Chapter two: Shouldn't Nightmares end Once You've Woken up?

Jihoon felt the cold wooden floor of the practise room graze his back where his shirt had ridden up, cool against his warm skin. As quickly as his back had made contact with the ground, Seungcheol had begun to crawl on top of him. Jihoon struggled for a moment, giggling. He anticipated the elder would try to tickle him, or worse, lie the entirety of his weight down and smoosh him to death.

When Seungcheol kept crawling higher, knees rested at the side of Jihoon’s thighs, Jihoon found his arms hovering at Seungcheol’s side, no longer fighting his approach. The boy above him kept his hands planted on top of his shoulders, holding him against the floor as he looked through him with an expression that made Jihoon’s smile fall. He shut his mouth, and the surrounding buzz of the practise room faded into a deafening silence.

He didn’t look like he was joking around, like he was doing this in a manner that was simply innocent rough-housing. There were others around him, practising, sitting here and there, but in that moment the only two people in the room became Seungcheol and Jihoon. It was as the world slowed down in the eyes of his best friend, that Jihoon realized he was reliving a memory.

He remembered this day, when he and Seungcheol were idol’s in training, messing around in Pledis’s practise room.

Seungcheol was looking at him, but not into his eyes. His usual goofy, innocent smile wasn’t present. They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, even though in reality it had happened in a split second. All too quickly, he dropped his hand’s from Jihoon’s shoulders, slapping them against the floor on either side of him, bringing their faces close together. The sound reverberated against the floor, a vibration that made his actions seem much more powerful, far more threatening. Jihoon was too slow to react, belatedly turning his head to the side to avoid it.

After that, he wondered, what had he avoided? Seungcheol wouldn’t have kissed him, not with such a serious expression. He remembered this day like it was yesterday, so he relaxed knowing the ending would be anticlimactic. Just as quickly as he’d felt Seungcheol’s breath against his cheek, he would leave. Pushing himself off the ground as if nothing had happened, and going about his day. Jihoon would do the same, without thinking twice about the event. The people around him would pay no mind as Seungcheol created distance between them again, never saying a word.

Except, he didn’t. Seungcheol’s palm maneuvered his cheek so that he was facing him again, ghosts of air brushing against him in a manner that made him shiver. They were so close that Jihoon found himself holding his breath, curiously searching for an answer to what was happening in Seungcheol’s unwavering expression. Seungcheol closed his eyes, leaning in until the tips of their noses touched. Jihoon shut his own eyes tightly.

Seungcheol’s lips parted, he knew because he felt them brush against his own. It wasn’t a kiss, their lips simply touched, and Jihoon trembled as he felt Seungcheol’s mouth open up to speak against his own.

“Jihoon!” He woke up in a cold sweat, holding himself up in a sitting position. His head spinned for a moment, and it took the world around him settling for him to identify the figure which had just startled him awake.

Jeonghan.

“What’s wrong? You looked like you were having a nightmare.” He was standing in the entrance of the studio, pulling strands of blonde hair behind his ears with a slight downwards tug at the corners of his mouth.

Jihoon really, really wished it had been one of those dreams where he’d wake up and be like ‘whoa, I can’t remember a thing!’ Unfortunately, it wasn’t, and Jihoon relived each embarrassing scene over in his head as he pondered over Jeonghan’s question. “Yeah, a nightmare.”

Jeonghan walked over by his side, placing a mug of coffee and a banana on his desk. “Here, you missed breakfast. We all know you haven’t been sleeping great, so nobody wanted to wake you, but it’s getting kind of late.” Jihoon mumbled a ‘thanks’, propping himself up on one arm to drink the coffee. “Must’ve been some nightmare, Jihoonie; you were tossing and turning. What was it about?”

He swallowed the mouthful he’d taken a swig of to stop himself from choking. No ing way was he about to tell Jeonghan about it, he’d never hear the end of it. “It was terrifying, you showed up and tried to interrogate me when I’d just woken up. Glad that’s over-oh wait.” He didn’t try to hide the sarcasm in his tone.

Jeonghan looked shocked for a moment, but quickly he began to laugh. “Did you finish that song you’ve been working on? It seems like you’re in a good mood.”

“No… Not yet.” But, actually, he did feel a lot better. Maybe it was just the extra sleep, but Jihoon felt it safe to assume Jisoo’s idea had been a success… well, somewhat. “I should get working on it.” He gripped at the blanket that had been thrown across him, inspecting it with a hum of confusion.

“Did you?” He gestured to the comforter, which had definitely not been there when he’d fallen asleep.

Jeonghan shook his head. “Wasn’t me. I’d be happy to take credit, though.”

He rolled his eyes, bundling the blanket up against the arm rest of the couch and getting up to stretch.

“Are you coming to vocal practise today? Or, are you gonna skip it again for your precious work.” Jeonghan played with a loose string sticking out from his sleeve, feigning disinterest.

Jihoon unpeeled the banana hungrily, chewing as he considered. “I think I’ll come today, I need a breather.”

“Ah, good. By the way, Seungcheol’s calling a group meeting, so he wants us all in the living-room in an hour. Have a shower, okay? You smell.” Jeonghan smiled at him. He was, in fact, trying to be helpful. But seeing as Jihoon’s streak of being an insufferable little monster was over, he might as well take the opportunity to a bit.

He gave himself a curious sniff, grimacing. Well, he had spent the last week holed up in here like he was hibernating. The after-smell was inevitable. “It’s free?”

“It’s 2pm. Everyone else showered ages ago.”

Jihoon shot up, stuffing the rest of the banana down his throat in a manner that could rival a star. He shoved the garbage on his desk into a bin as he struggled to swallow. “! Why didn’t anyone wake me?” Jeonghan simply smiled as Jihoon rushed himself out the studio door, stopping in the entrance to point a finger at him. “You’re dead later, hyung, you hear me?”

Jeonghan chuckled. “Alright Jihoonie.”

Jihoon ran past the room’s between his studio, and the dorm, turning the heads of a few members as he rushed past them. He shoved his way into his shared room, which was thankfully vacant. The others must have already begun practise without him! Those s. He never slept this late, they could have AT LEAST had the decency to wake him up at a reasonable time. He stepped into the bathroom, stripping the sweater he wore, and sending the fumes of his B.O up in waves. How could he have not smelled himself before? Had he just grown accustomed to the stench after wallowing in it for a week? Even he himself could it admit that was disgusting.

Jihoon turned the dial on the shower to nearly the highest setting, steaming up the glass as he pressed up against the stream. He melted under the heat of the water, feeling the grime and stress rinse away under lathering foam. He didn’t have much time to relish in the feeling, but he tried to make the fleeting moment last. As he rinsed away the shampoo in his hair, red dye leaked into the drain by his feet.

He pulled a towel around his waist, inspecting his appearance in the mirror. His red hair had faded to a pinkish burgundy, his roots growing contrastingly black against the diminishing vibrancy. He couldn’t help but feel he looked like an idol who’d given up on himself, though at least the blue hue under his eyes had faded after a good night’s sleep. As his hair dryer hummed loudly, Jihoon tapped his fingers against the linoleum, singing along with the mechanical whir.

“I hope you have a-good good morning~” Without thinking, Jihoon caught himself in the mirror, displaying a shy smile as he sung. He dropped it, shaking water droplets from his head maniacally.

Even though he would be able to keep his own wild thoughts under rep for the time being, there was one very real threat which he would need to face inevitably.

Pretty damn soon, he was going to have to see Seungcheol. After finding the Jicheol tag, he could have done it with ease, spare a bit of annoyance. After spending an all-nighter stalking the tag? He’d do it, but he’d probably kill himself out of embarrassment in the mean time. Now, The whole Jicheol thing, the all nighter, PLUS that ridiculous dream? Jihoon was afraid he might end up on a murderous spree just to keep anyone else from discovering his secret. He could probably just threaten the lives of the other members, but it would not being able to face Seungcheol ever again. Bye friend, it was nice while it lasted.

His hair, now dry, stuck up in every which direction from the haphazard way he’d blow-dried it. He sighed; no amount of combing would be able to lie it flat, so he might as well leave it. God, how he missed having the luxury of a stylist. Since they weren’t making any public appearances lately, their managers found no need in keeping their stylists and makeup artists on call, which was unfortunate for his own untameable mane.

Jihoon pulled on a simple hoodie, which was a bit too big for him, and a pair of black sweat shorts, before making his way into the living-room.

Mingyu spotted him first, looking up from where he’d been lounging on the couch, gaping as if he’d seen a ghost.

“Move your .”

“Ah-oh, sure, sorry.” He scurried up to a sitting position, making room for Jihoon to sit down. Mingyu peeked down at him with a hint of insecurity, trying to figure out whether he was sitting next to a ticking time-bomb, or a rabid cat today. Jihoon was too lost in his own thoughts to notice his discomfort, leaning against him as he checked his phone for messages. The group chat he’d been ignoring was stacked, and going through it all sounded like a chore.

Jun exchanged a panicked look with Mingyu, the two of them attempting to decipher the situation. There was a lot of argument being shared through their eye contact, though no resolution could be made without inquiring the boy in question.

Minghao rolled his eyes. “Hyung, are you feeling okay? You slept a lot.”

Jihoon made a sound of exclamation, startling the boy next to him. He promptly grabbed a throw cushion and, well, threw it. It hit Jun in the nose. “Yah! Why didn’t any of you wake me up? You bastards let me sleep though half the day!”

Minghao managed to stop himself from laughing at Jun’s offended expression. “You haven’t been sleeping, though! Don’t worry, we told the choreographer, so he let you off the hook for morning practise.”

“We were trying to be thoughtful.” Jun cut in, rubbing his nose as if Jihoon had thrown a brick. “You could say thanks, you know.”

Jihoon pouted, leaning against Mingyu’s shoulder with his arms crossed stubbornly. He let out a small laugh when Jun launched the pillow back at him, hitting him in the side of the head.

Jeonghan snatched the cushion off the ground for him to sit on, before a full-fledged pillow fight could break out. The ambiance of the room felt light, playful. Compared to the gloom and doom of all the days before, it was a pleasant change.

Mingyu, who had finally registered that Jihoon was not in a murderous mood, threw a playful arm around his shoulders, ruffling freshly washed hair. “Where’s our leader! He’s the one who called this meeting, Geeze.”

Jihoon tensed up, hardly registering the unwelcome skinship at the mention of Seungcheol. Before he could even take the chance to calm the flush rushing to his cheeks, the man of the hour took a seat close by his side.

“I’m sure you’re all wondering why I’ve called this meeting.” Seungcheol had fit himself into the two-person couch he and Mingyu shared. Even if he could conjure up the courage to move, there was no room beside him to relieve the press of Seungcheol’s thighs against his, or the way Seungcheol slotted up to him like a puzzle piece. Mingyu slinked his arm off of him, leaving nothing to disconnect them. “It’s been a pretty crazy couple of weeks, but I think I can see the end of the tunnel. Just a bit longer and we’ll be able to start promotions, I can feel it.”

“Get to the point.” Jeonghan teased.

Seungcheol kicked him lightly. “One more outburst from you and you’re out of the band.” His foot was slapped away with a playful smirk.

He leaned back again, this time he weighed his body towards Jihoon, lying his arm over the back of the couch. This was the kind of closeness he was used to having with Seungcheol. He always knew exactly how much Jihoon could tolerate, and he never crossed the line unless the media demanded it. They’ve been in this position so many times before, so why the was it now that Jihoon struggled to breath when he felt the warmth of Seungcheol against him?

“Anyways,” he continued, “I know you’ve all been working hard for this comeback.” The surrounding members listened with anticipation, Seungcheol took a dramatic pause as he took in their expressions with glee. “So! I’ve decided I’m going to treat you all for dinner.”

They cheered, sending a collage of “thank you’s” and creating affectionate hearts with their bodies. Seungcheol made a guttural, triumphant laugh as if he were pretending to be king, which vibrated against Jihoon’s side. As much as this guy complained about paying for their food, he sure did love the affection he received from it.

“What are we ordering, hyung?” Seungkwan practically salivated as he spoke.

“I want fried squid!” Chan chimed in.

“You always want fried squid.”

Seungcheol raised a hand to shush them, a mischievous smirk playing against his lips. “Now, now. I haven’t even told you the best part.” The other’s stopped, waiting. “We, Seventeen, for the first time in almost a month, are going out to eat!”

Everyone else jumped up in celebration. In the mean time, Jihoon struggled to calm his rambling thoughts. As Seungcheol left the couch to hug s, he took the chance to breath in air that didn’t smell suffocating.

Seungcheol took a quick glance at the boy sitting behind him. He hoped to catch some excitement behind an otherwise cold expression. This was meant to be a treat to them, for working so hard. Jihoon especially, had been working himself to the bone. It showed in his constant state of grim, and the literal bones that were poking out of his sides. He hadn’t really been getting his 3 meals a day in, not to mention his 9 hours of sleep.

To his own surprise, Jihoon looked neither excited, nor indifferent. He actually looked, well, nervous? He at least looked like he’d cleaned up, and there was a healthy flush against his pale skin, contrasting the deathly hollow of his cheeks. It worried him, more than a little bit. When Jihoon caught his staring, Seungcheol took quick notice of the way his eyes went wide and round, in a manner that made his stomach turn.

Jihoon looked up from where he’d nervously pulled the hem of his sweater apart, catching Seungcheol’s expression looking briefly unrecognizable. It took only a blink for his Eyes to turn downwards goofily, as he offered an innocent smile. Jihoon curved his lips up briefly, before staring hard at the floor, attempting to ignore the irregular pace of his heart.

God, why? He needed to act normal, or Seungcheol was definitely going to sense that something was wrong. Seungcheol understood Jihoon’s inner thoughts better than anyone else, and there he was blatantly reacting like a criminal to a simple exchange. He was stupid; so, so stupid.

When he looked up again, Seungcheol had wandered away, bombarded with the love of his other dongsaengs.

“Jihoonie, let’s go to practise.” A shake of his shoulders led him away from Seungcheol’s back, looking up at Jeonghan, who was smiling calmly down at him.

Jihoon took a deep breath, getting up from the couch to follow the others.

~

It wasn’t until 6 that they actually left the dorm. Jihoon didn’t feel too hungry, but since he’d avoided meals for the sake of work these days, that could just be his body forgetting the feeling of being full. Despite the heavy coat and cotton mask he wore as disguise, the cold bit against his skin as they trudged towards their destination. Seungcheol had chosen a small restaurant with good reviews, and they’d gone at the deadest of business days. Hopefully, nobody would recognize them while they were walking from the van to the building. Jihoon really didn’t want his fans seeing him look like this.

Jisoo quickened his pace, matching up beside Jihoon, who had been thinking to himself silently. “So,” he whispered, “did you do it?”

Jihoon stuttered, staring at his feet embarrassingly. “Ah, yeah, a little.” God, he wanted to die.

“Really? How was it? do you feel better? Inspired?”

Jisoo’s expression was so innocently hopeful, that he couldn’t bear to tell him anything otherwise. “I do feel a bit better, actually.” He tried for a smile, and seeing Jisoo light up made it almost turn real. “Thanks for the suggestion.”

He leaned an arm over his shoulder with a kind smile. “I’m so glad!” Jihoon chuckled half-heartedly, his smile falling as his mind wandered back to the problem at hand.

“Wait, what’s wrong?”

He pushed Jisoo’s arm off, looking away. “It’s nothing, I do feel better. Thanks.”

“Jihoon, tell me.” He used That same demanding tone, the one that made Jihoon feel like he was talking to his respectable grandmother. “What is it?”

He sighed. “Its just…”

“Yeah?”

His face felt hot against the cool air. He brought his voice low, bringing Jisoo in closer to whisper. “I-I found… some fans who think, uh... well, they think me and Seungcheol like each other.” Jisoo deadpanned, so Jihoon cleared his throat to emphasize. “I mean, the think we like, like each other.”

“That’s it?”

Jihoon’s mouth fell open in disbelief. “What the do you mean that’s it? I don’t understand it! What did we do to give that impression? And how did I never notice it before? It’s… Ugh, I feel so embarrassed, I can’t even look at Seungcheol.” Jihoon buried his face in his hands, and Jisoo couldn’t stop himself from cracking up.

“Oh man, Jihoonie. Are you serious? Fan’s come up with crazy ships all the time. Just ignore that stuff.”

“But, so many of them ‘ship it’.” He made air quotes, eyebrow’s furrowing in frustration.

“And so many of them ‘ship’ me and Jeonghan. You don’t see us making out in the dorms, do you?”

“Ew, didn’t need the visual.”

Jisoo chuckled, patting the younger on the back. “Just saying, it doesn’t mean anything. I bet Seungcheol knows about your ship, too. You don’t see him getting all embarrassed, right?”

Jihoon nodded, pushing his mouth to one side as he watched Seungcheol walking, miles ahead. “He knows about it?”

“I’m sure he does. Seungcheol likes to please the fans, he keeps tabs on those kinds of things. So, don’t think too hard about it, okay?”

He reluctantly agreed, and soon enough they were piling into the restaurant. The manager led them into a private room, her eyes sparkling as she eyed the handsome men she’d be tending to.

He pulled up his courage, taking in a deep breath as he walked all the way around the room, placing himself in the seat nearest to Seungcheol. His leader sat on the end of the table, so Jihoon took the first seat after that, and Soonyoung sat in front of him.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized Jisoo was right. He was being delusional! He’d fallen into the twisted mindset of his fans without even considering Seungcheol’s feelings to begin with. Seungcheol was his best friend, so obviously they were close. He knew the fan’s preferences, so it only made sense for him to also know about who they ‘shipped’, as well.

And, if Seungcheol didn’t feel awkward about it, why should he?

At least, that’s what he told himself. Meanwhile, Seungcheol talked across the table to the other members, while Jihoon hid his face behind his menu. He was just pretending to be super interested in the items on the menu, but as he scanned through them maniacally, his eyes caught one item in particular.

“Wah, they mix the noodles!” He had said it to himself, but Seungcheol chuckled beside him, flashing him a charming smile that made his heart do acrobatics in his chest.

He didn’t say anything, but the look on his face was oddly sly, as if he’d been anticipating Jihoon’s excitement. Well, how could he not get excited? They served his favorite meal here. Seungcheol returned his attention to his own menu after Jihoon had hidden his expression in embarrassment.

Had he… done that on purpose? Jihoon’s eyes shifted back to his friend, curiously. The idea of Seungcheol choosing a restaurant based on the fact that his favorite food was served there was, well… It made him feel odd, all tingly and giddy on the inside. No, it was probably just a coincidence. He bit his lip to supress the need to smile, flipping to back of the menu to pick out something to drink.

Yeah, he definitely needed something with alcohol.

Everyone else had the same thought, apparently, as Seungcheol had ordered a few bottles of soju, and the evening of casual dinner discussion had flipped into a night of drinking games and celebration. What the were they celebrating, anyways? The next album wasn’t even finished!

Ah, it. Jihoon poured himself another shot as the game progressed into a twisted form of truth, dare, or drink. Save the few youngest member’s, who were given a bitter glass of punishment juice, instead (some gross mix of sparkling tonic water and lime juice.) Seungcheol stuck to the juice. Someone had to be the responsible adult, he supposed. Seokmin, who had refused to do every single stupid dare he’d been given, downright wobbled as he pointed his finger in Jihoon’s direction.

“Jihoney, truth or dare.”

The vein in his forehead nearly bursted. “Yah! Where’s my honorifics, bastard? I’m your Hyung!”

Seokmin slammed a drunken fist against the wooden table, his face dead serious. “There’s no honorifics in truth or dare, bub.”

This ing guy. Jihoon rose up, fully prepared to start a fight across the table. He stopped when a hand wrapped around his wrist, gently preventing him from driving a fist into Seokmin’s face. Seungcheol was looking at him with an amused sparkle in his eyes, causing Jihoon to return to a sitting position, sheepishly pulling his hand away from his grip. Seokmin was still waiting, apparently unaware of his Hyung’s fury.

“, fine… Truth.”

“Tell the truth, Jihoonie.” Ignore it, ignore it, ignore it. “You watch in your studio, don’t you!”

His face flushed, mouth bumbling as he gathered a proper retort. “ off, I don’t! That’s my work computer, you sick .” The other members, interest’s fully peaked, pressed on.

“Oh, come on Hyung, you must have used it for stuff other than work before.” Mingyu’s eye’s squinted with suspicion.

“I haven’t!”

“Then show us your history! We’ll only believe you if you show some proof!” Chan shouted from the end or the table, earning a cheer of agreement.

“Fine! I’ll-” he froze, mind running back to last night as his heart stopped beating in his chest. Oh , there was no way he was showing them that mess. He forgot to clear his history! How could he be so stupid?

“If you say no, we’re checking when we get back!’ Seokmin continued. “Or, you can just admit it. You watch , don’t you?”

Jihoon struggled for a moment, weighing his choices. He could just say yes, even though it wasn’t ing true, or he could say no and let the whole goddamn band discover his collage of shipping video’s among his history. Yeah, that.

Jihoon grabbed the shot of soju sitting before him, downing it in one go. Seokmin found himself toppling over onto the floor laughing after that.

“Soonyoung!” He started immediately after, his voice croaking under the bitterness of the alcohol. “Truth or dare.”

Soonyoung simply smirked at the dropped honorifics. He hadn’t taken a single shot yet, and Jihoon was going to change that. “Dare.”

“I dare you, to kiss Seokmin. Right on the mouth, passionate enough to shut him the up.”

Soonyoung, in all his soberness, flushed bright red, eyes floating down to the completely wasted Seokmin, who was currently on the floor. “No way!”

“Then drink!” Jihoon busied himself pouring his friend’s shot while he weighed the choices, eyes glancing in-between Seokmin’s lips, and the shot of soju. Eventually, he in a tight breath of air, and got up from his seat.

Jihoon’s mouth dropped open incredulously. “wha- are you serious?” Before he could completely render the possibility, Soonyoung had taken Seokmin’s face in his hands, and kissed him. Right on the mouth. And, apparently, passionate enough to shut him the up, because moment’s later he sat back down, and Seokmin was left on the floor, speechless.

“There! Happy?” Soonyoung, despite himself, was redder than a tomato. Jihoon was still in shock, unable to muster a response. “Seungcheol, truth or dare!”

Seungcheol was doubled over in laughter, only able to respond after catching his breath. “Dare!”

Jihoon returned the fierce gaze Soonyoung was sending him, eyed squinting, and a smirk emerging that made Jihoon think of one word in particular.

Revenge.

“Seungcheol, I dare you…” He kept his eyes on jihoon as he spoke, smile widening as he watched his face go white with realization. “To kiss Jihoon. Right on the mouth, for at least 10 seconds.”

Even though he’d anticipated it, Jihoon’s eyes were wide in shock. “Wha- no! You can’t just do the same one, that’s not fair! Pick a different one, cheater!”

Soonyoung’s eyes were flaming with passion. “It IS different! You dared me to kiss him passionate enough to shut him up, I dared him to kiss you for ten seconds. You have no argument!” he laughed triumphantly, meanwhile Jihoon found himself frantically searching for an argument.

There was none.

Ah! But he had a hope, Jihoon turned to Seungcheol, hoping to find an expression of disgust in his leader’s face. Ho prayed Seungcheol was looking at his bitter drink in anticipation.

Except, he wasn’t. Seungcheol was looking at Jihoon, his kind smile replaced with an expression that made Jihoon’s stomach flip-flop.

Immediately, his mind went back to the dream he’d had last night, and Jihoon quickly realized he’d seen that expression before. Serious and forward, the polar opposite of what he was used to. Jihoon couldn’t believe what was happening. Was Seungcheol actually considering this? He didn’t have to! He had choices! The bitter drink couldn’t be that bad.

He turned to Soonyoung for moment, eyes practically pleading, although his mouth had frozen, along with the rest of his body. The other members were watching them with excited cheers and suggestive kissy-faces. They all thought this was some kind of a joke, meanwhile Jihoon was left with an internal crisis he couldn’t even voice.

His only solace came with the sympathetic frown Jisoo offered from down the table, opening his mouth to protest. Before he could get a word out, Jihoon felt strong hands grip his shoulders, throwing his attention back to the matter at hand.

Seungcheol was looking at him, but not into his eyes. Without thinking, he shifted his gaze down to Seungcheol’s lips, catching sight of a sharp tongue poking out to wet them. His heart thudded loudly in his chest, and the banter and cheers of the room began to sound like fuzz when he began to lean in. The approach was far too slow, forcing Jihoon to suffer through each little tingle that came with an impending kiss.

Feeling Seungcheol’s nose brush against his own, Jihoon shut his eyes tightly, his body freezing in place.

“S-Seungcheol?” He stuttered embarrassingly, voice hushed at the sensation of warm breathing against his skin. One particular thought danced around in his mind, among all the other illogical ones. Shouldn’t this be the part where he wakes up from this nightmare?

A/N: I swear this story was supposed to only be two chapters long 😂😂😂 whoops.