While you were out building other worlds, where was I?

Where's that man who'd throw blankets over my barbed wire?

I made you my temple, my mural, my sky

Now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life

Drawing hearts in the byline

Always taking up too much space or time

tolerate it – Taylor Swift

From the outside, L noticed, Misa was…fine.

She accepted the near constant surveillance without complaint. She voluntarily submitted her work schedule every day so that someone from his team could be waiting for her once she was done. In the evening she would arrive back with either Naomi or Watari escorting her.

All the while he kept track of the distance growing between the two and her frustrating pretense of cheerfulness. She was upbeat with the other detectives, cooing over photos of Aizawa's newborn on his phone. Ordering Matsuda's favorite coffee. Straightening Watari's tie.

L moved his office back into the penthouse, but It didn't foster any conversation between the two. Once she went to her room for the night, she never left.

No more midnight trays of sweets for him.

She showed no obvious signs of being unhappy. She followed all his instructions without protest. But he could see through it, just as he always could. He knew her smiles were polite, yet vague. When their eyes met, she didn't glow at him like before. He should have felt relieved by this. It was exactly what he wanted. It's what was best for her, to get over her infatuation and move on as quickly as possible.

Instead, he felt agitated. Sometimes she'd brush past him and he'd smell her sweet perfume that followed her like a cloud, lingering in the air long after she left.

"Matsuda will accompany you tonight. Naomi is already there waiting." He said, speaking through a partially closed door as she finished getting ready. He could hear drawers being opened and shut, the faint smell of that sweet perfume wafting through. "When you're ready to leave, let one of them know."

"Sure."

"He'll give me regular reports."

"Sounds good."

She opened the door, holding the front of her crimson dress to her chest and leaned around him to call out. "Matsuda, will you come here please?"

As he approached, she turned around showing her bare back, reaching in vain for the zipper there.

"Can you zip me?"

Matsuda cleared his throat compulsively and nodded, giving a sideways apologetic glance to L when he finished.

She turned back around, smoothing the tight, pressed velvet over her thighs. She did a little twirl.

"How do I look?"

She directed the question to Matsuda.

"B-Beautiful!" He stuttered. "Like always Misa!"

She scrunched her nose at him and walked past to grab a purse that was too small to hold anything useful.

"You're so sweet Matsuda." She sighed, pressing a sparkling stud into her ear. "I should introduce you to one of my model friends tonight. There's going to be like, a ton of them there!"

"Matsuda won't have time for socializing. He has a job to do."

She turned finally to look at L with the same cool politeness she'd treated him with for nearly a week, arching an eyebrow. If possible, she looked prettier than usual, with her hair a soft cascade of waves falling over one shoulder. He shuffled awkwardly. For some reason it was harder than usual to look directly at her.

"Of course." She conceded softly, "I know how important staying professional is to you."

He caught the venom behind the last two words. His resolve to be more kind in the wake of Light's interest in her had puttered out and stalled. He was supposed to be finding a way to pull her attention away. He thought of asking Watari for help. The old man had plenty of sound advice, but he'd be less than thrilled when he found out that he had no intention of continuing whatever he started with her. No, worse, he'd be disappointed. All his talk about his sons settling down. He couldn't get his hopes up like that.

But he knew the two had been in frequent contact. Lots of late-night phone calls that no doubt had nothing to do with work. He hadn't listened to them. Yet. He did have them recorded just in case after installing software onto her phone one night while she slept. He questioned if he should have by now, to find something useful but found himself unable to do it. He was acutely aware now that every time he pushed her away it was closer to danger. To Light, he reasoned, but what's the difference. The last time it landed her in the hospital, bruised and bloody. He still felt sick with shame remembering that night.

But where to go from here, he didn't know.

Misa cocked her head to the side in question.

"Is there anything else?"

Yes. Stay with me.

"No. Enjoy your evening."

He could smell her perfume again as she walked by, knowing it would haunt him for a few hours at least.

"Oh, I will."

Misa did her best to keep a happy face while she mingled, wandering slowly through the densely populated room, occasionally tossing smiles at the bright flashes of lights from photographer's cameras. It had been a while since she'd gone out to a party. Though, it wasn't a normal night of going out. Sometimes a brand would throw a big get-together to celebrate the launch of a new product, usually something having to do with makeup or clothing. They invited tons of models, influencers, and photographers to attend as a sort of networking event with drinking and food. This time it was a makeup brand advertising a new line of lipsticks. There were several tables set up around the room so that attendees could try on the new shades and take pictures for their social media. Free advertising, essentially.

The lighting was low and soft to mimic a romantic getaway lit by candlelight. She wasn't a huge fan of the theme, not only because of her current jaded view of romance but also because scattered about on the floor were hundreds of fresh rose petals. They lay on each of the standing tables too along with bare, long stemmed roses. She took a deep breath, looking for the nearest waiter carrying trays of colorful cocktails. As she took one, she remembered the last time she indulged and resolved to make the one glass last the entire evening.

She made her way through the crowd, stopping occasionally to say hello to fellow models. Nearly 20 minutes later she finally found who she was looking for.

Naomi stood by herself at one of the tall tables sipping on a martini, looking down at her phone. She looked stunning in a backless black jumpsuit with her hair in a low ponytail. Misa watched in interest as a man sauntered over to her, leaning casually onto the table to speak to her. Naomi waved him away at once.

"You should wear clothes like that more often." Misa commented slyly, straying over after the man left looking disappointed. She swept the petals from the table to the floor. "You look like a model!"

Naomi rolled her eyes as she took another sip of her drink. "Yes, I've had to deal with it all evening. That last one told me he specialized in nude photography."

Misa giggled into her drink. "How did you get him to leave?"

"I told him I was a photographer too and when I said I wanted to shoot him it wasn't with my camera."

She was endlessly grateful that Naomi was there to keep her company. In truth, Misa didn't need to do as many networking events as she did when she first started modeling. Jobs usually found her by trickling through her agency and despite the spectacle currently surrounding her, she somehow still maintained her popular position.

"I'm so bored. I hate these parties." Misa whined.

"Why did you come then?"

"You know I can't stand being there."

There being L's stupid high-rise. He'd taken to staring at her every time she entered the room. Probably on the lookout for her to fall into tears over him rejecting her or waiting for her to blow up at him. Well, jokes on him because she made sure to be a good little girl and follow all of his directions. She didn't so much as take a walk down the hall without letting him know where she was.

"He's worried about you."

Misa made a face, flicking a stray petal from the table. "Yeah, worried I'll come on to him again."

Naomi gave her a sympathetic look.

"I bet he told you to keep an eye on Light tonight." Misa sniffed.

"And I am."

"It just doesn't make sense though!" Misa burst out. "Stalkers are old creeps. Light already has my number, he's my boss. Why would he be stalking me?"

He was also sweet to her. Unlike someone. He sent her flowers, showered her with compliments. He called almost nightly to ask about her day. It was nice to feel wanted for once. Even if, when she was being completely honest with herself, it didn't pull on quite the same place inside her that L did. And that just pissed her off even more.

"I don't know him." Naomi said reasonably, "But I do know L. I'm not saying I'm passing judgement right away. It's just worth looking into."

Misa rolled her eyes as Naomi continued.

"And it's not just about you. Don't forget, whoever this is most likely has something to do with the other models as well."

Misa couldn't forget that. The models she spoke to tonight were still spooked by the whole thing. She was sad to learn most had taken to walking together at night. No one wanted to be out alone. And as upset as she was with L, she would still rather be at his apartment than her own. She also didn't mind the constant handing off between detectives she was subjected to. Though, she felt like she hadn't heard from her stalker in a while so maybe he was losing interest in her? She could only hope. Maybe L was being overly cautious now.

"If he did take those models, I take back what I said before I'm glad you're not one. He'd for sure go after you." Misa said with a shudder.

Naomi smiled, setting her glass down. "I'd like to see him try. Now, go try to have some fun. I have to pretend to network too."

Misa nodded glumly and wandered over to one of the tables with lipstick to try. The attendant there enthusiastically rattled off the benefits and Misa pretended to listen nodding her head along to words like, Jojoba oils, moisturizing, kiss-proof! She unscrewed the tube of a sparkly ruby red shade called La seduccion, the sparkles in it throwing off bits of glittering light. She took one of the complimentary make up wipes and removed her old lipstick before spreading the new one over her lips, admiring it in a small silver hand mirror the attendant provided.

"I love that shade on you."

In the reflection of the mirror, she saw Light's smile as he approached. He gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm so glad you came out."

"It's nice to be here." She said brightly. A lie.

He picked up one of the tubes and held it up to his face.

"Which shade is mine?"

She laughed. "Your lips are perfect as is."

"Are they?"

She gave a nervous giggle before turning back to the table, pretending to check out other shades. She wasn't quite ready to steer too far into dating territory with him. He promised to be patient with her, saying he understood that she had feelings for L (though he knew him as Ryuzaki) to get over. Still, she felt guilty because he'd always allude to going public with…whatever they had.

"Since you're here, I'd like to introduce you formally to my father tonight."

She knocked over a small row of lipsticks, looking back at him startled. The last time she saw the man was when he was blackmailed by L into hiring him to investigate the agency. She couldn't imagine he had a lot of love for her since It was technically her fault.

"Oh, I don't know. After what happened…"

Light shook his head reassuringly. "My father won't hold that against you. He knows your hand was forced just as much as his. Come on."

She wasn't sure her hand was forced exactly. Despite everything with L she still trusted him. He placed a hand on her elbow to steer her through the crowd, turning to give her one of his handsome smiles that killed all the objections still hanging on her lips.

Across the room, Mr. Yagami stood alone, looking markedly uncomfortable and out of place with the surroundings in his stiff grey suit and stern expression. He was probably only there as a show of support for the company because they provided much of the makeup used on shoots. As Light dragged her into view, the older man froze.

Light ushered her forward, smiling at his father.

"Glad I caught you before you left! This is Misa Amane, I told you about her."

"We've met." His mouth was pressed in a thin, unmistakably disapproving line.

She gave him a shy bow.

"It's nice to see you again."

As Light tucked her to his side, Mr. Yagami's face paled. The two exchanged a series of odd looks, seeming to have a conversation she couldn't hear. He probably thinks I'm trying to scam his son or something she thought worriedly. She couldn't blame him, despite L's assurances that she was valuable to the agency, she doubted she was worth all the trouble she brought. Mr. Yagami probably assumed she'd be dragging more of that drama into his son's life.

"I see. So, you two will be…spending time together?"

"I'm hoping we'll be spending a very long time together." Light insisted, his grip on her shoulder tightening.

Mr. Yagami gave an abbreviated nod before excusing himself.

"Is everything alright?" She asked.

Light watched his father leave, his face unreadable. He turned back to her with a rueful smile.

"My father is worried about me settling down too fast right when I'm about to take over the company." He squeezed her shoulder. "Don't let his attitude get to you, he'll be a good father-in-law. I'll give you back the family you lost."

She opened her mouth to object when he took her hands in his, bringing one to his mouth to kiss softly.

"I know, I know." He murmured. "I just feel like, that's where this is heading. Maybe you don't see it yet, but I do."

His warm eyes probed into hers and she did wonder where else it could be heading. Was it true? When life returned to normal and she had no one after her, would that leave her to pursue this? Was that what she actually wanted?

Of course, never too far from mind was a certain detective. It didn't help that Light was holding her hands in just the same way that L once had. How unexpectedly sweet and comforting he'd been that night. Why can't you be like that all the time? She missed it. She missed him.

"Misa-Misaaa!"

Mello's annoying voice floated over the two. She turned to see him, his golden hair expertly tousled, his bare chest showing from beneath a black leather vest, looking every bit like the popular male model he was pretending to be.

"I had no idea you'd be here!" He exclaimed, a deceptive glint in his eyes, "We worked together the other day; do you remember me?"

She'd didn't exactly feel grateful for the annoying blonde, but she was glad his appearance shattered the tension she had with Light.

"Totally! I had so much fun on that shoot!" She said her voice barely feigning enthusiasm.

"She looked great you know." Mello said, now addressing Light casually, "They had her in this sexy little getup, what was it again? A leash and collar wasn't it, Misa?"

She wasn't sure where he was headed with the conversation, but she nodded politely. His voice had the lethargic cadence of someone half intoxicated, the nearly empty glass in his hand leaning into that theory.

"I always say a woman looks the best when she's tied up like that, don't you agree…uh what's your name?"

"This is the CEO's son." Misa hissed, "He's going to be taking over our agency next month, remember? I think you've had too much to drink."

"Oh yeah, sorry about that. I was just saying, women look best all tied up, especially when they can't speak. Shame they didn't put a ball gag on her."

Is he losing his mind? Misa thought frantically. She glanced up at Light who looked at Mello with obvious dislike.

"Have you worked with Façade for long?" He asked.

"Nah, I'm new." Mello responded, sloshing some of his drink onto the carpet.

"Oops."

Misa turned to Light at once.

"I know his manager; I should take him back before he gets into any trouble. I wouldn't want him making a fool of himself in front of any potential clients."

Light looked unsure. "I don't know…"

"She's not my type, don't worry." Mello said loudly waving a careless hand as he threw an arm over her shoulder. "Too loud and whiny. I like women with a little more backbone, you know?"

"Yes." Misa said through gritted teeth. "Thank God for that. I'll text you later Light, for sure!"

She led him away through a gaggle of models giggling and waving at him, he winked at them before he whispered in her ear, his voice normal. "You're surprisingly nurturing, aren't you?"

She stared at him in shock. "You're not drunk?"

"Are you kidding me? I was saving you."

"You were being an idiot."

"Why is it that every time I see you with that guy, he's about to pounce on you?"

Misa elbowed him in the ribs before shoving him off her and onto one of the plush red couches lining the far walls. It was fairly secluded, but she still leaned in to whisper at him.

"Because you don't know how to mind your own business!"

He grinned up at her, his voice having a mocking edge to it. "Oh, I know where that bad attitude is from. Did you get your feelings hurt again?"

She shot him a look of warning though he looked unconcerned. He motioned to a waiter nearby carrying a tray and grabbed another drink, popping a chunk of fruit from it into his mouth.

"You should be a little less annoying to my brother he's doing a lot for you. More than you deserve."

"Yes." She said stiffly. "He's very good at making sure I stay in line."

Mello let out a disgusted noise, shaking his head. "You don't know about the nasty messages your stalkers' been sending."

Misa felt her heart drop. "But I… I haven't had any messages from him recently."

"Of course not. He's been fielding them."

"What?"

"You really think he stopped messaging you? He's only gotten worse." Mello looked around to make sure no one was nearby. "He knows you're with L. He's been taking pictures of you coming and going from the building for weeks now. Pictures of all of us. It's been a pain in the ass getting you to and from places safely. So, you can drop the poor little victim act now."

"Why didn't he tell me?" She whispered; her chest heavy with anxiety. He knows I'm with L? He takes pictures of all of them? She thought of how often they came and went from the apartment. Does that mean Naomi? She lived alone…And Aizawa's wife just had a baby, would that put him in danger too?

"He doesn't want to scare you. He thinks it's best you don't know." Mello said with a shrug. "I disagree, though. I think if you were a little more scared you wouldn't go around making everyone on guard because you want a fun little night out."

He threw the rest of his drink back in one quick gulp, standing from the couch with a stretch. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some networking to do."

She felt her throat burn as she typed furiously into her phone to call Matsuda. He answered right away.

"Misa?"

"Take me home."

She walked through the dark apartment feeling exhausted, carrying her stiletto heels in hand, and padded barefoot across the cold marble floor. She couldn't wait to fall into bed and try her best ignore the world for a while. Knowing that her stalker was still very much active wouldn't help her rest. Nor did the thought of him sending pictures of her and her friends coming and going.

"Misa."

She jumped, not noticing in the dimly lit living room that L sat perched on the couch there, waiting for her.

"I'd like to speak with you."

She was apprehensive, standing halfway between him and the door to her room. His room, actually. She thought tiredly.

"You think I'm going to lecture you. I'm not." He said nodding towards the other end of the long sofa. "I just want to talk."

She sat stiffly on the edge of the seat facing him. He took a deep breath.

"I apologize for how I've treated you. You came to me with your feelings and because I didn't return them, I was…unkind. Everything I do pushes you away. I see that now. So, I would like to try being a…"

He paused uncertainly.

"A friend?" She suggested.

"To be honest, I still don't know what that entails. I've never had one before."

She didn't believe that. He was strange for sure, but everyone seemed to like him. Even Naomi admitted to admiring his intelligence. Matsuda too, always gushed about how much he respected him.

"I think the other detectives like you." She mumbled.

"I pay them." He reminded her. "That's not exactly a balanced relationship."

"Well, it's probably because you push people away. You kinda have to open yourself up a little to make friends."

"The nature of my profession is secrecy." He explained. "There are some who want me dead. I've put away a great number of people. It's in everyone's best interest that I stay as private as possible."

That's no way to live. She thought sadly. Not that she was necessarily one to talk but she at least made some connections.

"Okay, well I'm not one of those people." She said slowly. "So maybe you can give me a break?"

He considered this.

"Then, where do we go from here? What can I do?"

She half wanted to laugh. His expression was serious, his wide eyes intent on hers as if they were discussing something life or death.

"Well," She began, "You could tell me a little more about yourself."

"Ask me something."

Ask him something? She tried to cycle through everything in her brain she ever wanted to know about him. Everything was too broad though. For the first time all evening she felt her mood lift from the guilt and gloom. If he wanted to try being friends, she wasn't going to say no this time.

"Tell me about your family." She suggested brightly.

He immediately looked apprehensive.

"Okay," She tried again. "Tell me as much as you're comfortable with. Believe it or not I know what it's like to have to answer that sort of thing and lie."

In the years since she lost her family, she'd often have people ask about them. She'd respond enthusiastically with her made-up story given to her by her agency. Oh, my parents? They live up north, they're really busy with work, but of course they always tell me they're proud of me! My mom buys every single one of my magazines. I think I'll give her a call after this interview actually, thank you for reminding me! She always pretended it was true because half-believing a lie was the key to making it sound convincing. But it was tiring to answer stuff like that, to pretend she wasn't alone. Part of why she liked being around L was because he knew. Even if they didn't always talk about it, just feeling like there was nothing to hide lightened the burden a little.

"Watari took me in when I was ten."

"He adopted you?"

"Eventually. He ran an orphanage overseas. I was one of many children that facility cared for."

If he was ten, then he must remember his real parents. His words were always deliberate though, and if he wanted to mention them, he would have. She bit her lip, thinking.

"Did he adopt many kids then?"

"Not many. My brothers and I were…different. Most of the time he tried to get children adopted out to real families. We stuck around."

"You were different?" She asked confused, "How?"

"Watari calls it gifted. I don't disagree but being gifted comes with its own challenges. Especially for children."

She frowned, imagining a ten-year-old L, no happy circumstance landing him on that doorstep. Her heart ached for him. She was much older when she lost her parents. She could feel his tenseness, though. One of his legs propped up on the couch bounced anxiously. She wondered if he sat like that as a child too.

Wanting to dispel the dark cloud over him, she steered the conversation in another direction.

"Watari told me you were a handful as a teenager." She said with a small smile, pleased to see his shoulders relax some.

The corner of his lip lifted slightly. "Yes. Mello and I both were trouble. My youngest brother, Near, causes next to no problems though so he's fortunate in that respect."

"Your younger brother?" She said interestedly, scooting closer. "What's he like?"

"Smart, like Mello. He'll surpass me in no time and he's only a teenager. He lives at the orphanage still."

"Oh. That sounds lonely."

"He's more mature than Mello and I were at that age." He assured her and upon seeing her expression, he added. "Watari visited him recently he's doing well."

She still felt like she'd be lonely if it were her but was relieved to see L's demeanor change when talking about his family. His eyes softened; his posture relaxed. She smiled listened to him rattling off his brother's achievements, how he'd graduated earlier than either him or Mello (much to Mello's displeasure). That sometimes he even asked him for help on his cases.

"Do you miss him?"

He nodded at once. "Yes. I haven't seen him in a few years."

"Oh, then you gotta soon!" She said with a frown. "I know you won't go until you're done here, but you all should. I bet Watari would like that too, having you all together again."

"You're probably right."

Something else occurred to her to ask, even though it was probably pushing her luck. No, it was definitely pushing it.

"You go by a lot of aliases." She began, "But what's your real name?"

His eyes met hers.

Just this one little piece of you. She thought. Just this one thing. She knew it was selfish. She knew he was sacrificing so much to keep her safe. His eyes fell, because he was about to disappoint her again, and he didn't want to see it. She knew that. She was about to assure him that it was fine, that she understood, when her phone began to ring from inside her purse. She dug it out to see Light's name flash across the screen.

"I better answer this."

"Lawliet."

She pressed ignore.

"Lawliet?" She repeated. It sounded strange on her tongue. "I've never heard that before."

"No, it's not especially common."

"Lawliet." She said again, as if trying it on. "It's pretty. I like it."

"It sounds better when you say it." He said offhandedly, clearing his throat and then stood abruptly. It was hard to read him at times, but she felt like she had some insight into him now. Even if it was just a small fissure in his wall, it was something for her to look into, a place to find something to take with her.

"That's good for now then." He said quietly. "I should get back to work. I'm sorry most of the conversation shifted away from myself. It's just easier to talk about my family."

"I think you can learn a lot about someone when you see how they talk about the people they love." She said smiling.

"I see."

"Oh um." She stood awkwardly, rubbing her shoulder.

"Did you need something else?"

"Um, yeah. My dress…could you..?"

He blinked in confusion until she turned back, peeking over her shoulder at him.

"Ah."

She turned back shyly and swept a hand along the nape of her neck, holding back her hair for him while he eased the zipper down from between her shoulder blades to the small of her back. She could feel him, lingering there behind her even though he was finished. Neither of them moved and she wondered longingly if staying friends was really all she'd ever get. She felt the gentle pressure from his knuckles grazing lightly against her bare skin, tracing a pattern she'd think about later. She'd turn that feather light touch into a fantasy. One where he presses a little harder. One where she lets her dress fall and he pulls her against him.

She stayed very still, heart beating erratically. Whatever he decided he wanted, she'd have to accept, despite the constant push and pull. If he wanted to just be her friend, that was better than what she had with him before.

She held the front of her dress to her, her tight throat constricting her voice.

"I wanted to ask you something else, but you don't have to answer. In fact, I don't want you to." She said with a smile, her back still turned. "I just…I know Watari gave you my messages and I'm not mad that you never responded, I know how busy you are. You always have something more important. I just wondered: Did you ever think about me?"

She laughed again. "Sorry. I had to get that out. Anyways, thank you for talking to me. Goodnight, L."

And with that she quickly slipped away to her room without looking back.

He sat back down in his office, feeling a dizzying combination of elation and fear. He almost felt outside of himself. He saw the call, he blurted it out without thinking. It worked because she had that same glowing look back in her eyes again. No use in tamping the fire it stoked in him; everything was going to burn down soon enough.

His eyes fell on the inconspicuous box that sat in the corner.

There was that conversation he had with Watari years earlier, when the old man gave him his monthly update on her.

"She's working as a model now." He said, "She's even on the cover of a magazine. Very exciting."

With those words in his mind, he wandered over to a magazine stand in the convenience store later that day before his next flight. His tired eyes darted from cover to cover. Across bright colorful spreads of magazines devoted to sports, comics, cars. Neon pink lettering with starry eyed models on the front, none of them looked like her. He knew models often changed their looks, maybe he just wouldn't recognize her now.

Just as he was about to give up, she caught his eye, staring up at him from a page over which two high school boys beside him gawked over. She wore her hair half up, cherry red lips pouted over a lollipop, but still just as he remembered.

He bought a copy, almost without thought.

He bought her next one, too.

And the one after that.

Every time he returned to Tokyo, he'd alter his route to pass by a magazine stand to see if she was on another. He'd take it home and stick it in the box. As her popularity soared, she appeared more. Everywhere. Advertisements, magazines, commercials. He drank it in, careful to never put much weight into his thoughts because when he did, he felt shame creeping across his skin until it sank into his bones.

He took more cases overseas, but it didn't stop him from thinking about her.

He'd go a long while concentrated on a case and when he'd return, he'd have a list of messages from her waiting. He refused to listen to them, insisting instead that Watari relay it to him.

She hopes you're doing well.

She got a part in a commercial.

She seems happy.

All the while the cardboard box filled up.

He read in an article one day that she was giving singing a shot, and that she hoped fans would buy her first single.

That too, ended up in the box. Though, it didn't quite fit, having long become too small to contain everything. He taped it up one day, shoving it to a far corner to presumably collect dust for the rest of his life. He settled for leaving the CD on his shelf, even if he didn't like seeing it there. He was never home for long and didn't plan on staying. Until he received that last message from Watari, that is.

…Did you ever think about me?

Yes. The problem was he never stopped.

AN: ...What do you mean I haven't updated this since last year?

Ahaha sorry for the long wait between chapters! Typical excuses: work, classes, wedding planning, pandemic (though your girl is now *fully* vaccinated.) I told you I'm not abandoning this fic! I just took a little break to work on other fics and what not. It was much needed.

I'm also working on going back and revising previous chapters (out of order but it's happening). Any chapters that have been revised or edited will say so at the top. I'll get to it all eventually, it's been fun!

I hope people are still interested in reading this? All the comments I've received have made my heart so happy, I'm forever grateful.

I hope you're staying safe and well.