"Hey! (Y/n)! Ya there?" You heard your father's voice speak from your walkie-talkie, making you jump in surprise. You'd almost forgotten all about him.
Liu released his hold on you with a curious smile and you scrambled to fish the little device out of your coat pocket. You put a finger to your lips to tell him to keep quiet, and he nodded in understanding as you pressed the button to say your reply, trying your best to conceal your nervousness.
"Yeah, dad, I'm here. What is it?"
"I'm over the wall! Did you find the house?" He asked excitedly.
You gulped, but Liu didn't seem all that nervous.
"Go ahead, tell him. I'll just sneak out before he gets here." Your brother winked, and you sighed a little in relief before answering the question.
"Yeah, I found it, but... let's just say the place has seen better days." You shuddered when you looked back at the bloodstains nearby, causing Liu to give you an empathetic look.
"Ah... so... bloody?" Your father seemed hesitant to ask.
"Very." You stressed.
"Well, don't worry, once I get a look at the place we can head out if you want. Did you at least find anything salvage-worthy?"
"I found a picture of me with the whole family back when I was really little." You told him.
"Really?? You've gotta let me see it!" He surprised you with how interested he was, but you just giggled to yourself, making Liu grin.
"This guy sounds like fun." Your brother whispered.
"He is, trust me." You nodded to him, then resisted another laugh as you continued to speak through the device, feeling like you were back to being a little kid causing mischief again.
"The house is all the way down the road, just keep heading straight until you see one with a broken window and a door covered in yellow tape, plus there's-uh, some blood on the driveway." You informed him.
"Alright, let me know if I'm there in case I can't tell. See you soon, sweetie!"
"See you when you get here, dad."
Then he ended the transmission.
You took a breath, leaning against the wall beside Liu as you tried to collect your thoughts. You have yet another thing to hide from the oblivious man that loved you like you were his own flesh and blood, but you knew deep down that it would be worth it.
"Is it bad that I can't wait to see your home?" Liu sounded a bit embarrassed, but you laughed and put your arms around his neck, bringing him in for another hug. He hugged back eagerly, squeezing you a bit and nuzzling your head with his own.
The way he did this reminded you of Jack every time he held you, and you unwillingly recalled how homesick you were, remembering all the warm and comforting embraces you'd shared. You missed the poor clown that was probably missing you twice as much. You found yourself loosening your hold slightly and frowning, sighing faintly through your nose as you felt your heart sink.
"What's the matter?" Liu seemed to notice your sudden change of mood, and looked down at you with both concern and confusion.
You gave him a weak half-smile.
"It's nothing really, there's somebody back home that's probably worried about me, I convinced him to stay at my house to keep Miles company while I was gone."
"Oh? And who might that be?" You seemed to pique Liu's interest, and he gave you a look of wonder.
You felt your face flush, and you buried your head in Liu's shirt. Your heart was thudding wildly in your chest, replacing the once dismal feeling within with bashfulness. You'd tried to leave Jack out during your little rundown of the group because, besides the fact that you missed him, imagining what Liu would think if you described him made you uneasy.
"Aww, c'mon, sis! Tell me who's waiting for ya!" Liu insisted sweetly while squeezing you tighter, causing your face to warm up despite the cold.
"I-It's just somebody I know..." You mumbled embarrassedly, hoping he'd drop the subject. But, like Jeff, he was stubborn.
"If they went out of their way to wait for you, this 'somebody' must be special! Especially since you look so nervous right now." Liu snickered, saying the last part above your ear and making your blush worsen.
"W-Well..." You trailed off, and you couldn't help but ask yourself why you were like this. Jack was a close friend and should be easy to talk about.
...Right?
"At least tell me his name! Please?" Liu persisted, forcing you to look up at him by holding the bottom of your head with one hand.
You made yourself shake off the nerves and give in to your brother's request, realizing how silly your behavior was.
"His name's... Jack." You forced out, looking away afterwards. You weren't sure what was really wrong with you in that moment, but you decided to just brush it aside, deeming it unimportant for now.
Liu seemed satisfied and released your head, resting his own on top of it and humming to himself.
"'Jack', eh? Not a bad name. But, tell me something, is he anything like your stowaways?"
You nearly chuckled at what he called your friends, but you sighed when you thought about his question.
"Er... he's... um... you'll just have to see for yourself." You couldn't tell why you hesitated, but you just went along with it.
Thankfully, Liu had mercy on you and just said: "I'm looking forward to it, sis."
You didn't have any idea how much time went by, but at some point when you looked out the window you could see a certain man approaching the house.
"That's my dad." You said without looking at Liu, who leaned against the wall before peering out the window to sneak a glance.
"He looks like he works out. Does he?" Liu asked, seeming genuinely interested.
You scoffed and said: "Nah, he just helps with gardening and other chores, otherwise he's watching T.V." Liu looked like he'd bust out laughing if he didn't restrain himself.
You saw your father bring his walkie-talkie up to his mouth, and not a second after you heard his voice emit from your own device.
"I think I found it, can you see me outside?"
You pushed the button while waving and saying: "Look at the second-floor window."
You saw him look up, and you were certain he was laughing to himself before he waved back, then he approached the withering driveway.
"See you on the other side." Liu whispered in your ear before lips briefly touched the top of your head, and when you turned to look back your brother was already half-way out the door, his scarf rapidly waving around behind him before vanishing from sight.
You gulped harshly, you hadn't even discussed how Liu was going to get into the van!
"Let's hope for the best, I guess..." You mentally sighed, deciding to head downstairs and wait for your father by the window. You snatched up your flashlight and stuffed it in your pocket before leaving the room. As you went down the stairs you paused upon noticing that Liu was nowhere to be seen, he must've already gone outside.
"Wow, he's pretty fast." You thought, blinking a few times in surprise before proceeding to the broken window.
Your older partner in crime already had one foot on the porch, and he smiled upon seeing you.
"I have to get in through there, huh?" It was more like a statement than a question, and you nodded, giving him a 'Gotta do what we gotta do' look.
He let out an audible sigh before readying himself to climb through, and you assisted him as best you could while he did so. Once he touched the floor he got back onto his feet and took a good, long look around, taking a step or two forward.
"This is the place... Honestly, I expected it to be in worse condition." He mentioned after a few moments of calm silence.
"Just wait till' you see the upstairs..." You hesitantly retorted, cringing a bit.
A grim look crossed his face, and he sighed through his nose with a brief shake of his head.
"You... do know he's still your family, right?" He glanced at you.
You tilted your head, furrowing your brow a bit.
"What do you mean?" You asked, feeling a bit confused.
The man shuffled his feet for a moment, seemingly trying to find the right words. He looked off into the kitchen near the back of the house as he spoke.
"Your brother was an average, young boy with a loving family, a future to live for, and a roof over his head. But... regardless of all that, he changed in a way nobody could've ever expected. No one would've ever considered the thought of such a fate..."
He paused, and you could tell he was having a hard time keeping his composure. You're adoptive father was a sentimental man and was prone to grieving when it came to the subject of loss. Yes, he could be tough when he needed to be, but he was always more sensitive when it was just the two of you. It was one of the things that strengthened your relationship.
You stepped over to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, giving him an encouraging smile. It worked only a little, proven by his shaky half-smile, but you knew he appreciated the gesture.
"But, no matter what he's done, no matter how many people he's hurt and lives he's taken, you two are still brother and sister. You know that, right?" He turned to you, placing his hands on your shoulders and giving you a hopeful gaze.
You simply kept your smile up and nodded, saying: "Yes, I do."
He sighed in relief and moved his hands away, then you remembered the picture you found was still in Jeff's old room.
"The picture I told you about is upstairs, first door on the left."
"You're not coming up with me?" Your adoptive father inquired in slight surprise.
You made an uncomfortable face, holding your arms and answering with: "Being up there scared me a little..."
Your father gave you a sympathetic look, bringing you in for a comforting embrace. You hugged back immediately, thankful for his affection.
"I understand, sweetie. It's okay. I'll be back down in a minute, just gonna take a quick look and then we'll be out of here." He released you and placed a kiss on your forehead before he marched his way up the stairs, a flashlight of his own in hand.
You blew loose strands of hair out of your face as you wandered around the kitchen, unsure of what else to do. You noticed there was another broken window just above the sink, and you instantly knew that must've been how Liu escaped so quickly, since the backdoor was in the same condition as the front.
"Him and Jeff have stealth in common, too." You mentally snickered, thinking back to when you first saw the real Jeff for the first time.
You could hear the floorboards from upstairs creak as the man walked from room to room, and you sighed as you imagined how he must've been feeling when he laid eyes on the blood. Fortunately, he was a strong individual, and he'd actually seen much scarier things in his time. Before he met his wife, he was a soldier in the army for nearly ten years and he'd lost countless friends, a majority of them died either near him or in his arms. He'd never talked about it until you were almost ten years old and had been oblivious enough to question him on what he knew of death.
It was a warm summer afternoon and you were playing at the old park when you suddenly saw a squirrel get run over by a car. You couldn't remember how long you'd cried, but when your father tried to console you after taking you home you just kept saying that he wouldn't understand how you felt. He then held you in his lap and ordered you to pay close attention, and you could remember how much you regretted asking him the awful question before he started talking. By the end of it you were both in tears, and you just spent an hour staying in each other's arms. You never said anything out of line like that again.
Recalling that day brought a sad smile to your face, and after another minute you heard the stairs creaking once more.
"Alright, (Y/n), I think I've seen enough. Ready to g-- (Y/n)? Hey, hey, are you okay?" You looked to the side to see him rushing over to you worriedly, and that was when you realized tears had escaped your eyes. You tried to wipe them away but it was already too late. He pulled you close to him, his fatherly instincts taking over.
You let out a small, shaky laugh, and looked up at the man that gave up years of his life to look after you with a sincerely grateful smile.
"I'm... I'm just happy that if anyone got to raise me since my family couldn't, it was you and your wife." You admitted, leaning into his touch when he placed one hand on your face.
You saw tears in his shocked, emotional and aged eyes, and he pulled you against his chest before he chuckled while saying: "While I will admit raising you wasn't easy, we did it because we wanted you to have the life you deserved; With parents that love you and would do anything to keep you safe."
You sniffled and hugged him back, letting fresh tears of your own dry against his soft coat.
"Thank you... for everything." You whispered while beaming.
"It's been an honor to have such a special little girl." The man replied, gently patting your head.
You both stood in the darkness of the decaying house in each other's arms for what felt like hours, and when you finally pulled away your father gave you a proud smile and stated: "I'm sure you're gonna find your own path to follow someday, but until then I want you to remember that my wife and I will always be here if you need us. No matter how far apart we may be in the future, or how rough life gets, you can know with complete confidence that we'll have your back, kiddo." He then planted a kiss on your forehead.
You were smiling from ear to ear, and you nodded in understanding, giving him a look of adoration and saying: "I'll never forget that, I promise."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Once you both wriggled your way back out the window you began your walk to the van, you'd discussed that your father would climb over first to provide another distraction since it was likely that the officer would be guarding the gate again.
After a couple minutes of silence your father looked like he'd suddenly remembered something and he pulled out a familiar frame from his large coat pocket.
"Almost forgot I found this." He chuckled a bit awkwardly.
You giggled, saying: "It's fine. What do you think of it?"
Your father held the framed picture in both hands and examined it for a few moments, then sighed and said: "If only your family could've stayed that way--with all of you together. Maybe things would've been different for you and your brothers."
You gave him a sad smile and linked your arm with his, causing him to look over at you in slight surprise. Just before you spoke you stopped walking upon noticing a figure slip by from one house to another, and a certain boy with brown hair peeked out, giving you a wink before disappearing behind the old home.
You felt your smile widen a bit as you looked up at one of your two caretakers and said:
"...It's okay, dad. Something tells me that, as sad as it was, it was meant to be this way."
He gave you a optimistic grin, chuckling and saying: "Maybe you're right. After all, if it was any different I never would've gotten to have such an amazing daughter. Heck, I wouldn't have had a daughter at all!"
Your eyes widened at the last part.
"What do you mean?"
Your father sighed through his nose, looking as if he'd made a mistake.
"Whoops... guess the secret's out now." He said in a nervous tone, he seemed tense, much more tense than he'd been in quite some time.
He paused before continuing with: "You see, sweetie, um... my wife and I aren't able to have kids of our own. We'd tried many times, but... it wasn't until our second year of being married that we found out she couldn't bear children. She was devastated, she even thought I'd leave her over it. But, of course, I would never do that to her. I told her that I'll always love and support her, and nothing could ever change that. I'd always wanted a child, but I was willing to give that dream up for her."
You felt like your heart would crack. All this time the woman you'd called 'mom' for years was unable to have her own children?
"Is that why you decided to adopt?" You inquired as you started walking with him again, arms still linked as he continued holding the picture frame.
"Well, it was only half the reason actually. The other was because of that fateful day your brother changed."
You tilted your head, wondering what he meant.
Your father looked straight ahead, most likely concentrated on his thoughts.
"I can still remember the day we took you in like it was just a short while ago. My wife wanted a child more than she'd ever wanted anything before, but I was hesitant since I had no experience with kids, so we decided to just give foster-care a try first. We were with an agent and she told us she'd be needing to take a child into her care since none of the other couples she'd mentioned her to would take her in, and we decided to ask her for more information. She explained the whole story to us, how your parents couldn't keep up with taking proper care of you and your brothers all while working and paying the bills. A third child was just too much for them."
You felt your jaw drop slightly but you snapped it shut again, not wanting to distract him.
"My wife and I looked each other in the eye and we just knew we had to take a chance. We told her we'd be willing to look after you and she was relieved to know she wouldn't have to worry. After a few days she delivered you to us, and let me tell you, you were quite a handful at first." He snickered, giving you a small smirk.
"Was I?" You raised a brow. You never thought you were too bad as a kid, but then again many parts of your childhood that you remembered were nothing but a blur.
Your father gave a meaningful nod, exaggerating an: "Ohh yeah."
"What was I like?" You almost didn't want to ask, feeling anxious already.
Your father's smirk vanished as quickly as it came as the memory seemed to reappear in his head.
"When she got you out of the car you actually tried to run away from her, you kicked and screamed when she picked you up, saying things like: 'Let go!', and: 'I wanna go home!'. I honestly felt terrible, you were going through so much and at such a young age... I felt like I could never help you adjust to being away from your family like that." He admitted, giving you a sorrowful expression.
You hugged his arm, nodding in understanding.
He got choked up as he took a deep breath, but he refused to cry as he went on.
"To say the first year was a challenge would be a huge understatement. You were always trying to run off or sneak out the door when we accidentally left it open or unlocked, and sometimes you even managed to get out of the house. One day in the fall we had to get a search party together, and they found you in those woods on that hill. You were just sitting there curled up and crying into your sleeves. When they told my wife you wouldn't move from that spot, I was the one that took it upon myself to try to convince you to come back home."
You leaned into his arm, feeling a tad frustrated that you couldn't remember any of this.
"I had to be slow, when I approached you before you were always terrified of me, I wanted you to know you were safe. When I finally got close to you, you actually took me by surprise, because instead of getting up and running, you just looked over at me and said: 'I miss Jeffy and Louie.' I was stunned. That was one of the first times you'd actually spoken specifically to me. I tried to find the right words but, in the end all I could say was: 'I'm sure they miss you too, kiddo. But you've gotta try to be strong for them, y'know?'.
Your father snickered before he continued.
"You gave me the most confused look I'd ever seen, and you'd actually stopped crying! You asked me; 'Be strong'? How?' and I just told you: 'It's okay to miss them, but I'm sure they don't want you to be sad all the time. You've gotta try to enjoy yourself with what you have, even if your brothers aren't around right now. That way you can feel better!'"
You looked up at him with a small smile, appreciating his kindness towards your rebellious younger self.
He gave you a grin as he proceeded with the story.
"At that moment, for the first time, you actually giggled at me. I'd said that last part in a more goofy way, and I guess you found it funny. I was amazed with both myself and you, myself because I'd made you laugh, and you because you'd laughed! I remember wanting to hug you, but I didn't want to ruin the moment because I wasn't sure if you trusted me yet. But then you said: 'I'm sorry I ran... I don't like being sad, and I don't want you to be sad!'.
You snorted. "Did I really say it like that?"
Your father planted a kiss on your forehead, and his response made you roll your eyes.
"Your exact words, my dear."
He then continued.
"I was thrilled that we'd actually made some progress, and I'd gotten so carried away that I reached over to pat you, but you flinched and held your arms up. I guessed that you thought I was going to hurt you, and I felt horrible that you would think I'd do that. I didn't back off, however, I just moved slower until my hand was on your head. You flinched again, but after a minute you peeked out to look at me. I gave you the biggest, kindest smile I could muster, and told you that it was okay, and you didn't have to be scared."
You smiled, trying your hardest to imagine the scene as he spoke.
"You ended up giggling again, and you reached up to hold my hand. 'I like you.', was what you told me, and then you crawled up to me and curled up in my lap. I felt more proud of myself than I had in years. I'd accomplished something I'd remember for the rest of my life--I'd earned your trust. I held you as much as I could, loving every second of the moment we were sharing until it was time to take you back to the house. It took a couple months, but I eventually got you to trust my wife as well, and she was the happiest she'd been in a long, long time."
Another grim look painted his face, and he stopped walking, making you look up at him in concern.
"Dad?" You whispered.
He seemed to be nearly crying again, but he held it back and sighed.
"A few more years passed and you finally started to think of us as family. You still remembered how you wanted to see your brothers again, though, but then..."
A tear slipped down his face.
"Then the tragedy happened, and another almost followed. The agent came to visit us and informed us that you no longer had a family to return to, but before she left, we noticed that you weren't in your room, and our whole block searched for you once we realized you weren't in the house. When we finally found you, after three long days, you were passed out in those woods. Your clothes and hair were a mess and you had scratches all over. We were petrified, but thankfully you were alright."
You gaped, still unable to remember anything like that happening.
"When we asked you what happened you mumbled; 'I thought I saw Jeffy in the woods... that lady said he was gone, but I thought...' Somehow you'd avoided my attention while you were in the room and heard our conversation. I've believed that it had a traumatic impact on you and caused you to run away to attempt escaping the truth. Years passed and you still had moments where you felt immensely sad, but, somehow, once you started third grade, you changed entirely! Instead, you'd go on and on about your new friends Alex and Henry, and how wonderful they both were."
You felt your heart sink and you mentally flinched.
"Here we go..." You thought.
Your father was oblivious to your change of mood and kept talking with obvious joy in his voice.
"My wife and I had never seen you so full of glee before, it was like you were a different kid! You would jump around and laugh and play, like you didn't have a care in the world! My wife and I loved to watch how happy you'd become, and to make sure you stayed that way we both agreed we wouldn't mention your blood family to you again until you were ready. But my wife..."
He paused again before speaking with a more frustrated tone, taking you by surprise.
"A week after you turned fifteen, she told me that she never wanted us to talk about what happened with you at all. I felt betrayed for both you and myself, we owed it to you to talk about your old life, and the people that loved you before we met you. And she... she just wanted to keep it all a secret, like we had any right to do such a thing! I couldn't believe she would be so selfish... But to convince her that I was on her side I agreed to hide it... at least for a few more years. I can't tell you how good it felt just to write that note, knowing that I was finally doing what I should've done a long time ago."
He sounded so determined and relieved at the end, you couldn't help but give him a smile, though we went on.
"What really broke me was when I actually tried to discreetly bring it up before. I don't remember where we were, and I'm pretty sure you don't either since you were half asleep at the time, but when you were eighteen I asked; 'Still sad about the past?' and you looked at me like I was crazy. You questioned me back with; 'What's in the past to be sad about, dad?' and it felt like my heart had sunk to my shoes. I couldn't believe what you'd just said. I tried to casually clarify what I meant, thinking you just didn't understand because you were tired, but in the end it was clear as day-- you didn't remember."
He was right, you couldn't remember that day, you could vaguely hear him speaking to you, but not much else.
"I was ashamed. I felt like I was the scum of the Earth. I allowed you to forget the family you truly came from-- the parents and brothers that loved you. I had to make things right, even if it meant going behind my wife's back, I needed to tell you the truth. So I did what I did, and now here we are." He finished, giving you an immensely apologetic look.
You felt another smile spread across your face, you'd never realized until now just how much he cared about your memories. He'd even risked breaking his wife's trust just so that you could have the chance to remember who your true family was!
"Thank you for being so selfless, dad." You nuzzled against the arm you held in yours, feeling nothing but gratitude and love towards the owner.
You felt another kiss be placed upon your crown, and your smile only widened.
"It was all for you, (Y/n). Now, let's get back to the van, shall we?"
You looked up at him once more and nodded, trying not to let the sudden feeling of guilt get the better of your mind. Despite all that you've talked about and the truths that he's shared with you, you still have secrets of your own you must keep.
No matter how much it may hurt.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Once you finally arrived at the gates it was time for your father to play the role of 'distraction' again. He gave you another kiss before he snuck off to the farthest side of the wall and climbed over, and you were left to play the waiting game.
You nearly yelped when you felt a hand on your shoulder, but the other hand swiftly covered your mouth, and a familiar voice sung:
"It's just me~"
You turned and shoved your hand in Liu's face, giving him a look as he quietly snickered to himself.
"Sorry, sis. Didn't mean to startle you." He apologized and gently pulled your hand away, surprising you a bit by nuzzling his cheek against your knuckle. You remembered it'd been many years since he'd had any contact with you whatsoever, and realized he was savoring every moment he got to be close to you in any way possible.
"It's okay." You giggled softly, stepping up to him and using your other arm to give him a half-hug.
He returned it as he asked: "So, we're really doing this, huh?"
You nodded against his chest, smiling excitedly.
It wasn't too long after that another air-horn sounded, and you both struggled not to bust out laughing as the officer guarding the gate shouted at the top of his lungs with annoyance clear in his voice and took off.
"WHO'S OUT THERE?!"
The minute he was out of sight you and Liu raced to the wall with laughter still in your skulls and he assisted you in going over. He lifted you up by your foot and you carefully turned yourself around before climbing down. Your brother simply leaped down without hesitation, landing on his feet perfectly, and part of you wished you could be that smooth.
You led him to the van and opened the trunk, ushering him inside. He practically dove in, almost making you laugh again before you rushed to close it and get back into your seat. You nearly yanked the door open and once you were in you stopped yourself from slamming it shut at the last second, realizing you'd draw more attention. You quickly pushed it back a bit before closing it as gently as possible, leaning back into your seat as you let out a huff of relief. After a moment you turned yourself around to see Liu sitting there with a goofy grin plastered on his face.
"Who knew you'd be sneaky like us?" He chuckled proudly, making you laugh.
After about five minutes of sitting there and calming down was a knock on your window, and when you looked over you felt all color drain from your face.
It was the officer.
You tried to conceal your growing anxiety as you opened the door since the van wasn't running so you couldn't lower the window, and you gave the cop a polite smile as he looked you over.
"Hello, miss, sorry to bother you, but may I ask what business you have in this area?" He questioned, you could tell he was suspicious, but some part of him also seemed to want to trust you.
Your mouth felt dry, but you forced yourself to reply, not wanting to get yourself caught.
"My dad and I wanted to take a look at the gates since people in our neighborhood told us all sorts of rumors about this place, we're into things of the unknown and such."
He seemed to think it over before asking another question.
"Where's your father?" He raised a brow.
Uh oh.
"Oh, well, we've been driving for a few days now, you see, and he needed to use the bathroom terribly, so..." You trailed off, hoping he'd understand even though it was a lie.
He gave an understanding nod, and to your relief you heard the van door beside you open, and your father's voice said: "And I just finished! Thanks for waiting for me, sweetie."
The officer gave an understanding nod, and all suspicion left his eyes.
"My apologies for interrupting you two, but I assume you've done what you came to do?"
"Indeed we have. Thank you for taking the time out of your night to look after this place, it can't be easy with the holidays coming up and all." Your father casually replied.
The officer nodded again, sighing slightly.
"Not easy in the slightest, but somebody's gotta do it." He chuckled a bit, and your father did the same.
"Enjoy the rest of your night." Your father said as the officer went to shut your door for you.
"Thank you, same to you and your daughter." He smiled slightly, then shoved the door shut before nodding and walking back to his car.
"Phew! That was a close one!" Your father laughed as he started up the van.
"He must've heard me get into the van." You groaned, leaning back into your chair.
"Don't sweat it, kiddo. You did a fine job of fibbing for us! But, uh... just don't tell my wife." He said the last part with brief panic in his eyes.
You laughed with him as he began to drive off, but it wasn't too long after that dread and anxiety started to flood your heart and thoughts.
Your stealth mission with your father was over, but the one with Liu had just begun, and this time it could be a whole lot worse if it goes wrong.
(~Boo! ^*^ As usual, apologies for the delay, lots of things going on with school and family and so on. But thank you all so much for the continued support, it's always highly appreciated. If there's any errors I'll go back and fix them later. See you!~)