasm, bro~," Saeyoung teased, throwing an arm around Saeran's shoulders, who shrugged it off. 

"We're good," Saeran reassured Yoosung, and Saeyoung swooned.

"You caught a cutie," Saeyoung winked but put his hands up in surrender when Saeran glared at him, wrapping an arm around Yoosung's waist and tugging him to his side. 

"How sweet," Vanderwood cooed, and smirked. 

"Saeyoung," Saeran addressed his brother, "We're going to Calida tomorrow. Are you in?"

"Hell yeah," Saeyoung said determinedly, humorously flexing what little muscle he had. 

"Come to the gates at the sound of the gong. You can't miss it." 

"Alright, thank you." 

"Let's go, guys, big day tomorrow," Saeran told the group, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Oh, the deja vu," Yoosung sighed, thinking back to the night before they invaded Aithne, with the similar words before the day of the battle, telling everyone to get rest, eat a good breakfast. He began coughing again, and felt blood in his throat, but closed his mouth before it could ruin his sleeve more, and risk being seen by Saeran. 

"Pft, I know," Vanderwood sighed as they walked out of the infirmary. Yoosung realized that the twins weren't following; he peeked back inside the infirmary to see something that made his heart throb. Saeyoung was hugging Saeran tightly, who hung limp, but there were tears in his eyes. 

"I did miss you," Saeyoung whispered, and Saeran nodded, fingers clutching the bottom hem on Saeyoung's sweatshirt. Yoosung sighed, heart thumping in sympathy, and walked silently back to Saeran's room to wait.

...

Yoosung hovered by the sink, holding a tissue to his mouth. His coughing fits racked through his body and he shuddered, his throat raw. Saeran was taking too long. Maybe he was planning with Jaehee? More blood came up when he coughed again.

Yoosung wiped his mouth and swore under his breath, staring into his violet eyes, which were bloodshot from his coughing. Tears streaked down his cheeks, and he sighed, rubbing his neck. 

"Get your shit together, Yoosung," he whispered in a hoarse voice, frowning, "You're seeing V tomorrow, and if you start coughing up blood then, you're gonna be just as weak as when you last saw him. Be fucking strong."

Straightening, he walked out of the bathroom, pulling off his shirt, poking the flat muscle of his stomach. Yoosung didn't like being cooped up in Aithne, he felt deprived again, even more now, now that he knew about the outside wonders of cold and sun. These artificial heat lamps made him drowsy and the humidity was insane. 

Yoosung panted slightly, and shed his pants too, climbing into bed with only thin boxers as the heat settled around him. That was another thing; there was no wind here. No breeze, no snow whipping your face until your cheeks were red and your nose was numb. Yoosung turned to his side, closing his eyes.

An uncertain amount of time later, Saeran came in quietly, and Yoosung felt his stomach clench when he realized that the bloody tissues were still in the bathroom. Before he could get up to hide them, Saeran had sauntered into the bathroom, and then he was yelling, and Yoosung's tired ears couldn't make out what he was saying at first. 

"Yoosung?! What is this?!" Saeran's eyes were terrified, and Yoosung was sitting up in bed, Saeran's strong fingers curled around his shoulders up, worried and frightened. 

"Saeran-" Yoosung coughed, and Saeran stopped yelling his worries, cupping the back of Yoosung's neck with a cold hand, bringing him closer, and Yoosung laid his head on Saeran's shoulder, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath, blood dripping from his lips. 

"You can't go tomorrow," Saeran moaned, pleading, "You're not okay."

Yoosung shook his head, but he was doubting his own health too. 

"Please, Saeran. He used to be my friend. I need to see him." 

Saeran frowned, rubbing Yoosung's back, "You don't need to," he mumbled. 

"I'll see how I feel in the morning," Yoosung lied, pulling back. Saeran nodded, but his face was still worried. 

"How do you feel?" 

"Sick," Yoosung replied honestly, but he smiled, "I'll be okay."

"You're staying here if you feel even slightly unwell tomorrow."

"Okay." Yeah right.

...

Yoosung woke up frequently in the night, drifting back into light sleep before jolting awake, images of V's emotionless face, and then Yoosung throwing a dart at him, only to realize he was made of paper, like the poster, before waking up in cold sweats. The night stayed hot and humid, making Yoosung sticky, and he edged away from Saeran to try and avoid too much body heat. 

He fell into a somewhat deep sleep in the hours before the lamps slowly began glowing, taking two hours until they were fully bright. Saeran had trouble sleeping as well and got up to pace around the room at one point, trying to clear his mind. 

The sound of the gong sounded in the morning, waking Saeran and Yoosung with the loud reverberation. Yoosung jolted up, coughed experimentally, and grinned. His throat felt better.

Saeran threw a pillow over his eyes, and Yoosung yanked it off, climbing on top of his boyfriend. 

"Saeran~!"

"What?" Saeran whined. 

"I'm not sick anymore!" Yoosung sang, and coughed cleanly for proof.

"Mngh, that's great, Sungy." That was a new pet name. 

"Sooo, I can come to Calida!" Yoosung bent down and kissed Saeran hard on the lips, missing the feel, as he had refrained to prevent Saeran from getting sick. Saeran woke up a little at that, and sat up, running his hands through Yoosung's soft yellow hair, which was slightly tangled from sleep. He slipped his fingers down over Yoosung's shoulders and back, making Yoosung sigh dreamily through his lips. 

When they pulled apart, Saeran's eyes were bright.

"Let's go invade a kingdom."

...

The crowd was loud, nothing like the Cold's expedition to Aithne. All of the Cold members were present, as well as a hundred or so Aithne citizens, holding older weapons and cracking their knuckles. Since they had been freed from the tyranny and been around the Cold members for a while, they'd grown very brave and determined, most with a spirit that equaled the Cold members. Jaehee had guessed that it was because they had lived under oppression for so long, but it was a bit scary, to see all the now-aggressive citizens with grim, excited looks on their faces. 

Saeran and Yoosung walked through the crowd, most people turning as they passed, bowing their heads or smiling encouragingly. Saeran's face showed hard, unflinching resolution, eyes dark. This was their last threatening obstacle. After this, nothing was decided.

The soldiers stood outside the castle, and Jaehee called out over the crowd, her voice ringing out. She looked amazing, and Saeran winked at Yoosung as they saw MC, the key-keeper, blushing shyly as she kissed Jaehee on the cheek, who beamed. 

Jaehee's short hair suited her, and she tousled it out of her eyes, speaking above the crowd.

"I leave MC in charge! We won't be long though." She winked, and the crowd cheered. 

"You know the drill! Let's go!"

...

The start of the expedition was much like the start of the Cold's first. Apparently, Jaehee had been training the citizens outside, getting them used to the cold weather. Yoosung smiled as he thought of how funny it would've been to watch them see the snow for the first time. 

He burst into a grin as soon as they exited the stuffy dome kingdom, falling to his knees and burying his hands in the snow. Saeran did much of the same, closing his eyes as he felt the snowflakes on his face. 

Calida was visible from here, as it was a lot closer than the Cold fortress. The castle was a lot grander than Aithne, made out of stone blocks. No one knew where the resources were from, just like Aithne. Stone towers cut through the sky, and it looked dark and cold.

The recruits were undeterred though, which Yoosung admired. They set off at a quick pace, assuming to get to the castle by late evening. 

Then there was the subject of Jumin Han. He was in the middle of a strongly-built guard circle, who shuffled him along, partially blocking out the sound of his yells out outrage and disbelief. 

"You were my soldiers once! Listen to me!" He wailed, and Yoosung rolled his eyes. Zen had been promoted to main guard, so he had stayed in Calida to watch over things with MC, and he and Jaehee had trained the guards well.

Unlike Aithne, the Cold had no spies in Calida. They had no idea about its inner workings or guard schedules or anything of the sort. They were completely clueless, which made Saeran uneasy. He didn't like plans, but this felt too risky. He grasped Yoosung's hand tightly, and they trudged through the thin snow together. 

...

Mid-way through the day, the group stopped for lunch, and cheered as they saw reinforcements coming Southwest from the Fortress, probably those who had stayed back to defend the Cold when the threats from Aithne had come before the original group had left. 

Yoosung and Saeran reunited with several familiar faces, and the excitement pushed the group into restlessness, and eventually, they just started running again, high spirits as they ran towards the castle, almost arrogant as they shouted and laughed with each other, sneering at the castle in disgust. 

"Down with Rika!" Someone screamed as they got closer, and that's when the arrow rain started.

Archers from up on top of the castle bridges, connecting the turrets, started shooting arrows in waves, and Saeran raised his voice in a roaring cry, raising his fist. The soldiers ducked and dashed to the side. It wasn't like everyone was fine, people were getting hit, but as Saeran looked around, he noticed with a grim smile that Jaehee had trained them where they sacrificed their hands instead of their faces, their arms instead of their chests. 

Saeran looked forward at the doors ahead of them, and frowned. They looked tough, but not as strong as the doors at Aithne. Immediately, his mind flashed to Dax, who was carrying a thick metal bar. When the group was safely under the overhang, safe from the archers, they stopped, and Saeran realized the plan as Dax ran forward, and rammed the metal bar in the center of the doors. The metal slabs crumpled in, then burst forward. 

The Cold stood still for a second, framed by the small doorway. They had lost about 50 to the archers, but Calida was a deadly place. They were all nervous for their lives. 

"Don't split yet," Jaehee called from the front of the group. She looked through the doorway, and shivered. It wasn't warm, unlike Aithne and the Fortress. Rika kept her castle cold. 

The doorway led into a long, narrow hallway, but there were no soldiers to be seen. The arrows had stopped hitting the snow behind the group too, so nothing but the group's collective heavy breathing could be heard.

"Jaehee?" Cylus whispered, and the leader looked to him, as he had stayed by her side the whole trip.

"Don't split up," She murmured, and Cylus nodded, "Stay alert."

The rebels walked forward slowly, feet echoing through the stone of the hallway. Their whispers carried through the hall, and Jaehee squinted her eyes at the end of the hallway. This seemed just too easy. She wished she had Saeran to come advise her, but he was at the end of the line with Yoosung, so she was alone except for Cylus.

"Is it a trap?" She breathed to him. He looked up at her with worried eyes, and shrugged minutely. 

Jaehee walked forward slowly, hand on her belt where she kept a knife. Barely breathing, she pulled a piece of bread from her pack and tossed it into the room, then pulled back, listening. 

There. The sound shifted, and she could hear the shuffle of clothing tense as the scrap landed on the floor. Cylus grabbed her arm, and nodded. 

"Ready?" She said, voice a bit louder. Cylus's eyes widened, but then he grinned, grabbed his dagger, and grinned. 

"GO!" 

The Cold surged forward like an avalanche, and they were all laughing. If they went out, they were going out together. 

...

It was several minutes later before the back of the group got into the hall, and Saeran and Yoosung were restless. They had heard the clash when the front line had rushed forward, and now they were nervous out of their minds for the results and outcome. Yoosung's hands were shaking, even though he had shoved them in his pockets. 

They finally burst into the room. A room of... victory? Even with their disadvantage, soldiers in parkas and long, thin, whip-like swords lay on their backs, groaning in pain, with only a few Aithne and Cold members laying around them. 

"Jaehee!" Saeran called out, and Jaehee turned, looking for the source of her best friend. 

"What happened?"

Jaehee looked shocked herself. "I'm not really sure. The army was weak. Maybe it was because we can out so quickly?" She looked around, baffled. The group milled around, talking slowly, all confused.

...

There was more fighting in the courtyard. Then in the empty, spacious ballroom. They had finished off the soldiers in the hall when a guard suddenly came running down the hallway, hands up in surrender. 

"The queen would like to see you," he said in a deep voice to Jaehee. "You may bring 3. Also, the prisoner." His eyes flicked to Jumin, who was visible, near the front now, still surrounded. 

"Jaehee, you have to know that this is a trap," Cylus pleaded, but Jaehee didn't listen to him, only held his bright blue eyes for a moment before calling out. "Vanderwood! Take Jumin. Saeran and Yoosung, come to the front! Cylus is in charge until I get back. If I do not return, take yourselves out of danger, and return to Aithne. I will be returning though."

Her orders were delivered quickly, and in seconds, she was walking determinedly down the long hallways, cape flowing out behind her like running water, Vanderwood holding Jumin roughly by the back of his neck, who didn't struggle much.

Saeran and Yoosung walked behind the three, holding hands tightly, eyes set. 

Rika, V, Rika, V, Rika... Yoosung's mind hummed their names, blending them together and then separating them again, over and over to the beat of his footsteps. Then just V, V, V, V.

Saeran looked down at Yoosung, concerned. The blonde seemed distressed. Of course, he was, considering the jerky couple they were about to witness first hand. Saeran scoffed humorlessly when he thought about it. The two psychos had it coming for them- Jaehee had both physically and verbally battered Saeran before. 

The guard led the group up a flight of stairs, and then to a set of double doors, thick and etched with swirling designs that looked like flames. He knocked once, then hesitated, waiting. 

"Come in!" Came a high, shrill voice, and Yoosung clenched his fist tightly, squeezing Saeran's hand before letting go to adjust his eye-patch. 

"Ready?" Jaehee murmured, just like the attack earlier that afternoon. The guard pushed the doors open, and she set off with confidence, ignoring the imposing throneroom. 

The hall was large and rectangular, and had a sloped ceiling, making you feel smaller and smaller as you grew closer to the throne. The straight path was framed by stone pillars that supported the ceiling and a deep blue carpet that led to the throne. The pillars were mounted with torches that were lit, sparks drifting up from the flames as they burned. Jaehee slowed as they approached the throne, then stopped completely when she was several feet away, looking up at who could only be assumed as Rika, the queen of Calida.

Yoosung's fingernails bit crescent bruises into his skin, and he shook with anger, despite Saeran's warm hand on his back, trying to calm him. Where is V? He wanted to yell, but held back as the two queens held focus on each other, Jaehee's deep brown eyes flaring daggers. 

Rika sat primly in her throne, one leg crossed over the other, hands in her lap. Her long yellow hair, like Yoosung's, trailed down and over her shoulders and back, waves that framed her sides. Her eyes were a sour green, though some would find it pretty, hers just made her look like a snake. Her skin was pale, almost white like the snow outside, and her limbs were delicate and thin. She wore a long dress with a black stripe down the center, and a white and blue shawl draped over her shoulders.

"Jaehee," she acknowledged, and stood up. 

"Rika." Jaehee tried to relax her shoulders. 

"Jumin Han," Rika pointed out, gazing pointedly at the post-emperor, scrunching up her nose, "You disgust me." 

"Rika, you have no right-" Jumin started, but Rika waved her hand deftly in the air and he shut up, glaring at her. 

"I have every right to treat you like the failure that you are, Jumin," she said breezily, and turned her attention back on Jaehee, "I'd like to keep this quick."

"Me, as well," Jaehee retorted coldly, but kept her expression neutral. 

"I have known about the resistance for quite a long time now. You did not pose a threat to me, therefore I did not attack. But now you've taken Aithne, and proven your worth... But I have no use for fighting. This place is dead. I'll be leaving soon."

"Not if I can help it," Jaehee said, frowning.

Rika blinked, then smiled, a strange, plastic expression. 

"You may not like me, Jaehee, but I will not be captured and made into a slave to you. You'll show me respect, as I am to you, and I will leave my castle with the loyal subjects that remain with me."

Jaehee bit her lip to prevent her from saying anything too offensive. "Very well. If you swear your surrender, then you'll leave unharmed."

Rika rolled her eyes, batting her eyelashes, "I swear," she cooed, and stepped forward from her throne. Her eyes landed on Yoosung. "Oh, how cute." Her eyes lit up, suddenly, and her lips curled up into a malicious smile. "Wait! You're the boy from Aithne! The one that- Look how tough you are now." It made Yoosung fume as she talked to him like he was still a little kid, bawling at the smallest things. 

"Cool it, Yoosung," Saeran rumbled, and Yoosung tried to relax, even though he felt like either crying or punching Rika square in the face. 

"Jihyun!" Rika called out suddenly, and there was a smirk on her face, a smug grin that made Yoosung want to puke. Jihyun?...V?!

The sound of footsteps... and then he appeared out of a side door in the chamber. Yoosung felt his throat tighten as V stepped forward, into the light, next to Rika, looking at her before drifting his eyes over the crowd, catching on Yoosung. He froze. 

"V?" Yoosung felt small. 

"You can take him," Rika said nonchalantly, inspecting her nails, "He was good for a while, but everything gets boring after a while."

"Rika..." V's voice was low, almost hurt, but his eyes were glued to Yoosung.

"She brainwashed me, Yoosung, I swear, I didn't want to go."

"Not true," Rika sang, and Yoosung looked at her, desperate for answers, "I did 'influence' him, but he wanted to go too." 

"I wanted to try and help Aithne by learning about Calida?"

"You're sick," Yoosung blurted, losing control, "Both of you!"

"Yoosung-" V started, hurt.

"I hate you!" Yoosung shouted at Rika, "But I hate you the most!" He turned on V. His heart hurt, "I really hate you, you know?"

"It's okay... that's fine. So stop torturing yourself. I can't say I'm sorry enough, for all the things that happened. It's okay to hate me." V's words were kind. Yoosung hated that too.

"This is all your fault. It's your fault I'm so messed up. She said you could leave! You didn't even come see me to explain!"

"I thought I was doing the right thing... I thought it would hurt you too much to see me."

"Of course, V, you're always trying to do the best thing," Yoosung said sarcastically, and Saeran stepped back, away from Yoosung. He'd intervene if he had to, but Yoosung had given him the same space with Saeyoung. Saeyoung, where are you?Last he'd seen, his mischievous twin brother had been in the middle of the lines, chatting and laughing with the group. Saeran winced as Yoosung continued to fight with V. 

Suddenly, the teal-haired man walked forward and wrapped his long arms around Yoosung, who struggled for a moment.

"Let go!" He shrieked, but V didn't budge, eyes closed in mental and emotional pain. 

"I'm sorry," V murmured.

"You should've done something if you're so sorry. You're the one responsible...!" 

"I wanted to. More than anything. Trust me, please."

"It's all your fault!" Yoosung sobbed, and he felt hot tears on his cheeks. 

"Trust me."

"Stop telling me to trust you! How could I ever-" Yoosung's hiccups interrupted his words, "I could never trust you."

"It's... it's all your fault," Yoosung said again, and V nodded.

"Okay."

"It's... fault..."

"It's my fault."

When they pulled away, Jaehee and Rika were finishing a quiet conversation, concerning transportation, and it seemed that even Rika had softened a little bit. 

Yoosung retreated back to Saeran, who smiled at him slowly, wiping his tears.

"It's gonna be okay," Yoosung sniffled.

...

There was a bonfire that night. The group had stayed mostly oblivious to the going-ons in the throne room, save a select few like Saeyoung and Cylus, who begged for details. 

V was welcomed slowly, but he stayed away from most of the members, talking only when he needed to, being quiet, just like Yoosung remembered. It would take a while for their friendship to stitch back together, but the two were secretly confident that it would happen. 

Yoosung lay back against Saeran as they lounged on a laid-out blanket on the snow, the fire providing a perfect mix of hot and cold outside. 

"They seem close," V commented to Saeyoung, who was sitting near him. 

"Together," Saeyoung replied, taking his two index fingers and touching them together, wiggling his eyebrows at V. 

"Ah," V hummed, and looked at the pair again, trying to remember if he had ever had an inkling that Yoosung was gay when they were kids. He came up with nothing.

It was a relatively happy time. The Cold was happy, Aithne was happy, and who even knew about the few citizens of Calida. They were content, for now.

Yoosung smiled, intertwining his fingers with Saeran's.

"What next?"

...

Hey guys~~~ Finally done with chapter 25! hehe, epilogue is next, and then we're officially done :) I'm super proud, because I met my goal :) It's the last day of school for me, and the last day of writing this multi-month project that I love so much. I'll see you in the last part! btw, 4811 words holy crap! I would've split it up, but I was so set on having 25 chapters lol, so sorry that it's so long! The epilogue is a lot shorter, I promise ;)