Lowkey proud of this, so here y'all go.

With the Witherstorm dead, there was nothing to do but continue on working. This was a motto that Ellegaard, having survived that mess, held close. She was not content to just sit back and forget about her life's work. Months had passed, and it was time to dust off those machines and get back to work.

She wasn't an idiot, however and knew that trying to recreate the command block could kill her, along with the rest of the world. That wasn't something she would risk. Even if she didn't care about half of the world, there were other people she did care deeply about, some deeper than others. No, this time she discarded those damned blueprints and tossed the beginnings of that wretched creation and everything like it into a chest, which she promptly pushed right off a ledge and into the ocean.

Screw the command block, she had set her sights on a machine that would put her name in bold ink. She'd make a contraption that would start a mechanical revolution. It'd change transportation forever, and put Redstonia at the center of travel. It was task far too big for one person, but she was hell-bent on making it happen.

That was why when Calvin suggested calling in a scholar or engineer or perhaps an assistant to help, she eagerly agreed, and rushed off, leaving a slightly surprised protégé in her wake. A helping hand would be essential in bringing her idea to life, but he hadn't expected her to agree so quickly. She even patted him approvingly on the shoulder.

Calvin hoped with all hope that the scholar, engineer, or assistant would be him. He did meet the criteria, and dreamed of working closely with Ellegaard. So he poked and prodded her for who she would pick, and finally, after a week, she said he would get his answer soon.

He did not expect his answer to arrive in the form of an enthusiastic, brown-haired little ball of potential that absolutely adored Ellegaard.

Olivia was the first and only engineer Ellegaard had invited to help her. Of all her allies and connection, Ellegaard sought out the one person she knew would be the best choice. It wasn't something she'd normally do, but Olivia had a heart of gold and a mind of diamond, and Ellegaard appreciated that. She also appreciated her butt. It was a lovely butt.

Olivia hopped out of a minecart, and adjusted the pack on her shoulder apprehensively.

"Miss Olivia." Calvin peered at her over his glasses.

"Oh, hello. Ellegaard invited me. Does she want me right now? I'm ready to help her right now. Unless she means later, that's alright too." Olivia started to ramble nervously. Even though she was no longer some random, unknown admirer, she still held Ellegaard in high respects. It had been a while since she had seen her, and she missed the twinkle in her eyes and her laugh and the subtle touches they shared when no one was looking.

Calvin merely gestured to Ellegaard's Dome, and Olivia began the trek to her absolute favorite place, and person, in the world. As she turned down hallways and climbed twisting staircases, her heart pumped and she could feel her face get hot, even with no one around. She hadn't even seen Ellegaard yet, and here she was getting flustered like a little schoolgirl. Olivia mentally scolded herself as she approached a small side door that led to the workshop, and she slipped in quietly.

There Ellegaard stood, contemplating over a large table covered with blueprints and sketches and stray clumps of redstone. She looked up as Olivia approached her, her face lighting up brighter than she would have publicly allowed.

"Olivia! Come on, we have a lot of work to do," Ellegaard thrust a stack of papers into Olivia's hands, fingers just barely brushing. The touch sent jolts through both of them, and Ellegaard straightened up and retracted her hands quickly, before moving to mess with a pile of comparators, "Just, ah, set your stuff, well, anywhere, I suppose."

Olivia dropped her pack beside a worn sofa, and leafed through the designs. Ellegaard had always been a genius, and her designs were always unique.

"You... you want to build...what is this? I've never seen something like this before." She glanced up curiously, "It seems like some kind of super minecart?"

"I call it the mine-shuttle. Similar to a minecart, but much faster." Ellegaard turned to smile triumphantly at Olivia, and hastily pulled on her working gloves, "that's why I need your help. It's a large project. A lot of aspects and potential issues and I need someone who I can trust. It's a risk. It could flop, but trust me, it's worth it. This would change transportation forever. Fast, cost efficient, and unique to Redstonia, it's perfect."

Lost in her smile and confident eyes, Olivia just nodded briefly.

"Good, let's get started."

The duo instantly began working, and with the way they threw themselves into the project, you'd think it was the only thing left in the world. They worked and worked, fervently and with a passion. When Olivia had arrived, they had started work almost immediately. That was in the morning, and by midday, a base and skeleton for the machine had taken shape.

Around evening that first day, Calvin brought two bowls of thick soup. The two engineers were working on a particularly tricky circuit, with their bodies pressed close to reach it at the same time. Upon seeing their closeness, Calvin dropped the bowls onto to the table with a loud thud, sending the stew splashing a bit onto the table. He cast a disapproving glance at the two before storming out and slamming the door with an even louder thud.

"What's up his ass this time?" Ellegaard muttered, eliciting a soft chuckle from Olivia.

"What isn't up his ass?"

It was Ellegaard's turn to chuckle.

Hours passed like the wind, and before long the workshop was a mess. Blueprints and notes surrounded the machine, covering every inch of the floor. Piles of redstone, everywhere. Contraptions on every tabletop, and repeaters, comparators, pressure plates, or anything vaguely resembling a button strewn about haphazardly.

The room looked like a disaster, to say the least. But it didn't stop the pair from giving it their all. Truly, it seemed there was nothing they hadn't forgotten about, except for the machine. They rarely stopped, if only to eat, rarely had a conversation, and the small dining table had accumulated an impressive collection of bowls and plates that neither bothered to dump down the piston trash chute.

It wasn't unusual for Ellegaard to lose herself in her work like this, nor was it unusual for Olivia. Oftentimes Jesse would have to shake Olivia out of her redstone-induced trance just to get her to eat or sleep. But no one else was there besides Ellegaard and Olivia, and Calvin would never disturb someone hard at work. So, they continued working nonstop as long as possible.

It was afternoon in the third day when Olivia dropped the repeater.

The prototype of the machine was halfway done, and Ellegaard had just finished assembling a modified repeater. It had taken her a few hours to perfect it, and Olivia, the ever-attentive helper, was right beside her when she handed it to her.

But the repeater slipped from shaking hands and hit the floor, shattering into dozens of pieces. The room was silent for a moment as they both stared at what was now a waste of half a day's effort.

"Oh, Ellegaard I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that, I really didn't. Maybe it's best if I just stopped. I'm sor- "

"Are you alright?" Ellegaard interrupted her. "You're shaking. When's the last time you ate? Or slept?

"When's the last time you ate or slept? Really, I'm fine, I'm just clumsy. I'm so sorry about the repeater, I really am!"

"Come on," Ellegaard placed her hand softly on Olivia's shoulder, and nudged her towards the couch, "Sit down. Take a break."

"What about you?" Olivia asked. She took a seat on the couch she had seen earlier. It was comfy, and it made her want to fall asleep right there. She let out a large yawn.

Ellegaard yawned, too, despite her best efforts to hide her exhaustion.

"I'll... Well, CALVIN," She waited a moment as footstep thundered up a staircase, down a hallway, and his head poked through the door, "Tea and blankets, would you?"

Calvin huffed and disappeared behind the door again, presumably to go get their tea. She sat next to Olivia, who was already curled up in the middle of the couch. Ellegaard brushed the hair out of her eyes, and scooted closer to the other engineer.

"You must be terribly tired. I apologize for overworking you," She leaned her forehead against Olivia's, who wrapped an arm around Ellegaard's waist and tugged her closer, "I try to remember you're human, but you seem so much like an angel. You work so hard, it's like you're invincible."

Olivia let out a breathy laugh, and pressed a chaste kiss to Ellegaard's lips, before pulling away and resting her head in the crook of Ellegaard's neck. They stayed like that for a few minutes, just resting and enjoying each other's warmth.

The door creaked open and Calvin came in balancing a platter of teacups in one hand, and a stack of blankets in the other. The duo pulled apart just the slightest, still wrapped around each other. The protégé set the platter on the end table near the couch, and dropped the blankets at the opposite end, all while purposely never looking at either of the two lovers.

By the time Calvin had walked out and slammed the door, Ellegaard had the blanket spread out over the two of them. She went to reach for a cup, but Olivia wrapped both her arms around Ellegaard, and clung. The engineer simply smiled, settling back down and resting her chin on the top of Olivia's head.

Time passed, but this time it wasn't in a haze of work, instead, the minutes ticked by as the sound of Olivia's breathing slowed and the tea went cold. Ellegaard pressed a kiss to her forehead, and closed her eyes as well. As much as she liked working, she decided that this was much nicer, and nuzzled closer to Olivia. It wasn't long before the two of them fell into much needed sleep, still clinging to each other and snoring lightly.

A/N: Well that did not go as planned. Not in the slightest. I basically threw away half of my plan and changed the rest but whatever it works. I managed to stay somewhat within my deadline so thats cool. I guess it's a day over what I was aiming for (bc I was trying to get it done in four days), but scheduling can be a bitch, and I got an extra long band meeting, and a large project due that I had two days to do, so I made good time.

Anyways this isn't beta'd bc I have no one to proofread my stuff (pro tip:have friends willing to read your dumb shit), so grammar/spelling errors shouldn't be a suprise.

Maybe its just me but it feels a little choppy? Could be just because I wrote it in different sections (pro tip 2: write your beginning first so you're not struggling to connect it to the end later).

P.s. Calvins a thirsty ho

Word Count: 1765