Icarus & I
Chapter 8
The All-Nighter Part 2: The Hot Seat
PIQ (Passenger in Question) 1- Eren
"AND OUR FIRST GUEST ON THE HOT SEAT."
"Wait, we're playing this game?"
"ERREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"
"-did I not say I didn't want to play-"
"EEEEENNNNNNNNN JAAAAAAAEEEEEEEEGERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"
"Holy poop Sasha, keep it down!"
"Please."
"Sorry. Anyway-"
"I don't want to play."
"Irrelevant. Anyway-"
"It's kind of completely relevant."
"Oh, come on! It's fun."
"It really is. Some of our best stories come from when we played this game with people that picked us up."
"What even are the rules?"
"Oh, yeah. Rules. Um, first of all, you usually go oldest to youngest whenever there's turns involved."
"So who's oldest?"
"Armin?"
"Me? I doubt it."
"How old are you?"
"Seventeen. I skipped a grade."
"I'm honestly not surprised. Okay then, Eren?"
"Nope. Mikasa's got a month's head start on me."
"When's your birth month, Mikasa?"
"February."
"And you're eighteen, right?"
"Yes."
"Mikasa's the oldest, then."
"Then why are you questioning me first?"
"Your answers are probably going to be more fun. Helps build the mood up, y'know?"
"I guess?"
"So if Eren's born in March, that puts him right after Mikasa. And I already know that Conny's older than me. So it's Mikasa, Eren, Conny, me, then Armin."
"Any other rules?"
"Yeah. Each person only gets one question to ask to each 'guest'. The guest gets one veto. Otherwise, all questions MUST be answered. Compound questions are allowed, but if it becomes a run-on sentence, it doesn't count. That's it, I think."
"Um, the person driving shouldn't be on the hot seat. Can we agree on that?"
"Does this excuse me?"
"You're an exception."
"He really shouldn't be."
"Whoa. Can I ask why?"
"It's dark, we're all generally new to driving, and you have a tendency to endanger people. Simple."
"Just for that, I'm gonna remain the exception."
"Mikasa, please tell him."
"Give him some responsibility. He'll never learn if he never tries."
"I don't like it, but you have a point."
"Since when are you two my parents?"
"Since always."
"So Eren's the exception. To, like, everything. That's covered. We ready to start?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. Mikasa's first."
"Alright. What should I ask?"
"I dunno. I can't suggest a question, can I?"
"Nope. And...why would you?"
"We've known each other for so long, it's hard to come up with a legitimate question."
"Then ask him why he likes you."
"Is nothing private?"
"Look, he's blushing! This is cute. Ask him."
"But I think I already know."
"But do you KNOW you know?"
"Well...no."
"Then ask!"
"Armin?"
"Do we have any popcorn?"
"Big help."
"I try."
"Ugh."
"This is juvenile."
"That's what makes it fun. Just ask him."
"Fine. Why do you like me, Eren?"
"Do you want the short answer or the long one?"
"Honestly, I think it's up to them."
"Long one."
"No one asked you, Armin."
"You might as well have."
"Whatever, you prick."
"Flattery will get you nowhere."
"Answer already."
"Fine. Long answer. Uh...well, uh, first of all, you're kind of gor- this is weird, and I don't know why. Okay. Okay. You're really pretty. That's an understatement. Whatever. Uh, you're also, like, my best friend. Like even more than Armin. Sorry, man."
"Nothing to apologize for."
"Good. But you, like, know me as well as I know myself. Even better, maybe. Um, you're always there for me, no matter what. And you're really noble and just generally good. Like, admirable, I guess. Super admirable. And I think it's really cute when you don't know what to do, especially since you almost always know what to do. I like seeing you out of your element. Maybe it's because I feel like we're on equal ground. I don't know. But you're kind of incredible and amazing, and the fact that you put so much of that into helping me out makes me feel really grateful, and I get all warm and fuzzy and stupidly mushy about it okay can we stop here because, like, I'm suffocating Armin why did you do this to me are we done."
"That. Was so. Beautiful."
"I'm surprised we never swerved that entire time. Nice one, Eren."
"Miks?"
"You're my favorite."
"Good, you can still talk. Ar?"
"All I can think is 'where's MY Eren Jaeger?'"
"Hey, I'm open to a three-way relationship."
"Same."
"Great! Imagine all the money we'll save on hotel rooms now. Just one problem: who sleeps in the middle?"
"Mikasa's the smallest."
"But Eren wakes the latest."
"But Armin's the best at cuddling."
"I can't tell where the joke stopped."
"Sorry. Who's turn was it?"
"Conny's."
"Okay."
"Did you give Jean his black eye?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"One question per turn, right?"
"Dang."
"Sasha, go."
"How do you know that Armin's a good cuddler?"
"You see, Ar and I have reached a level of mastery in the art of bromance. Back when he was just a baby bird, which wasn't too long ago, we would stay up late watching Boomerang and eating ice cream, sitting close together for moral support during the scary parts of Teen Titans. We discovered his incredible cuddling ability once he told me he couldn't breathe because I was holding him so tightly because he was just so lovable. Oddly enough, he hasn't hugged me since."
"False story. I fell asleep on you, and then you crushed me when you got excited about the show. Besides that, I was, and still am, quite bony; I think I'd be a very uncomfortable person to cuddle with."
"We can test it. Conny."
"What...what are you doing."
"Hugging you, man. For science."
"How is your seatbelt still on?"
"Safety first."
"I don't like this."
"Armin can be real touchy about personal space. You might want to not."
"Please."
"Okay. Sorry. And Eren wasn't lying. You're pretty soft."
"Good to know?"
"Oh, calm down, Armin. You let Marco's entire family hug you. I saw them when we left."
"That was different. I anticipated it."
"We're getting way off track. Armin, it's your turn to ask."
"Oh. I have a good one."
"I'm scared."
"Eren, your mom told me about how you ate your boogers back in middle school, when Mikasa and I weren't around. Was she lying?"
"Obviously."
"Wait. Your ears are pink."
"What does that mean?"
"Eren blushes when he lies."
"..."
"Oh, come on! You guys know that means nothing."
"Obviously."
"Obviously."
"Obviously."
"Quit it."
"Obviously."
"Obviously."
"Shut up!"
"Eren, it was just revealed that you ate your boogers, and you're worried about us mocking you?"
"Armin was doing a scary good job."
"Thanks! I try."
"Okay, we're off the subject."
"Obviously."
"Shut up."
"Despite how disgusted I am right now with Eren, I agree with him. We keep getting off track."
"Disgusted? But Miks-"
"Stop right now. This isn't arguable. It's gross. And it's my turn to be the guest, isn't it?"
"Sure."
"Mikasa, please-"
"I don't talk to people with booger breath. It's my turn."
PIQ 2- Mikasa
"ANDHEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS MIKASAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ACKERMAN!"
"Sasha, did I not say to keep it down?!"
"Sorry not sorry. Eren gets first turn. You may not veto a questioner."
"But I can veto his question."
"But don't."
"I'm guessing you want him to ask me why I like him."
"Yup."
"Why are you so interested in our relationship?"
"Because it's cute? Like, super cute?"
"It's a very cute relationship."
"Yeah."
"That's nice of you, I guess, but I don't really feel like answering."
"But I didn't even ask yet."
"Shut it, Booger Breath."
"Mikasa."
"What?"
"Do it for me."
"No."
"Please?"
"..."
"Please?"
"..."
"Do it for me, and because I love you."
"..."
"This isn't a fair fight. Look at those eyes."
"I know, right? He's got her wrapped around his finger."
"It's his secret weapon. If logic won't work, Armin always plays the Pathos card."
"..."
"Please?"
"...All of you are impossible."
"Thank you, Mikasa!"
"Whatever."
"Should I ask now, or what?"
"No, don't talk. Eren, I like you because you're genuinely invested in others' well-being, and because you care so much about your friends- about me- that you're always willing to go to drastic measures to make sure they're safe and happy. You have a great sense of humor, even if it is immature at times, and I love how persistent you are, and how you always follow your heart no matter what. Also, you're- well- you're attractive to me, I guess. And you've always been there for me, even when I thought you were against me. That's it."
"Attractive, you say? You've never mentioned this before, Miks."
"Wipe that smirk off your face."
"Attractive how?"
"I said that's it. Next question."
"Attractive how?"
"Keep your eyes on the road."
"I am. Attractive how?"
"Armin?"
"It's rude to ignore people, Mikasa."
"You're terrible."
"Attractive how?"
"Shut up."
"Attractive how?"
"Stop it, Eren."
"Mikasa."
"...don't use that voice."
"Babe."
"..."
"Miks. Tell me."
"Oh my god, you obviously know."
"What do I know?"
"You're the worst."
"I'll stop the car."
"Stop using that voice."
"I'm slowing down."
"Not in front of Sasha and Conny and Armin."
"They've stopped listening."
"You're being rude."
"I'm the rude one?"
"Okay, fine. I...hold on. I can't look at you."
"You're cute."
"Be quiet. And stop using that voice. Okay. Okay. Your eyes are beautiful, and so is your face, and for a while I couldn't be too close to you because I thought too much about how gorgeous you are and I would get nervous. That's it. Stop pestering me. Start driving again."
"One more thing. What's wrong with my voice?"
"You know when you get all...husky like that, I...never mind. You've asked more than your limit."
"Husky?"
"Stop it. I don't like this. Drive."
"Only if you kiss me."
"I don't kiss guys who eat their boogers. Drive, now."
"Ow! Jeez, okay. Sorry."
"Are you two done?"
"Yes. Sorry about all that. Eren has zero self-control."
"A scientific fact."
"Hard to control myself around someone like you."
"I'm suffocating."
"I'm CPR certified. How does mouth-to-mouth sound?"
"I'm suffocating in cheese. Eren, stop."
"Alright, alright. You're just really cute right now."
"Sasha, for Pete's sakes, stop smiling so hard."
"They're just so cute. I ship it so hard."
"Why don't you go back to texting your boyfriend? Then you can actually live it instead of being all creepy and sighing over other people."
"He's not really my boyfriend? I think we covered this."
"You sure treat him like it."
"Do I detect a sour note, or is that my imagination?"
"Your imagination. Anyway, we're off track again."
"We really are. It's Sasha's turn for a question. Eren, save your flirting for later."
"Oh, I plan to."
"That literally made no sense, but whatever. Anyway, Mikasa, what career are you planning for? I'm just curious."
"Police work."
"I can totally see it."
"Same."
"Conny's turn."
"Why did Eren give Jean a black eye?"
"He hurt Armin."
"How? Why?"
"One question per turn."
"Ugh."
"We just put Sasha before Conny in turns, didn't we?"
"It's fine. Keep going; it's your turn."
"Right. So Mikasa, can you define 'husky' for me?"
"Veto. You're a jerk."
"Why are you so evil tonight, Armin?"
"I'm not evil. I'm just bored."
"So he's not always like this?"
"Usually, Armin's much better behaved."
"But yeah, God help you if he's bored."
"I'm not that bad."
"You are."
"Who's turn is it?"
"Conny's."
"Right."
PIQ 3- Conny
"ANNN-"
"SASHA. STOP. PLEASE. WE'RE IN A CAR."
"ARE WE REALLY?"
"YES. SO STOP."
"BUT CONNY. THIS IS MY INSIDE VOICE."
"SASHA, I SWEAR-"
"I'm getting a major head ache. Can you guys please quit it?"
"Yeah, Conny! Jeez. You're so loud sometimes."
"I just. That's it. I'm done. We are no longer friends. Don't talk to me. We're through."
"I can play this game, too. Anyway, Mikasa goes first."
"Why are you bald?"
"Black hair, man. A lot of my sisters got the Latina thing going on, but me and a few others got stuck with our dad's hair. Shaving's the easiest way to go."
"Eren."
"Why are you so short?"
"That's a little rude."
"No, it's cool. It's just in my genes, I guess. My gramma's pretty tiny, and so are some of my cousins."
"My turn. Why-"
"Veto, because we're currently not talking. Armin?"
"Um, what are you going to major in? I guess."
"Probably business. For now, though, once I get back home, I'm gonna work under my sister, Daisy, in the fast food place she's manager at."
"Ah."
"This one flew by pretty quickly."
"That's a good thing, though, right? We said we want to keep on track."
"Detours can be more fun than sticking with the program, though."
"Agreed."
"Yeah."
"And anyway, what's our hurry? The later we stay up, the better. It's hard to stay awake when everyone else is asleep, so I think it's better that we go off on tangents."
"It's not like we have to try to get sidetracked, anyway."
"Obviously."
"WE ARE NOT BRINGING THIS BACK"
"Obviously."
"GAHHHHHGGGHH"
"Obviously."
"Obviously."
"Obviously."
"SASHAS TURN. SASHAS TURN NOW."
PIQ 4- Sasha
"I mean, obv-"
"NO MORE."
"Alright, let's let him take five."
"AND NOW."
"Sasha, don't you dare-"
"THE ONE."
"Sasha!"
"THE ONLY."
"Sasha please"
"ssssssssssSSSSSSSSSSSAAAA"
"SASHA BRAUS. WE GET IT. SASHA BRAUS. You."
"YEAH ITS ME!"
"Yeah, it's you. Okay. Mikasa goes first."
"What do you see in Jean?"
"Ah, yeah."
"We've been waiting for this one."
"She stole my question."
"Please enlighten us."
"Well, as you all probably know, Jean is hella ugly."
"Amen."
"And kind of a douchenozzle."
"Preach."
"But! For one thing, if you take away his shiner, his scowl, and his resemblance to a horse, he's actually not all that bad-looking."
"Well, yeah, but he's the kind of 'good-looking' where it takes time and deep inspection to uncover it, so it doesn't really count. Unlike ME."
"..."
"Eren, I'm gonna level with you. You are indeed a fine specimen. But we don't talk about this fact. Because that would make things awkward."
"Whoa, wait. You think I'm hot?"
"Did we not establish this?"
"Huh. I was actually joking earlier. Hey, Armin, am I hot?"
"I've questioned my sexuality over you, yes."
"Why'd you ask Armin specifically?"
"He kind works like Google, but he's more accurate. He's like an Armincyclopedia."
"Nice pun."
"I try. So, like, on a scale of one to ten-"
"Solid eight. Mikasa's a ten. Armin...Armin's a six. Maybe a seven, on a good day."
"Nah, man, on a good day, Armin's a total eight point five. I've heard girls sighing over him before."
"Lies. Not funny ones. Also, I'm not sure how to react to your rating me?"
"Ignore it."
"Sound advice! Anyway, connysafour, Jean is not entirely bad looking. He can be...hot. Sometimes. And as for his Gary Oak-esque personality-"
"AYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
"Excellent reference usage."
"Okay, cool, I'm surrounded by geeks. Great to know. But as for Jean's...hmmm...sweat stain-like personality, he's not a bad guy at all. Sure he can be a jerk sometimes, but I think that's just because he's terrible with people. He at least tries to be a good person, and he tries hard. He's also totally adorkable, and he loves his mom to death, which is really sweet."
"Okay, yeah. I can see it."
"Good answer."
"I approve."
"He's still a douchenozzle, but I get what you're saying. Also, did you say I was a four?"
"Yes. Watcha gonna do about it?"
"...mope in a corner."
"You're actually a five. A seven, with hair. I was joking. Chin up."
"Eh. It doesn't matter that much, anyway. My PERSONALITY'S ON FLEEK, so why should my looks have to match up?"
"Words to live by."
"Obviously."
"Cue Eren."
"Argh! Can you quit it with that already?! The joke's done!"
"Obviously."
"Obviously."
"Obviously. Cue Er-"
"You know what? I'm done."
"OBVIOUSLY."
"Cue-"
"Quit it, Armin!"
"I'm not apologizing."
"You're sure he's not always like this?"
"Positive. I didn't raise him to be this cheeky."
"Oh my gosh, guys."
"What?"
"Mikasa is really...MOMkasa!"
"I mean. Obviously."
"..."
"..."
"Did he just-"
"Holy crap. I've never seen something like this before."
"Eren ended his own mockery by mocking his mockers."
"How does that even work?"
"It just kind of...does."
"Wow."
"...Okay, we're done here, right? Can we move on?"
"We just finished with Sasha, so now it's Armin's turn."
"Last one."
"Obv-"
"We have a no-tolerance policy for raising the dead here. Thanks."
PIQ 5- Armin
"Kay, it's Armin, everyone. Armin...Alert?"
"Arlert."
"Armin Alert."
"Sure."
"Where'd all your bang go, Sash? Finally got tired of it?"
"Not at all. There were just some, er, frequent interruptions that I decided I wouldn't tolerate."
"You're picking a fight with me."
"That's right. Put 'em up, Springer!"
"To the death, Potato Girl!"
[HORRIFIED GASP]
"You dIDN'T!"
"I DID."
"Wait, 'Potato Girl'? I don't understand."
"Okay, so when-"
"Inside joke!"
"What's with the twang all of a sudden?"
"What- ahem- what twang?"
"ANYWAY, BACK TO OUR DISCUSSION."
"Nooooo. Back to Hot Seat. Have your goofy fight later."
"Goofy?! This is a challenge of HONOR, Jaeger-san!"
"HAI. HONOR. HooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOYAAH!"
"Looks like the caffeine kicked in."
"Right? Okay, you guys settle down. You can have your challenge of honor later. I want to finish this game."
"...Fine."
"Alright. I'm first. Did you or did you not kiss Rachel Delaney?"
"Oh my god, that? You cling to stuff, Mikasa."
"No, I need to know. It's been bugging me since we last talked about it, since Armin dodged the question. Did you make out with Rachel?"
"Y-you changed the question."
"I know. So did you?"
"Why...why do you need to know? It seems a little out of character for you to ask, Mikasa."
"No it doesn't. You know I don't let my boys go around kissing sociopaths."
"Hey, she wasn't a sociopath! She was just...detached. She didn't let feelings or empathy affect her decisions. She was a good person to talk to."
"So you made out with her."
"Okay, even I'm curious. Did our Armin score his first kiss with an actually cute girl?"
"ARMIN KISSED SOMEONE?"
"I have no idea what anyone's talking about, but I want to know."
"...I...I would veto this question, but I'm more worried about Eren's, so I need to save it...ahhh...well...I mean- well- she kind of tricked me into it."
"WHOA-HO!"
"That cunt."
"Wait a minute. So you're telling me that Armin not only got to kiss someone, but she was cute, and she kissed him?"
"Hmmm. Wait. Whoa, wait. Eren, you were spot on. I'm seeing sparkles around his face. Armin can definitely be a cutie. Mm-hm. A real prince, if you look at him right."
"What did I say?"
"Guys, please. It meant nothing. She said she just thought I was cute. That's it. Rachel was...impulsive. Ish. She was kind of a wild card, I mean."
"She stole your first kiss. On an impulse. When we get back home, I'm going to find her."
"Mikasa, no."
"Mikasa yes."
"But Mikasa, I- well- I kindoflikedit."
"AYYYYYY, ARMINNNNN. A boy becomes a man."
"Pfft. Talking all big. I bet Mikasa's Eren's first girlfriend."
"Not true."
"Not true at all."
"Eren's quite the flirt."
"So when you're a jock, you're kind of thrown into the whole social thing. Which is totally cool and fun. You end up meeting and knowing a lot of people. So for a while, since, like, middle school, I ended up getting a lot of dating experience. Started with Theresa. She was kind of really mean."
"I didn't like her."
"Me neither."
"Then there was Brenda. Cute, but too emotionally heavy for me back in 8th grade. Then Isabel, I think, then Sammie, then Carmen, then Mariah, then Juanita, then- wait, I didn't date Juanita until...what summer was that? Were we in high school yet?"
"Doesn't matter."
"Really doesn't. She treated me like an accessory. I didn't like it."
"I didn't like her, either."
"You didn't like any of them."
"Most of them were superficial and clingy. And they ignored me and Armin."
"Yeah, sorry about that. Actually. Wait. I don't think I ever asked most of them out. That's really weird."
"That's only because you hardly ever know what's going on when it comes to that stuff."
"It's a wonder so many girls decided to go out with a doofus like you in the first place."
"I guess it worked the same way I got you to say yes."
"I doubt it."
"You're saying my dashing good looks, as approved by Armin who knows everything, and my perfect sense of humor didn't...allure you?"
"Okay, I can't deal with you right now."
"Is it his husky voice?"
"Good-bye, everyone."
"No, wait, Miks, I was joking! You know I love you."
"You-you what?"
"I...I was just joking! Not with what I- like, with my voice. Sorry. I'll stop doing that if it makes you uncomfortable. Honest. Scout's Honor."
"You were kicked out of your troop for beating a kid up."
"Not the point, and also he insulted my mom. Called her ugly and fat. Called my dad a hippie, too. Derek didn't stop me, either. I was right. Anyway, yeah, not the point. I'll stop."
"I can't even stay mad at you. Just stop being a dork."
"I think I can manage at least that."
"..."
"I'm kind of scared, now. He didn't swerve. Like, at all. This is building up to some nasty juju."
"Karma at it's worst."
"Okay, if we crash, can the survivor flip the finger to my sisters for me?"
"YOU JINXED IT CONNY."
"Wait. Aren't we still playing Hot Seat?"
"Holy crap, we are. Who's turn was it?"
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhh, oh! Mine, I think."
"I'm gonna veto."
"Hold on, Ar. It's actually kind of important."
"...okay, I'll hear it."
"Do you remember the thing that happened when we were fifteen? The...the big thing?"
"Big thing? What big thing? Why don't I know about it?"
"Hold on Miks. Do you remember, Ar?"
"Um...I think? When you set our lab on fire and singed my hair?"
"Oh, I know that. Nevermind."
"..."
"That thing, right, Eren?"
"...Yeah. Yeah, that thing. Uh, why'd you partner up with me if you knew I was gonna do that?"
"I forgot about your pyromaniac status. Is that really your question?"
"Yeah. What, you expected some embarrassing story to be brought up?"
"Kind of."
"Well, some people actually consider their friendships things to be treated with sensitivity."
"HA. Eren Jaeger, of all people, wants to preach about sensitivity. Golden."
"It's official. Armin needs rest. He's turning all Dark Armin on us. 'Cause that was rude, man, why you gotta be like that?"
"Heh, sorry. I...like irony."
"Rude."
"Okay, but before we send Armin to bed, we should finish this game. Finally. Um, Conny's turn."
"What's it like to have the most obnoxious friend in the universe?"
"Well, its-"
"Trick question. Only I know that."
"Hey!"
"Do trick questions even count?"
"I think so."
"Okay, then. Last question of the night, Sasha."
"You read a lot of books, don't you?"
"I do, actually. That's it?"
"One question per turn, right? And I don't know, my mind went at a blank."
"So we're done?"
"We're...done. Wow. That took forever."
"AND THAT."
"SASHA."
"CONCLUDES."
"SASHA PLEASE STOP."
"TONIGHTS EPISODE OF."
"PLEASE-"
"THE HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttt!"
"DO YOU ALL SEE WHAT I HAVE TO PUT UP WITH EVERY DAY."
A/N: I LAST UPDATED IN FEBRUARY?!
HOW. WHY.
IM EXTREMELY SORRY GUYS. HOLY CRAP.
Anyway, filler but not filler. Hints and stuff. Yadda yadda yadda. Took me a bajillion years to write this chapter. Remind me never to do a chapter in all-dialogue ever again. It's so easy to write the first time, but since this is the other chapter that got eaten by Open Office's bug, it got tedious to re-write the banter and jokes. This one came out better than the last, though, so. Yeah.
Hope you guys enjoyed the Eremika. The heavy, drippy, shoujo manga-style Eremika. So heavy. So rich I might throw up. Ugh.
I am, over all, kind of dissatisfied with this chapter. But it's a long-ish read, and full of my lame comedy, so I hope you guys are sufficiently entertained until 2037, which is probably when chapter 9 will fricking come out.
I've noticed that this fic has been getting some attention, and all I can say is THANK YOU. I know fanfiction is supposed to be self-indulgent, but the fact that I collectively have 100 followers (on here and AO3) is what finally drove me to finish this chapter. You guys drive me to keep this project going. You're my fuel, and, again, I can't thank you enough for all the positive feedback. I apologize if I don't reply to some reviews; mostly, it's because I run out of things to say without sounding like a robot to myself. Just know that the fact that you guys took the time to write more than "cool fic" makes me so happy my cheeks hurt. So please, keep doing what you're doing.
To that one guest reviewer complaining about the lack of Aruani thus far, please be patient. Annie comes much, much later in the story. If you're looking for Aruani stuff, I just published my Aruani week one-shots (all of them are kind of low quality, but I mean, they're there), and there are always plenty (though not enough) of other Aruani fics on this site and others.
A special thank-you to those who've promoted me on Tumblr, as well as saythanksplease, who even drew some fantastic art loosely based on this fic. (I seriously flipped when I saw it, dude.)
As usual, I deeply apologize for any typos. I'm publishing this without editing, and I type extremely fast. One day, my fics will have no chapters with a letter missing, but today is not that day.
EXTRA:
"FRICK, we never finished Sasha's turn!"
"Nope. We did."
"No, we didn't! Think about it."
"Nope. We most definitely finished. We're done with this. The game is over. No more."
"We're done."
"I wasn't skipped, what are you talking about?"
"Honestly."
"...You guys are a bunch of f*cktards."
"Language."
"I speak fluent English, thank you."
I own nothing but my dorky personality and my inability to write a dignified story with realistic financial transactions and good spelling.
alsoyeaiforgottofinishsashaturnwhoops
