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ineffable-rohese · 4 months

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Woke up from a dream in which I got an AO3 email saying I had a comment. It was a very lovely comment. It was on a fic I didn't remember writing. All I know, based on this comment, is that it was called "Aggravating Denim", it was sweet and sexy and had an absolutely hilarious bit with a duck.

So I guess I have a new WIP?

#something something crowley's tight pants #but where does the duck come in?#im taking suggestions here #fanfic author problems #good omens

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dhmis-autism · 10 months

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Red Guy being deluded with his crush on Duck is equally funny, me thinks

Just this feral full on rabies man Duck who commits war crimes and Red’s delusional ass goes “he is so dreamyyyyy ❤️❤️❤️”

HE'S GOT THEEE WORST TASTE AND I WILL STAND BY THAT FOREVER.

Like, Red has got his issues, but you could see why people would like him. Sooo many people have/had a crush at him at one point it's unreal. NO ONE FEELS THAT WAY ABOUT DUCK GDGDF

THERE'S SO MUCH WRONG WITH HIM... FOR GODS SAKE LOOK AT HIM.

look at his PANTS LEG

#THAT'S HIS MAN. THATS WHAT HE'S GONNA SETTLE FOR #worst taste in clothes and WORSE taste in men #anyways. i got this way back when i was talking about their dynamic in my head ect ect #so JUST FOR YOU ANON i will go into this bc u've waited LONG ENOUGH #i think hes totally delusional in that /i/ think he definitely thinks duck is much cuter than he actually is #strikes me as a 'builds shit up in his head' type. like ive said before i think. that he would think real hard about saying smth.#like TO duck abt it. and then would NOT for months and months and months #GOD I SAW SOMEONE SAY ON THE POST WHERE I SAID I THINK DUCK THINKS THEYRE MARRIED...#...that like in reality all that happened was duck dropped something on the ground and red knelt down to get it and give it to him #and in his head that was FULLY a proposal and he was like wow. didnt think this was how id get engaged but ok.#and when it does come up reds like WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ??? and duck has like. a photo of their wedding (for tha BIT)#and he's like 'youve missed our anniversary five years in a row btw :/'#AND THAT WAS THE FUNNIEST FUCKING TAGS ANYONES EVER LEFT ON ANY OF MY DRAWINGS #I HAVE IT SCREENCAPPED I THINK ABOUT DRAWING IT ALL THE TIME ITS SOFUCKING FUNNY #anyways love u anon stay cool have a nice summr #my dhmis postings

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pastafossa · 1 year

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I'm going to be completely honest when i saw everyone salivating over this fic and calling the reader jane I was heavily suspicious because x reader fanfic of quality is a bit impossible to find and i always hate when people tag oc stuff as "x reader".

But then I opened the fic and the reader was like "idk man duck" and i immediately fell in love. I'm only 3 chapters in n and I'm already so impressed by how true to character your Matthew is. Like this is a holy grail fic so far.

Also when matt was all spooky like and saying "your lucky I dont tear it off and beat you with it" I 100% thought that he was talking about the jacket and not the guys arm lmao

I know this feeling, so I totally get it! I've had some readers wonder the same thing - 'everyone calls her Jane so uuuuuh???' Which is hilarious cause when I first wrote her and gave her fake identity that name, I had no idea it would become as commonly used as it was. 😂

I'm so, so happy you're enjoying it! Red Thread's definitely my love letter to Daredevil, and to Matt especially, even if I love the whole of the world and characters and themes built there, too. I wanted to craft a Reader character we could all relate to, that embodied a lot of how we fans feel about the universe, while still using her to explore and develop and dig down deep into what this world and the characters and their flaws/trauma/outlooks mean. And I'm just happy other people were happy to come along for the ride!

fun fact the duck is based on the first woodcarving i ever made

Now I'm imagining Matt beating someone with a sleeve and you know what? With his level of rage, he could, go for it matt

#ask response #the red thread #there's definitely this fascinating little experiment/philosophical/identity thing in trt where reader is *becoming* jane hind #after like 6 years or whatever #because if this is what you were called (even if it wasn't your real name) and you kept playing this part even just to hide #at what point do you start thinking of yourself as that person?#at what point does your fake name become *you*?#and over time i've gotten to watch this happen in real time as we move through the story #(not bad or pointing at anyone - i legitimately enjoy watching how this goes because it adds to the themes of identity)#ANYWAY #thank you for letting me chatter and thank you for coming to say hi!#i welcome you to the TRT crew and please partake as you like we have wooden ducks and Matt cakes and plot and penguins and maybeangstlater

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garbagequeer · 9 months

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barbie discourse annoys me because like the normal person who doesn't hate women part of it just boils down to this movie about a specific doll that is a product of the brand that got the movie made and did huge publicity stunts for it is an advertisement but said as if it's a breakthrough to see that. like. and 1+1 is 2. can we get smarter in here

#like woah the summer blockbuster? that cost millions to make? with the big hollywood starts in it? wouldnt have guessed!#reminds me a bit of when i go to book club and we're discussing a random book by up and coming young usamerican author #and someone's always like but it doesnt uphold a radical politics. like yeah. cause it's about some bitch from iowa #idk it's just looking for things where you would usually not find them and being pissed about it #ignoring the fact that political essays and small scale / counterculture art exist and sometimes things outside of those are just #ploys to make money and books about having a bad day in iowa #and like of course you wont enjoy My Terrible Iowa Day if you want it to be the communist manifesto #and you wont enjoy a blockbuster if you expect it to care about the integrity of art #it's like going to mcdonalds and being pissed they dont have duck #like yes it's an accurate description but it's not an interesting comment. and you could instead tell me about a place that does great duck #but noooo now we have to eat mcdonalds and then spend months discussing the lack of substance of the menu #personal

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merlin-wolfgang-trades-hale · 1 year

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In one of my unpublished wips I work on here and there is Danny and Steve giving into their carnal desires very early on. And when Steve leaves part of Danny’s grief process is to get a Prince Albert. One) he needed a post break up thing to do that helps you feel like you’ve reclaimed yourself. Two) they never really defined what they were and he hopes Steve comes back but it’s also an insurance to keep him from jumping the gun and fuck someone else just to be petty. So he gets it, bonds with the piercer/tattoo artist, touches up his ass tattoo and designs another again for a distraction.

It’s incomplete, things get added to it randomly, I’m trying not to post anything new unless it’s complete, so my mind if full of h50/McDanno stuffI want to share and though I felt lonely u also feel insecure to send this to anyone in particular so posting it for all to see.

Goodnight!

#danny 'danno' williams #when Steve does come back there is a scene where Danny is at the bar and Steve walks up to him #literally blocks the guy who came up to flirt with Danny. tells him to get lost and duck off #he knows he ducked up but he can’t sit around and let guys flirt with him #they work out their anger for a while. Steve crashing every date with varying levels of subtlety

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azuree1733 · 1 year

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Some traditional art for you mamas 😚😚😚 the quality is not it but I can’t take pictures 😋 the tags are such a fun read guys I’m so fun 🤩

#why does Jason look so bbg #idek if that looks like Cass but imma roll with it #batcow #she’s so special to me #also I kinda ate that hand holding the gun like where are these skills coming from 🫢#I also drew Leon but he was on another page so he didn’t get included 😔#the 4 legged duck is from a fic I read were Jason adopts an alien duck with 4 legs and I thought that was so great so it’s canon now #I’ll put the fic in the comments ☺️🫶#batman #dc comics #art #comicart #jason todd #dc #my art sketch #red hood #red #robin #sketch #dc robin #cassandra cain #orphan #batgirl #traditional art #sketching before I sleep is so fun tbh #getting dc infinite was so worth it tbh all I been doing is reading lately #that’s why I haven’t drawn like anything #I apologize mamas 😔😔😔#but enjoy these crumbs 😀#digital art

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teachyouhowtodothesponge · 1 year

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Round 2 of another headache! So take some more Megavolt suffering from a migraine. 😢⚡

#darkwing duck #my art #megavolt #quackerjack #This sucks so much #WHERE DOES IT KEEP COMING FROM???

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puppest · 1 year

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one of my favorite jokes in all of dhmis is the background gag in “dreams” where all the red guys are in a piano bar but the guy at the piano is just tunelessly bashing the keys bc he dont got fingers

#op speaked #and then the moment afterward where Our red guy gets onstage without permission OR CLOTHING and the pianist just gets up and grumbles #‘well thats!…rude!!…no clothes….’#its just an unreasonably cute moment to me. no clothes. like when you take your dogs collar off to give them a bath and its like.#GASP. NAKED. THE CREATURE IS NAKED #if u ask me i dont think Red Guys (species) are even meant to wear clothes. but red guy’s only exposure to other people are duck n yellow #and they wear clothes. so red sort of subconsciously assumes clothes are normal. despite not having any. besides #how often does he see himself? not as often as he sees duck n yellow thats for sure. when he looks at another person he sees clothes #so the constructions of Other Red Guys he comes up with wear clothes too. bc theyre People. he doesnt even question it #and he knows HE Doesnt Wear Clothes but it doesnt occur to him to think up other Red Guys without clothes. bc if its Another Person then of #course they wear clothes. not him though because hes not a person the same way other people are people oh my god its the autism again #its the autism its the fuckig autism

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glitter-lisp · 2 years

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So uhhhh,,,,,,, Luz the Owl Kid and Eda the Human?

#toh #the owl house #luz noceda #edalyn clawthorne #toh fanart #everyone do me a favor and pretend RSA's face isn't scary thanks 😊#I'm having too much fun coming up with backstory for this #most of the characters are still where they are #the owlification of luz happened about a year prior to eda coming to the boiling isles #Luz was cursed by 🤐#eda is a con artist who got caught working a scam at that diner from yesterdays lie #ducked into a door to hide from the cops and found herself in actual hell #ten minutes later she was forcibly adopted by luz #(not you're from the human realm so you know mildred featherwile!!!!)#I got lazy and didn't finish coloring but luz's leggings are yellow in this au #because she's still wearing her potions track uniform from Hexside even tho she got kicked out for mixing tracks #and also being a tiny owl beast #she lives in the owl house with king and hooty #and no adults and that is!! fine and cool!!!! luz does not mind!!!!!!!!! eda stop looking so suspicious luz is great :))))#drawing is not exactly my go to craft medium so this was fun to play with for a little while

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bornonthelake · 1 year

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pro tip: do not listen to time’s blur on vinyl unless you are ready to bawl your eyes out it’s too much

#shit got me thinking about my childhood too much and how #while i might not have had much of one it’s definitely over now #i swear something in that song be unearthing memories i didn’t even know i had #it’s like i’m watching ducks at the state fair again #and my friends are moving away and they keep coming and going until they stop coming and i didn’t have a group of friends until the 7th grad #and even that was dysfunctional as shit #and how we can’t get into the computer that has some of our oldest pictures #and so many things are on that camcorder and i don’t know where it is #and how i used to be a little girl and now i’m not even a girl at all anymore #and everything is just snapshots and there’s so few of them relative to the amount of life i’ve lived #time’s blur has come for so much of me already and it won’t stop coming and i’m moving soon #i’m moving this summer #from the place and people i’ve known my whole life #and i already don’t remember what any of them looked like the first time i met them #and soon enough i won’t remember what they look like at all #time’s blur really does come for us all doesn’t it #anyway sorry for getting emotional on main #the things lord huron does to a guy

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ayakinari · 2 years

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every once in a while i listen to yakimochi no kotae again and go ohhhhh this is how my brain has been rewired beyond repair

#honeyworks #duck rants about something #this song means the world to me sometimes i forget abt it but its really. just a song isnt it.#if i hadnt autoplayed on accident that one time idk where id be its a core part of my life now #it has such a fun melody!!! the pining and the yearning!!! im just msnfjsjgskahdjdhwuhdhfhfjf #idk anything abt mochita's seiyuu other than he is apparently really popular but i love his vocals he brings him to life so fecking well #but that goes for p much every other hw chara too tbh #when boku ga namae wo yobu hi came out though i went absolutely feral i didnt think theyd ever get closure and yet #both are the songs of all time #i could go all day but to sum it up mochiaka the world i need to draw them again sometime #wait no i lied im gonna keep going #mochita where do i even start hes such a silly guy. internally monologues abt his crush on a regular basis and is so smitten w her that hes #constantly on the brink of death whenever she does something remotely endearing #which tbf makes sense akari is the cutest thing in the world i love her #akari demi icon too actually seeing her slowly fall is adorable as hell watashi ga koi wo shiru hi gets me each fecking time #when the last chorus comes on. ohhhh god my heart #wanting mochita to call her by name and teasing him afterwards. i could die #AND IN THE HANIPRE TALK LIVES when she told him she wouldve been happy of he had sent that ''i love you'' over text before he fell asleep #these two r tbe epitome of tooth rotting fluff im in shambles #anywyas. yeah

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prettycoolducks · 2 years

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“I’m just glad you’re back, partner”

#art #character design #Charles + Noir #my ocs #original characters #my original characters #robots #found these in my art folder. Not quite sure when they’re from…#I don’t know if it’s quite right to put the funny and the sad in the same post but ig they cancel eachother out lol #um… anyway Noir has like. kind of a kill switch which at first helps them when they’re in a sticky situation or whatever #but later on in their story at some point it does a uh. a bad. and they have to come to terms with the fact that #there’s a part of them they can’t control.#they don’t know quite where it comes from but they assume it’s whoever made them. who they have very very vague memories about #anyway I’m gonna stop typing in the tags but pls pls pls send me asks about these guys I’ll love u forever if you do thanksss hearts and luv #this is kinda edgy which is I’m assuming why I didn’t post it when I first drew it but idec now lol #art of duck

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dhmis-autism · 1 year

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trying harder to pay attention to yellows dialogue so i can write him better and. literally. love that thing he does where he talks like hes in a sitcom

( “What do you think it means to have a job?” / ”Yeah, what an adventure. Yup,we really did have the laugh of our lives. But still, nice to be back at home,eh?”/ “Let’s go see this real family in action!” )

#like it feels like lines from an 80s sitcom or smth #it reminds me that hes the one whos the most equipped socially out of the group and that a lot of that comes from what SOUND like #rehearsed lines that are just echos from what he hears from someone else #like the best example of that is the job episode #where hes able to mesh in the best among other people because he just repeats jokes and phrases #same thing happens in the family episode lol #and its like thats all well and good for how he initially comes off to people but i think if anyone were to stick around him long enough #theyd get annoyed either with that or him #i think we really see that with how warren gets around his brain friends #theyre very polite at first then he quickly gets so frustrated he starts yelling at them #but i do like how he seems the most socially competent but its clearly like. in a very surface level way #as opposed to duck who actively pushes new people away with his abrasiveness and red who does it accidentally lol #my dhmis postings #ANYWAYS HES GOT VERY FAMILY TV SHOW LINES AND I LOVE IT

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keets-writing-corner · 4 months

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Thinking a LOT about Lucifer in the latest Hazbin episode. Idk what I was expecting but not this??

As I was watching my immediate thought was just "huh... Lucifer is kinda of weird..." but as the episode went on I realized the issue

the dude is off the chain depressed, like he says it as a joke but holy cow it is SO BAD

He's manically just creating rubber ducks cuz his daughter really like it that one time but it's empty, it's never good enough but he keeps doing it, maybe cuz he doesn't know how to pass the time otherwise.

like I get the feeling he HAS better things he SHOULD be doing than making rubber duck after rubber duck. At first I was like, "Bruh why isn't the king of hell doing anything?" aaaaand then it became clear...

The dude is disassociating so bad he can barely hold a conversation let alone remember information. He clearly WANTS to, he wants to be involved with his daughter so bad, he wants to care about the things she's doing so bad, but his depression keeps interfering. It's like he can only hear every other word and he grasps onto the ones he does hear semi-out of context. Like you can see every time he catches something that he hadn't before and he just "well shit I didn't catch that part"

and that's why he reacts so weird when people talk to him. He is struggling so bad to engage with the conversation he's only getting 50% of it

does that look like the face of a man who knows what the hell the conversation is even about??? he is STRUGGLING

like Charlie spent so long telling him about the hotel, and he STILL didn't understand what she wanted. Yeah it comes off as ditzy but literally I've been in that position where your brain just "nope, not doing this right now" and nerfs your conversation comprehension. So as someone who's BEEN in that position, to me it feels exactly like what he's dealing with. He's sorta engaged with the conversation, but only as much as his brain will allow

For example, when I'm dealing with this, this is what someone talking to me feels like this where the crossed out parts are what I missed and bold is what I catch, "Hey! You know I was thinking for dinner we could either make some chicken with rice? But if you don't feel like cooking, pasta is super easy and you love that right? What do you want to do?" you can kinda get that someone is trying to talk to you about dinner, and towards the end you get the impression that they asked something that needs your input so you can decently put 2 and 2 together and try and pass off, but crucial bits were left out, I would have no idea that either chicken or pasta is in the conversation only having heard "rice". When someone is just talking at me, I can decently pass off as being engaged but the second I'm required to participate in the conversation I'm screwed. Seem familiar? At which point I have 2 options, try to give a bullshit answer, or admit that I missed what they were saying and ask them to repeat

Lucifer, unfortunately, is trying so damn hard to hide that he's dealing with like 24/7 dissociation, so he can't admit that he's missing entire chunks of the conversation, hence his really weird replies. He does eventually get the full picture and then he and Charlie start having the real conversation

Also, the Alastor/Lucifer rivalry was hilarious but also really indicative of more of what Lucifer is dealing with

Alastor is, unfortunately, really good at picking up people's insecurities, and thanks to Charlie's description earlier and watching Lucifer clearly trying to overcompensate, he immediately picks up on the fact that Lucifer KNOWS he struggles to be a good dad (we know cuz it's cuz of the depression, hard to be engaged when your brain keeps turning off) and decides to rub salt in the wound by pretending he's been acting as a surrogate father to Charlie. Now why Alastor decided to pick a fight with the king of hell is beyond me, I do not understand Alastor (and I LIKE IT) (maybe it's cuz Alastor thinks he's hot shit and was expecting Lucifer to at least have heard of him but Lucifer just treats him like a nobody? who knows)(why would Lucifer listen to radio anyways when he can't even pay attention to a conversation it'd just be white noise)

But yeah I just was expecting someone who oozed either charisma or presence and instead I got a depressed dad who's dissociating so bad he can barely function and be present in his life. The only thing it seems he CAN do is make rubber ducks cuz his daughter really liked it that one time

Idk Lucifer is tragic to me. Whatever the full details of what heavan did to him absolutely broke him and he can't deal with it. He's aware of it, and he doesn't know how to fix it, so he tries to over compensate and sorta makes an ass out of himself but no one says or does anything cuz this guy is supposed to be THE king of hell

Suddenly it's making a lot more sense why he just rolls over and lets heaven do what it wants and even told Charlie to go in his place the start of the show. He's not in any headspace to hold a basic conversation let alone negotiate! He didn't even know who Alastor was, he's been so out of touch

idk I like him, he seems sweet, I hope Charlie brings some light back into his life. He really needs to get out of that rubber duck room

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tired-biscuit · 2 months

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18+ MDNI, fem!reader

having this really specific — and kind of goofy — thought about getting a tiny rubber duck as like a joke gift for your boyfriend yuuji, and him making sure it’s turned around whenever you guys fuck in the shower.

you’re having a full blown make out session and the water is hot as it runs down you both — yes, you’re squeezed together that tightly. his pink hair is dripping wet, it sticks to his forehead, and his mouth has formed into this adorable ‘o’ shape as he pants and stammers and grunts from how good your touch feels as you stroke him.

he’s got one palm pressed against the tiles that you’re leaning against, the other one is cupping your pussy. his fingers lazily circle your clit as his tongue tangles with yours; the tips nudging your warm entrance every so often and gathering the sticky arousal there before it can be washed away by the water because he knows he won’t be able to push that fat cock of his into you otherwise when the time comes for it.

however, when that time does indeed come and you hint at getting slammed, yuuji is pulling back, his honey-coloured eyes suddenly open wide. he’s still breathing like he’s just ran a marathon instead of standing in the shower and his broad chest heaves up and down as he turns his head to the side in one sharp movement; right in the direction of the spot where you both keep your shampoo bottles.

“yuuji…? what’s wrong?” you ask, eyelids still heavy with lust. it makes your vision somewhat blurry.

“just a sec,” he rasps, searching amongst the bottles. “gotta make sure we don’t have an audience.”

“an audience?” you repeat.

“yep!” he says, popping the p. “i meant this little sucker right… here.”

after a little rummaging, he finds the thing he’s been looking for: a small rubber ducky that you’d gotten him months ago as a means to cheer him up after he’d had a particularly bad day.

you watch, brow quirked in quiet amusement, as he carefully flips it around then, making sure it remains in the same exact spot, but this time with its little beak turned towards the shower wall instead of you.

he treats it with such care, like it’s made out of gold instead of plain vinyl. knowing him, he probably does see it that way and it makes you huff a laugh.

he’s just so goddamn endearing, isn’t he?

seemingly pleased with his actions, yuuji swiftly focuses his attention back to you. he smiles that beaming lover boy grin that you feel weak in the knees for, and his hands are loving but firm as he grabs you by the hips, silently urging you to press your front against the tiles instead of your back.

“okay, your turn now.”

with how hard he is, something tells you he won’t treat you as gently as he did his present.

#this was fun to think about ok!!!!!!!!!#yuuji x reader #yuji x reader #yuuji smut #yuji smut #jjk smut #jjk x reader #biscuit drabbles

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ragingbookdragon · 3 months

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It comes as somewhat a surprise when the others realize that something has obviously happened between their resident Lieutenant and Private, as she’s quick to fall silent whenever he appears, and even more so make herself scare when she can when he’s around. It’s only the third time that Soap sees it that he says something, because if he doesn’t no one else will, and where’s the fun in that?

He watches her duck her head and leave the break room, Gaz, Soap, Price, and Ghost sitting alone at the breakfast table conversing over soggy cereal and cooling tea; Soap pushes a piece of bacon on his plate and asks, “Trouble in paradise, Lt?” the corner of his mouth arches with a slight grin when he hears the warning grunt come from Ghost.

“No.”

“Seems like it,” he retorts, taking a sip of his coffee. “What’d ya do? Tell her ta fuck off?”

“Drop it, MacTavish,” Ghost warns darkly. “Nothing’s wrong.”

This time, Gaz jumps in. “C’mon, Lt., it’s obvious that something’s wrong. I mean, she won’t even look at you, let alone say anything unless you speak first.”

“An’ she’s callin’ ‘im ‘sir.’” Soap adds, pointing at him. “Christ, Lt., ya musta done a number on ‘er. Poor Puffin. So sweet and kind. Broke ‘er heart ya did.”

Price can tell that Ghost is close to snapping at the both of them but gets to it before he does. “Soap, Gaz, go catalogue our inventory for the mission next week.”

“Aw, but we already d—” Soap falls silent when Price shoots him a look and quietly grumbles to himself as he grabs his plate and cup, Gaz following in suit.

It’s only until the two soldiers are alone that Price asks, “What did happen, Simon?”

Ghost lets out a long sigh and rolls his head back, staring at the ceiling. “Pretty much told ‘er to fuck off.”

Price watches quietly as Ghost begins rattling to himself—he’s never really had to ask the man to explain himself. All he’s gotta do is prompt him to do so and Ghost does the rest.

“I just got mad. She’s always ‘round and practically up my arse, and I got caught up and instead of ‘andlin’ it properly, I shoved my fucking foot in my mouth and scalped her.” He rubs a hand over his face. “I meant to be gentler but once I started, I couldn’t stop. It just kept comin’ out. And now she fuckin’ hates me.”

He pulls his hand down and looks up at Price with a scowl—the man is smiling at him, but it’s that stupid smile that means more than Ghost wants to admit it does.

“Quit that.”

“You care about her,” Price murmurs, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, though his admonish is still harsh. “And instead of telling her how you felt like a grown adult, you took the ten-year-old way out and decided to be a cunt to her.”

“I didn’t mean to be such a cunt.”

“But the fact of the matter is that you did, and you’ve screwed up team fluidity and cohesion.” He looks at him. “You know a team divided—”

“Can’t stand,” Ghost finishes with an even worse scowl. “Yeah, yeah, I know.” He looks away. “I just don’t know how to even start tryin’ to fix it.”

“Well, apologizing might be a good start,” Price rumbles with a grin. “She’s a good kid, Simon. Her heart’s in the right place, even if it’s a bit much at times. Shows she cares. More than most do in our line of work. She’s a rare one.”

“I know,” he admits in a much, much softer tone. “I just don’t want her to lose that doin’ this.” His eyes meet Price’s, and they hold such a misery. “Look at us, Price,” he mutters, gesturing between them. “Middle age, unmarried, no kids, too fucked up for anything like that. She doesn’t…” he clenches his jaw. “She deserves a better path, a safer path, than this life. She deserves to go out and have a life where she comes home to a family.”

“That’s not your choice to make, son,” he replies gently, but there’s a firmness to it. “If this is what she wants to do, then she will. We can’t make her get out of service.”

Ghost growls low in his throat. “She has so much more potential than being cannon fodder. She could do somethin’ with her life. Somethin’ good. Somethin’ that won’t have her dying face down in the sand with a bullet wound in the back.”

Price simply watches him.

“But she’s so fuckin’ stupid. She wants to be here. She wants to spend whatever time she has dodgin’ bullets and wakin’ up every night in sweat ‘cause she can’t escape the dreams. No one wants to do this. We don’t want to do this. We do this because we have to. But her? She’s happy here.” He lowers his voice, it’s as if he’s in disbelief. “She’s happy here.” He looks at Price. “Why? Why is she so happy here?”

It's another long moment before Price speaks.

“You hear, son, but you don’t listen.” He moves the cup on the saucer. “She bounced around homes growing up, scraped by on the skin of her teeth. She has no one. But here, she has something. She has people who care for her, if nothing else, they won’t let her die alone.”

“Oh what? So, it’s found family bullshit?” Ghost spits. “If she dies, at least the team would mourn her?”

“Isn’t that what you’ve done too?” he replies, and Ghost falls silent. “People like Gaz, Soap, and myself are different than you and she are, Simon. We have homes. We’ve had families that have loved us, that do love us. But you two? Simon, you’ve made a home where you’ve had to. Made a family out of people you’ve bled for, would gladly bleed for. You’ve made something that’s yours. You made a family for yourself. And so did she. She’s made us her family. The one she never had the privilege to call her own.”

Price lets out a quiet hum, and pats his thighs, standing up and pushing his chair in.

“Think on what I’ve said, son. And if nothing else, apologize and leave it at that. Put the ball in her court and let her make the next move.”

As he walks off, he hears, “And if she doesn’t want it?”

He tosses a knowing look over his shoulder. “I’m sure she’ll take it.” His eyes twinkle as he adds, “Takes an awful strong woman to care about a man like you.”

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