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#we'll see what I find upon a reread tomorrow
beck-a-leck · 2 years
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Was talking Rune Factory HCs and the mechanics of the Return spell with some folks on Discord.
Got an Idea.
Immediately made the Idea Angsty TM
Had to write the story
I was prompted to make the Angsty Idea for Randolph/Yuki, and hoo boy the ideas started flowing.
This really was supposed to be a short little snippet, just to highlight the mechanics and angst of the headcanon, but as per usual with me, it's getting a little out of hand.
it's turning into a full Randolph/Yuki romance backstory. it's gonna happen.
But for now, have a rough draft little peek at some of what I've written.
Most of it will be beneath a cut for length, but also because of depictions of physical trauma. Read with caution.
💜💜💜
Randolph regained consciousness when he hit the stone floor of his cell. He didn’t remember getting dragged out of the courtyard, down the prison steps.
He stirred weakly, in too much pain to do more than twitch a muscle. He rolled onto his back and had to stop and catch his breath. He couldn’t see well. He could feel the hot blood pouring from his face where the other prisoner’s blade had caught him. He tried to force that eyelid open but only saw darkness. The other eye was nearly swollen shut. He could see blurs, light and shadows, large shapes, anything beyond that… a Silver Wolf could be right next to him and he’d never know until the beast’s teeth were in him.
And even then. Randolph was in so much pain he was fairly certain getting mauled by a wolf would not register to his body. His nerves were maxed out.
Randolph drifted in and out of consciousness. He was bleeding too much. He could feel his splintered bones moving places they should not be.
Randolph was not going to survive the night.
Every time he closed his eyes, he expected that to be the last time.
His mind left his body. If these were his last hours alive, he’d rather spend them dwelling on better places and kinder people. He thought about Yuki and the others in Rigbarth who had welcomed him with open arms. He thought about those pleasant walks to nowhere, arm in arm with Yuki, splashing into the surf, dragging her along as she squealed about the seaweed touching her, long nights alone together at the observation point stargazing.
“HEY!”
Cold water splashed over Randolph’s face, bringing him unwillingly back to reality. He could barely make out the dark shape of a guard at his cell door. He’d just dumped the cup of water that was part of Randolph’s dinner over his face.
“If you’re going to die, have the decency to wait until the night shift comes in, you useless bastard!”
There was a thin splat and hollow clatter as he dropped Randolph’s food just past the bars. Then he was gone.
Randolph’s head felt like it weighed a ton as he turned it slowly to look. It didn’t take the rats long at all to run out and claim the food as their own. He didn’t care. He’d rather not have a last meal than eat that.
Randolph closed his eyes again. A last meal… he’d give anything to have one of Yuki’s jam rolls just one more time.
Randolph dreamed of the bakery. His imagination was so vivid he could almost smell the fresh-baked bread. But what he most wanted was standing behind the counter, with that sweet smile of hers as she helped a customer.
“Yuki.”
“Randolph!” Her eyes lit up. She vaulted over the counter and threw herself into his arms. “Honey, where have you been? It’s been so long! I thought something terrible had happened.”
Randolph hesitated just long enough to feel Yuki’s solid arms around him, and then he held her close, tight. He buried his head in her shoulder, her scent filled his nose, and he wanted to hold onto her and never ever let go.
He thought he would die before seeing her again.
He was dying. He knew this wasn’t real. But it felt real. And he wasn’t going to go without saying what he needed to.
“Yuki, I’m sorry, I’ve been a godsdamned idiot. I love you. I love you so much. I never, ever want to leave you again. Can you forgive me? I said such horrible things. I’m sorry.” He was sobbing now. Holding onto her like he was a drowning man and she was the only thing keeping his head above water.
“I want to come home, Yuki. I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home.”
Randolph repeated that last line over and over. His dying wish. If he couldn’t be with Yuki, at least he could dream about it.
His body hurt. The pain was excruciating in places where he wasn’t going cold and numb. His vision started to darken, and then went white around the edges. He had the strangest sensation of floating, and then gravity returning all too suddenly, knocking the breath from his lungs and driving splintered bone deeper into places it should not be.
The pain shattered the illusion. The dream of Yuki disappeared from his arms. Curiously, the scent of the bakery lingered.
He could faintly hear a voice, someone down the cellblock screaming, but they almost sounded like Yuki. They called for a doctor – couldn’t be for him. He was too far gone.
Someone cradled his head in their lap, held his hand. Did they think he was already dead? Wasn’t he still breathing?
Honestly, he couldn’t tell.
He cracked his eye open one last time. He saw Yuki looking over him, haloed in warm light.
Randolph smiled and let go.
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h0tch-r0cket · 3 years
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Infatuation (18+) {a.h.}: chapter 3
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summary: you needed a job. aaron hotchner needed a babysitter. the rest was inevitable.
word count: 4.6K
warnings: explicit language, drinking alcohol
table of contents
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
"To your new job! Congrats, Y/N!" Esmé hollered over the loud club music as she held her shot glass in the air. You lifted your glass next to hers, clinking them together, before you both threw the vodka back, the liquor giving your throat a slight burn as it went down. You placed the shot glass down in front of you, adding one more to the collection that was slowly growing in front of you.
You leaned closer to Esmé's ear, practically shouting to be heard over the music that was making the club walls shake. "Thanks for taking me out tonight. I appreciate it."
Esmé slung her arm around your shoulder languidly, evidence of the ever growing drunken state that was growing between the both of you throughout the night. "No other way to celebrate your last weekend as a job free woman than with booze and boys!" She nodded her head back towards the dance floor where you watched some attractive men dance, waiting for someone to join them. Esmé hopped off her stool in front of the bar and grabbed onto your hand, tugging on it to urge you to go with her. "Come on! I want to dance!"
You groaned at her request, jokingly rolling your eyes at her. "You know, I think I'm much more comfortable over here."
Esmé scoffed, clearly not buying your lame excuse to not go out on the dance floor with her. "One song?" she pleaded.
You turned your attention to the blonde bartender, a playful smile on your lips. "Another shot please." He nodded, topping off the vodka in another glass for you. He placed it in front of you and smirked at you.
"That one is on me," he said, placing his hands down firmly on the counter. You watched his eyes dart down to your lips quickly and you felt your cheeks heat up. You understood quickly the subliminal implications of the shot.
You dropped your hand from Esmé's grip, standing up from the stool. You placed your elbow on the counter and beckoned the bartender forward to come closer to you with your pointer finger. He leaned over quickly, eager to be closer to you. Once he was close enough, you placed your hand on his shoulder, bringing your mouth up to his ear. "Hate to break it to you, but I'm not interested," you whispered. You heard him clear his throat and he stood back up, clearly being brought down from whatever excitement he thought he might have found himself in for the night.
He nodded in understanding, a cocky smirk growing across his face. He lifted the shot, keeping his eyes on you as he downed it quickly. He placed the glass on the counter and leaned back over to you. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me."
"I won't. But thanks." You turned your attention back to Esmé who was standing there in slight shock as you walked over to her.
"What the hell did you do that for?! He wanted to get in your pants! You should have let him," she exclaimed as she motioned back towards the bartender.
"Not my type," you said bluntly, as you ran your hands down your dress to straighten it out. The dress was a navy blue with an open back and plunging neckline. It ended right at your thighs, hugging your curves along your body.
"Your type is dark and brooding men who have some sort of position of authority," Esmé teased as she led you out to the dance floor.
"I mean you're not wrong," you laughed as you started to dance next to her.
"Keep your eyes peeled. Maybe you'll find Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome tonight."
You shook your head in annoyance but continued to dance with your friend. It's not that you didn't want to be with anyone. It was the fact that you had a hard time opening up to others about yourself and letting someone be with you for every part of your life, whether it was good or bad.
You were so used to looking out for yourself that you never really looked for a partner that often. You only had one relationship that you would ever consider serious, but even then, you had ended things because you were starting college and wanted to focus on school instead of worrying about pleasing your boyfriend. He was understanding of it all but a part of you still wondered about the what ifs that surrounded the situation.
What if we were still together?
What if I let him in more than everyone else?
What if I was wrong about letting him go?
You shook the thoughts from your head as you let yourself focus on dancing with Esmé, not wishing to dwell too much on the past. There was nothing that you could do to have changed what happened, and quite frankly, given the chance to, you weren't so sure that that would have been something that you would have done anyway.
Sometimes, you wished that you could bring your guard down and let someone in but you were just too worried that someone would come in and absolutely destroy your heart.
"Maybe. Guess we'll have to see," you agreed, at least playing along with Esmé to get her to subtly take the hint that you weren't interested nor in the mood to try to find someone in the bar to take home with you.
"You know, I have to admit that the way you turned down that bartender was hot," Esmé laughed as she danced around in front of you. "He definitely thought he was going to be heading home with you tonight."
You couldn't help but laugh at your drunk friend, who even in her current state of being, continued to be your hype-woman. "Well, he definitely thought wrong," you teased.
The two of you continued to dance the night away, downing more shots throughout your time at the club. You were having too much fun with Esmé to think about anything else other than the two of you at that moment in time.
-----
The rest of the weekend flew by too quickly for your liking . For the most part, you spent your time at your apartment, just relaxing and watching movies to pass the time. And as the days drew closer and closer to when you were officially starting your new job, you were filled with excitement with what was to lie ahead.
On Sunday evening, the day before your first day as the Hotchner babysitter, you were walking Artemis on your usual rounds when you felt your phone buzz in your pocket. As Artemis was smelling each and every little thing on the sidewalk, you checked your messages.
                                      Aaron Hotchner
-Good evening, Y/N. Just wanted to let you know that Jack's bus normally comes around 2:15 or so. This way you can plan your day accordingly for when you'll need to be here to pick him up. There's a spare key underneath the doormat out front for you to use to get inside. I should be home by 5, but should anything change, I will let you know. See you then.
-And don't be too worried about Buster, just in case you aren't a fan of larger dogs. He'll calm down after a few minutes of you being in the house.
You replied quickly, not wanting to keep your new boss waiting to hear from you.
                                               -Perfect! I'll see him there!
                                                          -Have a goodnight!
-Thanks, Y/N. You too. You continued on your walk with Artemis, the playful pup determined to stop and greet every dog that she passed on the way.
By the time you got back to your apartment, the sun was beginning to set, the sky filled with different shades of pinks, reds, and yellows streaking across the horizon. It was as if an artist had taken careful brush strokes and painted the ribbons of color that stretched across behind the multitude of buildings, amplifying the true beauty of the natural world.
Upon entering your apartment, you decided to take a quick shower to settle in for the night. You took off your clothes in the bathroom and hopped in, letting the warm water run down your body for a few minutes before getting washed up.
After finishing the shower, you brushed out your hair and got in your pajamas, curling up in bed with one of your books that you were currently rereading. It was The Centaur by John Updike, the story of Peter Caldwell and his father George. It was a story that warmed your heart being that it was told from an older Peter's point of view as he looked back on the memories of him and his father with a new perspective compared to the way he thought of his father when he was younger. There was just something about the novel that you loved, whether it was the allusions to Greek mythology, or the idea that it was one of the bildungsroman stories that you loved, but you could never get enough of it. The copy of the book showed its wear and tear, the spine having small creases and the pages being slightly yellowed from your constant reading. But you could have cared less.
You read a chapter or two in the book before feeling tired and ready to turn in for the night. You shut off your light on your nightstand and placed the book on it. "Artemis!" you called out tiredly. You heard the pitter patter of the bulldog's feet on the floor as she came into your room.
With a running start, she hopped up onto your bed, curling into a ball next to you. You ran your hand down her spine as she settled in for the night.
As your mind calmed down and you drifted off to sleep, your last conscious thoughts were wrapped around the idea that tomorrow would start a new chapter in your life and you were ready to start and hit the ground running.
-----
You arrived at the Hotchner household the next day, eager to start your new job. You grabbed your belongings from your car and headed up to the porch, grabbing the key from where Aaron had left it.
Upon unlocking the door, you were immediately greeted by Buster in the entryway. The shepherd jumped up on you, trying to sniff every inch of you that he could. You figured he smelled the remnants of Artemis on your clothes and besides, to him, you were a newcomer in his house so you were filled with unfamiliar scents.
"Alright. Easy boy," you said softly as you scratched his head and urged him to get down. "Better get used to me being here. We'll be seeing a lot of each other." Buster barked gruffly, seeming as though he was still trying to determine whether or not he was going to trust you.
You made your way to the kitchen, dropping off your belongings on the counter before checking the clock hanging on the wall for the time.
2:00pm.
15 more minutes until you had to go get Jack.
Buster barked loudly at you, grabbing your attention. He was standing next to the sliding glass door that led to the backyard, his tail wagging excitedly.
"Alright, alright. Here." You opened the door for the dog and watched as he bolted outside to blow off some steam.
Your curiosity got the best of you while you were waiting to walk to the bus stop so you decided to peruse around the Hotchner home and try to learn more about them from the items that you found.
In the living room, you noticed the collection of children's movies that were stacked neatly underneath the TV in the entertainment center. You also saw a picture frame that caught your eye.
Upon looking at it more closely, you came to see that it was a photo of Aaron, Jack, and a beautiful blonde woman. The trio was at the beach, standing proudly next to a sandcastle that you could only assume was Jack's creation considering the way that it was constructed. Aaron was holding a younger Jack in his arms, the boy's legs wrapped around his father's torso. Wide smiles were on everyone's faces, even Aaron, who even from the interview alone, you could tell that he didn't have a genuine smile on his face often.
You figured the woman in the photo was Jack's mother. You could see the features that the boy shared with the woman—her smile, the same rounded face, and more obviously the blonde locks that rested upon his head which was a stark contrast to the more raven colored hair that Aaron had. Looking at the photo, the picturesque family, it made you further wonder what had happened to her and why it seems as though she wasn't in the lives of Jack and Aaron anymore.
A loud bark stole your attention away from the photo. You glanced at the sliding glass door to see Buster standing there, panting like a fool, waiting to come back inside. You set the photo back down on its designated spot on the shelf and headed to let him inside. He bounded through the door, going straight for his water dish which he lapped up instantly.
You took another glance at the time.
2:10pm.
You grabbed the spare key that Aaron left for you and locked up the front door as you left to go grab Jack from the bus stop that was at the end of the street.
It didn't take long once you arrived to hear the bus in the distance. You stood on the curb, teetering your weight on the balls of your feet as you waited for Jack. The expectant parents waiting for their children were deep in their conversations as you heard the loud rumbling from the bus from around the corner.
The bus came to a halt at the stop sign, the red lights flashing to ensure that any passersby would stop and let the kids get off safely. One by one, the kids came off the bus with their backpacks much too large for them. You smiled as they all ran excitedly towards their parents, wrapping their arms tightly around their parents' legs for a hug.
You saw Jack hop off the last step of the bus and he looked around curiously.
"Jack!" you called out, waving your hand. "Over here!"
The boy's face lit up with a smile as he came over towards you. He stopped right in front of you, glancing up at you with his eyes squinted to avoid looking at the sun. "Hi, Y/N!" he excitedly said.
"Hey, buddy! How was school?" You squatted down in front of him to be eye level as you talked to him.
"It was good! We got tadpoles today. Ms. Kingston said they're going to turn into frogs," he explained, his voice full of wonder and anticipation.
"That's so cool! Ready to head home? I'm sure you have a lot of homework to do."
He shrugged his shoulders. "Just a math worksheet and some sentences to practice. Ms. Kingston didn't give us a lot today."
"Well that's nice of her," you said as you stood back up. You placed your hand on his shoulder and started to walk back to the Hotchner household.
"Yeah, I like her," Jack said as you watched him absentmindedly kick a pebble along the street as you walked, his feet dragging on the cement softly. His head was tucked down, entirely focused on the pebble as he kicked it, watching it bounce down the street. He stuck out his tongue for a brief moment in his state of concentration. "I got to name one of the tadpoles."
"Oh really? What name did you pick?" You kicked the pebble back towards him since it left its intended path. You saw a small smile fall across his face.
"I named mine Kermit. You know, like Kermit the Frog from The Muppets?" He picked up the pebble from the ground and held it tight in his hand. "It's better than what my friend, Peter, picked out. He picked out the name Hoppy. How lame is that?"
You laughed at the boy's apparent disgust with such a generic name for the tadpole, clearly unaware of the fact that the name he picked out was just as much of a cliché. "So incredibly lame."
He hopped up the stairs of the porch of the Hotchner home and landed on the top step with a big thump. He walked over to the corner of the porch and placed the pebble next to the small collection that he had going on top of the railing. He turned his attention back to you and gave you a small smile.
"I've been collecting rocks for a while. I started with Dad one day and I always look for the perfect ones on our way home from school." He moved by the door, waiting for you to unlock it.
"That's so cool." You unlocked the door and Jack pushed it open, being greeted by Buster.
He dropped his backpack on the floor and knelt down by the shepherd and was scratching him behind his ears. "Hi Buster! Did you miss me?" The dog barked and gave Jack a few licks on his cheek. "I missed you too, boy."
You grabbed Jack's backpack off of the ground to get it out of the way. Locking the door behind you, you went into the kitchen and placed his bag on the kitchen table.
Jack came running in a mere few seconds later and was unzipping his bag, pulling out a lime green folder that was labeled Math and his pencil case. He grabbed a worksheet out of the folder and sat down, tapping his pencil on the table. "Hey, Y/N?"
"Yeah, Jack?" You grabbed a glass from out of the cabinet and poured yourself some water.
"Can you pass me the bowl of grapes from the fridge please?" You nodded and grabbed the bowl of fruit for Jack, placing it down on the table next to him. "Thank you." He picked one of the grapes off of the stem and popped it right into his mouth.
"You're welcome." You sat down at the table in front of him and scrolled on your phone as he did his homework.
The sound of the bowl of grapes sliding across the table grabbed your attention as Jack pushed it towards you. "Want some?" he asked as he put two more of the grapes in his mouth.
"Sure. Thanks, Jack." You grabbed a few grapes off the stem and ate them as you watched him do his homework. "What kind of math are you doing?"
"Word problems for addition. We just started them the other day. Ms. Kingston said they were going to be hard but I don't think they are," he explained as he wrote down the answer for the problem he was working on.
"Word problems can be tricky. Do you need help?"
He shook his head no and tapped the eraser of the pencil on his lips. "No, I'm good for now."
"Alright, well if anything changes, I'll be in the living room if you need me," you told him as you stood up from the table.
You heard a small okay from Jack and you settled on the couch, flipping through the channels on the TV.
Soon, you lost track of time as you sat in the living room. Jack's running made you turn your head away from the TV as you saw his backpack slung over his shoulder. "Everything okay, Jack?" You sat up straighter on the couch, trying to see where the boy was running off to.
"I'm all done with my homework so I was going to put my backpack away," he said at the bottom of the stairs that led to where you assumed his and Aaron's bedrooms were.
"All done already?"
"Yeah, I told you she didn't give us a lot of work to do for tonight."
"You did say that, didn't you?" you teased. "When you come back down, maybe we can play a game or take Buster on a walk or something."
"Okay!" He hurriedly rushed up the stairs and out of sight.
He came down the stairs a few moments later with a box in hand, pieces rattling as he went into the living room. He placed the box on the coffee table in front of you, allowing you to finally see what he was holding in his small hands.
"Monopoly, huh? Well, I gotta tell you Jack, when I play Monopoly, I play with absolutely no mercy," you joked as you rolled up your sleeves to your elbows, feigning cockiness.
"You're going down," Jack teased as he sat crisscrossed on the rug across from you and took the board game out of its box.
"I'd like to see you try," you encouraged as you sat down on the rug in front of him, leaning you back against the sofa.
The Monopoly game quickly ensued and the living room was filled with laughter as you and Jack played, trying to outdo one another. He told you stories from school as the game went on and you were amazed at how polite and respectful the child was. It was a shining testament to the way that his parents raised him and it made you excited about spending more time with him. You were truly enjoying his company which was something you weren't expecting.
After playing what seemed like an endless game of Monopoly, just as the two of you were cleaning up the mess, you heard a car alarm chirp which caused Buster to go rushing excitedly towards the door.
"Dad's home!" Jack exclaimed as he bolted up from his seat on the rug to the front door.
By the time he got in, Aaron was already making his way through the entrance, trying his best to maneuver his way between the excited dog and son duo. "Hey guys," Aaron said as he shut the door behind him. His voice sounded tired, like his day was really draining. You stood up from the rug and finished putting away the Monopoly pieces, watching the interaction of the father and son.
Aaron ran his hand through Jack's hair and roughed it up a bit as his other hand held onto a dark brown leather satchel. "How was school today, bud? Did you guys get your tadpoles?" he asked as he headed into the kitchen.
"Yes! I named one Kermit," Jack said excitedly, as he began to recount the day's events to his father. You heard their slightly muffled voices from the kitchen and figured that you shouldn't overstay your welcome and intrude on the time that Aaron has with his son. So you walked into the kitchen to go grab your things and head home for the day.
"Go take your shower, Jack. And then I'll make something for dinner," Aaron urged. The boy nodded and bolted upstairs but not before yelling out to you.
"Bye Y/N! I had fun today!" You felt warm at Jack's words, not only because of the fact that he was being kind, but also because of the bigger picture that he was enjoying his time with you, almost as much as you were.
"See you tomorrow, Jack!" You waved at him as he ran up the stairs yet again. You let out a sigh of relief and grabbed your purse off the kitchen counter. "That's some kid you have up there, Aaron. He's so kind and polite. I don't think I've ever met a kid as friendly and as well mannered as he is."
Aaron nodded his head silently, the tone of the room becoming much more dull than it had been about a minute ago when Jack was still downstairs. You watched Aaron grab a clear glass from the cabinet before going into a different one and grabbing a bottle of whiskey. He poured the amber liquid straight into the glass, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "Thanks, Y/N."
"No problem." You watched as he took a large drink from the glass, placing the cup down on the counter in front of him. He turned to look at you, leaning on the counter.
He studied you for a moment, just as you did with him. His hair was soft and floppy, a few stray strands resting on his forehead. You saw the way that his warm eyes were almost masked by the appearance of the bags that hung underneath them, a testament to how hard of a worker you assumed he was. His thin lips were held tightly together, not even an inch of a smile evident across them.
A part of you felt awkward with the silence that filled the room as he glanced back between you and the half drunk glass of whiskey in front of him. But another part of you felt that it was normal being that you didn't know much about him and he didn't know much about you.
He stood up and dug around in his satchel for a quick moment before handing you a sealed envelope. On the front of it was Y/N written in handwriting that was almost illegible but yet it was easy for you to read it. "Before I forget," he said quickly. "That's your pay for this week."
"Thank you. I appreciate it." You shoved the envelope into your purse and exhaled deeply. "I guess I better be going."
Aaron took another long sip of his whiskey and swirled the rest of it in his glass. "Mhm," he agreed.
You figured that it was just the exhaustion from the day that made him unsociable. But a part of you was wondering if he just was always this distant with people and closed off. It wouldn't surprise you considering you only knew so much about him.
"Same time tomorrow?" you asked as you started to walk out of the kitchen.
"Yeah. I'll probably be home later tomorrow. Some board of education meeting or some shit like that," he said as he leaned his back against the counter, crossing his feet over one another as he finished the rest of his whiskey.
"No problem. Have a good night, Aaron," you said as you adjusted the strap of your purse on your shoulder.
"You too," he said, unenthusiastically.
Your lips turned up into a small smile before you turned on your heels and left the house, getting into your car. You threw your head back against the headrest and let out a frustrated sigh.
"What the fuck was that about?" you spoke to yourself. You stared at the ceiling of your car for a few seconds before rolling your eyes and turning the key in the ignition.
Once you got back home, after settling in and telling Esmé about your day, you turned in early for the night. You couldn't help but have your mind wander back to Aaron and the way he was so curt with you. It made you question whether or not he was having second guesses about hiring you as his son's babysitter.
You tossed and turned in your bed, trying to get comfortable and shake off the feeling that was churning in your stomach.
You were overthinking. You had to be. He just had a hard day at work. Maybe one of his students pissed him off or a coworker did.
Nonetheless, as you would find out in due time, that would not be the last time you fell asleep with your last thoughts before your eyes closed being all about Aaron Hotchner.
-----
Author's note:
Hello hello! I am so excited for this story you have no idea. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
See you soon!
-jordyn
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