Emily spent that night briefing the Titans on everything going on. After a long rant about each of her dreams, she begged them desperately to help her out, going as far as motioning to kneel when Hank nonchalantly scoffed, not meaning any harm. Even when they tried to lift her, she just kept fighting back and repeating "I need to find my father, I need to find my father". It wasn't until Hank himself bent a knee before her and said he was game if she was that she let herself get hoisted up. They must have thought she was crazy and agreed to help out of pity but she was too desperate to care.
She hadn't expected them to help at all. None of it made sense, not a single word. Jason was completely right. He hadn't exactly been gentle about it, what with him insinuating that she was immature and naive, everything she was trying not to be now that she was training so hard to prove herself as a valuable teammate. That hurt her enough without the sight of him and Rose walking out of the Tower, together.
She continued to muse to herself as she got ready for bed so they could head out early the next day, jumping slightly when she heard a knock on the door. Dammit, Emily Deborah Brookes! Superheroes aren't this frail, stop it! She walked over, stumbling back when she heard Connor curse through the door. He learnt it from somewhere and she couldn't help but pin it on Rose. The silver-haired swordswoman was certainly leaving an impression on him and Emily was a little worried about that. He, like her, wasn't the most street smart person and she resolved to meet him later and ask if Rose was being too much of a bother. It was her fault he had to follow her around all the time, anyway so she could always ask Dick to call it off.
"I'm so angry I could hit you right now but..." His eyes softened for a second and he sighed to himself. "She needs me. Plus, a punch from me could well kill you and I won't do that to a teammate and possible future friend."
"Connor, it's good youre here cos I was actually just thinking- Jason?" Came Emily's drowsy voice when she unlocked her door for them. As Connor said a quick greeting, his baby blue eyes darting towards the elevator, she lost all traces of sleepiness when she blinked twice to ensure her vision was correct and still saw Jason being held up by a fistful of his shirt.
"Take care of him for me, will you? I'll go get Rose, I just... hope she isn't in too much trouble right now..." Because of him. He couldn't understand why Emily had to get herself involved with a person like Jason. She was incredibly kind but their relationship was putting a strain on Rose's happiness.
Maybe he would talk to her instead since Jason was of no use in bringing Rose some of her spark back. Later, he assured himself, running to the end of the hall and to the elevator without stopping to grab a jacket. It was one of the coldest days in the fall but he felt warm enough, especially when he used his superspeed to go through all the closest bars. He finally caught a glance of Rose's hair in one and picked her up right before she punched someone sitting way too close in the face, rushing out of there as she hollered insults at everyone in the room.
"Rose...? Dammit, Rose, you aren't a lightweight so that must mean- how much did that idiot let you have? They didn't do anything to you, right, Ro? Because if they did, we're going right back in there right now."
"Huh? What?" He realised she was shaking and rushed into a store, grabbing a leather jacket. Once he passed the threshold, the sound of the alarm instantly told him his mistake. Her giggle had him both frustrated and enamored. On a regular day, he didn't mind explaining to the police that it was all an accident but Rose was with him, shaking and he couldn't risk being taken away from her so he wrote IOU on their counter with a marker he didn't know was permanent and swept her off her feet, zooming off to the Tower.
During the short run, she wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled into his chest, the unfamiliar affection from Rose coming as a shock to her friend. However, he only worried that it was making him feel a strange sensation within that seemed to come up more frequently when Rose was near whether she smiled, laughed or just looked at or spoke to him. He felt like a disaster at these moments and he wanted to tell her but when he asked Gar what it was, the green-haired brought up the possibility that he had a crush on her. He had denied it then, repeatedly mentioning that she had a boyfriend but it wasn't shutting off regardless of her status, no matter how hard he tried.
She suddenly gripped his shirt and he paused when she threw up all over him, covering herself in the sticky mess. He knew it was on his body but his focus was on her face and hair. For the first time that night, she seemed to be somewhat sober as she looked up at him with fearful eyes and tried to get out of his cosy hold. "Oh my God... I'm so, so sorry-"
"We need to get you cleaned up." The elevator finally opened up and they were at her room in seconds. He got her to kneel next to her part bathtub part shower, steadying her with one hand as she wobbled back and forth, near ready to fall right in and used his other hand to soak a cloth with water and wipe her face. After this, he carefully washed all the gunk out of her hair, setting out a satisfied hum as he glanced over her features minutes later. The smile never left his face althrough, something Rose couldn't help but notice and she bit her lip guiltily when she noticed his shirt was still heavily stained with her vomit.
"Who's going to clean you up?" Connor looked down at himself, his eyebrows furrowed for a second before he tried to slip his shirt off. However, that only caused more harm than good as it got on his skin as well. Rose dropped her toothbrush after spitting out the water in her mouth and tentatively moved over to him, both teenagers working clumsily to get him out of his shirt. She made sure to pay extra attention paid to keeping the vomit-covered areas off his person.
She looked him over in silence, blinking in awestruck silence as the unwitting boy spoke and remained unheard. Once again, he asked her to shower so he could get her to bed and she gazed up at him, filled with sudden liquid courage. "Well... Will you be here?"
"I will wait in your bedroom for you to finish. I can't help you with that particular process but if you need anything, I'll be out there."
"Why do you have to wait out there...? When I asked you, will you be here, I meant will you be here." When he continued to stare at her in his confusion, Rose slipped her shirt off, smiling when he turned away. She took off her trousers too, staring intently at his back. She knew he was super strong but for some reason, his muscular build was utterly unexpected in a very, very good way.
"I... Uhm... I think I understand what's going on, now. You must think I'm your boyfriend. Don't feel embarrassed or anything, you're drunk, the mistake could happen to anyone but I'm actually Connor?"
"Don't feel embarrassed or anything yourself but I know, idiot. My boyfriend wouldn't have carried me... Especially not like that, he would be dragged my ass to run with him. My boyfriend would've started cursing the moment I threw up on him but you... You were worried about me. About my hair and my face and whether I could breathe through all that gunk, you took care of me. He couldn't have done what you did for me, not even close. You're one of a kind, Connor. And the difference in builds... Of course. Why would I not know it was you the whole time?"
"I... I'm sorry. I didn't... realise. I have to... To..." he felt her hands on his shoulders, shutting his eyes when she pressed kisses across his back slowly, sensually, moving closer and closer to her goal like a wolf to its prey. The feel of her lips lingered on his back, shoulder, neck and jaw but all too soon, it all stopped.
He scolded himself for not stopping it and taking advantage of her while she was drunk. Curiously enough, as she stared hungrily at the innocent boy's lips, it seemed to be the other way around. He was about to open his eyes and apologise but luckily, he did this a second too late, for if he had any moment sooner he would have felt even guiltier over the kiss they shared. Connor had wanted this for so long without even knowing it that his immediate reaction was to pull her closer with his hands on her neck, a simple move that had Rose nearly buckling at the knees.
He pulled away, detaching fast but with a reluctance he couldn't shake and she whimpered softly, gazing up at him with a fire in her eyes he had never seen and struggled to turn away from. She gripped his waist as he headed for the door, troubling his already uneven breathing when she pressed he chest tightly against his back, her hair over his shoulder. She curled her legs up to his back and used her hands to keep her secure against him, refusing to let go.
"Rose? P-please, stop. Let go of me. I'm begging you."
"Don't go. We can do that thing Jason does with Emily. A sleepover. Doesn't that sound fun? Don't even have to do anything... Extra. Connor, please. You're... the only one who can make me feel less like I'm a shit person whenever you're there. Please."
"You are not a shit person. And I... I'm sorry but I don't think I could handle being next to you, tonight."
"Well that's kind of what I'm counting on?" She hoped it would get a smile out of him but he looked so disturbed. She frowned and got off him, running her hand through her hair with a blank expression to his how upset she truly felt. "Was the kiss that bad? Cos it felt great to me-"
"Why are you doing this? You've been angry with Jason for cheating on you but you just did the same thing. Was this on purpose? A-are you trying to use me?"
"What?! Won't, baby, no, no of course not! God, how can you even say that when I've been wanting to do that since- since... Hold on, I've been wanting to do that?! I don't know what im saying anymore. I think I need to lie dow-" he picked her up and dropped her gently in bed, his face unreadable but his furrowed eyebrows told her whatever he felt, he was upset and it was her fault. "I'm sorry... Again. I'll try not to get deadass drunk again to avoid situations like this."
"Yes. Well-"
"Since I'm still drunkish, though, can't we blame whatever happens on me forcing myself onto you?" He grunted and turned away, pausing when she gripped his hand. His foot tapped against the floor slightly as she rose up and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, still in her underwear. "One last kiss for the road...?"
He hated saying no to her more than anything but he knew another kiss would only drive him crazier. He needed to put space between them. She belongs to someone else and he was too immature for someone like Rose Wilson, anyway. He pulled away coldly in parallel to his heated insides and ran.
Some rooms away, a certain cryokinectic girl was struggling with Jason and stumbling as steadily as possible towards the bed so she could lay him down. "Wait... Emily?" She nodded hesitantly, flustered at how bright his eyes went once he realised she was the one there with him. "Emily!" he crashed into her and smiled, his weight dragging them both down onto her floor.
"Goddammit, Jason, did you get back here on that motorcycle of yours? Drunk?! And for fuck's sake, what happened to your face, your fists-"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I was actually coming to say sorry before I went out with Rosie Ro but then I thought you were in Gar's room and I went and I saw... Him and Rachel and..." he giggled, shaking his head when she asked what he was talking about. If he exasperated her before, he got even worse when he was drunk. Still, their closeness suddenly dawned on her and she had a hard time avoiding his intense gaze that was almost trying to pull her in. "Emmy? C-can I tell you a secret?"
"Is it about Gar and Rachel?"
"No, silly, it's about you! Wanna know?" She sighed. Was he going to tell her how he truly felt about her, now, while straddling her on her bedroom floor late at night? Was this the part where she got her heartbroken all over again? She could only imagine what he would say as she nodded with bated breath but he seemed a little hesitant to get it out. Shy, even. It was pretty unusual but she found it so unnecessarily adorable. That little fact made her even more worried for what was coming.
"Emily, I... I fell in love, I think. It's weird. I've always thought I would die alone but now... Now that I have y-"
"Oh. I mean great, that's great, Jason! You should be telling this to Rose, not me. I'm happy you both found your date that wonderful."
"Who, Rosie Ro? You're funny, Emmy! I was talking about you! You're so weird, you cute tiny little bunny weirdo!" He giggled childishly and flicked the bunny ear of her hoodie, pouting when she got up so fast he fell right off. He rubbed the back of his neck and gazed at the ceiling, suddenly enamoured by the little ant he found running over its length and breath in a frenzy. "Your name's Dick, now. Go, Dick, go! Go, Dick, go! You're the man- oomp, so sorry, I meant ant."
"Ja-Jason Peter Todd!" He turned to her slowly, his eyes half-shut but froze when he noticed she had a firm grip on his colar, so tight her knuckles were white and her eyes were damp with tears.
"Oh, no, no, don't do that! Oh, Emmy, what did I do now?"
"Look, J-Jason... what you just said now- what am I doing? You're drunk. I'm so stupid to even think- I just hope you didn't say that in front of Rose when you got drunk. You aren't allowed to."
"Wha- huh? No one tells me what to do! C'monnnnn! I love you, Emmy! Don't cry, smile! Yay!"
"Stop it. Dont say that again."
"Oh ho ho, no way, lady. I love you, I love you, I love you, I..." she dragged him up to bed as he said the forbidden words over and over. His dazed little smile made her feel like he was joking but he noticed her shaking and stopped talking. "Did I... did I mess up, again? I didn't mean to make you cry, Emmy, I just really do love you. Are you mad at me?"
"No, no, I'm not... I'm not mad at you, Jason."
"Are you sure?" When he nodded, he pepppered her face with kisses and squeezed her until she couldn't feel her lungs, letting out a content sigh. "I want to stay like this forever. I want to so bad. Do you have super glue, Emmy?"
She laughed in spite of the tears she was wiping away, shaking her head as she was helplessly held in his arms. She didn't mind being a little helpless as long as it was right there so she stayed put, too drained from listening to the words she hadn't realised she wanted to hear until right then to shove the boy with a girlfriend away.
She never gave much meaning into their hugs or the nights they stayed next to wach other in bed. It usually felt like a neccessity, regardless of how long it took to pull away but this felt different enough that she knew she would have to avoid him like the plague the next day. However, with his drunken "lies" and warm, comforting embrace, she felt like she was completely home for the first time and she didn't want to let it go.
Usually, Jason woke up the moment she shifted the slightest bit away and groaned while dragging her back towards himself but she was free of his clutches instantly. There was an ease to sneaking away from him that there had never been before and she found herself grateful for his reckless drinking the day before. It helped her avoid a lot of anxiety from talking about what happened that night.
Emily has gotten to see way too much of Jason that night. His loose side continued on from the love confession, blurting out funny little secrets but then it got to something related to Batman and he turned to weepy Jason real quick. Not too long after a long sob session where she hugged him as tightly as possible, hoping he would sleep since it was way past her planned bedtime, he turned to flirty Jason and talked about how pretty she was, using the words of a true Shakespeare addict thanks to thespian Jason. The last side of drunk Jason she had the pleasure of meeting was horny Jason who took her completely by surprise, managing to squeeze in a light hickey before she gained enough control over herself and her hormones to punch temptation in the face.
She was sure he would turn to weepy Jason righr after but he muttered a soft "owwie" and fell asleep. One day she would look back at it all and laugh, she was sure but at that moment, she could only concern herself with hiding the mark on her neck with the disadvantageous short hair she usually loved. She grumbled miserably as she walked into the training room to meet the rest, rubbing her eyes in an irritated silence.
"I thought you guys agreed to sleep early...?" Gar asked, jumping when Emily snarled at him.
"I don't like to be angry, Gar and I'm already there. Don't make it worse. Why aren't you coming with us anyway," she whined, gripping his collar with lidded eyes. "What if I want to punch someone in the face and I need to rub a pretty green kitty cat's head to calm down?"
"That was one time, I only did it because you were really upset and it's never happening again!" She continued to pout and he pat her head, forcing on a complacent smile. Tired Emily tended to be really irritable, yet clingy and apologetic with very little way of knowing which was coming and she seemed ready to latch onto his waist and never let go so he placed his hands on her shoulders to keep her at arm's length, saying, "you know why I can't go. Chief and I weren't exactly the best of friends before I ran off with Rachel. I just... I care about him, I do and I care about the rest as well. He took me in and took care of me. I owe him my life, Em but... I'm too scared to face him right now. It hadn't crossed my mind that I could and I just don't know how he'll react. Promise me you'll remember to ask him if he still hates me, even in the state you're in?"
"Of course. But just in case it slips my mind, tell your girlfriend to remember that too, okay?" He flushed but nodded, not objecting to the title. Emily's eyes widened for the first time that entire morning and Jason had the displeasure of seeing her brightly eyeing the guy he assumed was her boyfriend right as he walked in.
"Gar! You two are... Really? Oh my God, am I dreaming? You asked her and she said yes?!"
"Yeah... Actually, umm she asked me" Emily looked about ready to squeal, clearing her throat when Gar grumbled, "hey, don't start jumping around just yet. You're about to meet your dad so save the little adrenaline you've got for him. We really don't want it to be a big thing. Well, she doesn't, anyway so don't mention it in front of her, will ya? Wasn't supposed to tell. There was a slight hiccup, though... Jason walked in while we were ki-t-talking, talking about it!"
"Oh, so that was what he was getting at last night. Huh. Good to know. Understood, Veg. I guess he knows we aren't together anymore then, how tragic." She held the back of her hand to her forehead, snorting when Gar failed a sniff.
"A break up for the ages." Emily hopped from one foot to the other as though the ground was burning her, biting her lip.
"Where the hell is Dick? He should be here by now, he's never late."
"Probably sharing a goodbye kiss with his lady love." Emily visibly cringed, pausing when Rachel walked over to them after abandoning her book on the table.
"You nervous, Brookes?" Emily smiled at her, holding back her giddiness. Was it too weird to just burst out "sister-in-law" and keep kissing Rachel's pretty face until she got tired? Probably. It didn't make her want to do it any less, though and Rachel noticed her longing expression, rolling her eyes internally. She had expected Gar to crack and tell Emily, she just didn't expect it to be so soon. Still, they both seemed confident she was unaware they shared the secret and she didn't have the heart to see Gar start apologising when she already guessed he wouldn't make it a week before spilling.
"O-only a little bit. Dads, am I right? Scary." Rachel chuckled awkwardly, thinking back to hers and Gar met her eyes with the same uncomfortable expression. Emily had no idea. "But you know what could help?"
A suggestive brow wriggle was all it took for Rachel to start shaking her head. "I am not hugging you again, woman. What's wrong with you? Ask literally anyone else in this room!"
"But your hugs are life, Rae, come onnnnnn!" After some nudging, Rachel grasped Emily's wrist and pulled her into a reluctant hug, flushing slightly when her boyfriend joined in.
"My two favourite girls. If he weren't here it would be absolutely perfect right now." Emily turned around, her eyes meeting Jason's clouded ones. They were directed at the three of them and stormy for whatever reason. All that could cross Jason's mind was how Rachel and Gar could hug her so tightly when they were kissing behind her back. Of all things, Jason had never imagined innocent Gar to be cheater but he knew he shouldn't have made an assumption of how good he was in the first place. All people were monsters in their own little ways, all except Emily whose most monstrous side had done nothing but made him care about her all the more.
His eyes met Emily's and somehow, they lost all traces of rage in a single instant. She, however, seemed to have absorbed it all and just as Dick and Kory walked in, she gripped Jason by his hair and walked out, forcing a smile when they both watched them go curiously. Kory, in particular, noticed a mouth-sized little discolouration on the side of Emily'sneck but kept her opinions to herself.
"Okay... I am so done. Rachel, Gar, you guys are friends with Emily. Help me understand how in the hell those two aren't together? So fucking slow. I bet it's his fault, it's always the guy's fault. And before you try and defend yourself and your entire side of the species, Dick, remember what you said? You and I are just 'two people hanging out', in your words."
"Kory-"
"Tell Em goodbye for me. Don't die out there, buddy." She patted his head and walked off, not sparing another glance at the idiot. Rachel stared at him like he was, by far, the dumbest person on the planet which he already felt like without her expression adding fuel to the flame. She shrugged and whispered with Gar to Dick's frustration while he fiddled with his escrima sticks.
In the other room, Emily let go of Jason's hair and folded her arms at him in silence, her eyes flickering to his knuckles as he copied her stance. If she ever saw that kind of damage to his person again, she was going to add some damaging of her own. "Well...? What do you have to say for yourself?! You came back drunk. You rode drunk on your motorcycle which could've fucking killed you or maybe even someone else. You left your girlfriend at the bar alone, drunk in the middle of the night- Jason! Why are you not listening to me?"
"Oh, no reason. I just think it's cute that you ignored your darling idol just because I walked in- and now you're scolding me, snowflake, even cuter!"
"Look at yourself, you dumbass. Look at your fists! I had to bandage them yesterday, they were a mess. And your face-"
"You should see the other guy."
"You mean guys, don't you? One dude wouldn't cause all that! You probably started a bar fight!" He nodded slowly and she let out an exasperated sigh. She hated getting mad at him but how else was she supposed to calm herself other than doing the unusual and yelling at him? "Why couldn't you just... Not punch people? How can I let you out of my sight for one night and you go and get yourself into so much trouble..."
"You were the one who fixed me up? Makes sense. I don't think I was sober enough to have been able to do it so well and Rose definitely wasn't, either. Plus, I wouldn't have done all that if you were there. But I'm sure you were busy with Gar-"
"Of course I was busy with Gar." Great. Shoot another bullet directly into my heart, would you, love, it was getting too cosy in there for a second. "Who else was I supposed to tell about my plan when you didn't even have the decency to hear me out, you just threw it to the dirt because all you're ever going to see me as is this naive, weak little idiot child! I've already gone through that with my mother, okay? She kept me locked up and fed me lies then threw me away like I was nothing but I somehow still love her regardless. I expect better from you because just because I tend to love people no matter what they say and do doesn't make a slip-up hurt any less!"
"I was dumb, okay? What does it even matter what I said, I say stupid stuff all the time you shouldn't ever listen to me-"
"Why would you even ask that when your opinion means everything to me?"
"We do nothing but fight these days, Emilia without the 'a'. I'm beginning to think it's all that we're capable of." She refrained from mentioning that her stupid mind had imagined a much better version of their relationship dynamic. It didn't matter, anyway. Jason was back to normal and it was just a mistake, no matter how much the mistake had her daydreaming of them doing all manners of things couples do while he bothered her or slept.
Without a word, she turned away, ready to head back and get into the bus with the Titans. He gripped her hand and pulled her into his chest, arms around her waist from behind. "If you're going to listen, then listen to the truth. My real opinion. I don't think you're a naive, weak little idiot child. I think you think that of yourself and you're trying to project it onto me but I hope you know I could never, ever let any single one of those words cross my mind when it comes to you. You... don't want to know what crosses my mind when it comes to you."
He let out a nervous laugh and she shut her eyes, holding onto his arms shakily. Of course I do. It's all I want to know, Todd. She stayed still within his embrace for another two seconds then shrugged him off, glancing back when he said, "Emily... I'm only against this whole thing because it's not safe for you. I need to know you're going to be okay and I think you're going to get hurt during this, one way or the other. And that scares me. Seeing you in pain scares me. More than you'll ever know."
"Right. Tell that to me from yesterday when you showed up at my door." He flinched and she sighed, her eyes tired. She hated fighting but he could be so aggravating, at times. "If I don't get hurt, how do you expect me to grow, Jason? The weeds have to be dug out for the flowers to grow. That's the way life works. I don't need you protecting me from the world, alright? My mother did that and I'm just realising that it was one of the worst things a mother could do to her child."
"I don't remind you of her, do I?" Their eyes met and she turned away, not returning her gaze even when he shook her slightly.
"If you don't want to see me hurt, then just don't come on this mission, Todd. You said it yourself. You aren't a Titan. You have no interest in rejoining the team."
"Fuck the team. I'm your friend. And if you're going to go through anything today, I'm going to be there. Got it?" She nodded slowly and yawned, stretching back. "Tired, huh? I thought you were going to get some sleep, early. And speaking of sleep, how the hell did I end up in your room, anyway?"
She froze up and glanced at him, her cheeks so visibly darkened that he suddenly got very terrified of whatever he might've said or done while drunk. Her last words to him were "gotta go" and out she went, pausing when she saw the rest of the Titans. Guilt flooded her as Rose caught her eye but when the taller girl sent her a not-at-all-discreet middle finger, she felt a little less bad. Jason's words hadn't meant anything, anyway, no matter how often she replayed it in her head. His loving her didn't make sense, either, so she once again reminded her brain to drop it.
Entering, she was also just in time to hear Dick convincing Connor to come with them. "Emily told me she and Rose are at a place where you don't have to do the whole guard dog thing, anymore. You don't have to stay with Rose, anymore."
"I'm sorry, I'd rather not."
"And why is that?"
"I'm not very interested."
"Go ahead, Conn, you love new experiences. I'll see you when you get back."
"But I don't want to. In fact, I believe I'm coming down with something." He coughed twice and the Titans looked at each other uneasily. Dick made to speak but Emily stepped up and touched his forehead, slightly amused by the way Rose glared at her hand. There was definitely something going on there.
"Yes, yes, he is so right, Dick. He's got a bit of a temperature, I really do think he's coming down with something." Connor frowned and touched his forehead, then his neck while the rest all but facepalmed at his first ever white lie, one that would go down in the history books as one of the worst ever. "You can stay, Connor. Gar is probably going to mope around a bit so Rose should probably take care of him, don't you think, Dick?"
"Hmm? Oh yeah, sure, sure." What are you up to, Emily? Rose was wondering the same thing but her words were a bit more colourful. "Gar, no getting him to play video games with you, he needs to actually rest. And Rose, make sure he stays in bed, alright? He's an important part of our team, we need him rested and back to full health as soon as possible."
"Whatever. I guess it's repayment time for all the unnecessary babysitting he's done against his will. Just... Try not to piss me off, will ya?" Connor followed her, silent for just a little while before he began to pester her about whether he really was sick.
She wished she could get angry about his disturbance like she would with literally anyone else but it felt like an unwarranted blessing to be pestered by a boy who was the basic equivalent of a confused newborn puppy, appearance and personality-wise. She teased him a little, lightly bumping his shoulder and he did the same, scandalised when she was slammed into a wall, her shoulder dislocated. Before she could tell him it had healed, he was in his room, scared to be near her before he hurt her or, somewhat worse, got stupid and kissed her again. The rest looked between themselves when they heard the bang, slightly amused and said their final goodbyes before driving off.
Yeah... I could ofc re-check this chapter cos that's what I do, over and over, like a maniac but I'm just gonna publish, now. It's been too long, over two weeks. That's enough of that... I dunno, hope not too many people haven't stepped out lol. I guess it doesn't matter either way but I dunno, srry for the wait. Don't know why I feel like nobody gives a damn about this book or any other book rn, it's dumb of me ig, but well, can't control how we feel, can we? I should sleep... Or smth. I hope you liked it nd sorry about this rant 👋🏾