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placeinthemiddleofnowhere · 3 months

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Reign down on me - Part 7

Pairing: Ghost x Hybrid!reader (eventual poly!141)

No use of y/n or mention of gender/race

Summary: Reader is a wolf hybrid in a world that treats them like second class citizens, given a horrible start in life after being thrown into the military with no preparation. After years of struggle, they're finally taken away from their base by Ghost, now a permanent member of taskforce 141 reader struggles to come to terms with the fact that perhaps there's a life there for them - if only they reach out and accept it.

Warnings: hurt/comfort, Angst, abuse mentions, self doubt, violent scenes

Masterlist here

-🐺-

When you opened your eyes the world was drowned in darkness and you were in an unfamiliar room, sapping warmth from an oversized lump in the sheets. At first you froze like a statue, flicking your eyes around to see if you could make anything out. It was clear enough that you weren’t in your own bed, but even your advanced eyes couldn’t make a single thing out for the lack of any light.

The lump groaned and shifted, sprawling out like a tiger skin rug before retracting again. A heavy weight draped itself round your mid section, an arm you realised, that caused you to curse and pant for inside it’s unyielding hold. Ghost. Who else had arms the size of iron girders?

It should’ve been obvious to you, but your mind had been too foggy in the aftermath of your unexpected sleep. Had you taken a second to scent the air, you would’ve been greeted with his relaxing scent, but instead you’d fumbled around like a bear coming out of hibernation. At that realisation you scrunched your eyes closed and then opened them again, still feebly trying to see through the oppressive black of the room. It had to be Ghost’s room that you were in, the place was practically painted with his citrusy scent, with undertones of sage ever present and invading.

“Y’alright, Pup?” a groggy voice called out.

It sounded as if a pile of rocks had shifted from right next to you. Your ears twitched back at the sound and all at once you relaxed in his loosened grip, turning around to face him. Your noses were inches from touching. Not that you could see his, but you could feel the steady streams of his breaths trickling out from his sleepwear body.

“Um…yeah” you whispered, unsure of how to answer. “Why’d you take me to your bed?”

He yawned and uncurled his arm from your body, instead using his hand to trace little patterns up your arms.

“You seemed upset when I left you in yours. Only calmed down and stopped whinin’ when I let you curl up here,” he explained, sounding as if he was moments from drifting off again.

“You didn’t have to do that,” you said hastily.

You couldn’t believe it! Why would you have whined at being left to sleep alone? Why would you stop when you got to sleep in Ghost’s bed? The revelations had you frowning and feeling markedly warmer than you already were. Your mind whirred at the idea that Ghost had witnessed you mewling like a little puppy at having to sleep in your own bed.

“I know. I didn’t want you having bad dreams after what happened yesterday, so I thought it was for the best,” he said simply, as if what he’d done was completely normal.

“I can handle those,” you said weakly.

“You don’t have to.”

You gulped down a thick lump in your throat and let the silence settle over you both. Though the room wasn’t completely quiet of course. Ghost’s steady breathing and the sound of your own pounding heart rattled around in your ears. Though your chest calmed its frenzy when Ghost drew you close again, urging you to burrow your head under his chin and into the soft cotton of his worn shirt.

The two of you stayed silent for a time after though neither of you fell asleep. Instead the time was spent mulling through your sluggish thoughts, wondering distantly if you should be trying to leave.

“I think you should reconsider your nesting situation,” Ghost said suddenly, breaking the silence.

“What?”

“You have a lot of bad dreams most nights. You were peaceful last night though,” he explained softly.

“Do they wake you up?” you asked, brows knitting together in worry.

You’d woken plenty of times before in your old barracks from others' bad dreams and in turn woken the others with your own. It wasn’t lost on you how annoying it was to try to get to sleep after being jolted awake and kicked into an adrenaline rush, lying there in the grey light of almost dawn with a pounding heart and the knowledge that you’d have to get to work again soon.

“Nah, told you before - I’m not a good sleeper. If I knew there was something that helped though I’d make sure I got to sleep properly every night.”

You huffed out an embarrassed laugh and shook your head, feeling his stubbly chin scratch the top of your head. It was only then that it occurred to you that he was maskless again. You wondered if that meant he was getting more comfortable around you, just as you were him.

“It was probably just a fluke,” you murmured, trying to hide your interest. “I’m not gonna hoard your clothes like some feral squirrel, Ghost.”

He laughed at that, the bassy tones reverberating through his wide chest and against your warming skin.

“It’s not hoarding and it doesn’t have to be my clothes. I can give you my duvet or I could get you a new blanket and sleep with it for a bit if you like, if that would make it feel more natural.”

“It’s not natural, its weird,” you huffed.

“You’re a hybrid, S’not weird,” he affirmed, stroking circled down your back. “It’s normal for you to need comforting scents and materials. My old partner used to keep a nest, we had an arrangement and it was fine.”

At that your ears flicked in curiosity. He’d never mentioned this ‘old partner’ before. All at once your mind flooded with questions and as it worked hard to process them all, you could barely hold onto one tightly enough to ask it.

“You had a hybrid before me?” you eventually said, voice small and unsteady.

Ghost paused. It was if he’d only just realised what he’d just said.

“Another wolf,” he confirmed, throat swelling and tense. “We were paired up after I passed my handler qualification. It was a long time ago - feels like a lifetime really. Spent four years together, he used to cuddle up with me just like this in my stupid little barracks bunk when he had rough nights.”

The elephant in the room stared down at you from on high. There was no avoiding it’s almost tangible bulk. So you asked the question that wanted to leap off the tip of your tongue.

“What happened to him?”

Ghost was ready for that, answering quickly. Though it didn’t sound like it hurt him any less to say it when it was spoken through gritted teeth.

“Killed in action.”

“Oh…I’m- I’m sorry.”

Was that the right thing to say? When other hybrids you’d worked with had died, there usually weren’t many mourners if any, though that was because you were under the care of Branhaven. You’d only met a few hybrids before that were in the care of handlers and it had been obvious that you’d always been intrinsically different from them, that they had far more value to their teams than you ever did as an unclaimed hybrid.

“Roach was a good lad,” Ghost said eventually. “He taught me alot in our time together, made me sharper with all his…’quirks’. Used to steal anything of mine that he could get his grubby little mitts on and drag it off to his bed, so to be honest it was a bit of a shock when I realised you weren’t going to be the same.”

Ghost laughed a little despite the sadness that tinged his careful words.

“With a name like Roach, I can only imagine what other quirks he had,” you smiled.

“Oh that one loved to get himself into trouble. I still remember the first time we went out with Price - very long time ago. Roach thought it’d be funny to steal his hat, this is before he started wearing the boonie mind you, at that point it was this old beanie that absolutely reeked of cigars. Found that out because while Price was ranting about having cold ears, I was asleep on top of it, before I got woken up by his bitching anyway. I took it out from under me when I woke up, confused as fuck as to why it was there, and then Price saw it and was going on and on about how childish it was to take it, and then I started arguing back and saying I wouldn’t do something so bloody stupid. All the while Roach was giggling to himself in the corner, the little shit.”

“He wasn’t scared of what Price would do?” You asked incredulously, trying to put yourself in the shoes of a hybrid that didn’t know the intimidating Captain half as well as you did.

“Roach wasn’t scared of a damn thing, beyond whatever shit he used to dream about anyway. It’s the reason he got called Roach in the first place, his real name was Gary. He used to run headfirst into danger and come out fine almost every time, that’s what they told me when they handed him off to me- ‘that wolf’s like a bug you can’t squash’...Course his luck ran out eventually. We got captured by an enemy group in Mexico and the bastards didn’t see the worth in keeping a hybrid around. Said they only needed me.”

“That’s awful.”

Another silence ensued. It made sense that Ghost had had a hybrid before you, he’d had a long career and he was so knowledgeable when it came to training with you that it made sense that he’d had plenty of first hand experience. Though it made your heart ache to think that he mourned for someone that was ripped away from him so long ago. The way he told those stories, you could hear the emotion etched in every word.

“Didn’t think I’d take on another hybrid on after him,” Ghost sighed, making you tilt your head in question, “but Price told me about you and kept badgering on about me being the only one in the team that was qualified to take you, kept saying that you didn’t deserve to rot away back at your home base and that you deserved a place here. I figured I owed it to him to at least go and check you out and well, I knew you had to be mine the minute I saw ya.”

“You saw a soggy mutt that was getting punished in an outdoor kennel and instantly had that epiphany?” You snorted.

“A soggy mutt that didn’t deserve to be there,” he corrected. “There was no way for me to have saved Roach while I was tied up and concussed to all hell, I made peace with that a long time ago. I knew that I was able to save you though; doing anything other than untying you and walking out of that base with the angry ball of fur in my arms felt like sacrilege.”

“Angry ball of fur,” you repeated with a tut, rolling your eyes so far back they crept into your inflection.

“You tried to bite me at least twice and you called me Mr.Bonejangles in the car. Angry ball of fur was about right, you little sod! Sitting there all wrapped up in your towel with your grumpy face and hair poking out every which way,” Ghost laughed. “I’m just lucky you calmed down after a good rest. Thought I was gonna have to take to permanently being in handling gloves after that first night.”

“I didn’t try to bite you that much.”

“You did. You were like a hungry crocodile. You had my life flashing before my eyes that day, was praying I’d get to keep all my fingers and toes.”

“Now you’re just being dramatic!”

Ghost’s laugh echoed around the room, hitting off of unseen walls somewhere inside the shadows. As much as you hated to think about a time before you knew Ghost, and actively tried to fight him, you couldn’t help but smile to yourself as you began to see that day through his eyes. You could only imagine what it must’ve been like to have met you then, knowing about your sketchy disciplinary file and admittedly bad track record for biting and scratching, Ghost couldn’t have had any clue what he was in for. In that moment you couldn’t have felt luckier, pressed into Ghost’s chest and getting to relax against him in his nice warm bed, when you could’ve been left to rot in those kennels.

Moments later, just as you were both settling back into the furrow of the mattress and had adjusted sheets to your liking, a high pitched alarm tone blared out and sent you both groaning. Ghost’s phone lit up from his side, finally shedding a little light into the room. From there you could see his bed was pressed up into the wall, as usual you’d assumed you’d made sure to be closest to the exit - even in your drowsy state. You still couldn’t make out much of the structure of the place.

“Suppose we better get up then,” Ghost groaned. “C’mon then.”

“I can’t see a thing in here, you’re gonna have to turn a light on or something,” you yawned, stretching out and readying yourself to start the day.

It was then that he saw fit to snatch the corner of his black out curtains and yank them back, sending you flying under the covers just to save your eyes. The duvet provided you shelter from the cold blue light and from under their safety you actively felt your pupils slowly unshrink from the tiny pinpoints they’d been forced to become.

“Why would you do that?” You groaned.

“Reckoned you needed a bit of a wake up,” Ghost shrugged, lifting the cover up so he could meet your eyes.

As annoyed as you were you were distracted from your grumpiness momentarily by his face. His smug smile was in full view, lips slanting to one side and pulling his scars taught. In the full light of the morning he looked like a weathered statue, bright highlights and harsh shadow carving out his sharp jaw like chiselled stone. You tilted your head at him and in turn he tilted his back in the opposite direction.

“See somethin’ on my face?” He joked, teeth flashing into view.

You shook your head and pursed your lips. A little heat rose to your cheeks.

“Just planning out the perfect place to bite you,” you lied.

“That so?” He asked, a sandy blonde eyebrow raising. “Sounds like I’m just gonna have to get you first then.”

At that he pinched your side and sent you yipping and scrabbling off the bed. Though that wasn’t enough to escape him. He gave chase, leaping off of the mattress, the bed groaning at the change in weight and thumped on the floor. The air blew through the fur in your ears, you ran that fast. Unthinkingly running to your own room before considering anywhere else.

With that you dove under your bed, dragging your sheets down to cover the space and yanking Simon in just as he’d fallen off the top. Ghost yanked your door open straight after, his bare feet slapping into the wood and taking careful steps forward. He sighed loudly when he reached the edge of your bed and stopped, feet stopping at your chest.

“I’d like to think you’ve been trained to evade enemies better than this, Pup,” he drawled.

You rolled your eyes, full well knowing you wouldn’t go running and hiding like that against someone you had full authority to kill.

Rather than let him crouch down and drag you out, you threw Simon up at him as a distraction and skittered out around him. In a matter of seconds you managed to gather yourself into a crouch and sprang up at his back, wrapping your arms round his shoulders and legs round his middle. From there you gently grazed your teeth against his neck in a fake bite and growled, announcing your victory to the otherwise empty room.

“Soap’s right, you’re a menace,” he laughed, untangling you from around him and bending backwards so he could set you gently back down on the floor.

“You brought work into it,” you huffed, folding your arms indignantly.

“Yeah yeah, cheap shot throwing your teammate at the hostile. Poor little fella getting sacrificed like that,” he said, holding out the puppy stuffed toy with a fake grimace.

“Simon woulda shaken it off, I had every faith in him,” you shrugged, setting him down on the bed carefully so that he rested against the pillows.

“Simon?” Ghost repeated, choking out a strangled sound that sounded somewhere between a laugh and a guffaw. “You named it Simon?”

“Yeah, after the hybrid from my books,” you said, nodding toward the graphic novels that were stacked by your bedside. “Why's that so funny?”

You narrowed your eyes at him, watching as a few different emotions crossed Ghost’s eyes. He chewed on his lip a second, eyes going wide and zeroing in on your sleeping buddy until he shook himself out of it.

“Nothing,” he smiled, clearing the awkward edge in his throat. “Good name that. Strong choice. Little Simon.”

“I think it suits him.”

“Yeah…Anyway, we need to get ready and get in for work. I’ve got a bit of a stacked day today, so we need to get you sorted. Gaz and Soap offered to take you through your exercises this afternoon and Price is gonna let you sit in his office till I can come get you in the evenin’. Pack your books so you’ve got something to occupy yourself with tonight, Cap’s not very chatty right now. Oh and remember, if you want anything for your bed just let me know, ok?”

-🐺-

Stacked day indeed. Ghost made you run laps through the assault course he’d had set up for you and just before he left, he’d made you practise some bite work with him. The irony wasn’t lost on you after your conversation that morning. He’d donned his leather gloves and neck protector and brought out a fake gun, making you attack him over and over so that you could practise non lethal takedowns.

As good as you were at the exercise, that didn’t stop Ghost from firing a couple foam bullets at you from time to time when you got too out of control, reminding you teresley that you weren’t supposed to be ripping detainees to pieces. As your wilder side took over during your work, you’d bark out raspy growls at him for the cheap shots, knowing full well he shouldn't be able to fire after you’d just decimated his fake arm. However the sensible part of your mind would echo out that it was far better than getting smacked with the plastic batons that your old trainers would carry to discourage your savagery.

“Well well well, what kinda training do you call this?”

Your head turned just as you’d brought Ghost down to the floor and you ceased your growling, tilting your head when your gaze landed on Soap. Gaz joined him at the side of the field moments later, just coming off of a phone call to see you still on top of Ghost.

“Oh yeah, we’re just having a bit of fun, Johnny. You know how much I love being mauled” Ghost grunted, tapping your thigh in short order. “You can get up now, Pup. Reckon you got me.”

You looked back down at Ghost and let out an embarrassed huff of air before rolling off him and standing up, dusting your dirty fatigues off. Some of the soft dirt smeared down them, leaving what would surely become a rough crust in its wake.

“Can’t believe you get to play with nerf guns and call it work,” Soap laughed, “That or the fact that you took the time to paint that thing black just so that it’d match your gear.”

“Well you’re welcome to take over if you think its so fun,” Ghost grinned, eyes cresting below his mask.

He unbuckled his thick leather gloves and threw them onto the grass at Soap’s feet, then tore the velcro off of his neck protector with a loud scratchy rip. Soap then looked back at you and visibility stiffened up, considering Ghost’s offer like it might be his death sentence. Gaz shoved him and laughed, going instead to approach Ghost and reach out for his gun.

“Look at this,” he whistled, turning it over and opening up the ammo compartment. “What is this? A ten round? You even got the grey bullets with the red tips. Very nice hardware, Sir.”

“Well it is the Elite Ranger PD-5 Blaster, Garrick. Fine piece of kit, so it is,” Ghost quipped. “Maybe one day you’ll earn your own one.”

“Well now I know what I’m asking Santa for,” Gaz smirked. “So, we taking over here?”

You looked back at Soap again who was eagerly looking at Ghost to find out the answer to that question. Ghost looked back at him and winked, a gesture you only caught because you knew to look out for their antics now.

“Nah,” Ghost finally answered, roughly raking his hands over your ears. “We made good progress today, I reckon we set Pup on anyone we need back alive, we’ve got a great chance of bringing at least seventy percent of the enemy still intact now.”

“Hey!” you growled. “I can bring people in just fine.”

“Oh sure, you can bring em’ in - in separate pieces of course - but you’ll get the job done,” he drawled, soon producing strangled notes as if he was choking. “‘Sorry sir, I would’ve given you the information but that damn wolf got my tongue.’”

Ghost laughed the way he always did when he was being cheeky, the rasping cackle crooning from his throat like a bear scratching up a tree. You had half a mind to do some scratching yourself, but instead you snatched the nerf gun from Gaz and shot Ghost in the chest a couple times. All of you silently watched as the foam bullets arced into his torso only to bounce off pathetically into the well trodden grass.

You knew then that you should’ve aimed for his forehead like he’d done to you.

“Friendly fire, is it?” Ghost questioned.

“Got you back,” you replied, tilting your chin in the air in defiance.

He tutted at you and mussed up your hair once again, rubbing his hands over your head with enough force to almost knock you back.

“I’ll remember that next time we train together,” he said menacingly, jabbing your side just as he’d done that morning.

You yelped and rubbed the tender spot, trying not to give into the laughter of the ticklish spot.

“For now though, you two have the absolute pleasure of learning hybrid hand signals,” Ghost said, directing his attentions toward Gaz and Soap. “Sad that I have to miss such a fun exercise, but I’m sure you’ll have plenty of giggles without me. I booked out building three and left you a handler’s manual open on the page there. I had some corporals set up a basic simulation for you, so you should be good to go once you get in. Anything you’re confused on, Pup should be able to explain.”

At that you groaned, shoulders slumping with the anticipation of the boring afternoon ahead. Back at Branhaven when they were training up new batches of handlers, you all had to take turns helping them through their coursework and modules - one of which being the hand signal module. That often meant long boring days being slowly and dramatically led around short courses and wildly gestured at until the new recruits were able to get the motions correct.

“You couldn’t have just let me do more biting?” you sighed.

Ghost chuckled and picked up the rucksack of things he’d set off to the side.

“What? And terrify this one half to death in the process? I don’t think so,” Ghost said, pinching Soap’s cheek playfully. “You’ll survive one slow afternoon. I’ll even sweeten the deal, you keep the nerf gun and if they get something wrong you have my permission to shoot them.”

Soap rubbed at his cheek with a glare and slapped Ghost’s arm away soon after. His blue eyes were all storms and indignation and his jaw was clenched tight as a vice. Meanwhile you were doing everything you could not to yip with obvious delight, settling instead for a slow tail wag.

“You don’t get to authorise that,” Soap said, rolling his eyes.

“What rank am I again?”

“That doesn-”

“It does actually. Have a good day, Sergeant,” Ghost interrupted, softly pretending to punch Soap’s shoulder. “Do me proud!”

Gaz laughed from next to you and waved Ghost off as he made his escape, narrowly avoiding getting hit by one of the leather mitts he’d set down earlier. Soap didn’t give chase after the failed throw though, instead he just stood grumbling to himself and eventually gathered the gear together and slung it into the holdall that Ghost had neglected to take with him. Once the bag dangled from his shoulder, he turned to you and Gaz and flung his head in the direction of the training buildings.

“So what’s this about hand signals? We gonna have to make you sit and fetch?” Soap asked.

“You tell me to go fetch and we’re gonna have problems,” you said, pumping the nerf gun’s ammo chamber for emphasis.

“Christ in heaven,” Soap muttered, heaving himself off across the field. “The things I put up with.”

-🐺-

The room was heavy with thick silence as you traversed your way around it. You might as well have been glued to Gaz’s side, one of the few sounds that were allowed to permeate the quiet was Gaz’s breathing and the metallic ting of the ancient filament lights. Every second that you walked, you obsessively watched Gaz’s hands, fixing your eyes on them as if they might hold untold treasures.

This was it, the last run through. Gaz paused at the same doorway you’d had to wait outside at least a dozen times already, and quickly held up his fist for ‘halt’. It helped that it was just the same as the standard hand signals that he’d been taught already. From there he pointed two fingers to his side and signalled for halt again. You nodded and moved next to him, looking from his hands to his eyes in quick succession while you waited for further instruction.

From there he cupped his hands by his ear and pointed at you. You twitched your ears, adjusting yourself so that you could listen out for any tell tale sounds of Soap skulking around from inside. Though there was nothing beyond the annoying skittering of the old ticking clock inside the fake office, so to confirm the silence you shook your head. Gaz then held his finger to the side of his nose and pointed at you, but you held your palm up and waved your other hand around it. Unclear. Smell was little use when you’d all run the training course together so many times, everything stank of the two men at that point.

Gaz nodded and thought for a second. Time might as well have been a sound, the continuous buzz of the lights or the shaking hands of the clock behind the door, your senses felt like they were blending into a big mush. You were glad when Gaz finally patted his back and held out his palm and then a single finger, signalling to walk back to back with him and watch his six.

You nodded again and did as asked, making quick work of slinking through the door as quietly as possible and advancing down the corridor beyond. Gaz looked right and left, checking through the first office room on the right quickly and efficiently and kept things moving down the hallway, readying to advance to the next room at the end of the hallway. This was it, there was only one place Soap could be now, you thought.

However, just as Gaz was heading down the corridor, you could’ve sworn you heard a noise. A faint almost wooden gasp, but it was something nonetheless. You grabbed Gaz’s arm and forced him to a stop, holding your hand to your ear so that he knew you heard something. He narrowed his eyes, honey irises appearing chestnut from under his shadowy gaze. After another few seconds you heard the sound of something making contact with the floor, hell you could've sworn you felt the vibrations of it at that point.

You looked up at Gaz with wild eyes and motioned your head down the hallway from the office that Gaz had assumed was safe. It wasn’t like there was much to sweep that you hadn’t already looked through on all your other runs, so he hadn’t been sloppy to dismiss the empty space. There was just a single desk with an exposed underside, the wall clock and a fake sink set up. The sink had a cupboard but it also had a slew of fake piping that made it impossible to squeeze inside. Or rather it should’ve.

As soon as you crept back down the hallway, you both stumbled onto Soap emerging from the cupboard like a spider creeping from a crack. He was all arms and legs as he tried to slyly remove himself from the tiny space and before he was able to see you and Gaz, Gaz blasted him with the nerf gun and you ran toward him, ensuring you were out of firing range and jumped up in front of him. Pieces of loose plastic piping scattered from all around the bottom cupboard, and he just about exploded from his skin when you got your face up close to his.

“Steamin Jesus! How’d you know I was in here?”

“We didn’t, I heard the cupboard opening though,” you explained, wagging your tail all the while.

Soap sighed and leaned back into the cupboard clutching his hand over his heart for a moment before sitting back up.

“I suppose I should be happy you’re on our team with those big satellites, fuzzy lugs,” Soap sighed.

“Hey!” You whined, flattening your ears. “They’re not big satellites.”

“Well not when you put them back like that,” Soap said, a sly smile piercing through his eyes before it reached his lips.

“Better big fluffy ears than big fluffy hair,” you huffed.

“Oooh,” Gaz smirked, “Get ‘im.”

“You canny insult the hawk,” Soap sniffed, running a hand through his messy locks. “Nothing you say will convince me this isn’t stunnin’.”

You rolled your eyes and sat back from Soap, about to let him get up when Gaz stopped you both. He held out his hand and demanded you wait a minute, causing you and Soap to turn to one another and frown until all became clear.

“Gotta get a good photo of our quarry, Pup. All the best hunters get their trophy photo,” Gaz explained, while holding his phone up and adjusting the angle.

Gaz adjusted his pose, tilting his nerf gun so that it crossed his chin and partially obscured his faux serious expression, meanwhile Soap sat back amongst the loose piping and accepted his fate, holding his fingers to his forehead in a fake gun gesture as if he were shooting himself. You weren’t sure what to do. No one ever asked you to be in pictures that weren’t mandated for the government website, so you didn’t know how to pose.

At the last minute you tilted your head and pulled out a cheeky grin just before Gaz took the photos, the screen flickering black a couple times before he started tapping at his screen and laughing. He walked over to you both and lowered his screen, letting you see the resulting photo that oozed chaos with the silly toy gun and you and Soap sitting atop the mess of piping.

“Ooft, sexy,” Soap whistled. “Get that up on tinder. You’ll get all sorts of tail with that.”

“Oh yeah, caption writes itself - ‘anyone wanna hold my blaster?’” Gaz sniggered, tapping away again. “That’s going on insta.”

You huffed out a surprise breath at that.

“You’re actually putting that up on your socials?” you asked, frowning.

Gaz ceased his tapping and tilted his chin up at you.

“Was gonna, why? do you not want it up?” he asked, showing you the photo again.

The screen tilted round to reveal a confirmation page with the photo sporting a slightly more dramatic filter. He’d been about to post it with a slightly less ridiculous caption at least ‘Mission success: blockage identified - Soap too big for the sink.��

That didn’t stop you from snorting at it of course.

“I don’t mind - just figured you’ll get people being strange about you showing off that you hang about with the little hybrid weirdo,” you shrugged.

“Aw, furball. You don’t have to worry about people finding you weird. Your ears aren’t that big and strange you know,” Soap said, rubbing your arm in mock sympathy. “They might not even qualify as full sized satellites, maybe just small radio towers or- Hey!”

You smiled smugly to yourself after flicking Soap on the nose, but quickly dropped the grin when Soap yanked you back by the shoulders and blew a big gust of air into one of your ears.

“No! Disgusting!” You squealed, wrestling him off and slapping him away while he laughed.

You rubbed at your ear, screwing up your entire face while you tried to work the feeling of Soap’s breath out of your fur and inner canal. The uncomfortable pressure ceased after a few seconds and finally you were able to stop cringing away from Soap enough to see Gaz shaking his head at you both.

“Aaand its posted. C’mon, we better start clearing out of here. You can fix that mess with the Pipes, Soap.”

“Fuck sake,” Soap cursed, looking around at his mess. “Thought this was gonna be worth it as well.”

His grumbling didn’t stop as he got through his work either. As he put the sink back together you sat on top of the desk by Gaz while he sat on the chair and scrolled through his phone. You didn’t really have anything to do, so you twisted the manual round that you’d been teaching the guys from and started flicking through the old yellowing pages. The corners felt like they might melt away from even just fingering through them, it was so ancient, but that wasn’t the only sign that the book wasn’t from your lifetime. After skipping to a random page, your eyes widened into saucers and your mouth almost dropped to the cold concrete below.

“What the fuck,” you breathed out loud, reading over the page contents with a dry mouth.

Gaz’s interest peaked at that. Out of the corner of your peripherals you saw his eyes drift from his phone to look over the page you’d pulled.

“Yo! What the hell is that about,” Gaz cackled, pulling his chair up and scraping it over the concrete to get a closer look. “Proper Maintenance of your Hybrid’s Hygiene? That’s nasty.”

Soap looked over from his work and frowned.

“What’s so nasty about that?”

“Nah, I can’t tell you. You gotta come over here and see this, mate.”

You frowned down at the book, casting your eyes over the frankly awful illustrations therein with a sickening mix of horror and gratitude for not having to have experienced anything depicted in them for yourself. Below the section title, In the two little boxes with smaller boxes off shooting from them were mirror images of a man standing over a bathtub with a hybrid in it, however in one box there was a female hybrid and the other a male. In the smaller boxes were close up pictures of the illustrated hybrids' tails, ears and genitals with captions that explained the proper way to keep them clean and healthy.

“As you will well know, being experienced handlers in training,” Gaz read aloud, using a posh old timey voice, “Hybrids do not have the mental capacity that humans possess. As such, they are simply not capable of keeping themselves adequately clean, which means this is a care requirement you must oversee yourself at least once a week. Following the diagrams above you must draw a bath for your hybrid and have them clean their bodies under your guidance and ensure their tails, ears and extremities are maintained to regulation. You must make sure to prevent water flooding their ear canals, as this can cause infection, you must clean and detangle/deshed their tails using a long tooth or a short tooth brush depending on their fur texture, and you must ensure their genitals/nethers are kept cleaned of any discharge, excrement, c-crust build up or- fuckin hell I can’t. This is actual slander. How did they get away with writing this?”

“This is some absolute specist nonsense,” you scoffed, taking the manual from Gaz, who was slowly losing it to soundless laughter, and turning it so that it faced you.

“So in this section it’s basically hammering it into you that I’m apparently too dumb to wash my own shit covered ass, and then in thiiiis page…” you trailed, flicking back a few pages to a title that had almost caught your interest before, “yeah here. In this section it details ‘training techniques and guides for making your hybrid competent in use of blades and blunt weapons.’ So essentially I have to be watched to make sure I get my fuckin ‘crust’ or whatever cleaned off because I’m an incompetent beast, but I can also be reasonably expected to wield a fucking machete! What kind of bullshit is this?!”

Soap and Gaz were dead silent for a few seconds, lips sealed firmly shut and eyes wide as you waved the page around that had the giant sword diagram. That is, until the moment they both looked at each other. After that they burst out into floods of laughter, clutching their chests and howling like animals themselves until tears started falling down their cheeks.

“It’s not funny!” you growled, taking another look through the ‘guide’ for anymore terrible tidbits.

“It’s not, it’s really not,” Gaz affirmed, trying to hold in his giggles. “It’s really fucked up, but c’mon, mate. Crust!”

“They didn’t even have to go into that crust shite, but the fact they went on and actually specified the parts in the diagram that had to be cleaned and all that,” Soap wheezed, “I don’t know who the experience is worse for! Where did Ghost even pull this crap from? Did he time travel back to 1945?”

You groaned and turned to the front page, ears drooping back when you found the publishing date.

“Man, this is from the fucking seventies,” you frowned, realising what torments could’ve befallen you had you been born just a bit earlier. “Wait…you guys don’t think this is Ghost’s personal copy…”

You cut yourself off. All of you were silent.

“Well its possible they could’ve just issued Ghost with an old copy rather than print new ones,” Gaz shrugged, voice weak from laughing so much already. “You know what budgeting’s like.”

“Hold the bus, I’m gonna google something,” Soap announced, pulling his own phone out his trousers and quietly muttering to himself. “Hybrid hygiene, British army regulations…here we go…from the 1960’s hybrids were able to voluntarily join the army or be transferred in from institutes for displaced hybrids and… hygiene was taught in handler training courses and monitored by…then up until 20- steamin’ jesus.”

“What?” you and Gaz sounded off in unison.

“Essentially says here that the practice of teaching hybrid hygiene and monitoring it didn’t completely end in all British bases until well after Ghost joined up which means…-”

“Ghost is probably a certified crust inspector,” you said gravely.

At that you all burst out laughing. The room practically shook, none of you could contain yourselves, the sounds ricocheted off the walls and exploded in your ears. Though you couldn’t muster the wherewithal to care. For a few moments you all laughed in a joint heap until slowly you all came back to yourselves and closed the manual, doing all you could to stop yourself from launching it out the skylight above.

“That’s fuckin awful stuff,” Soap said, finally getting back to finishing up with the sink. “Glad I never signed up for any o’ that pish. I’ll gladly take apart a bomb before I have to supervise you in the tub, furball.”

“Me too,” Gaz sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Least you’ll never have to get bathed and de-crusted. Almost puts a silver lining on Branhaven if you never had to deal with that, huh?”

“God, I never thought I’d say it, but thank you Maddox for being a neglectful dick,” you muttered, giggling after Gaz snorted from next to you.

-🐺-

Later on that day, after Soap and Gaz had dropped you off with Price, the full schedule that you’d been handed weighed heavily on you. You drooped over Price’s sofa and were barely able to read more than a few pages of your new book until you gave up and slumped fully into the cushions.

You happily dozed off with the sound of Price’s accompanying pen scratches and mutterings, your lips curving into a soft smile against the saggy old cushions. Cigar smoke and musk cradled your prone form and with just the gentlest hint of spiced citrus, you were letting it carry you off to sleep.

However, before unconsciousness could fully take you, a loud unfamiliar knock sounded at Price’s door and shattered you from any notion of rest. Your heart beat rapidly, chest thumping heavily and you sat up fully and at attention.

You looked over at Price, watching as he put down his pen and shuffled his papers. He made a brief second of eye contact and shrugged as if to tell you that he didn’t know who it was until he looked back toward the darkened door. He’d yet to turn his main light on, instead he sat commanding the room from his lamplit desk.

“Yes. Who is it?” he barked, rubbing his weary eyes.

“Captain, it’s Major Kelly, I need to speak with you about an incident involving your team’s hybrid. Can I come in?” Called a lilting Irish voice.

Your ears perked up and again you looked at Price, but he didn’t look back at you this time. He set his jaw in a tight line and folded his hands up across the top of his desk, thumping them heavily into the wood.

“Door’s open, Major,” he called, voice booming in a way you hadn’t heard it before. “Let’s hear it.”

#simon ghost riley #Simon Riley #Ghost #mw2 #ghost x reader #Hybrid!reader #reign down on me

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lilacmingi · 4 months

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ELF IN TRAINING

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT interact with me or any of my works

Pairing: Elf!Mingi x elf!fem reader

Word count: 3,430

Note: THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVES! Yunho, Yeosang, Mingi, and Wooyoung’s are my absolute favorites. They’re the ones I really got immersed in while writing them and I just love the plots. I’m very proud of them 🥹

The North Pole was covered in snow, the usual weather for Santa's Headquarters. Large, fluffy snowflakes came down in a flurry, adding to the inches of white snow that blanketed the ground.

You were hard at work in the workshop, painting and assembling toys. Christmas was only a month away and it was crunch-time at Santa's workshop. Every elf was hard at work preparing for the upcoming holiday. The sound of hammers tapping and the low hum of the assembly line machines were the only thing that could be heard in the building as every elf stayed laser focused on their job.

Mingi, a new elf in training, walked across the workshop with a box of completed toys in his hands. He was heading to the room next door where the toys were being collected. As he proceeded towards his destination, his head collidided with the top of the doorframe, a thud sound following after. You instinctively winced at the sight. Mingi was always bumping his head on the doorway. Unlike other elves, he was rather tall and towered over everyone. The average height of elves was around five feet, Mingi was six feet tall.

You hated seeing him always hurting himself on the doorframe and wondered why no one had done anything about it. At this rate he would give himself a concussion if nothing was done about the low doorframe.

A chorus of chuckles from nearby elves could be heard after Mingi's little incident. You abruptly abandoned your work station and hurried after Mingi, calling for him. He turned around, looking down at you with bright eyes and an expectant expression.

"Are you okay?" You asked.

A soft smile spread across his face.

"I'm fine. Thanks, Y/n."

"You don't need an ice pack or something?"

He shook his head. "I'm kinda used to it."

You gave him a sympathetic look.

"You should get back to work. Christmas is coming soon." He told you.

“What about you?”

“I’ll be just fine.”

As much as you didn't want to, you turned around and hesitantly made your way back to your station, picking up where you left off.

It was difficult to focus. All you could think about was Mingi and the way everyone always laughed at him. It made you angry. There was no reason for it. He's an elf just like the rest of you.

Lunch was called and you were able to step away from your work and take a break. You congregated in the cafeteria with the other elves where you got a slice of extra sweet cake and a mug of hot chocolate. As you made your way to your seat, you overheard a few comments from some of your fellow workers.

"Did you see Mingi?" Chuckled one elf. "He bumped his head on the doorframe again. That klutz."

"He's such a giant, no wonder he's always hitting his head."

"He's a weirdo."

"He's a misfit."

"He doesn't belong here."

"He's not an elf, he's a giant."

The comments angered you immensely. Everything in you screamed to speak up and say something, but you fought it, pushing that urge down deep. You didn't want to start something and cause a scene. However, your temper got the best of you and pushed aside all reason. Your grip tightened on your mug of hot chocolate as you harshly spun around to face the chattering elves.

"That's not very jolly of you to be saying such hateful things about a fellow elf." You punctuated the last word. "Surely, you know Santa is fully aware of what you're saying now."

None of them said a word.

"That's what I thought." You huffed, turning away.

Santa knows everything and they still had the nerve to say such rude things about Mingi. It was shameful, really.

You then spotted Mingi sitting alone at the end of a table, rubbing his forehead. You immediately set your sights on him, making your way over without hesitation.

"Hi." You greeted, taking a seat across from him.

"Hi."

"How's your head?"

"It's okay." He reached up to lightly rub it again. “Hurts a little."

"I'm sure it does. Are you sure you don't want an ice pack?"

"I'm sure. Thank you, though. I appreciate you always checking up on me."

You smiled. "I just want to make sure you're alright."

"Thank you for that. It's nice to know someone cares."

"So, it's been a few weeks since you joined the team. How are things?"

"Good." He nodded with a smile. "Work is easier and more enjoyable than I though. Turns out I'm pretty good at assembling toys. I'm the fastest elf in my group." He beamed proudly.

"That's great to hear. It seems you're fitting in just fine."

"Well, almost."

"Almost?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm a whole foot taller than everyone here." He stated.

"I have noticed, but it doesn't bother me."

"It seems to bother everyone else. They all stare at me and whisper things."

"You just need to ignore them. They're not worth your time. Santa should give them more work since they seem to have time to make hateful comments about you for no reason." You huffed, feeling your temper rising again.

"What if I'm not a real elf?" Mingi asked unexpectedly, his tone weaker than before.

"What? That's nonsense. Of course you're a real elf."

"But what if I'm not? I clearly don't fit in."

You abruptly reached over and grabbed hold of his ear, giving it a good tug.

"Ow!" He yelped.

"Is that proof enough?" You inquired, quirking a brow.

"I guess so." He muttered, rubbing his ear with a pout.

"Mingi, you need to stop doubting yourself. You're an elf just like the rest of us."

"But I'm different."

"Unique." You corrected. "I think your height is your charming point."

"My charming point?" He asked, looking at you with round, glittering eyes.

"Yes. It's what makes you, you."

His face seemed to soften a bit after you told him that. He appreciated your words greatly, more than you would know. You and Santa seemed to be the only ones who treated him as an equal and not as some freak.

You stayed and kept Mingi company throughout lunch, sharing funny stories about past mishaps at the workshop. His heart fluttered in his chest whenever you laughed at your own story. The giggles spilling from your lips made Mingi feel light as air, and the way your eyes crinkled up when you smiled made him grin himself. Your happiness was contagious.

He was a bit of a slow eater and yet you stayed with him the whole time, which only made his growing attraction towards you bloom even more.

That night, you laid in bed staring at the ceiling. You really needed to get some rest, as you knew you'd need the energy for work the next day. Christmas was quickly approaching and everyone needed to be at peak performance, but you couldn't seem to stop thinking about Mingi. Yes, he could just duck to get through the doorway, but that's an inconvenience, plus he seems to forget how short the doorways are.

Unable to sleep, you threw the covers off and changed into your uniform, hurrying out of your room. With a mission on your mind, you trekked through the snow and to the workshop, making your way up the large staircase that led to Santa's office. You gave a soft knock on the oak wood doors and waited for an answer.

"Come in." A voice bellowed from the other side.

You slowly twisted the doorknob and stepped into the room.

"Y/n, what on earth are you doing here? It's nearly 1 AM.”

"I could ask you same thing." You chuckled.

"Oh, you know, checking it once, checking it twice." He responded with a smile as he glanced down at the long list that stretched across his desk and spilled onto floor. "But seriously, what are you doing awake at this hour?”

"I couldn't sleep, sir." You answered honestly.

"Why is that?" He inquired, concern lacing his warm voice.

"It's Mingi. He's always bumping his head on the doorframe in the workshop that leads to the stock room." You informed him.

"Oh no." He frowned.

"It pains me to keep seeing him hit his head, so I was wondering if I could make some adjustments to the doorframe."

"I'm sure I could make time to do it. You don't have to take that on all by yourself."

"Sir, with all due respect, I want to do it on my own. Plus, you're already very busy."

"Are you sure?" Santa asked.

"Yes. I can handle this."

"Very well."

"Thank you, sir."

"Of course. This is very nice of you, Y/n."

You gave him a soft smile before exiting his office, bounding down the stairs, and hurrying over to your work station, grabbing an armful of tools. There was no time to waste.

Mingi got out of his bed that was thankfully the right size for him. Santa was kind enough to make some accommodations for him like getting a larger bed and furniture so he could. The elf stretched his stiff muscles before shuffling over to his closet to grab his uniform.

He made his short commute across the small North Pole village, trudging through the large amount of snow that was constantly covering the ground. He stepped into the workshop, ready to start his day. To his surprise, the shop was completely empty. Mingi simply brushed it off, going to his work station where he found a box of toys that he forgot to put into the stock room the day before. He lifted the box and carried it across the shop. As he passed the entryway to the stock room, he instinctively flinched, his head being thrust backwards by a phantom force.

The pain he had anticipated never arrived, causing him to stop for a moment and turn around to look at the doorway he just walked through. To his surprise, it appeared to be reconstructed and there was now a circular head shape at the top of the doorway.

Mingi was quick to set the box of toys down, hurrying back into the workshop where elves were starting to come in to begin their work day. His eyes searched desperately, wanting to find out who had done this. His first thought was Santa. He was about to head up to the big man's office when he spotted you asleep at your work station, tools strewn across the desk. As he moved closer, he noticed sawdust all over your work space, your clothes, and even stuck in your hair.

A fond smile painted Mingi's features as he gazed down at you, a warm and fuzzy feeling blossoming in his chest.

You did that for him?

You began to stir, which caused Mingi to scurry off, not wanting you to see him. Once he got to his work station, he watched you lift your head, your eyes going wide at the mess in front of you. He tried to hold back a chuckle as you scrambled to clean the sawdust off the tabletop, clearing your workspace of any tools and powdery wood particles.

He found it amusing how you went about your business after you tidied up, pretending that you weren't just snoozing at your work table amongst tools and sawdust.

His gaze drifted to the doorway that seemed to be attracting attention from some of the elves. Mingi could feel his cheeks warm as he looked at the newly-shaped doorway that was exactly the same size as him.

He would make sure to thank you later.

You yawned as you tinkered away on a toy. Running on little to no sleep had you working a little slower than usual, but knowing Mingi would no longer hurt himself put you at ease and, in a way, kept you going.

You worked until you felt someone's presence near you. Glancing up, you saw Mingi who stood by your station.

"Oh. Hi Mingi." You greeted with a smile.

"Do you have a minute?" He asked.

"Sure. Is something wrong?"

"I just wanna talk to you for a moment. Is that okay?"

"Of course."

Mingi led you outside to a nearby bench where the two of you could talk alone.

"I saw what you did for me." He said.

"Hm?" You furrowed your brows. "What do you mean?"

"The doorway. I know it was you."

"Me? No. I didn't do that."

"Y/n." Chuckled Mingi. "I saw you asleep at your workstation with sawdust all over you and tools everywhere."

You started to make up another excuse, but snapped your mouth shut after processing what Mingi said. You meant to clean up your workstation, but you were so tired you accidentally fell asleep.

"You don't have to pretend it wasn't you." He spoke softly.

"I wanted to stay anonymous."

"I would have figured out it was you, anyway. No one else would do that for me except you and Santa."

"Did you like it?" You asked.

He nodded with a smile. "It was really nice to be able to walk through a doorway normally."

"I'm glad. I hated seeing you hit your head all the time and it seemed like no one was going to do anything about it."

"I hated hitting my head too, and I always seem to forget to crouch down."

"Crouching down seems like an inconvenience."

"It is. I don't feel like I'm getting work done fast enough."

You nodded in understanding.

As the two of you sat, snow began to fall from the overcast sky above. You looked up, watching as the flakes got bigger.

"I still can't believe you worked all night to alter one doorframe for me." Mingi spoke up suddenly.

"You deserve it, Mingi." You told him.

"You have such a kind soul."

You couldn't stop the warmth that ticked your cheeks at his words. “I would change all the other doorframes for you in a heartbeat."

The elf beside you seemed to get flustered as he avoided eye contact with you for a moment. When he looked back at you, a heartwarming grin spread across his face.

"You're getting covered in snow." Mingi giggled.

"You are too."

"Why don't we go somewhere else? How about that gazebo over there?" He pointed to a nearby wooden pavilion with lights wrapped around the roof and railing.

"Good idea."

The two of you hurried through the flurries and under the gazebo, but as you stepped underneath the shelter, you heard a loud thud. Turning around, you saw Mingi wincing with his hand pressed to his forehead.

"Oh no." You frowned, watching as he ducked to get underneath the gazebo.

Thankfully, the roof was a hollow cone shape, so he was able to stand up properly when he got inside.

"I forgot." He muttered.

"Come here." You held your palms up towards Mingi's face, gesturing for him to move closer.

He bent down a little, allowing you to get on your tiptoes and grab his cheeks, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.

His eyes widened, as his cheeks tinted pink, even the tips of his pointed ears held a blush-colored hue.

"Ah." You turned your head away. "Sorry. I don't know why—"

"It's okay." Mingi cut you off. "I... liked it."

"You did?"

He nodded, shyly.

You couldn't deny the fact that Mingi was a good-looking guy. In fact, he's the only elf that ever caught your eye, and it wasn't because of his height. He was stunning. You loved his eyes. They could be sharp at times, almost intimidating, but also innocent, big, and bright. You loved his lips too. They were full, pink, and when he concentrated really hard, very pouty. You'd be lying if you said you didn't think about how it would feel to kiss them.

Did he feel the same as you?

"So..." You trailed off, unsure of what to say next.

"I like you." Mingi blurted.

Your brows raised, not expecting him to come out with it so quickly.

"You're the only elf that's shown me kindness. Ever since I first showed up here, you made sure I was getting the hang of things and constantly asked if I needed help. Despite me being different, you still spoke to me and treated me like everyone else."

"That's because you are like everyone else. To me, you're not different. You're you."

Mingi's glossy eyes twinkled a bit when you said that. His large hands found yours, clasping onto them; you could feel them shaking—or maybe it was your own. You glanced down, seeing the way his hands swallowed yours whole. It made your heart leap in your chest.

"Can I kiss you?" Mingi asked tentatively.

"I thought you'd never ask." You chuckled.

Mingi bent down to get closer to your height as you stood straighter to get closer to his. Your hands rested on the sides of his face as the two of you leaned in, closing the space between you.

Mingi's lips felt exactly the way you thought they would, only 10 times better. They were pliant, soft, and oh-so gentle. He was kissing you so delicately, it made your heart swell. You could tell he was a little nervous about what he was doing, but so were you.

One of Mingi's large hands moved to cup the back of your neck, holding you in place as he began to deepen the kiss.

You could feel your whole body heat up like fresh hot cocoa. The warmth sent a rush through you from head to toe as your hands moved to clutch onto the collar of Mingi's uniform, pulling him even closer. You couldn't get enough, you were desperate for more.

Mingi seemed to get the hint as he straightened his posture, not once disconnecting the kiss. You stood up on your tiptoes to keep the contact as his free hand slid around your waist, his arm wrapping around your torso, holding you flush against him. He paused for a moment, relocating the hand that cupped the back of your neck to your waist. He held onto you tightly as he stood up fully. You gasped against his lips as the tips of your shoes lost contact with the wooden flooring of the gazebo.

He only pulled away long enough to mutter,

"I got you."

You trusted him, closing your eyes once again as you allowed his full lips to fully encase yours, sending another rush of heat throughout your body.

Unfortunately, breathing was something you needed to do to survive, so you had to pull away, ultimately ending the blissful moment. Mingi slowly lowered you to where your feet touched the ground again. The two of you huffed, your breaths coming out in puffs thanks to the wintry weather.

"As much as I'd like to stay out here and kiss you, we've got work to do." You reminded him.

"I know." His shoulders drooped a bit.

"We can always hang out later."

He smiled after hearing that.

The two of you stepped back out into the open and headed back towards the workshop hand-in-hand.

"I have a question." Mingi spoke up.

"Yes?"

"What now?"

"What now?" You parroted.

"Yeah. What are we?"

You didn't wanna get ahead of yourself, so you turned the question on him. "What do you want us to be?"

"Honestly... I'd love to be able to call you my girlfriend."

You smiled at his answer. "Good. Because I'd like to call you my boyfriend."

"Really?"

The fact that he was still surprised after the two of you had just kissed was adorable.

"You won't be ashamed to be seen with me?"

"When have I ever been ashamed to be seen with you?" You questioned.

"Touché." He chuckled.

You came to a stop at the large workshop doors, turning to Mingi.

"I'll see you after work." You told him, pressing a soft kiss to the back of his hand.

He grinned bashfully in response as he opened the doors. You both kept your hands clasped together, parting ways to go to your respective stations. As you separated, you gave Mingi a small smile and a wave.

Your entrance attracted quite a bit of attention, but you didn't care. The only thing you cared about was getting toys finished so you could spend more time with Mingi... and kiss him some more, of course.

Hongjoong ❄︎ Seonghwa ❄︎ Yunho ❄︎ Yeosang ❄︎ San ❄︎ Wooyoung ❄︎ Jongho

Masterlist ᝰ — enjoyed this imagine? reblogs & comments are very much appreciated!

DO NOT steal, plagiarize, copy, repost, alter, or translate my works in any way

🏷 @h3arteyes4mingi

#ateez imagines #mingi x reader #mingi x you #mingi x y/n #song mingi x reader #song mingi x y/n #song mingi x you #ateez x reader #kpop imagines #ateez scenarios #ateez fanfic #mingi fluff

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btsgotjams27 · 11 months

Text

this is us ~ jjk | 17

it's been one year since the breakup, have jungkook and y/n been able to move on?

✨ title: this is us | ongoing series (sequel to all grown up) ✨ pairing: jungkook x f!reader | ✨ rating: m/18+ | minors dni ✨ genre/au: drama, romance, angst, fluff, smut | est!relationship, age gap ✨ playlist | AO3 & Wattpad ✨ a/n: if you haven’t read the prequel to this, please do so here! :) ✨ a/n 2: hi, everyone! i'm sorry this update took so long but a lot of y'all preferred a longer chapter and here it is! i opted out of one scene but may save it later for a drabble. let me know your thoughts, especially how you think jk & oc will meet again. 👀

[ SERIES MASTERLIST ] | next ✨ 18 ~ you're seeing things, aren't you?

chapter seventeen ~ one year later | wc: 8.8k warnings: pov switch, alex is back (but just for a bit and some of you may or may not like their convo), alcohol consumption, language, yoongi + oc bickering, yuna being yuna, baby indie is a big girl now T_T, jk has a new friend 👀, mama jeon is such a treat, some of our fav friends make an appearance, our jk + oc are both growing

~ one year after the breakup ~

Jungkook POV

The silver key struggled to fully unlatch the lock. Jungkook would remind himself whenever he needed to contact the landlord, but he could never remember until he unlocked the front door.

Summer in LA was warm and dry, but of course, with his luck, this was Jungkook’s first week of the summer without any air conditioning.

He shouldered the door, putting his body and weight into it. “Jeez,” he mumbled under his breath.

Not only was the door and air conditioning a mess but also his apartment. Clothes scattered everywhere, the stuffing from the sectional coming undone, it almost looked like someone partied too hard, but that wasn’t the case for Jungkook.

The sound of shuffling and grunting caused him to sprint toward his room, to find a tail wagging joyfully before him. Bam’s head was buried deep in Jungkook’s sock drawer, not giving a care in the world because he was looking for some kind of hidden treasure.

“I was wondering who was making all this noise.”

The six-month-old pup stopped digging and turned around. Just like his dad, he had big doe eyes that also held the stars in them. Hanging from Bam’s mouth was a white sock, clearly filled with something in it. Jungkook quickly took it from Bam’s mouth, stuffing it into the same place it was found. Bam sat and lowered his head.

“Aye–I really can’t leave you alone, can I? How'd you get out?”

Jungkook set his backpack down and sat in front of his big baby. He ruffled and scratched Bam’s floppy, brown ears before placing a kiss on his head.

“What are we gonna do when I have to leave you next week, hmm?”

Bam whined and then licked Jungkook’s cheek, making him lean back.

“What were you looking for?”

The Doberman backed up and returned to the drawer he found the sock in, his nose nipping at the loose knob.

“No. No. There’s nothing in there for you.”

Bam begins to paw at the drawer again, unrelenting in his pursuit of whatever was in that sock–so, he did find treasure. Jungkook decides to give up on Bam. No matter how many times he told him there was nothing in there for him, the stubborn pup would just keep going back to it.

“Bamie, should we go for a walk and get dinner?”

When he heard ‘walk,’ he whipped his head around, panting excitedly at his owner. Taking Bam on a walk was the best way to distract his four-legged friend.

If there was one thing Jungkook never took for granted, it was the beauty of a California sunset. The sky was painted with soft shades of peach and cotton candy pink, palm trees dispersed along the guided path, bicycle bells faintly dinging in the distance, and chatter and laughter filled the air.

The blood pumping through Jungkook’s veins was going into overdrive, as this was the second run of the day for him. He already ran before going to work. But doing this would tire him and Bam out, so they would knock out when returning home.

He called out to Bam before slowing down and coming to a complete stop. Although the summer nights in LA were cool, he was still getting used to the dry heat. His fringe was getting too long, falling and covering his eyes when he ran. He had been tempted for weeks to cut it, but Jimin suggested tying it up or getting a headband. There was no need to cut it dramatically if he liked his hair long.

“Sorry!”

A voice cried out, brushing by Jungkook and Bam, nearly knocking into them while on their rollerskates. Jungkook instinctively pulled Bam’s leash to the side, veering away from the congested pathway. He hadn’t realized how busy this time of night had become. He kneeled down, rubbing under Bam’s chin, turning him from side to side to see if he was okay.

“Bamie, are you okay?” His pup didn’t seem fazed as he licked Jungkook’s mouth. “Oh–” He scrunched his face from the wet saliva and dog breath. “Remind me to brush your teeth when we get home.” Jungkook chuckled and shook his head.

A buzz reverberated from Jungkook’s pocket. He pulled it out, answering the video call, while walking toward a bench to sit, and Bam obediently followed.

“How’s my baby?”

He could see the outline of a small human, and when the video cleared, the only thing in the frame was his niece, Indie's chubby cheeks and double chin.

“Wo-wo. Wo-wo.”

Jungkook raised an eyebrow, trying to decipher what Indie could be referring to.

“Wo-wo. Wo-wo.” She continued repeating the same phrase while sitting in Yuna’s lap, clambering her little chubby fingers at the screen, causing the phone to shake on their end.

“She wants to see Bam.”

“Oh–” Jungkook finally understood and panned the screen to Bam. If the two were to ever meet in person, they’d be inseparable, Jungkook thought.

Indie’s babbling persisted before the screen panned back to Yuna. “Who’s a big boy now?” she asked in a baby voice. Bam barked in response. “Yes, you–you’re a big boy.”

“You’re doing it again.”

“Sorry! It’s a bad habit. I’ll stop. Where are you, anyway?”

Jungkook switches the camera to the back, showing off the sunset he witnessed before switching it back to his face.

“It’s so pretty! We really need to come visit, or better yet. When are you coming back to visit?”

“I’m planning to come next week.”

“Oh, you are? Perfect!” Yuna stood and placed Indie on her hip while struggling to hold onto the phone simultaneously.

“Why?”

“Because it’s also Mom’s birthday, and she wants to have a big dinner with our family to celebrate.”

“Yeah, that’s why I’m coming back. For her and, well, to see my baby.” He didn’t know when it started, but he started to call his niece his baby since she was the only person he could call that now.

“Okay–cool. Are you gonna stay with us? Mom? Jin? Crash with Hyunie and Taehyung?”

All of those were viable options, but he knew if he stayed with his sister, there could be a chance he’d run into you, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for that yet. Granted, it has been over a year, but the thought of seeing you after so long still made his stomach flutter. “I haven’t decided yet.”

“Yuna! I brought your cheesecake!”

Jungkook’s ears perked up, and he looked to Bam for comfort, who was scanning every person walking by. He instantly recognized that voice. He’d know it anywhere.

“You can put it in the fridge!” Yuna turned her attention back to her baby brother. “Just let us know, ‘kay?”

“Where’s my baby girl? Auntie missed you so much!”

Jungkook became flustered, scrambling to devise an excuse so he didn’t have to see you in the video call. “My phone’s gonna die. I’ll talk to you later, Noona!”

Click.

He leaned back on the concrete bench, with Bam turned to him, tilting his head at his owner’s curious change in demeanor. Seeing you in photos was enough for him, but to see you live and in action, with the possibility of you saying hi—he wasn't ready for that. Maybe he'd work up the courage someday, but today wasn't the day.

four days until Seoul.

It's not that he was dreading seeing his family. He was excited to celebrate his mom's birthday and to meet his niece in person. He dreaded the giant elephant in the room when he would be around everyone again. He'd put his money on Jin or Taehyung to say something to 'ease the tension,' but he shouldn't expect anything less because he did leave without proper goodbyes. It's been a year; they should be over it, right? They should've forgiven him by now.

A knock on his office door brought him back to reality. He looked up to see his ex and colleague, Alex.

The door creaked open, and Alex poked her head through. “Late night?” she asked, slowly opening the door wider, keeping her hand on the knob as she leaned against the frame.

“Yeah, just finishing up this presentation for tomorrow’s meeting. Everything has to be perfect before I leave.”

“Everything always has to be perfect for you, huh?”

“What do you mean?” He stopped clicking and clacking at his keyboard and looked up at Alex.

“I mean, we fucked around a lot in college, but I couldn’t not notice how you needed everything to be perfect. Your grades, attendance–for god’s sake, you fold your underwear.”

Hearing this from Alex was surprising. He didn’t think she paid attention to anything else but sleeping around.

Alex cleared her throat. “Anyway, can I talk to you?”

Jungkook gestured for her to take the seat facing his desk. You’d think this would be another ploy from Alex, considering this is how the mess with them started–Alex walking into his office and sitting in a chair. But since Jungkook started his new job in LA, it was like Alex was a completely different person. He could hardly recognize the person she was when she returned from her vacation. She was nicer and happier. It was like she did a complete 180. Jungkook was wary when she would come around his office, so he kept his distance and was civil in his interactions, along with keeping his head down in case anyone figured out anything happened between him and Alex.

“Can we talk about what happened when I was in Seoul?”

She did apologize somewhat, but Jungkook felt it wasn’t genuine at the moment. He thought he’d never see the day she would be sorry for her actions.

“What about it?”

It had been so long ago that he had accepted his mistake and moved on. He wasn’t sure why she needed to bring it up now. Maybe she was having a faith crisis and asking forgiveness from those she wronged. It did sting every time he saw her for the first few months at work, a constant reminder that he wasn’t with you, but it also garnered him to hold his ground and be a better man–to not give in so easily to his desires. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy working with Alex, his guard was always up, ready for anything that she’d throw his way, but like the wildcard that she is, she always surprised him.

“I'm not good at this ‘whole talking about my feelings thing,’ you know that. I, um, just thought I should apologize for how I've treated you throughout the time that we’ve known each other. I wasn't the best person when you knew me in college, I was going through a lot of my own shit, and you were kind of my outlet—well, sex was kind of my outlet, and then with the whole thing in Seoul. We talked about it, but I shouldn't have come onto you like I did. It was wrong of me to take advantage of you, and I’m sorry that I made you uncomfortable.”

Jungkook leaned back into his office chair, processing everything Alex said. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. He could easily be spiteful, blow her off, or forgive and accept her apology.

“What’s done is done. We can’t go back and change the past.”

Even if there was a time machine to go back and fix mistakes, Jungkook wouldn’t do it because it would’ve created an alternate timeline which could’ve led to the same outcome for you and him. Regardless of how things turned out between you and him, he knew you needed time apart to grow up and blossom independently without him.

His decision to move to LA was made out of a reckless, emotional place, but he acknowledged that and learned not to make such illogical decisions based on how he’s feeling at the moment. Maybe minus the unexpected choice of getting Bam on a whim, but that’s beside the point. Jungkook had learned from his mistakes and was trying to improve. He didn’t want to return to how things were and how he was.

“Yeah, I know, but I can still apologize for my past behavior and hope to change for the future.”

He took a moment before responding, “And are you changing? Or trying to, at least?”

That’s all one could hope for, right? Even with a person like Alex. Everyone deserves some kind of redemption and the right to move on and be happy. He wasn’t the kind of person to wish the worst on someone. It wasn’t in his DNA, no matter how hard he tried.

“I think so? I'd like to hope so.”

Alex’s phone buzzed, and she took a moment to answer, grinning from ear to ear. Jungkook had never seen her smile like that–it was authentic, filled with joy. She returned her attention back to Jungkook, holding her phone out, which illuminated the home screen. He couldn’t help but glance at her wallpaper, a photo of her hugging someone. He had heard rumors going around the office, but he wasn’t someone who cared for gossip. It was her life, and she could do what she wanted. It was none of his business.

“Okay, then, I guess that’s all I can really ask for.”

“That's one thing I always liked about you.”

“What?”

“How after all the many things I put you through, you’re always so forgiving. I bet the people in your life don’t deserve you, huh?”

Jungkook stopped to think about it. Was he always so easy to forgive and forget? Maybe that was his problem. “Probably not, but—” he shrugged. “Anything else you need to get off your chest?”

She shifted in her chair. “Why’d you do it?”

“Do what?”

Alex bit the inside of her cheek before speaking, “Give into me.”

Jungkook wasn’t expecting to go there with Alex, but since she brought it up, the question lingered night and day for a long time, and ultimately, he concluded that he did it out of fear. He wasn’t scared of Alex; he was scared of not being enough for you because you didn’t share yourself with him, and he resorted to a place of familiarity. It’s no excuse, and he knows that, but it wasn’t something he could change now.

He cleared his throat. “I was insecure at that time in my relationship. I didn’t think I was good enough for her.”

Alex nervously rubbed the back of her neck. “Got it. I, um, you don’t have to explain any further.”

Jungkook lightly tapped on his desk, unconsciously swiveling from side to side in his chair. His lips thinned, waiting to see what else she needed from him.

“There’s one last thing. It looks like you’ll need to pack up your office because you’ll be getting mine.”

“Oh? Why?”

“I'm leaving, Jungkook. I got a new job. Guess you won’t be seeing me anymore.”

He was tempted to ask what was next for her, but he bit his tongue. Whatever she had going for her must’ve been a good offer if she were to leave her current position. Alex always knew what she wanted and went after it; to some degree, Jungkook admired that.

Alex stood, making her way out of Jungkook’s office. Before heading out the door, she stopped to ask one more thing, “What happened with you and your girlfriend?”

“You mean the one that slapped the shit out of you?” He tightened his lips and tried hard to suppress the smile creeping up. He was still proud of you for that. “We broke up. I wouldn’t be here if we were still together.”

She nervously tapped on the door frame, avoiding his gaze. “I’m sorry about that. I do hope you guys find your way back to each other. You seemed to have loved her very much.”

Jungkook acknowledged her comment with a nod and a low hum. He had dreamt about that happening so many times, but it’s been over a year since the two of you had broken up. So he gave up on you coming back to him a long time ago. It was a silly dream that he needed to let go of–the one thing to really set him free.

“Good luck with everything.”

“Thanks, Jungkook. You too.”

Friday nights wouldn’t be complete without Korean fried chicken and cold beer. It was Jimin’s turn to buy, and Jungkook told him to go all out before leaving on his trip. He wanted his belly full of yummy food.

“Where’s Lana?” Jungkook asked before taking a huge bite out of the crispy chicken drumstick.

Jimin chewed as fast as he could before answering, “She’s out with her friends at a bachelorette party.”

“I guess it’s that time when everyone we know is getting engaged or married, right?” Jungkook set his drumstick on the plate before him, and he looked over at Bam, who was patiently waiting for any scrap of food from his owner. He made a face at his four-legged friend, who whined as he lay beside Jungkook.

“It’ll be my turn soon.” Jimin dug in his back pocket, struggling to take out his phone. He unlocked the screen, then scrolled through his photos, handing his phone to Jungkook.

“No way! You’re gonna propose soon?”

Jimin grinned, taking the phone from Jungkook to stare at the ring he had chosen. “Yup! I have it all figured out.”

“Congrats, man. That’s exciting.”

“Thanks! Let’s pray she doesn’t turn me down,” Jimin jokes, sipping his beer. “What about you? What’s new?”

“Alex is leaving.”

“Whoa–the bitch is finally leaving us for good,” Jungkook deadpanned. “What? Am I wrong?” he asked dryly, raising his eyebrow.

Jimin only knew of the ‘Alex’ in college, not the one where she had actually grown up. Jungkook couldn’t help but witness the miracle unraveling before his eyes at work–it was hard to avoid.

“I think she’s changed.”

“Oh! Don’t tell me you’re standing up for her!” Jimin blinked a few times at his naive friend.

“I’m not–”

He wasn’t. He was merely acknowledging the growth he had seen. He couldn’t deny it, even if his friend didn’t believe him. Who would’ve thought that Jungkook would live to see the day someone like Alex could actually change? That was the beauty of knowing someone over a period of time, right? Seeing them go through different stages of their lives, becoming better or worse, in this case, Jungkook had witnessed the miracle of Alex becoming a decent human being.

“She ruined your relationship–”

“I know…” Jungkook said, “But I think she’s really different now.”

Jimin set his beer down and interlaced his fingers, waiting for his friend’s explanation. “Please, Jungkook. Enlighten me.”

“She’s moving to Switzerland,” he paused, “With her girlfriend.” Jungkook tilted his head, ready for Jimin’s reaction to the news. It also took Jungkook a second to process and rethink everything he had with Alex.

Jimin’s eyes widened as he covered his mouth. “Shit–” Jungkook kicked him under the table. “What? I mean, good for her! Who would’ve thought that Alex was into girls? Man, that really threw me in for a loop.” He leaned against the sofa’s cushion. “Well, I guess she’s not gonna be a problem anymore.”

Jungkook let out a rueful chuckle. If only things had turned out differently for you and him. Where would the two of you be now?

“So, are you excited about going back to Seoul?” Jimin couldn’t help but wiggle his eyebrows. Jungkook knew what he was referring to.

“I’m just visiting; besides, I've moved on.” It was something he needed to convince himself of on a daily basis, but it was easier said than done.

“Uh-huh, sure. Is that why you still keep that thing hidden in your sock drawer?”

Jungkook opened his mouth, but nothing came out; then, he looked at the culprit sitting beside him. And which thing was Jimin referring to? The small box? The photo album? “How do you know about that?”

Jimin leaned over to pat Bam’s bottom. “This big guy knows all your secrets. Don’t you, Bamie?”

Jungkook rolled his eyes, scratching the back of Bam’s ears. “You guys better not go digging through my things while I’m gone,” he threatened with a stare. He definitely didn’t want Jimin coming across your boudoir album. He had kept that baby safe–at least, he hoped he did. Maybe he should move it again or put it in a safe deposit box or something; imagine it getting into the wrong hands.

“Hey man, it’s not gonna be me.” He leaned over to Jungkook and glanced at Bam. “It’ll be this guy,” Jimin added while covering his mouth and pointing to Bam.

Bam is a smart aleck; he knows when others are talking about him. He stood and walked over to Jimin to lay his head in Jimin’s lap.

Jimin leaned down, ruffling Bam’s ears. “Don’t worry, Bamie. I won’t tell Jungkookie what we find.”

Jungkook shook his head at the two schemers. He had meant to get rid of what was hidden in his sock drawer. He just hadn’t had time to do so.

back home in seoul

Jungkook found it odd how quiet Namjoon and Yuna’s place was. He thought it would be booming with laughter and chatter, granted he came home to celebrate his mom’s birthday.

“Ma! Noona! Hyung! Is anyone home?” Jungkook nearly tripped over the small step in the entryway as he took off his shoes. “What the hell? I thought they said they’d be here.” Unless they changed the location last minute and forgot to tell him.

He set his suitcase down; the lights illuminated the hallway as he walked toward the living room.

“Surprise!”

The rest of the lights in the house turned on as Jungkook clutched his chest with one hand and leaned against the wall with the other.

“What the fuck!” Jungkook shook his head and let out a sigh of relief as he walked over to everyone.

“Yah–Is that how you greet your friends and family?” Jin strolled to the young man, ruffling Jungkook’s long hair.

“You know how much I hate surprise parties.”

“We couldn’t help it. We had to,” Yuna interjects, walking from a room with Indie on her hip. Indie squirms her way out of her mom’s arms, insisting on walking instead of being held. Yuna strode over to Jungkook, giving him a hug. “It’s good to see you, little brother.” She pulled away, taking a good look at him, her thumb gently caressing his cheek.

Indie ran over to Jungkook, pulling on his pant leg. She looked up with her big, curious eyes, her hair in cute little pigtails. “Wo-wo. Wo-wo.”

Jungkook knelt down to her level, squeezing her sides. “Sorry baby girl, wo-wo is back home.”

Indie is obviously uninterested when she learns her favorite pup is not with him, so she runs off, screaming around the living room.

Namjoon greets Jungkook with a hug. “My brother–you look good,” he paused to touch the ends of Jungkook’s hair, “It’s getting so long.”

“I don’t like it,” Yuna adds, “You look like Frodo Baggins.”

Jungkook rolled his eyes. His sister was always opinionated, and didn’t expect any less from her. He tried something different today; it was too curly for his liking, so he tied it half-up, half-down.

Namjoon glared at his wife before returning to Jungkook. “It looks great, man.”

Jin walked up behind Jungkook. "Sorry to break up the love fest but I just wanted to pop in and say hi. I'll see you later?"

Jungkook nodded and said goodbye.

The sliding door to the backyard opened, and in walked Jungkook’s mom. “Ah–there’s my baby boy!” She sprinted over with open arms, cupped his cheeks before pulling him in for an embrace, then withdrew to get a good look at him, and that’s when she playfully smacked his arm. “That’s what you get for leaving without saying goodbye to your mother!”

“Ow–” Jungkook rubbed the spot she hit. “Ma–you’re still mad about that?”

She scowled at her son and muttered indistinct words under her breath as she walked into the kitchen.

Jungkook turned to Yuna. “Is Mom really still mad at me?”

Yuna shrugged. “It’s like college all over again. You never call. You never visit.”

“You know why I can’t.”

“Why can’t you guys just be grown-ass adults and be okay with being in the same room as one another? It’s not that hard.”

It was easy for Yuna to say. She wasn’t in an intimate relationship with you; she didn’t break your heart, and she didn’t run away because she couldn’t deal with all of this.

Jungkook’s eyes followed his sister as she walked into the kitchen, helping their mom prepare a dish. He hesitated to ask but mustered up the courage. “Is that why she’s not here?”

“She would be, but she’s in Phuket. She’s using Yoongi’s vacation home.”

“Oh.”

“I mean, she needs it. It's been a rough year for her.”

His mom doesn’t say anything. She peered at her son, wanting to tell him all the things you’ve been going through with your own mom, but it wasn’t her place to say anything. She looked away, going back to her previous task.

He could see the disappointment in his mother’s eyes; he had seen it before. A part of him wished he could be a part of your healing, but you’d blossom more without him.

Jungkook nervously tapped the counter. “Is Yoongi her boyfriend or something?” he asked as nonchalantly as possible.

“No, they’re just friends,” Yuna responded curtly.

Indie came running into the kitchen, dragging her blanket behind her. She wandered to the living room, and her eyes lit up when she spotted something in the entryway. She shuffled her little feet and dropped her blanket on the ground before grabbing the stuffed bunny, which was just as big as her.

Yuna chuckled. “I’m guessing that’s for Indie?”

The curves of Jungkook’s mouth curved up. “Yeah–you said she loved stuffies, so I found the biggest one when I arrived.”

Indie babbled and trotted along to her Uncle Jungkook, pulling the bunny by its ear. He picked her up along with the bunny.

“My baby, Indie, is so big now.” She wriggled out his arms and ran off with the stuffed animal.

“Gosh–I’ve missed so much. Next thing I know, she’s going off to college.”

“You could move back, you know, and not miss any of this,” Yuna suggested.

Jungkook had thought about this every time he hung up with Indie. He had always wished to be the type of uncle who would be there for his nieces and nephews and hoped he would one day be able to do so.

“Hey, Ma. I’m gonna head out.”

“You’re leaving me already?” She teased as she stood to hug him.

Jungkook chuckled. “You know I can never leave you, right?”

She cupped Jungkook’s face, looking into his big, brown, doe eyes. She didn’t say anything. She wanted to take everything in–seeing the little boy she raised to become a good man who loved so deeply and passionately, just like his father.

“Are you going to let go or make me stay here all night?”

The corners of her mouth curved into a closed-lipped smile. “Don’t hurt her again, ‘mkay?”

Again? Hurt who? Hurt you?

He could only assume she was talking about you. There was a slim chance he knew he could run into you, but he wasn’t counting on it. Even if he could muster up the courage to start a conversation, he was too scared to go there, too scared to hear you tell him off again, to tell him there would be no chance you’d give him your relationship another try. He wouldn’t risk it.

Jungkook mirrored his mother’s smile, pulling her in for another embrace. Her frame felt smaller, or maybe he was just getting bigger.

She patted his back, withdrawing from him and looking at him once more. “It was good to see you, sweetheart. Don’t be a stranger and call me sometime, hmm?”

The dinner to celebrate his mom was quiet and low-key, and for that, Jungkook was thankful. He didn’t want a big spectacle of returning to town and dealing with distant relatives questioning his life. As much as he loved his family, he was already itching to leave the second dinner came to an end.

The taxi pulled up to a familiar location, one that brought too many memories of good times with you. But Jungkook wanted to stay with the person that was less likely to question him.

“It’s good to see you, man,” Jin sipped his beer. “I've missed having you in the office, but I hear you’re doing big things out there.”

Jungkook stared at the beer glass in front of him before looking at Jin, “I'm just trying my best. I wish I could come back.”

“You can!” Jungkook glared at him. “I’m joking. I'm joking, but seriously, are you doing okay out there?”

He was good. It was better than expected–being busy with work helped get his mind off many things, being near the beach calmed his nerves, and having Bam has been a huge comfort.

“It was hard at first, but now I'm getting into a steady rhythm with work and everything. I do miss everyone.”

“Come back when you’re ready, man.” Jin rubbed his shoulder, staring at his friend. “She's good, by the way. She’s doing a lot better than she was a year ago.”

Jungkook chuckled. It seemed as though everyone could recognize the big elephant in the room, semi-acknowledge it but didn’t delve further–maybe out of respect for you and him. It’s not that he didn’t want to talk about you or what happened, but he felt it would be better not to explore the ‘what ifs’ and ‘what could’ve been.’ It was more so for his sake, so he wouldn’t be disappointed and maybe move past it.

OC POV

You had been staring wide-eyed at your phone for far too long. Texts and photos were already deleted; the last thing you needed to do was delete Jungkook’s phone number. It’s not like you have called it or anything since you left that voicemail for him. The contact for him had just been there in case he ever drunk-dialed you, which he never did. But your therapist suggested maybe it was time to stop holding onto the last thing you felt was keeping you tied to him.

The button was right there.

Delete–to remove, to get rid of, to erase.

It was simple. You just needed to move your finger and hit the six-letter word. But instead, you chickened out and hit the call icon instead.

You brought the phone to your ear, “The number you dialed has been disconnected or is no longer in service.”

Of course, it was no longer in service. It was stupid of you to think he'd still have the same number. He lives in California now, so getting rid of his Seoul number would make sense.

Maybe this was your sign to delete it, finally. There was nothing to hold on to anymore. It’s not like you were expecting to get back together with him or anything.

But the contact still read: Boyfie.

You hadn't changed the name on his contact, and it still read what he was last to you.

Your shaky index finger moved closer to the three dots on his contact. His number was no longer in service; there was no need to keep it. How silly of you to be so scared just to do it, but you needed to let go and move on.

Taking a deep breath, you hit delete, and then the pop-up read: This contact will be removed from all your synced devices.

Cancel or Move to Trash.

Your finger hovered over the two options before hitting 'Move to Trash.' But there was one last thing to do. You went to your phone's trash and clicked 'Empty Trash Now.' If you didn't do this part, then his number would just stay there for another 30 days, and what would that exactly do for you?

Delete forever? - This can't be undone.

Cancel or delete forever?

Trash empty. 1 contact deleted forever.

You thought this moment would bring you relief, but it didn't. There was a twinge of sadness like your therapist had told you would happen. Getting over someone wouldn't happen overnight or in a millisecond; it would take time. Every day, you chipped away another piece of Jungkook–the more you chipped, the easier it became.

No more texts. No more photos. No more Jungkook.

You sported a lopsided grin–you were proud of yourself. Getting here had taken a long time, but you finally did it.

A knock on your door broke you out of your dazed state. You forgot Yuna was stopping by. Quickly, you ran to the door, opening it for her.

“I can’t believe I forgot your keycode,” she said, handing you a tote bag.

“Oh my god, Yuna. What the hell is in here? And why is it so heavy?” You struggled to lift the bag but did your best, bringing it to your kitchen counter.

“You know my mom loves to set you up with all her banchan. She doesn’t want you to starve.” Yuna put the other tote in her hand on the counter next to yours.

“I don’t think I’ll be starving for the next few months,” you joked, opening up your fridge. “Besides, I don’t know why she packed so much. I’ll be leaving soon for my trip.”

“Oh–right! That means you’ll have to eat it before you go.”

“How can I possibly finish all this?” You stared at the six stacks of Tupperware that filled your fridge. How was one person supposed to finish this? Maybe you could hand some off to Yoongi. He definitely ate take-out way too often.

“Take it to Hyunie and Taehyung’s. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it,” she suggested as she took out three more dishes from her tote.

Your eyes widened, and you shook your head, waving your hands. “No, no. Yuna–you have to take those back. I don’t want to waste anything your mom makes.”

“She loves you, you know. That’s why she made me bring all these.” Your lips thinned, taking the rest of the items from Yuna. “She’s sad you can’t come to her birthday dinner.”

“I want to be there, but I’ve planned this trip for a few months now.” You have never missed their mother's birthday dinners for the many years you’ve known Yuna. This one would be your first.

“I know. I know,” she trailed off, folding the tote before her. “I swear sometimes she likes you more than she likes me.”

You chuckled and looked at your best friend. It’s funny how you always thought the same about your mother and Yuna. Oh, how the tables have turned.

“Hold on–I have her birthday present.”

You strolled toward the hallway closet, pulling out a pastel pink bag.

“What’d you get her?” Yuna asked, peering through the white tissue paper to look inside.

“She’d been talking about this handmade tea set for the last few months, so I finally managed to get my hands on one for her.” It was made of the most beautiful marbled ceramic with rose gold painted throughout the tea set. You weren’t going to lie; you wanted one for yourself even though you didn’t drink tea.

“Wow–you really would’ve made the perfect daughter-in-law.” You deadpanned. “What? I’m just stating the obvious.” Yuna stood, strolling to your living room.

“Anyway, give that to her for me, okay? And tell her I’ll bring back a souvenir from Phuket.”

Yuna slumps on your couch. “Can you pack me in your luggage? I wanna go lounge around on the beach and do nothing.”

“I’m sure Yoongi would be more than happy to let you guys use his place next time, or we could all make a trip out of it.” You were grateful for Yoongi being so generous with his vacation home. This solo trip is very much needed.

“Hmm, maybe once Indie is older, we can all go.” You nodded, taking a seat beside Yuna. She turns to you, patting your thigh. “I’m proud of you.”

You scoffed. “What’s there to be proud of?”

“Don’t sell yourself short. I know I’ve been hard on you these last few months, and you know I’m only doing it because I love you and want what’s best for you.”

Everyone always needs someone to keep them down-to-earth and sincere, and Yuna was yours. After all these years, she’s stuck by you through thick and thin.

“I secretly think you love getting on my case.”

“Someone has to tell you what’s up!” Yuna sneered, crossing her arms.

You turned to her, pulling her in for an embrace. “And I’m so glad you’re my person.” You kissed her temple as she withdrew from your hug, annoyed by your sarcasm. “No, seriously. I can only imagine how hard it was being stuck in the middle between Jungkook and me. So, thanks for sticking it out with me.”

“You’re my best friend. I’d do anything for you. I’d fight for you before I would for Jungkook,” she half-joked. “Kidding. I love you both, and I’m glad to see you doing better, and this trip will only help with that.”

“It’s been so long since I’ve done anything for myself. It’ll be a nice little retreat for me.”

“What are you doing while you’re there?”

“I’m not sure yet. Swim, eat, explore, maybe write a little.”

“That sounds heavenly. I’m jealous.”

“You can come with me next time.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

“I want you to imagine yourself as a little girl. What age are you?”

With your eyes closed, you try to imagine yourself as a little girl. You only see the back of her, and she’s in a floral dress. “She’s about 7 or 8.”

“Can you describe your surroundings?”

“It’s quite dark, and I can’t see where she is. But it could be an open field?”

“Okay, that’s a good start. Now, I want you to go up to her and see what happens.”

You do as your therapist says, walking up to this imaginary version of you. You hesitate as you stand behind her to gather the right words. The imaginary version of you begins to whimper and cry. Immediately, you walked around to her and knelt, getting on her level. The little girl looks down at you, wiping away her tears.

“What’s wrong?” you asked, holding her hands in yours.

“I’m scared.” Her eyes were glassy, with tears threatening to fall.

“What are you scared of?”

“That no one loves me.”

A faint mumble of your name could be heard, calling you back from this short exercise. You opened your eyes, and like the imaginary version of you, your eyes were glassy with tears building up.

“What did the two of you talk about?”

You hated these exercises your therapist made you do. You always ended up in tears and coming to the same conclusion, except you’d talk to yourself at different stages in your life. Though this one was the first time you’d spoken to your younger self, and this one was tougher because she was so young and childlike and hadn’t done anything wrong in her life.

“The same thing we always talk about.”

“And what is that?”

She knew what it was, you’d been doing this over the past few months, but she always made you verbalize it.

“That no one loves me.”

“And do you believe that’s true?”

Your mind automatically said yes, though, in your heart, you knew it wasn’t. You looked at your hands, interlaced on your lap, as your thumbs twiddled back and forth.

She called your name again, waiting for your answer.

You straighten your posture and look directly into her eyes. “No, it’s not true.”

“And how do you know it’s not true? Who are the people in your life that love you?”

“Yuna, Hyunie, Namjoon, and maybe Taehyung,” you chuckled. The two of you loved to squabble and disagree on many things. It’s not that you didn’t like him or anything; you adored him. He was just a very hard person to read, and sometimes you sensed you bugged him.

“I’d say that’s a pretty good list.”

The corners of your mouth curved up. “They’re good people. I’m lucky to have them in my life.”

“So, our session for today is coming to an end. There is one thing I’d like you to focus on while we’re on a small break.” You nod, leaning forward to give her your full attention. “Have fun.”

You’re taken aback for a moment. You thought she’d have something insightful and profound to say before you went on your trip, but it was as simple as possible.

“That’s it?”

She chuckled. “Yes–that’s it. You’ve put in the hard work, and you’re growing, even if you may not see it right away. So, go have some fun, and I’ll see you when you return.”

Flying has never been your strong suit, and then to add on, doing everything solo sent your anxiety through the roof. Your research for this trip could be put into a how-to guidebook at this point.

When you arrived at Yoongi’s vacation home, you were expecting something dark and cold like his apartment in Seoul, but it was the exact opposite–warm and welcoming.

The view from the balcony was impressive, to say the least, the backdrop was the lush, green jungle, and you were only fifteen minutes away from the beach. Although you had a few things planned, you weren’t in a rush to check off your list. You wanted to take your time and really soak everything in. After all, this trip was meant to be relaxing.

Three days into your trip and you were already bored out of your mind. As an overachiever, you crossed off two-thirds of your list. You went to the night market, visited a few temples, fed the elephants, and even went to the island where they filmed James Bond.

You realized that you liked having time to yourself, but you wanted to enjoy these experiences with other people–specifically those you loved. The thought even crossed your mind to cut the trip short and make it back in time for Yuna’s mother’s birthday dinner, but you knew Yuna would just scold you for returning so early.

Guess you’d be stuck here, but maybe you should try to make the best of it. It’s not often you’re in a tropical setting by yourself.

You opted for a luxury resort spa on Naka Island for the next few days. Your bank account would hate you, but you’d worry about that later when you got back to Seoul. There was no need to stress about it now.

The only noises that left your mouth were moans and groans–from the knots the masseuse managed to draw out from you. You wished it was from something else, but you promised yourself you wouldn’t rush into anything with anyone. You didn’t want to repeat the past because that’s how you got into trouble. If the right person came along, then you’d take your time. There was absolutely no rush.

The warmth from the sun had felt wonderful on your skin as you sat beneath the beach umbrella. The calming sounds from the ocean helped relax your body after the intense massage. You rolled your shoulder back, groaning in pain as you stretched.

You told yourself if inspiration struck, then you’d write, but other than that, you wanted to disconnect from your phone and the rest of the world.

Daily naps on the beach became your go-to, along with a Sabai Sabai, a Thai cocktail you’d grown fond of. And with being disconnected from the world, you had nothing better to do than listen to strangers’ conversations which sparked an idea that bloomed into the script you began writing.

The premise? A rival-to-lovers, where two CEOs have to work together to take down the company that wants to destroy both of theirs while being stuck on an island. You had to include an island setting. It only made sense after all. It had become your source of inspiration.

Your mini-getaway to Naka Island was a smart choice. You came back to Yoongi’s place with nearly thirty pages of the start of a new script–a proud feat, to say the least. So you’d spent the last day getting ready to return to Seoul.

You snuggled into the king-sized bed, taking advantage of the spectacular view and adding a few more pages. The apricot and peachy hues of the sunset painted the sky, and you stayed focused on the scene until dusk had taken over. With your laptop being the only light source, you closed it and set it to the side. This bed was too comfortable for your own good.

It was nearly two in the morning when you heard a noise coming from the living room. You were sure you had locked the door, but maybe one of the stray cats you saw around the neighborhood had entered the house.

With sleepy eyes, you rolled out of bed, scanning the room to see what you could take to protect yourself. The only thing you still had out was your hair straightener, so it would have to do for now.

You shuffled into the living room with your straightener in your hand and flipped on the light. “What the fuck! Why didn’t you call me to say you were coming? I could've killed you.” You were right; it was a stray cat.

“With what? Your hair straightener?” Yoongi blinked, scanning you up and down. “Nice jammies, by the way. Were you expecting company or something?”

You used your robe to cover yourself, crossing your arms and scowling at the man before you. “Shut up.”

“Sorry, I tried getting in touch, but you never responded. So I had to come to make sure someone didn’t murder you. You know, since you have some weird obsession with that happening to you.”

“Oh—I’m sure you’ll smother me in my sleep tonight.”

“Well, just don’t tell me your dreams never come true.”

You rolled your eyes. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“I’m meeting with my location manager to scout some spots tomorrow.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to the James Bond Island.”

Yoongi tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “How’d you know?”

“I took a wild guess.” You watched him set his things down. “Well, I’ll be out of your hair soon. I can move my things so you can sleep in the master bedroom.”

“No, no.” He waved his hands. “It’s fine. I’ll take the spare.”

“Yoongi, it’s your place. I don’t mind.” You walk off toward the bedroom, determined to make sure he takes the master bedroom.

“Are you always this stubborn?” Yoongi asked, following after you.

You turn to him with a smile. “Yes.”

“You’re not gonna give up until I sleep in this bed tonight, huh?”

“Nope.”

After the early morning intrusion, Yoongi wanted to apologize by treating you to coffee before you had to leave. The freshly made Patongo donuts were sweet and fluffy, perfect for your Thai iced coffee, and the view from the cafe was gorgeous. It was a great day to lounge outside.

“So, how’s everything going?” Yoongi asked, taking a bite of his donut as he slouched in his seat.

“It’s fine.” Yoongi gave you an expressionless face. “I mean, it’s going well. It’s been wonderful. It’s so nice; I might just retire here,” you teased.

“You’re gonna be an old lady with your twenty cats.” The two of you witness a stray cat walk by.

You sneered at Yoongi. “That was a weird coincidence, and I’m not really a cat kinda gal.”

Yoongi chuckled. “Well, I’m glad you’re doing well. It’s nice to see you happy.”

You put your hand over your chest in exaggeration. “Did Min Yoongi just give me a compliment? Today must be my lucky day.”

“And that’s all you’ll get from me, you hear!” He smiled and shook his head. “No, but seriously. Your energy—it’s different.”

You didn’t want to continue quarreling with him. Instead, you nodded in agreement. This past year was painful and full of heartache, but then it started to look up—with more smiles, laughter, and tears of joy. Your hope was it would continue like this. After all, you deserved it.

You stuffed your things into the back of Yuna’s car before taking a seat on the passenger side, and to your surprise, you heard baby Indie babbling behind you. The only thing you could see popping above her head was a giant stuffed bunny.

“That’s cute. Did you buy it for Indie?” You asked as Yuna drove away from the airport.

Yuna quickly glanced in the rearview before looking at you, hesitating to answer. “Jungkook bought it.”

“Oh.” He must’ve ordered it or something, right?

“He came to visit while you were gone,” she admitted while her eyes were focused on the road. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know if you’d try to sabotage your trip and come back early.”

She was right. You would’ve been tempted to devise an excuse, but you really had no reason to. “Well, I wish you would’ve told me so I could make my own decision instead of you making it for me.”

“I know. I’m sorry. You’ve been doing so well with moving on and therapy–I just didn’t want you to regress.”

You understood where her heart was, but still, you were a big girl. You didn’t need her to mother you.

“Wo-wo. Wo-wo,” Indie continued repeating the phrase before throwing her bunny to the side and clapping at her accomplishment.

The car came to a stop, and Yuna looked over. “Do you forgive me?”

You rolled your eyes. “I guess, but can you let me make my own choices next time?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Yuna smiled, pausing to see Indie’s hands playing with her shoe from the rearview. “So, how was Phuket?”

“It was great until Yoongi showed up.”

“Yoongi showed up?” Yuna questioned, her tone going up an octave.

“Yeah–for like a split second. He caught me on the last day of my trip.”

“Oh,” Yuna’s comment lingered, indicating something else was happening. “And there’s nothing going on between you two?”

You shook your head. “No,” you said curtly, “I didn’t sleep with him if that’s what you’re asking.” Why did something always have to happen between a man and a woman? Could they simply not be friends? Was there always something more?

“Okay, I’m just curious, that’s all.”

“We’re just friends. Nothing more.”

“Okay, okay. Message received–loud and clear.” She tapped on the steering wheel. “So, when are you guys getting married?”

“I–you’re lucky we’re in the car!”

“Shh–Indie is trying to nap, so I brought her.”

You scoffed at your best friend; she wouldn’t let this go so easily, was she?

Coming back home felt torturous. You had nothing lined up in terms of work. The only thing you had going was the script you had started in Phuket. You guessed you could work on that for the time being.

But–you were stuck. Writer’s block came in like a wrecking ball. Maybe you should’ve stayed in Phuket longer. Yoongi even offered to have you accompany him to scout some places, but you didn’t want to overstay your welcome. He had already provided so much in terms of his vacation home.

A notification from your phone went off. You pick it up to see a text message from your agent.

Jae 9:27 AM How much do you love me?

You 9:28 AM You know you’re my favorite person in the world.

Jae 9:29 AM Now I know that’s a complete lie. Anyway! I have a big opportunity for you. Are you free for lunch today?

“Jae, can you just say what you want to say? I’ve been sitting here listening to you ramble about your pet hedgehog.”

Jae blinked profusely as his lips thinned. “Okay, fine. Netflix wants to partner with you,” he finally spits out while you choke on your water.

You cover your mouth as you cough and clear your throat. “I’m sorry, what?”

“They really loved your show with Kenji and want you to come to their headquarters to discuss potential positions they could see you in.”

Your eyes narrowed. “You’re joking, right?”

He pointed to his face. “Does it look like I’m joking?”

You sighed, looking around the table and then back at Jae. “I don’t know what to say.”

Jae put down his fork. “Say you’ll take the meeting.”

“Is it here in Seoul?”

He shook his head. “It’s in LA.”

✨ next ~ 18 ~ you're seeing things, aren't you?

#fic: this is us #jungkook fanfic #jungkook fic #jungkook angst #jungkook romance #jungkook drama #jungkook x yn #jungkook x you #jungkook x noona #bts fanfic #bts fic #bts x you #bts x y/n

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smokinsid · 17 days

Text

Late Night People

Summer. 2:15 AM. College of Synergetics, Level 3 – REAPER Lab, Rata Sum.

Enid looked wearily at a crumpled pack of cigarettes, then back at her holo-screen. On her desk, a little girl in a big red hat grinned up at her tired face, looking as bright and proud as the midday sun.

For a few weeks now, her research had been chasing its tail. Relative Extraplanar studies- thrill that they were, giving a scientist cause to go sliding orthogonal to the three-dimensional Tyria into realms unknown- were still a headache, at their core. Was a mortal body meant to move that way, or see those things?

“Yes!” Came a low, sonorous showman’s voice from across the room. The attuned crystal in her radio blinked and pulsed in time with every syllable. “And I’ll tell you what else, my friends- if Balthazar can bite the dust, if Kralkatorrik can kick it- then what is there out there for us to worry about? The Arcane Council keeping secrets, hiding things from us? Well, we know why they do that- the slow dissemination of what they really know is what’s keeping them in their seats, after all.”

Smoke Signals with Sidney Figleaf. Venlin Vale Radio, 103.3 K-R-U-E.

The call letters came to her mind automatically. And that voice- “Smokin’ Sid,” on the radio- was her brother.

They hadn’t talked in a while. Maybe she should call him. It had been a long time since the big blowup, after all- and Rucks had turned out alright so far. Still young enough to come back to college.

“Coming up in the next half-hour, we’ll have open lines here on Smoke Signals. Tune your crystals to 1.333.1033- again that’s 1.333.1033, for the Smoke Signals hotline. Call now and get queued up- the subject tonight? Strange lights in the sky! Stranger than usual, anyway. Have you seen them? Tell us all about it. --And now, a word from our sponsors.”

As a jingle played for Royal Kournan cigars, followed by an ad for Oozeley’s Sure-Fire Detergent, she drummed her fingers on the desk and frowned at the blue-gray little crystal in front of her, mounted in a ring of brass.

“Oozeley’s, Sure-Fire,

Made from the goo you trust,

Oozeley’s, Sure-Fire,

For stains, it is a must!”

It was now or never. She grabbed the little brass ring and rotated the pointed crystal within, spinning it like a dial toward the numbers etched into the metal edge. In seconds she was connected, and a pleasant, modulated golem’s voice greeted her.

“You’ve reached the 103.3, K-R-U-E, call-in hotline! Your queue position is currently... SIX. Please hold. Your call will be on the air shortly. Remember to shut down your radio receiver before speaking, to eliminate static and echo. Thank you for calling Venlin Vale Radio.”

Soft jazz rose from the vibrating surface of the crystal, tickling her ear. She set it down on the table and huffed.

She had plenty of time to hang up if she wanted.

“Subject is mysterious lights in the sky- mysteriouser than usual, I should say. Caller number two, you’re on the air.”

Oh, Alchemy. He’s just picking lines at random.

“Am I on the air with Smokin’ Sid?”

“Yes, that’s me. Please turn off your radio, sir, for the feedback. Now, what’s your name, and what do you have to report?”

“Uh, name’s Putt. Work outta Statics.”

“Ah, a fellow Statics, ahem, alum. Wonderful. And what did you see?”

“Well, this was a couple weeks ago, late one night in Brisban- we were listening to the show while we were on stakeout, watching the bandit gangs drift here and there.”

“Ah, sounds like you’re working a security detail. I’d ask you how things are going with the gangs, but let’s focus on the scene overhead.”

“Right, well- me and the fellas like to shoot skeet to kill time,”

“Careful friend, this is radio,”

“Y’know, like clay pigeons, we got some with glow-in-the-dark paint.”

“Ah.”

“And so I was up top of the watchtower, throwing ‘em here and there when I heard the word ‘pull,’ that kind of thing.”

“Putting some lights in the sky yourself, as it were.”

“Mm- so we’ve done a few rounds of this, and I throw another one, and Creidon- big fella, Lionguard, down at ground level, he puts a crossbow bolt through it, sure as sunrise.”

“But...?”

“It got stuck, Sid.”

“In the... clay pigeon?”

“No- well, not as such. It’s like, it punched through the pigeon and hit something else. Something round. Like... shoot, I’m gonna sound crazy.”

“Not on my show, friend.”

“Like a bubble, in the sky. Like someone got a straw under the sky and blew real hard and just... warped it out. The stars looked all stretched and distorted close to the pigeon, got more normal the further out you went.”

“As if the sky itself was... closer, there?”

“Yeah! Damnedest thing I ever saw! Bowed in like the ceiling on a first-floor dorm when the toilet upstairs overflows.”

“Remarkable.”

“The pigeon- and the bolt- just clung to it. And then it sorta... deflated? Just slowly receding until the sky looked normal again. It took both with it! We never got ‘em back.”

“Wow. Not quite what I expected to hear when it comes to lights in the sky, but that certainly is mysterious. Thank you, Putt- the Smoke Signals Research Team will put some time into this one, I’m sure.”

Enid had already taken a few steps away from the crystal, drawing up astronomical charts of the sky over Brisban and running numerous calculations and simulations. A ‘bubble’ in the sky could be any number of things- in her mind, it was some burdensome patch of mist, pushing on the fabric of Tyria. A mistquake? A mist… sinkhole?

“Caller number… six! You’re live on Smoke Signals. Go ahead and turn off your radio, feedback and all that. I need a name, and- what did you see in the sky, lately?”

“…Could’ve been the movement of a human god, they make quite a dent- haven’t heard from Melandru in a minute, have they?”

“Caller number six? Are you there? –Do turn off your radio, please and thank you, for the feedback, then start with a name.”

“Of course, if it isn’t the movement of a god… can we rule out dragons now? Are they done?” She poked at the holo-screen and flipped through archive files.

“…Enid?”

Enid let out a horrible gasp and slapped her radio, then spun away from the screen and rounded on the crystal.

“—Am I on the air? Shoot, I missed it!”

“No, no, you didn’t miss it. Bit of a rocky start, but I’m feeling generous tonight. Now, ah… name, as I said, and, what exactly did you see?”

“Oh, I’m… Enid. I work here on the third level of Synergetics, and…”

“Enid! I knew it was you! Distinguished listeners, we’re hearing live, the voice of my dear sister. It’s been ages. I’m surprised to hear you saw something ‘weird,’ Nid- you always had a pretty high bar.”

In his smoky studio, Sid was secretly reeling. He leaned away from the microphone and pat a box of Shadhavar Wides against his palm to pack them, then fumbled for a little silver lighter. The etching of a bikini-clad human winked up at him as he struck the wheel and took a long, steadying drag.

“Well… hm. What your first caller said caught my attention, so I was in the middle of researching that.

“The- the Brisban case, with Putt? You jumped on it that quick?”

“While I was on hold.”

“Wow. But, ah… do you have your own sighting to report? Something for the audience to chew on?”

Enid tapped her bottom lip and huffed.

“Well, I don’t want anyone to think too much of this, but I have seen something. About three weeks ago. I was up north- in Grothmar, the Charr territory?”

“Beautiful weather up there. Even the storms are nice.”

“Uh-huh. Well, I was studying post-Kralkatorrik brand radiation- the corruption is persistent, you see, and when you have a steady source like a dragon, that’s to be expected. Without it, the flow should ebb and the radiation should begin to decay. But I think that due to the crystalline structure of the corrupted materials, the magic is finding these facets to bounce around on, conserving angular momentum and-“

“Nid, I love ya, but this is dead air. Lights? Sky? We getting there?”

She sighed and rolled her eyes. Right. Sid and Sid’s audience. Lowest common denominator.

“It was a symmetrical cymatic response- that is to say, we used our instruments to mess with the cluster of corrupted material on the ground, and were able to have a second team in the mists check their location with identical instruments. We’d make a tone, they’d detect a tone.”

“More of a sound in the sky, but I’m with ya so far. So this krewe, on the other side of the veil, so to speak, they could hear the sound you were making, and… what?”

“Well, that’s the revolutionary thing, Sid. It’s the first time we’ve been able to accurately, linearly map the coordinates of a location in the mists, as it relates to a location in Tyria! By measuring the offset between the two, we were able to calculate that the mists themselves are at an orthogonal angle to standard Tyria- our North is their West!”

“…Fascinating. And the implications are… staggering, I’m sure.”

Her expression flattened and she ran a hand across her face. Lights. In the sky. Right. Let’s get to that before he moves on.

“So this relates to Putt’s bubble, you see. The fact that it welled up at all, how it moved, where it came from- to your listeners’ great satisfaction, we did see lights in the sky that we couldn’t explain. Not a bubble, no- but I theorize we saw the shear between Tyria and the mists. Sending such a direct signal from one to the other had an effect on the boundary between realms… and somebody, we speculate, didn’t appreciate that.”

“Oh. Oh! Hey, that’s juicy, you should have started with that! No flair for the dramatic, this one. So let’s get into that, specifically- what did you see, that gave ya cause to speculate that?”

“At first we thought that we’d kicked up a storm. Cloud-to-cloud lightning, and lots of it. But… I hate to hand it to the humans, especially after the Balthazar thing, but they might be onto something with some of their gods.”

“You saw one?”

“We saw a hand. Specifically, the underside of one. Curling fingers, drawing across the realm-shear, constructed out of lightning. It was vague at first, but as the digits moved, there was no mistaking it.”

“Wild stuff, sis. I wanna take a shot in the dark here, because I know you- I know there’s more at play here than just you seeing something. Did your krewe in the mists see something too?”

“That’s the kicker. They saw the other side of the hand. They thought they were having tech issues, an overloaded crystal somewhere, until screens started blowing out and lightning started leaping everywhere. Had to evacuate their work camp while huge knuckles made of static discharge just sort of… raked through their whole shop, destroying anything they couldn’t carry out. Made a circular motion, seemed to… stir up the mists? Maybe… froth them back up, after we’d thinned them out?”

“Holy crap. Now that’s the kind of mystery I’m talkin’ about! The nature of the human gods, or whatever they are! Why would it do that? Does this mean that gods are making other lights in the sky? Did a god blow Putt’s bubble? We gotta get some humans on the line- they got experts, right? Like, uh… religious… scholars?”

“Isn’t that a bit of an oxymoron?”

“Nid, be nice. We take all kinds here on Smoke Signals. –Speaking of which, our next caller’s been on the line quite some time, waiting for their chance. Boy, but this was a doozy. I’m gonna run a golem down to your lab with my personal number. Maybe the Smoke Signals research team can lend a hand with this, huh? –‘Til next time, though, goodnight!”

“…Yeah, see ya around, Sid.”

“Thank you for calling 103.3, K-R-U-E, Venlin Vale Radio!” A familiar automated voice chimed. “You have been disconnected! Please wait five minutes before placing another call!”

And then the line went quiet, the crystal dark.

She turned on her radio and returned to the holo-screen.

“—aller number one, you’ve been awfully patient, you must have something reeeeeeally important to share! Turn off your radio and give us your name, if you please.”

As the next caller regaled Sid with tales of a “boat” they saw in the sky as they were hiking in Dzalana, Enid immediately tuned out.

Sid… she really didn’t have any reason to want his respect. In fact, he should be treating a professor of her caliber with a little more deference, when you really looked at the situation from the outside in. But here he was, regionally-famous radio host, urging her to get to the ‘good parts’ of her research and shooing her off the air when he thought she’d said enough.

Why did that cut so deep? As nice as it was to talk, it was painfully one-sided.

She knew he had a good mind. An inquisitive and dutiful mind. He’d volunteered to serve in Orr, after all, and was instrumental in reporting troop movements back to Claw Island over secured channels and providing music to those same troops over unsecured channels, using just deft hands and a junky set of equipment he’d cobbled together.

She was finishing her first doctorate at the time, too young for the Priory to deploy her- and too young for the College of Synergetics to let go of her, besides. When the news came back, she really thought of her older brother as a hero. Silly old Sid, a war reporter.

But maybe he was just a nicotine-stained, slimy, self-serving, cabbage-fucking-

She took a deep breath and shook her head. He had given her a lot of airtime to tell a complicated story, and he was sending along a means to talk privately, finally!

But it was the ‘he had given’ part she took painful umbrage with. How is it that he’s always in charge of these things? Effortlessly, as if it’s his right? There was a real mystery. Lights in the sky are easy to explain compared to that.

She continued to grumble as she prodded at the screen. As the pink holographic text started to blur, she looked away and found herself staring at the framed photo of her daughter, grinning up at her with gap teeth and bright eyes.

“He’s repulsive. Rucks, how did he ever get in your head? If you had focused on your studies, you’d be here in the city with me, instead of…”

She couldn’t remember the name. Some backward human fishing village across the sea.

Enid pulled open a drawer and retrieved a bag of hard candy. It was right next to her cigarettes- Skrittmann’s Menthol Silver Slim 120s. She frowned at the half-full softpack and shut the drawer, then popped a thumb-sized cylinder of blue raspberry into her cheek.

The clock struck 3:00 am, and there was a knock at the door.

“It’s open,” she called out. The interlocking hatch doors slid apart, and a golem stumped into the room, carrying a teal holopad in one hand and a book in the other. She met it halfway and it held its hands up in an oddly childlike fashion, offering both at once.

“This must be the private number, and… what’s this, now?”

She took the book and frowned at the cover, reading aloud in a flat, irritated voice:

“Up In Smoke – One Asura’s Journey from Lowlife to High Life, and How You Can Too.”

Alchemy fucking preserve me, it’s signed.

She scowled at the silver paint-pen signature across the dustcover, and flipped to the first page.

To Spokes- it takes balls the size of honeydews to ride a ten-speed through Malchor’s Leap, and you did it every day. I might have quit radio altogether if you hadn’t brought me those letters from Camp Narthex.

“DEDICATION

To the 113th Ground Artillery Regiment- you guys were a real peach to bivouac with. Sorry about the latrine. You’re welcome for the case of Gorepelt Supreme I found- didn’t take us long to get through those bottles, did it?

To Professor Qlatt, Statics Earthworks Division- sorry I kept putting stuff in my nose, man. I got an attention span you could fit in a teaspoon with room to spare, and you sure were patient. I ain’t coming back, but if you want that homework I owe ya, I eventually filled it out.

To Ma & Pa- I just hope you’re glad I figured out something to do.

And to my sister, Enid. You don’t just make them proud, you make me proud, too. It’s a big ask, but keep achieving for the both of us. When I say you’re Council material, it’s the only time in my life I’ve ever not meant it as an insult.”

Enid swallowed, frowned, and pat the golem on the head, sending it clunking off back into the hall.

“Guess I’ll call him,” she exhaled through her teeth.

“Just… maybe tomorrow.”

She set the book face-down on her workbench and took another deep breath, then turned her eyes back up to the screen.

She’d never admit it, but they both wanted the answer to the same question.

Just what is going on up there, anyway?

#gw2 #guild wars 2 #smokin' sid #synchroneer enid #rata sum #kralkatorrik

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thewrongmoon · 1 year

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Chekov's Painting: a Visual Deep Dive

So I wanted to go over the painting today. Not any sort of theories on what it means or what the message is or anything, just the significance of the painting itself.

I know a lot of M*levens like to say that the painting was shown once and it will never be brought up again. But like. If we look at how this painting is portrayed, it's very clear that it's something significant.

The first time we see it is in one of the first scenes of the season.

"Will is painting a lot, but he… he won't show me what he's working on. Maybe it is for a girl. I think there is someone he likes, because he has been acting... weird."

Not only do we see him painting it, but we hear El narrating over this.

In this sequence, he's first shown painting something with the easel facing him, away from the viewer. It's placed in the left- center in the frame-- our eyes are drawn to this naturally, because most western cultures read from left to right.

We see him adding some details with the paintbrush. This shot is focused on small area. We immediately wonder what it is he's painting, and try to piece together what it could be from this small detail.

We see a close up of his eyes, and he looks both concentrated and contemplative. We wonder what could be making him look so thoughtful.

Already the storyboarding of this scene is telling you that this is something with significance. It's also framed in a way that makes you question what it could be.

The narration is vague as well. "Will is painting a lot." What is he painting? "He won't show me what he's working on." El must be used to him showing her his work, then, if that's something she feels the need to point out. El is curious about it, and that makes us at home curious too.

Next is the airport scene. We see Will holding what looks like a brown tube at first. They could have easily had it laying horizontally across his lap, but they had him hold it vertically in the shot. He clutches it with his hand, bouncing his knee, which causes some movement which makes it even more noticeable, even though the camera is panning over to El, who should be our main focus. (His hands also may be shaking? Not sure.)

"Uh, what's that?"

After the shittiest hug in the history of mankind, Mike looks down at the painting in Will's hands.

It's weird that this is the first thing he says after "Hey. How you doing?" Like, no "I missed you", just an immediate question about the painting.

"Um, it's nothing. Just this painting I've been working on."

A quick pan-up beginning at the object in question: the painting, to Will's face.

Will even waves it around, again, they really want your attention on this painting.

"Um, it's nothing." No, it's not, Will! If it was nothing, this wouldn't be framed in a way where our attention was directly on it! Him downplaying it also just makes you even more curious about what it could be.

Will is once again cradling the painting in his arms as they exit the airport.

Attention is not really drawn to it again until El smacks it with her flowers.

And again when he crumples it. (did anyone else notice Jonathan wearing sunglasses in this scene?)

We know in retrospect why he crumpled it, but even with the original context, a first time viewer will gather that Mike's coldness is what made him not want to show him the painting and then seemingly treat it as if it were a piece of trash.

The next time we see the painting is in episode 4. It's sitting somewhere where it blends in, so it's difficult to see unless you're looking for it.

After a successful heart-to-heart with Mike, He decides to put the painting in his backpack.

The camera pans right to the painting, centering on it as Will puts it away.

They are reminding you of it's existence once again, building more anticipation.

They put this right after Will's talk with Mike to emphasize that the painting is for Mike. Also to show that the heart-to-heart was meaningful enough to give Will the courage to bring it and potentially show it to Mike.

"Can I show you something?"

(Clip has been slowed down to 80%)

Will is hesitant as he picks the painting up. He turns it in his hands for a couple seconds, clearly debating in his head if he should give it to him. It builds even MORE anticipation.

Mike rips his eyes off of Will to look at it as well.

(Clip has been slowed down to 80%)

Mike glances from Will to the painting two times, like he's silently asking "For me? This is for me?"

Will does the same, three times, like he's silently confirming Mike's question.

Will also bites his lip, clearly nervous.

Shot of Mike opening it, again teasing you, making you wonder what this painting could possibly be.

Finally we see the painting and Mike's reaction ! And nothing bad happens after this at all : )

So my whole point is that there was so much build up of this painting across like 4 different episodes for Mike just seeing the painting to be the only payoff. Especially when it was given alongside a lie.

Apparently the Duffer's also when through like at least 2 or 3 iterations of this painting to make sure they got it just right. It's just a lot of time, materials and resources put into this single painting that would make it feel weird and loose-end-ish if it was never once brought up again.

So this is why I think it's inevitable that this painting will be re-hashed in season 5! Let me know your thoughts too, I'd love to hear them.

#byler #analysis #stranger things #mike wheeler #will byers

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felixcloud6288 · 8 months

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Fullmetal Alchemist Chapter 10

This chapter gives me the same vibes as the episode "Joker's Favor" from the 90s Batman cartoon.

2nd Lieutenant Maria Ross and Sergeant Danny Brosh are the real stars of this chapter. They are two very ordinary military officers with no connections to Alchemy, the Elrics, or anything for that matter. And we get to see how freaking weird these boys are through their reactions to everything going on.

Yes, it is weird that a guy walks around in a full suit of armor. It is quite wild to meet someone who can copy thousands of pages from memory. I'd be just as freaked out if a kid casually handed me a check for a life-changing amount of money. I'd be shocked if they had a casual conversation with someone I'd never dare speak to unless spoken to.

Over in the B plot, We learn Roy is not on the best terms with Major General Hakuro with the implications Hakuro thinks Mustang is out to take his position, which is true. Back in chapter 4, Roy casually said Hakuro should just die in the train hijacking. And we learn Roy wants to take over the entire military. The panel where he says this paints him in a more sinister light. His eyes are a different color.

Oh look! A map of East City. ...It's worthless. There aren't any discernible markers and we never go back to East City anyway.

Lust mentions not needing to tail Ed now that he's in Central most likely meaning someone else in her organization will take over from there. I wonder who this new tracker could be that Lust would withdraW RATHer than continue her assignment.

Scar gets into a fight with Gluttony and still has a small wound from when Hawkeye shot at him.

Back in the A plot, we learn State Alchemists hide their research notes in code. Ed's looks like a travel log and Roy's looks like a dating calendar. I have to wonder what part of Marcoh's recipe book corresponds to a human soul. I'm going to assume either love or cinnamon sugar.

As a side note, this chapter takes place over 15 days. It took Sheska 5 days to write down all of Marcoh's notes and another 10 days for Ed and Al to decode it. The scene with Scar happens before any of that in the chapter and we can assume it happened before that chronologically from some extra context clues.

We can assume the trip from Central to East City takes less than a day because Hughes and Armstrong managed to do that back in chapter 6. Meanwhile Pinako said she'd get Ed's arm made in 3 days and no one said she didn't pull that off.

Assuming the trip to East City and Resembool takes a day, even with the detour to meet Marcoh, here's a rough timeline of events since chapter 8 as far as I can tell:

Chapter 8: Ed, Al, and Armstrong head to Resembool. Along the way they meet Marcoh and get the location of his research. Lust later forces Marcoh to give her the same info.

1 day after chapter 8: Ed and company arrive in Resembool. Pinako and Winry begin working on making new automail for Ed.

4 days after chapter 8: Ed gets his new arm and leg.

5 days after chapter 8: Ed and company leave Resembool for Central City, likely with a layover in East City. Lust destroys the 1st Branch Library.

6 days after chapter 8: Ed arrives in Central City and meets Sheska. Sheska starts transcribing Marcoh's notes. Lust returns to East City. Gluttony attacks Scar.

11 days after chapter 8: Sheska finishes her work. Ed and Al begin decoding it.

21 days after chapter 8: Ed and Al finish decoding. End of chapter 10.

Anyway, I'll explain why I got so hung up on this next chapter cause it's more relevant there and this has gotten long enough already.

Hughes brought up Tucker.

Nina Trauma Count: 3

back

#fullmetal alchemist reread #fullmetal alchemist

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vitrines · 8 months

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okay i give in to the foundationposting for a little bit sorry regulars

spoilers for season 2 episode 9 and some of my thoughts on what's going to happen next (psst it's mostly half baked opinions and rambling)

-literally zero way EVERYONE on terminus is dead. zero way. it's not possible. this isn't even me being delusioned there are just about ten things that don't line up. i will get into this later in the post but first

-i am so so happy that they went into demerzel's past. she is such an intriguing character to me and honestly i was wary to participate in this fandom because of how many people seemed to like. genuinely like her and cleon together. no hate to anyone but it's really not my thing like REALLY not my thing and i kind of cheered when she went all "well i tried to fix you by sleeping with you but well um you're just kind of weird. goodbye 😐" i CHEERED. girl. girl get it.

-and she is lich rally trapped into being with the cleons. i loved the scene when she was with the priestess lady a few episodes ago that was such an insight into her mind and this episode felt like that it was wonderful i was HOOKED i was like oh my god.

-also by the way this paints that scene with sareth in an entire new light. sareth asks "will you serve me" and demerzel GRITS THROUGH HER TEETH that She Serves Empire and maybe she was not trying to threaten her. maybe she was sending a message. saying "hey girl so i literally cannot do anything else. i am telling you i am bound to this man because i has no choice and YOU are going to bind yourself to this man as well."

-same with telling sareth that demerzel killed her family. demerzel didn't need to tell her. demerzel in fact probably should NOT have told her. day didn't want sareth to find out that he ordered it. but demerzel is telling her: if he tells me to kill i must. demerzel has no reason to threaten sareth she's not jealous she is just SICK and tired of loving this man out of compulsion and doing what he says. (this is a bit of the delusions sorry i just really don't like demerzel Actually loving empire and being jealous out of her own free will. so i am grasping at straws.)

-also demerzel is going to go back and like rip dusk and rue's faces off. she is going to Get them. like oh my god. i am becoming a demerzel apologist but i love rue i kind of hope she doesn't die

-okay on to the fate of terminus yeah first of all she is NOT dead. she simply isn't. zero percent chance all those guys are dead. my first evidence for this is the bite mark thing on hober's arm cause like. he says "oh the spacers probably marked me for later and that's how you tracked us down" but bel does not confirm this. he was the one who asked what the thing was on the arm. i don't think that's how the fleet found hober and constant which means it's something else which is very inch resting

-soooo. the invictus gets hit. and destroyed. and then it gets lined up and shot into terminus. and not once do we see a scene from that ship after it starts to explode. pounds the desk if you don't see the BODY it's not DEAD!!!! glawen (how do you spell his name) here is our prime example. man was not dead when his ship went down. and neither is terminus. last shot of the invictus is just the commander guy and that one girl looking at each other and like someone's hand loosens or something. there are like hundreds of people on that ship it was stashed and yet we see none of them???? no explosions???

-hober still has one of the teleport bracelet things... that is Going to be relevant. even though he said it's broken or something they wouldn't show it if not important

-they can't kill poly man :( he's not dead. he is chilling. trust me he told me himself /lying

-all in all just like. yes this is the Killing Main Characters show but i really struggle with believing that terminus is gone. i think the spacers are still relevant and i think we DIDN'T see the body and i think i still cried over bel and glawen anyways. they are so "she's been dead since the beginning" to me like they ARE doomed but damn if i didn't get attached anyways

-as always day you are so. huh. to me. like okay man yeah sure i think my lesbianism is shading me from what most of you all see in him (said politely) like have fun but i need him kind of gone sorry

-hari seldon my best friend back and axe murderer!! girl so true!! he has things wrong with him and it's so intriguing. he's so me

-love you salvor never change. consider lesbianism though. seriously. i miss phara every day they HAD something

-i missed sareth actually i kind of love her she's so spottingly sincere. i hope they don't murder her horrifically

#foundation apple tv #foundation #foundation spoilers #demerzel #keep in mind i am not that invested in this show #and did not spend time fact checking this.#so if something is wrong no it isn't <3 #also keeping my rant about a noncanon ship i despise out of this post #it was big reason no. 2 for not wanting to get in this fandom #genuinely peace and love ship what you want but i will be avoiding you so hard

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jmagnabo92 · 11 months

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CBS Ghosts - Pilot - Sam sees Ghosts

AHHHH it’s the end of the pilot - Where Sam Sees the Ghosts and The Ghosts get excited.

Discussion and Gifs - may contain Spoilers below:

I love that Jay looks so proud and Happy as the guys get to work - noticed that the man ordering people around call some of them “roofers” so like - they had roofers, but didn’t fix that over the fountain?

ANYWAY, adore Sam looking around in awe. I’m glad that she isn’t traumatized by the place (’cause that would’ve been bad) and instead is SO THRILLED to be there and see a dream come true.

Sam, you have no idea how much this dream come true really is. :)

LMAO - Trevor just awkwardly standing out of the way when Sam talks to him. He was just expecting to see that she was okay, and he’s smiling at her even though he doesn’t expect her to see him. It’s kind of sweet.

And he’s such a puppy that he gets excited that she compliments of him.

He’s so cute in this scene - me, you chose me? Heart eyes. Poor boy.

I love that it takes him a second to realize what it means - like at first, he’s like “Wait, you’re talking to me” then “aw she likes me” then “shit - she talked to me - she saw me - holy fuck, must tell the others!”

And goes running.

Interesting question - do you think Trevor (aside from his pants) is the worst secret keeper of the bunch? He doesn’t seem to hesitate to share this while I could see Sass being like “how can I make this fun by NOT sharing this?”

Well, it took all of ten seconds for the happiness that Sam’s okay to be thinking about themselves.

We love our selfish ghosts :)

At least, Hetty looks torn.

I love that they’re putting Thor and Pete next to each other. They’ve got such a different perspective on things - excitement vs boredom in Alberta’s singing scene and here where Pete’s like “Boo Hotel, but they were here for a day and I missed them” while Thor is like “Clutter, damnit, Clutter!”

It’s so vastly different and the FUN thing is that Thor is the oldest ghost, so he knows what it’s like to have all that activity in the house, while Pete’s the 2nd youngest and he hasn’t experienced the full house (as far as we know) - Sophie’s been ill most of Trevor’s time there, and when Pete died, it seem like there wasn’t much activity then.

Trevor’s so cute here. He’s so excited to tell them - and he’s clearly hoping this will ease things with Hetty, so he looks to the right where Hetty is when he says “Sam seems to like me” - underlying tone - you should like me too.

Also Where the F are Alberta and Sass. This is a big moment - they were literally there like MINUTES prior.

LMAO - dude with no pants raises his arms and doesn’t notice because he’s too excited.

Let’s look at these reactions:

Thor - Stares.

Pete - glances away and tells Trevor to put his hands down.

Flower - is trying to look closer (Wow Flower).

Hetty - grabs onto to Isaac for assurance and looks down and away after a second

Isaac - kind of tilts his head, interested.

LMAO they are so funny. I wish we’d seen Alberta and Sass’ responses here. Although we did see Sass look up when Trevor gives his pants and underwear away in TP.

Side note - knowing that the actor is wearing special underwear and came up with this joke makes this even funnier.

Awwww, Jay painted the room the color she wanted. It’s so sweet - also how the F did the ghosts not notice Jay doing all this work???

Anyway, Jam is so so cute here - too bad, Sam’s about to get freaked the hell out.

AWW HETTY IS THE FIRST - Straight through the wall/closet? Hetty’s so obvious as a ghost and probably argued that as the Lady of the House and Sam’s relative that she be first.

I can imagine Isaac arguing as the leader (captain) he should be first. Hence, his walking in through the door second.

I love how Jay’s just like “Yeah, a lot of yellow, but it’ll grow on you.”

Because he assumes that’s the problem.

It’s interesting that Sass, Trevor and Pete all walk in at slightly a second behind each other and together. Wonder how they decided that.

Finally, Alberta, Flower and Thor. It’s interesting that they stand a distance away, Hetty still the closest.

Also, Love how Sam’s trying to rationalize. She did believe somewhat in ghosts for ages (hence the sage), but like it’s one thing to ‘believe’ and another to see it.

Aw, poor Jay - he’s just like ... it’s paint, babe. What’s the problem. Sam and Jay are completely having two different discussions.

Trevor and Pete as the youngest ghost have this conversation - they’re SO happy to have the possibility of Sam seeing them.

Awww, Jay is so cute - “I’m your husband, remember?”

How long has Isaac had this speech prepared and has he ever gotten to finish it???

OOOOH, interesting Flower begins to look somewhat sad when Isaac says “poor spirits” - I feel like she might be the only one that doesn’t talking about this being ‘purgatory’ that she wants to escape from. Or maybe I’m reading that look wrong.

Poor Sam, That’s a terribly scary thing to happen. How did she not run for the hills??? I would’ve.

Anyway END OF PILOT!

Woohoo! Feel free to discuss and reblog :).

#CBS Ghosts #Ghosts CBS #samantha arondekar #trevor lefkowitz #jay arondekar #hetty woodstone #isaac higgintoot #Pete Martino

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688199 · 8 months

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my opinion on miraculous ladybug season 5 finale

take this with a truckload of salt, cause i’ve not seen other episodes yet.

from what i’ve seen, it feels like marinette has been forced into the adrien and gabriel conflict, replacing adrien just because she’s meant to be the main character. shouldn’t adrien himself do the confrontation, not marinette?

not only that, she tried talk no jutsu with gabriel ☠️ gave him a second chance even though he’s obviously a selfish pos. like, i know practicing empathy is good but not to your boyfriend’s abuser.

overall, the message of the story is obviously: be your own person, don’t let others control you, be free. a good message. but very poorly executed. having adrien blissfully unaware, stuck in false belief about his father, with marinette lying to him just to grant gabriel’s wish, is contradictory to the message. there are zero consequence to gabriel’s actions. his wife lives, adrien thinks of him as a hero… despite all the shit he’s done.

seems to me this is an adrien arc, but marinette’s there to guide him through the development like he’s an infant rather than let him do it himself. he’s not even present in the majority of the episode, which is meant to be about him and gabriel. wouldn’t it be more compelling for gabriel to reveal everything to adrien? adrien to realise everything, then make his own decisions as to what to do next?

plus something i don’t like, marinette’s being painted as some holy saviour for adrien… it’s off putting to me.

genuinely what are the writers thinking? this is possibly the worst way you could execute a finale.

in terms of direction, everything feels so messy. too many cuts, maybe some unnecessary scenes going on just to force characters into the finale to feel grand. imo.

lots of cheesy lines ☠️☠️☠️ “the only thing you will free is the world from your existence” - 🤓

personally, it’s a very disappointing finale. i wonder how actual fans think about this.

@aguinhaac here’s what i think

oh bonus rewrite, think of it as a really shitty complete remake based on what i thought would fit better (like i said, idk anything about everything beforehand so this is entirely based on what i watched):

“oh adrien, my sweet boy.”

“take my name out of your mouth! don’t speak to me like you know me!”

“but i do.”

“i don’t know anyone as cruel as you, and i would rather die than let someone like you in my personal life.”

“unfortunately, reality is painful… but we can change it. i can change it.”

reveal emilie’s coffin

“mother! how… what is she- why are you… father…? no no no…”

“chat noir, get a grip!”

“my dear sweet emilie… her sparkling eyes, her soft voice, her lovely smile… i want it! i want it all back! i want her back! the miraculouses snatched her away from me, from us, adrien. so they have to give her back you see? it’s only fair. don’t you want your mother back too? then youll finally be happy. emilie and kagami by your side, your life will be perfect.”

“fair? destroying the universe just because you can’t get over the past is fair? adrien this adrien that. admit it already! you never once thought about him!“

“ladybug…”

“if you truly cared about him, you’d know that all his life, he’s been suffering because of you! he’s nothing except a trophy in your eyes, isn’t he? a mere object to project your own selfish desires on! you want emilie back because it’ll make adrien happy? what a load of crap!”

“don’t act like you know adrien better than me.”

“please… father… listen to her…”

“just admit it adrien! you love emilie don’t you? you love her as much as i do, right? then you should understand that i’m doing this for all of us! for our happiness-“

“but i’ve never been happy! but it’s not because of mother’s death… no, i’ve moved on from it. my misery is because of you, father! it’s because you couldn’t move on!”

“how can i? when she’s in my grasp! i can bring her back! i can make everything right!”

“open your eyes, father. how is this… right? bringing back mother won’t remedy all the pain you caused.”

“then i’ll die. i’ll die, since i’m dying anyways. and you’ll forgive me, won’t you, adrien? …adrien?”

“i’m sorry, father.”

falls onto the ground, vomitting out ash.

“no no no not now not yet i haven’t… the miraculous! give it to me! please! i can’t die! not when i’m so close!”

reaches out, but his arm disintegrates. the rings clatter onto the ground one by one.

ladybug picks them up, ignoring the desperate monarch trying to gather them back together

“adrien, my sweet boy, please… i just want to see… her smile… your smile… one more time… is that too much to ask for?”

tears flow down adrien’s cheeks, but expression remains stone cold.

“claws in”

“spots off”

he and marinette remove the miraculouses and hold them tightly in their palms, out of sight

“i’m sorry… father.”

monarch’s eyes are filled with heartbreak as the last of him fades

after he’s completely gone, adrien drops to his knees and bursts out crying

marinette hugs him, stroking his hair, muttering

“you’re free now, adrien. you’re free.”

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug season 5

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lady-assnali · 1 year

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Keeping on-brand, I’ve been thinking about baby model Gigi lately, and this simple little friend story appeared. It’s just friendship and a good memory with underlying baby Crygi feelings.

“Okay, step up a little bit.”

“Where the hell did you take me?? Why are there so many-oh god no. No. Are we in Times Square?”

Silence-followed immediately by Jan’s shit-eating grin and Crystal’s mischievous giggling. Gigi may be blindfolded, and she may be a self-proclaimed ditz, but the memories of being run down by tourists in the city have burned the feeling of Times Square into her body’s internal memory bank.

“What would possess you to bring me here on a Friday night-how much did we just spend on that Uber?”

“Shh, relax.”

“We could’ve taken the subway if you’d have just let me know where we were going!”

“But then you wouldn’t have come! And you have to be here. This is very important.”

“Jan, I love you so much but this is you talking. And if it’s you talking I’m lead to believe that we’re on our way to see Wicked again. Which…I love the show, don’t get me wrong, but there’s only so many times I can sit next to you while you sob through Defying Gravity before I need several months to recover.”

“It’s worth it, Geege. Trust me.” Crystal gives her arm a little squeeze, and they slow down a bit. Through the noise of the traffic, Gigi can hear Jackie and Jan arguing about directions. She wonders how exactly she got to this point, a college dropout with a group of silly, perfectly mismatched friends who she’d follow blindfolded into the busiest part of the city without reservations. One moment, she’d been sitting in art history wondering what she was doing in New York and the next she was working alongside one of her idols, college free and learning from the best. Those first few weeks in college had given her the friends she’d needed to get through the work, so it hadn’t all gone to waste. They gave her the college experience; parties, clubs, the freedom of being away from home and finding yourself. They also gave her late night study sessions huddled up in her apartment while she worked on her latest project, helping Jan through auditions by reading through lines with her or being Crystal’s comic relief while she painted, making snacks and playlists and reciting horrible jokes. Jackie-well, there wasn’t much to be helped there, but Gigi likes to think that asking her questions about her latest study in political science is enough support as it is.

They’re her friends, and she’s missed them so much while being away-even as the bantering continues as Jackie and Jan turn her body multiple times, quipping back and forth with each other until Crystal’s hands take both of her shoulders to steady her.

“Ladies, please. I know we’re all very excited, but I’m pretty sure we’re a block away from where we need to be anyway.” Crystal’s voice is diplomatic, yet very clearly dripping with humor. Gigi groans, shifting her weight from toe to toe. She’s sure they’re causing a scene, although the middle of Times Square surely is the place where something like this mismatched group of people and a blindfolded woman will blend right into the background. Without her sight, every other sense is on fire; Crystal’s hold on her shoulder’s is warm and tingling, Jackie and Jan’s voices very clear through the sirens. She’s sure she’d be able to tune into any of the other passing conversations if she truly tried.

“We need to find it soon, Geege is literally covered in goosebumps. One week in California and she forgets how to be a New Yorker.” Having just come back from a week in Los Angeles, she’d forgotten just how crisp the Spring nights could be. She finds herself shivering at Jackie’s observation, relief coming only when a soft, fuzzy coat is draped over her shoulders. Crystal. Crystal and her big fluffy jacket she’d refused to take off after thrifting it for only $3 when Gigi had pointed out that it should have been marked way higher. A steal of a deal, the pastel rainbow fuzz could be described only as cotton candy in a piece of clothing, and yet somehow her best friend made it look as though it were the most sought-after item on the market.

The arguing subsides when Jan gasps, grabbing Gigi’s arm tight and shouting.

“There! There! Look! Do you see it?”

Jackie gasps and Crystal squeals, Gigi feeling her jump up and down from beside her. The three talk all at once, exclamations of oh my god and are you kidding and one airy sigh of jeez before Gigi scowls.

“I’m going to take this thing off if you don’t tell me what’s going on!”

“Oh! Shit! OH my god, sorry, here!” Jan, in her excitable fashion, all but rips the eye mask off of Gigi’s face, and for a moment she’s paralyzed by the brightness of the lights. Crystal’s hugging her side now, pointing her finger up at a wall of buildings illuminated by lit-up advertisements. Then, she sees it.

“What,” It’s all she can say, breathless and disbelieving as her eyes widen in wonder. Jackie has her phone pointed dutifully at her, and Jan’s own camera clicks, but Gigi is stuck in place with an open mouth.

“That’s me.”

“That’s you!” Crystal squeezes her, eyes torn between the lit-up advertisement and the real person as they fill up with tears. “You’re literally up in lights.”

“I don’t even…I can’t….oh my god.”

“Take a picture! Did you take a picture? Gigi, stand right there!”

Crystal backs up and stands beside their friends, pulling her own phone from her pocket and waving her hand at the redhead. For a moment, Gigi looks back at them with her mouth agape. Then, she’s turned around, posing for the camera with a well-practiced tilt of the head. She perfectly mimics the pose at hand, sultry eyes and parted lips, a hand on her hip and eyes that simmer with practiced, untouchable energy. Then she laughs, shrugging Crystal’s jacket down to her elbows and hugging it to her, sticking out her tongue. It’s an infectious energy, one that continues on as she turns one more time to stare back at her image illuminated and blown up to the size of buildings.

She ends up posting the photos for her rapidly rising follower count later that night, after they’ve gone out to celebrate (after telling Jan that no, they wouldn’t be entering the Wicked lottery that night). She’s tucked into her bed between Crystal and Jackie, Jan on Jackie’s other side. It’s a tight squeeze but they pile onto each other anyway, limbs over limbs and laughter stopping any attempt at sleeping.

Crystal’s head lolls onto Gigi’s shoulder as she watches her flip through the pictures she’s been airdropped, combining them into one perfect Instagram post. The first is the sultry mock-up, the most poised and polished version of herself showing off the billboard. Then the video reveal, her standing shock-still and staring up at the screen

The last is her favorite.

She and Crystal are standing side-by-side, backs to the camera. Crystal’s pointing up at the screen with one hand while Gigi clings to her other arm. She’s wearing the insufferable cotton candy jacket, scarlet hair cascading in waves down the back. Her head is on Crystal’s shoulder. This is the picture she wants to memorialize the moment with; the two of them, as it should be. She can hear the pride in her best friend’s voice, feel the nervous fluttering in her heart from seeing the reality of all of her hard work paying off in full. It’s every last trip away from home coming full circle, every time she’d wanted to quit or wondered why she even agreed to start in the first place telling her she was right not to give up. It’s the ability to share this moment with the person who’d been on the other end of every late night phone call, every bout of homesickness, every joke that’d pulled her through.

It’s the sound of I’m so proud of you captured in one picture.

She can feel Crystal’s smile against her as she types and deletes captions, lowering her head so that her cheek can rest on her soft curls.

“You’re incredible,” Crystal murmurs. She’s looking at her own phone now, where Gigi’s post has just gone live. The video plays on as they watch the moment Jan rips the blindfold-the disbelief, the hugging, the joy. Gigi tucks her own phone away and shifts down in the bed, cheek to cheek with her best friend. They shuffle around until they’re a tangle of limbs and sappy smiles. Jackie’s head is on her back and she’s flopped over onto Crystal’s chest, arms wrapped around her with a sleepy refusal to let go.

The four finally fall asleep while they drift away from conversations about the future; Gigi’s next trip is only a few weeks away, Jan has a twenty-four hour festival to ready herself for, Jackie’s taking on a thesis, and Crystal’s submitting art for a possible gallery slot. In a contented pile of limbs far too big for her bed and surrounded by love, Gigi sleeps the best she has in a long, long time.

#I don’t need to tell you how much I love baby model Gigi #also i want to go back to NY so badly right now #also Jan is a self-insert half the time I highly identify with her #I’m somewhere within a Jan-Olivia Luxx mix with Gigi mixed in #screw the gender spectrum we should be identifying ourselves by which drag personas we fit ourselves into #it’s like getting your dog’s DNA tested like it’s not a corgi-golden mix it’s a Trixie-Sasha-Violet mix #Ask me again in an hour and mine will probably change a lil bit but anyway I’m Jan

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bylightofdawn · 10 months

Text

Oooof writing this scene and my girl is laying down some vicious, no-holds-barred truths and is kinda painting the whole Death Watch vs True Mandalorian conflict in an interesting (if somewhat one-sided point of view and ouch.) I love when people get called on their bullshit, even if they are the presumptive good guys. Cause even the good guys make mistakes in war. She points out that yeah Death Watch are considered zealots but maybe the True Mandalorians should look to themselves and their own form of zealotry when it comes to pursuing them since Jaster 1000% has blinkers on the moment they get involved and he just tunnel visions on wanting to take out Tor. But LBR it's very unreliable narrator stuff and she gets called out pretty quickly by Jango for some of the shit she's saying but oof I'm enjoying writing this scene.

So I'm gonna attach a little snippet. It's behind a cut, I am really getting to the point where I'm gonna stop trying to hide said spoiler character because at this point, is it really a spoiler? Also I think...I'm gonna call chapter 28 there. It's like 5K which is a respectable length.

I think I'm going to spend the rest of the night poking at that Cody and Slick fic. That first chapter needs A LOT of fucking working. Like more than most of my editing so might as well do it now. I don't think this is an update week for Seeds? Ahahahah I should prolly figure that out.

Edit: Shitballs it is. I've completely lost track of time at this point. I mean I have two days before I need to tentatively post the next chapter of Seeds so that's a problem for near future me.

It was curious because he thought she might be eager to get some revenge against them, yet she was keeping her mouth shut. Vau wondered if it was simply because she did not trust them or if it was something else entirely.

“I don’t expect you to trust us immediately, your hesitance is completely understandable. But if there are other vulnerable people or children being abused, we don’t harm civilians and will do what we can to get them to safety.”

“Those are pretty words and all but some of the people you murdered today? They were just like me. Kids were kidnapped and brainwashed into serving Vizsla. But because you attacked them when they were sleeping, of course, they reached for their weapons to defend themselves and you killed them.” [Spoiler Character] stated coldly, her eyes boring into Walon’s through the visor of his helmet with an almost uncomfortable intensity.

He felt a brief flash of horror when that realization settled in and knew if Jaster found out, he’d probably feel even more gutted.

“We had no idea, but you’re right they became a target when they reached for they took up arms. Now that we know more about Death Watch’s recruitment practices, we’ll have to alter how we handle engagements from here on out.”

“A day late and a credit short. I would be dead with them on that apartment floor if I hadn't been fetching breakfast. You speak of Death Watch’s zealotry but maybe you should look to yourselves as well. It’s easy to paint yourself as the hero in your own mind, is there really that much difference?”

“We don’t deliberately target civilian targets or use bombs to inflict the most collateral damage possible.” Jango cut in suddenly. “I understand why you’re angry but don’t put us on the same level as them. Yes, mistakes were made, and I guarantee Jaster will change the rules of engagement from here because of it, but we are not as bad as Death Watch is.”

“I’m not defending them, they absolutely deserve all the awful things you lay at their feet. But Mereel and Vizsla hate each other so much that it filters everything else out, including common sense. You attacked an apartment block filled with civilians. What would have happened if you’d accidentally harmed a civilian?”

“We know how to handle urban combat missions and how to avoid any unwarranted friendly fire accidents.”

“All I’m saying is that it was a risky decision. And I think that’s because Vizsla pissed your Mand’alor off so much by targeting his ad’ika that he’s not capable of thinking beyond wanting to just find him and kill him. That’s going to lead him off the edge into a dark place. The question is, are you going to follow him over that edge?”

#fanfiction snippet #el writes #seeds for the future fic #walon vau #jango fett

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theadventuresoftheninja · 2 years

Text

The adventures of the ninja

Chapter 3

A mysterious package from my parents

Me and Rosie finally got to the mall, and I was looking at all the clothes on display.

“Wow there are so many wonderful clothes.”I said amazed while wondering around the mall. Looking at all the magnificent clothings before me.

Then Rosie phone ping’ed like on cue then Rosie looked at her phone and smiled. “If you think that’s wonderful just wait for the next surprise I prepared for you”Rosie said with a smile on her face.

“Wait what surprise? Did you get me something?”I asked with curiously. Rosie gripped her pink backpack tightly. “Yeah I did get you something but that’s not it” said Rosie with a sheepish smile. Then continued saying…

“Just go section A’s closest dressing room inside will be your surprise.” Said Rosie with a big smile on her face.

“Ok,Ok so where is section A then?” I asked Rosie “That’s something you figure out yourself.” Said Rosie with a little giggle. “ And also you can’t ask the shop assistants where the A section is.” Rosie said with that evil smile of hers.

“No fair” I said looking at her evil face smiling.

Then we went looking for the A section, and Rosie was not helping me find it at all.

“Are you still not going to tell me where the A section is.” I asked “Yep you can’t get a single world out of me” said Rosie. “Can you at least tell me what the surprise is” I asked to Rosie. “Nope” just said Rosie.

Finally we or should I say I found the A section and as Rosie said I went to the closest dressing room.

“Is the one?” I asked Rosie. She nodded her head as in yes.

Then I opened the dressing room and inside it came a huge…

“Surprise!”

Inside the dressing room was my other two best friends, Nyx and Tamie flower with what looks like gift packages in their hands.

“What are you guys doing here?” I said. I was lost for words.

“Rosie just texted us last minute saying it was your birthday. So we bought some gifts and came here and Rosie texted her plan to us so she can surprise you.” Answered Tamie

Then I looked at Rosie.

“Your welcome”said Rosie with a smile on her face

All I could do was hug her tightly as I can as I thanked her with happy tears in my eyes.

After a while of a emotional mess.

“Now let’s gets something for you.” said Rosie

“No” I said calmly

My friends where shocked “What do you mean no today is your birthday?!” Rosie said with a shocked face like the others.

“I mean we’re are in a shopping mall we shouldn’t just get something for me just because it’s my birthday. We should get something for you guys as well.”

“No you can’t do that it’s your birthday it’s about spoiling your self.” Said Rosie

“Yeah Rosie has a point we don’t need anything new.” Said Tamie

“I agree I would rather get something for my birthday then in a random day. I would feel uncomfortable if that the case. Said Nyx

“I insists guys please it’s my birthday and I want to see all guys happy at least buy whatever you guys want.” I said with a pleading voice. Soon the others agreed to shop for themselves to. with that we shopped till our feet dropped.

Soon after shopping we got hungry so we went to a nearby diner’s to eat something. And while we were eating.

“So when are going to open your gifts” asked Tamie eagerly

“Oh yeah you guys brought me gifts today you really didn’t” I said to the girls. “nonsense Ami today is the day you turn 16 you have to get at least some gifts” said Nyx shyly

“Ok then which gift should I open?” I said out loud.

“Uuu me!,me!,ME!” Said Tamie excitedly raising her left hand in the air while with her other hand she was lengthening her gift towards me. She was causing a scene so I took her package and opened it inside was a Kokeshi. They are simple wooden Japanese dolls with no arms or legs that have been crafted for more than 150 years as a toy for children. Originally from the northeastern region (Tōhoku-chihō) of Japan, they are handmade from wood, having a simple trunk and head with a few thin, painted lines to define the face.

“ A kokeshi but how did you find one?” I asked still shocked.

“Well my grandmother’s,mother and,her mother,then her mother,mother had that as a kid and I think my great great great grandmother would love to see her precious doll in the hands of a amazing person and I know it’s a well a bit old but I still think you would love it.”said Tamie with a smile on her face.

“Omg thank you Tamie so much for” I said while looking at the toy.

“I guess it’s my turn to give you a gift” said Nyx with a package in her hand then giving me the package. I put the kokeshi aside I took the Nyx’s package in my hand and opened it inside was a red notebook with a title written in a non erasable pen the title said: “Everything you need to know about Japanese culture.” And under it said. “author of the book: Ami Rita Cunningham.”

“Since you can’t share your knowledge about Japanese culture to everyone. I thought you might feel better after writing your thoughts down. It makes feel better when I write the things I learned when no one wants to listen to what I had say.” Said Nyx with a gentle smile on her face.

“Thank you Nyx I really needed this” I said almost tearing from my eye. Since Uncle Howdy never listens to what I had to say and I’m not allowed to be next Rosie unless she demands me there to ��serve’ her and even if I tell her and she listens I know in her eyes she doesn’t get what I was saying or was just not interested but she keeps quiet so I wouldn’t get sad about it.

“So Rosie did you get anything for Ami?” Asked Tamie excitedly. I quickly got snapped out of my thoughts when Tamie asked that. After all she did say she got me something when we were in mall.

Rosie stayed quiet tho.

“Oh my dear love of all darkness in the world Rosie you didn’t get anything for Ami?!” Nyx cried out.

“Well- but before Rosie could say anything.

“Please don’t tell us this hole surprise you planed was the gift you know Ami deserve more that just a some teenage girls eating in a diner.” Tamie said with a tone that could came out as harsh.

Seeing Rosie’s face in sadness made me upset for her I knew I needed to do something and fast.

“Hey guys calm down” I said in a calm but angry tone than continued. “You guys Rosie did get me a gift. Two gifts in fact, the first gift was a birthday I never had in my life. I mean do you guys think that I don’t celebrate my birthday on purpose. I even forgot it’s was my birthday today if it wasn’t for Rosie I had the first and best birthday day in my life right now so don’t be mad at her for that and second gift is a package gift that I have no idea of what inside.”I said in calm voice.

Nyx and Tamie looked at each other then Nyx started by saying. “I’m very sorry for the way I acted Rosie about you not getting a gift for Ami I should’ve known better then just to judge.” Nyx said lowering her head in shame.

“I’m sorry too I should have been more considerate about how you would feel about me accusing you.” Said Tamie scratching the back of her hair looking guilty

“It’s ok you guys”said Rosie then continued saying: I would feel the same or more so I would be furious if either one of you forgot to get Ami something for her birthday.” Said Rosie with a small chuckle.

“But as Ami said I did get her something” said Rosie then she got her pink backpack,opened it and took out something inside. That something was a package. Rosie put the package on the table and pushed the package towards to me.

Then I looked at the package it looked like it was in drawer for so many years and there was a sticky note that said “For Ami Rita Cunningham until the age 16”

I was confused by the note than asked myself out loud. “I wonder what is inside?” Instead of a “Opened and see” from Rosie she said “ I have no idea.”

“What do you mean you have no idea you got for her right?” Said Tamie

“Actually the truth is I didn’t bought it I found it” Rosie said softly

“What do you mean?” I asked not knowing what else to say.

“Well the truth is that yesterday I was thinking of what to get Ami for her birthday. then I thought it might be a super idea to use my dad’s credit card for her on birthday. So when everyone went to sleep I secretly went to my dad’s office to look for his credit card. Unfortunately I couldn’t find it just as I was about to leave. I noticed something strange in the trash bin. So I went look and found this package with the sticky note. At first I thought my dad finally changed his mind about you and was giving you a birthday gift. But then I noticed that the handwriting for the sticky note was much more different then my dad’s handwriting. And then I thought maybe…”

Rosie paused for a moment then began to speak “Maybe that this package might be from your parents”

My heart just skipped a beat when I heard what what Rosie said. “Could this this package really be from my parents” I thought to myself.

“Ami say something please.” Said Rosie with a worried voice.

“I’m ok don’t worry” I reassured my friends.

“I think I should open this package where I’m alone like private” I said trying hard not tremble while I said the full sentence.

“But what about your uncle. I think he would be very angry if he saw our gifts especially that mysterious package.” Said Nyx in concern

“No need to worry I had already have an idea to how to hide the gifts without my dad noticing anything.” Said Rosie with a grin on her face.

After some time in the diner we decided to go back to our respective homes.

Me and Rosie was going back home by foot since that how we liked it.

“The stars are beautiful tonight” I said looking up

“Yeah they are pretty but not as pretty as the one gift that my dad gave” said Rosie with pride in her eyes. “Oh yeah what’s that?” I asked jokingly.

Then Rosie began to blush as if she didn’t mean to say that out loud. Then she mumbled so quiet that I couldn’t hear her.

Suddenly a chilly wind began to blow I could see that Rosie was a bit cold. Then I took off my hoodie. “Here you must be cold” I said with a smile while giving her my hoodie.

“Thanks”said Rosie blushing.

“You can keep it on until we come back to the mansion last thing I want for your dad to get angry at me for ‘making her precious daughter wearing my stinky hoodie’ “

We both laughed about it all the way home. A last we finally came Wenirmen mansion(unfortunately)

“Hear you go” Rosie said giving me back my hoodie. “thanks” I said with a smile and went inside the mansion together.

Inside, Uncle Howdy was waiting for us at the door.

“Where have you been?!” Uncle Howdy said in a serious yet angry voice.

“Daddy you know I was shopping for myself with Ami” said Rosie

“I know that pumpkin but I was asking her!” Said uncle howdy with anger in his voice while pointing at me.

I gulped.

“You know what time is it?!” Uncle Howdy said in anger.

I answered “ about 9pm I guess”

“And when is your bedtime?” Asked uncle howdy still angry

“ 7pm” I answered honestly.

“I knew it you purposely knew that my Rosie would go shopping and convinced her to take her with you didn’t you!” Said a yelling Uncle Howdy.

I just stood there in silence.

I already knew that arguing with Uncle Howdy was useless. I just let him talk about me all he wanted but then he said.

“No wonder your parents abounded you”

Somehow I couldn’t ignore it something inside me just snapped I couldn’t hold myself.

“Will you just shut up!” I yelled and run’d upstairs to my room with tears in my eyes. I closed door behind me and just crying silently. Wishing my parents didn’t abounded me,Wishing for uncle howdy to treat me better,Wishing that I would die already.

Then someone knocked on my door.

I whipped my tears away and opened the door it was one of the maids with the shopping bags that we bought.

“Your new hand me downs miss” said the maid

“Thank you” I said then after I took the bags, And, closed the door.

As I was putting my new clothes inside my closet I found the gifts my friends gave me I put the Kokeshi and the notebook inside my closet and as for the package I took that aside and “now was the perfect time to open it” I thought

I gently opened the package and inside was a Ninja mask and a black book with red circles all around it

I got curious about this two things.

I opened the book with the mask in hand then…

I felt my soul leaving my body.

End of chapter.

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