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"When you fight yourself to discover the real you, there is only one winner." - Stephen Richards

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Chapter Five: Reasons & Replies

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A week passed by in the same way his first day of classes did. Seunghyun would wake up, get ready, and go down to the cafeteria for breakfast with one or more of the four friends he had made that lived around him – either Youngbae or Daesung or Seungri or, well, Jiyong. After breakfast, he would go to his classes, meet back for lunch, and attend his afternoon classes. The evenings were split between exploring the school by himself, doing homework, and eating.

He also called his parents that weekend, and hearing their voices again brought both relief and happiness. They were safe and sound and doing well without him; their voices bursting with questions: was he comfortable in Kongnamul? Was he eating well? Making friends? How were classes? Were the teachers skilled? And, Seunghyun, how would you deal with upcoming Friday?

Seunghyun watched his calendar with trepidation. He had been to the headmaster’s office again and, while the preparations were complete for him, he was still nervous about Friday. He hadn’t ever changed outside of Noa before. Hopefully, no one would find out here in Kongnamul – even if Jiyong and Youngbae were people who had ‘special conditions’, Seunghyun wanted to be as low key and unnoticeable as possible.

Though, Jiyong seemed quite intent on making Seunghyun admit to his secret. Jiyong – who only got up on Tuesdays and Thursdays, angrily and unforgiving. Jiyong, who spent most of his time lazing under his bedcovers, which were now always clean from any clothes, only piled high with blankets. Jiyong, who sometimes shook him awake in the middle of the night to invite Seunghyun to come explore Kongnamul after hours.

“No, just, let me sleep,” groaned Seunghyun, batting away Jiyong’s hand as he buried his face in his pillow. “It’s, like, awful o’clock in the morning right now.”

“C’mon,” crooned Jiyong, his voice close to Seunghyun’s ear, making the young man freeze. “It’ll be just the two of us.”

Seunghyun struggled to wet his suddenly dry mouth and firmly pressed his face into the pillow. “No, thank you, take Youngbae.”

“God, you’re no fun at all,” pouted Jiyong, smacking the other’s back just a little harshly before leaving the room entirely, closing the door quietly behind him.

It amazed Seunghyun how energetic his roommate became at night, and how much better-tempered. Maybe that’s what you called ‘night owls’. Seunghyun didn’t mind staying up late and he sort of hated the mornings until he got food out of it, but Jiyong was some whole other level of different. If Seunghyun didn’t know better, he’d say his roommate was experiencing rather major mood swings that bordered on needing to see a doctor about it.

However, the moment he mentioned it to Youngbae – on a Wednesday, so Jiyong was happily curled up sleeping back in their dorm upstairs – all the young man did was shrug and say, “yeah, that’s Jiyong. It’s normal.”

So, Seunghyun continued to endure Jiyong’s normalcy. At least he hadn’t started his music sessions like the headmaster had mentioned once. Music sessions, huh? Was that related to that terrifying-sounding event Seungri had mentioned with singing and dancing? Talent show of some sort? Jiyong was good at rapping, or something – he’d have to keep in mind to bring it up with Jiyong at some point. It wasn’t enough that Jiyong was someone who was really excited when the sun hit the horizon, or that only nibbled on food whenever he felt like it – explaining, probably, why he was so skinny and pale.

And unfairly attractive, piped up Seunghyun’s brain. Yeah, yeah, of course. How could he have forgotten when he was hounded by the other’s face at close quarters almost every day, whether it was morning or night or in between. Seunghyun was proud for not letting it get to him though. He was perfectly polite – okay, maybe not perfectly, nor polite. He had thrown Jiyong’s socks at him when the other had left them wet and dripping in the shower. How do you forget to take off your socks before showering? Gross.

Or what was happening today – which was a Thursday, which was only a dozen and some hours before midnight when it would officially hit Friday and Seunghyun would be gone. Seunghyun had been looking for his dearly beloved Lego heart pin his parents got him at a fair a few years back, only to find it not in his desk drawer but tucked neatly into the lapel of Jiyong’s pink blazer that the young man was wearing that day.

“Oh my god, dude! You can’t just – Jiyong, you have to ask first,” explained Seunghyun, hands flailing as he considered between letting his roommate wear it for the rest of the day or violently ripping it off because Jiyong didn’t deserve any better.

“You live with me now,” replied Jiyong, eyebrow raised. “My stuff is your stuff; your stuff is my stuff.”

“When did you even decide this?” said the other incredulously. “We’ve been living together for a week and a half cause we’re roommates. We’re not together-together.”

At which point Seunghyun should’ve expected the sleek smile and the glittering eyes from Jiyong, who flowed like liquid from one suggestive sentence to the other like a great, big, attractive wave, and how in the world did Seunghyun get stuck with him of all people?

“So, if we’re dating, I can have your pin?” asked Jiyong, his voice innocent but his expression anything but.

“Um,” replied Seunghyun intelligently.

“Hey, Seunghyun,” drawled the other, smiling widely as he stood terribly, terribly close to Seunghyun, “want to hang out tonight? Just the two of us?”

Seunghyun went blank – his mouth hanging open and a slow flush crawling up his neck, but Jiyong was laughing, “alright, it’s a date,” before grabbing his bag and leaving the room with a flourish.

See? It was this kind of stuff that Seunghyun really couldn’t deal with. Bring on supernatural creatures and magic powers or whatever this school was about, but Jiyong? Jiyong was some whole different level of weird that Seunghyun believed he was thoroughly unequipped to handle.

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“Oh, by the way, we won’t be home till late,” said Jiyong to Youngbae at lunch time. “Seunghyun and I are going on a date tonight.”

Seunghyun spewed water everywhere.

“Dude, gross,” said Seungri as he wiped the water from his cheek. “Also, you’re into guys?”

But Seunghyun was too busy coughing violently into his napkin than answer Seungri’s inquiry. Daesung came to the rescue, “obviously. Have you see his hair?”

The young man paused in his coughing fit and touched his hair self-consciously, making Daesung laugh, “just kidding! But, yeah, dating Jiyong, huh?” Daesung’s face sobered up from his natural smile to something more serious.

Seunghyun shook his head, “he’s just kidding. I’m busy tonight – gonna call my parents and stuff, so I don’t have time.”

Jiyong, who was across from Seunghyun at the table, snapped his head from Youngbae at his side to the other, “what do you mean you’re busy?” His face was grave and disappointed. Faced with big eyes and a pouting mouth, something in Seunghyun’s heart cracked – why did he have to have a weakness for cute things?

“Some other time?” suggested Seunghyun weakly.

The pout intensified. “How long will you talk to your parents?”

“All… all night.”

Something changed in Jiyong’s expression. His eyes narrowed. “All night, huh? What could you possibly have to say.” It wasn’t a question. It was a challenge.

Seunghyun backtracked. He couldn’t admit that he wasn’t going to use his phone at all; that tonight, he would change, that tonight was his special night where Seunghyun wasn’t himself anymore and he couldn’t let anyone find out. He wanted to live a normal life, okay! “Well, maybe not all night. I can hang out with you until 11pm, okay?”

“And then a midnight rendezvous with someone else?” crowed Seungri, his eyes twinkling with mischief, “you’re a player, Seunghyun.”

Seunghyun could feel his face start to flush involuntarily – yeah, sure, he had a midnight rendezvous with the supernatural, if that’s what Seungri meant, but the implication still stood and he kept imagining meeting someone – Jiyong – in the cover of darkness and all his thoughts suddenly collapsed all on top of each other in embarrassment.

“No,” he blurted vehemently, “no, seriously, my parents, just my parents.”

“Seungri, stop teasing,” scolded Youngbae absentmindedly as Daesung reached over and lightly smacked the back of the kid’s head.

Seungri pouted but he threw a smirk in the direction of Seunghyun, who was trying to figure out the semantics of dying right then and there. Involuntarily, his eyes darted away from Seungri and landed on Jiyong right across from him.

Jiyong wasn’t smiling or frowning. Jiyong was thinking. Seunghyun swallowed. Tonight was going to go terribly.

“I’ll pick you up after you’re done art,” said the young man, and the bell rang signaling the end of lunch and start of Seunghyun’s doomed day.

“I’m so done,” said Seunghyun to the table, but the table didn’t even have an ounce of sympathy for him.

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He sat through his classes, anxiety pooling down his spine, as the clock ticked closer and closer to not only midnight where everything would change, but the fact that Jiyong thought they were going on a date.

How could they date in a school? Where could they possibly go? It’s not like there was a movie theatre here, or a restaurant, or karaoke. He supposed Jiyong thought going on a late-night swim in the pool might be a good idea, or maybe star gazing on the roof? Or maybe lying on their backs in the grass in the cool summer night? That would be nice, especially since it was quiet because Kongnamul was a fair distance from the nearest town or city.

Finally, the bell rang and Seunghyun gathered his things before slowly, grudgingly, placing one foot after another, exited the classroom. Lo and behold, across the hallway was Jiyong in his bright pink blazer and black skinny jeans, looking attractive yet intimidating at the same time.

“Hi,” croaked out Seunghyun, nervousness suddenly flooding his brain. Was this an actual date? Was Jiyong actually going to go through with this? And did that also mean that Jiyong found him attractive as well?

“After dinner at seven, we’re going on a little adventure,” declared Jiyong imperiously, turning on his heel and striding away, leaving a slightly flabbergasted Suenghyun standing in his wake.

Staring at the rapidly retreating back of Jiyong, Seunghyun furrowed his brow. Well. He would have to get back to his room then and get as much as homework done because he might be out of commission for the next few days after tonight. Man, he hated this once-a-month thing. It was such a distraction.

Pushing aside all thoughts of Jiyong and dates, Seunghyun started his journey back to his dorm.

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Dinner was an eventful affair with Youngbae trying to simultaneously stop Seungri’s hyperactive teasing and Jiyong’s leer as Daesung attempted to shield Seunghyun from the worst of it.

“It’s alright, I’m sure it’ll be alright,” said Daesung, patting Seunghyun’s back.

“But Jiyong’s crazy,” replied Seunghyun in a mock-whisper, staring broodily at his food. “What if he makes us jump off a building holding hands?”

Daesung paused, his expression telling Seunghyun that he was seriously considering the idea. Finally, he smiled, “it’s a first date. That’s more fifth date stuff.”

Seunghyun wanted to cry.

Dinner ended soon enough, Youngbae dragging Seungri and Daesung’s grinning faces behind him as he instructed them to leave Jiyong and Seunghyun alone on their first day together. Seunghyun didn’t know whether to thank him or follow after him to wherever they were going, but he realized Jiyong might murder him in his sleep if he did that.

So, he sat on the bench, dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and jeans and sneakers, feeling a little underdressed for a date. Jiyong still had his pink blazer on with Seunghyun’s pin on it. The only thing that he changed was the colour of his hair – it wasn’t the pink that it usually was, nor the red of the mornings he had to get up or when he was talking with Seunghyun in the middle of the night. It was something like a pale blue now, and Jiyong’s expression was shuttered and blank.

“So,” started Seunghyun, drawing the syllable out until he was sure Jiyong would leap over the table and punch him.

“Yeah. C’mon,” snapped Jiyong instead, standing up swiftly. Seunghyun shrugged to himself – not feeling quite nervous now that it was clear Jiyong would take the lead and all Seunghyun had to do was follow. He liked that he could just sit back and watch what was about to unfold, even if whatever was coming might be a little bit on this side of insane.

Jiyong was two steps ahead of him as they navigated through Kongnamul. Even almost two weeks here had familiarized Seunghyun with the usual routes to get from the cafeteria to his classes, he was quickly lost when Jiyong took a turn into some other wing entirely.

They navigated the dusky-lit corridors for a time, and Seunghyun hoped this entire thing would end before 11pm. Still, it made him wonder why Jiyong didn’t take his arm like he usually did. The young man had a penchant for tucking his hand in the crook of Seunghyun’s arm whenever they walked anywhere together, and it was sometimes a warm comfort to be had.

No one else had touched him so freely, not even back home. His parents weren’t very inclined towards embraces and kisses, and here, Youngbae slung his arm around Seunghyun’s shoulders, Seungri felt inclined to high-five him for miscellaneous events, Daesung rubbed his back and Jiyong always, always took his arm.

It was such a welcome change. Seunghyun quite liked it. Here and now, though, Jiyong two steps ahead, Seunghyun wondered if Jiyong was nervous too. He wondered if his roommate ever had a significant other. Was Jiyong even into dating? Could anyone handle Jiyong’s version of eccentric?

Seunghyun was snapped out of his thoughts when Jiyong stopped at a taped off corridor signaling that it was out of bounds.

“We’re not allowed to be here,” mentioned Seunghyun helpfully, in case Jiyong forgot, but the other just made an annoyed sound in his throat.

“You aren’t, I am. C’mon, it’s through here.”

Seunghyun stared at the back of the other for a moment, at the pink blazer and the blue-tipped hair and wondered if this was such a good idea. Especially tonight. But, then, Jiyong – without even a glance back – reached his hand blindly behind him, and Seunghyun automatically gave over his arm so Jiyong could tuck his hand in the curve of Seunghyun’s elbow.

“C’mon,” said Jiyong and he tugged Seunghyun forward, his voice just a little less sharp and a little more confident.

They ducked under the tape and walked through the corridor. Again, it was just as any normal hallway, if a little more empty and lonely-looking. Seunghyun looked out the window at the sunset that blazed on the far away horizon, colouring  the inside of the school a deep red colour. It was nice, a little on this side of romantic, and he even caught Jiyong looking at it with something like curiosity on his face.

They walked down the long corridor until they reached a door at the very end. It had no label on it, nor did the door knob have a lock. It was just another wooden door, like every other door in this school, but still, Seunghyun felt a little nervous.

With his free hand, Jiyong reached forward and turned the knob, letting the door ease open and pushed it so it swung inward, revealing nothing but a long dark expanse. The most obvious thing was the smell that hit him – pungent and strong but not bad. It was sort of sweet and tickled at his nose, but the more he breathed in, the more Seunghyun adjusted and started to like it.

Jiyong took a step forward into the sweet-scented darkness, but Seunghyun balked. “It looks a little dangerous.”

The young man only tugged harder, “I’ve been here before. Let me just flip on the lights, alright?”

They both stepped forward, the door threatening to close behind them. Jiyong’s hand slipped from his arm as he walked confidently to wherever. Seunghyun couldn’t see him in the dark and he walked blindly, the tip of his toe hitting something hard enough that there was an ominous creak, and Jiyong’s voice of: “stop moving! Hold on, I almost have it.”

There was a sound of metal grating on metal and a chain being pulled and, suddenly, the door closed behind them with a bang as light flooded the room. Seunghyun felt his breath catch as the sight bloomed in front of him. The room wasn’t lit by fluorescent lights at all – instead Seunghyun realized they were in a greenhouse with glass walls and rooftops. The light that flowed in was from full moon that hung low on the horizon as Jiyong pulled the shutters back completely.

The greenhouse itself was filled with herbs and flowers, confirming the pungent scent that was everywhere. Seunghyun took a deep breath before he moved among the long, low tables with blooming flowers and perked up herbs. There were so many different kinds – white and yellow and blue and red and purple flowers with tiny or huge petals, ranging from as small as Seunghyun’s thumbnail to as flourishingly wide as his shoulders. There were many herbs as well – tall ones that towered over him and short, stubby ones tucked underneath. Some plants where in pots sitting on tables, and others were dug into the soil at the ends of the greenhouse where space was cleared away for a real garden in the ground.

It was greenhouse garden and it was beautiful. Seunghyun walked through it – the space huge and inviting. It was definitely three times as big as the average classroom and it was lit up so nicely with the moonlight, it took everything in to not pull out his phone and take pictures.

“You like it then?” said Jiyong from behind him. Seunghyun jumped; he had forgotten for a moment that there was someone else with him. Turning around, he grinned widely. “This is really cool. Really cool.”

Jiyong looked wonderful in the dark, realized Seunghyun in his head. He had that pale skin and the dark hair and the tinted mouth, and the pink blazer looked more red in the gloom. Jiyong also seemed comfortable in this room.

“Have you been here before?” asked Seunghyun as Jiyong stepped into his space and tucked his hand in the curve of the other’s arm.

“Yeah. Youngbae studies here.” Jiyong traced the edges of a spiky leafed herb with the pads of his fingers. “He showed it to me and I thought you would like it.”

“Wow,” murmured Seunghyun as he took in the entire greenhouse again. “It’s really awesome. You like plants?”

There was a pause as they walked slowly between two tables filled to the brim with labeled plants, pausing frequently to take a closer look at them. Seunghyun would have to come back in the day time to see them in their full glory, but right now it was already so impressive.

“No, I like people more,” replied Jiyong, and Seunghyun felt the young man’s grip tighten on his arm. “Where do you have to be after this?”

“I…” Senghyun hesitated. “I can’t tell you that.”

Jiyong looked at him, looking terribly attractive in the moonlight with wide eyes and a pursed mouth. “You do, you might get lost getting out of here.”

Faced with that logic, Seunghyun floundered to find an escape. Quickly, he picked up small pot of tiny white blooming flowers and held it beside Jiyong’s head, quirking a smile. “You look good with white flowers in your hair.”

He almost dropped the pot with how quick Jiyong let go of his arm and stepped back, eyes wide and his face surprised. Without pause, Seunghyun put the plant back where he got it from, ready to apologize, but Jiyong was rubbing his face with his hand, shaking his head.

“Sorry, I was just… taken aback,” muttered Jiyong, and Seunghyun wonders if it’s the trick of the light that Jiyong’s hair is an even deeper blue colour than before. It was probably the darkness of the greenhouse.

Idly, they spent their time walking through the various tables of the greenhouse with Jiyong explaining some herb or another to Seunghyun. They talked about nothing important in particular, but Seunghyun was pleased that they could have a normal conversation, ranging from plants to colours to imagining the personifications of certain flowers.

“The indigo is a sassy colour,” concluded Seunghyun with confidence, and Jiyong stared at him.

“The indigo is embarrassed and shy, obviously.”

Tilting his head, Seunghyun considered it. “I guess it could be both. I don’t know. It seems like it would be sort of short but dress itself really well.”

“Well, sassy and short and stylish – what’s its name?”

There was a pause, before Seunghyun decided: “Kibum.”

Jiyong burst out laughing, curling into himself and leaning against Seunghyun’s side. It was warm and good where Jiyong was pressed against him, and Seunghyun laughed as well, pushing against the warm weight back. They sobered up, watching each other with glittering eyes, and it felt like the tension between them had dissipated in the sweet smell of the room.

Eventually – despite the good conversation and company, Seunghyun took a glance outside and saw how high the moon hung in the sky. His heart skipped a beat. “Jiyong, what time is it?”

Jiyong pushed the sleeve of his blazer up his arm and glanced down at his watch. When he spoke, it was with worry. “Seunghyun, it’s actually 11:30.”

Seunghyun’s mouth went dry in worry as panic hit his system. “Jiyong, Ji, I need to get to storage place by the gym now.”

Jiyong quickly nodded, feeling the anxiety that wrapped up the other. He took Seunghyun’s arm and almost started at a run, kicking open the door that led to the greenhouse and sprinting down the hallway, Seunghyun in tow.

Still, the minutes began to count down, getting closer and closer to midnight, and Seunghyun was almost in full-blown panic. He trusted Jiyong enough to know where they were going but still, what if they didn’t make it? Would there be preparations for him or would he have to do them himself? How would it happen? Did anyone inform the staff? What if he lost it entirely? Would everything be alright?

Jiyong’s hand on his arm was a warm reminder that Seunghyun wasn’t alone. He would be fine, Jiyong would get him to where he needed to be in time and everything would be okay. Jiyong was his eccentric, crazy roommate but he was still someone Seunghyun felt could depend on. Youngbae and Seungri and Daesung did, so could Seunghyun.

The various halls and doors and windows of Kongnamul passed them by in a blur. Seunghyun’s lungs were burning from all the running they were doing but he knew it was necessary. Eventually, minutes later, they got to the gym. Jiyong and Seunghyun jogged towards the exit and spilled onto the warm, summer night with grass beneath their sneakers.

The storage cabin was just a few metres ahead and Seunghyun approached it cautiously until he saw the padlock on the door handles. He had forgotten the key back in his room – the key he had gotten earlier at the headmaster’s office when all the arrangements had been made.

“It’s locked,” he said, feeling defeated as time moved forward and the moon inched it’s way across the sky.

Jiyong looked at him, “do you have to get inside?”

“It’s an emergency, I really really do, Ji,” pleaded Seunghyun, stomach clenched in anxiety and there must have been something on the look on his face because Jiyong’s expression tightened and he nodded once, quickly.

“Okay, look, just. Okay.” Jiyong gripped the handles of the door and tugged but the padlock wouldn’t give. “I had hoped I wouldn’t have to do this.” Seunghyun heard him mutter more to himself until Jiyong was curled over the door handles.

He couldn’t see what Jiyong was doing, with his back arched upwards and his hair falling to cover his face, still that deep blue colour. There was only a slick sound, then something scraping loudly against the metal before a loud crunch.

The padlock fell to the grass and Jiyong kicked it away into the distance, opening the doors victoriously. “Here.”

Seunghyun stood there, stunned, until his brain kicked in. “Oh, wow, thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Jiyong shook his head, “go, get in or whatever.”

Nodding, Seunghyun stepped into the cool space of the storage room. The usual gym equipment was present and hanging on shelves and hooks on the walls. In the middle was a cleared space with a circle of dark ash in a ring on the concrete of the floor. In the middle of the circle was a single purple flower, and seeing it made Seunghyun smile in nostalgia. Another month and another night.

“Seunghyun,” said Jiyong from behind him. Seunghyun stepped inside the circle and turned around to face him.

“Yeah, this is a little bit weird, isn’t it?” Seunghyun rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “It’s really just a once a month thing, I swear.”

Jiyong took a deep breath, his nose flaring. “I knew you weren’t human.”

Seunghyun shrugged. “I am most of the time.”

“And that’s…” Jiyong gestured vaguely towards the purple flower in between Seunghyun’s feet. Seunghyun arranged himself so he sat down, his knees drawn to his chest as he placed his hands on the cold concrete underneath.

“Yeah,” agreed Seunghyun though Jiyong didn’t complete his sentence. “I need you to close the door and see if you can find another padlock to lock it. Ask the headmaster or his secretary. Even if you hear weird things in here, don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I can’t break from this circle seal when I’ve changed. What time is it?”

Jiyong glanced at his watch. “It’s 11:58.” He looked up at Seunghyun with wide eyes. “I’m gonna do as you say, so you better be safe.”

The worry was a welcome feeling and Seunghyun smiled widely at him. “Don’t worry – I’m gonna be alright.”

Jiyong started to close the doors on him, letting the darkness collect around Seunghyun like a blanket. The concrete was warming underneath him and the long slits of moonlight peeked through the crack between the doors as Jiyong paused before shutting them entirely.

Seunghyun watched Jiyong – the tiny part of his face that he could see, a slice of eye and the corner of his mouth. He seemed worried still when he really shouldn’t be. “Jiyong, I’ll see you on Saturday. Look, I have aconite with me,” he gestured towards the purple flower, “and there’s an unbroken seal of ash,” here, he gestured towards the dark circle around him.

Jiyong stood there and said, “11:59.” Seunghyun nodded, “close the door before midnight. I won’t be human at midnight. I guess I should just come out and admit it, huh? You know aconite, right? It’s called wolfsbane.” He laughed and ran a hand through his hair in sudden nervousness. “I hope we can still be friends after this. I had a good time tonight. But yeah, I-I’m a werewolf.”

And with that, Jiyong closed the door on him, shutting him in entirely in the dark where only the musk of dusty gym equipment and sweet smell of the flower accompanied him. Seunghyun took off his shirt – no use it getting it ripped when he transformed, as well as his pants, socks and sneakers. He tossed them towards the back of the cabin and sat back down. The moon fell into place at the high point in the sky and Seunghyun took a deep breath. Midnight on the full moon. It had begun.

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A/N: And that’s one reveal! I had dropped a lot of hints, so I really hope some of you guys got it! But there’s way more secrets to come and things to happen, so stay tuned! Thanks so much for the kind comments, subs, and – wow – even votes! You guys are the best! :D