The days that followed Sam's birthday party were troubled. Castiel didn't know what to do with the information Sam had given him. He wanted to console in somebody, he wanted some comfort from someone so he could rest his frantic mind. But he knew he couldn't- Sam had meant for it to be a secret, and Castiel did not want to bring unnecessary trouble to the Winchester brothers.

Besides, Sam said they'd get it fixed, right?

Still, though, Castiel couldn't help but curl underneath a veil of impending doom. He knew that nice things didn't last long for him- he had even warned himself of that fact as soon as he found his new group of friends this school year. Now everything was falling back into place- things would return to the way they were.

Castiel slowly slipped into a depressed state. He hadn't had an episode like this in a while- at least, not one that went on this long. It was almost comforting, in a way. The numbness was sort of blissful- it was his defense mechanism. It was familiar. It worked.

But something inside Castiel didn't want him to return to his old lifestyle. A part of him begged him to do something about this- to talk to Dean and gain some reassurance. To allow himself continued happiness, and maybe even help Dean and Sam to stay somehow. He had been with the comfort of Dean for so long that now he needed it. He didn't know how long he'd be able to live in a numb state, after being exposed to such a different way of living. Dean's friendship had changed him, and Castiel wasn't ready to let go of that.

Castiel's father was away far more than usual. When he was home, he'd push Castiel around- yelling and talking down at him. They got complaints from neighbors, with all the commotion. Castiel's old lifestyle seemed to be slowly creeping back into his routine- pushing away the new life he had built with his friends.

But more recently Castiel hadn't seen much of his father, at all. He was very lonely in his giant house, with just the company of his nagging thoughts. He found himself more often than not wishing for Dean's presence. But he was afraid. He didn't know what he might do if he was around the older Winchester- what he might let slip out.

He wouldn't do that to Sam. He would wait for Dean to reveal his secret.

In fact, he didn't have to wait too long.

A week after the party, Dean finally gave in. He knew Castiel had been acting strange- he pointed it out constantly and was worried about him. But Castiel refused to admit what was bothering him. It was sort of ironic, how they were both keeping quiet to protect one another. Especially after they promised to be truthful. It was almost as if that goal they established was unattainable- any attempt at it was blown away by how much they had to say... and hide.

"Cas, if I tell you something do you promise not to get upset?" Dean asked as they lounged in Castiel's study room one evening. It was a giant library that was hardly used- Castiel's father was away, once again, so Dean and Sam had come to visit, under Castiel's insistence (he didn't want to spend another day alone in that house, for he feared he might go insane). Sam had left the room to go get some drinks from the kitchen when Dean spoke.

"Of course," Castiel replied, keeping his gaze transfixed on his history notes. He didn't want to meet Dean's eyes- he didn't want him to know that he already knew what he would say.

"Well… there may be a possibility of… uh," Dean fiddled with his pencil, eyes darting to the floor of the study, studying at the mahogany-colored grain of the hardwood. "Sam and I might move, soon. To Colorado."

Castiel looked up at Dean, and the blond kept up his averted his gaze, looking shamefully at his pencil now as he traced patterns with his eraser.

"Are you certain?" Castiel asked, the news still sending a punch to him, breaking his numb state. All this time, he sort of hoped he had been wrong. He hoped that Sam had been fibbing.

Dean nodded. "Yeah. Uhm, my dad moves us around a lot. We don't normally stay in one place too long. I just… I meant to tell you," Dean informed, eyebrows furrowed and eyes troubled as he looked up at Cas. "I didn't wanna make you worry. Sam and I- we're gonna try and sort it out."

"Sort it out?" Castiel questioned, surprised he could talk when his breath was caught in his throat.

Dean nodded, again. "My dad- he's used to Sammy not wanting to move. But not me. We were thinking we could sit him down and try to talk some sense into him. He's a stubborn bastard, but… well, it could work."

Castiel's lips drew into a line, and he forced a nod. "Alright," he murmured as he darted his eyes away, so as not to show his hesitation towards Dean's reassurance.

It was silent. They continued their work, both left with so much to say.

"Sam told you, didn't he?" Dean asked, startling Castiel, and making him look up. Their eyes connected, and it seemed to only confirm Dean's suspicions.

"He… did not mean to," Castiel defended.

Dean laughed, although it wasn't a happy one. "Man, that explains a lot."

Castiel sighed, looking away. "Dean-"

"You two had been acting really weird. Ever since Sam's birthday- Jesus, I shoulda known he'd tell you-"

"Do not be upset," Castiel interrupted, gaze locked on Dean's. "Sam didn't mean to tell me the news- he thought you had already told me."

Dean looked irritated- he was pressing his lips in a line, squeezing his pencil as he inspected it. "You could've talked to me about it instead of ignoring me this entire week."

Castiel gazed at Dean apologetically. "I'm sorry," he tried. "Sam told me not to tell you… but I suppose my behavior told you, itself," Castiel murmured. He took a deep breath before placing away his work. Dean did the same, shaking his head bitterly.

"Damnit, I should be apologizing. I mean- I was the one who said we gotta be more truthful, and," he sighed and ran fingers through his hair (which had grown quite past its normally short crop, Castiel realized), trying to find the words to say. "I dunno, I haven't been sticking to that. I'm really sorry."

Castiel looked down once more, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "It's fine," he mumbled. All was silent, and Castiel desperately wished for Sam to rejoin them.

"C'mere," Dean insisted after a minute, reaching out an arm as an invitation.

Castiel hesitated before he gave in, scooting across the floor and sitting by Dean's side. Dean pulled him near, and Castiel took to resting his head in the crook of the blond's neck. He sighed as Dean's hand ran up and down his arm.

"I don't want you to leave," he finally murmured, cheek pressed against Dean's shoulder. "Not you or Sam."

Dean's hand went down to hold Castiel's own. He moved to place a kiss on Castiel's forehead. "I'll do my best to make sure we stay."

Castiel nodded, holding back the prickling sensation in his eyes. The reality of their conversation suddenly hit him, and he wasn't sure how to deal with it all.

Dean turned to face Castiel, and he looked into his eyes before giving him a kiss. It was warm and sweet, and it made Castiel's breath catch in his throat and his heart flutter within him. He tried not to think about how many more kisses they'd share before their last.

When Dean pulled away, he rested their foreheads together, their noses brushing. "I won't leave you here, Cas. I'm not gonna let that happen."

Castiel smiled sadly, nodding before pulling away from Dean, picking up his discarded homework. "I know. I believe you," he replied in a low voice. Dean soon retrieved his own work, letting his leg rest against Castiel's as Sam walked into the room.

And Castiel decided he wouldn't dwell on the matter- or, at least, he'd try not to. He wanted to focus on his time with Sam and Dean, however little that may be.

"Well, Clarence, I think if that table gets any cleaner it'll pass the health inspection for a decade."

Castiel looked up, suddenly realizing where he was and blushing at Meg's teasing tone. He could feel how hard he had been scrubbing at the booth table when he tried to unclench his hand from the rag and earned a aching protest from his fingers.

"Sorry," he murmured, picking up his sanitizer and moving on to the next booth. Meg followed along.

"You okay?" she asked, grabbing the rag from his hand, thus forcing him to make eye contact.

"Yes- sorry, I'm fine. I'm just tired. Sorry," he replied, looking around the diner. It was pretty much empty. There was only one customer at the bar counter, and Jennifer (an older waitress) was serving him.

"That's the third time you've said sorry and we've only been talking for a minute," Meg pointed out in a drawl, raising an eyebrow.

"Sor-" Castiel began before he stopped himself. "Apologies," he said instead, giving Meg a pointed look as he took back his rag and wiped down the next table.

"What's wrong, Cas? You've been distant all day," Meg observed, sitting down at the booth and looking up at Castiel.

A smile tugged at the corner of Castiel's lips. "Be careful, Meg, or people will start to think you have a soul," he advised, earning a light punch on his arm.

"I'm serious," she retaliated, although she was smiling now. "What's eating you?"

Castiel sighed, realizing she wasn't going to give up. "It's not that big of a deal."

Meg hummed in thought. "Anything I can help with?"

Castiel smiled bitterly. "No- I don't think so."

It was silent for a while. "Well, I'm having a couple of people over for a pool party this Saturday. You should come. Jo, Adam, and Ash are coming, and I think they're bringing Charlie and Chuck. You could bring Dean? He and I aren't exactly compadres yet so I was gonna ask you to do the honors," she explained with a teasing smile.

Castiel frowned, squirming awkwardly in his spot as he focused on the table he was cleaning. "I don't know, Meg. I'm not the swimming type."

Meg snorted at that. "Oh, that's not the only thing that'll be going on, trust me."

Castiel was hesitant.

"You don't even have to be near the pool. It's just an incentive, since it's gonna be hot as hell this weekend. What do you say?"

After finishing the table, Castiel responded. "I'll think about it."

That was enough for Meg. She smiled as she got up to wait on someone who had just walked in. "Just keep me updated!"

"Yeah, okay."

Dean was more than enthusiastic about the idea, and Castiel was admittedly shocked. He thought that Dean would be hesitant about a pool party- in fact, he was sure Dean would say no, what, with all that was going on. But now that Dean had agreed and Castiel's dad was confirmed to be away on Saturday, Castiel had no argument as to why he couldn't go.

So that's how Castiel found himself clad in horribly old shorts and a t-shirt, climbing into the passenger seat of Dean's car in a stubborn fashion. Castiel's obvious annoyance, of course, only thoroughly amused his completely-unhelpful boyfriend.

"Aw, come on, Cas," he spoke among laughs, "it's not gonna be that bad."

Castiel snorted in response. The thing was, things like pool parties really just weren't Castiel's forte. He felt as if he'd be out of place, even if he would be around his friends.

The thing that did make this all worth it, though, was that there was a high chance Castiel would be able to see Dean shirtless. The downside was that he wouldn't be able to obviously ogle at Dean's perfect form, because, although the group now knew about him and Dean, there would be others that didn't- there could be people that wouldn't understand.

So, yeah, Castiel wasn't exactly looking forward to watching his friends swim as he sat on the sidelines and tried to look invisible. But, at least he'd be surrounded by people he cared about instead of being on his own in his way-too-big house.

That was all that mattered. And that was what Castiel tried to tell himself when they got to Meg's backyard, where a bunch of people that Castiel didn't know lounged around, talking loudly and swimming and splashing and running and laughing and-

His heart suddenly couldn't stop pounding, and Castiel found he was frozen in his spot. He could barely detect Dean's voice- only slightly feel the brush of fingers on his elbow.

And then Charlie was in front of him, snapping him out of his panic and giving him a hug, effectively wetting Castiel's shirt as she did so.

"We didn't think you'd come!" She exclaimed, pulling away and observing her friend. "Why aren't you wearing a swimsuit?" she asked as Dean was dragged away by Jo, where he joined her, Ash, Adam, and Chuck in the pool (not without giving Castiel one more glance to assure he was okay, which Castiel responded with a nod).

Castiel shrugged, giving her a smile. "Didn't have any swimming trunks," he lied.

"Oh, okay. Well, here, I was done swimming, anyways! We could just join the others and dip our feet in the pool, if you want," she suggested, smiling in a bright way that Castiel couldn't say no to.

He eventually agreed, letting her drag him to the shallow end of the pool, where they sat on the edge and let their feet dangle in the water as they both sipped on soda and talked. It was incredibly hot outside, and Castiel found that he wanted to dunk himself under the clear, cool water of the pool. But his anxieties took hold of him, as they often did, and he decided he was content enough with being able to wade his feet about in it.

That was a big enough step, for now.

Still, though, Castiel couldn't help but look on after his friends, wishing he could join them and just be normal for once. But, even if he were to be able to swim, he'd still have his scars preventing him from participating in regular teenager things and doing regular teenager activities.

Such as swimming when it was eight-four degrees outside.

The scars on his arms were currently covered up- something that Castiel hated to do. It made him feel fake. It made him feel like he was lying to his closest friends, when all they ever did was try to make him feel comfortable.

They would learn of his secret another time, though.

Castiel noticed girls he didn't know eyeing Dean. And, well, he couldn't blame them. Dean was incredibly eye-catching, and Castiel found he had to tear his eyes away multiple times from Dean's slender frame- from the way his swimsuit hung low on his hips, the light green of the fabric accentuating his tan and eyes and Castiel really needed to stop looking.

Dean was inevitably approached by many girls. They were mostly kind- just introducing themselves, and trying to get to know him. But Castiel still couldn't help the burning jealousy in his gut when their touch would linger too long or when they'd get too close. It took all his willpower not to jump in that pool and pathetically doggy paddle his way over there so he could drag Dean away and "make his claim", so to speak.

Castiel's jealousy slowly eased, though, when he noticed that Dean didn't pay much mind to all the attention he was receiving from the admittedly attractive girls pursuing him. He gave them kind smiles and returned their conversations, politely, but in the end he'd only have eyes for Castiel, giving him a wink when nobody was paying mind to them. Needless to say, Castiel didn't feel worried.

So he talked with Charlie, letting her introduce him to different people- and not one of which asked Castiel why he wasn't swimming, which was an incredible relief. At one point Gilda came up to them (apparently she went to Meg's school, and was good friends with her), and talked with the two. She commented on how Castiel was in need of another haircut (he'd been trimming it himself, the past few months), and planned a time she could cut it for him, playing with the unruly strands as she spoke. It felt nice to be around Gilda, again. She brought a calming, yet upbeat aura with her, and it was easy to fall into conversation with the brunette.

Everything was pretty much as normal and relaxing as things could get for Castiel. That was why he didn't expect what Charlie said next, once they were alone.

"You don't know how to swim, do you?" she had spoken up.

Castiel looked over at the redhead in shock. "What?" he asked, telling himself he'd misheard her.

"You don't know how to swim," Charlie stated, her question confirmed when Castiel flushed with embarrassment, dodging his head to other way and avoiding answering her. "Hey- it's no big deal," she assured, bumping her leg with his.

"Yes it is," he retorted, frowning at the water that his toes skimmed over. "How many people do you know who are my age and don't know how to swim?" he asked, looking at Charlie and then gesturing his head pointedly to all the people swimming freely in the pool.

Charlie frowned. "It doesn't mean you can't learn- I could teach you," she offered, earning a smile from Castiel. She suddenly smiled deviously, elbowing Castiel as she wriggled her eyebrows. "Or you could get Dean to teach you," she spoke under her voice, effectively making Castiel blush deeply (something he hoped the heat of the day would cover) as he imagined the scenario.

"He doesn't know yet," Castiel retorted.

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Really? Huh, well, you should tell him soon. This kind of weather isn't gonna last forever- it's supposed to be a cold spring," she informed, suddenly straightening up and smiling. "Speaking of which, he's on his way over here now."

And Castiel barely had enough time to scope out for Dean before the blond was seated between them, slinging wet arms over both their shoulders, earning a laugh from Charlie and a "Dean" from Castiel as the dark-haired teen tried to pry his arm off of him- ineffectively, he might add. That only earned it tightening around him, and then Castiel was getting pulled into the very soaked side of Dean, along with Charlie.

"How's it going, guys?" Dean asked, smiling smugly as Castiel ducked out of Dean's embrace, straightening out his now-wet clothes, and fixing his hair.

"Thanks for that, Winchester," Charlie laughed, shoving Dean away and effectively releasing herself from his grasp. "Well, now that I'm soaked again I have no option but to go back into the pool," she sighed with feigned drama to her voice. "I'll catch up with you guys, later."

And then Charlie was off, not before giving Castiel a lewd wink and also slapping Dean lightly on his head, making him laugh.

It was silent, for a moment, before Castiel spoke.

"It seems like you've been having a good time," Castiel observed, trying to postpone what Charlie had encouraged him to speak of.

Dean shrugged, giving a sly smile as he leaned in as close as he dared. "It'd be better if you were there, too," he murmured, making Castiel's breath halt as Dean's shoulder touched his own.

Castiel swallowed, suppressing a smile and shoving Dean playfully away. "You've soaked my clothes."

"Hmm," Dean contemplated, jutting out his lower lip as he thought. "You should take them off," he concluded.

Castiel rolled his eyes, although he was trying hard to contain his blush at Dean's forwardness. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" he joked, giving Dean a teasing smile.

"Very much," Dean replied, and Castiel could just feel Dean's warm breath ghost at his neck. He held back a shiver.

"Not here, Dean," he barely breathed out, only making Dean raise an eyebrow and smirk.

"Then… somewhere else?" he asked.

Castiel laughed, shaking his head as he dodged out of Dean's gaze. "Where do you recommend we go?" he questioned.

Dean shrugged, smiling as he spoke. "I dunno. Maybe a bathroom. We're 'changing our clothes'."

Castiel gave Dean a look. "That's hardly inconspicuous. And it screams gay."

Dean groaned dramatically, rolling his head back before leaning heavily against Castiel. "C'mon, Cas," he complained.

Looking around, Castiel made sure nobody was paying them any mind. The coast seemed clear, so Castiel gave Dean an innocent look.

"I need to dry off. You want to join me?" he asked.

Needless to say, ten seconds later they had found their way into Meg's house (which was mildly crowded) and set to searching for somewhere private that they could "freshen up".

What they thought was a bathroom door ended up being a closet, and they deemed it good enough and far away from the crowd, so they stumbled inside. It was incredibly dark, and Castiel shuffled through the mess of coats and cardboard boxes.

"Ow! Fuck-"

"What happened?" Castiel asked, panicked.

"I think I stepped on a coat hanger. Fucking- ugh, that hurt. Wait, I think there's a light in here."

And there was. Dean pulled on a white string that hung between them, and suddenly a small light bulb illuminated the room, flickering from its lack of use.

Castiel laughed at the sight of Dean. The blond had a grumpy look on his face, and a purple coat was draped over most of his right half. "Here," Castiel spoke, brushing the coat to the ground and bringing Dean forward to give him a kiss. "Are you okay?"

Dean pouted, looking away from Cas. "'Was like stepping on a Lego," he murmured.

Castiel laughed again, reminding himself they had to be quiet, and stifling his giggles. He braced his hands on Dean's shoulders, placing some space between them as he looked down at the floor. "One moment," he spoke, brushing items aside with his foot, giving them space to move about at least a few inches. "Alright. Now come here," he ordered, pulling Dean close.

Dean easily complied, reaching forward- his fingers grasping the material of Castiel's t-shirt. "Let's let this dry," he teased.

"It won't do much of that with you," Castiel retorted, wrinkling his nose as the smell of chlorine filled the closet. Dean smiled, draping the fabric over a box before returning to Castiel and placing kisses on his jaw, chin, lips.

Then, suddenly, Dean was laughing so hard that it startled Castiel.

"What? What is it?" Castiel asked, concerned.

"Do you even realize where we are?" he snickered. Castiel looked around them, and it took a while for him to understand what Dean found so humorous.

"Oh," he exclaimed.

"Hey, Cas-"

"Dean, don't you dare-"

"We should really finish up so we can-"

"Dean-"

"Come out of the closet," Dean finished, looking like the pure definition of smug as Castiel shoved him away.

"You're incredibly immature."

"I feel like our whole life is ironic. Of course we looked for a place to make out and ended up in a closet. I mean, damn."

"I honestly can't believe you felt the need to point that out," Castiel retorted.

Dean laughed, again, bringing Castiel close and giving him another kiss. "I'm sorry- God, I'm done, okay- I'm done," he promised at Castiel's skeptical gaze. Dean gave him another kiss, and soon Castiel's hands found their place back on Dean's shoulders, rubbing against the expanse of Dean's pool-cold skin. Dean's hands grasped at Castiel's face, thumbs rubbing at his cheekbones as he cradled him. Castiel had to remember to breathe as he focused on the feel of Dean's hands and lips and-

"Jesus, Cas, I wanted you in that pool with me so bad," Dean admitted, lidded eyes gazing at Castiel's lips before he gave him another kiss.

"That wouldn't have played out too well," Castiel attempted to joke.

Dean laughed, shying away from Castiel. "Yeah, probably not… next time, then? With… less people around," he suggested.

Getting a sick feeling, Castiel frowned. "No- I don't think so," he admitted, braving up against Dean's confused stare. "I… don't know how."

Dean tilted his head to the side, trying to understand. "To swim, you mean?" When Castiel nodded, Dean smiled before he continued. "So that's what it was. You could've told me- I can teach you," he offered. "I taught Sam."

Castiel smiled softly, giving Dean a kiss. "We'll see," he replied.

"How about a deal?" Dean went on, persistent with the topic. "I'll teach you to swim if you teach me your mad bowling skills," Dean bargained, making Castiel laugh with shock.

"Is that Dean Winchester admitting to defeat?" he asked, earning a particularly sassy eye roll.

"Not defeat. Just an incredible desire for improvement. C'mon, it's a win-win."

Castiel was smiling fully, now, and he nodded, hands sliding down Dean's shoulders so he could give him a kiss. "You'd better not let me drown," he teased. Dean's hands tightened on their place at Castiel's hips.

"Never," he promised, placing a kiss on the corner of Castiel's mouth before sliding his lips over Castiel's, pressing in close.

Castiel nosed Dean away, going to place a kiss on his neck but getting intercepted by the string hanging from the ceiling. The light flickered as Castiel swatted it away.

"We couldn't have picked a more inconvenient place to do this," he noted, making Dean laugh.

"I agree. I was hoping it'd be a bathroom. But, hey, closets are more… private," he attempted.

Castiel hummed, finally placing his lips on Dean's neck, and giving him a light kiss. "And more cramped."

Dean silenced Castiel's complaints with a long, insistent kiss.

They didn't do much talking, after that.

John Winchester sat down his glass, heaving a deep sigh before he spoke.

"Have you… noticed anything strange about Dean?"

Bobby gave a grunt of acknowledgement, eyes fixed on the television of his living room. "Wanna be more specific?" he replied gruffly.

John shook his head, trying to find the words to say. "He's been… resilient. It's like he's teaming up with Sammy- they're both trying to persuade me to let them stay."

"He's a kid," Bobby stated. "Ain't gonna go 'round agreeing to everything you tell him to do."

"It's not just that," John argued. "He's… been different. Anxious, almost. There's also that other boy he's with all the time."

Bobby was paying attention, now, sitting up a bit straighter as he eyed John, warily. "You mean Castiel?"

"Yes, him. Ever since I've been home it's like those two come in a pair," John grumbled out, taking a sip from his glass.

"The boy's allowed to make friends, John."

"You know that's not what I mean," John retaliated. Bobby was silent, the TV forgotten as he gazed at John.

"Then what do you mean?"

John averted his gaze to the television, breathing in deeply through his nose. "I'm not sure," he sighed out.

Bobby was restless. "So... yer really moving them around, again?"

John let out a grunt, swirling the contents of his glass. "Yes." Silence encompassed the two men, the empty atmosphere filled with the sounds of a meaningless television show.

Bobby sighed, shaking his head. "John, this needs to stop."

"What are you talking about?"

"This," the older man exclaimed. "This obsession over finding Mary's killer."

"I've got a lead," John argued, glaring at the TV.

"That's what you always say," Bobby sighed. John was silent. "Sam and Dean aren't boys anymore, John. They're both turning out to be young men. Pretty independent ones, I should add. You can't keep dragging them around through this insanity. You all need to live your lives."

"So what do you suggest I do?" John snapped, narrowing his eyes as they averted towards the other man. "Do you want me to just give up? Let Mary's killer roam free?"

"I'm saying you need to move on," Bobby retaliated. "You need to spend time with your kids. Let them have a life, for Christ's sake. Before it's too late for them to. Your boys have a good thing going on, here. They're content. Hell, I haven't seen those two so happy in years."

John's jaw clenched, and he looked away from Bobby. "I can't do that. I can't leave them here."

It was quiet, again. "You already have, John." When he didn't respond to that, Bobby continued. "This isn't what Mary would have wanted," he spoke gently. "She would've wanted you to move on, even if it's without her."

"You don't understand," John mumbled.

"Like hell I do!" Bobby replied. "She may have been your wife, but she was my sister. And we both know she wouldn't have wanted this."

John shook his head, shoulders slumping as he lifted his glass to his lips. "I'm not giving up, Bobby," he spoke before he took a long swig.

Letting out a disgruntled noise, Bobby got up, grabbing John's glass as he did so. "Then you're gonna need something stronger than whiskey."

I… what can I say?

I'm so so so sorry. I promised, like, weeks ago this would be uploaded. And I promised over a month ago I'd be quick with updates.

I just feel like such crap for letting you guys down, I'm so sorry. :/

But, hey, this fic is almost over. The next chapter is going to be brutal, if I do say so myself. I've already got it completely planned, so this time it will arrive quick. I know you guys probably wont (I don't blame you if you dont) believe me, but it will!

Geez, you've all been so nice about it too. Thanks so much for all the kindness!

In regards to this chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it! It's kinda gonna be the last fluff you'll see for a bit….

ALSO, FORESHADOWING ALERT. Who caught it? Anybody? I made it kinda obvious… but at the same time i don't think you guys will expect it… that much.

It'll actually kinda be obvious, since I've pinpointed the foreshadowing to this chapter…

I wonder who'll guess it first?;D I'm not gonna confirm who guessed right, because that'd spoil the whole story. But it's fun to try and to read guesses!

Again, thanks so much for the support! I'm gonna stop now before this author's note becomes longer than the actual chapter…

Goodbye, lovelies!~