diff --git a/src/server/index.ts b/src/server/index.ts
index 334113b..91f12bf 100644
--- a/src/server/index.ts
+++ b/src/server/index.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import APIRouter from "./routes/api.js"
 import { fileURLToPath } from "url"
 import { dirname } from "path"
 import config from "./lib/config.js"
+import { dbs } from "./lib/dbfile.js"
 
 const app = new Hono({strict: false})
 
@@ -60,8 +61,18 @@ if (config.forceSSL) {
 // discord
 let files = new Files(config)
 
+// ts screams at me if i don't
+// use a function here.
+// i'm inflight so
+// i'm too lazy to figure this out
 const apiRouter = new APIRouter(files)
-apiRouter.loadAPIMethods().then(() => {
+apiRouter.loadAPIMethods().then(async () =>
+    Promise.all(
+        Object.values(dbs)
+            .map(e => e.readInProgress)
+            .filter(e => Boolean(e))
+    )
+).then(() => {
     app.route("/", apiRouter.root)
     console.log("API OK!")
 
diff --git a/src/server/lib/dbfile.ts b/src/server/lib/dbfile.ts
index c1a8a69..a336c2d 100644
--- a/src/server/lib/dbfile.ts
+++ b/src/server/lib/dbfile.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import path from "node:path"
 
 const DATADIR = `./.data`
 const TICK = 500
+export let dbs: Record<string, DbFile<any>> = {}
 
 export type Write = ReturnType<typeof writeFile>
 
@@ -86,10 +87,14 @@ export default class DbFile<Structure extends ({}|[])> {
     private rewriteNeeded: boolean = false
     private readonly files: string[]
 
+    readInProgress?: Promise<void>
+
     constructor(name: string, defaultData: Structure) {
         this.name = name
         this.data = defaultData
         this.files = [`${name}.json`, `${name}-b.json`].map(e => path.join(DATADIR, e))
+
+        dbs[this.name] = this
     }
 
     private async findAvailable() {
@@ -148,15 +153,25 @@ export default class DbFile<Structure extends ({}|[])> {
         return JSON.parse((await readFile(path)).toString())
     }
 
-    async read() {
+    private async _read() {
         let availFiles = await this.findAvailable()
+
+        if (availFiles.length == 0) return
+
         for (let x of availFiles) {
             let data = await this.tryRead(x).catch(_ => null)
             if (data !== null) {
                 this.data = data
-                break
+                return
             }
         }
+
+        throw new Error(`Failed to read any of the available files for DbFile ${this.name}`)
+    }
+
+    read() {
+        this.readInProgress = this._read()
+        return this.readInProgress
     }
 
 }
\ No newline at end of file