Shiver

"...Researchers have observed unusual weather patterns. They say that, despite the continuous swelter, Second Impact's effects may cause unusual spurts of cold weather."

As the Katsuragi apartment got ready for another day, the TV droned on. Shinji continued to cook breakfast, Misato trudged around for a beer and Asuka awaited her food.

She looked over her shoulder at the program and scoffed. "Cold weather? Here? Like that'd ever happen."

After a long sip of beer, Misato decided to challenge her. "There was cold weather in Germany."

"Well, maybe there was, but that's also across the world! I've never been remotely cold as long as I've been in this stupid city," she retorted.

Misato shrugged. "You never know. Not like you've been here long."

As Shinji served breakfast, Asuka eyed him. He heard her speak up. "Well? What do you think? Cold weather, yes or no?"

"I dunno, maybe? What even are the angels? Maybe one of them could bring snow." It was a lame answer, and they both knew it.

Asuka rolled her eyes. "That doesn't even mean anything!" she let out a shrug of annoyance. "I don't even expect a cool breeze! And I know I won't be wrong!"

That evening, it started to snow and continued through the night.

When Asuka woke up the next morning, she immediately noticed the difference in how light came in through her window. She got up and looked out. Sure enough, Tokyo-3 was blanketed in snow.

She moved out into the kitchen, where Shinji and Misato were already awake. The news was playing, and breakfast was sizzling on the stove. "What, not gonna wake me up?"

"I was just about to," said Misato. She was unusually awake at this hour.

Asuka put her hands on her hips. "What the hell is-"

"Shhh!" Misato interrupted, pointing at the TV. Shinji put the food on simmer and poked his head out of the kitchen.

"As Tokyo-3 citizens continue to wake up today, they will observe that it snowed overnight. People that are driving are encouraged to leave early, and all are encouraged to dress warmly. Meteorologists predict that this snow will continue for the rest of the week."

"What!?" Asuka shouted. "Rest of the week!? I don't have anything warm to wear!"

Misato went into her room, coming back out with a thicker coat than the half-jacket she usually wore. "Well, bundle up." Asuka clenched her fists and rushed into the bathroom.

When she was done, food was on the table. She sat down and started eating, and Shinji joined her a moment later, a thick coat of his own in hand. Misato sat adjacent, biting into a piece of toast.

Asuka pointed at the coat. "Where the hell did you get that?"

"Oh, my teacher got it for me a few years ago for my birthday."

She said nothing, and sat down to eat, casting glances at Shinji. He was oblivious to this, and when Asuka was looking away, Misato nudged him, motioning to the jacket, then to her. He gave her an uncertain look, which she responded to with a stern eye.

Shinji sighed. "Asuka?" he spoke up.

"What?"

"Do you want my jacket?" he said, averting his gaze.

There was a long pause, but she ground out a quick "Yes."

Shinji and Asuka embarked on their walk to school. He remained in his uniform, but she bundled up in his coat. It was very warm: A long trench coat, lined with wool on the inside. It smelled fairly new but had a faint trace of Shinji.

She spared a sidelong glance at him. He was shivering. It made her look away for a moment. Not like she made him give the coat. He offered.

Instead of facing that, Asuka decided to make conversation. "Sure is cold, huh?"

Shinji looked at her, his breath causing a little cloud in front of him. "Oh, uh, yeah. Crazy how we were in that volcano just recently."

Asuka offered a smile at the remark. A few weeks ago, he jumped into a volcano to stop her from falling in. It intrigued her how he was capable of bold moves, only choosing not to do them. He had also let her wear his jacket.

She was brought out of her musings by the chattering of teeth. She looked sidelong at Shinji, whose shivering had worsened. "Do you want this back?"

"No, I'm fine," he said, his words shaken by his body.

Class was full of everyone complaining about the cold. Seemingly, Shinji was one of few people that was actually prepared for such an unusual happening. Asuka noticed a few jealous glances in her direction over the warm coat. She didn't mind, even if it was Shinji's. The school's heating system was unnecessary, so it was non-functional. Asuka kept the coat on the whole day.

Needless to say, they were happy to head back to the apartment, where it was a little warmer.

As Asuka walked, she could not help but notice Shinji's shivering. It was worse than the morning: his teeth were chattering louder, and he was looking pale.

"Are you alright?" she asked, telling herself it was out of obligation.

"Y-y-yeah, I'm fine. We're almost home, right?"

She sighed. "Whatever. You better not get sick on me!"

When they got into the apartment, Asuka gave Shinji the regular order of making dinner, then stormed to her room. She threw herself onto her bed, and the thickness of the jacket made her realize she was still wearing it.

She took off Shinji's jacket and held it out in front of her. It was a nice jacket, she admitted to herself. She hung it on one of her bedposts and decided to watch TV until dinner. As she left the room, she took one last look at the jacket.

Asuka sat adjacent to Shinji as the two ate a silent dinner. Misato had called and said not to wait, as she was at NERV helping the city deal with the snow.

She spared a look at Shinji, noticing he was still pale. "Hey," she said after swallowing a bite of food. "You okay?"

Shinji glanced up from his meal. He looked tired. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just a little cold."

That made Asuka raise an eyebrow. "Cold!? It's pretty warm in here. You aren't coming down with something, are you?"

He put up his hands. "N-n-no, I'm okay."

As they finished up their meal, Asuka could not help but notice something: Shinji was shivering again, even while he was talking.

When she went to bed that night, she spared one more thought about it.

Asuka woke up the next morning and entered an empty kitchen. The growl of her stomach goaded her to storm to Shinji's room.

She flung the door open. "Alright, where's breakfast!?"

Shinji laid on his futon, tightly curling into the sheets. He let out a low groan.

It piqued her curiosity. "Idiot-Shinji?"

"Oh, Asuka," he said, rolling over to face her. "What's going on?"

"Well, I was expecting to find you making breakfast, but instead, you're in here."

It made Shinji raise his eyebrows. "Oh, darn. Must've-" He cut himself off to cough. It was a full-on coughing fit, and Asuka didn't like the sound of it.

Before she could say anything, Misato sauntered into the hall, joining her at the doorway. "What's going on?" she asked innocently.

Shinji cleared his throat. "Morning, Misato," he said in a rough voice.

Misato gave him a look. "You don't sound very good," she said before entering the room, kneeling at Shinji's side, and putting a hand on his forehead. "Oh no, you're burning up, too. I'll get the thermometer." She stood. "If your temperature's too high, we'll take you to NERV to see a doctor." While this happened, Asuka slowly moved into Shinji's room, sitting against the wall and watching him tremble in his sheets.

A moment later, Shinji was handed an electric thermometer, and it clamped under his armpit. When it beeped, Misato checked it. "40 degrees."

"What's that mean?"

"That means you have a nasty fever," she said. "Get dressed. We're going to the doctor."

Asuka decided to tag along.

The NERV infirmary was quiet. It was a Wednesday morning, and half of the staff was either late or absent due to snow. Ritsuko found them an available doctor to do a check-up on Shinji. The girls sat on chairs against the wall, while Shinji waited on the patient's chair.

A lady walked in with a clipboard. "Good morning. My name is doctor Kitakami. You're Shinji, right?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Hi, Shinji. Can you tell me what symptoms you've been having?"

"Well, a cough, and I've been really cold. Then this morning I woke up with a fever."

Dr. Kitakami grabbed a stethoscope, and asked Shinji to take his shirt off. he was embarrassed to do it in front of Misato and Asuka, opting to look away. She put the stethoscope to his exposed chest and made him breathe in and out while she checked in various spots.

"Hmm," said Kitakami. "Something doesn't sound quite right."

"What do you mean?" asked Shinji. He was shivering again.

She wrote something down on her clipboard. "I think you should get an x-ray. Your breathing doesn't sound as clear as it should."

He nodded slowly. "Okay." What was the worst that could happen?

After a long, cold x-ray, Shinji sat in the check-up room again. Kitakami held up a pair of graphs, pointing at the particles on the scans of his chest. "Pneumonia."

His eyes filled with panic. "What?"

"Bacterial pneumonia. Thankfully, you caught it early. I'm going to prescribe you some antibiotics. Take them as directed on the label, and make sure to rest," said Kitakami.

Shinji groaned. "Ugh. Must be because of the cold."

"Well, not quite. While it's not the best conditions out, you can't get pneumonia from being cold. Only from breathing it in. I'm going to put you on Amoxicillin. Just rest, drink warm fluids, and stay out of this cold." She handed the prescription form to Misato and sent the three on their way.

The diagnosis was eyebrow-raising for Asuka, but upon hearing that it wasn't from the cold, she felt a little better. She pushed down her guilt, and looked at Shinji as they walked; He was draped in one of Misato's jackets, as well as a hoodie. He was frail, compared to the boy who fought at her side in sorties.

Misato got the prescription. On the way to the car, she turned to her wards. "Sorry, kids. I gotta stay and work. Angel aftermath and all that. I can drive you home, but I'll see you later."

"What!? You're making me take care of this goof!?" said Asuka.

"Hey, I'll call the school and let them know you're exempt."

Asuka grumbled a little but accepted. "...Fine."

As soon as the kids got into the apartment, Shinji slipped his shoes off, placed the pills on the kitchen counter, and trudged to his room, clutching Misato's jacket as he held it tightly around himself.

Asuka watched him and moved to the living room when he was out of sight. She plopped herself down on a beanbag chair and tried to relax.

The TV droned on about the snow, but Asuka's mind wandered to her resting roommate. A part of her insisted she had a responsibility. Technically, she did, by order of Misato, but there wasn't anything she could do while Shinji slept the day away, right?

She answered her own question by getting up and moving to the hallway.

Shinji's door was open a crack. Asuka peeked in and saw him lying in a mess of blankets. He appeared to be trying to fall asleep with little success.

She opened the door and leaned in. "Idiot-Shinji?" she whispered.

She saw him open his eyes. "Oh, hey, Asuka."

"You okay in here?"

"Um..." he hesitated. "I think I forgot to take the antibiotic."

That made her scowl. "You dumbass!"

"Sorry."

"You better be! God, what would you do without me!?" she said, storming to the kitchen.

While she was out of the doorway, Shinji smiled a little. "...I dunno."

Asuka returned immediately after with a pill and a glass of water. "Sit up."

Shinji complied, trying his best to ease the dizziness that came on as he sat up. He accepted the pill, placing it on his tongue before taking the water cup with both hands to wash it down. He handed the cup back to Asuka. "Ugh, thank you."

"Don't mention it," she said. Shinji laid back down, and Asuka lingered at the door for a little, but something made her hesitate. After a moment, she bit the bullet. "Anything I can, uh, do for you?"

"Maybe later..." Shinji mumbled. He offered a clumsy smile. "Thanks again."

Asuka couldn't resist a small smile as she exited the room.

A couple of hours of studying and TV later, Asuka was brought to focus by the growl of her stomach. She reasoned that if she was hungry, so was Shinji.

She got up and went to his room to ask, as per her job. Purely obligation. She slid the door open. "Hey, Shinji?"

He stirred. "Oh, hey Asuka." She got a good look at him; He was coated in blankets, with just his head and arms sticking out of the tangle of covers. There was a sheen of sweat on his forehead, and his hair was a mess. He looked like a mess.

The question about dinner died on Asuka's lips "Are you okay?"

Shinji forced a smile "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, which was an obvious lie.

Such a display made Asuka shake her head. She crossed the threshold into his room and sat down next to his bed. She loomed over his lying form, getting a close look at him. Despite sleeping for a few hours, he still looked exhausted, and he was still sweating.

In his delirium, Shinji let slip what was on his mind. "You smell nice, Asuka," he said, a look of pure bliss on his face. "I like it."

The comment caught Asuka off-guard. Her heart jumped, and she stumbled back. "I... I'm gonna go start dinner. We're having soup!"

Shinji watched her leave his room, the light from the hallway flooding his sight.

Asuka hurried to the kitchen. She laid out the ingredients and began to prep some tomato soup. When she was little, someone had taught her this recipe, and she recalled always enjoying making it. Why not spread that enjoyment to Shinji?

She got to work: Plenty of tomatoes, plenty of onions, a little bit of butter and some extra seasoning, and it came together rather quickly. Either that, or she was having fun making soup for Shinji. She shrugged it off and carefully ladled some soup into two bowls.

Asuka set the bowls adjacent. She walked over to Shinji's room, where he was sitting on his bed.

"Dinner."

"'Kay."

Asuka watched Shinji out of the corner of her eye. He was still shivering a little, but it was a little more subdued as he slurped the soup.

"How is it?" she asked, masking her curiosity.

He looked at her, a mouthful of soup. "Mm." He swallowed. "It's good. Thank you," he said, a weak smile on his face.

"Really?"

"Yeah! The tomatoes stand out nicely, and there's a hint of onion. It's great!"

"I'm glad you like my food," she said proudly.

"Oh, I'd eat anything you make," he said, before suddenly closing his mouth. He wiped some sweat with the back of his hand.

The rest of the meal was relatively quiet, with hints of small talk, but it bore none of the tension that bubbled up from time to time. She even noticed that he was looking at her, much like how he was before.

Shinji leaned back when he was done. "Ah, that was great. Thank you, Asuka."

"Don't get used to it," she said. "Just rest, okay? Isn't that what Misato said?"

"Right, right. Goodnight."

"Night, Third."

Shinji stood and trudged to the bathroom. Asuka began on dishes. She thought about the snow. The apartment had no heaters, so she felt the chill at that moment. It made Asuka recall the warmth of eating the soup with Shinji. Delirious or not, he wasn't so bad to be around.

The way he looked at her was different, too. It was different from the pervy ogle she was accustomed to. It was a subtler look of admiration, one she had not seen before. It made her question if he always looked at her like that.

Shinji exited the bathroom. "Goodnight," he said again.

"Night."

While Asuka dried off the dishes, she kept his glance in her mind.

The next few days were much of the same: Between miscellaneous activities around the apartment, Asuka would ask Shinji if he needed anything, then squeeze a straight answer out of him.

"Shinji, are you good?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine right now," he would say, followed by a coughing fit.

"...Tea?"

"I can get it myself."

"No, you can't."

"Yes I-" More coughing. "Can!"

"Listen up, you idiot. Misato put it in my hands to help you out. If you get up and do everything yourself, what am I for?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! You're sick! You're supposed to be resting. Don't think you're a burden just because you have to ask for my help. I'm not at school, am I?"

"No."

"That's right! So why wouldn't I help you?"

"Sorry."

"Oh, save it. I'll be right back."

Multiple similar instances happened over the few days that followed. All was well.

Near the end of the week, Asuka lay in bed, letting herself wake up a little before checking on Shinji. He was starting to turn a corner, which was nice. He had some of his energy back.

Asuka heard the front door open and close. That was probably Misato leaving for work. She decided it would be a good time to get up. She rubbed her eyes and got out of her room to go see how Shinji was doing.

"Hey, Mister 'I'm fine', how's it-" she said as she opened a door to an empty bedroom. She turned her head "Shinji?" she called out to the apartment. Asuka picked up the pace, checking the other rooms.

When she saw Shinji's jacket was missing, it dawned on her: He had left the apartment. "God dammit!" she said as she threw on some shoes and rushed out, calling the elevator as fast as she could. The ride to the ground floor felt like forever.

Asuka ran out into the snow. Her breath was visible and her socks were getting wet. She reached the sidewalk and looked each way.

In the distance, she saw a small figure walking slowly. Without another thought, she started running as fast as she could through the snow, coldness be damned.

She ran ahead of the figure, taking a few steps to come to a halt. She turned and faced them, and sure enough, it was Shinji. He looked pale and had bags under his eyes. "Wha- Oh, uh, hi Asuka," he said.

Asuka clenched her fists. "What the hell are you doing!?"

"We were out of tea."

"Okay? Why didn't you just ask me to get more?"

Shinji broke eye contact for a moment. "You were sleeping. I didn't want to wake you up."

Asuka took a few steps closer to him. She started jabbing at his chest with her finger. "You're supposed to be resting, and, for God's sake, not going out in the freezing cold! Do you want to get better!?"

"Yes."

"Then..." she hesitated. Looking in his face, he had that 'kicked puppy' look some of the girls from school had talked about. It made yelling at him a little bit tougher, but then she remembered why she was mad. "Then stay in the damn apartment!" Before Shinji could react, she stormed past him, grabbing him tightly by the wrist and dragging him back.

Asuka finally let go of Shinji's wrist when they were in the apartment. She pulled him into the kitchen, where he leaned on a chair. She paced the floor in front of him, before snapping to look at him. "Just what the hell were you thinking!?"

He looked down. "I don't know, I just... I just didn't want to make you get out of bed for my tea."

"Look at me. You were gonna go out in the freezing cold? Don't you remember what the doctor said!?"

"I know, I know, 'Stay out of the cold.' I'm sorry."

Asuka clenched her fist again. She took a breath. She unclenched and put a hand on his now-cold forehead. "I'm gonna go get your damned tea. Gimme the jacket."

"Uh, okay." Once in his hands, Asuka snatched the jacket and slipped it over her shoulders.

She almost exited, but turned back to him. "Wanna do something for me? Lie down and bundle up, for the love of God!"

"Yes ma'am."

"I guess I'll get stuff for dinner too. Please don't force me to make fish."

"How about ramen?"

"...Sure." Asuka made a quick list of things to buy and rushed out to the store. She bundled herself up in Shinji's jacket and didn't take it off until she returned.

Asuka walked back towards the apartment, two grocery bags in hand. One bag held enough tea for months, while the other had the night's ingredients.

Shinji's jacket clung to her. It was thick and comfortable and retained a little of its Shinji-essence. Above all, it was warm. It kept her from succumbing to shivers as she finally arrived back at the apartment building.

The elevator ascended the and she picked up the pace to get into the apartment. "I'm home!" she said. No answer. She swore to herself that she'd kill that idiot if he wandered off again. "Hey, Shinji?" She put the bags down and poked her head into the living room.

Shinji laid on a beanbag chair, wrapped in a blanket. He was asleep. Asuka decided not to pester him for the moment and returned to the kitchen. She found an electric kettle in the cupboard, filled it with water and plugged it in. She picked out a tea bag and put it aside. While the water boiled, she put away the other groceries for the time being.

The kettle beeped. She found the mug Shinji had been using and plopped the teabag in. She filled it with steaming hot water and finished up organizing the groceries. She picked up the tea, hovering a hand underneath it as she carried it to the living room.

Asuka came upon the sleeping form of Shinji and nudged him with her foot. "I have tea."

"Mmngh, Asuka?"

"Yes, hello."

"Oh, you have tea." He sat up, putting his hands out to accept it. "Thank you." he let out a concerning cough, before taking a big sip, letting the fluid blaze down his throat. He smiled at Asuka.

It was that look again. Asuka found herself reciprocating the smile, just a little.

When Shinji insisted on cooking dinner, he was shot down vehemently by Asuka but managed to compromise, and she allowed him to direct her from a chair. He sat, wrapped in a blanket with a cup of tea, while she added ingredients and stirred.

When it was ready, she set the table and placed the bowls down.

"Thank you," he said.

"Thank me?" Asuka gave Shinji a look. "I hardly did anything, I just followed what you did."

He huffed. "But you still had to do things, so thank you."

"Fine. Thank you too, then."

The two ate, and Shinji offered some commentary. "Mm! Good choice on the pork broth! Really brings out the flavour!"

Asuka grinned. "Oh? Tell me more."

"...And the garlic, you added just enough that it accents the noodles well!"

"Thank you, mister food critic," she said.

"Oh. Uh, sorry." Shinji's eyes fell to his food.

"Don't be. I'm glad it's good too."

Before she knew it, the noodles were all gone.

Shinji finished at about the same time. He looked up from his meal, which had become a few stray noodles at the bottom of an empty broth bowl. "Asuka?"

"Yeah?"

"I just," his voice sounded thick. "I just wanted to thank you for all the help these last few days. I'm sorry I got sick, I didn't mean to. But, uh, you're great. Honestly."

Asuka chuckled. "You don't need to thank me, but you're welcome."

"And," Shinji continued. She heard him take a shaky breath. "I realized I... You're really cool. I like spending time with you." His face was red. The last week, as well as the battle in the volcano, made her realize that being around Shinji was not only fun but also comforting. Her heart skipped a beat at the realization.

"I do too. You may not be as smart as me, which, high bar." That prompted a chuckle. "-But you're alright, Third." Asuka smiled. She brushed her thumb against his hand. "These last few days have been pretty fun," she said, looking off to the side.

"Maybe we could spend time like this when I'm not sick?"

Asuka reached over and flicked his nose, "Just as long as you don't pull a stunt like the one you pulled today. Must I always be saving your ass?"

"I wouldn't mind," Shinji blurted out. The two of them sat in silence for a moment, looking at each other. Shinji fidgeted with his hands, Asuka shifted in her seat.

"Well," she said to break the silence. "I'm gonna do the dishes."

He stood. "I'll help!"

"No, you won't. Go sit."

Shinji tried to protest, but Asuka made him agree to clear the table and nothing more. He went back to the living room, leaving a free beanbag chair for her.

When Asuka was done, she threw herself down next to Shinji. A game show played on TV.

"What'cha watching?"

He looked at her. "Nothing really. This was just on."

"Well, it's too cold for anything else. How about a movie? I know they have channels for that."

"Sure. I don't know movies, so you can find something."

"Gladly." She scooted a little closer to him. She pointed the remote at the TV and hit 'next' until she found a channel playing movie about a fierce girl who was raised by wolves.

"She's cool," said Shinji at one point. "I like how tough she is."

Asuka kept a content smile.

When the movie ended, Asuka looked over to Shinji. He was bundled up in blankets, but he wasn't shivering nearly as much.

"Hey," she said. "You alright? And don't lie," she added.

"Actually, yeah. I feel okay. Just-" He yawned. "Just tired."

Asuka stood, "Well, let's get to bed, shall we?" she said, offering a hand. Shinji took it and stood. "You can get ready first."

"Thanks. I won't be long," he said. He shed his blanket and headed to the bathroom.

Asuka sat at the table and watched the door. Despite herself, she couldn't help but think about Shinji, and how he was smiling at her. His words at dinner popped into her head as well. It was nice.

Shinji re-emerged rather quickly. She shook her thoughts and stood. "Thanks for not keeping me waiting."

"Oh, no problem," said Shinji. She walked past him and went into the bathroom.

As she brushed her teeth and washed her face, she looked up at herself in the mirror. Her eyes wandered to the door behind her. Being in the apartment with Shinji turned out to not be as bad as she expected. Again, she smiled.

When she was done, she went back into the kitchen to see him waiting at the table for her. "You didn't have to wait."

He smiled at her. "I don't mind."

"You won't get better if you're not resting. Come on. Up you go," she said, poking at him.

"Alright, alright." Shinji threw the blanket over his shoulder. He walked next to Asuka towards their rooms.

"Hey Asuka?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"How come you were so worried about me walking out of the apartment?"

She shook her head. "Isn't it obvious? You're sick, and I want you to get better."

"Sorry again for worrying you," he said.

"At least you were okay. You're supposed to be getting better, aren't you?"

"You're right."

"Idiot," Asuka said, elbowing him lightly on his side. "You're lucky to have me."

She heard a light chuckle "I am."

When they reached their rooms, She turned to him. "Goodnight, sick-boy. See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight." They looked at each other for a moment, sharing the ambience of the evening. Each of them noticed how close together they were.

Shinji swallowed down his nerves and inched a little closer. In surprise, Asuka did the same. She decided to throw caution to the wind and go for it. After feeling so close to him over the past few days, why not? She could feel the heat coming off of his face, which served as a reminder.

Asuka grabbed the sides of his head and brought it downward, kissing him on the forehead. "I don't want to get sick. Sorry."

Shinji fumbled with his words for a moment before speaking. "I, uh, Asuka?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." His arms wrapped around her, resting on her upper back. His hands felt warm.

Asuka stroked his temple with her thumb. "Goodnight, Shinji." She leaned forward and bumped his forehead, before backing away and retreating to her room.

Shinji remained stunned for a moment. What transpired felt like a dream. He could barely register it as he moved to his futon. He laid down and stared at the ceiling. As he replayed the event in his mind, he couldn't help the grin on his face.

He couldn't wait to see Asuka in the morning.

Asuka closed her door and rushed to her bed. She couldn't fathom what possessed her to do what she did. Nevertheless, it filled her with excitement.

She smiled at the thought of seeing Shinji the next morning.

A/N: Thanks for reading! This fic was my submission for the AsuShin Discord Winter Contest. Plenty of us submitted fics, and in the end, YourBlandestNightmare came in first with his fantastic piece, "What Comes After Winter." Congratulations to him! Go read his fic, it's on his page right now!

I scored top three, alongside YourBlandestNightmare and MisterHalt. MisterHalt's fic, "The Ski Vacation" was great too. Check it out!

A great job to everybody that participated! HydrationStation, IllusoryMist, atare, Skyfox, Chad Gendo, and Romulo Nidoking BR all wrote great submissions, and they'll hopefully upload them soon.

Happy New Year, everyone! Thank you to my readers for a wonderful 2021! This is my first year writing fanfic, and you've all been very kind and supportive. More stories to come in 2022, and more Yui's Words. Thanks again, and God bless.