Dear Diary,

So remember that idea I had? The one about Luz? Well, I couldn't do it. I got too scared. But then, it worked out. Kinda? I think. Also, happy Grom!

Ugh, Titan I know that sounds so messy (everything in my life seems to be right now), but I don't know what else to write. Literally, I thought writing out my feelings would be the best way to deal with them, but I just couldn't bring myself to hand the freaking note to her!

It took me HOURS to figure out what I was gonna say! I didn't know if I should be poetic or straight forward or a mix of them both. I must have used at least a tree's worth of parchment trying to write the dang note, my trash bin was overflowing with the drafts.

"Luz, be the Azura to my Hecate at Grom?" Cute, but too nerdy.

"Bee mine to Grom?" with the little firebee I drew, it looked like a Malentine's Day card I would get when I was a kid.

"Dearest Luz, would you like to accompany me as my date to Grom?" Not how normal teens speak.

"Luz: You. Me. Grom." Just. No...

Then, when I was about to scrap the idea entirely, it came to me. It was the most basic message, but it was just what I needed.

"Luz, will you go to Grom with me? ~Amity"

By the time I finished writing the note, which ended up taking forever because I couldn't write it neat enough for my liking, it was almost time for me to go to bed. I folded the pink piece of courage into a little square and stuck it under my textbooks, just in case someone was to wander into my room. I then showered, changed into my pajamas, and flopped into bed, just ready to sleep.

But I couldn't.

The scene kept running through my head. Her laughing at me, asking if I was being serious. Her saying "after everything you've put my friends and I through? Not a chance." Me running away and looking like an idiot in front of the entire school.

But she wouldn't do that to me?

Right?

At some point in my spiral, I managed to fall asleep, but all too soon an Abomibutler was trudging past our rooms, groaning at the twins and I to wake us up. I dragged myself into my bathroom, only to find an absolute mess staring back at me. I did my hair and makeup as best as I could, but it still wasn't good enough. Especially with what I wanted to do. So, I snagged one of Ed and Em's concealment stones and stuck it around my ankle. The eyebags "mysteriously" disappeared, my flyways retracted into my ponytail, and the wings on my eyeliner got sharp enough to kill.

Perfect.

While I was getting ready, I figured out the next step: how I was gonna give her the note. I wanted to do something really lowkey, I don't think either of us want all that attention. It was going to be simple: I'd find her in the hall, ask her to talk about some homework somewhere in private (which wouldn't be an odd request, I actually wanted to see how she did on her abomination test), and just give it to her there. I had nowhere in mind, just somewhere where it would be just the two of us, something that was good for her if she said yes, and great for me if she said no.

Easy enough, right?

With one final check to make sure I had everything in order and a quick thumbs-up in the mirror, I was ready.

At least, I thought I was.

The one thing my concealment stone couldn't fix was my anxiety. I was running on autopilot, trying to get to class when I bumped into her, knocking all the stuff out of my hands in the process.

Including the note.

I wasn't quick enough to bend down to grab it, and we both kneeled onto the floor to get my books. I was hoping she'd grab anything but the note, but with my luck, it was the first thing she touched.

(Side note: before going down, I almost insulted Luz before knowing who I was actually talking to. I really need to check myself on that habit, don't I?)

Anyways, I instantly snatched the note from her hand. She told me I had some "quick grabbers", and I sheepishly admitted that the note was just private.

Yeah, that's all it was. Nothing more, nothing less.

And Willow and Gus were with her too... hooray! I don't know how I never considered them being with her that morning. In all the scenarios that I played in my head, she was always alone somewhere. But why wouldn't they be, they're her best friends after all! I decided it was still safe to try to pull her away, just under that guise of having to talk about some school junk.

Right as I was about to ask Luz to walk with me, Principal Bump came over the intercom with the news the entire school wanted to hear- this year's Grom royalty. An odd mix of tension and excitement lingered in the air, everyone wanted to hear any name but theirs.

This year, I didn't get so lucky.

It felt like the world shattered around me. My ears started to ring, my vision blurred, and I wanted nothing more than to just melt into a puddle on the floor. The only thing I could hear was my heart racing and a loud exclamation of joy from Luz. I know she didn't know the full gravity of what Grom was, and I can only assume that there's nothing remotely close to it in the human realm. Nonetheless, I did the only thing my brain would let me do in the moment- run away.

I was smart enough to hex the bathroom door so no one else could come in behind me. I slunk down the wall and sat on the floor, not caring about how dirty it may have been. I broke down, to say the least. I'm never free to cry, to be vulnerable, and I decided to let myself do it this time.

I remember thinking "why me?" The question anyone in my position would have. I didn't know what I did to get this thrown at me, but it was. I don't know how this idea came to mind, but I also remember thinking that maybe Mom and Dad had something to do with this. But they wouldn't put their child at that much risk, right?

After realizing that moping would get me nowhere and that I would just have to face the music, I left the bathroom, chin up high like nothing happened. I slipped into class late (a first for me), but nobody said anything. I guess they were wanting to be nice after learning my fate for the next evening. My day was actually kind of normal (well, as much as it could be), with the only difference being people shooting me a few "sorry" glances or a quick "you got this" while I was walking down the hall.

Halfway through my next class, Bump called me into the gym to show me the "arena" where I'd be facing Grom. He also showed me the weapons cabinets that were housed under the casketball court, explaining the uses for them all. It's not like I haven't seen them used before, and I had more than few years of stories from Ed and Em, as well as Mom and Dad, to go off of. When he was done with the tour, he ran off to meet with the dance committee. That left me alone with my thoughts once again, and I decided to retreat to the temporarily empty bleachers, soon to be filled with the entire student body who would be ready to see some (hopefully not so, at least for me) killer combat.

I started to think of a way to get out of this when I saw Luz come in. She marveled at all the decorations being strung around the room, not even blinking twice when she saw the snaggleback hanging from the ceiling. For a fleeting second, I thought this might have been the time I could have asked her to the dance. But that was quickly overshadowed by the fact that the possible outcome of that was my greatest fear. She then saw the podium, which for reasons unbeknownst to me was just abandoned by the door and pressed the button that triggered the weapons shelves. She thought it was part of the theming, and I decided to step in and tell her what they were used for.

Luz asked me why I wasn't excited to be Grom Queen. I guess in her realm, having a title similar to this is an honor, not a potential death sentence. So, I told her the story of what Grom is and why we have to fight it. And, while being vague, I told her my greatest fear was very embarrassing. She suggested I try simply talking to Bump to get him to put someone else in my place, and she guessed that doing so was my greatest fear. I could only chuckle, and thank her for the idea as I left the gym to go grab lunch before my next class.

Before hitting the cafeteria though, I stopped by Bump's office. I asked him how I could, hypothetically of course, get out of this. He gave a sigh, and said that I was picked for good reasons, and that he sees a lot of potential in me, especially with my class ranking. He did say, though, that if I could find someone to switch with me (a task we both knew would be impossible), then it could happen. At that point, I decided to leave it to fate, I didn't have anyone I would even consider asking to do this for me.

The rest of my day went as normal, and I walked home. When I walked through the door, I overheard mom working in the kitchen and talking with someone on the phone talk about how something was one of the "best business moves" she's made in a while. Letting my curiosity get the best of me, I decided to sneak over to the doorframe and eavesdrop on whatever she was talking about.

"Setting her up as Grom Queen is great promotion for our products! I could send her in with an abo-"

In an instant, my suspicions were confirmed.

I didn't hear anything else she said, I ran out of the house, letting the front door slam behind me. I know I'd probably get an earful later for it, but I had more than that to give right back to her.

You know, I can't say I'm surprised that she did that. Yes, I feel betrayed, but I mean, she makes us demo her products for her investors. So, shouldn't doing it for this new group of "potential clients" be a breeze? I mean, what's the difference between her regular clientele and a room full of high schoolers, right?

While I was stuck in my thoughts, I began to hear a muffled voice and some footsteps coming up from behind me. Figuring I was better trying to possibly fight it than being a sitting duck, I decided to investigate, an abomination ready to be summoned at any given moment.

I wasn't met with a threat, exactly, but a stick to the head, the blunt force knocking me down into the mud. My "assailant" summoned a light glyph, I know you can guess who did it. She started apologizing profusely for what she did, and even pulled me out of the muck. In the process, we locked eyes for a little more than a second. If not for the sheer embarrassment of it all, I think I would have gotten lost in her deep brown eyes. Not wanting to make a fool of myself anymore, I sat down on a tree stump, facing away from her. Luz elected to sit down in the mud, a bold but somewhat fitting choice for her. She asked me if I was able to talk Bump out of making me Queen, and I told her the outcome of the conversation, idly wondering who would want to switch with me.

She did.

I didn't know what else to say. She wouldn't let me talk her out of it, saying that she'd take my place and face Grom in the arena, and that she'd be my fearless champion.

If only she knew that she would be much more than that to me.

We made a plan to meet at her house the next day to get some very last-minute training in, and I told her I'd bring the twins for some more realistic combat. She seemed excited, and we both went back home. When I arrived at mine, I just went up to my room, not saying anything to anyone. I texted Em and Ed to meet me in my room and asked if they could grab me some leftover dinner from the kitchen. I guess they knew something was up, they asked if I was okay after coming in. They already knew I was Grom Queen, but they didn't know why. I told them what I knew about mom's plan, and they told me that they weren't shocked but were still sorry for me, and they said they would help me in any way they could. I assured them that they could help and told them about Luz volunteering to take my spot. I told them that I needed them to help me train her, and they instantly agreed.

After school the next day, we walked to Luz's house, and I couldn't help but think of the last two visits. They weren't the best, and the memories of them mixed with the anxieties I had about the dance were fighting for dominance in my head. It must have shown somehow, because Ed asked me if I was okay. I snapped back to reality and said I just was nervous for the night ahead, which technically wasn't a lie. He told me that everything would be okay, and that Luz would be safe. I don't know if he knew that would help me feel better, but it kinda did. I tapped the note in my pocket, making sure that I didn't lose it somewhere on the walk over. Feeling the paper shift under my fingers improved my mood some more, and I realized that I still had a chance to lose some of the fear that was driving me madder by the hour.

I wish I had the guts to actually do it.

We arrived at Luz's house, and Hooty wrapped around the twins and I, giving us a "hug" of sorts. Eda shooed him off and let us in, telling me I could head upstairs to Luz's room. Somehow, Hooty was already upstairs, and he guided me to her door, covering me in even more feathers. I vowed to destroy him if he even got close to touching me again. I walked through Luz's door to find her looking through a trunk for something to wear to the dance. She pulled out a black dress with a poofy skirt and adorned with a crescent moon, and the skin (?) of something called an "otter". Man, the human realm has some weird traditions. Anyways, I told her she had to get serious about this, that Grom is no laughing matter. I told her that the safety and sanity of the entire Isles was at stake. At that exact moment, Hooty decided to come in thought the window, ultimately risking his safety. Luz had to pull us away from each other, and I left the bird with a few bumps, cuts, and an eyepatch, surprisingly. Honestly, I didn't think I had that in me. I guess the adrenaline of the night ahead fueled my attack.

After patching up the bird worm, we finally made it outside, and the twins began to create their illusions of what Luz was "afraid" of. I got to see the list as they were making them, and... wow. Just, wow. An illusion of an ugly guy came up first (which I would say is valid, men are just gross in general), then a cat with a human head (what did this girl go through?), and a cup of milk. Milk? Was she for real?

I got a little miffed and told her that things that simply made her slightly uncomfortable weren't gonna cut it. I told her that the reason I couldn't face Grom ran way deeper than things that just gross me out. This made her think, and she said that she was afraid of never being able to prove herself to Eda. The twins picked up on that, and soon a larger-than-life illusion of Eda emerged, towering over us as "she" messed with Luz. The real Eda heard the commotion and came out to check on us, but not before checking out her illusion self. She went over to Luz and told her that she always went overboard in whatever challenge she decided to throw herself into, and that she was not looking forward to having to bail her out of something yet again. She also said that it's not fun to watch her kid get eaten by a monster, which I thought was so sweet. With some new-found confidence, Luz said that Eda would, in fact, have fun watching her defeat Grom. After Luz chopped at one final illusion, we had to wrap up our training. It was time to start getting ready for the dance.

On the walk home, I found that the note was still in my pocket. Between Hooty interrupting us and my mini lash-out at Luz, I never found the time to do something as simple as hand her the note and let it speak for itself. I mentally kicked myself once more, and tried to focus on anything but that, failing miserably.

The twins and I got home, and I realized that in all the mess that this week was, I never found an outfit for the evening. This led to a new reason to panic being added to the list, so I ran up to my room and tore through my closet, hoping to find the perfect dress. Emira happened to walk by my door, so I yelled for her to come in. I told her I had one final thing that I needed her help with: fashion advice. She doted as big sisters do and asked why I suddenly became so interested in her fashion skills. She also asked me if I was trying to be pretty for any certain someone, to which I told her no and that I just wanted to look pretty.

I wonder if my blush gave anything away?

After what felt like hours of looking, especially since we were both running out of time to get ready, Emira pulled out a dress that I honestly forgot I had. It was one I got for my birthday last year, the one with the pink skirt, purple bodice, and the puffy pastel pink sleeves. At this point, it looked better than everything we had just strewn across my bedroom floor, so I thanked Emira and let her go get herself ready. After throwing the dress on, I traded my normal ankle boots for some heels, threw on the pink pendant Mom gave me, and fixed my hair and makeup. I kept everything the same, just touching up some things here and there.

Right as I was checking that I had everything I'd need for the evening, I caught sight of the pink square of paper sitting on my desk, mocking me. While I had the chance to dwell on it, a fleeting thought popped into my head: maybe it's a good thing Luz took my spot. I mean, if I was too scared to ask her to Grom, was I brave enough to face the beast myself? Could I not say nine simple words? Or at least give her the note that would say it for me?

The rational part of my brain kicked in and called me selfish, which I had to agree with. Was Luz having to fight a demon that she just learned about yesterday such a good thing? And what if she didn't defeat it, the whole Isles would know my biggest fear, and that's not something I want to share with anyone. Suddenly, a new thought emerged from that: what if I didn't give Grom the chance to do that, a chance to expose my fear. Was I finally ready to face it myself? It was at that moment that I knew what I had to do the moment I saw her at the dance. I pocketed the note and headed downstairs to join the twins.

Before we headed back to school, Mom and Dad stopped us so they could get some pre-dance pics.

They asked where the twin's dates were, and Ed said that they were meeting them at the dance (a cover up for not having any, I guess they needed to keep up an image with Mom and Dad too). Mom tutted at them, saying that she really wanted to meet them (total BS from her too), and grabbed a few more shots before pulling me aside. Mom gave me a mini-Abomiton made just for tonight, and a note with how to run it. She told me that when (not if, when)I needed some extra help, just bring the bot into the fight. I chucked it into a shrub the moment the door shut behind us

We got to the dance and the gym was already alive with students and music. There were bunches of flowers, streamers, and abomi-balloons everywhere, and the house band was playing an upbeat number up on the stage. There were already couples dancing, and people were off on the sides milling around with their friends. I even saw Willow conjuring some corsages for some of our classmates, I've been so proud of her ever since she switched over to the plant track. You know, if it wasn't someone I cared about so deeply getting ready to face Grom, I think I would have been a bit more delighted at the scene.

A few moments later, the lights flashed, signaling us to head to the bleachers. Gus started announcing the night's events, and he was actually doing a pretty good job! think he'd have a future like his dad, he knows how to get people to listen to him. He had everyone in that gym tied around his finger in anticipation.

Well, everyone except me. I was too focused on what was about to happen to Luz. For what was probably the millionth time this week, I started to spiral into a panic. The room started getting a lot stuffier, and Gus' voice started ringing in my ears. I had to duck out into the hall to try to catch myself. While leaving the gym, I heard something fall on the floor behind me- the note. I stealthily picked it up and continued out, hoping no one else saw it. For a moment, I just stared at it, thumbing the corner of the paper. I had one chance to do it, but I hadn't seen Luz anywhere all night. Did she back out? Did she get hurt on the way over? Like, saw Eda and King, but I know they had to be there early to go over the night with Bump and Gus. My thoughts were interrupted by footsteps coming down the hall.

She arrived, nervous about what she was about to face.

She came in this tutu and tuxedo combo, with her normally wild hair slicked back. She also chose some tall brown hiking boots to go with it, which would be weird any other time, but would probably be better for what was gonna transpire. I was kinda in awe, all I could tell her was that she looked strange, but nice. But, I really thought she was beautiful, in her own Luz-y way.

She looked perfect.

I also thanked her for what she was going to do for me. Noticing she still looked nervous, I put my hands on her shoulders to try to ground her. I told her that I was kind of amazed with how fearless she was, and that she's done things that I could never even imagine doing. She gave a chuckle and asked me if I was going soft on her. I laughed back and gave her a witty "in your dreams".

Was that flirting? Were we flirting?!

The moment was ruined when Gus announced Luz's entry into the arena. She went in, telling me to wish her luck. All I could muster was a quiet "luck" as she jogged inside, my home brewed plans of asking her to be my date blowing into the wind.

Gus triggered the weapons armory and opened the hatch dividing the school from Grom's underground dwelling, commencing the start of the evening's battle. I joined the twins up on the bleachers, and I saw Luz pick a flail, which she adorned with one of her ice glyphs. I watched Grom manifest into the weird cat things that she fought earlier, which she promptly launched away with an ice attack. A jerk on a phone emerged next, which she stabbed into oblivion with another ice stake. She was doing pretty well, fighting each illusion off rather quickly. I was getting a lot more confident in the night ending on a happy note (not that I didn't have any faith in Luz in the first place), up until a form of the monster that looked like Eda charged at her, shooting a tendril of goo onto her forehead and creating what would be one of its final forms. A version of the portal door that Luz went through to get here appeared, and a lone woman stepped out. She was older and a little taller than Luz, with the same skin tone and a similar hairstyle, wearing what looked like the uniform of those in the Healing Coven.

It hit me: it was her mom.

And facing her must have been her greatest fear.

I get why she didn't tell me the truth about it, it must be extremely personal for her. And trust me, I know how it feels to be afraid of disappointing my family. I don't know what type of relationship Luz and her mother have, but I would say that it's better than mine with my mom, given the pictures I saw of them in Luz's room.

But that's beside the point. Luz started talking to "her", and she started losing confidence. She forgot that the figure was only an illusion, and thought that it was actually her mom, who I assume doesn't know that she is here. After dropping her weapon, she ran out of the gym and into the forest that surrounded the school, causing Grom to chase after her. The whole school ran off after her, not wanting to miss the rest of the fight. Before we left, I caught Eda in the hall. We shared a knowing look, and both took off after her. I assume she took her palisman and flew over the trees to try to find her, leaving me to catch up on foot like the majority of my classmates.

I followed the trail of footprints and discarded trash left in the mud to where everyone got off to. There was a large crowd surrounding Luz and Grom, and I wasn't able to break though. So, I did what was probably not the smartest thing to do, deciding to climb a tree to get a better vantage point of what was happening. By the time I got to the top, I saw Luz cowering at the edge of a cliff, and Eda about to cast a spell to vanquish the beast. I decided then and there that I couldn't let Luz do this alone, and that I needed to make this right. So, I hopped out of the tree and put myself between Luz and Grom, yelling for it to stay away from her.

Grom then grabbed me, pulling me up to meet it eye-to-eye. I yelled a quick apology to Luz, telling her that I should have fought my own battle. After a beat of silence, I decided to tell her what my fear actually was, but was interrupted by Grom possessing me. I could faintly hear Luz calling out for me before I was set back onto the ground and pulled out of my trance. Grom shifted into what looked like a faceless version of Luz, luckily the real one didn't pick up on who it was. It reached into my pocket to grab the note, tearing it and tossing it onto the ground like it was nothing before sliding back into its beastly form.

I was left standing there dejected, Grom having the same emotional effects on me that it did Luz. I picked up the top half of the note, wanting to believe that I could still give it to her. I felt tears about to well at my eyes, until Luz ran over. My blood went cold, shifting my sadness into panic. Luckily, she picked up the half of the note that didn't have her name on it, only the question. She read it, and realized that my fear was getting rejected. She didn't know by who, which I'm still not sure was a good or bad thing. She then asked me the question I was trying to ask her all along: what if she went to Grom with me? If not for the fear coursing through my veins, I probably would have exploded in joy. I asked her if she really meant it, and she said that's what friends do.

Friends, huh? I won't lie, that kinda hurt.

But, I couldn't let that slow me down. After all, we still had a monster to defeat. So, in an attempt to be somewhat suave, I asked her if I could have a dance with her, extending my hand out grab it so she could grab it. She caught my drift, and I pulled her in, ready to do whatever it took to send Grom crawling back to the hole it came from.

We charged forward, dipping our bodies then opening ourselves back up. Luz then picked me up and spun me around, setting me down into a split and spinning me around once more so I could draw a spell circle into the dirt with my shoes. After pulling me back up, Luz glided into the circle, where I summoned the biggest abomination that I've even created. We then rose up to the top of the tree line and spun around once more atop the abomination's head. Luz flashed her collection of glyphs like a fan, giving me the flirtiest look over the top of them, nearly making me lose focus. I then spun her back into my arms, where she bent down and placed a plant glyph on the abomination's forehead, causing it to charge at Grom. We jumped off while it ran, landing as the abomination was eaten by Grom. Luz caught me and spun me around twice more as the plant glyph activated from inside Grom, causing it to explode into a huge tree adorned with beautiful pink leaves as we hit our final pose.

Leaves rained down around us as we received our Grom royalty crowns, which this year were shiny pink crystals like the leaves on the tree adorned on a golden head band. Finally finding his mojo as an emcee, King formally announced Luz and I as Grom Queens, causing a group of our classmates to emerge from their hiding spots in the forest and erupt into thunderous applause for the impromptu dance routine we just choreographed. We were crowd surfed back to the school, where the dance continued on a much lighter note. Everyone was a lot happier, and the gym was abuzz with chatter about what everyone had just seen.

Luz and I both got tons of high fives (I think Luz taught people around school what they were) and "great jobs" from our classmates, even those in years way above or below ours. For the first time in a long time, I even got to have some fun with Willow. Luz invited me to hang out with her, Willow, and Gus through the end of the dance, and we had the best time. It felt good to be able to spend some time with them. They didn't judge anyone or put each other down, they lifted each other up, and praised both Luz and I for our "heroism". I don't think I would call it that, but it still felt great to hear something good out of my friends' mouths for a change.

Friends? Friends.

Okay, maybe I'm liking that word just a little more now. It doesn't matter that I might see one of them as just a little more than that.

Who am I kidding? I know I want more, but I'll never push it onto her, that wouldn't be right. I'll be okay for now. I hope…

Anyways, towards the end of the night, the four of us took some photos together. It started with me catching Luz in her otter costume (no clue how or why she brought it to the dance), and I happened to peek behind the backdrop as she was taking the photo (I'm praying to the Titan that the camera didn't catch me). As I was trying to sneak away, Luz caught me, Willow, and Gus walking by, and pulled us into the photo. I think I probably had the biggest smile I've ever had in that photo (and probably the biggest blush too.)

After the dance, I found a proud set of twins waiting for me outside of the school. They gave me their standard celebratory hugs, shoulder punches, and noogies, and asked if I wanted to go to an afterparty that their friends Viney, Jerbo, and Barcus were throwing. They told me that the party would love to see half of this year's Grom Royalty grace their presence. I laughed, but said I would rather go home, and that I had the longest day ever (which was not a lie whatsoever). They understood and didn't push, letting me go off on my own. I wished them a fun night, and we separated for the evening.

When I got home, Mom and Dad were asleep, so I crept up to my room as quietly as possible, so I didn't wake them. I sat down on my windowsill, looking at the full moon shining over the Boiling Sea. I took my tiara off and looked at it for a second before putting it away. While I'm proud of what I did that night, part of me still felt empty. I regret not being brave enough to ask Luz out in the first place. Like, I know that the night probably wouldn't have happened the way it did if I actually had the courage to ask her to the dance from the get-go. I had so many chances, and I just let them all go to waste. It took us nearly causing all of the Isles to experience their worst fear for me to come to terms with mine. And I regret letting Luz fight Grom in my place. In the end, my fear was exposed to everyone anyways, so I might as well have just fought it on my own.

Diary, do I really deserve that crown?

Yes, I did eventually face my fear head on. And I was bold enough to put myself in harm's way for someone that I care so much about, not even knowing or caring if she felt the same way about me. After being half of the duo that saved the entire Isles, I even got to start rebuilding some relationships and forming the foundation of others, defying the expectations that both my parents and other "friends" set for me. Through all of this, I got to have the best night of my life with some of the best people in my life.

So yeah, I think I do.

Bow down to your Queen,

Amity

Happy Halloween, everyone!

I've been wanting to get this chapter done for the longest time and it's finally here! I know it's quality over quantity, but damn I'm impressed with my word count this chapter. I can't wait to see what lays ahead for this fic, and I'm trying to figure out how I wanna incorporate S3 into my work. Speaking of S3, Thanks To Them absolutely killed me. No spoilers ahead, but I wasn't ready for some of the stuff that went down.

Finally, I wanna thank MoreLikeSignificantAnnoyance on AO3 for being my hype woman in the writing process, and a few members of Sarcastic Everything on YT's Discord server for giving me some feedback! Check out their works and channel, you won't regret it.