Emerald stood behind Mercury, frozen, staring out the doorway. A thousand thoughts were running through her head, crashing into each other. Her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest, and a horrible pit began to form in her stomach.
She refused to believe it. It was insanity. How, how were they here? How did this happen to them? They had tried to get away, tried to bow out of the madness that had become their lives and lay low somewhere they wouldn't be found. At the very least, not by anyone Salem sent, or any of Ruby Rose's friends.
And yet, standing right in the middle of the doorway, were the three teammates of Pyrrha Nikos.
Cotta-Arc, She thought absently. As in, Arc. The name had tugged at something in the back of her mind when she first read it off the list of employees at the Argus relay, but she had brushed it off. Back in Beacon, there were really only a couple of students that warranted attention from them. Pyrrha Nikos, as the obvious candidate for Maidenhood. Ruby Rose, for her eyes, and her team by extension for all the trouble they managed to cause.
The other members of Pyrrha's team, however, were little more than a footnote. They weren't supposed to matter. So why are they right in front of us?
She wasn't sure how long they all stood there, just staring at each other. It felt like an eternity, but had to have only been a few seconds, if that.
Mercury was the one to finally break the stalemate, setting Adrian down and stepping in front of her. He held out a hand, as if to pacify them. "Now listen, this isn't what you think it-"
"Get away!" Jaune shouted, shoving Saphron behind him and launching himself towards her and Mercury. He roared, swinging at her partner, who calmly sidestepped the blow, lightly pushing him away.
"What the hell are you doing?" Saphron yelled. "Stop it!"
"We aren't here for a fight," Emerald pleaded. The other two had entered the house fully now, and had their weapons drawn. Jaune had recovered as well, unsheathing his sword. Her and Mercury were between them.
"Bullshit!" Jaune snarled. "Salem sent you here to cut us off, or hold them hostage, or-or something! I'm not letting you two hurt my family, not again!"
He drew his sword back, and Emerald saw Mercury tense up, ready for a fight, when Saphron stepped in between them, glaring at Jaune. "What do you think you're doing?" She demanded. "You're attacking my guests!"
"Guests?" Jaune said in disbelief. "They're criminals! Whatever they told you, it's a lie."
"We know they're criminals!" Saphron said. "But they're students from Beacon, I would've thought you'd be happy to run into other survivors."
Jaune's face flashed in anger. "They're not survivors, and they're sure as hell not students! They're the reason Beacon fell in the first place!"
Emerald sucked in a breath. Weeks of managing to keep their secrets, to hide everything from the Cotta-Arcs. Weeks of living in relative peace. And it was all falling apart, from one stupid coincidence. She hated them then. Hated them more than she thought she could ever hate anything. Why? Why did you have to come here and ruin everything? It was finally starting to look up, we were finally going to be normal!
Saphron turned towards them, her face desperate. "What is he talking about? This-this is just some sort of weird mix-up, isn't it? Emerald, tell them this is just a mistake, that you aren't who they think you are." She was almost begging.
Emerald backed away slowly, panting, almost hyperventilating. It was really over, wasn't it? Mercury had been right the first time. She should never have gotten her hopes up in the first place. People like them didn't get to have a happy ending. Sooner or later, something always comes back to bite them in the ass.
She connected with a wall, and sank down to her knees without really realizing it. It was getting hard to breathe, now. I should have known better. This was a mistake. But we just HAD to try, didn't we? Because I couldn't face reality. Because I wanted something better from life. Selfish. A selfish, stupid little girl, that's all she ever was. Cinder was right. She was just-
"Em?" A voice asked softly. Mercury's hand was on her shoulder, and he was crouched in front of her. She wasn't sure how long he had been there. "We need to leave. Now."
"What…?" Happened, she wanted to ask, but couldn't form the words. She looked behind him. Arc was still there, with his friends, and Saphron and Terra of course, but they didn't seem to notice them. They just stood there looking shocked.
"Your semblance," Mercury told her. "You started panicking, backing away, and I guess you must have used it on instinct.
She frowned in confusion. "But-but my semblance doesn't work on more than one person at a time…"
"Well it does now," Mercury said impatiently. He gently grabbed her arm, helping her arm. "So how about we take advantage of it before something else goes wrong?"
She nodded, allowing herself to be led out of the house in a daze. It all seemed to fly by her at once. One minute they were carefully walking out the door, the next they were almost a block away.
They were running now, Mercury guiding them, holding on to her hand. "Mercury," She said in between breaths, trying to get his attention. "Mercury, stop,"
He turned tightly into a corner, taking them into an alleyway. They came to a halt, holding onto their knees to catch their breath. "Where-where are we going now?" She asked. "What's the plan?" They were discovered, forced out of the only place they could stay.
They could try to get back to the old apartment building they were squatting in, but if Arc was here, Ruby Rose wasn't far behind. And if that many of their enemies were here, nowhere in the city would be safe for them. At the very least, they'd inform the local authorities, and kick off a city wide manhunt for the two of them.
They were screwed. Completely and utterly screwed. They couldn't even try and skip town, not without any transportation. And good luck trying to steal something before the guards were alerted.
"I don't…I don't know," Mercury said. "We just have to keep going."
"What's the point?" Emerald asked bitterly. "Where are we going to that we won't be found? Let's say we find somewhere to lay low in the city. We'll have what, two, three days before someone rats us out for a reward?"
She ran her hand through her hair, choking back a sob. "I'm sorry, Merc. This is my fault. I'm the one who insisted we try and stay, I'm the one who told us to give up on the Argus Limited. I just wanted a normal life, and I screwed us over because of it. Both of us."
"Hey," Mercury cut her off. "I was there with you every step of the way, remember? I could have said no. This is my fault as much as it is yours." He sighed. "Look, there's not any point wallowing like this. They showed up. They recognized us. And now, we have to leave."
"It's so stupid!" She shouted in frustration. "How? How did we pick the one fucking family in this entire fucking city that could possibly lead to this happening? How? We were happy, for once! We had finally dealt with Jadis! We had finally dealt with-with us! We were going to stop, to try and start living like civilians! Why did the world have to come together to fuck us over and make sure that never happens? It isn't fair!"
"No," He agreed. "It's not. Nothing ever is, not for us. But it's the way things are. And I don't know about you, but I don't really feel like rolling over and giving up just as things were starting to seem all right." He sneaked a look around the corner, looking for any pursuers. "So I'm not going to. I got a bit too much going for me, even with all this crap." He grinned at her. "We're going to get out of this, Em. I refuse to accept anything else."
"Any bright ideas on just how you're going to do that, Merc?" She snarked. Immediately, she regretted it. He was only doing what he could to help the two of them.
Mercury paused, taking another look around the corner. "We're probably going to have to split up, at least for a while,"
"Are you serious?" She hissed. "How is that not the worst possible thing we could do right now?"
"Because they're probably out looking for us right now," Mercury said. "Or at least calling the cops or something. Our window for getting out of here is closing, and closing fast. We've got a better shot of finding a way out with both of us covering the city."
"I don't think we really have a chance of leaving Argus," Emerald argued. "We don't have a bullhead, or anything. We'll have to travel on foot. We'll run out of supplies fast, and be caught by searchers even faster."
"Shit," He cursed. "You have a point."
"We're going to have to stay in the city and try and weather it out," She said. "But…maybe what you said still stands, now that I think about it. We'll have a much better chance of finding somewhere to hide if both of us are looking as opposed to just one."
He nodded. "Alright then, good. We have a plan, or at least the start of one. We'll split up for now, and then meet back up sometime tonight to see if we found something. Any ideas for where?"
Emerald thought for a minute. "Our old hideout, at the abandoned apartments?"
Mercury shrugged. "Good a place as any, I suppose." He sighed. "We can't stay there for long, but it's something. I guess we should split up now, start looking as fast as possible. It doesn't have to be perfect, just somewhere we can hide out reliably for a couple days. At least, until we find something better."
She grabbed his arm, tugging on his sleeve. "Be careful, okay? I don't want something to happen to you."
He seemed to hesitate for a moment, before reaching out and wrapping her in an awkward hug. "Hey, relax a little, alright? We'll be fine. We've gotten through rougher scrapes than this. We just got to split up for a few hours, and we'll see each other tonight. And we will see each other. I promise. You're not gonna be stuck out here all night by yourself, trust me."
"I trust you," She told him, pulling away.
He took one last look at her, before going deeper into the alley. "Good luck, Em," He called back. "I'll see you soon."
"Good luck," She whispered, knowing he wouldn't hear her.
Emerald went back out to the sidewalk. She wouldn't be able to stay out long, she'd have to find another alley, or something. Where was she even supposed to look to find somewhere for them to hide? Their old hideout was out of the question. Frequent places for squatters like that would be the first spot the cops would look.
Why did it have to come to this in the first place? They were so close. They were happy. And in the span of minutes, it all came crumbling down.
How were Saphron and Terra taking it? She wondered. Would it really be that much of a shock to them? They had met after kidnapping and threatening to kill them. Still, they had lived with the Cotta-Arcs for weeks. They probably felt betrayed, at the very least.
For some reason, that made her feel guilty. She scoffed. Why should she feel guilty, why now? Why not while she served Cinder? Why not after Beacon? Why now, only after everything she wanted was snatched away from her.
It wasn't guilt. It couldn't be. It was selfishness, pure and simple.
She wiped a tear out of the corner of her eye, quickening her pace, though still not quite running. It was funny, really. How quickly the two of them got used to living there. How comfortable they became.
They had allowed themselves to become complacent. They had allowed themselves to hope that there was something more for them than living in the dregs of society. They had a home, for once.
As if that mattered. As if that changed anything. The problem was never Cinder, or Mercury's father, or her own parents, who she never knew. It was them. It was always them, no matter what lies they tried to tell themselves.
They deserved this. All of it. They brought it on themselves.
Quit being so bitter, She told herself. You don't believe that. She sighed. No, she really didn't. It wasn't Mercury's fault, or hers for that matter, but it made everything so much easier when you could absolutely, positively pin the blame on someone, even if it was yourself.
She'd be better once she saw Mercury again. He usually managed to curb the worst of her tendencies to blame herself. He had promised they'd see each other again tonight, and he had never broken a promise to her.
She just had to make it until then. And if I can find somewhere for us, then all the better.
It wouldn't be like with the Cotta-Arcs. She didn't think anything would ever be like that again. They had a golden opportunity, a chance at a perfect life, for her at least. It was definitely the happiest she had ever been before.
But that was in the past now, and it was better if she moved on quickly. Whatever came next might not be as good, but it was something.
And as long as it was with Mercury, she could get through it.
"Where did they go?" Jaune snarled, eyes darting around the room. "They have to still be here somewhere. It's the girl's semblance, I think. That's how they tricked Yang at the festival."
"I'll check the rest of the house," Ren offered. "Just to make sure they're not hiding somewhere."
Jaune nodded. "Good idea. I'm not sure what else we can do right now. We'll have to go to the cops soon, obviously, but I think we should try looking for them ourselves first. They're dangerous. I'm not sure leaving it to the locals is a great idea."
"We'll have to be careful as well," Ren reminded him. "It's only the three of us, for the moment."
"Of course," Jaune said. "I just meant we should go looking, is all. We'll have to wait until the others get here before going after them."
Saphron's held a hand to her head. She felt dizzy, she had to sit down. Her head swam, and she stumbled, barely managing to catch herself on the wall. What was even happening? Her brother had shown up, with a couple friends just like he said. And she had all of ten seconds to be happy before everything blew up in her face.
Jaune recognized Mercury and Emerald. Funny, she was kind of hoping that he would. She thought that it might be a good thing for all of them, that maybe they might have even been friends, back in Beacon. It would have worked out so nicely.
They had recognized each other all right. Immediately. And Jaune had actually accused them…accused them of helping Beacon fall. But that was impossible. Jaune had to be wrong, or mistaken or something.
She didn't really know a lot of the details surrounding the fall, not for sure. Not when there was so much misinformation going around. And the lack of a CCT certainly didn't help. All she knew for sure was that there was an attack on the festival. Some woman was involved, and terrorists too, and they were working with the Grimm somehow? That didn't make any sense, but it was one of the only things everyone agreed on.
Mercury and Emerald though, they were just two people. Maybe not normal people, but they were alright. They got off to a rocky start, sure, but ever since, they were doing good! They helped around the house, they made an effort to be friendly, hell, Mercury even managed to snag his way into being Adrian's favorite!
They were the dictionary definition of troubled, but they weren't bad people. They had lived together for weeks now. She and Terra knew they had probably had to steal before, to get by, but they had promised they stopped. All of that was just because they didn't have a choice. Jaune had to be wrong. What would two people who helped with the fall be doing in Argus, living with them? It was crazy.
It didn't make sense. None of it made any sense. And now, Mercury and Emerald were gone, and she couldn't even ask them for their side of the story anymore.
Except, I did ask, she thought. That's why they ran in the first place.
No. There was just no way. She was missing something, Jaune was missing something, there had to be some sort of reasonable explanation for all of this. Then they could all relax a little, and Mercury and Emerald could come back, and they could laugh about how crazy this all seemed.
A soft hand fell on her shoulder, and she jumped. "Saph?" Terra asked softly. "Are you alright?"
"Of course I'm not alright!" She burst out, her heart racing. "How could I possibly be alright? I don't even know what's going on anymore!" This was all too much. She needed some space, she needed to breathe.
Jaune frowned, noticing her distress. "Maybe you should take a seat, Saph," He suggested.
"Don't tell me what to do!" She snapped. "Tell me what the hell is happening! I can't-none of this is making any sense! Why did Mercury and Emerald run off? What's going on? You can't honestly think that…that…"
Jaune shared a look with Terra, and nodded. Terra wrapped her arm around Saphron, gently directing her to the couch. "I think we should take a seat honey. Just until we figure everything out."
The other one of Jaune's friends, the one with a hammer, laid a hand on his shoulder. Wordlessly, she gestured back out of the front door.
"You're going to keep watch outside?" He asked. She nodded. "Maybe just stay at the entrance, then? I want you to still be in earshot, at least." She nodded once more, and walked over to the front door, leaning against the doorframe and crossing her arms.
Jaune turned to her, sighing. "Look…what exactly do you know? What did they tell you?"
"They…they said…" Saphron faltered, struggling to gather her thoughts. Her heartbeat was slowing, at least.
"They said that they were former students, survivors from the fall," Terra cut in, giving Saphron more time to calm herself. "At least, that's what Emerald said''
Jaune scoffed. "Yeah, no. We thought they were exchange students from Haven, back before the fall. Their leader, a woman named Cinder, was the one who orchestrated the fall, and those two were her lackeys, following behind her every step of the way." He frowned. "How did they even wind up here in the first place?"
"That's er, kind of a long story." Terra said evasively.
"Mercury broke into Terra's car at work," Saphron spoke up. "And Emerald tricked her way into here. I guess that was her semblance. They told us to do what they said, and they'd leave us alone. They just wanted a manifest, so they could rob a train. The Argus Limited, actually."
Her brother frowned. "Then why are you surprised? They literally threatened you two."
"Because it's not that simple!" Saphron shot back. "I started talking with Emerald while we were waiting for Mercury and Terra to get back. That's when she told me all that about being former students. They said they didn't really have any choice but to steal in order to get by. They couldn't work as Huntsmen, and they didn't want to go back to an academy. It made sense at the time, and…I felt a little guilty. I thought of you, Jaune. All I knew back then, was that you were wandering around Mistral with a couple of your friends and that was it. I wondered if you might have to do something like that just to get by, and I couldn't…I couldn't just let them leave. I offered them a place to stay, a second chance, to help them get back on their feet."
Jaune sighed. "Saph, you really are too nice for your own good. I can't think of anyone else who would offer a place to stay to two people who broke into your home and threatened you."
"It's more complicated than that!" She defended.
"I really don't think it is," Jaune argued. "These people are dangerous, Saphron. There's no telling what they could have done if we didn't come here."
"They haven't done anything, in all the time they've been here." Saphron countered.
"How long have they been here, anyway?" Jaune asked. "They weren't at Haven."
"I don't know, a few weeks?" Saphron said weakly.
Jaune hummed in thought. "Cinder must have sent them here a while ago then. But why would she send them here of all places? Even we didn't know we were going to Atlas until Haven, and it's not like they would have any other reason to be here. Except to take you as hostages? But why my family? Why not Ruby's, or Blake's, or someone else? And why not go straight to Ansel instead of just the two of you?"
She heard a knock on the wall, and looked up. Jaune's friend, the mute girl had drawn their attention. She tossed her scroll to Jaune, who caught it without trouble. "Maybe they came here to wait, so they could ambush us?" Jaune read. He frowned, then tossed the scroll back. "Maybe, but that still doesn't explain how they would have guessed we were going to Atlas."
"Have you considered that maybe they weren't here to hurt anyone?" Saphron asked sharply.
"Saph have you been listening to me?" Jaune asked. "I'm being completely serious here. Whatever those two told you, whatever reasons they gave for being here, it was a lie. The people that they work for aren't just some random criminals, or terrorists, they're the most dangerous people on Remnant, dedicated to the complete eradication of everything. This is not a game. You're lucky they didn't just kill you outright, and wait for us by themselves."
"They would never have killed us, we would have been dead without them!" Saphron shouted. "Last night, there was a break in. Thieves, looking for something valuable I guess. Mercury and Emerald fought them off, then tracked them and made sure they wouldn't come back. Are you listening to me? Nothing you're saying makes any sense! I know them! I've lived with them for weeks, we both have! Mercury is an asshole, sure, but he's nice if you give him a bit of space. And Adrian loves him. Emerald's a little shy, but ever since she's come here she's been nothing but a sweetheart. She's thankful for the chance we're giving them. They help out around the house, wash dishes, do chores, watch the baby. You have to be making a mistake."
"Then why did they leave?" He asked simply. Saphron's mouth opened, but she couldn't think of a reply. Why? Why did you two have to go? You could have just stayed, and cleared everything up. They have to be making a mistake.
Jaune reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Saph, I know how you feel. You've known them for weeks, after all. But we knew them for months, back at Beacon. We thought they were normal transfer students, just like all the rest. They were a little weird, but hey, so were a lot of the transfers. Huntsmen and Huntresses are all a little weird after all. We trusted them. Believed them. Then the fall happened, and they showed us who they really were."
Saphron's throat felt dry. "Did you know Mercury has prosthetic legs?" Jaune asked suddenly. Her eyes widened in surprise. Jaune chuckled. "Yeah, neither did we. At the end of his fight in the Vytal tournament, with one of my friends, Emerald used her semblance on her. Made it seem like Mercury was trying to attack her. To everyone else, she broke the leg of a boy she had just beat in a fight, for no reason after the battle had ended. To her, she was defending herself. It wasn't until later when Ruby, one of our friends, ran into him that she figured out what happened. They're liars, Saphron. Really, really good liars. Murderers, too. They're the reason Beacon fell. Why Vale is overrun with Grimm, and the rest of Remnant has been thrown into chaos. They're the reason my partner is dead."
Saphron winced. "So trust me when I say, whatever it is they told you, is a lie." That isn't true. It couldn't be. She wanted to speak up, to defend Mercury and Emerald, but she couldn't find the words.
Instead, Terra spoke on their behalf. "If what you're saying is true, Jaune, then how come we're still alive? You just said you didn't know why they were even here in the first place."
"I never claimed to know everything," Jaune said. "And you're right, I have no idea why they would be here. But they are. And whatever it is they're here for, it's nothing good."
But then why go through the effort in the first place? Why pretend to take our offer? Her eyes widened. "They were going to leave," She said suddenly.
Jaune frowned. "What?"
"They were going to leave. They never asked to stay with us, I offered it to them. And I can tell you for a fact, Mercury at least was very surprised. If they were just waiting for you and your friends to come here all this time, how come they were ready to just leave us alone? And why would they want to rob the train? This was weeks ago, long before you were planning on coming here."
He shook his head. "I don't know, Saph, that's what I'm trying to tell you. Yeah, a lot of this doesn't make any sense. That's what we're trying to figure out."
"I still don't think this is as simple as you're making it seem," Saphron said. "Even if…even if everything you're saying is true, there has to be something the two of us are missing. Because either way, things aren't adding up."
"You're right," Jaune agreed. "Which is why we need to find Mercury and Emerald as soon as we can, before they hurt someone."
"The house is clear," Jaune's friends said, coming back into the living room. "They're long gone."
"Thanks Ren," Jaune said. He stood up, brushing his knees off. "Ren, I think you and I should go out, try and find what we can, maybe pick up a trail. We'll only try and find a location, though. The minute we lay eyes on them, we're coming back and waiting for the others to get here. Nora, could you stay here, make sure Saphron and Terra are safe in case they decide to come back?"
The mute girl nodded, giving a cheery thumbs up. "Thank you," Jaune said. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Saphron. I hate that this is how I come back. I was looking forward to seeing you again, I was so excited, and now…" He faltered, unable to finish.
He tried again. "This is a really crappy way to visit, I know. But I'm glad we got here when we did. The two of you are going to be fine. There's a few more friends of ours that should be arriving sometime tonight or tomorrow, including a proper Huntsman. Er, mostly proper. But we should be back before then."
Without another word, he left, his friend in green following him, leaving Saphron and Terra alone with the girl, Nora.
Saphron was still lost in thought, reeling from…everything, really. It was hard to believe, but the more time went on, it became even harder to doubt Jaune. She certainly didn't think he was willfully lying to her, he was her baby brother. She had just thought he was mistaken, but now…now she wasn't so sure.
She felt a tap on her shoulder. Nora was across from her, smiling sadly. She offered out her scroll to read. Saphron took it. The two of you are obviously having a hard time taking this. I don't blame you, but Jaune was telling the truth. Those two are monsters.
Her shoulders slumped. "I…even if all of this is true, I still don't think either of us have the full picture. Because let's say they are who you think they are, and they helped topple Vale…they're still the same people who have lived here for weeks, helping out around the house, and with Adrian. I just wish I could speak with them again. Finally figure it out once and for all. Because it can't be as simple as Jaune is making it seem."
Nora frowned, taking back her scroll. She seemed conflicted, and sat for a few minutes in thought before finally typing out another message. Do you really think that would solve anything?
Saphron nodded. "If nothing else, We'll know for sure. They won't try to hurt us. They spent weeks living with us perfectly fine, and they went out of their way to leave without starting a fight."
That was it. She made up her mind. Saphron stood up with a purpose, her face set with determination. "I'm going out to go look for them."
Both Nora's and Terra's eyes widened, and they stood. "Absolutely not!" Terra cried out. "Are you insane?"
"Look, I have to know, Terra," She said firmly. "And I think you do too. You really think we can just leave this alone, how is it? What if Jaune and his friend find them first? What if it turns into a fight, even if they try to avoid one? I know for a fact they won't try to hurt me." She glanced down. "You should stay here, to watch Adrian. I won't be gone long. I love you."
"Saphron!" Terra protested.
Her wife ignored her, intent on going out into the city. She felt a hand on her shoulder again, gripping her tightly in place instead of a light tap. She turned to look at the worried face of Nora. "I'm going out," She told her. "And you aren't going to stop me unless you want to knock me out. So you can either come with me, or look after Terra and the baby."
Saphron peeled the hand off her shoulder, and went off without a look behind her. She shivered as soon as she walked outside. It's cold tonight. But she couldn't go back to fetch a coat. She knew that if she went back into the house, she wouldn't find the strength to come back out again. And she was determined.
She would find Mercury and Emerald before the night was out. And she would have some damn answers.
She's gonna catch a cold, she thought absently. Terra scoffed in disbelief. Such a ridiculous thing to worry about, at a time like this.
Nora looked at her, torn between staying with her and the baby, or going with Saphron. "Oh go ahead," Terra told her. "I'll be fine. She's the one going out into the city, she'll need you more." Nora nodded, before rushing out the door to follow her wife.
Terra sighed, sitting back down on the couch. Her head was beginning to pound. She picked up Adrian, trying to get him to sleep. No dice. She tried pacing around the house, setting him down so she could try and calm herself down, anything at all she could do to relieve the worry building up inside her, all for nothing.
Finally, she had enough of it. She put on her slippers, and threw on a jacket. She made sure to dress Adrian up for the cold, and left the house.
If everyone else was going to go out, she wasn't going to stay inside waiting for everything to fix itself. Saphron was right. She needed to know for herself just as much as Saph did.
In hindsight, she should have just made up her mind sooner, going with Saphron and Nora. Oh well, she thought. Too late now.
She took a deep breath, before walking down the streets of Argus, looking for her roommates.
Things are finally picking up! Not much to say this week. I will be taking the next week off of writing, as I haven't taken a single break since beginning, but considering I have five or six chapters in the backlog, this won't affect the uploads whatsoever. I'm just nearing the finish line.
Thanks for reading, if you enjoyed, please, leave a comment! I love seeing what everyone thinks!
As always, I crosspost on AO3!
Next Chapter: Tuesday, July 2nd