~▪♡Among Our Love♡▪~Jalbert

A/N: Explaining some things.

So. It's been a while, huh?

8.11k reads, I can't believe people read my shitty story still but hey, we all start somewhere right?

I wrote this book back in quarantine to try and pick up another hobby, and obviously I was an amateur. Reading through this book again, I have come to the realization that there are a few things that may not make sense or add up to the reader, especially the ending. It's hard to really give detail when you jump into a story where the characters have no backstory explanation so, I'll take a bit of time to explain some stuff I never bothered to cover.

Explaining the characters

-Jake-

In this storyline, Jake is 24 years old. He was a member of NAZU:Space Tech and Repairment for 3 years. He was not interested in socializing with other members besides his acquaintance Aaron and Aarons' younger brother Jonathan. He doesn't exactly see the other members as people with meaning or purpose. This ties back into his lack of care and emotion for anyone else but Albert.
Moving on to mentality explanation. Jake deals with what is called the "Obsessive love disorder". I think this is one of the most obvious details considering half the storyline revolves around this. He is also Bipolar and suffers from Mania. This is shown through actions in the story. Extra note: Aaron knew prior about his issues, but Jake was never willing to take Aarons' advice and actively seek help.

-Albert-

Albert is 21 years old, 3 years younger than Jake. It is mentioned that he was accepted into NAZU through a letter in the mail and proceeded to enroll immediately out of excitement, he is what older crew members teasingly call a "newbie". Albert is socially anxious and prefers to keep to himself, hence his hesitance to speak to Jake during their first meeting. He is an unlabeled asexual and has zero relationship experience, this is why he is unable to pick up on the little hints Jake drops until Jake confesses his love to him in chapter 7. This is a key factor to further explaining Alberts' hesitance to reciprocate Jakes' feelings. However, on one hand, Albert believes Jake is a good person and wants to give him a chance (which obviously proves to be a big mistake), and on the other hand, Albert is confused on whether or not that's what he really wants for himself.

Why did Jake become so obsessed with Albert?

Albert is Jakes' idea of a perfect person. Shy, sweet, caring, innocent, checks off all of the boxes in Jakes' mind. He attaches himself emotionally to Albert almost immediately, the classic love at first sight trope. When Jake finds out there are not-so-great people who also desire Albert on the station (perks of being an acquaintance with a social person, you get all the details) he takes it upon himself to deal with it and protect Albert. In the worst way possible of course.

Why was Aaron alive?

The only reason he was the only other person alive near the end is because he spiraled into depression after his brother "suicided". This caused him to essentially close off from the other members and take time to grieve.

Explaining the Ending

Now I know some of you out there are mostly confused about the ending. Why the fuck is Albert in love with a mentally ill murderer? My explanation is Stockholm syndrome.

The definition for Stockholm syndrome: Feelings of trust or affection felt in many cases of kidnapping or hostage-taking by a victim toward a captor.

These individuals are generally not harmed by their captors and may even be treated with kindness. A person who develops Stockholm syndrome often experiences symptoms of posttraumatic stress: nightmares, insomnia, flashbacks, a tendency to startle easily, confusion, and difficulty trusting others.

Symptoms sound awfully familiar to Alberts' struggles in the second half of the story, huh?
Alberts' confusion and trauma response to the whole situation is the core of this syndrome developing. It's a sad but unfortunately real response.

I won't lie, I got the idea for something like that from Mistakes Were Made, by Samsters. (Good story, you might cry so read at your own risk.)

I think that clears up everything I can think of. It is nearly 3am I need to rest.

I still have not decided on whether or not this story shall have a sequel. It is still a possibility. Small edits to this story may be made, or I may rewrite everything so it makes more sense.

Thank you to those who have continued to support me and my works. Until next time, friends.

If you have any questions, whether it be about the story or characters, feel free to comment them and I will answer when I can. Peace. ☆