After leaving the League's headquarters, Chisaki headed straight home. As she walked, everything struck her as… oddly normal. Somehow she'd expected things to feel different after having gained a quirk. It had so thoroughly defined her fifteen years of existence, that she'd expected that suddenly having one might miraculously upend her status quo. But no. Her neighbors greeted her in the same way they always had. When the door creaked open to her apartment, she found it just as empty and lonely as ever. Her homework was still a tedious chore. The TV still dralled about the usual brutalities. The reheated food still tasted just as bland as it regularly did. The bed she confined herself to at 10:00 was just as much the suffocating prison as it had been every other night.

The next day she went to school like usual. Once again, the world swirled around her in the same dreary monotony. She'd spent most of the night batting away the urge to test the quirk again, but eventually backed herself down under the fear of permanently activating it, and so now she was stumbling around grumpy and sleep deprived. But this was fine, she told herself as she stepped into her classroom, everything would be okay. She just needed to not touch it, and she'd sail through the day, get through dinner, and survive class on thursday, before Kurogiri picked her up.

She sighed and set her things down at her desk. Not a second after having sat down in her chair, Bakugo's lackeys appeared to cage her in with twinning sneers.

"Good morning shit-stain." One snarled.

"Not so tough today, huh?" The other said.

Chisaki eyed them in confusion. They normally weren't this forward in the classroom. Weren't they worried that Bakugo would say something?

She shot her gaze around the room, scanning for Bakugo and his impending reaction. Then she saw his desk and she stiffened. It was empty. He wasn't there today.

She frowned. Bakugo never missed any classes.

Was he sick or something?

Well this could be… troublesome. It was the first day that she was supposed to have dinner at the Bakugos' house, and if he was out sick perhaps she shouldn't go.

Maybe she'd call later and ask if that was still happening-

"Did you hear us, you retarded peice of shit?"

Chisaki blinked and looked to the chubby one in surprise. Evidently she'd missed something. She bit her lip and quickly looked away. Why were they being such a hassle today? It would really be best if they just left her alone and let her get through her day-

The other one suddenly reached over, grabbed her by the front of her shirt, and hoisted her a good three inches off her seat. Chisaki bit back a gasp of surprise and fixed her gaze away from his face. She couldn't let herself react violently. It would be best to ride this out and avoid confrontation.

"What the fuck? 'You still ignoring us?" He snarled at her.

"No… " She tried neutrally. That only seemed to piss them off more.

"No? Who the hell do you think you're throwing your sass at?"

At some spineless jerks. Who else? She thought sourly, but she kept those words locked behind her pressed lips. She couldn't afford to act out here. There were too many people watching, and if Bakugo caught wind of her attitude, he'd come back to knock her down a peg, again . Unfortunately she didn't feel like getting beaten up again this week, so she kept herself in check. Yet these two were looking for a reaction. She couldn't keep quiet and continue filtering thoughts apathetically, that was only making things worse. Fuck. As much as it hurt her pride, it looked like she'd have to play the supplicant card for now. Maybe then they'd be content with her reaction and leave her the fuck alone.

Chisaki fixed her expression and looked between them nervously. "No. No. I'm so sorry! That was a slip! I didn't mean anything by it! I never meant to ignore you at all! I just didn't sleep last night and I'm having trouble focusing! It wasn't anything personal, I swear!"

They blinked at her for a moment, before sharing a look and splitting a grin.

"Yeah, better not have been." One of them said, shoving her back into her seat. She bit back a cry when the hard plastic of the chair's backrest dug into her still healing back.

The other one took notice and leaned in.

"It looks like you're still enjoying your souvenirs from last time. Be careful that you don't cross us or you'll get more. Got it?"

"Yeah." The other said. "Do your job quietly and be our punching bag. That's all you're good for, remember?"

They both snickered at that one. She wrestled back a snarl and pursed her lips. Who the fuck did these punks think they were? Bakugo? Bullshit.

Thankfully she wasn't expected to say anything more, because the teacher walked in just then, greeting the class and bidding the students back to their seats.

"We'll talk about this later." One of them shot at her with a haughty smirk before turning away.

The other could only follow up with a grunt and a glare before sliding into his own seat.

Chisaki just frowned and turned towards the front of the class, stewing in her thoughts even as the teacher began his lecture.

These two idiots were definitely getting too full of themselves.

It was obvious that they couldn't do much without Bakugo around, and yet they still wanted all of the sway he held. They weren't even intimidating. If Bakugo's domineering influence hadn't been so suffocating, she didn't think that she'd even bother putting up with them. Actually, now that she thought about it, she imagined that they were relatively normal for other kids their age. Intense, unsteady, and a little too concerned with what everyone else thought of them. Meanwhile Bakugo was… volatile. He was quick witted, decisive, and strong; all things that made a successful hero. Chisaki had to admit that she was even slightly jealous. But as much as those qualities gave him a leg up in life, they still didn't justify him being an oppressive prick— Not that anyone would ever hear her say any of that. This was Bakugo after all and it was simply how he was. She wasn't allowed to complain.

Regardless of how she felt about Bakugo, his lackeys were another story and they were really getting on her nerves.

For just a moment she considered doing something absurd.

Maybe she could turn the tables on them one of these days. It could just be something small to scare them a little, and make them think twice about acting alone. At least then, they'd lay off of her a little bit… but if she did follow through with any of that, they'd surely complain to Bakugo and he'd know that something was up.

And she'd be right back to getting her ass beat.

Ugh, it looked like she'd have to keep playing this game until graduation…

Even though they were already halfway through the year, that prospect was daunting and tortuous. Another half a year of being yelled at, of getting pummeled for one odd word, or for looking at people wrong. Her gut twisted at the thought. But, no, she'd have to endure it. There was no other way out of this. Maybe if she played her cards right, she might even avoid getting too far on Bakugo's bad side and survive with all her limbs intact. Then she'd be free to split ways with him for highschool. He'd get to go on and become a hero, and she'd keep… keep doing what? Helping the league? Being a villain ?

That thought still wasn't a comfortable one, but it was noticeably more palatable than it had been a week or two ago. Of course, it would be alot better if she actually won her bet with Shigaraki and was allowed to operate how she wanted to. In the event that she did lose, she'd just have to swallow her pride, because she wouldn't have any other choice. She had no intention of running off simply because she'd lost.

Still… the thought of having to kill someone turned her stomach, and this quickly prompted her to put that train of thought aside. Math class wasn't the place to be considering something so gruesome.

The rest of the day flew by, and eventually the ringing of the last bell roused Chisaki from her seat.

Thankfully, the two boneheads seemed to be too distracted with their phones to remember that she existed, and she freely took the opportunity to sneak out of the classroom.

As Chisaki stepped off of campus, she reached a very familiar crossroads and paused.

Now, was she going to dinner with the Bakugos or not?

As much as she dreaded the idea of having to face Bakugo for an entire meal, skipping and making her mom look like an ass would be so much worse. Not to mention, she legitimately liked Bakugo's parents and would have enjoyed eating with them any other day, but Bakugo was bound to make the night a bitter one.

All she could hope for now, was that if she called the parents they'd tell her that the evening was canceled.

Well here goes to hoping , she thought as she dialed Bakugo's dad.

"Hello?" He said, picking up almost immediately.

"Hey Mr. Bakugo…it's Chisaki. " She began tentatively. "Um, I was wondering if we're still having dinner together tonight… Kachaan didn't come to school today and I wasn't sure if that changed our plans or anything…"

"Oh. No, you are perfectly welcome for dinner. I'm actually making lasagna right now. Does that sound good?"

"Um, sure that sounds great." She said nervously. Bakugo's dad did make admittedly really good lasagna. "So, ah, Kachaan, is he…"

"Katsuki? He's perfectly fine. He just got into a bit of a mood this morning and decided to stay home."

"...I see." A weight settled in her stomach. This was a definitely bad sign. "Thank you. I'll, um, I'll be over in a few minutes."

"Great. I can't wait." He concluded chipperly.

"Me neither…" She said, failing to match his positive tone.

Then he hung up. Chisaki sighed and pocketed her phone.

Here we go . She thought as she began her trudge towards their house. I just hope that I survive the night.

Fifteen minutes later, she was hovering on their porch, entirely bracing herself for a disaster to erupt from their door the second that she rang the doorbell. However, after pulling together the courage and pressing the damn button, what she found instead was Bakugo's mother, Mitsuki, beaming back at her.

"Chisaki! You're here!" She exclaimed, stepping out to wrap her in an overwhelming hug. "How are you doing dear?"

"Um, I'm well." Chisaki tried to say from between the woman's arms.

"Oh that's so good to hear." She said, letting go and looking Chisaki over at arms length. She raised her pale eyebrows in concern. "Are you sure that everything's okay? You're looking a little flushed."

"Yeah. No. I- I'm all right. I just… I'd have thought that Kachaan would be the one who was flushed. He wasn't at school today so I assumed that he was sick." She said with a nervous laugh, attempting to guide the conversation to more comfortable territory.

"Oh no, he's totally fine!" Mitsuki said as she led Chisaki through the front door and into the familiar living room. "See?" She motioned to Bakugo, who was visibly lounging on the couch with no obvious intention of acknowledging them. "Katsuki why don't you say 'Hi' to Chisaki?"

His eyes stayed glued to the TV before him and Mitsuki's smile quickly stiffened to a frown. Her tone shifted to chiding annoyance. " Katsuki… "

"H-he doesn't have to." Chisaki tried weakly.

"No honey." Mitsuki said sweetly to Chisaki, only for her expression to turn sour when she looked back at her son. "He needs to get used to greeting people properly ."

"Ugh, fine!" Bakugo exclaimed in exasperation as he looked between them with beady eyes. "Hey Deku! -You happy now, ya old hag?"

Annoyance was plain on Mitsuki's face, but she turned back to Chisaki with a forced smile.

"How do you feel about that, Chisaki? Do you feel welcomed?"

"Um, s-sure…?" She said nervously. It wasn't the least bit true but she really wished that Mitsuki'd just drop it.

The woman must have noticed because she relented with a pained sigh. "Right. Well, it could've been better, but it'll do for now I suppose." Then she wheeled Chisaki towards the kitchen down the hall. Her voice was much more lively as it carried before them. "Masaru, Honey, Chisaki's here!"

"Oh, I thought that I'd heard a familiar voice." Bakugo's dad said, popping his head around the corner with a grin. "Hey Kiddo. It's great to see you."

"Yeah, you too." Chisaki said, letting herself relax into a smile. There was a wonderful smell in the air: a blend of aromatic spices, cheese, and roasted tomato. It made her stomach grumble in anticipation.

"You're just in time. I was just pulling the Lasagna out of the oven when I heard you at the door." He said over his shoulder as they followed him into their fancy kitchen.

A stainless steel haven spread out before them. Two large ovens, half a dozen stove tops, and tiled counters spread out before her. Chisaki couldn't help but compare it to their shabby apartment with its poor excuse for a cooking space; yet she wasn't particularly bitter about it.

This was a place filled with fond memories of drinking lemonade on hot summer days or baking sweets and laughing at the mess on eachother's faces. It was a relic from a time when she and Bakugo had been legitimately good friends, back from when they were barely tall enough to reach the countertops and were far from discovering their differences. She still vividly remembered the afternoons spent ganging up with Bakugo and pestering his dad until he agreed to let them help him in the kitchen, where he'd teach them how to make cookies and brownies. Mostly it had all been a good excuse to sneak loads of extra, sweet, irresistible, raw batter, but it was a fond memory that reignited in Chisaki a spark of joy.

She plopped onto a familiar stool as Masaru leaned over his lasagna pan, where he pulled the cover off of the lasagna to reveal a perfectly golden shell of cheese and a vague crust of tomato that had risen up the sides of the pan. Chisaki stared in awe.

"Oh my god. That's gorgeous!"

"Right? I'm admittedly rather proud." Masaru said with a smile.

"You should be… It's a masterpiece!"

"Well thank you. I'm glad to see that someone appreciates it." He said with a teasing side glance at his wife.

"Hey. You know I'm fine with anything just as long as it's edible." She said with a shrug and a humorous smile, playing along.

"Ugh, this is exactly what I mean. My talents are completely wasted on this family!" Masaru exclaimed with a dramatic groan of defeat. "Save me Chisaki!"

"Sure." She said, leaning in with a conspiratorial grin. "But I think that I'll have to begin by relieving you of your legendary lasagna!"

"Nooo." He howled, all but falling on the floor in mock despair.

They erupted in a round of laughter at that.

Chisaki really had meant it as a joke… but not twenty minutes later, she found herself accountable for cleaning a sizable chunk of the now practically empty lasagna pan.

She lay slouched in her seat, stuffed to the brim, and practically unable to move. Masaru sat in a similar state beside her at the table, grinning at her.

"Who do you think ate more?"

"I don't know. That was a pretty close one… " Chisaki said with a smile. She'd have laughed, if that much movement hadn't seemed as dangerous as it did at the moment.

"I hate to say it hun, but I think that we've got to hand it to Chisaki today." Mitsuki said with a smile. She was leaning forwards with an elbow propped on the table and a lazy grin on her lips.

"What the hell are you talking about, I clearly ate more than her!" Bakugo snarled with a glare.

Mitsuki's gaze slid over to her son and she rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Katsuki stop being so rude."

"But I did-"

"Enough Katsuki-"

"Stop lying to me I did."

Chisaki was too far in her food coma to keep listening as they bickered back and forth. So she just closed her eyes and sat there. It was as she listened to Bakugo's voice drone in and out that Shigaraki's words rang back to her. She'd have to figure out how to deal with him soon. Bakugo Katsuki was baggage, very dangerous baggage. She lifted an eyelid to eye her childhood friend wearily. Here he looked relatively harmless, seemingly dwarfed next to his mother, who was easily matching his fearsome temper beat for beat.

Bakugo almost seemed like a completely different person from how he was at school. Here he was just a kid, being petty and arguing with his mother, and outside he was… a terrifying overlord who caused her boundless torment and who no one could tame. They seemed so different, and yet Chisaki secretly knew that they were one and the same. They were both the Kachaan that she'd grown up with. They were both the vicious menace he'd become.

He was violent and selfish and a massive prick, but…. But he didn't deserve to be brutally punished. Shigaraki would be disappointed to here it, but this was her choice. She'd much rather save Bakugo miles of pain than have that on her conscience.

Chisaki resolved herself with this thought. Just as she'd planned before, she'd ride out her remaining time with Bakugo, hold her cards close to her chest, and find solace where she could. It was the only way to stay true to herself and minimize the pain she caused those around her—

"So Chisaki, how have you been doing? Is school going well?" Mitsuki asked with a polite tilt of her head.

Chisaki blinked at her for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden shift to her. Bakugo sat across from her, his eyes drilling into her threateningly, as his fork stabbed rather violently into the lasagna on his plate. It took her a second to realize that that was the last piece of lasagna and that he must have taken it as a means to ensure his victory in their fictitious competition. Regardless, the message was clear, say anything and you'll end up like this pasta.

Chisaki simply set a smile on her lips and complied with unwavering confidence.

"Yup, everythings going great. The teachers are super nice and they make the material really easy to understand. Not to mention that everyone in the class is super close and we all get along great."

"Really? Well that's great to hear." Masaru said with a smile.

"Yeah. I feel kind of lucky to be honest."

"What about Highschool? Do you know where you're going to apply for next year?" Mitsuki pressed, still smiling politely. Chisaki's heart skipped a beat in shock. The clanging of metal against porcelain stopped. Slowly, her gaze slid aside to find Bakugo's gaze locked onto her in horror. His lips began to twist into a snarl and she could already hear his growl of " Don't you dare!"

And, Chisaki had no idea what spiteful demon possessed her, but her response was already cutting itself from her lips before he could even part his.

"UA. I think that I'll be aiming for UA." She said with a masterful smile.

Internally Chisaki flinched. Why the hell had she said that? She wasn't getting into UA. She didn't even think that she wanted to.

But when she saw Bakugo's face, all of that fell away to some smug resolution. He was completely livid, his face was beat red and his lips floundered wordlessly as his wide eyes darted around her face.

His parents on the other hand beamed back, completely oblivious to his mounting anger.

"Great, you and Katsuki can go together." Mitsuki said. "Maybe you two will even end up in the same class again-"

"No way!" Bakugo yelled, suddenly on his feet and slamming his hands onto the table. All eyes were on him when he snarled pointedly at Chisaki. "There's no fucking way you're getting into UA with me , you useless shit ! You don't even have a fucking quirk! You won't even pass the entrance exams, much less get into the hero course. You're not qualified-"

"Katsuki Bakugo sit your ass down and shut your mouth!" Mitsuki exclaimed, rising to meet him in equal parts horror and rage. "What the hell gives you the right to say that to her! She's a perfectly capable young woman! She has every right to at least try to get into UA-"

"Try? Why? She's just going to fucking fail anyways-"

"Don't go plastering your judgement all over this! Don't impose your shit on her like that-"

"My judgement? She's the one who's way out of line! I'm the one who's going to be a hero! She's always getting in my fucking way all of the fucking time-"

"Katsuki! Don't you dare fucking talk that way! Apologize-"

"I'm not fucking apologizing to that piece of shit!"

The two continued on like that, but Chisaki stopped listening when a hand landed on her shoulder. She looked up in shock to find Masuru looking down at her with a sympathetic smile.

"These two aren't going to be stopping anytime soon. So, why don't I drive you home?" He offered with a nod towards the door.

Chisaki glanced back at the quarreling pair across from her and immediately came to a decision.

She gave him a nod.

Not a minute later, she was sitting in Masuru's car as they cut through the night in stifling silence.

"I'm sorry about tonight." He said eventually, fingers tapping the steering wheel nervously.

"No. Don't worry about it." She muttered evenly. Bakugo's attitude was nothing new and they both knew it.

Silence returned to them. Bakugo's father simmered nervously in his seat during its duration. Chisaki waited patiently for him to spill his thoughts. When he spoke, she could tell that his words were carefully chosen.

"I know that Katsuki can be difficult and… temperamental sometimes… but I really want to thank you for staying by his side all this time. He needs people like you who aren't afraid to push him and let him grow… It's just that he's so used to being praised by everyone, you know? And he doesn't quite understand his own limits. I'm sure that he'll grow into that knowledge with time, but I hope that you'll stay with him until then… " There was a heavy silence that followed his words. His lips had stopped moving but it was clear that he had more to say. After a moment he caved with a sigh. His voice was oddly grave even as he struggled to keep his tone light. "You know what? You're really one of the strongest people I know… If I were in your shoes, I probably would have backed out ages ago." While Masaru's eyes stayed glued to the road that sped by around them, his tight grip on the steering wheel and the nervous biting at his lips betrayed his unease. It was only at his next words that he braved a look in her direction, eyes clear and voice direct. "For everything: for putting up with him, for standing up even when it's scary… for still being here… I just want to say thank you." For a painful moment the hum of the car and the sounds of the night whipping past them were all that filled Chisaki's ears.

What was he insinuating….?

No! He couldn't-

Her heart sped up in quickly rising anxiety. Her confusion twisted to panic and she could only stare back at him in abject horror.

He knew! He knew exactly what his son had been doing— Exactly what he'd been doing to her .

"H-how long have you kn-known about…" The last words choked behind the growing lump in her throat. She couldn't even bring herself to say them. It was a taboo, something that she'd never dared to name in fear that it would become too unshakable, too real .

Even after coming home bruised and beaten. Even after having her things trashed. Even after hearing abuse after abuse. It was all a normal thing. It was just Bakugo, being Bakugo -

"His bullying?" Masuru finished for her, knocking her from her spiraling thoughts with a troubled creas of his brow. "I've had my suspicions for a while now. Mitsuki and I have been discussing it, and we've decided to be a little more strict with him. But in the end there's only so much we can do as parents… and for that, I want to apologize. Maybe if we'd seen it only a little sooner we could have saved you so much pain." They locked eyes and his next words broke something in Chisaki. "I'm really so, so , sorry."

Before she could stop herself, the gasp that tore itself from her throat twisted into a sob. Both that wretched sound and the tears that followed were an involuntary response from some unstoppable force; it didn't matter that she clamped her hands over her mouth or how she tried to shield her face from his view, they kept coming against her will.

It was too late! He was too late!

She'd already committed herself to her path, driven by spite and revenge and now… now he was completely derailing her chief source of discontent. —Sure hero's were liars. Sure All Might, the most inspiring man in the whole world, was a fucking fake. Sure everyone had placed their faith in false icons. Sure the world could probably fall apart at any second and no one would be ready to stop it.

But Bakugo had been her slice of injustice and now…

Masuru wasn't even a hero —He wasn't even Kachaan for god's sake! He wasn't who she needed to hear an apology from, and yet those simple words broke her so completely. No one had said those words to her in years. No one had meant it so honestly.

She'd never been honest either. She'd lied to herself for so unbelievably long. She'd been unable to live with the truth of the situation. She'd hated him for so long and buried it so deep. He was a friend, she'd told herself, everything would eventually be okay. But no, she'd had days where she wanted him to suffer, where she believed that he needed to burn in hell for what he'd done.

With just those few words, Chisaki Midoriya collapsed in on herself in a flurry of sobs and ugly tears.

When she was done crying herself out, it occurred to her to look out the window. They had parked somewhere vaguely familiar. It took her bleary eyes a second to register that they were parked across the street from her apartment building.

She quickly realized that Masuru was rubbing her back soothingly. How had she missed that?

"Are you feeling any better?" He asked in concern.

She looked up at him, her eyes raw and voice choked.

"N-not really." She said rubbing away the tears on her cheeks.

He sighed and looked her over in sympathy. She didn't know what she expected from him. She wasn't his kid. There was only so much he could do… Well really, he'd already done more than she would have dreamed.

"I can go from here on my own." She croaked out, reaching for the door handle. "Thank you for the ride-"

"Wait Chisaki…" He said softly, his lips were pressed into a hard line, clearly troubled. "Your mom. Does she know?"

Some sadistic part of her took hold in her exhaustion and she gave a snort. "No." She then bit her lip to keep it from trembling and looked away, her fists balled in her lap. "I… I've never had the heart to tell her."

He took a sharp breath, "Right. Well that is your decision. But… if you ever decide that you are ready to tell her, Mitsuki and I will both be here to help." He smiled jokingly. "Knowing Inko, she's going to need more than one person to convince her of the truth."

"Yeah…" Chisaki said with a tense smile and a sniffle. "She is stubborn like that."

There was silence for a moment and he continued to eye her in concern. Chisaki was sure that she looked like a mess. Her eyes and throat burned from crying and her cheeks felt raw from swiping the tears away. It was obvious that Masuru meant well, but Chisaki really just wanted to be alone in her house.

She had just been about to try for the door again when he said something else, suddenly decisive.

"Look," He said, unbuckling his seatbelt. "I'm going to walk you up to your apartment, just to make sure that you get there alright… I'm afraid that you'll fall on the stairs of something." He said that last bit with a laugh, like it was a joke meant to lighten the mood.

Chisaki didn't have enough energy to do more than nod and follow him out of the car.

Thankfully they got up to the apartment with no issues. When they arrived, he tried to ask her if she needed anything; but she said no, that she was fine.

After that she'd sent him off with the most polite "good night" that she could muster. He'd looked her over one more time, as if to assess if she could handle herself, and eventually nodded and left; ducking down the stairs and leaving her alone in the hallway. For a moment she just stood there in the middle of the apartment building, dazed and glassy eyed.

But eventually she brought herself to unlock her door, stumble to her room, and flop into bed.

She was lying there, in a half lucid state when something pierced through her exhausted haze of self pity. She groaned and hid her face in a pillow as the thoughts ran their course

Bakugo Katsuki was cruel and spiteful and a volatile, stuck up, jerk, but… but she'd have to forget about him after tonight.

There were bigger things in her life beyond him. Her bet with Shigaraki wasn't far off and she still had a quirk that she didn't know how to use. There was too much happening with the league for her to get distracted with Bakugo and his mess. Two months wasn't very much time and starting tomorrow she'd have to dedicate every day she could to getting stronger…. Right. Stronger.

You're starting with training tomorrow with Kurogiri…. after school. Don't you forget you… dumbbbaaaasssss…..

And with that her mind had flushed blank.

Next thing Chisaki knew, the sun was peeking in between the curtains across from her and her alarm was blaring obnoxiously.

She sat up with a groan, feeling oddly sore. It wasn't a muscle sore, but a soulful sore, like someone had found a way to punch her heart.

Yet… she felt lighter somehow. Like some weight had been taken off of her shoulders.

She shut off the alarm and stood to change into a fresh uniform.

The birds chirped outside the window.

Today looked like it would be a productive day. It needed to be.

She had so much to do.


AN:

Oof. Ok. I'm here. I almost missed my monthly deadline, but I made it. Sorry for posting so late in the month, especially when I set up hopes for an early posting before.

I have a policy that I can't publish one chapter until my the next one is complete, and the next chapter was a VERY new experience for me, so it took me a lot more work to get through.

Speaking of new experiences, this chapter was a whole new facet of character writing for me. I've always liked the idea of writing emotional scenes, but this was my first proper execution of it. So, what did you guys think? Did things go alright?
Well, regardless, the next two or three chapters are going to be a ride, and I can't wait to bring you all along.

Stay safe, have fun, and I'll see you soon. 3