#i loooove talking about them hghhggh

[oddrobyn]

Hope you don’t mind me asking more questions then! What did Stev and Li think of each other when they first met? How did they end up becoming friends (or more) during the occupation?

This question literally inspired me to make a whole blog for them now omfggg but the tldr is pretty much that spending a lot of time together and considering neither of them had it easy in making friends they got really quickly attached to each other and the kindness they showed each other during occupation sort of escalated into caring and woops!!! Feelings occur!!

It was definitely something they have to keep under wraps not just for the sake of not getting separated but because stev was worried that if everyone knew about it , there would be problems for Li and the townsfolk unable to trust them.

Unfortunately for them people did find out but because they understood Li's character and that stev wasn't exactly an Evil Guy (tm) per say, there wasn't too much disappointment (but Cooper absolutely lectures them about it whenever he remembers that happened lol)

Considering the whole "shipped off to jail thing" it was pretty heartbreaking for both of them. A lot of people felt it was for the better that they never really made it "official" and sort of beat around the bush in what they wanted for each other but the fact of the matter is that Li still got attached and so of course they did emotionally suffer from the loss (especially since there's the assumption they would never see each other again AND the fact that Pen was Li's best friend so losing two of your closest people and thinking they're never coming back is pretty rough).

Spoilers for Evershine under the cut if you're interested !!

Ok sooo.

Even though after this point things in sandrock start looking up, Li actually becomes severely depressed and it worsens when Grace leaves and fakes her death and stuff. The three years between Sandrock and Evershine was mostly them regressing back into a self isolated hermit who never went out beyond the gates of their work shop out of worsening fear that ever getting close to someone again was going to just end badly again. Even when Grace did return they were unfortunately too far gone at that point and weren't seen outside their home for a long time.

This following headcanon was hugely based off something from my friend Cae so props to them for this idea!

But the second they heard the news that someone sounding like stev was spotted in the Northern Eufala and recieved a letter from him talking about him being there, they were quick to get on the next train there and reunite with him. Even if for a while Li felt sort of guilty about leaving sandrock behind out of nowhere and with no one except Logan knowing for a week or so, a lot of people knew they'd be happier and thankfully Sandrock was able to stand on its own now. The house is left untouched in case they ever choose to come back, but Li is a lot happier just being with someone they really cared for. Things got to pick back up where they left it and now they had the freedom to make things official !