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soaps-mohawk · 4 months ago

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Cherry Red, Crimson Blood

Chapter 42: Comfort and Joy

Summary: Tis the season to be jolly...

Pairing: Poly 141 x reader

Word Count: 8, 417 words

Warnings: Alpha/beta/omega dynamics, omegaverse, alternate universe, slight angst at the beginning, blood and disturbing imagery, nightmares, PTSD, lots of comfort, holidays

A/N: Yes, CRCB is getting its holiday episode. Something holly and jolly before Christmas, some sweet comfort for the last chapter of this year. It's kind of rough but I don't hate it. I hope everyone feels the same. Happy Holidays to everyone

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It’s quiet in the house.

There’s a stillness in the air that seeps into your very soul. The only light is from the street light outside. Your father never allowed you a nightlight despite your fear of the dark. You weren’t allowed to show such weakness in front of him. God forbid his family have any flaws.

You’re the flawed one.

It’s too quiet in the house, not even your brothers’ snoring audible in the tense quiet that has settled over your safe space. It has your breathing shallow so as to not disturb the heaviness in the air. Your sister is asleep in the bed across the room, tucked under the blankets safely. Sleep evades you however, something tickling in the back of your mind.

Something is off. Something is wrong.

“Hannah.” You whisper, disturbing the darkness in favor of not feeling so alone in the oppressive silence. “Hannah.”

Yet your sister does not stir, showing no sign of even acknowledging a disturbance as she sleeps deeply. You bite your lip, sinking back further under your covers. You could wake one of your brothers, but the likelihood of one of them helping ease your fear is small. They’ll just usher you back to bed and tell you to grow up. You could attempt to rouse your mother, but that runs the risk of also waking your father. If nothing is wrong, it will be your doom.

Maybe it’s all just in your head. Some terror brought on by a lingering nightmare.

You need to get up. You can’t lay in the darkness anymore.

So you rise from the safety of your blankets, padding silently across the wood and out into the hallway. There’s a nightlight allowed out here to prevent stumbling in the dead of night. There’s nothing in the hallway, no silent spectre waiting to grab whoever leaves their room first. You creep silently down the hallway towards the black gaping maw of the living room waiting just beyond the edges of the light.

You stand there at the end of the hallway, gazing into the darkness for a moment. It’s not truly dark, light filtering in through the curtains from the streetlights outside. Yet the darkness feels thicker than it ever has before as you stand there, waiting for a shadow to move.

Nothing moves, and after a breath you turn to the left, cutting through the dining room straight towards the kitchen. It’s darker in here, cut off from the street, yet you navigate it with ease. You’ve spent many nights navigating through the darkness, creeping around the house when you can’t sleep.

You enter the kitchen, heading for the cupboard that holds the cups. Your mother used to give you warm milk when you couldn’t sleep. Sometimes you’d rise to find her awake, sitting in the living room. Sometimes she’d be crying. Sometimes she’d just be sitting with the lamp on, staring into the distance.

It always made you wonder what she was thinking about.

You stand on your toes, reaching up for a glass. It nearly falls and hits the counter but you manage to catch it, preventing what would no doubt be a crisis. You let out a breath before moving to the sink, filling the glass up. You stare out the small window that shows nothing but the fence between your house and the neighbors. All the houses are the same, built after the same model with the same green grass out front. It’s like a movie set, some suburban setting for a drama or a horror movie.

The oppressive darkness feels like a horror movie.

You turn to head back to your room, but you’re stopped by a figure standing in the entrance to the kitchen. You can just make it out, large and looming in the darkness. For a moment you think it’s your father, awakened by something, some instinct telling him there’s something moving around in the house. It’s not the right size to be your father, though, too tall and long.

You stumble back towards the light switch, your fingers shaking as you flip it on.

“Phil?” You ask quietly, staring at your father’s best friend in shock. You haven’t seen him in almost two years.

His mouth opens in a haunting grin, blood pouring down his chin. You stare in horror as blood soaks into his white shirt, dripping onto the floor below. The cup slips from your hand, shattering on the floor as his hand wraps around the knife stuck in the side of his neck, pulling it free. Blood sprays across the white cupboards, painting them like some gruesome work of art.

“Look...what you did...to me...” Phil says, his voice nothing more than a gurgling wheeze.

He reaches out a blood soaked hand towards you, sending you stumbling back. Glass cuts into the bottoms of your feet, sending shards of white hot pain up your legs. You don’t care, too busy trying to evade the bloody hand trying to grab at you. You slip in the water on the floor, falling backwards, the back of your head seconds from hitting the side of the counter...

“Easy, easy.”

Arms are around you, holding you tightly as you sob. Your feet are burning as you sit there on the kitchen floor. It’s not the kitchen in your old home, though, it’s the kitchen in the cottage. Your feet are burning with sharp stabs of pain. There’s water soaking into your pajama pants.

“You’re alright.”

The light is on, raining down bright yellow light from overhead. You hate it, the oppressive light burning your eyes. You squeeze them closed, trying to ease the pounding in your head that pulses in time with your heart.

“...sleepwalking I think...”

Voices float in and out as you sit there, leaning back against something solid and warm. There’s arms around you, holding you tightly, your own arms trapped up against your chest. You tilt your head back, resting it back against the solid warmth.

“Almost hit her head...”

“Move her to the couch...”

“It’s not that uncommon during times of extreme stress.”

You wince as another tiny piece of glass is pulled from your foot.

“Even if someone has never experienced sleepwalking before, it can start at any age.”

“Is this something we need to worry about now?”

“It’s hard to say.” Dr. Keller dabs at your foot with a damp towel streaked with pink from your blood. “It’s one of those things we’ll just have to wait and see if it was a one-time thing or if it will become a regular occurance.” She dabs at your feet with the towel before shining the flashlight on them again. “You want to talk about the nightmare?”

She’s talking to you now.

“No.” You say, the word strained and weak from your lips. Your face feels tight from the tears you had shed in your confusion and delirium. The nightmare is still fresh on your mind, replaying like some sick television show, over and over in your head.

She gives you a look, but doesn’t press anymore. She won’t ask again, not in front of your pack at least.

She lets your feet rest on the coffee table before moving closer to you. Her hands cup the back of your head, pressing down on certain spots. “Does your head hurt?”

“No.” You say, ignoring the throbbing behind your eyes.

“Well, thanks to Kyle’s quick reflexes, I think we’ve avoided a concussion.” She says, turning to Kyle. “How’s your hand?”

“Fine.” He says from where he’s sitting next to you, flexing his fingers. “I’ll take aches and pains if it prevents a hospital visit.”

“That’s the last thing we need right now.” John says.

You can’t help but wince at his words.

If he notices, he doesn’t say anything.

“Thankfully there wasn’t any serious damage.” Dr. Keller says, wrapping your feet in gauze. “Just try to take it easy for a couple of days. Walking isn’t going to feel very good for a while.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

“I think it might be good to talk about it.”

“You’re as bad as Dr. Keller.”

“Well, she and I agree that holding everything in isn’t going to help anything.” Kyle says, taking the seat next to you. “We just want to help you.”

“Unless you can crawl into my mind and fix my memories, I don’t think you can help with this.” You say bitterly.

“Well, I can’t do that, but I can listen.” He gives you a look.

You choose to ignore it.

He continues to stare at you as you turn your gaze out the window. It’s raining again, light droplets hitting the window. You can feel yourself beginning to crack as he continues to stare at you, his gaze not sharp and prying, but instead soft and inviting. He really wants to know, not out of curiosity or need, but because he cares. He wants to help, even if it’s just listening.

Can you be brave enough to share?

“I woke up in bed, but not in the cottage. I was in bed at the house we lived in before I was sent to the institution.” You swallow the lump in your throat threatening to choke you and cut off your words. “It was the house we moved to shortly after Phil left. I remember feeling something was off after I woke up, something was wrong but I couldn’t figure it out.” Your mouth suddenly feels dry. “I went to the kitchen to get some water and Phil appeared there in the darkness. He...”

You trail off for a moment, the memory of what he had looked like in your dream sending a spike of fear through you. You had thought the one positive of Phil being dead was that he couldn’t haunt your dreams anymore. He’s not out there hunting you, seeking you out. He’s dead, burned to a crisp in that barn. You made sure of that.

“He had a knife in his neck. He was bleeding.” Your voice shakes as tears prick behind your eyes. You hate it that you’re still crying over Phil and his hold on you even in death. “He said....he said ‘look what you did to me,’ and pulled the knife out. I dropped the glass of water and slipped in it. I was falling but then I woke up.”

Kyle is silent after you finish, the quiet settling heavy between you, as heavy as it had felt in your dream. You know you sleep walked through part of your dream. You went to the kitchen for water and dropped the glass. You slipped in the puddle and nearly hit your head on the counter if Kyle hadn’t found you seconds before and cushioned your fall with his hand. Your feet still sting from stepping in the glass, even though the puncture wounds and cuts have mostly healed.

A warm hand touches yours, fingers curling around yours. Kyle’s rough skin, calloused by handling weapons and fighting for so many years, drags against yours as he slowly lifts your hand away from the arm of the chair and up towards his face. His breath is warm as it hits your palm, his soft lips pressing against your skin. You turn to face him, tears still blurring your vision as you sit there, staring at him.

“It was just a dream.” He murmurs, pressing a soft kiss to your palm. “No one is going to hurt you. Phil is gone and we’ll be damn sure nothing else can even try.” He presses your hand against his cheek, your fingers trembling against the smooth skin. “You have nothing to fear.”

“Only what’s in my head.” You whisper.

“What can we do? How can we help you defeat those demons plaguing you?” He asks, threading his fingers through yours.

You stare at him for a while, taking in his face again. It feels like so long since you’ve really looked at them, since you’ve truly taken in their features. You’ve almost forgotten what they actually look like, your mind always conjuring up muddy images of their faces in your memories.

You’ve forgotten just how pretty and perfect he really is.

How...disarming his face is.

“I don’t know.” You whisper, your thumb stroking his cheek. “I don’t know.”

The breeze is cold, whipping around you and biting at your cheeks. The blanket tucked tightly around you stops the wind from chilling you to your bones. You don’t care about the cold, your gaze out on the waves crashing against the shore.

“Cold?” Johnny asks, tightening his hold around you.

“No.” You say, fighting back a shiver as you lean further back against his chest. The last thing you want right now is to leave the beach.

“Somethin’ tells me I shouldnae believe you.” He says, squeezing his body around yours.

“Well, whatever it is, it’s wrong.” You say stubbornly, shoving your hands in your armpits to keep them warm.

“Stubborn little thing.” He says, pressing a kiss to the side of your head. “Should be headin’ back soon anyway.”

You let out a whine in protest, leaning your head back against his shoulder. “I want to stay here forever.”

“I know.” He says, letting you go just enough to pull his phone out of his pocket. “Wish I could let ye.”

You can’t stop the shiver that shakes through you at the loss of his warmth. It is cold and getting colder as the sky gets more grey overhead. The sun is going down, the darkness of the evening rolling in earlier and earlier every day.

“Time to head back.” Johnny says, pocketing his phone.

“Five more minutes.” You whine, trying to lay all of your weight against him.

“I have direct orders to get you back stat.” He says, pushing himself up to stand.

You let yourself flop back on the blanket you’ve been sitting on, looking up at him as you lay there in the sand. The wind is picking up, blowing some of it onto your face. You sputter, pulling yourself back up to sit.

“Come on, kitten.” Johnny says, tucking his hands under your arms before lifting you to stand. “Let’s head back before it gets dark.”

He brushes the sand off of your blanket before picking up the other one and shaking it. He drapes it over his arm before guiding you back up the path towards the car. You take one last look over your shoulder at the water before following him to the parking lot.

It’s dusk when you get back to the cottage, the lights from inside glowing warmly through the windows. Johnny takes your hand, leading you up the steps and into the cottage.

It’s warm inside, the rest of your pack moving around in the kitchen and dining area. You kick your boots off, passing your blanket off to Johnny before heading into the living area. The table is all made up, many dishes sitting out ready to be served, all of them looking very familiar.

“What is this?” You ask, stepping closer to the table.

“It’s Thanksgiving.” Dr. Keller says, stepping out of the kitchen with a tray of meat in her hands. “I thought you might like to celebrate.”

“Oh.” You stand there for a moment. You didn’t even realize what day it was. Time has been so strange with no phone or television to give you an idea of what day it is. It’s been moving quickly, almost four weeks since the day you were taken. “Is that why you let Johnny take me to the beach?”

“We wanted to surprise you.” John says. “I know you don’t like surprises, but this felt like a more appropriate one.”

“I don’t like surprises, but this is really sweet.” You move towards your normal seat at the table, looking at all of the dishes laid out.

“We made all the classics, or at least as close as we could get with what we have available.” Dr. Keller says.

“It’s pretty close, but then again I’ve only had Thanksgiving once.” Ashley says, coming out of the kitchen. You hadn’t even noticed her car parked outside.

“Thank you for this.” You say, still a bit taken aback by the gesture. “I didn’t even know it was close to Thanksgiving. Time...time seems so weird now.”

“A lot has happened in a short amount of time.” Dr. Keller says, rubbing your back. “That can skew how we perceive time passing.”

“I also don’t have any way to tell time.” You shrug.

Dr. Keller gives you a soft smile. “Well, we’ll see if we can rectify that.”

Everyone takes their seats at the table in their usual spots, except for the extra chair next to Dr. Keller for Ashley. You recognize the strategic move, even if the rest of your pack pretends not to notice. Dr. Keller also pays it no mind, but you can’t help but notice the bashful look that flashes across her face when her hand brushes Ashleys as food gets passed around the table.

You load up your plate, digging in almost immediately. You hadn’t realized how hungry you got down at the beach, not until you came back to a cacophony of delicious smells. It all tastes good, all of it throwing you back into reminders of your childhood and Thanksgivings with your family. While your father still had expectations of proper behavior from you and your siblings, it was tradition that he’d spend most of the day in his chair. Your mother did all of the cooking, you and your siblings helping when she’d allow.

You never truly understood how much work she put into every holiday until you were older.

Thanksgivings at the institute were never the same as Thanksgivings at home. You got the day off of course, and there always was a better meal that day with the classics, but it always felt so manufactured, not unlike the food on base. You never realized how much you missed home cooking until now.

You never realized how much you missed your mothers food until now.

Tears blur your eyes as you continue to eat, trying to distract yourself with heaping spoonfuls of food.

“You doing alright?”

Of course the one time John would notice your melancholic state would be right now. The entire table pauses, turning to look at you. You start to curl in on yourself, not wanting all the attention all at once on you.

“Yeah.” You clear your throat, wiping the tear that betrays you and falls down your cheek. “Just tastes really good. Reminds me of my mom’s cooking.”

The words slip out before you can stop them, tumbling out onto the table and landing among the mashed potatoes. Things suddenly feel very vulnerable, very raw. You wish you could grab the words, shove them back in and make them all forget your admission. You don’t want the soft stares, the sympathetic looks in their eyes, the understanding. You want to crawl under the table and hide until the moment passes.

“I-I think I just missed home-cooked food.” You try to save the moment from growing more embarrassing for you.

“I second that.” Johnny says, the tension in the room lightening just a bit. “Easy tae forget what good food tastes like sometimes.”

“I’ll give it to the Americans.” Kyle says, recognizing your desire for the attention to be off of you at this moment. “They do know how to do a good feast.”

“We can do more than good food.” Dr. Keller says, sounding almost offended.

“Like Halloween.” Johnny says. “What I wouldnae give to have an American Halloween.”

“You just want an excuse to eat candy until you’re sick.” Simon rumbles.

“I wan’ tae do more than that.” Johnny gives him a look. “Costumes, the parties, trick or treatin’. All of it.”

“Maybe we’ll have to take you to America next Halloween.” Dr. Keller says. “Let you get a proper taste of the holiday.”

Next Halloween.

You’re not even thinking a week ahead, much less a year. You’re not even sure the others have thought much about what the next few months will look like. Where will you all be in a year? You can’t stay at the cottage forever, as much as you would enjoy it. At some point a decision has to be made. Where do the five of you go from here?

The conversation begins to lighten, the attention thankfully being drawn off of you again. That doesn’t save you from John’s gaze, though, his eyes flicking up to you every so often. You try not to meet that gaze, keeping your eyes down on your plate as you eat until you’re stuffed full. Yet you can’t help but look up when his gaze lingers too long, when your omega shifts under the scrutinizing gaze of an alpha. He’s trying to read you like he used to be able to. You wish you could hide better from him, but you’ll never be able to truly keep your thoughts and feelings under wraps.

Not from him.

You’re banned from the kitchen as food is cleaned up and placed in the fridge and dishes are washed. Instead you find yourself on the couch, staring into the flickering flames of the fire. Kyle takes a seat next to you, sitting down with a quiet groan.

“How are you?” He asks, draping his arm on the back of the couch behind you.

“Fine.” You say, still turned to face the fire. “Full.”

He lets out a quiet chuckle. “Same. Don’t think I’ve been this full in a long time.”

“That’s the point of the holiday.” You say. “Eat until you pass out.” That’s what your father used to do, slipping into a food coma after dinner in his chair. As much as you hate him, you do miss those quiet evenings where you could loosen up and not care about his calculating gaze.

“Feeling tired?” He asks, and you can feel his questioning gaze hitting the side of your head.

“No,” You respond, and it’s the truth. There’s far too much going on in your head to even nap right now.

It falls silent for a few moments, only the sounds from the kitchen and the crackling of the fire breaking the silence. You’re far away in your thoughts, replaying the last few weeks over and over in your head.

“Penny for your thoughts?” John asks, breaking you from your reverie. He takes a seat on the other couch, facing you.

“Just thinking about how much time has passed.” You answer, tucking your knees up close to your chest. “It’s been almost a year and yet it feels like it’s only been a few weeks.”

John hums. “You would have been with the CIA already by this time.”

You nod. “Yeah. I was picked up just after Halloween. Didn’t really have Christmas last year. The CIA wasn’t exactly the most festive place. They had bigger things to worry about.”

“Did you miss it, Christmas?” He asks.

“Well, yeah. Of course, even if we didn’t really celebrate much in the institute either. We didn’t have any gifts to give each other outside of things we were supplied with by the institute. They didn’t really bother decorating either. We got the day off, of course, and we had a nicer meal than usual, but it wasn’t really some big festive celebration.” You shrug. “It was always a big deal in my house. It was my mom’s favorite holiday.”

You cut yourself off before the emotions can get to be too heavy. You’ve already almost lost it once in front of them today. The last thing you want is to risk that again. You’ve spilled too many words already. The last thing you want is to spill more.

John’s gaze leaves you to look at Kyle next to you, the two of them sharing a silent conversation. You’ve always envied their abilities to speak to each other without words. You wish you could know them that well, you wish you could understand them on that level. You wish you shared the bonds they have with each other. You’ll always be the odd man out, the outsider. You’ll never have that closeness, that ease with which they exist around each other.

You’re beginning to see it again, the fluidity between them, moving around each other without needing to look, always aware of the others. Here you are again, on the outside of that once more. Things really have gone back to the way they were before, back when things were new and foreign and unknown. You’re an unknown factor in this dynamic again, all of them tiptoeing around you like you might explode if they get too close, if they push those boundaries again.

Part of you hates it. Part of you likes it.

You’re not sure what to feel anymore.

You tilt your head back, thumping it against Kyle’s hand. “Sorry.” You quickly sit yourself back up. “Done that twice now I guess.”

“No need to apologize.” He says, his hand dropping to your shoulder to lean you back again. His hand gently cups the back of your head, rubbing soothing circles into your scalp with his fingers.

You let out a content hum, your eyes fluttering closed. It falls silent between the three of you as Kyle slowly works you into a comfortable, content state. Your omega begins to almost purr contently, and for the first time in a while, she doesn’t feel quite so out of control.

The days start to make more sense as you now have an idea where you are on the calendar. It’s the end of November, meaning in just a few weeks it’ll be Christmas. The guys haven’t said anything about celebrating, so you haven’t gotten your hopes up. Still, you can’t hide that itch in the back of your mind, that desire to have a proper celebration for your first year out of the institute.

“You know you can tell them what you want.” Dr. Keller says, sitting in the chair next to you. “We’ve gone over this. I’m sure those guys would turn the world upside down if you asked them to.”

“I just...I don’t know how.” You say. “What if they have no plans for Christmas? What if they weren’t planning anything? What if this is too last minute?”

“There’s a little under a month till Christmas. It’s hardly last minute.” Dr. Keller says. “Even if they say no, then we’ll have a celebration. Just the two of us.”

“You’d do that for me?” You ask, turning to look at her.

“Of course. If you want to celebrate Christmas, then we will, no matter what the others decide.” She says firmly. “If they don’t wish to participate, then they don’t have to.”

“That’s...really kind of you.” You say. She’s done so much for you already, and here she is offering to do more.

“It’s what I’m here for.” She says. “Whatever you want to do. Decorate, bake cookies, go shopping. All of the above.” She reaches over, squeezing your hand. “You’re in charge.”

You’re in charge.

Your omega nearly preens at the words, starting to get excited. Yet, you’re not quite sure how you feel about that kind of pressure being placed on you. It’s not in your nature to be in charge...or at least that’s what the institute taught you. Omegas are submissive and follow their alpha’s orders.

The institute was wrong about a lot of things, though. Maybe you do want to be in charge. Maybe if you’re in charge, things will start to get better. Maybe if you’re in charge, you can finally get your pack in line and get them doing what you want them to do.

It’s far too early for you to be awake. It’s still dark out, no light filtering through the gaps in the curtains. There’s light coming through the gaps in the door, though, and you can hear quiet rustling.

“It’s still crooked.” You hear Kyle’s voice through the wall.

“I’m doin’ the best I can.” Johnny retorts.

More rustling and quiet tinkling sounds through the wall. There’s no more hope for sleep for you now, your interest far too piqued as to what they’re doing. You slide out of bed, rubbing your eyes as you pad across the cold floor to the door.

You’re not ready for what you find on the other side.

All four of them pause as your door opens and you take half a step out the doorway. You freeze, hand still over one of your eyes. Johnny is standing on a stepstool, leaning over a tree. Kyle is standing next to him, peeking around him to look at you. Simon is frozen in front of the fireplace, garland hanging from his hands. John is standing between the couches, a round ornament in each hand.

You slowly lower your hand from your eye, sweeping your gaze over the four of them once more. “What are you doing?” You ask, even though you already know the answer to that question.

“Decorating.” The four of them say all at once.

“We were going to surprise you when you got up.” Kyle says.

“We were trying to be quiet.” John says. “But those two muppets can’t get the star properly on the tree.”

“You’ve got it on the branch wrong.” Kyle says.

“It won’t go any other way.” Johnny argues.

They go back to what they were doing, almost as if you’re not there. You’re glad for it as tears begin to fill your eyes. They’re decorating. They were decorating to surprise you. You can’t help but wonder if Dr. Keller expressed your desire for a proper Christmas to them on your behalf, but part of you knows she wouldn’t do that. She’s pushing you too hard to take control to do that.

Maybe they’re doing it because they want to. Maybe this was their plan all along.

“Let me do it.” Kyle says, tugging on Johnny’s shirt.

“I can do it just fine.” Johnny persists, still fiddling with the star on the tree.

You roll your eyes, moving over to them. “Move. I’ll do it.”

Neither of them argue as Johnny steps down off the stool, letting you climb up. You can feel their hands hovering as you stand up on your toes, reaching for the top of the tree. You bend the top branch, situating the star on properly for them.

“See! I told you.” Kyle says, his hands still hovering as you climb down off the stool.

“My way would have worked just fine.” Johnny pouts.

“I’m sure it would have.” You shrug, patting his arm before walking away.

You join John in sorting through ornaments as Kyle and Johnny finish adjusting the lights on the tree. They’re all brand new, sealed in the boxes still. So they went shopping for all of this. You don’t suppose a summer house would have Christmas decorations laying around. It’s touching that they did this for you, even if they didn’t know you’d want it.

“Thank you.” You say, fiddling with the hook on one of the ornaments. “For doing this.”

“It wouldn’t be fair to not give you a proper Christmas.” John says. “Not when it means so much to you.”

A small smile tugs at your lips, tears starting to fill your eyes again. “I appreciate it. More than you know.”

You don’t flinch as he reaches out, gently running a hand over your head as you wipe the tear that falls. It’s nice, feeling his touch again. You hadn’t realized how much you missed it. You wrap your fingers around his wrist, holding his hand against the side of your head. You barely realize you’re doing it as you press your nose into his wrist, breathing in his fresh, woodsy scent. Petrichor, damp earth. It fills your nose like it did the first time you scented him, making your head spin.

For the first time in a while, your omega lays comfortably in the back of your mind, settled contently back into her cage.

You stand there nervously, staring at your alpha. He hasn’t acknowledged you yet, giving you a moment to gather yourself. You’re nervous, your palms sweaty, even if you have nothing to be nervous about. The worst he can say is no, and then you’ll have an excuse. Or he’ll say he’ll do it himself, then one surprise will be ruined at least.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

Sweetheart. It’s been a long time since you’ve heard that nickname spoken in such a way. Your omega rolls over and shows her belly, ready to submit to his quiet purr of your nickname.

“I...I wanted to ask you something.” You say, shifting nervously on your feet. Now is the time. Now is when you have to be brave and voice your wants.

“Go ahead.” He says, putting his phone down and turning to face you.

You almost wish he wouldn’t. You wish he’d stay turned away, attention on his phone so he can half pay attention to what you’re saying. No, instead he has to give you his full attention and put even more pressure on you.

The words catch on your tongue, choking you as you attempt to be brave, as you attempt to take this leap into unknown territory.

The worst he can say is no.

“I want to go Christmas shopping.” The words come out fast, almost slurring together in your haste to voice them before you lose all the courage that led you to this point.

He leans back in his seat and you prepare for the worst, you prepare for the no waiting to come out and put an end to your silly little request. You’ll sulk and cry about it in the safety of your room. Now you have to be strong.

“Okay.” He says.

You nearly turn and run in shame before the meaning of the word settles into your brain. You stand there in surprise, staring at him with wide eyes.

“Okay?” You parrot, your brain still trying to comprehend what it is he’s saying.

“Okay.” He repeats. “You’ll have to take one of us with you, though. You can’t leave unprotected, even with Christine.”

“I’ll go.”

The voice makes you jump, spinning on your heel to face Simon. You hadn’t even heard him approach. You stare in surprise at the other alpha. He hasn’t made much of an effort to insert himself back into your life. You were half sure he hated you again with how he’s been acting.

“Alright.” John says, his voice almost as surprised as you feel.

It will be nice having the hulking alpha following you around. You think back to when you went lingerie shopping with Johnny. How long ago that seems now. People had gone out of their way not to walk too close to you and your protector. No one will want to mess with you with him around.

“Go with Christine.” John says, making you turn back around to look at him in surprise.

“Really?” You ask in disbelief.

He nods. “I think it will be good for you, getting out of the house. Just don’t stay out too long.” He turns back to his phone and you turn back to look at Simon, but he’s gone.

“This might be a tad bit overwhelming at first.” Dr. Keller says as she drives through town. “It’s been a while since you’ve been in a populated place.”

“I’ll be fine.” You say, even if you don’t really believe it. You had prepared for this possibility in the days you’ve thought about this trip.

John wanted you to go early on a weekday, when it was less likely to be too crowded. While crowded might hide you better, it also left too many possibilities for someone to sneak up on you.

“You say the word and we’ll go.” Dr. Keller says. “I can always come back later and finish shopping for you.”

“Okay.” You say, still staring out the window at the buildings. It’s been a while since you’ve seen so many buildings all in one spot.

Simon is quiet in the passenger seat, also watching out the window. You wonder what’s going through his head, if he regrets volunteering to come along. You wonder why he did volunteer in the first place. You know safety is of the highest concern now while Shepherd is still out there. Does he not trust anyone else to protect you? That’s a possibility.

There’s another rift in the bonds.

Dr. Keller pulls into the Tesco parking lot, many cars there even for so early in the morning. Everyone else had the same idea as John.

“Try to make this as quick as possible.” Simon says as you undo your seatbelt. “The sooner we can get in and out, the better.”

Dr. Keller gives him a look, something passing between the two of them before she opens her car door. You get out as well, pulling your jacket tighter around you as the cold air hits your skin. It had been warm in the car, the heat cranked for your sake.

You’re half tempted to hold Simon’s hand as you cross the parking lot. You doubt he’d let you. He might pull away and that would be worse. That would ruin the whole trip. Old habits, you think. He’s barely spoken to you, so much as made an effort to rekindle the relationship between you. That would be pushing things too far.

Instead you stick close to Dr. Keller, trying not to panic as you walk into the building with the bright lights and the people. It’s gross, making you squint for a moment as Simon grabs a cart, your eyes taking a moment to adjust.

“What are you planning on getting?” Dr. Keller asks, trying to distract you.

“I-I don’t know.” You stay, blinking at aisle after aisle of products. “I didn’t think this far ahead. I thought John would say no.”

“Well, what do you think they’d like?” She asks.

What would they like? What do they like? You’re drawing a blank as you think about them. How little you know about them too.

Kyle. Kyle likes skincare. He’s always prioritized that on base. Maybe you’ll get him something related to that.

You start for the cosmetics section, Simon following like a shadow behind you and Dr. Keller. What kind of skincare does Kyle like? You know he uses coconut oil after he showers. He always smells good. Maybe something exfoliating? Something moisturizing? Both?

You stand in front of the skincare, drawing a blank as you look at the many options. Dr. Keller and Simon stand there quietly as you deliberate, suddenly overwhelmed by the choice you have to make.

“Who are you shopping for right now?” Dr. Keller asks, obviously picking up on your discomfort.

“Kyle.” You say. “I know he likes skincare.”

“Hmm.” Dr. Keller hums, looking at the options as well. “How about something like this?” She picks up a gift set with cleanser and moisturizer. “Something to cover all the basics?”

You nod. “Okay. That sounds good.”

Simon says nothing, offering no words of advice as she puts it in the cart. Maybe he doesn’t even know his own pack that well. Or maybe this is his way of showing his displeasure for you. Let you flounder and get the wrong thing. You want to believe he wouldn’t be that cruel.

You wander the aisles, looking for gifts for the other three. You pass by a spa kit, pausing for a moment. You should get one for Dr. Keller. She deserves some pampering and relaxation after weeks of taking care of you.

You put two in the cart, grabbing one for Ashley as well.

Johnny. What does Johnny like? Art. He likes art. Maybe something with art supplies.

You head for that section, Simon still following behind silently, aside from the clinking of the cart as he pushes it.

You pause as you pass by a display of teddy bears. Johnny sleeps with a stuffed bear. You know that. You’ve cuddled with it yourself. It’s probably back on base with the rest of your belongings. He must miss it.

You grab one, putting it in the cart.

“For Johnny.” You say as Dr. Keller gives you a look.

Simon still doesn’t say anything, but his scent reaches your nose as you walk past him.

The alphas. John and Simon. The two you seem to know the least. What do they like? What would they want as gifts? Simon likes knives and masks, but you’re not sure you could just buy a knife in the UK like you could in America. You could just ask him, considering he’s here with you, but that feels almost intrusive. He’ll know what you get him regardless, but asking him seems like a daunting task.

You continue wandering the aisles, looking for something that John might want.

You pass by a gift set of tea, pausing as you stare at it. He likes tea. He might like some other options than what’s at the house.

You put it in the cart.

Now Simon. The hardest of the four.

You continue wandering the aisles before you pause in the books section. Simon likes to read. You do know that. You’ve scoured the shelf at the cottage enough to know what’s there and what’s not. Maybe you’ll get Simon some new books. Something that’s not available to you currently.

You pick out a couple before putting them in the cart.

“Okay.” You say, staring at the selection you’ve grabbed. “I think I’m done.”

“You’re sure?” Dr. Keller asks.

You nod. “Yeah. I don’t want to do anything too over the top.”

You really don’t. The last thing you want is to do too much too soon.

You pause as you walk past the candy aisle, grabbing a handful of candy canes and putting them in the cart before heading for the checkout.

Dr. Keller pays with cash as you load the bags into the cart. You’re ready to be out of the store with its bright lights and loud music and people. It’s starting to get busier, more and more people coming in the doors there to do their Christmas shopping as well.

Simon loads the bags into the trunk as you climb into the car with Dr. Keller.

“How do you feel?” She asks as you let out a breath.

“A bit overwhelmed.” You say honestly.

“It’s a lot going from isolation to a supermarket. I think you did good, though.” She praises you.

The door opens as Simon climbs into the passenger seat. He’s barely said a word the entire trip, looming in silence like he used to. Part of it makes your chest hurt, that he would regress so much after what happened, but part of you understands. He had to make a big decision on your behalf, push himself past his comfort zone to save your life. Of course he’d want some distance after everything. You wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t want anything to do with you again.

It’s far too early when light seeps into your room before disappearing. You keep your eyes closed, willing whoever had just entered your room to vanish before they reach the bed.

You’re not so lucky, a hand settling on your shoulder and gently shaking you.

“Time to rise and shine.” A soft voice says.

You let out an irritated grumble, trying to pull the blanket up over your head.

“It’s Christmas morning, don’t you want to go open your presents?” That hand shakes you again.

“Sleep.” You murmur, curling up in a ball under the comforter.

“It’s already 10 am.” The voice says again, tugging the blankets down. “They let you sleep longer than they wanted.”

Last night was a rough one. You had laid awake far too late, staring at the ceiling and then you woke from a nightmare in the middle of the night, and it had taken time to calm yourself and fall back asleep. You’re still exhausted, your eyes burning from tiredness.

You let out a grunt of displeasure, but you know there’s no getting out of this one. You’re going to be getting up no matter what.

You slowly stretch out your limbs, rubbing your eyes. “Fine.” You yawn, turning over to press your face into the pillow. “Be up soon.”

“No going back to sleep.” The hand rubs your back gently. “Then I’ll have to send one of them in and they won’t be quite so nice about it.”

You hum into the pillow, already feeling sleep tugging at your brain. Despite the warning, your mind sinks back into the comforting realm of rest as your body relaxes back into the bed.

You’re not sure how long you get to rest before the comforter is torn off of you, landing somewhere on the floor. Hands roll you over and sit you up before your brain can even process. You blink the rapidly fading sleep from your eyes as you’re hauled up, flying through the air for a moment before you’re tossed over a broad shoulder.

“Time tae get up.” Johnny says, packing you towards the light filtering in through the open door.

You let out a whine as he packs you out into the warmth and the light before lowering you back down on your feet. Hands stop you from falling backwards, Johnny’s t-shirt clad chest coming into view as you blink the blurriness from your vision.

“Happy Christmas kitten.” He says, grinning brightly at you.

You mutter something that sounds like ‘Merry Christmas’ back to him. His hands slowly spin you around, turning you to face the tree.

You blink in surprise as you stare at the many presents on the floor under the tree. You weren’t expecting that much, though you suppose with six people in the house there would be quite a bit. It’s one gift though that draws your attention. It’s seated on the far side of the tree, nothing but a bow on top of its head.

“You...you got me a giant bear?” You ask in surprise.

“Was Si’s idea-oof.” Johnny coughs as Simon hits him on the back.

You walk over to it, pulling the bow off of its head. You’ve missed your giant bear and the comfort it brought you. That’s the one thing you wish you still had from the barracks, that you’ve been wanting for for weeks. It’s bigger than the one at the barracks, the top of its head reaching your chest when you’re standing in front of it.

You let your hands run over the soft fur, squeezing its plush face. There’s no cameras in this one. You know they’ve checked, ensured its safety. There’s no one looking back at you as you stare into its dark eyes.

“What do you think?” Kyle asks.

“I love it.” You say, trying to stop the waver in your voice. The last thing you want is to cry on Christmas. “Thank you.”

“Come on.” Hands guide you to the chair, letting you sit down. “You’ve got a lot to open.”

The next hour is a flurry of wrapping paper and bows as presents get passed around. You open up new shoes and clothes, a set of lacy panties courtesy of Johnny, new books, strawberry scented soap and shampoo, and some other comfort items.

You’ll never forget Johnny’s face when he opens your gift to him, his eyes lighting up as he stares at the soft bear you picked out. It gets you a big hug and a kiss to the cheek from him, and you know he’s going to be sleeping with it tonight.

You’re exhausted by the time the last present is opened, rubbing your eyes again. You hadn’t even changed out of your pajamas, feeling underdressed compared to the others. Yet at the same time it makes you feel like a kid again, tearing into presents on Christmas morning, excited to see what you got.

You look around the room, John and Kyle starting to bag up wrapping paper and clean, Johnny on the couch next to Simon holding his bear, Simon sitting near the fire already cracking open one of the books, and Dr. Keller and Ashley on the other couch talking, sitting very close. It brings a small smile to your face. You’re happy for them. It’s nice to see Dr. Keller getting something positive out of this stay at the cottage.

You can’t help but think that whatever happens next, maybe it might not be so bad after all.

“Think we should wake her up?” Kyle asks.

“No.” John says, standing next to him. “It’s the most relaxed I’ve seen her in weeks.”

They both stare at you where you lay near the tree, draped over your large bear. You’re sound asleep, mouth slightly parted as you snooze away.

“I think she likes it.”

“It was a good choice.” John agrees. “It will certainly help make her more comfortable.”

“I can’t wait to see how she’s going to fit that on the bed.” Kyle says with a soft smile.

“Well, you certainly won’t be joining her when she does.” John smirks.

“I think I can live with that.” Kyle says. “Like you said, whatever makes her more comfortable.”

“I’m glad she’s loosening up a bit.” John says, turning away from you to head back towards the dining table.

“So am I. She deserves to feel safe and comfortable.”

“She does. We need to make sure she feels that way all the time, no matter what.”

“I want to help her.” Kyle says longingly.

“I know. And we can, but we have to let her lead.” John says. “The best we can do is listen to her and give her what she needs, even if it's not what we think is best. We don’t really know what’s best for her in the end. Only she does.” He reaches up, cupping Kyle’s cheek. “We need to focus on each other too.”

“I know.” Kyle says, leaning into his touch. “I want to.”

John’s lips twitch in a small smile. “Good. Because so do I.”

NEXT ->

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#call of duty #cod fic #call of duty fic #john price x reader #captain price x reader #kyle gaz garrick x reader #gaz x reader #simon riley x reader #ghost x reader #john mactavish x reader #soap x reader #alpha/beta/omega dynamics #a/b/o #omegaverse

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on-the-clear-blue · 5 months ago

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So you know how there is a common fan theory that ghosts go through their death again on their death day? What about Jason going through it?

Feeling angsty crew, prepare yourselves

Trigger warnings: Jason death and all that comes with that, SA implications.

---

The first time it had happened it was in a LOA base, still catatonic and barely speaking, Jason was forced to train through the dark bruises that slowly appeared on his body, from his ribs and chest, to his fingers getting bent and crooked.

His trainers watched, not filled with concern but curiosity, an effect such a this had not been seen in the leauge in some time

As smoke was coughed up from his lungs and as bits of his flesh turned the same ghastly green as the pits, they watched, documenting it, unable to look away as the man boy seized and went still, finally.

---

The second time it happened, Jason was in Gotham, set up in a safe house, sirens and gun shots ringing out into the night, the sounds of his childhood.

He hadn't planned to stay long, only stopping by the safe house to grab a restock of ammo

Then came the phantom pains, tightness around his wrists, a deep, ever increasing sense of dread.

Jason staggered at the first ghostly strike to his head, hands flashing to his guns, scanning the room for what ever invisible foe that had struck him.

The next blow brought Jason to his knees, it hurt, oh God did it hurt, his head was pounding in a way that he barely remembered.

The feeling of his ribs crack robbed him of breath, a bone spur puncturing his lung, then came his hands, finger bones broke one at a time.

Jason curled himself up in a ball, just as he tired to years ago, tears streaming down his face under the metallic hood. The ticking demination of a clock ringing cruelly in his ears.

Then came the explosion, leaving his ears bleeding, eardrums ruptured, brain addled even more than the blunt force trauma caused.

With broken hands, Jason struggled to take off his helmet, as smoke poured out of his already damaged lungs. Smoke that clogged the helmet filters, that trapped it all around his face.

Jason Todd died a third time, the same way as the first two time that night.

---

It was a few years after the first time (that he remembered), that he found himself on a very bad day, he had found out that it always happened on the day he died, and he still didn't know what God had cursed him to relive it over and over again.

To add even more crap to his shittiest day, he was stuck in Wayne Manor.

The sense of dread was running though him, his hands were shaking terribly as he tried to just get away but his body wouldnt listen, he needed to leave get to his room, any room, hid away from his family, he didnt want them to see him like this didnt need them to be worried for him, he was so stupid, so idiotic to have forgotten what day it was, so wrapped up in having his family again that he forgot his curse.

---

Dick had a smile on his lips as he was about to jokingly throw a gaming controller at Jason, knowing he would likely start something to get his gaggle of siblings to do something together.

Yet it never left his hands, as he noticed Jason's eyes had gone glassy, a distant look in them, and a dull green sheen emanating from them.

Fear wormed it's way through him, Pit episodes had become less and less of a thing with his brother, something he was more than happy to see, but...this didn't seem to be the same thing.

Sending a concerned look to Tim, who has just walked into the room, even though he hoped (he thought they were over these, that Jason was getting better) Dick waved him back, if this was actually a Pit episode, he didnt need Jason to go off on Tim anymore than he had in the past.

Slowly approached his brother, Dick saw his eyes look into the middle distance, lost in his own head, "Littlewing? Jay I-I didnt..." His hand moved cautiously, coming into Jason's space and-

He flinched...Hard. Eyes flashing up at Dick but not seeing him, stuck deep in something else

Dicks heart dropped, Jason hadn't flinched when he had tried to touch him in years, not since a small boy in a ratty red hoodie was in Dicks old room, crying as he begged to not be sent back to the streets for them to "P-please don't t-touch me...I-Im sorry I-ill be good I promise"

But the words that came from Jason were far more haunting than what he uttered in fear, a voice hoarse and small came from him, slurred and heady with pain "Just...just let her go...C-can do anything to me...j-just let mom go..."

Bile, that was all Dick could taste as he held back what wanted to come up, he knew in a second what Jason was seeing, who Dick was to Jason's mind, trapped in memories.

He didn't know when he took a step back, didn't know when he had pulled away from his little brother until his back hit the wall, taking a shaky breath he forced himself back, He needed to be there, be there for his brother unlike...unlike last time.

"Jaybird it's me, Dickie? Jason..." he reached out agian, only to cringe back as his little brother flinch back, curling in on himself, his head tucked between his legs.

Dick didn't know Jason could look so small still, a distant thought bubbling up about maybe that's why he got so big, so he could never be that small again...but yet he was...

And Dick Hated It.

His hands fumbled for his phone, his fingers felt like lead, and all he could do is dial Ina number.

"Dad? Jason needs you..."

---

Bruce tore through the halls of his home with a fervor, his mind spinning with thoughts, from Dick’s description of what was happening this was a Pit episode of some sort, far different than any he had seen before.

The halls of his home never felt so long and never felt so claustrophobic.

Old demons in his mind cackled, bringing back the doubts of himself...if only he was just a little faster, a little less prideful...

Coming into the den, Bruce scanned the room, seeing his eldest kneeling by Jason, trying to be soothing while not touching him.

Dick face was hard and worried when he looked up at Bruce.

They shared a silent conversation, ending with Bruce taking Dick place on the floor, Dick in turn leaving to try and figure what was happening.

"Jaylad, Sweetheart, you have to breath, Jason?" It hurt to see his son flinch as he reached out, but Bruce pressed on, his fingers softly pressing against his son's pulse point on his wrist.

Dread spreads across Bruce's mind as he can hardly find a pulse, pulling his hand back the dread turns to horror as he see red and deep blue bruises start to from across Jason's face.

His eyes were open, dull instead of the bright they should be, his breathing sounded forced and-

It was his nightmares all over again.

Pushing past the fear, Bruce forced himself to pick Jason up, holding his dear boy so...so close to his chest, jaw shaking as he rushed through the halls once again.

He can't let his son die in his arms yet again.

---

Hours later, Bruce watches as Leslie called time of death, they did everything they could but it wasnt enough...his mind is disconnected from his body, a deep dark numbness burns within him and he just can't understand why...

Why the world seems to determined to make his family suffer? What had he done other than try and help, to cure the throbbing cancer that is Gotham? To help his fellow man live better and be happy...

His numbly looks around the med area, his children gathered, Dick is crying onto Cass's shoulder, Cass herself has tears but she refuses to shed them, Duke held his head in his hands, small shakings in his shoulders could only be crying, Stephanie was by Leslie, demanding answers and what happened with emotions think in her voice

Tim wasn't there, he was on the other side of the cave, running through data files, looking for anything that could cure this...Bruce would need to tell him to stop, that it was already over.

And Damian...his youngest just stood there, arms crossed and...politely blank was all Bruce could see, no mourning as the others. Just...waiting.

He was the only one not shocked when Jason groaned, sat up, cursed and promptly fell back onto the bed.

---

Damian sauntered over to where they had placed Todd, all of them still so careful with him, as if he would up and fall dead if someone was to as much as sneeze in his direction.

"Tt, Honestly it is as if they don't know this happens every year..." His own reliving of his deaths was far less dramatic.

Todd had the gall to look at him with confusion, and it took a moment for Damian to realize what his look ment "You never told them did you, Tt...Typical" shaking his head, Damian sat next to Jason's has-been death bed.

"Not all of us brought back from the dead suffer so spectacularly as you do Todd, as Jon would say...I believe this is a *Skill Issue*? Hashtag get good?" He didn't use the lingo lightly,

And of course, instead of being offended as he should, Todd just stared dumbly at him "This is when you banter, or has your repeated blunt force truama to the head bludgeoned you into stupidity?"

Shaking his head, Damian tutted "Clearly I have to do everything in this poor excuse for a social interaction" clearing his throat Damian put on a deeper voice as to mimic Jason "Shut it Demon Brat. I do truly hate that nickname. Oh woe is me why am i just a little bitch that can only suffer. Worry not dearest fuck up of a human being I can help you. Oh glory be you, you turly the greatest Robin. Oh only you say it now~"

Damian gave a dead pan stare at Todds slackjawed look, "Shut it, Jon is rubbing off and me and i cant for the life of me make it stop...but honestly if you wish to know more, seek out Phantom, though...you look pathetic enough that he might just find you first."

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fuckyeahisawthat · 5 months ago

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Dune: Prophecy episode 1 thoughts, tried to keep it vague to avoid major spoilers:

Wow there is a lot of exposition. Like a LOT of exposition, especially in the first 10-15 minutes when we're not invested in any of the characters yet. I hope this is a first episode problem.

Ah they went the coward's route and used "Great Machine War" instead of "Butlerian Jihad."

There's an interesting "history is written by the victors" thread there right from the beginning that I hope they pull on some more.

I love how they did the Voice, which appears early in the episode, because both the actor's performance and the sound design of it are slightly different from the films. It really feels/sounds like the character using it is straining to access a new and unfamiliar power, in contrast to the effortless, overwhelming assertion of control it comes across as in the films.

Salusa Secundus looks so green and lush in comparison to how it looks at the time of the films.

I realize this is probably an unfair complaint for something made on a TV budget (even an HBO TV budget), but imo the production design doesn't quite measure up to the films. I think the best work is on the props. The key to the genetic index room, the little slides that Valya and Tula are looking at with students' info on them, the Emperor's projection table--those all look great and have that feeling of "future filtered through the past" that I think is key to the Dune aesthetic. Many of the location exteriors are gorgeous, too. Some of the interior sets are quite striking and others are underwhelming. The costumes are...mid imo; there are some beautiful elements and others that look too identifiably modern. Including Princess Ynez's red gown unfortunately which looks like a department store prom dress. I realize it's a high bar--the films were really really good at making everything look both futuristic and ancient, layered and textured--but you do notice the difference.

So! Many! Women! Pretty racially diverse casting too. But also omg so many characters and I already forget half their names. I'm gonna need Dune: Facebook for the next episode.

Emily Watson and Olivia Williams are already very compelling, even if you don't quite know their characters' full agendas yet. Heckin ready for some Machiavellian women scheming.

Love some of the more fucked up shit that just slides by and the information it gives you about the world. Adult (? idk maybe she's supposed to be in her late teens) woman getting engaged to a 9-year-old. Practicing Truthsaying on prisoners, some of whom have fresh bruises on their faces.

Arrakis is...the same. This one is honestly fucking me up. I know time scales in Dune are absurd and really kind of incomprehensible in comparison to real Earth history but can you imagine your home being passed around various imperialist powers for resource extraction for ten thousand years?? FOUR HUNDRED GENERATIONS. 80 years of Harkonnen rule seems like nothing. We're talking about whole eras of colonial control and resistance here. Like damn. No wonder so many Fremen have come to believe that only a messiah can save them. Imagine being someone like Chani and feeling the legacy of not decades or even centuries but millennia of struggle on your shoulders. It is gonna take me a while to fully absorb this one. Holy fuck.

Travis Fimmel's character has an...ability that we haven't seen in the Dune universe before and I'm super curious to see where they're gonna go with that.

Overall it feels like this episode was mostly setup but there's a lot of potential? Like there are a lot of potential threads that could develop into something cool and twisty and interesting. I'm not sure where any of it is going yet but I'm ready to find out.

#dune #dune prophecy

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svt-luna · 5 months ago

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ʚིᵋ ⋆ GAME CATERERS X SVT ࣪ ! ˓ ౨ৎ ࣪˖ ─── episode 3-2.

Game Caterers x SEVENTEEN

synopsis: Episode 3-2! We are finally at the last game of the series! Basketball with a twist that ultimately decides if they can go home or not…

oh my goodness!!! we have finally reached the final episode of the game caterers series!!! i just want to quickly thank you lovely humans for patiently waiting for every episode which took so many weeks btw!! i am super grateful that you guys are continuously waiting and supporting me to this day! i am really happy and proud that we have finally finished the first series in my blog. the stan twitter reactions for episode three will officially be the last post for game caterers… and after that… we are officially off to Italy!!!

╰ ౨ৎ LUNA-VERSE MASTERLIST

╰ ౨ৎ fan reactions ╰ ౨ৎ game caterers masterlist

[added captions are in brackets] ღ

bold dialogues are spoken in english ღ

The cameras shifted position, now angled toward the opposite side of the open field, directing their gaze toward the basketball court. The crew had set up there, capturing the vibrant, warm-toned scene as the SEVENTEEN members began to trickle down from the green room.

[This is the most calm video of all SEVENTEEN's videosin the last 9 years]

Each one wore a bright red basketball jersey with their number in the official order, emblazoned across the back in bold black and white. As they headed toward the basketball court, a mix of chatter and laughter accompanied them.

Hoshi stretched his arms overhead, a determined look on his face. “I’m not good at basketball. I’ll just go with guts,” he declared, eyes fixed on the court as if sheer willpower would guide him through.

Dokyeom grinned, walking beside him with casual confidence. “Hoshi, sports is all about guts,” he replied, giving Hoshi an encouraging pat on the back. As they neared the edge of the court, he added, “Sports bring you closer by making you run into each other.”

“Yes, like ‘Slam Dunk’,” Dokyeom continued, nodding with a theatrical expression of seriousness.

“I’ll be like Hanamichi Sakuragi,” Hoshi told them.

Jeonghan, hands tucked lazily in his pockets as he walked, glanced over at Hoshi, amused. “Okay. Come on, Hanamichi,” he indulged, a hint of a smirk on his face.

“Who else is there aside from Hanamichi Sakuragi? I want to join,” Dokyeom said as they finally stepped onto the court.

Wonwoo, who had been listening to their animated conversation, looked over at him thoughtfully. “Do you want to play Takenori Akagi?” he suggested, his voice low but playful.

Dokyeom nodded immediately, adopting an exaggeratedly serious face. “Okay!”

Around them, members continued filtering onto the court, their laughter filling the air as they warmed up, but Luna and Seungkwan were noticeably absent. Hoshi, energized by the anticipation, suddenly darted across the court and stopped at the free-throw line. He raised his right hand high and imitated a shot, exclaiming with conviction, “The left hand only assists the right!”

Vernon raised an eyebrow, chuckling as he watched Hoshi’s exaggerated form. “What was that?” he asked, a smirk spreading across his face.

S.Coups shook his head with a chuckle, mimicking Hoshi’s earlier movement with his hands. “The left hand only assisted,” he laughed, rolling his eyes as he did so.

The members began lining up one by one, each taking turns shooting the basketball as they waited for everyone to arrive. Mingyu, holding the ball for his shot, grinned. “Nice. One ball is enough to have fun,” he remarked, dribbling a few times before taking his shot.

[Everyone is here except for Seungkwan and Luna]

A few minutes passed, and still no sign of Luna and Seungkwan. Hoshi, now restless with excitement, glanced toward the direction of the green room and called out, his voice carrying across the field. “Seungkwan-ah! Jiyeonie! Hurry up! We’re waiting for you!”

His shout was met with laughter from the members, some shaking their heads in amusement. And then, just over the hill, Luna and Seungkwan appeared, Seungkwan dragging a laughing Luna along by the arm with a dramatic look of exasperation on his face.

[He looks tired already]

As they drew closer, Seungkwan called out, “Noona was taking forever to decide if she wanted her hair down or up,” his tone playful yet mockingly exhausted.

Luna struggled in his hold, laughing as she tried to keep up with his pace. Her hair was down, loose waves framing her face. She wore her red SEVENTEEN basketball jersey in her own unique style— one side tucked up, giving it a cropped look that revealed a hint of her side, paired with a relaxed, white pair of parachute pants that moved with every step.

“I’m sorry,” Luna said, finally reaching the group with an apologetic smile. “It was a genuine problem.”

The members laughed, watching her with fond smiles, each accustomed to her usual dilemmas when it came to fashion and styling choices. For them, it was all part of her charm.

Mingyu walked over to the bleachers, a thoughtful look on his face as he sat down. After a moment, he lifted his hand, gesturing to the group. “Let’s get a group picture,” he announced, his voice carrying with a hint of excitement. “Everyone, this way, please.”

One by one, the members slowly made their way toward the bleachers. Some moved with ease, hands tucked into pockets or slung over shoulders, while others laughed and nudged each other as they picked their spots. They settled in three rows, their jerseys bright red against the muted, natural tones of the field around them.

As he took his seat, Dokyeom’s gaze landed on a small stuffed bunny positioned beside Mingyu. The plush toy sported a tiny SEVENTEEN jersey and even had a pair of glasses perched on its nose. His eyes lit up with recognition.

“Oh, I know this one,” Dokyeom exclaimed, pointing at the bunny. “I drew it,” he added with a proud smile, a hint of nostalgia in his voice as he settled into his spot, admiring his earlier prize from the ‘Super’ Store game segment earlier.

[DK's favorite doll, Torong]

Luna took her place in the middle row, wedging herself between Hoshi and Seungkwan, who made exaggerated gestures to make room for her with playful smiles. She leaned back, catching her breath, then adjusted her jersey, her hair falling around her shoulders.

As they all settled, each member struck a different pose. Some threw peace signs, others leaned forward or back with playful grins, and a few simply folded their arms, attempting a serious look for the picture.

[The photo theme: basketball players]

After a few clicks, Mingyu raised his thumb, directing them all with a smile. “Right thumbs up,” he told them, and the team lifted their right thumbs in unison, matching smiles spreading across their faces as they held the pose.

After the group photo, they made their way down from the bleachers, gathering at the center of the field where the camera crew and production team had set up once again. PD Na, seated comfortably up front with the other writers, smiled as the group assembled in front of him.

“This is the last part,” PD Na started, his tone both serious and playful. “You’re going to play basketball.”

Minghao stood to the side, clutching a small whistle, his expression more reserved. PD Na continued, explaining with a glance in his direction, “Since The8 has a shoulder problem, he’ll be the referee. Luna’s fingers are also injured, so she’ll be the cheerleader.”

Minghao brought the whistle to his lips, letting out a light, somewhat hesitant blow, which was barely audible, earning quiet chuckles from the group. Luna nodded, visibly content with her role on the sidelines, her fingers carefully resting in front of her.

“It’ll be six on six,” PD Na added as he glanced at the group, while Minghao gave another soft whistle.

[Even with two missing, they can still play 6 on 6]

“You’re pretty good,” PD Na complimented, causing Minghao to break into a shy smile.

As the whistle’s sound faded, PD Na resumed, moving on to the team selection. “The two best players will come forward and choose five people each with rock-paper-scissors,” he said, eyes scanning the group as he waited.

[Team selection rules]

With a slight nod, S.Coups stepped forward, a hint of a grin on his face. “Seungkwan and I will do it,” he declared, glancing back with confidence.

Dokyeom, however, was already making his way forward with a mock swagger, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, feigning a look of cockiness. PD Na couldn’t contain his laughter at the sight. “DK is coming forward,” he laughed, watching as S.Coups gently nudged Dokyeom back, causing laughter to ripple through the group.

[Takenori Akagi is out]

Meanwhile, Mingyu tilted his head, glancing over at PD Na with a mixture of disbelief and curiosity. “Are we playing real basketball?” he asked, his brow furrowed slightly. “I thought we had to use a scoop to score or something.”

“No, you’re playing real basketball,” PD Na confirmed.

Almost everyone chorused, “Really?” their expressions were a mix of amusement and skepticism, finding it hard to believe that the game wouldn’t come with some sort of twist.

Luna, observing their reactions with a laugh, shook her head. “The catch will come soon, watch.”

Seungkwan chuckled, enthusiasm radiating from him. “I played basketball at Jamwon Han River Park yesterday too.”

Dokyeom chimed in, nodding toward PD Na, “We love basketball.”

[That's why we prepared this game]

[Team selection]

[S.Coups versus Seungkwan]

With that, the rock-paper-scissors showdown began. After a quick match, S.Coups won the first round and wasted no time in selecting his team. “Mingyu,” he called out, gesturing confidently toward him.

“No,” Mingyu replied playfully, though a grin spread across his face.

Jeonghan chuckled, watching the selection with a spark of mischief. “Right. You need someone big,” he commented, earning a laugh from the group.

With the next pick, Seungkwan’s voice rang out with a clear choice. “I choose Jeonghan,” he announced.

[2 ace players team up]

Another round of rock-paper-scissors followed, ending with S.Coups victorious once again. “Joshua,” he called.

Seungkwan countered, glancing around as he chose Vernon with a smile. “I’ll go with Vernon. He’s a zombie defender.”

The two continued their picks, with each choice narrowing down the players until two teams were fully assembled. Finally, the teams stood divided: Team White with S.Coups, Mingyu, Joshua, Dokyeom, Jun, and Dino, while Team Red consisted of Seungkwan, Jeonghan, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Vernon, and Woozi.

[Team White versus Team Red]

With the teams established, the members of Team White moved to change, swapping out their red jerseys for fresh white ones bearing the SEVENTEEN logo, their excitement palpable as they readied for the game ahead.

Once Team White finished changing into their fresh jerseys, they gathered at the center of the field alongside Team Red, eyes turned expectantly toward PD Na. He glanced around to make sure everyone was listening.

“The rule is simple,” he began. “It’s three on three. But each of you must play at least once.” The members nodded, some of them voicing their understanding with murmurs of agreement.

“Another important rule.” But as PD Na took a brief pause, Luna chuckled knowingly, anticipation lighting up her face. “There it is.”

PD Na continued with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “It’ll be Hunminjeongeum basketball.”

The group immediately erupted in groans, knowing exactly what that meant. This wasn’t going to be a normal basketball game.

PD Na raised a hand to explain further. “The moment the players or the audience speak a foreign language, the score resets.”

“Does it really reset?” Dokyeom asked, eyebrows raised.

“To zero,” PD Na confirmed, a smirk playing on his lips.

Woozi crossed his arms, leaning back a bit with a shrug. “That works for me. I can’t play basketball at all.”

Mingyu looked at him, unconvinced. “You know how to pass and shoot.”

Woozi tilted his head, conceding slightly. “I know that much.”

“That’s all English,” Mingyu pointed out.

“You can’t say shoot,” Jun added, glancing pointedly at Woozi.

Hoshi jumped in, breaking out in English with a playful confidence, “Hey. Okay.” He threw himself into an exaggerated re-enactment, pretending he was mid-game, showing the others exactly what they couldn’t do.

Seungkwan turned to PD Na with a thoughtful expression. “Are the names okay?”

PD Na shook his head. “No, not even the names.”

Everyone looked around in surprise, murmurs, and exclamations breaking out all at once, caught off guard by the strictness of the rule.

Luna deadpanned, a serious look crossing her face. “I don’t think we will be going home today.”

Joshua raised a hand, smiling as he posed a question. “What about foreigners?”

PD Na nodded in Luna’s direction as she answered on his behalf, “Everyone will use their Korean names.”

Vernon raised his hand, a slight smile on his face. “Hansol,” he said, pointing at himself.

Jun’s brow furrowed as he looked at PD Na, hesitant. “Does Jun count as English?”

PD Na shrugged. “This is not an official game. So all rules are up to the referee.”

[What the referee says is the law]

Minghao, the appointed referee, tilted his head innocently, a playful glimmer in his eyes. “What if the referee doesn’t know the rules?” he asked, his voice laced with mock innocence.

Everyone burst out laughing, PD Na included. Mingyu echoed the question with a laugh, “What if he doesn’t?”

Luna grinned, reaching over to give Minghao’s shoulder a supportive squeeze. “I’ll help you, Hao,” she said affectionately, finding his comment both adorable and endearing.

[Anyway, it's all up to the referee]

With a smirk, PD Na gave the final directive, “The first team to get twenty-one wins.”

Luna didn’t miss a beat, deadpanning once more as she leaned against Minghao’s side, her face scrunched up in doubt. “I don’t think we’ll reach the tens,” she remarked, earning another round of laughter from the group.

[She has no faith in them whatsoever]

Mingyu, always one to tease, pinched her side playfully, making her jerk back slightly. She shot him a look, sticking her tongue out at him with a grin.

“It’ll be zero the whole time,” Jeonghan added, sharing in Luna’s skepticism.

As the laughs subsided, the players steeled themselves, ready for a game that would clearly be anything but typical.

[Hunminjeongeum basketball begins]

The teams began to disperse, each group huddling together, strategizing with enthusiasm and an eagerness that hinted at their competitive sides. Some members bounced the basketball, others shuffled around, loosening up.

Meanwhile, Luna, lighthearted as ever, skipped over to the sidelines, hand in hand with Minghao, her fingers interlaced with his. “Let’s go, Hao,” she said, her voice full of playful energy as they made their way toward the bleachers to watch from the sidelines.

Jeonghan looked at his team, calm but focused. “Let’s go with Hoshi, Seungkwan, and Vernon,” he instructed, his tone low and clear, suggesting his confidence in their abilities as he glanced between the three members. They nodded in agreement, quickly organizing themselves as the first lineup.

Across from them, Team White finalized their lineup with Mingyu, Joshua, and Dokyeom stepping forward, the three of them preparing with a blend of focus and excitement.

[Big people against big people]

The rest of the members settled themselves on the bleachers, eagerly watching the setup unfold. Minghao stood at the right side of the bleachers, while Luna positioned herself on the left, her stance casual as she waited for the game to begin.

Seated comfortably on the bleachers, Jeonghan reached over, his hand brushing against Luna’s arm with a gentle, almost absentminded touch, inviting her closer. She shifted toward him naturally, her attention still on the game ahead as they stood side by side, shoulders nearly touching. With a slight smirk, Jeonghan called out to the players, “Hoshi, just run to the place with no people.”

Hoshi took off immediately, following the advice, darting toward an empty spot on the court.

[Since Hoshi doesn't know anyway, he just warms up]

Jeonghan nodded his head with approval. “Good,” he murmured quietly, turning back to Luna as he traced gentle circles into her hand, which rested in his.

Just then, a staff member walked over, slowly handing Luna a set of red and white pom-poms. Luna chuckled, her gaze drifting from the vibrant pom-poms to the staff member, amusement evident in her smile. “Is this really necessary?” she asked with a soft laugh, her eyes bright as she accepted the pom-poms with one hand, keeping her other firmly intertwined with Jeonghan’s.

[She’s a cheerleader for today]

From his spot on the bleachers, Wonwoo leaned over, raising an eyebrow at her. “What team are you cheering for?”

Luna shook the pom-poms lightly, fluffing them up with a playful shrug. “Both…” she replied, her voice lilting with humor. She gave the pom-poms a final shake before adding in a softer tone, “Whoever wins,” her casual remark drawing laughs from the group.

Jeonghan looked at her, a knowing smile playing on his lips as he pointed out, “You’re wearing red.”

Luna tilted her head at him, her eyes gleaming with a mischievous spark. “Then win,” she shot back, punctuating her challenge with a wink.

Jeonghan’s grin widened as he looked back at Luna, her wink and confident challenge igniting a spark in his eyes. He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice so that only she could hear. “Alright,” he murmured, his tone soft but filled with determination. His gaze lingered on her, holding her attention for a beat longer, the hint of a competitive glint in his eyes promising he’d give it everything he had.

Minghao stepped forward, his voice clear as he took up his role as referee. “To your positions,” he instructed, gesturing for the players to take their places on the court.

The first three players from each team responded immediately: Seungkwan, Hoshi, and Vernon for Team Red moved to one side of the court, while Mingyu, Joshua, and Dokyeom from Team White positioned themselves on the opposite side. The rest of the members, anticipating the match, gathered on the bleachers, eager to watch the action unfold.

Luna, with a mischievous smile, shook her pom-poms and called out from her spot near the bleachers. “Fighting! I believe in you guys!” Her voice rang cheerfully, bringing a wave of encouragement to both teams.

Seungkwan quickly looked to Vernon, determined to start the game strong. “Hansol, mark Mingyu,” he instructed, emphasizing their focus on strategy and using Vernon’s Korean name to avoid slipping up on the language rule.

Mingyu, sensing Seungkwan’s readiness, chuckled and reassured him with a laid-back attitude. “It’s okay. It’s only 0:0,” he pointed out, nodding towards Seungkwan, already in the spirit of the game and noting the smooth switch to Korean names.

Meanwhile, Dokyeom made his own preparations, eyeing his opponents carefully. “I’ll mark Soonyoung,” he offered, squaring his shoulders.

Hoshi nodded in agreement, glancing back at Dokyeom with a grin. “Okay, Seokmin,” he replied, “I can’t call you DK, can I?” Already aware of the no-English rule, Hoshi’s playful tone underscored the competitive but lighthearted nature of the match.

[DK is okay, but okay is not okay]

From the sidelines, Jeonghan, lounging casually on the bleachers, gave his team a confident signal. “Good. Let’s go. Start.” He declared with a nod, giving them the final encouragement to get going.

[The game begins]

Mingyu took advantage of the moment to remind them of a slight technical loophole, a last-minute suggestion as they shifted into action. “We can speak English until we score,” he pointed out, just loud enough for his teammates. Then, in English, he added, “Can you pass me the ball?” gesturing to Seungkwan, who dribbled carefully, eyes darting for openings as his teammates positioned themselves strategically.

Observing Seungkwan’s movement, S.Coups leaned forward, offering insight from the bleachers. “Hoshi’s turning around,” he called, as Hoshi quickly moved across the court, marking his territory on the other side.

With a quick flick of his wrist, Seungkwan passed the ball to Vernon, who, without missing a beat, caught it smoothly. In a swift, calculated motion, he scanned the court, recognizing Hoshi’s position on the other side, and passed the ball across the court to him. Hoshi received it and seemed poised to shoot, but Dokyeom’s defense was tight. Realizing he had no clear shot, Hoshi pivoted, aiming a precise pass back to Seungkwan instead.

“Seungkwan, come up. Lay up,” Dino’s voice rang out from the sidelines, encouragement evident in his tone. Seungkwan, fueled by the support, moved swiftly toward the basket. He took the shot— a smooth layup— but luck wasn’t on his side, and the ball bounced off the rim.

Joshua, acting on reflex, caught the rebound. He dribbled once, trying to line up for a quick shot. He aimed, but the ball clanged against the rim, missing again.

“Leave the box,” Mingyu’s voice cut through, directing Joshua to back out of the key. Joshua stepped out, positioning himself outside the paint, scanning for a potential three-point shot.

[Joshua got a chance for a 3-pointer]

“He has to leave, right?” Minghao asked, looking toward PD Na for confirmation.

PD Na nodded, confirming, “You need to leave the box.”

Once Joshua was in position, he took a deep breath, braced himself, and launched a three-point attempt. The ball arced toward the basket, everyone holding their breath as it hit the top of the backboard and bounced out of bounds.

[Bounce]

A chorus of groans rose from the bleachers. Woozi’s voice was the first to break through the disappointment. “It’s out,” he called, arms crossed as he leaned back, his face showing a hint of frustration.

Jeonghan shook his head from the sidelines, letting out an amused sigh. “That was a ridiculous shot,” he observed dryly, adding a bit of levity to the moment.

Luna, catching the mood, shook her pom-poms with exaggerated enthusiasm, calling out with a bright tone. “It’s okay! Fighting!” she encouraged with a mock cheerful voice, causing PD Na to laugh and point at her from his spot, clearly entertained by her dramatic cheer.

Mingyu, still focused, checked the scoreboard and shook his head. “It’s still 0:0. No one’s going to score,” he said, hands on his hips, as he looked back at his team with a determined expression.

With that, Seungkwan took control again, dribbling the ball with focused energy as he scanned for an opening. Hoshi, ever the energetic tiger, darted around the court, narrating his moves in a loud, confident voice. “The counterattack of the tiger!” he announced as he circled around, trying to break through Mingyu and Dokyeom’s defense.

[While the tiger jumps around, Seungkwan got a chance]

Seungkwan seized the opportunity and took a sharp shot. The ball flew through the air, finally making its way into the basket.

[He scores easily]

The bleachers erupted in cheers, Luna jumping up and down with enthusiasm as she shook her pom-poms vigorously. “That’s two points,” PD Na announced, finally marking a breakthrough.

“No English from now on,” Mingyu reminded his teammates firmly.

“Good,” Hoshi replied, his tone brimming with excitement as he jogged back.

“He scored,” Wonwoo confirmed, flipping the scoreboard numbers with a grin.

Woozi, ever the strategist, leaned into the red team with a serious expression. “We need to focus from now on,” he instructed, drawing nods of agreement from his teammates.

“Be careful,” Jeonghan added, his voice a steady reminder from the sidelines, signaling the players to stay sharp and avoid mistakes that might reset their hard-earned score.

Seungkwan, breathing heavily but with a triumphant smile, slapped hands with Hoshi and Vernon in a quick team celebration. “Hansol, Hoshi, Seungkwan. Good job,” he told himself and his teammates with a quiet, self-assured nod.

With the briefest pause, Mingyu then gestured toward the Red Team, keeping the game momentum going. “Excuse me. Please start. Please,” he said with an authoritative tone, his words conveying both a tease and a hint of challenge.

Joshua, still in the zone and with his team scoreless, seized the chance to keep things light but competitive, smirking, he added, “Let’s go. Hurry up,” hoping to tease Red Team into losing their focus.

Dino, seated on the bleachers, grinned at his team’s freedom with language for the moment. “Okay, we haven’t scored yet. Good,” he observed aloud, almost in approval of their strategic advantage.

The ball returned to play, this time firmly in Vernon’s hands. He glanced around, calculating the pass, and with a practiced flick, he sent it toward Hoshi. But Hoshi, his focus wavering for a split second, almost missed. He chased after the ball, eyes locked as it bounced closer to the sidelines, only to lose it as it rolled out of bounds toward the production team.

[The tiger finally got the ball for the first time]

“It’s okay,” Seungkwan called out, the reassurance in his tone bringing Hoshi’s frustration down a notch.

With a quick movement, Dokyeom scooped the ball up and lobbed it toward Mingyu, who took position, lining up his shot. He stepped back, squared his shoulders, and, with a measured push, sent the ball arcing toward the basket. It swished cleanly through the net, catching the White Team up to tie the score.

[Team White catches up]

As his teammates celebrated, Mingyu clasped his hand over his mouth, a half-smile creeping in. He raised a finger to his lips, his eyes flicking meaningfully between each teammate as a shushing motion— no more English, no more slip-ups that could jeopardize their points now that they were finally even.

From her spot on the sidelines, Luna couldn’t contain her excitement. She jumped up, pom-poms flying in a flurry of color, and shouted, “Wow! Kim Mingyu!” The admiration in her voice was unmistakable, her cheer earnest as she praised anyone who made a good shot.

Even PD Na joined in, nodding toward Mingyu. “He’s really tall,” he commented, unable to resist noting Mingyu’s natural advantage on the court.

On the bleachers, S.Coups folded his arms, his expression one of measured caution. “You need to be careful from now on,” he warned, his voice carrying across the court like a coach reminding his players of the stakes.

Joshua now had possession, dribbling steadily as he sought an opening. His eyes locked onto Mingyu, who signaled his readiness. Joshua aimed a pass in his direction, but Vernon, quick as ever, sprang forward, intercepting with a well-timed block. The ball ricocheted off his fingers, only for Joshua to recover possession. Pivoting, he squared his shoulders and released a shot— only for it to bounce off the rim, missing the net by inches.

The ball bounced into Dokyeom’s hands, who immediately took advantage of the rebound. He dribbled twice, calculating his next move, before aiming a pass toward Mingyu. But just as he threw it, Seungkwan lunged forward, intercepting the ball with a skillful grab. He dribbled fast, Joshua at his heels, trying to steal it back with quick, agile movements.

From the bleachers, Jeonghan straightened, calling out to him with a calm yet firm tone. “Seungkwan.”

S.Coups followed up, “Joshua, get closer,” his voice steady and strategic, urging Joshua to close the gap.

Hoshi darted in behind Seungkwan, matching his speed and murmuring quietly, “Kwan, I’m right behind you,” a note of encouragement evident in his voice, urging him to pass.

Seungkwan glanced back at Hoshi, who seemed ready to take over. But before he could make a move, Joshua shifted closer, cutting off his line of sight. Seungkwan gritted his teeth, waiting for the right moment, finally breaking free from Joshua’s block. In one smooth motion, he passed the ball to Vernon, who, without hesitation, relayed it to Hoshi with a precise, angled pass.

Hoshi caught the ball, his gaze settling on the basket. He raised an eyebrow, a hint of a grin creeping in. “Do you think I can do it?” he asked, his voice carrying a trace of playful challenge as he adjusted his grip.

Luna, from the sidelines, raised her pom-poms, her voice clear and full of encouragement. “Oppa, you can do it!”

Seungkwan, positioning himself in front of Mingyu to prevent interference, called out, “Give it a shot. Trust yourself.”

“Soonyoung, Shoot!” Jeonghan’s voice rang out in English, the unintentional slip causing his eyes to widen as he caught his own mistake. He clamped a hand his mouth shut, freezing as he realized the consequences.

Luna, her reflexes quick, spun to face him. Her body blocked the camera’s view as she chuckled at his blunder, a hand over her own mouth to stifle her laughter. “Ya!” She whispered under her breath, her voice playful but low, hoping no one else caught the slip.

Oblivious to Jeonghan’s mistake, Hoshi refocused, releasing his shot with a flick of his wrist. The ball sailed toward the net, only to bounce off the rim and back onto the court.

[Soonyoung failed to score]

From the bleachers, Jun’s eyes lit up, a mischievous glint in them as he pointed toward Jeonghan. “Jeonghan spoke English!” he announced gleefully, his tone triumphant as he snitched.

Jeonghan turned, feigning innocence with a casual shrug. “What?” he replied, his tone smooth, as if unaware of any mishap. He glanced at Luna, his eyes searching hers with a playful look. “Did I?”

All eyes turned toward her, expecting confirmation. Her expression froze, her wide eyes betraying her surprise. Realizing the focus was now on her, she slowly turned her head away, her gaze lifting to the sky as if she’d found something fascinating in the clouds. Her lips curved into an innocent smile, trying to hide the fact that looking at Jeonghan any longer might make her burst into laughter.

[Out of sight, out of mind]

From his spot on the bleachers, S.Coups chuckled, crossing his arms and pointing at Jeonghan with amusement. “You clearly did.”

PD Na nodded, clapping his hands once. “It’s back to zero,” he announced, resetting the Red Team’s points with a definitive call.

Jun, unable to contain his satisfaction, grinned widely, pumping a fist in the air. “Gotcha,” he said excitedly, looking straight at Jeonghan, who just shrugged, leaning back on the bench with a lazy, nonchalant air, seemingly unbothered by the setback.

Luna, still shaking with silent laughter, pointed at Jun, a glint of amusement in her eyes. “You’re next,” she muttered with a knowing smile, her tone low enough for only him to hear, fully aware that Jeonghan would surely have a playful comeback waiting for Jun soon.

Hoshi’s voice cut through the chatter as he clapped his hands, rallying the players on the court. “Okay,” he called, a spark of intensity in his tone as he encouraged them, eager to keep the game moving.

“Let’s go, guys!” Luna’s pom-poms flashed as she raised them high, her voice filled with energy.

“We need to continue broadcasting for our friends,” Jeonghan reminded the players with a smile, knowing they had an audience eager to see them give it their all, his eyes scanning his quieter teammates. He gave a pointed look to those who had fallen silent, cautious about slipping into English.

Jun met his gaze with an exaggerated nod as if to confirm his dedication. “Yes. I am,” he replied, his voice calm yet filled with mock solemnity.

On the court, Dokyeom had secured the ball, eyes keenly watching Hoshi, who positioned himself squarely in his path, arms spread to defend. Dokyeom’s gaze darted, analyzing Hoshi’s stance, his movements swift as he shifted to feint. Hoshi mirrored him, moving with agility, staying just close enough to keep Dokyeom from making an easy pass.

[Hoshi is the busiest, but he's not really doing anything]

After a quick fake to his left, Dokyeom took advantage of the narrow gap and pivoted, sending the ball soaring across to Joshua, who stood ready, anticipating the pass. Joshua’s fingers wrapped around the ball in a smooth, practiced catch.

“Let’s go!” Jeonghan cheered from the sidelines, his voice ringing out in support of Hoshi’s tight defense.

“Come on!” S.Coups added, his encouragement directed at Joshua, rooting for his attempt to break through Hoshi’s defense.

Joshua moved with intent, sizing up Hoshi, who met him head-on with a determined gaze. Hoshi shifted his stance, maintaining his stance directly in Joshua’s line. Joshua angled his body, feeling the pressure of Hoshi’s close guard, and with a final glance at his options, passed the ball smoothly back to Dokyeom, who had shifted into an open space.

With fluid movement, Dokyeom redirected the ball, passing it off to Mingyu, who now held control, watching the defenders around him.

“Mingyu, go for it!” S.Coups’s voice rang out in support, his words carrying both urgency and anticipation.

But instead of attempting the shot himself, Mingyu spotted Dokyeom near the basket and made a quick decision. With a swift pivot, he sent the ball to Dokyeom, who caught it, turned, and jumped, releasing the ball in a clean, practiced shot. The ball soared through the air and sank into the net with a satisfying swish.

[DK scores again]

A cheer erupted from the White Team, who clapped in celebration as they witnessed Dokyeom’s successful shot.

[Perfect teamwork of boys born in '97]

“Nice!” S.Coups shouted, his enthusiasm overriding his caution, as he stood up in a burst of excitement. But realization dawned immediately as his hand flew to his mouth, his eyes widening in shock at the English word that had slipped out.

[Slip of the tongue]

Luna turned to S.Coups with a chuckle, her tone teasing as she said, “The members on the bleachers are the ones messing up.” She let out a laugh, shaking her head as she looked at him.

Jeonghan’s hand shot up with the speed of a kid eager to answer in class. “Producer Na!” he called out, his finger already pointing at S.Coups as expected, wasting no time. His voice was filled with mock righteousness, almost as if he’d been waiting for the opportunity to call out someone else.

[Snitch]

“S.Coups said ‘nice.’ The score resets.” PD Na nodded in agreement, his tone final as he announced, “The score resets,” loud enough for everyone on the court to hear.

Confusion flashed across Dokyeom’s face as he turned to Mingyu. “Who said ‘nice’?” he asked, his brows furrowed.

“He did.” Mingyu pointed toward S.Coups, who was already making his way to the court as the teams prepared to switch members. Team White rotated, with Dokyeom, Mingyu, and Joshua heading to the bleachers, while S.Coups, Dino, and Jun took their places on the court.

“Why did you say ‘nice’?” Dokyeom’s voice carried a hint of mock disapproval, his expression exaggeratedly serious as he questioned S.Coups.

Luna chimed in, her tone playfully scolding, though laced with amusement, “No fighting, guys. You’re both tied at zero now anyway.” She swayed the words in a sing-song tone, knowing neither of them were genuinely upset.

Jeonghan gave a firm nod, his expression one of comical agreement. “No, we must compliment,” he added, his voice feigning the utmost seriousness.

“Good job,” Wonwoo piped in from his seat, keeping the spirit of praise going with a casual nod toward his teammates.

PD Na chuckled, his eyes narrowing with playful suspicion as he addressed the commentators. “The commentators are speaking too much English. We better watch them,” he said, motioning to his team. He and the two other producers and writers moved to sit behind SEVENTEEN, clearly prepared to monitor the situation more closely.

Jeonghan glanced back, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Why don’t we let it slide if the producers don’t notice?” he suggested, raising a brow, his voice carrying a note of sly humor.

“But we point it out. We tell them,” Mingyu replied, holding a straight face as he held Jeonghan’s gaze.

“Let’s not tell them,” Jeonghan countered, his tone casual, enough to draw laughter from Mingyu and Luna.

Luna turned to Jeonghan, her voice filled with playful accusation. “You snitched earlier. So fast, in fact,” she teased, giving him a gentle bump with her hip.

Jeonghan’s grin widened as he looked down at her, unbothered. “Ey, that was just one time,” he replied, his voice a mixture of self-assurance and playfulness.

Luna chuckled, nodding toward PD Na and the writers seated behind them. “Plus, why didn’t you think of that earlier? PD Na is right behind us.”

Mingyu turned to S.Coups, his face filled with mock disappointment. “We were playing nice and quiet. Why did you have to say ‘nice’?” His voice carried an air of exasperation, though the smile that tugged at his lips gave him away.

Dokyeom followed suit, shaking his head. “Seriously, Park Bo Gum,” he muttered, the nickname still in play from S.Coups’s earlier blunder.

S.Coups shrugged, meeting their looks with a challenging grin. “Hey, S.Coups. Do it right,” Mingyu warned him with a teasing tone, pointing in mock admonishment.

“I’ll be watching you,” S.Coups replied, his finger aimed back in defiance.

“Come on!” Seungkwan, now holding the ball, shouted, his eyes lit with determination as he cheered his team forward.

“Let’s go!” Luna and Wonwoo chorused, their voices blending as they encouraged their teammates from the sidelines.

Dino, adrenaline rushing, started to cheer for his team, “My team—” he stopped, catching himself mid-sentence as the realization hit him that he’d spoken in English.

S.Coups, still lighthearted, reassured him, “It’s okay. We’re at zero.” He eyed Dino with a grin, calming any concerns.

[No points to lose]

Mingyu, always quick to keep things entertaining, stood up with a dramatic flair. “Calm down, calm down,” he repeated in English, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he continued, “Not yet, not yet.”

“That’s okay, bro,” Dokyeom followed, his words slipping into English as he added his own brand of encouragement.

“Just do, just do,” Mingyu chimed in again, his laughter evident as he sat back down.

Luna, her laughter bubbling over, pointed at Mingyu, her voice filled with affection as she teased, “Gyu-gyu and Kyeomie are so cute.”

As the whistle blew, signaling the start of the new round, the atmosphere crackled with renewed energy. Minghao stood with an air of official authority, the whistle still dangling from his fingers as he took his place on the sidelines.

[The game resumes]

Team Red remained steady with Seungkwan, Hoshi, and Vernon, ready to secure their lead. Across from them, Team White shuffled in fresh players: Jun, S.Coups, and Dino stepped onto the court, each visibly focused intensity.

Seungkwan gripped the ball, his eyes darting between Vernon and Hoshi, who was already breaking into motion, weaving around Team White like synchronized dancers. He smirked, shaking his head in amusement at their fervor. “You don’t have to run around so much, or you’ll be tired,” he teased, loud enough for both teams to hear, drawing hearty laughter from everyone on the court and the sidelines.

After a beat, Seungkwan lobbed the ball towards Vernon, who leaped and caught it, instantly setting up for a shot. He lined up his aim and released, but the ball arced just shy of the hoop, bouncing off the rim before Dino lunged forward, catching it in both hands with impressive speed.

[Failed to score]

“Good job. I’m proud of you,” Seungkwan said with mock solemnity, pointing at Vernon. On the sidelines, Wonwoo chuckled, commenting dryly, “They had a chance.”

Dino took over possession, dribbling with agility as he searched for an opening. He maneuvered with quick, nimble steps, clearly aiming to get closer to the hoop. As he neared the basket, he attempted a layup with an air of confidence— only for the ball to slip from his hands, veering behind the backboard in a surprising misfire.

Mingyu’s gaze tracked Dino’s movement, and he muttered, “The way he dances…” His words trailed off, his appreciation lost in hesitation. Dokyeom, seated beside him, couldn’t resist intervening. “Think before you speak,” he advised, patting Mingyu on the shoulder with a wise expression.

“Okay,” Mingyu replied, resigning himself with a sheepish grin, while PD Na chuckled loudly behind them, clearly enjoying the banter.

[They're funny]

The game resumed, and Seungkwan took the ball again, launching it from across the court to Vernon, who was positioned near the hoop. “Nice attack,” Woozi observed approvingly as Vernon caught the pass, his eyes narrowing in concentration as he set up for a layup. But to everyone’s disbelief, the ball once again veered off course, sailing past the hoop and landing behind the backboard, leaving the members in a chorus of laughter and groans.

“Come on. That was a bad attack,” Jeonghan commented dryly from the sidelines.

“Not a good attack,” Woozi added, his tone flat as he shared a knowing look with Jeonghan.

On the sidelines, Luna, pom-poms in hand, stood with her hands on her waist, her expression frozen in disbelief. “Wow, that was really… what was… it was right there,” she muttered, genuinely baffled. The members quickly turned towards her, pointing and laughing at her reaction, clearly delighted by her unfiltered commentary.

[Our cheerleader is in disbelief]

PD Na, noticing Luna’s stunned expression, chimed in with a laugh. “Luna, you’re the cheerleader. You’re supposed to be cheering them on.”

Mock realization flashed across Luna’s face, and she spun around to face the players, waving her pom-poms with exaggerated enthusiasm. “Wow! Good job, Hansolie! It’s okay, that was amazing!” she declared, her voice dripping with faux sincerity, which only set off another wave of laughter. Vernon laughed, pointing at her with an exaggerated shake of his head.

“You need to relax,” Seungkwan told Vernon, who made an “okay” sign with his fingers and replied, “I’ll relax. Sorry.”

“Soonyoung, keep it up,” Jeonghan called out from the sidelines, sending an encouraging nod toward Hoshi, who grinned, looking a bit flustered. “Okay.”

“Cute,” Luna muttered under her breath as she took in Hoshi’s smile, her own lips twitching with amusement.

“Why don’t you find the man you need to mark?” Seungkwan instructed Hoshi, his tone deadpan.

“Sure,” Hoshi agreed, scanning the court cluelessly. “Who is it?”

Jeonghan chuckled from the sidelines. “Seungkwan, don’t get mad.”

Meanwhile, S.Coups took possession of the ball, expertly maneuvering it across the court before passing to Dino, who, without hesitation, took the shot. The ball swooshed cleanly through the hoop, and Team White broke into cheers.

[Dino of Team White scores]

Mingyu leaped to his feet, raising a finger to his lips as he looked around at his teammates. “Hey,” he murmured, gesturing for everyone to stay quiet.

“Hey, hey,” Dokyeom echoed, rising with him in a show of support. But just then, Luna, standing nearby, caught the English phrase, and her head snapped towards them, eyes widening before she burst into laughter, doubling over at their unintentional slip-up.

“The game has only begun,” Mingyu added, missing the irony of his words, still gesturing for silence.

PD Na’s voice cut through the laughter, amusement laced in his tone. “‘Hey’? Did you just say ‘hey’?” His teasing made the sideline erupt, the team members doubling over as the realization dawned on them.

Mingyu’s face froze in disbelief as he looked over at Dokyeom, who couldn’t contain his own laughter. PD Na held up a hand, grinning triumphantly. “DK said ‘hey.’ The score resets,” he announced, his tone definitive. Team Red’s members burst into gleeful laughter, their cheers echoing through the place as they celebrated their stroke of luck.

“Why did you have to speak English?” Dokyeom muttered to Mingyu, pretending to be frustrated, though his grin showed he was far from genuinely upset.

[He started it]

S.Coups, watching with a mixture of exasperation and humor, shook his head. “DK, you deserve it,” he called out, a mock-serious tone undercutting his smirk.

Dokyeom didn’t miss a beat, looking at S.Coups and nodding with a solemn expression. “Same, same,” he responded in English, earning another bout of laughter from the sidelines. “We do speak a lot of English,” he admitted to Mingyu as they finally sat back down, the air between them still crackling with energy.

Mingyu sighed, deadpan as ever. “But why aren’t we good at it?”

Dokyeom’s laughter caught him mid-sip from his water bottle, causing him to choke slightly as he set the bottle down, his shoulders shaking. The rest of the team, still laughing and recovering, looked on in amusement, clearly enjoying the unintentional comedy show.

As the game continued, all eyes were on S.Coups as he clutched the ball, strategizing his next move. His eyes scanned the court, and in one swift motion, he passed the ball to Jun, who moved with agile precision— only for Vernon to intercept, arms outstretched as he blocked Jun’s shot with ease.

[Vernon's nice block]

“Good job, Hansol,” Woozi encouraged, his tone calm but approving. Vernon offered a quick nod in acknowledgment, already refocusing as the ball bounced back to S.Coups. Seizing the opportunity, S.Coups passed it to Dino, who took a breath and attempted a shot toward the basket. The ball, however, bounced off the rim, narrowly missing its target.

“Dino’s bad throw,” Woozi observed dryly from the sidelines.

Jeonghan chuckled, watching Dino fumble slightly. “He’s not playing basketball. He’s just playing with the ball.”

Laughter rippled through the spectators, and Dino threw them a sheepish grin as the ball found its way back to Jun’s hands. This time, he passed it back to Dino, who saw his chance and shot with determination. The ball arced perfectly, swishing through the net.

[He is playing basketball. He scored!]

“Good!” Joshua clapped, rising from his seat alongside the cheering Team White members. “Very nice,” he repeated, as both Dokyeom and Mingyu stood, mouths shut as they silently applauded.

Luna, from the sidelines, waved her pom-poms excitedly. “Good job, Chan-ah!”

“Hey, Dino,” Wonwoo called out with a teasing smile, “are you an ace?”

Jeonghan, catching the energy in the air, turned toward the production crew, his tone suddenly serious. “You need to listen carefully now,” he warned since Team White already had a score to lose.

The game resumed with intensity, and this time, S.Coups received the ball again. Determined, he took his shot from beyond the three-point line. The ball flew through the air, heading for the basket, only to bounce off the rim.

[The ball bounced off]

“That was close, Cheollie,” Luna encouraged, her eyes tracking the ball’s rebound.

“He tried… he threw a three-pointer,” Dokyeom said, his voice hesitant as he picked his words carefully.

Mingyu, next to him, waved his hand, signaling silence, both of them wary of another reset due to a slip-up. PD Na’s laughter rumbled from behind them, amused at their cautious commentary.

[Be careful]

“We still need to broadcast it,” Dokyeom reminded him, almost as if convincing himself.

“We do,” Mingyu agreed with a nod, taking the responsibility seriously.

Jeonghan joined in, adding, “We need to keep talking.”

[Professional]

The game continued, and the ball was now with Seungkwan, who held it with an intense look. “Go inside. Get in there,” he instructed, his eyes set on Hoshi, who was running close to the hoop.

“Seungkwan, don’t take it too seriously,” Dino chuckled from nearby, sharing a grin with Hoshi.

“No, not at all,” Seungkwan replied with a smirk, just as S.Coups swooped in and stole the ball from him, dribbling it down the court with newfound energy. Seungkwan shook his head, laughing. “We’re doing great.”

On the bleachers, the other members watched the match with focused interest, and Dokyeom leaned forward, a question hovering on his lips. “Are you not broadcasting?” he asked, his gaze fixed on Jeonghan, who stood, hands in his pockets, absorbed in the game.

Jeonghan glanced over, replying calmly, “We’re worried that the audio will overlap.”

But before he could say more, Dokyeom’s finger shot up, pointing at Jeonghan, his expression caught between surprise and triumph. Jeonghan beat him to it, though, chuckling. “We’re at zero,” he said, and Dokyeom laughed in defeat.

[He got tricked big time]

As the ball moved back into play, Vernon seized his chance, attempting another shot. But as the ball ricocheted off the rim once more, Seungkwan was ready, catching it mid-bounce.

Jeonghan’s voice called out from the sidelines. “Be careful.”

“Seungkwan, I’m here,” Hoshi called out from behind, raising his hands, ready for a pass. But Seungkwan, perhaps caught up in the moment, passed it back to Vernon. Vernon took the shot once more, but luck wasn’t on his side, and the ball missed, bouncing back to Seungkwan.

“Nice attack,” Jeonghan said encouragingly, watching as Seungkwan, with a determined look, took the shot himself. The ball sailed through the air and, finally, sank into the hoop with a satisfying swish.

“Nice attack,” Jeonghan repeated, his tone appreciative as Team Red cheered, now tied with Team White at two points each.

[His practice in Jamwon Han River Parkpays off]

Luna’s voice rang out in excitement, pom-poms held high. “Let’s go, Kwanie!”

“Good job, Seungkwan,” Hoshi added with a clap on the back.

“It’s one all,” Dokyeom said, nodding with the air of a seasoned commentator.

Mingyu nudged him, correcting him with a grin, “It’s two all.”

Dokyeom blinked, a sheepish look on his face. “Two all?” he asked, checking.

“Yes,” Mingyu confirmed, his tone half-amused, half-serious.

“Thank you,” Dokyeom replied, slipping back into his “commentator” voice as the game continued, both teams locked in their friendly yet fierce competition.

[Hunminjeongeum game makes you say only the important stuff]

[It's two all]

Seungkwan dribbled the basketball with precision. His movements were sharp and calculated, weaving through the defense like a seasoned player. The opposing team scrambled to block him, but Seungkwan was relentless, his body twisting and turning as he dodged each attempt to steal the ball.

[Everyone on Team White marks Seungkwan]

“Seungkwan!” voices called from his team, but his focus was unyielding.

A chorus of cheers and shouts filled the air as Seungkwan made his way to the hoop. The gym echoed with the rhythmic chanting of his name. “Seungkwan! Seungkwan!” The members leaned forward, anticipation etched on their faces.

Luna’s pom-poms swayed furiously as she called out, “Go, Kwanie!”

Seungkwan leaped for a layup, his body extending toward the basket. The ball arced gracefully, only to graze the backboard and miss the hoop entirely. Gasps and laughs filled the room, but Seungkwan remained undeterred. He caught the rebound, landing firmly on the court as his teammates shouted encouragement.

Dodging an advancing block from Dino, Seungkwan maneuvered around the perimeter, his quick footwork leaving the defenders scrambling.

“So it’s true that he practiced in Jamwon,” PD Na remarked, leaning forward with visible interest.

“Seungkwan, Hoshi’s behind you,” Hoshi called out, positioning himself near the hoop. Without hesitation, Seungkwan passed the ball to Hoshi, who caught it mid-air. But before Hoshi could make a move, Dino appeared beside him. In a moment of camaraderie and humor, Hoshi handed the ball back to Seungkwan, their laughter ringing through the court.

[Not so confident here]

[Returning after touching it for a second]

Seungkwan, amused but focused, resumed dribbling. The ball bounced rhythmically as he faked out an opponent and swerved around another. With a deep breath, he stepped forward and took a clean shot. The ball soared through the air, its trajectory perfect. It swished through the net, the sound eliciting an eruption of cheers from the Red Team.

[And he scores]

“That was so cool, Boo Seungkwan!” Luna cheered from the sidelines, her voice rising above the noise. The Red Team gathered around Seungkwan, their excitement was palpable.

The scoreboard now read 2:4 in their favor.

“I loved how you returned it back to me,” Seungkwan said, laughing as he patted Hoshi on the shoulder.

“Thank you,” Hoshi replied with a grin, pulling Seungkwan into a hug.

“I’m so proud of you,” Seungkwan said, squeezing him with a hug before they separated.

“Score one more, and let’s change teams,” Mingyu suggested from the sidelines, his eagerness to play again evident.

“Mingyu said ‘team,’” one of the writers announced, their voice cutting through the commotion.

A wave of disbelief swept through the court, especially among Team White. Mingyu’s face twisted in confusion. “Me? When?” he asked, genuinely perplexed.

“Why did you do that?” Dokyeom asked, a mix of amusement and exasperation in his tone.

“I didn’t,” Mingyu insisted, still oblivious.

“Don’t you know how to speak Korean?” Jun teased, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

Laughter erupted as the scoreboard reset, now reading 0:4.

Seungkwan made his way to the bleachers, his face glowing with satisfaction despite the penalty. “When do you want to switch?” he asked his team, glancing around for opinions.

“It’s up to you,” Woozi replied nonchalantly, leaning back against the bleachers.

“Do you want to switch now?” Jeonghan chimed in, his voice calm but ready.

“I’m in,” Hoshi agreed, raising his hand.

“Shall we?” Seungkwan prompted, looking to the referee.

“Okay. Switch,” Minghao said, signaling the change.

[Hoshi of Team Red is out, and Jeonghan's in]

With that, Hoshi was replaced by Jeonghan, who strolled onto the court with the ease of someone who had been watching and waiting for his moment.

Luna, standing at the sidelines, couldn’t help the smile spreading across her face. She loved watching Jeonghan play sports; there was something captivating about his casual confidence and smooth movements.

“Wah! Yoon Jeonghan! Show them!” she cheered, her enthusiasm drawing his attention. Jeonghan turned to her with a lazy grin, nodding in acknowledgment before stepping up to play.

On the bench, Dokyeom and Mingyu leaned into each other, their hands shielding their mouths as they mock-whispered conspiratorially. Their fingers pointed at Luna, who immediately noticed their antics.

“What?” she asked, crossing her arms as she approached them.

“You really have favorites,” Dokyeom teased, his grin widening.

“I’m hurt,” Mingyu added, pretending to glare at her.

Luna laughed out loud, her head tilting back as she waved them off. But she played along, raising her pom-poms. “Wah! Kim Mingyu! Lee Seokmin! Show them!” she shouted enthusiastically, earning laughs from the two.

Still laughing, she returned to her post at the front, her eyes fixed on Jeonghan as the game resumed.

Luna’s voice rang out in a cheerful sing-song tone, cutting through the sound of the constant buzz of conversation. “Guys, remember: safety first, safety second,” she announced, shaking her pom-poms with exaggerated enthusiasm.

[Bunny’s safety announcement]

A chorus of loud and playful “Yes!” erupted from all the members, their responses unified and energetic. Luna grinned, clearly satisfied with their reaction.

“She only said that now that Jeonghan is playing,” Mingyu whispered to Dokyeom, loud enough to ensure Luna could hear him, his tone dripping with mock suspicion.

“You’re right,” Dokyeom agreed, nodding sagely as if Mingyu’s observation was groundbreaking.

Luna chuckled a mischievous sparkle in her eyes, not denying nor confirming their claims. She turned to them with an amused yet commanding expression and said simply, “Shut it.”

Being the oldest among the 97-line— Dokyeom, Mingyu, and Minghao— Luna naturally fell into the role of their designated mother or older sister. In response, both Dokyeom and Mingyu mock-pouted, their exaggerated expressions earning a playful roll of her eyes.

On the court, Seungkwan glanced at Jeonghan, his concern showing as he called out, “Jeonghan, don’t push yourself.”

Jeonghan gave him a reassuring nod, acknowledging the worry. Seungkwan, just as concerned as Luna, patted his own elbow— a subtle but clear reminder of Jeonghan’s past elbow injury.

Jeonghan nodded again, his movements careful as he positioned himself for the next play.

[Team Red's other ace Jeonghan appears]

The whistle blew, signaling the beginning of the next round. Dino quickly dribbled the ball past the halfway line, his eyes scanning for an opportunity. Jeonghan raised a hand, signaling for a pass. Dino hesitated for a fraction of a second, then lobbed the ball toward him with precision.

As Jeonghan caught the ball, the atmosphere shifted noticeably. The casual, lazy demeanor he had carried up until now was gone. With a sudden burst of energy, he dribbled the ball with sharp, controlled movements, weaving through the opposing players with practiced ease. His feet moved with agility, the ball bouncing rhythmically as he dodged each attempted block with finesse.

Just as he reached the edge of the key, Jeonghan spotted Seungkwan open near the basket. Without breaking stride, he passed the ball with a quick flick of his wrist.

[Perfect pass from Jeonghan to Seungkwan]

“Good, Jeonghan,” Woozi called out from the sidelines, his tone neutral but encouraging. “Go, Seungkwan!”

Seungkwan caught the ball, adjusted his position, and jumped for a layup. The ball rolled off his fingers with perfect backspin, hitting the backboard and sinking smoothly into the net.

The Red Team erupted in cheers, Luna among them. She waved her pom-poms enthusiastically, her voice rising above the noise. “Nice pass,” Seungkwan said to Jeonghan as they regrouped.

Jeonghan’s response was immediate and wordless—a dramatic, exaggerated face that drew laughs from everyone.

“‘Nice,’” PD Na repeated the English word, his tone deadpan.

Seungkwan groaned, his energy draining in mock defeat as he dramatically lay down on the court, covering his face with his hands. Laughter rippled through the gym as the scoreboard reset to zero once again, much to Team White’s delight.

[The score resets]

Team White celebrated their victory loudly, Dino and S.Coups high-fiving as they jogged to the sidelines to swap out with Dokyeom and Mingyu.

“‘Nice!’” S.Coups mocked playfully as he passed by Seungkwan, mimicking his choice of words with an exaggerated tone.

“Seungkwan, very nice,” Dino chimed in, grinning.

Still sprawled out on the court, Seungkwan groaned louder.

“Still, you did well,” Hoshi added, his words genuine as he gave Seungkwan’s shoulder a supportive pat.

“What’s the point?” Minghao asked from his referee position, his tone carrying the weight of exasperation. “The score is at zero.”

Luna couldn’t help but laugh, her earlier prediction about the game’s slow pace coming true. None of the teams had even broken into double digits, and yet the energy in the field was electric.

The ball found its way back into Jeonghan’s hands, his grip firm as he turned his gaze down the court, searching for his next move. His stance was relaxed, shoulders loose, yet there was a sharpness in his eyes that hinted at his focus. With an effortless rhythm, he dribbled, bouncing the ball in steady, controlled beats, switching it smoothly between his hands. With each step, he shifted his weight, weaving the ball skillfully in a figure-eight pattern between his legs, his movements sharp, yet fluid.

[Excellent dribble]

Joshua, tasked with blocking him, moved in closer, face set in concentration. Basketball wasn’t his strength, but he did his best to match Jeonghan’s energy, his body pressing forward until they were almost chest-to-chest. The members watched as the two closed in, Joshua’s determination painted clear in his eyes. But as he moved to intercept, Joshua pushed against Jeonghan a little too forcefully. Jeonghan stumbled, losing his balance as he was pushed outside the boundary line.

“Out!” Mingyu called out immediately, his voice firm, as he pointed to the line where Jeonghan’s foot had stepped.

Jeonghan’s brows furrowed as he straightened, the ball still tucked securely under his arm. “He pushed me,” he said, his tone laced with both amusement and mild exasperation.

“Joshua, that’s a foul,” Minghao clarified the slightest hint of a grin on his face.

Joshua blinked, looking at his teammates, his confusion evident. “Really?”

Wonwoo, who was watching the interaction closely, leaned toward PD Na standing nearby. “They’re serious when it comes to sports,” he explained, a touch of humor in his tone as if to explain the playful intensity each member brought to the game.

With a deadpan expression, Hoshi called out, “Manners makes man, man,” in a low, practiced accent, earning a few chuckles.

The game restarted, and the ball found its way back to Jeonghan’s hands. This time, his gaze was sharp, brows drawn as he scanned the court with a calculating look. He dribbled again, his movements crisp and precise, weaving the ball through his legs with ease as he danced past his defenders. A quick dodge here, a sidestep there— Jeonghan moved as if he were gliding, each step purposeful and smooth, skillfully slipping past Mingyu’s and S.Coups’ attempts to intercept him.

He glanced at his teammates, his eyes flicking briefly to the left where Seungkwan was open. But then his gaze landed on Vernon, stationed far across the court, his stance ready. Jeonghan’s lips curled into a chuckle. “That far?” he murmured, his voice barely audible but laced with quiet confidence.

Luna’s voice called out from the sidelines, urging him on. “Seungkwanie is free, Han,” she said, her tone encouraging, her pom-poms raised as she bounced slightly on her toes.

“Get in there,” Hoshi’s voice joined from next to her.

And then, as Seungkwan moved forward, Hoshi shouted out an additional bit of advice, his voice rising in excitement. “Seungkwan, the left hand only assists the right!” he said, emphasizing the importance of the lay-up technique.

Seungkwan took the shot, attempting a layup, but the ball missed, bouncing off the rim. For a moment, the area was filled with the sounds of scuffling and the members hustling as they fought for control. The ball bobbled in the air before landing right in Mingyu’s hands.

“That’s right,” Hoshi commented, narrating from the sidelines, “One more time.”

Mingyu’s fingers closed around the ball, his eyes narrowing as he looked for a teammate to pass to. But before he could make a move, S.Coups called out, “Mingyu!” in an attempt to gain his attention.

Suddenly, in the scramble, the ball slipped from Mingyu’s grasp, bouncing away and leaving them both crouched low, struggling to reclaim it. Joshua dove forward, managing to get his hand on it just before anyone else, but with a misjudged throw, he sent it rolling away from them, right at Mingyu’s feet.

The ball bounced, rolling slowly across the court, leaving both teams frozen for a brief, absurd moment before they burst into laughter.

“What is happening?” Luna clapped her hands, laughing as she watched the chaotic scene unfold, her eyes sparkling with delight.

“This is no basketball,” S.Coups muttered from the bleachers, his voice carrying a mix of amusement and frustration.

Wonwoo nodded, his tone completely deadpan. “It’s pretty messy.”

[A combination of dodge ball, foot volleyball and basketball]

From somewhere in the group, Woozi’s voice cut through, his tone a mix of dry wit and resignation. “We’re not going home today, are we?”

“No,” S.Coups confirmed, shaking his head with an air of resignation.

“We can never go home like this,” Minghao announced, his tone dripping with humor and a sense of defeat as everyone broke into laughter once again.

[0:0 for 15 minutes]

Joshua grabbed the ball with a renewed determination, his stance firm as he scanned the court for an opening. With a decisive movement, he pivoted slightly and launched the ball across the court to Dokyeom, who was stationed near the basket. Dokyeom caught it effortlessly, his grip sure as he assessed his options. Without hesitation, he passed it to Mingyu, who was better positioned in the paint. The ball zipped between them, Mingyu catching it securely. However, instead of taking the shot, Mingyu passed it back to Joshua.

[Team White keeps passing]

Joshua planted his feet, bent his knees, and shot. The ball soared through the air, spinning perfectly before it swished through the net. The white team erupted in cheers.

“Hong Jisoo!” Luna’s voice rang out, her excitement palpable as she clapped from the sidelines.

“Nice!” Dokyeom yelled in English, his enthusiasm getting the better of him. The realization hit him instantly, his face falling into mock regret as he turned to Joshua. He moved toward him, wrapping him in an apologetic hug as Mingyu’s head snapped toward him, eyes wide with betrayal.

[They won a point, but it's gone]

It might have gone unnoticed by the production team, but Jeonghan wasn’t about to let it slide. He pointed at Dokyeom, his grin mischievous as he announced loudly, “‘Nice’ as soon as he scored.”

The members burst into laughter, Mingyu collapsing to his knees, unable to contain his amusement.

“Why?” S.Coups asked, his brows knitting in confusion.

“Who was it?” PD Na inquired, leaning forward in curiosity.

“Yes, it’s zero,” Mingyu admitted through chuckles, “DK said ‘nice.’”

“Why did you blame me?” Dokyeom protested, feigning innocence as he broke into their signature chorus. “Very nice,” he sang, his voice exaggerated, drawing even more laughter from the group.

[Anyway, it's back to 0:0]

The game resumed, and Joshua once again gained possession of the ball. With a quick glance over his shoulder, he threw a no-look pass to Dokyeom. Dokyeom caught it with ease, deftly dodging Jeonghan, who lunged to block him. In a fluid motion, Dokyeom passed it back to Joshua, who scanned the court before spotting Mingyu on the move. Joshua’s pass reached Mingyu in stride, who surged forward for a layup attempt.

The ball hit the backboard and bounced off the rim, sending the players into a frenzy as they jumped to grab the rebound.

[He missed, but it was a good move]

Amidst the chaos, Jeonghan snatched the ball, pulling it close as he pivoted away from his defenders. With quick, deliberate movements, he began dribbling, weaving through the opposing team with a finesse that had become second nature.

“Jeonghan, leave the box,” Hoshi called out, his tone half-serious, half-exasperated.

“They’re serious about basketball,” PD Na observed, his voice tinged with both surprise and amusement.

Jeonghan ignored the commentary, his focus unwavering as he passed the ball to Seungkwan, who had managed to maneuver into an open position.

“Seungkwan! Kwan, where are you going?” Woozi’s voice carried across the court, his tone laced with both confusion and amusement.

“The thing about him is that he’s good at dodging,” Hoshi chimed in, his voice tinged with admiration as Seungkwan deftly avoided two defenders.

Seungkwan glanced at Jeonghan, who had moved closer to the basket, and passed the ball back to him.

[He dodges and passes to Jeonghan]

Jeonghan caught it, dribbling with precision as he navigated the defensive line.

“Jeonghan, shoot!” Hoshi yelled, his voice rising in urgency. Jeonghan aimed, but the ball bounced off the rim.

As it ricocheted, Seungkwan leaped mid-air, catching it before anyone else could react. With an effortless motion, he shot it back toward the hoop. This time, the ball sailed cleanly through the net.

[Seungkwan shoots again]

The members erupted in cheers, their voices mingling through the place.

“That was amazing, Boo Seungkwan!” Luna shouted, her face lit up with excitement.

“He’s a weasel,” Dokyeom remarked, shaking his head in mock disbelief.

“He scored!” Hoshi exclaimed, jumping to his feet, his energy infectious. The red team was now on the board with two points.

“It’s only the beginning,” Jeonghan said carefully, his tone calm yet laced with confidence.

“It’s very nice,” Hoshi added, nodding approvingly.

“Nice score,” Woozi agreed, his voice steady as he gave two thumbs up.

“Retrieve the ball and repeat,” Wonwoo instructed, his tone practical as always.

Jeonghan, his gaze sharp, turned to Vernon. “Hansol, why don’t you switch?”

Vernon nodded in agreement, standing up to tag out with Wonwoo, who removed his jacket before stepping onto the court.

[Vernon of Team Red is out, and Wonwoo is in]

“Okay, change,” Minghao confirmed, signaling the adjustment as the players repositioned themselves for the next play.

[The man in glasses is in]

[The game resumes]

Luna clapped her hands together, a teasing glint in her eyes as she raised her voice over the noise of the court. “Keep it up, guys, so we can go home!” she called, her words playful but charged with enough encouragement to draw the players’ attention.

PD Na chuckled at her from the sidelines, adjusting on his seat as he shook his head in amusement. “You’re excited to go home,” he remarked, his tone lighthearted.

Without even a hint of denial, Luna nodded firmly. “I didn’t have that much confidence at first,” she said, her mock-serious expression drawing laughs from the members in the bleachers, “but I can feel that they’ve gotten the momentum.”

[She wants to go home the most]

Her dramatic delivery had PD Na and the writers doubling over in amusement, while the SEVENTEEN members exchanged grins.

“You can do it, guys!” Luna cheered, cupping her hands around her mouth for emphasis. “Whoever scores the most… will officially be my favorite, and I will love you forever!”

The players on the field burst into laughter, her cheeky incentive setting a competitive fire alight.

With that said, the ball was in Jeonghan’s hands. His fingers curled around the leather as he dribbled it with precision, the sound of his shoes shuffling filled their ears. His stance was focused, his gaze locked on the basket ahead. He accelerated, his movements fluid and determined, weaving between defenders as Joshua stepped forward to block him.

Jeonghan didn’t falter. Dribbling outside the three-point line, he shifted his weight, guiding the ball smoothly between his legs. Each bounce was calculated, his body moving in sync with the ball as his hair swayed with his movements.

“Jeonghan, nice move,” Woozi observed, his voice filled with quiet admiration.

“Nice move,” Hoshi echoed, leaning forward in his seat. “His hands never let go of the ball.”

Jeonghan paused, his sharp eyes scanning the court as he calculated his next move. His opponents crowded the area near the basket, leaving little room for an easy shot. Without warning, he lifted the ball in his hand slightly and threw the ball underhand from beyond the three-point line.

[He threw it lightly]

The ball arced gracefully through the air, spinning perfectly before it swished cleanly through the net.

For a moment, there was silence— then chaos erupted.

[He scores a 3-pointer]

Jeonghan’s teammates on the bleachers jumped to their feet in unison, their cheers reverberating around the court. Even the opposing team stood in stunned disbelief, their mouths slightly agape.

[Standing up]

“What?” PD Na exclaimed, standing up from his seat as he stared at the basket in shock.

“That’s three,” Vernon said simply, his tone as disbelieving as the others’.

Jeonghan remained composed, his expression cool as he dapped up Seungkwan, who was still wide-eyed with surprise.

[Mitsui Hisashi and surprised Miyagi Ryota]

Turning casually, Jeonghan’s gaze landed on Luna. She was standing frozen, her eyes widened in amazement— she was so amazed that she forgot to do her assigned job and cheer. Though she fought valiantly to suppress it, the corners of her lips quirked upward, threatening to break into a full smile.

Their eyes met, and Jeonghan’s smirk deepened. He raised three fingers, holding them up deliberately. Then, one by one, he dropped each finger, mouthing, “I. Love. You.”

Luna’s face turned a deep shade of red as the realization hit her— Jeonghan had taken her earlier incentive seriously. So seriously, in fact, that he’d shot a perfect three-pointer.

Dokyeom, ever the mischief-maker, walked towards her, his grin wicked. “Well, what else is new?” he muttered, throwing her a teasing wink. He gestured toward Jeonghan, his tone dripping with playful sarcasm as he added, “He’s your favorite now, right? As if he wasn’t already.”

“Shut up.” Luna let out an embarrassed laugh, her hand flying to her face as she tried to compose herself.

“That was a wonderful shot,” Minghao chimed in, his voice calm but clearly impressed.

“That was amazing,” Wonwoo added, nodding in approval.

“It’s 0:5,” Minghao noted, his tone matter-of-fact as he glanced at the scoreboard. “You scored three minutes… what was it? You scored a three-pointer.”

Jeonghan, as always, played it off coolly, his smirk lingering as he casually walked back to his side of the court, the game continuing with a renewed energy and excitement.

Jeonghan caught the ball again, his movements were fluid and graceful as he surveyed the court. The game felt electrified, each pass, dribble, and shot loaded with a heightened sense of competition. Without wasting a second, he passed the ball to Wonwoo, the spin and speed of the ball precise as it reached his teammate’s hands.

Wonwoo steadied himself, gripping the ball tightly as he pivoted to position for a shot.

[The man in glasses throws for the first time]

Wonwoo aimed for the basket, his release was clean, the ball sailing through the air, but it hit the rim and bounced out.

“That was close,” Woozi commented, his tone measured but encouraging.

“Still, good job,” Hoshi added, patting Wonwoo on the back as the latter retrieved the ball.

“Nice try?” Wonwoo asked, his expression half-serious, half-hopeful as he glanced at his teammates for reassurance.

Luna finally snapped out of the trance she had been in since Jeonghan’s earlier performance. “It was so good,” she said with a sincere smile, her voice loud enough to reach Wonwoo.

“Better than me,” Hoshi chimed in with a laugh, earning a round of lighthearted chuckles.

As the game continued, the ball found its way into Joshua’s hands. He maneuvered it skillfully, dribbling down the court with an easy confidence. A swift pass sent it to Dokyeom, who caught it mid-stride.

“Wonwoo, defend!” Seungkwan’s voice cut through the action, sharp and commanding.

Wonwoo sprang into action, his long strides carrying him toward Dokyeom, who was readying for a pass. Seeing Wonwoo closing in, Dokyeom redirected the ball to Mingyu.

Mingyu bolted forward, his towering frame giving him an advantage as he aimed to secure the pass. But before he could reach it, Wonwoo threw himself into the fray, stretching his arms wide and blocking Mingyu from intercepting the ball.

[He's clearly better than Hoshi]

“Good job, Woo!” Luna cheered, her pom-poms shaking enthusiastically.

“You have long arms,” Hoshi observed, dramatically extending his own arms to emphasize his point.

“Team Red is playing for real,” S.Coups remarked, his tone filled with a mix of amusement and admiration as he watched the intensity ramp up on the court.

Dokyeom, undeterred, recovered the ball and sent it flying back to Mingyu. This time, Mingyu caught it cleanly, pivoted, and charged toward the hoop. With a powerful leap, he shot the ball, and it sailed smoothly into the net.

[Throwing using his height]

[Team White is playing for real too]

“Nice!” Dino cheered from the sidelines, pumping his fists into the air.

“Wah! Kim Mingyu!” Luna exclaimed, her pom-poms shaking furiously as she joined the cheers.

The scoreboard updated to 2:5.

The game resumed, with Seungkwan now in possession of the ball. He dribbled with precision, each bounces purposeful as he dodged opposing players attempting to block him. His quick footwork allowed him to slip past their defenses, and with a well-timed pass, he sent the ball to Jeonghan, who was positioned strategically near the hoop.

Mingyu, seeing the opportunity, moved swiftly to block Jeonghan. But Jeonghan, ever the strategist, anticipated the move. With a sharp pivot and a burst of speed, he dodged Mingyu, his movements fluid and controlled.

Jeonghan shifted the ball between his hands, the rapid motion disorienting his defender. With a graceful leap, he executed a layup, the ball arcing beautifully before swishing through the net. His hair swayed with the motion, catching the light as he landed effortlessly.

[Receives the ball from Seungkwan and scores]

“Jeonghan scored!” Woozi announced, his voice filled with awe.

“Good job,” Hoshi added, clapping enthusiastically.

[Jeonghan and Seungkwan are leading the team]

Luna, ready to do her job to jump in and cheer, froze when Jeonghan turned toward her. His back was to the cameras, shielding his next move from the public eye.

He raised seven fingers this time since their current score is 2:7, a cheeky smile playing on his lips. One by one, he lowered each finger, mouthing, “I. Love. You. So. Much. It. Hurts.”

Luna’s face turned crimson, her heartbeat quickening as she processed his words. A smile broke across her face, so wide she was momentarily shocked it didn’t split her cheeks.

“Yoon Jeonghan… really…” she muttered under her breath, her voice barely audible as she stuttered.

Unable to contain her giddiness, she turned away, walking briskly toward the bleachers. Reaching Hoshi, she wrapped her arms tightly around him, hiding her flushed face against his shoulder.

“Why?” Hoshi asked, laughing softly as he patted her back, his other arm wrapping around her in a comforting gesture.

Luna didn’t respond immediately, her smile growing impossibly larger as a zoo of emotions surged through her chest. She covered the small mic pinned to her top and reached for Hoshi’s mic, ensuring no one could hear her next words.

Leaning in close, she whispered, “Yoon Jeonghan is driving me fucking insane. What do I do?”

Hoshi chuckled, his hand lightly patting her shoulder.

“Are you okay?” Woozi’s calm voice came from the seat next to Hoshi, his brows furrowed in mild concern.

Luna shook her head, letting out a soft laugh. “No… I think I’m going insane,” she admitted, her voice laced with a mix of exasperation and delight.

The three of them shared a quiet moment before turning their attention back to the game, where the action continued to unfold with no less intensity.

The ball was with Joshua, his movements sharp and calculated as he dribbled down the court. He sidestepped a defender, feinting a pass to Mingyu before taking a decisive leap. His form was textbook perfect as he released the ball in a clean arc. It soared through the air, kissed the rim, and fell neatly into the net, earning two points for his team.

[Followed by Joshua's score]

“Cool,” S.Coups said, his tone calm but laced with genuine admiration.

“That was cool,” Jun echoed as he stood up from his seat, clapping enthusiastically. “Jisoo, that was cool,” he repeated, emphasizing his words.

“Hong Jisoo good job!” Luna cheered from her place in the bleachers, her voice bright and encouraging.

S.Coups glanced at Dokyeom. “DK, do you want to switch?” he asked, his voice casual but expectant.

Dokyeom nodded in agreement, stepping onto the sidelines while S.Coups moved to the court.

[DK out, S.Coups in]

“All the ace players are playing,” Minghao observed from his seat, his tone thoughtful as he watched the dynamic on the court shift.

[Aces are playing in both teams]

“All the members are playing,” Hoshi added, his voice carrying a hint of pride as he surveyed the scene.

Luna, seated next to Hoshi, turned to him, her lips twitching as she suppressed a laugh.

Hoshi frowned in confusion, his eyes narrowing slightly as he tried to understand the source of her amusement.

A beat later, realization dawned on him. His eyes widened as he murmured, “Wow,” before covering his mouth in embarrassment.

“Did I—” He cut himself off, dropping to his knees dramatically, clearly mortified.

[Apologizing]

“It’s okay,” Luna said quickly, patting his back in a comforting gesture. “It’s okay.”

Seeing Hoshi’s guilty expression, Wonwoo and Seungkwan joined in reassuring him. “It’s okay.”

“Let’s be careful from now on,” Mingyu reminded his team, his tone firm but lighthearted as he glanced over at the court.

Minghao, who had been monitoring the scoreboard, made an announcement. “It’s changed to zero from seven,” he said, pointing to the scoreboard with an amused expression.

“It’s okay,” Luna said again, this time chuckling as she leaned over to hug Hoshi, who still looked remorseful.

Nearby, PD Na turned to the writer seated next to him. “We could reduce it to eleven points,” he suggested, his tone contemplative as they considered a change in the game’s goal.

Back on the court, the game resumed with Joshua once again taking possession of the ball. His movements were precise as he dribbled, scanning for an opening. Spotting one, he moved toward the hoop, only to be blocked mid-shot. Undeterred, he reclaimed the ball, pivoting swiftly and regaining his rhythm.

“Keep calm,” Dino said from the sidelines, his voice steady and encouraging. “Okay,” he added, almost automatically, before freezing as the realization hit him.

[In vain]

Dokyeom, seated next to him, clamped his mouth shut, side-eyeing Dino as if to say, Did you really just say that?

[He needs time alone]

PD Na, who had been standing right behind Dino, didn’t miss a beat. “Dino said ‘okay,’” he announced, his tone teasing as he pointed out the slip.

Dokyeom burst into laughter, his head tilting back as he tried and failed to contain himself. The rest of the members followed suit, their laughter echoing through the field as Dino sat frozen in place, his expression a mix of embarrassment and disbelief.

Luna, now seated back in the bleachers, sighed dramatically. “I retract my previous statement… I don’t think they have found the momentum at all,” she deadpanned, her tone so dry it made the members laugh even harder despite themselves.

“Who?” Mingyu asked, looking at her in confusion.

“Dino,” Luna replied with a chuckle, pointing toward the younger member, who still hadn’t moved.

“This is never going to end. What are we going to do?” Dokyeom asked, his voice slightly high-pitched as he gestured toward the scoreboard.

PD Na stood up, making his way toward Minghao, who had been monitoring the score. “Referee, I’m sorry, but we’ll reduce it to fifteen points. Twenty-one points are too much,” he said decisively.

“Let’s go for fifteen points,” PD Na added, nodding at Minghao.

[They're more fluent in foreign languages than expected]

“We haven’t even reached two digits,” Luna pointed out, her tone light but teasing as she leaned back in her seat. Her comment earned another round of laughter from the members.

[Not even close]

“We can’t even reach ten points,” Vernon said, agreeing with her as he shook his head.

“Then let’s go with eleven,” PD Na concluded.

[Score 11 points first to win]

[The current score 0:0]

“Let’s score eleven points,” Woozi said, his voice calm but resolute as the new goal was set.

The members nodded in agreement, refocusing their energy as the game continued.

[The game resumes]

Seungkwan gripped the ball with determination, his fingers finding the familiar grooves of its surface as he bounced it against the court. Each dribble was controlled, a steady rhythm as he scanned the opposing team’s defense. His eyes darted, analyzing potential openings, before he darted left, faking out the nearest defender with a quick crossover. The ball moved seamlessly from one hand to the other, and Seungkwan surged forward.

As he neared the basket, his pace quickened, his movements fluid and deliberate. With a slight hop, he launched himself into the air for a layup. The ball left his hand in a smooth arc, aiming for the backboard—but before it could reach its mark, S.Coups’ hand shot up like a spring. The older member’s timing was impeccable; his palm met the ball mid-air with a satisfying smack, redirecting its trajectory. In one swift motion, S.Coups caught the ball, cradling it close to his chest as he landed.

[Nice defense by S.Coups]

“That was good defense,” Dokyeom called out from the bleachers, his voice cheerful as he munched on a bag of snacks.

S.Coups nodded, his lips curving into a brief smile before he pivoted on one foot, protecting the ball as he began dribbling. His movements were measured yet aggressive. Wonwoo moved in quickly, his arms outstretched as he shadowed S.Coups, his fingers flexing in anticipation.

With a sudden lunge, Wonwoo swiped at the ball, his hand grazing its surface just enough to send it rolling away. S.Coups scrambled to regain control, his sneakers skidding slightly as he chased after it. But the ball rolled just beyond his reach, crossing the boundary line and forcing a turnover.

[Out]

“Seungcheol, that was a shame,” Jun called out from his seat, his tone both teasing and encouraging.

“Praise for your tenacity,” Dino added solemnly, his comment earning a chuckle from the sidelines.

The ball was now in Jeonghan’s hands. The court seemed to hum with anticipation as the members shifted positions, their focus zeroing in on the new play.

“Here comes Jisoo and Jeonghan,” Woozi narrated from the sidelines, his voice calm but laced with intrigue.

Joshua stood between Jeonghan and the basket, his posture firm as he prepared to block his teammate’s advance. Jeonghan feinted left, his body dipping slightly as if to sprint past Joshua’s right side. The sudden movement caused Joshua to shift his weight, but Jeonghan pivoted at the last second, slipping past on the opposite side with a burst of speed.

“He breaks through,” Woozi observed, his tone rising with excitement.

Jeonghan’s steps were quick and calculated as he weaved through the remaining defenders, his dribbling precise and unrelenting. Nearing the basket, he leaped gracefully, releasing the ball with a flick of his wrist. It arced beautifully through the air before sinking cleanly into the net.

[Jeonghan scores]

The red team erupted into cheers, their voices overlapping in excitement. The scoreboard was changed with the updated tally of 0:2.

On the sidelines, Luna leaned over toward the white team’s bench, her curiosity piqued by the sound of crunching. “Kyeomie, can I have some of that please?” she asked, eyeing the snack in his hands.

[Focused on something else entirely]

Dokyeom wordlessly passed her the bag, his focus still on the court. Luna took a handful, but her attention snapped back to the game as the cheers reached a crescendo. She turned just in time to see Jeonghan’s shot go in, her mouth still full.

“Wah! Yoon Jeonghan MVP!” Luna cheered through a mouthful of biscuit, raising her snack triumphantly instead of her pom-poms. Her impromptu gesture sent the members into fits of laughter.

[She still cheers]

The game resumed the ball once again in Jeonghan’s hands. He maneuvered down the court with ease, his dribbling smooth and practiced. But as he approached the basket, the white team closed in, their arms raised in a wall of defense. Realizing his path was blocked, Jeonghan made a split-second decision, tossing the ball blindly over his shoulder.

“There are so many people,” Hoshi commented from the sidelines, his voice tinged with disbelief.

The ball arced toward Mingyu, who caught it effortlessly. Scanning the court, Mingyu spotted Joshua and aimed a sharp pass in his direction. But before the ball could reach its target, Jeonghan intercepted it mid-flight, slapping it away. The ball skidded across the floor, rolling dangerously close to the boundary line.

Joshua didn’t hesitate. He dove forward, his body hitting the ground as he scooped the ball back into play.

[Joshua saves it]

“Joshua, that was a nice touch,” Hoshi said instinctively, his words earning an immediate reaction.

Luna turned sharply, smacking Hoshi on the arm. “Ya, you…” she muttered, her voice dripping with exasperation.

Realizing his mistake, Hoshi clamped a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide with regret.

“Hoshi said ‘Joshua,’” PD Na announced, his tone teasing but firm.

“Sorry. I’m really sorry. I’ll keep my mouth shut from now on,” Hoshi said hurriedly, his voice muffled behind his hand. Turning to his teammates, he added, “I’m sorry. I won’t say anything from now on.”

[He becomes a hamster from guilt]

“Hoshi is the villain in that team,” Dokyeom said, pointing an accusatory finger at Hoshi.

“Mafia. He’s the other mafia,” Luna deadpanned, her focus back on her snack as if completely over the chaos.

“It’s okay,” Wonwoo reassured from his position on the court, though his words were ironic given the beads of sweat on his brow.

[Panting]

“I think this might go on until tomorrow,” Minghao remarked from his referee seat, his expression neutral as he leaned back.

His comment elicited laughter from PD Na, who was sitting next to him.

[He finds it funny]

“I’m very happy to watch you. You make me happy,” Minghao added, his voice so dry it bordered on comedic.

The game, chaotic yet entertaining, showed no signs of slowing down.

[Both teams switch after the score resets]

The game momentarily paused as there was switches in players.

Team White rotated Dino, Dokyeom, and S.Coups into the game, while Mingyu, Jun, and Joshua made their way to the bench. Similarly, Team Red had Seungkwan, Vernon, and Woozi, giving Wonwoo, Hoshi, and Jeonghan a chance to rest.

[Mingyu, Joshua, Jeonghan, Wonwoo out]

[Dino, DK, Woozi, Vernon in]

Jeonghan, as casual as ever, strolled over to the bench. With his characteristic cool demeanor, he sat himself between Hoshi and Luna.

Seungkwan, now on the court, turned toward the bench and quipped with a grin, “Jeonghan, you could cover Hoshi’s mouth.”

The words elicited a chorus of laughter, with Hoshi dramatically clasping his hands over his mouth as if preemptively preventing another slip.

[Covering it himself]

Jeonghan raised an eyebrow at the comment, amusement flickering in his eyes. He leaned back slightly, stretching his arms behind the bench, his calm aura contrasting with the game’s chaotic energy.

As the laughter subsided, Luna reached down without a word, her fingers curling around a water bottle. She straightened and handed it to Jeonghan, her gaze flicking to his briefly.

Jeonghan accepted the bottle without hesitation, a faint smile playing on his lips. He unscrewed the cap and took a long drink, the cool water easing his exertion from the earlier plays.

“I feel so bad,” Hoshi murmured from Jeonghan’s other side, his voice tinged with genuine remorse.

Jeonghan shook his head lightly, his expression soft yet reassuring. “It’s okay,” he said, his tone gentle as if absolving Hoshi of his guilt.

Turning his attention to PD Na, Jeonghan asked with subtle curiosity, “What’s the prize?”

Luna, now watching him with a playful smirk, interjected, “It’s the only thing keeping him going right now.”

[Motivated]

The bench chuckled at her comment. Jeonghan, unbothered, leaned forward slightly as Luna wrapped her arms around his, resting her head on his shoulder. He let her settle there, his demeanor entirely nonchalant as if her affection was the most natural thing in the world.

PD Na grinned mischievously. “Oh, I haven’t told you. There’s a huge prize. You’d want to win.”

Luna, still nestled against Jeonghan, tilted her head slightly, her attention drifting to his hands resting on his lap. She noted their slight stiffness and how they seemed paler than usual in the chilly open field. Without a word, she reached down, enveloping both of his larger hands in hers. Her small hands tried their best to cover his, her palms pressing against the cold surface of his skin.

Jeonghan glanced down at her, his gaze softening as he watched her efforts. She yawned then, her head tilting against his shoulder.

“You tired?” he asked softly, his voice a gentle murmur.

“Mmm… sleepy,” Luna replied, yawning again as her eyes fluttered closed momentarily.

“Aigo,” Jeonghan whispered, his voice barely audible as he leaned his head down against hers. The moment was brief but tender, a silent acknowledgment of their shared closeness.

The tranquility of their moment was shattered by a sudden outburst from Mingyu, who was sitting further down the bench.

“S.h.o.t. Shoot!” Mingyu shouted toward the players on the court, his enthusiasm causing heads to turn.

From beside him, Joshua leaned towards him and corrected, “S.h.o.o.t.”

“Really?” Mingyu asked, visibly surprised, his eyes wide as he processed the correction.

Luna, unable to contain her amusement, pointed at Mingyu with a laugh. “Cute,” she said, her voice tinged with playful affection.

Mingyu’s confused but endearing expression earned a round of chuckles from the bench, lightening the mood before the game resumed.

The ball was with Woozi, who dribbled it carefully, his small but quick hands controlling the orange sphere as he scanned for an opening. He faked a pass to Vernon on his right but instead launched the ball towards Seungkwan with precision. Seungkwan caught it effortlessly, quickly pivoting as S.Coups stepped in to block.

“Now it’s getting real,” PD Na commented, his tone tinged with anticipation.

“I’m going to play seriously,” Seungkwan declared, a determined glint in his eyes as he began dribbling with renewed vigor.

From the sidelines, Wonwoo observed the intensity building. “Seungkwan looks tired,” he remarked, his sharp eye noticing the slight lag in Seungkwan’s footwork as he backed up on S.Coups.

“Seungkwan needs to keep playing,” Hoshi said, leaning forward with interest, his excitement palpable.

Seungkwan, undeterred by S.Coups’ towering frame, dribbled to the right, then swiftly crossed over to his left, the ball nearly invisible as it passed between his legs. S.Coups stepped forward to block, but Seungkwan spun around, slipping past him with remarkable agility.

With a clear lane to the hoop, Seungkwan charged forward. S.Coups lunged to recover, but Seungkwan executed a clean layup, the ball kissing the backboard before sinking into the net.

[He scores again]

Cheers erupted from Team Red, the sound claps mingling together. Even Team White couldn’t help but clap at the impressive play.

“That was so cool, Boo Seungkwan!” Luna said enthusiastically, her voice carrying from the bench as she stayed nestled beside Jeonghan.

“I approve,” Jun added, his applause sincere.

“You deserve an applause,” Minghao chimed in, nodding appreciatively.

“I’ll keep my mouth shut,” Hoshi muttered, not wanting to mess up again.

“Good. Good job, team,” Jeonghan said nonchalantly, leaning back as if Seungkwan’s effort was exactly what he expected.

The ball was now in Vernon’s hands. He moved cautiously, dribbling down the court while keeping his eyes on his teammates. Spotting an opportunity, he attempted a jump shot from mid-range, but Dokyeom and Dino closed in swiftly, their combined height blocking the ball.

The rebound fell back into Vernon’s hands. Wasting no time, he passed it to Woozi, who looked ready to shoot.

“Go for it. Shoot,” Luna encouraged, her voice light but supportive.

Woozi hesitated for a moment before returning the ball to Vernon.

“Shoot,” Jeonghan added lazily.

Vernon looked determined but chose to pass back to Woozi, who finally took the shot. The ball arced beautifully through the air, but it bounced off the rim, missing by inches.

“I thought he scored,” Joshua said, her voice tinged with shock as everyone’s eyes followed the rebound.

Seungkwan grabbed the loose ball, dribbling quickly as he maneuvered around defenders. He tossed it up toward the hoop, aiming for another layup, but S.Coups intercepted mid-air with a perfectly timed block.

Stealing the ball, S.Coups sprinted out of the three-point line, dribbling with precision as he planned his next move.

“Just shoot,” Mingyu called from the sidelines, his voice impatient yet supportive.

S.Coups feinted a shot, drawing two defenders toward him, then passed the ball to Dokyeom, who quickly tossed it back after seeing the Red team crowd around him.

“Three-pointer. Go. Three-pointer,” Mingyu urged, standing now as he clapped.

With a confident flick of his wrist, S.Coups launched the ball from beyond the arc. The members fell silent as the ball soared, swishing cleanly through the net.

[3-pointer by S.Coups]

The members erupted in cheers, Team White celebrating their first three-pointer. The score now stood at 3-2.

“Nice,” Mingyu said, the word slipping out in English as he clapped and stood up, caught in the excitement.

Luna, still leaning against Jeonghan, tilted her head, her sharp ears catching the English slip. She chuckled but didn’t comment, her focus shifting back to the game.

“He just said it,” Wonwoo said suddenly, his calm voice cutting through the cheers as he pointed at Mingyu.

“Who said what? We said nothing,” Mingyu replied, visibly confused as he looked around.

“After I said it, he scored a goal,” Mingyu explained, his tone earnest as if he didn’t realize his mistake.

“‘Goal’?” PD Na repeated, turning toward Mingyu with a raised brow.

[Dang it]

Luna doubled over, laughter spilling from her as she threw herself onto Jeonghan’s lap. Tears streamed from her eyes as she tried to catch her breath.

“He scored a ‘goal’?” PD Na repeated, his confusion evident.

“‘Gong,’” Joshua interjected, attempting to cover for Mingyu.

“I said ‘gong.’” Mingyu played along.

“In what context will you need to use the word ‘gong’ in that sentence?” Jeonghan asked, his deadpan delivery earning another burst of laughter from Luna, who clung to his arm as her shoulders shook.

“I said ‘gong,’” Mingyu insisted weakly, his face flushing as he tried to salvage the situation.

“What does it matter? You said ‘nice’ seconds before that anyway,” Luna chuckled, pointing at Mingyu as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

[She’s crying]

“She’s right. You did,” Wonwoo added, nodding toward Luna in agreement considering only the two of them noticed Mingyu’s earlier slip-up.

“Gosh,” Mingyu sighed in defeat, his shoulders slumping as the laughter continued.

“Gyu-gyu is so funny,” Luna said as she stood up, her voice still shaky from laughing. “He was quick with it, too. Cheollie didn’t even get to celebrate and feel himself for his three-pointer.”

Her comment sent them into another wave of laughter, including S.Coups, who walked over and hugged her around the waist in mock exasperation.

“How long is this gonna take?” Luna sniffled dramatically, her tone playful as she turned toward Jeonghan. Gently, she pushed him toward the court. “Go over there and play, hurry,” she said, her mock urgency making everyone laugh again.

Jeonghan chuckled, shaking his head as he stood before making his way to switch with Woozi.

“Always watch what you say,” Minghao advised the group, his voice laced with humor.

“What do I do? Should I try to be funny for the show or…” Mingyu asked PD Na, his tone both genuine and exasperated.

[Fundamental question]

“Be careful, yet still be funny,” Jun replied, his voice full of mock wisdom.

“That’s right. That’s the answer,” PD Na added, laughing.

“You learned Korean when you were young, didn’t you? You didn’t learn English,” Jun scolded teasingly.

“Right. That’s true,” Mingyu agreed, his tone resigned.

“Or we can all shut up altogether,” Luna deadpanned as she sat back down, earning another round of laughter as PD Na pointed at her.

“Our cheerleader…” PD Na trailed off, shaking his head with a grin.

Luna pretended to suddenly remember her role, shaking her pom-poms. “Let’s go, guys! I believe in you guys, really!” she cheered, her exaggerated enthusiasm drawing more laughter as the game resumed.

[Jeonghan of Team Red goes back in]

“The game resumes,” Minghao said, his calm voice cutting through the ambient noise.

Seungkwan took control of the ball, dribbling it purposefully as he moved forward. His left hand guided the ball with precision while his eyes scanned the court, reading the defensive setup. His movements were steady, keeping the ball close to his body to avoid turnovers.

“Keep calm,” Seungkwan murmured, his tone both encouraging and firm as he directed Vernon with a sharp nod.

Vernon darted into an open spot near the right wing, ready to receive the ball. Seungkwan quickly transferred the ball with a crisp chest pass, the orange leather spinning slightly as it traveled straight into Vernon’s waiting hands.

Without hesitation, Vernon pivoted on his right foot to face the basket. He briefly considered a shot but noticed Jeonghan cutting to the top of the key. Vernon flicked the ball to Jeonghan with a clean bounce pass.

Jeonghan caught it effortlessly, his body fluid as he adjusted his stance. With a quick dribble, he squared up and took the shot. The ball arced high, spinning in perfect backspin as it descended toward the rim.

“It’s a perfect team,” Woozi commented, his voice low but filled with pride.

“My team is great,” Hoshi said quickly, his excitement bubbling over.

“My team is amazing,” Woozi added with a small smirk, eliciting a chuckle from those nearby.

The ball hit the rim and spun around in a near-perfect circle, causing everyone to hold their breaths collectively. It teetered on the edge before bouncing out, narrowly missing the basket.

Seungkwan wasted no time. He dashed to recover the ball, his speed and agility unmatched as he secured the rebound near the baseline. With the White team scrambling to reorganize, he sprinted back into the paint, weaving between defenders.

He leaped for a layup, but the ball slipped out of his hand mid-air, sailing out of bounds. Gasps filled the area, but Seungkwan remained composed, quickly turning to chase after it.

Recovering the ball just before it crossed the sideline, he pivoted sharply, planting his left foot while his right swung around. With a powerful jump, he launched the ball toward the hoop once again. This time, it swished cleanly through the net.

[Seungkwan scores]

“Seungkwan’s really good,” PD Na commented as Team Red erupted into cheers, their voices echoing across the open field.

The scoreboard updated: 0:4.

“Nice!” Luna exclaimed, her voice full of enthusiasm as she clapped.

“Yay!” Wonwoo said softly, raising a hand in quiet celebration.

“The game will end soon,” Woozi remarked, his tone matter-of-fact.

“I’ll keep my mouth shut,” Hoshi muttered, a sheepish grin on his face.

“Go score, Mingyu!” Dokyeom called out, his voice filled with encouragement as he clapped his teammate on the back. The two quickly switched positions, with Dokyeom retreating to defend while Mingyu moved into an offensive role.

[Mingyu of Team White also goes in]

All eyes turned to S.Coups as he caught the inbound pass. His dribbling was steady but purposeful as he made his way across the half-court line, his eyes locked on the basket.

“Seungcheol… Cheol?” Hoshi’s voice wavered, trailing off as he gulped audibly.

“I get nervous every time I speak,” Hoshi admitted, earning a chuckle from the sideline.

[His heart is about to explode]

“It’s okay,” Luna reassured him, her voice light with amusement.

“I feel so bad for them,” Hoshi said, glancing at the White team’s frustrated expressions.

“Mingyu, break through. You’re good at it,” Dokyeom encouraged, gesturing for Mingyu to move into position.

Meanwhile, Jeonghan intercepted a pass meant for S.Coups and quickly took possession of the ball. Dribbling in place for a moment, Jeonghan assessed his options, his expression cool and unreadable.

With a sudden burst of speed, he sidestepped Mingyu’s attempted block, his movements smooth and calculated. His shoulder dipped slightly as if to feint a pass, but he held on, cutting through the defense with ease.

Reaching the free-throw line, Jeonghan rose into the air, his form impeccable as he released the ball. The gym went silent as the ball soared toward the basket, spinning perfectly. It hit the backboard and dropped through the hoop with a satisfying swish.

[Jeonghan scores]

“That’s it! Nice!” Luna cheered, leaping to her feet with her pom-poms in hand.

“A point!” Woozi announced, clapping briefly.

“Good job,” Hoshi said, nodding in approval.

“Jeonghan, that was so cool,” Dokyeom added, his tone filled with admiration.

The scoreboard updated: 0:6.

“Five more points and Team Red wins,” Minghao noted, his tone even as he gestured toward the scoreboard.

Seungkwan was back in control of the ball, dribbling confidently as he weaved through White’s defense. He faked a pass to Vernon before pulling up for a mid-range jumper. The ball arced beautifully, hitting nothing but the net.

[Team Red is on a roll]

“Nice,” Woozi said with a small smile, his quiet approval carrying weight.

“Good! We’re almost there!” Luna said, standing again to cheer, her pom-poms shaking enthusiastically.

[Almost home]

“Very nice,” Wonwoo said, raising his hand in a subtle gesture of celebration.

The scoreboard updated: 0:8.

“Three more to go,” Luna said confidently, her gaze shifting toward the court.

“They’re on a roll now,” Minghao observed, his tone calm but impressed.

Sensing the pressure, the White team huddled briefly, their expressions serious as they discussed their next play. Mingyu, ever the jokester, decided to shift the mood.

“Can you just be funny and say ‘nice’?” he called out, his voice laced with mischief as he turned toward the Red team.

Seungkwan, who was standing near the half-court line, kept his lips tightly pressed together, refusing to take the bait.

“We’re SEVENTEEN. What’s the name of your team?” Mingyu added, his playful smirk widening.

“We need to cheer up, especially in times like this,” Woozi said, his voice steady as he reminded his teammates to stay focused.

Luna chuckled softly from the sidelines, shaking her head at Mingyu’s antics.

“Let’s make it funny,” Mingyu continued, his persistence unwavering.

“Very nice,” Jeonghan said, his tone calm and deliberate as he tried to steady his team’s nerves.

“Say ‘very nice’ for once,” Mingyu quipped, trying one last time to provoke a reaction.

“Is it our ball or your ball?” he asked, his tone feigning innocence.

Seungkwan didn’t respond verbally, instead pointing to himself to indicate that it was Team Red’s ball.

[Our ball]

“Team White better watch out. Even if you do, you’re at zero,” Minghao reminded, his delivery sharp and matter-of-fact.

Seungkwan held the basketball tightly in his hands, his eyes laser-focused as he surveyed the court. Dino was positioned in front of him, his arms spread wide, his feet shifting rapidly to match Seungkwan’s every move.

Seungkwan feinted to the left, his shoulders dipping subtly as if preparing to drive past Dino. Dino, quick on his feet, mirrored the movement, his body low and centered, ready to block any advancement. But Seungkwan had anticipated this. In an instant, he spun on his pivot foot, his body twisting fluidly as he changed direction, the ball moving seamlessly from his left hand to his right.

Dino lunged, attempting to close the gap, but Seungkwan was already a step ahead. Using his body to shield the ball, Seungkwan shifted his momentum forward, his dribble tight and controlled. As Dino reached out, trying to disrupt the play, Seungkwan expertly bounced the ball behind his back, switching hands and slipping past his defender.

Seungkwan’s gaze darted across the court, spotting Vernon positioned just outside the three-point line, his hands ready. Without breaking stride, Seungkwan executed a crisp chest pass, the ball zipping through the air in a perfect arc.

Vernon caught it effortlessly, his hands absorbing the ball’s momentum. He squared his shoulders to the hoop, his knees bending slightly as he prepared to shoot. And as Vernon released the ball, his shooting form was textbook perfect. The ball spun in a flawless backspin, soaring through the air before swishing cleanly through the net.

[Vernon of Team Red scores]

“Chwe Hansol, good job!” Luna’s voice rang out, her excitement evident as she clapped enthusiastically. “The game is almost over!”

The scoreboard updated to: 0:10.

“It’s awesome,” Wonwoo said, his soft voice tinged with admiration.

“The game will end soon,” Woozi observed, his tone calm yet anticipatory.

Hoshi, unable to contain his nervous energy, stood up from his seat, covering his mouth with both hands as he watched the action unfold.

“One more point,” Luna said, her eyes darting toward Jeonghan, who was now facing Hoshi. Jeonghan, ever the composed strategist, raised a hand and made a subtle “calm down” motion, silently reminding Hoshi to stay focused and avoid any accidental slip-ups in English.

[One more and Team Red wins]

Luna approached Hoshi, her expression gentle but firm. She reached out, taking his hand in hers as if to ground him. “Hold back,” her gesture seemed to say, her silent encouragement calming his nervous fidgeting.

Back on the court, Seungkwan had regained possession of the ball. He dribbled with purpose, his eyes scanning the court. His gaze landed on Jeonghan, who had positioned himself near the basket, his stance relaxed yet poised for action.

With a swift and calculated move, Seungkwan lobbed the ball toward Jeonghan. The pass was precise, arcing gracefully through the air. Jeonghan caught it smoothly, his hands moving instinctively to secure the ball.

Without hesitation, he turned on his heel, his movements fluid and deliberate. He jumped, his body extending fully as he released the ball with perfect form. They fell silent as the ball soared toward the hoop, spinning in a controlled backspin. It hit the backboard and dropped through the net with a satisfying swish.

“It’s over!” Luna cheered, her voice rising above the noise as the scoreboard updated: 0:12.

Team Red erupted into cheers, their voices a mix of excitement and relief. “It’s over!” Seungkwan exclaimed, his grin wide as he high-fived Vernon and Jeonghan.

The team huddled together, their arms wrapping around each other as they jumped up and down in celebration, their energy infectious.

Meanwhile, Team White sighed collectively, their shoulders slumping in exaggerated defeat. Despite their loss, they clapped good-naturedly, their smiles showing they had enjoyed the game.

Luna, unable to contain her excitement, jumped up and down on the bleachers, her pom-poms shaking wildly as she cheered.

“Good job, team!” Jeonghan said, his tone calm but proud.

“It was amazing,” Hoshi added, his eyes wide as he demonstrated how he had covered his mouth in nervous anticipation. “I was like this the whole time because I felt so bad!”

“Good job. It’s okay,” Seungkwan reassured him with a pat on the back.

“Good game. We did our best,” Joshua told Mingyu, his tone warm and encouraging.

“Is it over now? No more?” Dokyeom asked, looking around with mock disbelief.

“I guess so,” Mingyu said, his lips forming a pout as he crossed his arms.

[Please drive Mingyu to Jamwon Han River Park]

From her spot on the bleachers, Luna noticed Mingyu’s exaggerated expression. Her face lit up as she skipped toward him, her steps light and playful. “Aigo, Gyu-gyu. You did a good job,” she said, her voice sweet as she threw herself into his arms.

Mingyu caught her easily, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her off her feet with a grin. He spun her slightly before placing her back down gently.

“Seungkwan, your dribble,” Dokyeom said, turning to his teammate as the group began gathering near the bleachers.

“It was crazy,” Seungkwan admitted, shaking his head with a small laugh.

[They haven't played basketball together for a long time]

“Seungkwan’s good,” Jeonghan said, his tone approving.

“He is. You did great too,” Luna chimed in, her gaze shifting to Jeonghan as she smiled. Jeonghan responded by casually throwing an arm around her shoulders, his demeanor effortlessly cool.

“You’re good at laying up,” Joshua told Seungkwan, his voice filled with genuine admiration.

“Jeonghan and Seungkwan are good,” Minghao noted, his calm voice carrying a hint of pride.

[Satisfactory game]

“Hunminjeongeum game is fun,” Jeonghan remarked as they all settled onto the bleachers, their laughter and chatter filling the field.

[Hunminjeongeum basketball is over]

“Good job.” He started, his tone measured and approving. The members’ attention turned to him immediately, their expressions expectant. “Come forward, please.”

The instruction had them shifting in their seats, exchanging brief glances before standing up one by one. Minghao, ever the calm and observant one, softly encouraged the group as he rose. “Please come to the front,” he said, gesturing toward the center of the field.

Jun, with his signature wry humor, added as he followed Minghao’s lead, “Now we can speak English.”

The light remark drew a ripple of laughter from the group as they filed off the bleachers. “Nice game,” Mingyu said, his voice warm and genuine as he clapped lightly.

“Good game. Good game,” Joshua added, nodding appreciatively toward his teammates and opponents alike.

As they assembled at the front, facing both the cameras and PD Na, their movements were fluid, their postures reflecting the energy and camaraderie still fresh from the game.

“Well done. For Hunminjeongeum basketball, Team Red won,” PD Na announced, his voice steady but tinged with amusement.

A cheer erupted from Team Red— Seungkwan, Vernon, Jeonghan, Wonwoo, Hoshi, and Woozi —punctuated by exuberant clapping. The rest of the members, joined in the applause, their smiles a mix of pride and acknowledgment.

“Well done, everyone,” Luna chimed in, her tone bright and encouraging as she clapped along, her pom-poms now resting at her sides.

“Good game, Team Red,” Dokyeom said, his voice carrying a blend of sportsmanship and lighthearted banter.

PD Na waited for the applause to settle before adding, “I said there’s a huge prize.”

That single statement reignited the members’ energy, their expressions shifting from satisfied to intrigued anticipation.

[Time to meet the huge prize]

“Is it a huge prize? Literally?” Mingyu asked, his eyes narrowing slightly in playful skepticism as he leaned forward, his hands resting on his hips.

“It is a huge prize,” Wonwoo said, his usually understated demeanor breaking into a soft laugh as his gaze shifted toward the staff members moving at the court’s edge.

“It really is a huge prize,” Jun confirmed, his head tilting slightly as he squinted at the approaching figure.

“What is that? It’s huge,” Luna said, her laughter bubbling up as she pointed toward the object being carried in by a staff member.

“Wow,” Dino and Seungkwan echoed almost simultaneously, their tones filled with genuine amazement.

“That’s a really huge prize,” Minghao remarked, his tone flat but his eyes betraying his amusement.

[Prize: Very huge trophy]

A collective gasp rippled through the group as the staff member finally came into full view, revealing an oversized trophy made up of multiple smaller trophies intricately stacked and bolted together. The gleaming monstrosity stood nearly as tall as some of the members, its absurdity matched only by its undeniable presence.

“That’s huge,” Wonwoo repeated, his tone slightly awed as he adjusted his glasses for a better look.

Seungkwan stepped forward, a mix of pride and incredulity on his face as he reached for the trophy. He gripped it carefully, his muscles tensing as he adjusted to its awkward weight and height.

PD Na chuckled lightly at the sight before addressing the group again. “I’m sorry, but you need to place it at home… Take a picture of it and post it on social media.”

The members broke into laughter, their amusement blending seamlessly with their agreement.

“Anyone wants to take it home?” Jeonghan asked, his tone casual as he glanced around, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

After a beat of collective hesitation, they all turned toward Seungkwan, who was still holding the massive trophy.

“Let Seungkwan have it,” Mingyu declared, earning a chorus of nods and murmurs of agreement.

“We’re giving you this prize, so you can get an even bigger prize. Congratulations,” PD Na concluded, his voice carrying a mix of humor and sincerity.

“Thank you!” the members chorused, their voices overlapping as they clapped once more, their spirits high despite the exhaustion lingering from the game.

[Review]

“Before we wrap up, let’s hear some final thoughts. Anyone want to start?” His gaze naturally shifted to S.Coups, the leader, who stepped forward slightly.

“It’s a shame that it’s over,” S.Coups began, his voice carrying a note of wistfulness, “but we have ‘Youth Over Flowers’.” The mention of the upcoming show made PD Na chuckle knowingly, his amusement was contagious as a few of the members laughed softly.

“That’s the fact,” Woozi affirmed with his usual matter-of-fact tone, nodding at S.Coups as if sealing the statement with finality.

S.Coups smiled and looked at the camera. “We’ll come back later. It’s coming. Trust Producer Na and wait.”

The group nodded in unison, their agreement punctuated by light laughter. Dokyeom, always the energetic spark, took this opportunity to speak next. He raised his hand slowly, dramatically, earning curious looks from the rest.

“A round of applause to this hand that picked ‘Youth Over Flowers’,” he declared, holding his hand out like a trophy as they erupted into cheers and claps.

[DK played a big role today]

“The true winner. The true lucky guy,” Dino quipped, giving Dokyeom a hearty pat on the back as the group clapped louder.

Dokyeom, basking in the moment, grinned wide. “I had so much fun today. We’ll have fun again on ‘Youth Over Flowers’. Please look forward to it. See you next time!” He waved enthusiastically, his energy infecting the group as a few mimicked his wave.

When Dino stepped forward, his youthful energy matched Dokyeom’s but with a tinge of sincerity. “I had so much fun today—”

He was abruptly cut off by Mingyu, who couldn’t help but laugh as he gestured toward Dino’s sleeveless basketball jersey. “Aren’t you cold?”

The members echoed with laughter as Dino glanced at himself and chuckled, clearly unfazed. Meanwhile, the camera panned to the rest of the group, most of whom were wearing long-sleeved shirts under their jerseys or jackets over them.

[Dino likes sleeveless shirts]

“Lulu too,” Mingyu added, pointing toward Luna, who was also sleeveless in a red jersey.

The group’s attention shifted to her, and they broke into laughter again.

“I’m cold even in these. Aren’t you two cold?” Woozi asked, tugging at his jacket for emphasis.

“I like the cold,” Luna replied simply, her hair catching the light as a breeze swept through the gym, brushing it back elegantly. The casual grace of her response made the members laugh again, nodding in amused agreement.

[Luna likes the cold]

Jeonghan, standing beside her, shook his head with a fond smile. Without a word, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and began rubbing her arms briskly with his palms to warm her up.

“It’s pretty cold,” Dino admitted, now slightly subdued. He looked around the group, his sincerity returning. “Anyway, it was fun today. I made a lot of good memories with them. It was a meaningful day.”

PD Na glanced around, waiting for someone else to step forward and speak, before pointing at Luna. “Our cheerleader,” he called out, prompting the group tolook at her.

“Our Ice Princess,” S.Coups teased, grinning as Luna scrunched her nose playfully and chuckled.

Luna stepped forward gracefully, adjusting her hair away from her face. “I just want to thank PD Na and the rest of the Game Caterers staff and crew for making us feel welcome and taking care of us,” she began, her voice steady and warm as she addressed both the group and the cameras. “We had a lot of fun, and I know CARATs will too once they watch this. I am also really excited for ‘Youth Over Flowers’, which will be coming soon.” She ended with a bright smile, her sincerity evident.

Seungkwan, still clutching the oversized trophy, decided to finish things off. He stepped forward, holding the trophy like a prized possession.

“Thank you for making good memories for us and for CARAT,” he said, his voice earnest and filled with gratitude. “I’m not tired at all. It was so much fun.”

“It couldn’t get any better.” Dokyeom raised two thumbs up.

The members murmured their agreement, nodding as the cameras captured their warm smiles and the camaraderie that radiated from the group.

Mingyu stepped forward, patting S.Coups on the back with a grin. “Go, leader,” he said, his voice playful but encouraging, signaling the leader to take charge of their final team goodbye. S.Coups gave a small nod, straightening up as he prepared to rally the group for their trademark farewell.

“We’re SEVENTEEN. Say the name…” S.Coups began, his tone commanding but warm, as he raised his hand in the familiar team gesture.

“SEVENTEEN!” the group chorused, their voices harmonizing as they completed the hand sign together. It was a moment of unity, their energy radiating as they all bowed in unison to the cameras.

“Thank you!” the members echoed, their voices overlapping as they began waving enthusiastically to the crew, staff, and cameras.

As if on cue, the chorus of ‘Very Nice’ burst through the speakers, instantly reigniting the playful atmosphere. Some of the members immediately broke into the iconic choreography, moving to the beat with exaggerated enthusiasm.

['VERY NICE' ending]

[Automatic reaction]

Luna, standing slightly to the side, couldn’t help but bounce along to the music, her steps lazy but rhythmic as she swayed in time with the beat. Her movements were lighthearted, her smile growing as she watched the chaos unfold.

Meanwhile, a few of the others— like Joshua— began revisiting the meme-worthy dance moves he had displayed earlier during the game. Mingyu and Dokyeom gleefully copied his exaggerated arm movements, adding their own flair, as the rest of the group either danced or clapped along.

The chorus of ‘Very Nice’ reached its peak, the members’ energy infectious, before the song faded out. As the final notes ended, PD Na leaned forward with a look of amusement in his face.

“Thank you,” he said sincerely, his words simple but filled with gratitude.

Another chorus of “Thank you!” rang out from the members, accompanied by bows and waves as they expressed their appreciation to the staff and cameras one last time. Their voices mingled with laughter and cheerful goodbyes, the atmosphere light and celebratory as the filming officially came to an end.

[Their quick meet ended]

['Super' Challenge]

[April 27, 2023, SEVENTEEN's comeback week,CJ ENM in Sangam-dong]

The energy at CJ ENM was palpable, the staff bustling as SEVENTEEN’s comeback week hit full stride. The dressing room was filled with the faint buzz of conversation and last-minute touch-ups as the members prepared for their upcoming performance of Super.

The room was bathed in a mix of gold and deep blue— a reflection of the modern hanbok outfits they wore. Each piece was tailored to perfection, embodying a fusion of tradition and modernity.

[They're here for 'Super' Challenge]

Luna stood by the far wall, her back leaning casually against it. She wore a dark blue hanbok-inspired ensemble trimmed with gold accents. The modern twist came through in the short, pleated skirt and fitted bodice, which was adorned with delicate patterns reminiscent of celestial constellations. The sleeves were sheer, billowing lightly at the wrists, adding an ethereal touch to the look.

Jeonghan stood in front of her, one hand braced against the wall just above her head, his posture effortlessly casual. His long hair, framed his face as he leaned closer to speak. His voice was low, carrying a softness that only she could hear, while the corners of his lips curled into a smile. It was a sight that had become second nature to them— a stolen moment of their own amidst the chaos.

Their private bubble was abruptly pierced by a commotion of greetings from the hallway. A chorus of polite “Hello!” and excited murmurs filled the air.

Joshua, ever the observant one, peeked out of the doorway to investigate. His sharp eyes caught sight of PD Na and his crew approaching with their cameras already rolling. Without a word, Joshua turned back into the room and swiftly tapped Jeonghan and Luna on their shoulders, the urgency in his gesture clear.

Jeonghan immediately stepped back, his hand falling to his side as Luna straightened her posture. Their movements were seamless, and practiced. Though their relationship was known to their members, it remained a well-kept secret from the public. They both knew how to switch gears in an instant, their professionalism taking over.

Mingyu and Joshua were the first to step into the hallway, their smiles bright and their bows respectful. “Hello,” they greeted warmly.

“I can’t do it,” was the first thing PD Na said, his tone tinged with mock defeat. “I’ve seen it. Even singers can’t do it. How am I going to do it?”

[Whining]

Mingyu clapped wordlessly, his large hands creating a sound that echoed through the hallway, while Joshua chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.

[Only the deities can do 'Super' challenge]

One by one, the members began filing out of the dressing room. S.Coups and Dino appeared next, their strides confident but relaxed.

“Did anyone do it?” PD Na asked, his curiosity genuine.

“Only one… Taeyang,” S.Coups replied, his tone matter-of-fact, earning a groan from PD Na.

[Na will be on the same level as Taeyang after this]

As Jun, Woozi, and Hoshi joined the gathering, PD Na’s shoulders slumped dramatically. “I’ll look forward to it,” Hoshi said, his tone teasing.

“It won’t be possible,” PD Na countered, shaking his head before grabbing Hoshi’s hands in genuine desperation. “Isn’t there an easy version?”

[Desperate look + Holding hands]

The hallway was now bustling, and most of the members already gathered to watch the challenge unfold. The atmosphere was light, filled with laughter and anticipation.

“Hello!” Luna stepped out next, her presence drawing immediate attention— not just because of her striking outfit but also because of the aura she carried. Jeonghan was right behind her, his gaze flickering briefly to ensure she was comfortable before he joined the others.

Jeonghan chuckled, glancing at Hoshi. “Hoshi, you should teach him.”

The members collectively moved closer, forming a loose semi-circle around the impromptu dance lesson. Dino leaned against the wall beside Luna, his arms crossed, observing the unfolding scene with a faint smirk. “Are you really going to teach him?” he asked skeptically.

“It’s a challenge, after all,” Hoshi replied with confidence, already rolling up the sleeves of his modern hanbok.

Hoshi stepped into the open space, his movements precise yet relaxed, demonstrating his mastery of the choreography.

He positioned himself, and with a deep breath, began. “‘Sono…’” Hoshi started, his voice carrying the iconic line from the song ‘Super’ as he stepped forward, demonstrating the first move.

PD Na mirrored the movement with hesitant precision, echoing, “‘Sono…’” His voice cracked slightly, drawing immediate cheers from the members watching.

“Oooohhh!” they chorused in unison, their exaggerated enthusiasm filling the hallway. The sound was loud enough to echo, making PD Na freeze mid-step. He turned to glare at the group, his expression caught between annoyance and amusement.

[SEVENTEEN cheers at Yung Suk's dance]

“Be quiet, for goodness’ sake,” he scolded them, though his tone lacked true bite. “Are you trying to lure people?”

[They're loud enough to draw everyone in the company]

The members erupted into laughter, clapping for him. Luna, resting her weight casually against the wall, grinned but said nothing, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

“Are you sure about this? We should find a way,” Mingyu interjected as they watched Hoshi teach PD Na, his tall frame towering over some of the others as he spoke. “Let’s all stand in a line and let him appear as he shakes.”

[Worried]

“That’s not a bad idea,” Wonwoo added thoughtfully, his arms folded across his chest.

[Or record each move separately and combine them]

Hoshi raised an eyebrow, pausing mid-step. “Should I record one at a time and edit it out?” he asked, the suggestion tinged with practicality.

“No. PD Na is a good dancer,” Luna said suddenly, her voice calm yet definitive. She had shifted to lean against the wall, her eyes fixed on the ongoing practice.

“He’s pretty good at it.” Mingyu chimed in, nodding in agreement.

“Left hand. Right hand. Gather. Stretch. Bam,” Hoshi instructed as he continued breaking down the choreography. His movements were slow and deliberate, ensuring PD Na could follow. PD Na tried again, his brows furrowed in concentration as he mimicked the steps.

From the sidelines, Wonwoo and S.Coups began shadowing the moves, their bodies swaying slightly as they followed Hoshi’s lead.

It wasn’t long before PD Na sighed, breaking the rhythm. “I won’t be able to memorize it,” he admitted, his voice tinged with resignation.

“But… you look like you can do it,” Joshua said encouragingly, earning a burst of laughter from PD Na.

“The song is too fast,” Wonwoo chuckled sympathetically, his tone almost apologetic.

“There’s a slow version, right?” Hoshi asked, glancing at the group as he paused to consider how to make things easier.

“Really?” PD Na perked up, hope flashing across his face. “Let’s use that. You should’ve told me earlier.”

[Smiling]

“That’s the happiest I’ve seen him today,” Luna deadpanned, her chin now resting lightly on Dino’s shoulder as she watched the scene unfold. Her dry remark sent another ripple of laughter through the group.

“You can fast forward it later,” PD Na quipped, shaking his head but smiling nonetheless.

[He sees hope in 'Super' Challenge]

The group soon realized that their activity was drawing attention in the busy hallway. With SEVENTEEN members, their staff, and PD Na all gathered together, they were occupying an inconvenient amount of space. One of the managers gestured for them to move inside, and the group began filing back into their dressing room.

The room was bustling with energy as they entered, with costumes and makeup tools scattered around, and water bottles and snacks sitting on the tables. The warm, slightly chaotic environment made the transition seamless.

Once inside, the members naturally dispersed into smaller groups. Some settled into chairs, a few stood near the mirrors fixing their outfits, while others lingered near the snack table. Luna found a seat beside Mingyu at the long table where they often sat to eat or rest. She pulled out her phone, her attention immediately consumed by something on her screen. Mingyu, meanwhile, sat with a plate of food in front of him, chewing as he observed the ongoing commotion with quiet amusement.

In the center of the room, Hoshi stood ready to resume the lesson, his energy unflagging. PD Na stood opposite him, looking slightly frazzled but game to continue.

“Look at Mingyu’s face. He has no faith in me,” PD Na suddenly said, pointing toward Mingyu. His tone was half-serious, half-teasing, and it immediately drew laughter from the room.

Mingyu, mid-bite, glanced up at the accusation. His chewing slowed, and he raised an eyebrow in mock offense.

[Eating]

Jeonghan, standing nearby, chimed in teasingly, “That’s disappointing.” He gestured toward Mingyu, his expression feigning disapproval.

“You look mean,” Mingyu shot back at Jeonghan, his words slightly muffled by the food in his mouth. He paused, then continued with exaggerated seriousness, “Jeonghan is smiling, but he has a bad intention behind his smile.”

The observation earned a laugh from Jeonghan, who couldn’t help the mischievous glint in his eye. His shoulders shook as he leaned back, clearly amused.

PD Na shifted his gaze, suddenly aware of the time crunch. “When does M Countdown begin?” he asked, his tone shifting to something more urgent.

“They have to be on standby in five,” one of the staff members answered promptly.

PD Na pulled out his phone, checking the time for himself. “We only have five minutes left,” he muttered, his expression growing slightly panicked.

Realizing the need to hurry, Hoshi and Jeonghan wordlessly teamed up, their natural camaraderie making the transition seamless. Hoshi gestured for PD Na to watch closely as he demonstrated the move again.

“‘I feel like Sonogong’,” Jeonghan and Hoshi sang the first line of the chorus of ‘Super’, his movements sharp and fluid. Jeonghan immediately mirrored him, harmonizing the line in perfect sync. Together, they moved through the choreography, their voices blending as they repeated the steps. “Left hand. Right hand. Gather. Stretch. Bam.”

PD Na mimicked their moves with increasing confidence, though his motions lacked the precision of the two seasoned performers. “One more time,” Hoshi said, his tone patient but firm.

They repeated the sequence, with Jeonghan stepping in closer to correct PD Na’s posture, while Hoshi slowed the tempo slightly to make it easier.

From the sidelines, S.Coups burst into laughter. He clapped his hands together, his body doubling over as he leaned into Luna and Mingyu, wrapping an arm around each of them for support.

“I can’t believe it works,” Dino commented from where he stood, his voice tinged with surprise.

“Good. Good,” S.Coups chuckled, still draped over Luna and Mingyu, his amusement infectious.

Just as the atmosphere hit its peak, one of the SEVENTEEN staff members entered the room, their voice cutting through the chatter. “Vocal team, standby!” they announced, their tone brisk and authoritative.

[Vocal Team has to go]

The mention of standby immediately set the vocal unit into motion. Joshua, Woozi, Seungkwan, Dokyeom, Jeonghan, and Luna moved toward the door with practiced efficiency, their casual demeanor never betraying the professionalism they exuded on stage.

[Time is getting near]

Dokyeom turned back just before leaving, offering a warm smile and a quick, “Good luck,” to PD Na. Jeonghan and Luna both paused to bow politely in his direction, their gestures respectful yet swift.

“Fighting!” Luna added her voice light but encouraging as she stepped out alongside the others. The door closed behind them, leaving the rest of the group to resume their antics inside.

[They're running out of time]

[They proceed before other teams go]

The group transitioned smoothly to the next segment of filming— the dance challenge.

SEVENTEEN’s staff was already setting up, a camera in hand, adjusting its angle to focus on PD Na, who stood at the forefront with Hoshi and Vernon. The rest of the members lingered toward the back, casually chatting and watching the preparations unfold. The room buzzed with anticipation, the energy lively but focused.

The camera operator stepped into position, holding the lens steady in front of PD Na. “Here we go. Producer Na, smile please,” the staff member directed cheerfully, their tone lighthearted yet professional. PD Na’s lips twitched into a nervous, awkward smile that immediately drew quiet laughter from the observing members.

[His debut is near]

[The original 'Super' challenge video]

“Oh, this is so much fun. I’m so happy,” PD Na muttered dryly, his tone dripping with sarcasm, which only made the group laugh harder.

Hoshi, ever the performer, clapped his hands together once. “Okay. We’re ready,” he announced confidently, his enthusiasm practically infectious.

From the back of the room, Mingyu’s voice cut through the chatter, a touch of playful encouragement in his tone. “Let’s go,” he said, his eyes on the small group preparing to dance.

The camera operator gave the signal, and the recording began. The room fell silent except for the faint sound of the music cueing up in the background. The slowed version of ‘Super’ started to play, the opening beats recognizable and immediately captivating.

“‘I feel like Sonogong,’” Hoshi sang softly in sync with the music, his voice steady as he led the opening line. He immediately transitioned into the dance, his movements sharp but slowed for PD Na to follow. “Left hand. Right hand. Gather. Stretch. Bam,” Hoshi directed patiently, his voice clear as he guided each step. Vernon mirrored Hoshi’s movements, his casual energy balancing Hoshi’s intensity, while PD Na tried his best to keep up. His steps were a bit offbeat, but the earnest effort was enough to keep the room entertained.

[Even you can do 'Super' challenge]

From the back, the other members watched with amusement, their faces alight with pride and humor as PD Na fumbled through the steps. Dino and Seungkwan exchanged grins, while S.Coups subtly mimicked the dance in his spot, his movements exaggerated for comedic effect. The playful energy radiating from the group was infectious.

As the song reached its conclusion, Hoshi called out, “Everyone, gather for the ending.” His voice carried over the music, and the rest of the members jumped into action, stepping into the frame with practiced ease. They surrounded PD Na, forming a loose circle as they struck playful poses, waving and smiling toward the camera.

“Bye!” they all chorused, their voices overlapping as they waved enthusiastically. The final shot captured their bright expressions, the harmony of their personalities blending seamlessly into a single moment of lighthearted fun.

[Nice wrap up]

When the camera stopped rolling, applause erupted from the group. The members clapped for PD Na, their cheers loud and encouraging. The producer grinned sheepishly, clearly relieved that the challenge had concluded successfully.

“I’ll be out of town for a while,” PD Na said, straightening up and adjusting his jacket. “Call me when you’re done performing. Bye now.” He waved as he turned to leave, the members bidding him farewell with warm smiles and cheerful gestures.

['Super' Challenge is over]

As the door closed behind him, the room seemed to exhale collectively, the energy shifting back into a more relaxed rhythm as the group prepared for the next activity.

[Let's meet again one day]

[The Game Caterers]

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ambitiouspotions · 3 months ago

Text

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS | CARMEN BERZATTO | ONESHOT

summary — carmy is finally home for the holidays and you, his childhood friend, are invited to the berzatto christmas dinner

word count — 10.2k

warnings — angst, mentions of addiction, family chaos, written and added to season 2 episode 6 so like you know strap in (of course all credit to the wonderful creators, writers, producers, and directors for the fuckery of the episode they created)

author’s note — yeah, anyways have fun! also going by the basis that carmen is at least 15 years younger than mikey!

“hold on, stall for me, i heard them saying my name,” carmen requested, pausing your conversation to make his way to the front door to ask his older siblings why they called upon him. you tilted your head, not being able to even deny his request before he went outside. you pulled at the sleeve of your knitted green sweater, only letting the headache-inducing arguing mixed with a symphony of christmas music filter through your ears.

you roamed the trays of cheese and crackers as he was away, the fak brothers yammering in your ear about a potential business reselling baseball cards on ebay.

“apparently, i’ve been placed on mom duty,” he muttered as he came back to join your side. he smelled faintly of cigarette smoke when he returned. who could blame him? 74% of the american population were also in agreement that the christmas holidays were the most stressful time of year.

the rest of the berzatto family was staggering through the den, quick quips flying from their mouths as they interacted with each other. lee was trying to pass off a bright red, piping hot dutch oven to everyone he walked past, finally settling on sugar to bring the dish to the kitchen. you felt bad for her. she already confided in you the moment she saw you. she was so nervous about ruining christmas because of her impulsive tendency to ask her mother if she was okay. it was a surprise for her to see carmen again after he had been in copenhagen, but an even bigger surprise when she learned carmen was bringing you to a family dinner.

you, peach, well that’s what mikey had deemed you after a particularly embarrassing accident in the neighborhood. the nickname stuck over the years, and now the entire berzatto family was keen on calling you peach rather than your actual name. you were caught in the middle of this entire night, avoiding your own family for personal reasons, and already regretting saying you’d be there for carmen. you had enough of the berzatto stress working for mikey at the beef. none of that was ever mentioned to carmen. the past nine months, in between your college courses, you were bagging sandwiches and helping the patrons of the beef while listening to richie and mikey’s bullshit.

you didn’t expect carmen to call so late at night. you had gotten a few random, nondescript texts from him over the months he had been away, but never expected his next time to contact you would be over the phone asking you to join him for christmas dinner with his family. so, there you stood, trying to make conversation and witty banter with the friends and close relatives of the berzatto family because carmen was so terrible at socializing. they were all happy to see you in some weird way, like a blast from the past, the nostalgia of “peach and bear.”

carmen was in the kitchen, but he wouldn’t allow you to step a foot into the war zone of a thousand unlabeled timers, splatters of sauce, overfilled oven, cluttered stove, drunken and mentally ill donna, and the unprepared seven fucking fishes. it was loud enough to overhear donna barking orders to an already panicked carmen. jimmy was brave enough to walk in to get olives for his cocktail, spouting promises to keep his hands to himself. though he had extra courage taunting donna about what they were going to have for dessert, lucky for him, she had taken his teasing calmly.

the kitchen was heating up as more people went in and out. you didn’t dare. the faks, donna yelling for mikey, and sugar.

ugh, why natalie?

why did she have to leave you and enter the trenches?

“ma, are you good?” sugar questioned, her voice rising over the kitchen timers, fak brothers, and donna. “ma?”

no, come on nat, no. you told me that you wouldn’t do that.

“yeah, yeah, we’re good.” carmen insisted. his next move was to attempt to direct his sister to the garage for more paper towels. he was already doing well guiding donna’s attention away from natalie.

you had only zoned out for a second when michelle and steven were asking about your college career. your head whipped, excusing yourself quickly from the new york-dwelling cousins.

“okay, this is why, this is why i didn’t want to come home.” carmen’s voice rang through your ears, his annoyed stutter making his older brother and mother begin to argue over his impoliteness on christmas.

you stood on the outside edge of the entrance of the kitchen, playing with the ring on your index finger as another timer shrieked through the kitchen. you wanted to step in, but everything seemed to be moving so quickly. they were being so condescending, leaving carmen to stand up for himself. mikey had a full mouth of food urging his younger brother to say three simple words. carmen’s unamused face said it all as donna egged him on as well.

carmen clearly gave in to the taunting because his next words were “i love you.” his tone said it all. he was becoming very agitated. his mother wrapped him in a hug, glancing in your direction.

mikey placing a quick and vexing kiss on the side of carmen’s head muttered “so happy the bear's home,”

“happy, happy to see you too, peach,” donna added, now averting her attention to the grossly jammed stove.

“yeah, you too, see dee,” you emphasized, blowing her a kiss as her hands covered in batter hovered above carmen’s shirt collar as she held him in her arms for a moment longer.

donna and mikey cared for carmen, but they didn't understand him. though, you didn't quite understand carmen either. he was always trying to prove to his family that he was the best, but being the best now meant that he was too “fancy” for them. you wished he could stay away from the overbearing chaos his family brought, but apparently, it was better for him to only come home once a year to stay in their good graces.

now, donna was trying to gain carmen’s attention, but little to her knowledge carmen was paying attention to her. he was trained to continuously be moving in a busy kitchen, but donna saw that as a sign of disrespect and avoidance. she forgot her train of thought, though carmen who had been paying attention, got his inebriated mother back on task to explain freeing an oven spot for another dish. donna’s orders, although scattered and frantic were being heard by carmen. he wasn’t going to let this be another year of disaster.

you were glad he could understand donna because even after years of knowing the berzattos, donna was a character that you never quite understood. after all, no one ever bothered to discuss her deep-rooted issues. you had the liberty of learning of her crazy antics on your own accord after overhearing stories and occasionally witnessing smaller bouts of her rage. donna’s illness was unspoken, but maybe that was for the best. she clearly didn't want to be helped or think she needed help.

the pregnant tiff entered; she was always nice, but even with the upset her baby was causing her she seemed in better spirits than anyone. she could have an escape away from family and friends while she pukes her guts into the toilet. donna was determined for carmen to understand that tiffany was not okay. she had thrown up! she needed to be cared for!

tiffany wasn't helpless, but it made donna feel better about herself to worry for someone else other than herself, for once. maybe donna just wanted to seem like she cared and truly didn't? you never knew where to place her.

the timer again! donna was questioning her own directions as she tried to remember what dish she needed to tend to. carmen had remembered because, through his conversation with tiff, he managed to make his way to the stovetop. richie had blocked carmen, setting him back for a few moments. he was quickly back on track. natalie had come back with the paper towels, and your eyes were set on her. you saw her gaze at the open bottles of liquor. you blocked the view of her as she poured the toxic brews down the sink. hopefully, with less liquid courage, donna would settle down.

the entire time as you blocked the wandering eyes in the kitchen from natalie’s liquor-guzzling drain your mind was fixated on carmen’s precise movements. he never seemed to waste any time.

“my timers are going off!” donna exclaimed to carmen, as if her disorganization was her son’s issue. carmen stood up for himself again as he finished tending to donna’s mess to make tiffany, who was already making her way to the bedroom to lie down, a sprite.

carmen was facing ridicule again. he was a chef, having staged in a very elite restaurant, and they were surprised that he could make fucking sprite. did they think he wasted years of his life to be mediocre? none of them knew that he had the terrible and compulsive need to be better than the environment he was raised in. you felt that since carmen was on donna duty, you had to be on carmen duty. you were invited to family dinner, but you extended your invitation to your remaining brain cells that were urging you to protect carmen from the wrath of his family.

you never understood carmen’s perspective. you had begged carmen multiple times to get away from the shitshow the berzattos produced, but he never listened. he always came circling back each year and looked to you for an answer as to why his anxiety was so terrible. maybe it was the universe’s way of a practical joke. you were avoiding your own family and now had to deal with carmen’s family.

you folded your hands in front of you as you faced richie and donna. “you have to give him some credit for working at noma.” your comment was overlooked the moment natalie started questioning her mother’s wellbeing. carmen heard this, giving you a quick glance.

sugar, why? leave donna the fuck alone. i know you are trying to help, but fuck off, sug.

“nat, she’s fine,” you squeaked out as donna pulled natalie closer. she took it better than expected, but as richie started asking about the tradition of the seven fishes, you could’ve sworn donna was being interrogated. her exaggerated body movements and the close proximity to richie’s face were enough to make you stand on edge as carmen began muddling the limes and lemons for his homemade pop.

let it be, rich. let her have her stupid traditions and let it be!

lee chimed in ready to explain the biblical part to richie’s question, though adding more than necessary.

“...makin’ people feel like shit, holding everything in and then letting it out inappropriately, raging, pouting, screaming, making scenes. you know all the italian classics?” lee chattered on and on, hinting obviously towards donna’s behavior. she didn’t notice, but if she did she paid him no mind.

donna stood in the middle of everyone’s conversations, watching lee and richie steal a bite of food as another timer rang, carmen adjusting the “proscuit” and the “mortadel” by order of his mother, and richie now taking the glass of sprite.

carmen slid over to you, offering a tasting spoon of some concoction from the stove when he had a moment.

“why is no one listening to me?”

here we go.

you were bracing for impact as donna, richie, and carmen tried to figure out why her temperament wasn’t as mellow as it had been just a few seconds prior.

over a pot that she never mentioned until now? classy, donna, really classy.

richie took that as a sign to leave. he didn’t want any part of donna’s delusional shenanigans.

“he’s going to move the pot, dee dee,” you said defensively as carmen lugged the white stock pot off the burner and to an empty space on the counter. you could tell carmen was getting close to a breaking point as he stormed out of the kitchen. he put his hand up to you, stopping you from following him. you knew after years of being friends with him it was best to let him simmer before trying to immediately help him.

as donna spouted multiple thank yous, you slipped out of the hell hole of the kitchen to the bathroom. you knew better than to bother carmen when he was seemingly about to burst.

to your surprise, when looking in the mirror, you were still put together, tugging at the waistband of your jeans to waste more time collecting yourself. though as you dilly-dallied in the bathroom carmen was being hazed by mikey and richie. when you exited the bathroom natalie was lingering in the hallway waiting for you, swiftly taking you with her upstairs to tiffany.

mikey and richie were face to face asking each other if either one of them had told carmen the good news.

“why are you guys fucking with me?” carmen asked, his tone raising as the annoyance continued.

“no one’s fucking with you!” the friends said in unison.

“why would you think that?” mikey pestered carmen, taking a step closer to him.

“‘cause you’re always fuckin’ with me, that’s why i fuckin’ think it,” carmen spat back, his entire body tensing. he wanted them to stop with their anticipation and tell him what was so important.

“it’s a good thing! it’s a good thing!” they insisted, attempting to calm carmen down. carmen was standing stiff, his face reading as unimpressed and blank.

“just take a break from being a mopey little fuck,” mikey urged carmen as richie tried to quiet the youngest berzatto brother.

“we’re trying to tell you that peach is the love of your fucking life.” mikey’s voice dropped lower as he told carmen. he didn’t know where you were located in the house and didn’t want you to overhear as he told his brother the information.

“dude, i don’t have a love of my life.” carmen’s shoulders only seemed to tense more as they spoke.

richie was wearing a shit-eating grin as another timer echoed through the house.

“she’s been working at the restaurant,” mikey interjected as richie pumped his fists. “the body is banging!” he exclaimed as mikey mocked the word "banging” to carmen.

“she’s hot as balls. dude, that tip jar is always fucking full every time she picks up a shift.” richie reiterated excitedly as he bent closer to carmen.

though your normal attire had always been comfortable and mostly consisted of oversized garments, working at the beef transitioned your working attire to a more fitted attire due to having an overwhelming amount of regular male customers. your school loans had to be paid somehow.

carmen’s entire face was contorting upon hearing their comments about you. he wasn’t stupid. he knew you were attractive, but knowing his older brother and his married friend were ogling over you was disgusting. and wait? mikey said you were working at the restaurant? why the hell were you in that goddamn restaurant?

“she’s like a waitress in a fuckin’ porno,” richie continued, mikey following suit again “she’s all that and a fuckin’ basket of biscuits, bro.”

“oh, oh,” mikey started to speak again, inching closer to carmen’s face. “by the way she’s like a legitimate fucking wizard.” richie agreed with mikey, beaming as he spoke.

“w-wait, what did you say to her?” carmen stammered, looking at the two friends frantically. “you’ve been working with her? what did you say to her?” he needed to know. dear god, he needed to know why it was such good news and why it was so important that they tell him that you were the love of his life. what did they do this time?

“she picks up a shift when she doesn't have class,” mikey said casually, though carmen’s voice was rising in a panic.

“what did you do?” he asked, his eyes darting quickly at mikey and then at richie. “what did you do?” he demanded, barely able to catch his breath.

“bro, this is a once-in-a-million opportunity for you to score with a woman that’s stacked physically and mentally,” richie explained nonchalantly.

“homie, you’re having a fucking child,” carmen said his brows furrowed together trying to comprehend the fucked situation in front of him as another timer ended and sent the dinging through the hallways. “why are you even talking like that?” carmen questioned with a huff.

“it’s done,” mikey confessed, taking a step back.

“who asked you to do that?” carmen petitioned. he was furious. why the hell was his brother meddling in his life?

“i put in a good word,” mikey said, attempting to brush off carmen’s anger.

“nobody asked you to do that,” carmen countered sternly.

“she told me you two were in touch, so i told her about how you always had a little crush on her.” mikey smirked as if he hadn’t just released embarrassing information.

mikey wasn't lying, upon telling him that carmen had invited you to family dinner a few hours later, he and richie were trying to offer carmen up as the main course. you managed to walk away from the conversation unscathed, but mentally trying not to admit being too interested in what they were saying. you weren't going to seem like a lovesick fool and admit your feelings for him to his older brother and family friend.

“i feel like you’re breaking my balls.” carmen clenched his fists, his jaw tightening as more information came out. “i don’t understand why you always do that,” carmen grunted, continuing his heated rambling. “like, why are you like this?”

“she’s hot now, carm. she’s hot now,” richie said, circling back to where the conversation had started, trying to urge carmen to think of something positive.

“stevie was with us!” mikey exclaimed, already calling steven into the heated conversation.

“i don’t need steven to come over here,” carmen hissed, throwing his arms up as steven rounded the corner.

“would you tell him about peach at the beef?” the friends said, filling steven in on their topic of conversation.

“oh, y/n? peach?” steven asked, being confirmed with nods by richie and mikey. “she’s wonderful–”

carmen stared blankly, how had you agreed to come to christmas dinner with him knowing mikey had told you about the crush he used to have on you? he was filtering out the words steven was saying as richie and mikey started talking over each other.

“she’s a deeply good person,” steven said, one hand shoved in his pocket, the other around an overfilled glass of red wine. “i can see why you’re in love with her–”

“i-i’m not in love with her, though, that’s what i’m saying,” carmen pressed further, wishing that someone would listen to him. “where did you guys get this from?”

“you used to have all those drawings,” richie commented, though carmen’s anger and embarrassment spiked as he pointed a finger at the group of men in front of him.

“that’s what i’m fuckin’ talking about, though!” carmen’s voice was rising every second, but luckily for him you, natalie, and tiffany were in donna’s bed catching up with each other as carmen only got louder.

“that’s what i’m saying! that’s why i think you’re fucking with me!” carmen was speaking so rapidly. he could barely keep up with his words as steven, richie, and mikey began to chuckle.

“you used to give me a fucking hard time about it.” carmen retorted again, backing away from the three of them. mikey was pestering carmen by trying to grab his face as the cycle of another timer was over. carmen was begging for him to stop touching him as steven mentioned that mikey had the conversation with you handled.

the timer kept ringing as mikey inched closer. carmen was swatting his brother’s hands away as a spoon flew towards the men.

“the fuck?” steven murmured, turning on his heel to look at donna. “auntie d, did you just throw a spoon at me?”

that was a hell of a way to break up a conversation. donna demanded that the sprite richie was toting be brought to his wife and that carmen was needed back in the kitchen.

“ma, you gotta chill, mom,” mikey said walking towards donna, repeating himself as she urged him not to speak to her that way.

richie bent down, holding one of carmen’s shoulder’s firmly. “we’re not done with this peach thing.”

“you’re fuckin’ breaking my balls,” carmen said, his voice had lowered again, though he did not look pleased.

“no, i think, i think it’s just a big misunderstanding,” richie admits, taking a final peak over steven’s shoulder before resuming his task of bringing the sprite to tiffany.

steven nodded to carmen. “carm…this is a good thing.”

carmen was looking past steven’s striped shirt and large square glasses as he spoke. he didn’t care what anyone was saying to him about you. he might have been overly defensive in that vomit-inducing conversation, but maybe that was because he did care about you.

you and natalie had filtered out of donna’s bedroom as richie knocked on the door, leaving the couple to their own devices.

the entire time you had sat on the edge of the bed with the other two women, carefully looking around the jaguar-infested room. it was so dramatically gaudy and over the top. though, donna being donna, would most definitely have it decorated the way she did.

the conversations were light at first though when tiffany mentioned richie previously telling her that michael had told you of the childhood crush carmen had on you there was nothing other than laughter. the laughter was refreshing from the overwhelming dread that was lingering over the home. it was as though being with family, this family, in particular, was a death sentence to any participant.

you weren't oblivious to carmen's obvious staring and stuttering, though even in the present day nothing had changed. except you left out the part where you mentioned that you were always stealing sneaky glances at carmen as well.

in the kitchen, an artichoke topped with breadcrumbs fell to the ground. donna was on her knees cursing as she began to clean it. lee rushed in to help her. he made her laugh. donna was laughing and smiling. that brought her temperament down. lee not only helped clean the kitchen mess, but donna’s attitude as well.

though now donna was shoving her long red nails into lee’s face insisting that she didn’t need a job opportunity that he had smoothly worked into the conversation. mikey had walked into the back and forth with lee and donna, questioning if they were arguing again. lee casually picked up the dropped artichoke, looking at mikey, and merely commented that he had only been cleaning a mess.

mikey had started the smart-ass remarks with lee, slamming the bottle opener for his beer cap on the top of the fridge. donna was still on her knees as she yelled for mikey to be kinder. lee murmurs about a lack of christmas spirit in the home but continues with his cleaning duty with donna.

the fak brothers and michelle were hidden in the bathroom, smoking a joint. they were bantering, reminiscing, and then finally in agreement. agreeing that donna was going to blow her lid. the real question now was when?

donna was cracking lobsters, progressively becoming more intoxicated by the second. you leaned against the counter watching carmen pace around the kitchen, trying to keep up with the list of demands from his mother. natalie insisted on helping, to which donna immediately declined.

jimmy entered the kitchen again. while donna was distracted, natalie looked at you and then motioned to carmen. she wiggled the half-consumed bottle of wine in disbelief. her eyes were wide upon finding that her mother had ingested another ridiculous amount of alcohol.

“...sugar instead of salt and the gravy tasted like fuckin’ hawaiian punch,” donna recounted the story of how natalie got her nickname to jimmy, casually tossing the lobster shells away as she spoke.

“at least she's not peach because she ripped her pants open to show everyone her peach underwear during the neighborhood garage sale when she tried to run on the treadmill mrs. troisi was selling,” you retorted, a hint of red filling your cheeks as jimmy patted your shoulder. mikey never let you live it down, though when most people heard the name they luckily thought it was because you were a metaphorical peach in your personality.

another timer altered the kitchen, donna shooing carmen away to fetch tiffany some saltine crackers to go with her homemade sprite. you stayed with natalie, assuming it would be best for carmen to have a minute away from family. donna went on another spiel, asking to be reminded what her timer was for and to make sure someone told her to put the bread in the oven.

carmen stood in the pantry with mikey, his agitation showing. he voiced his annoyance about being unable to work with him at the beef, though he didn’t bring up the fact that mikey was allowing you to work there; he was still stewing on that new factoid, not even having mentioned that he knew it to you. he never returned to the kitchen. mikey wanted more for carmen, just as you did, but his own personal reasons he didn't reveal were more to the reason he didn't want carmen in the restaurant with him.

sitting in the den as michelle went on some ridiculous tangent about her last name and a random woman who knew about bears, you could only agree that it was better than still being in the kitchen with donna and natalie. you finally started to relax for the first time that night, your legs crossed comfortably as you sunk into the couch cushions. lee started jabbering about sports when mikey walked past them. he looked rough. he looked off; something wasn’t right.

donna yelled from the kitchen, cursing loudly, making steven begin to stand, wanting to offer her a helping hand. even your eyes widened at this fact. how was he still going to go in there even after everyone was begging him not to bother her? steven was nice, but oblivious to the true ways of donna. you had figured it out for yourself many years ago, and now steven was about to as well.

with carmen still not back in the kitchen, donna was unraveling. she burnt the fish from the oven, staggering around trying not to drop the hot tray before slamming it on the counter, causing her wine glass to topple onto the floor. natalie was frantically trying to clean the glass shards as donna claimed that no one ever offered to help her.

donna was rambling wildly, holding natalie’s face harshly as natalie pleaded with her mother that she was okay and needed to settle down. steven, of course, was now learning his lesson as he offered his help.

“get the fuck out!” donna voiced loudly, steven standing shocked only nodded his head, awkwardly backing out of the kitchen. natalie was breathing heavily as she took the glass-filled trash bag out of the kitchen, muttering to herself as steven stopped her before going out the door. steven was now using his kindness to natalie’s advantage, wrapping her in a tight hug.

back in the den, everyone was uncomfortably listening to mikey’s incoherent story. his words were misplaced and jumbled. talking with his hands was not uncommon, but they never seemed to sit still, even if they rested they were jittering.

“we’ve heard this story a million times,” lee said, interrupting mikey’s retelling.

“no, uh, let him finish,” you spoke up, though lee only rolled his eyes.

you looked at mikey, wrapped in his brown tassel blanket. everyone trying to defuse the potential situation as mikey only seemed to be becoming more irritated the longer he went without talking.

“you sold the car and then you find the horse,” lee announced, summing up mikey’s story quickly. he sipped his drink as mikey threw his hands up in defeat, sarcastically congratulating him on ruining the moment.

lee started recounting mikey’s multiple failed business plans. michelle was trying to center the conversation back to a safe spot as jimmy walked in to join them, the tension was still present but the bickering had silenced as michelle welcomed jimmy.

“what’s going on in here?” jimmy questioned, mikey immediately perked his head up.

“this jagoff is talking shit,” he muttered about lee. lee tried to lighten the mood, playfully pointing to himself and repeating the nickname.

“i guess about how i, like, don’t finish shit,” mikey said, his expression was blank.

jimmy was in agreement, softly speaking as he nodded. mikey wasn’t the most practical of businessmen.

pete came bursting in toting a wrapped tuna casserole. like pete, you didn’t understand why there couldn’t be eight fishes, but knew that if everyone was telling him it was a bad idea then it was true. you followed the basic rule that if donna had a particular tradition to never break it. you didn't think it was necessary to cause anyone in the berzatto family any extra anger; they had enough of it genetically engineered into their veins.

carmen came to announce that dinner was ready and they were needed at the dinner table. michelle was warning everyone not to tell carmen what was in pete’s hand, but when he looked at you he rolled his eyes.

“tuna casserole,” you breathed out, a cough backing up your words. carmen began berating pete for bringing the dish. who knew that eight fishes could make someone an asshole? apparently, the berzattos knew this fact, and anyone not related to them was left to cope with whatever hell eight fishes would bring.

“don’t let her fucking see it,” carmen warned him as he walked out, though you were following behind him. natalie swiftly took the tray and threw the casserole out the door.

the table was cluttered, everyone basically sitting elbow to elbow as they all were seated. you nudged carmen with your foot and his head raised as he exhaled. you could tell this family gathering was screwing with his head. he nudged your ankle to acknowledge you, though you couldn’t tell if that was enough to settle his nerves as he mentioned going to get his mother to sit down.

carmen was once again in the kitchen. his pleas were not enough to make donna come to join the table. she would only go when she was ready. he was feeling guiltier by the second as she wouldn’t join them for dinner. he finally returned to the table, seeming more quiet than before.

steven was volunteered to say the prayer but quickly declined. michelle took his place asking about the seven fishes. lee butted in with his biblical nonsense, a fork then thwacking him in the head. everyone's face dropped at the sudden interaction. no one liked where this was headed.

mikey mimicked the sound of a buzzer. his eyes unfocused and overly amused by his actions.

“did you just throw a fork at me?” lee asked, whipping his head around to look at mikey.

“i did,” mikey said a bit too proudly. his elbows were on the table and his hands were folded until he started to speak. speaking wildly, incoherently, and maybe a little too loudly.

jimmy peeked his head forward. “what are you doing, michael?”

“he started it, uncle j,” mikey waved his hands to lee.

“mike just–” carmen started to speak until lee chimed in. “don't throw fuckin’ forks at people.”

mikey began to mock lee for speaking. richie bent his head down, trying to contain a laugh of nervousness.

“hey, fak. you using your fork?” mikey hinted. neil fak stuttered for a moment before admitting that he needed his utensil. fak tried to convince mikey not to take the fork, but soon the silverware was inching away from him.

“please–” fak mumbled, trying to keep his voice neutral. it was as though he was trying to defuse a bomb.

“i just need to borrow it for one second,” mikey said, raising the silverware in his hand and waving it teasingly. you were now chirping with the rest of the crowd for him to set the fork down.

it hit lee in the forehead again.

“i threw the fork, lee,” mikey said, covering his mouth as he spoke. his wide eyes fixated on lee.

“cousin, you're scaring the normals,” richie jests, trying to lighten the mood.

“mikey–” you uttered, clearing your throat, though he didn't pay you any mind.

your eyes were fixed on mikey. your hand was under the table rubbing carmen's knee gently. you now understood more of the reason you needed to be present for him tonight. carmen massaged his temples, shutting his eyes tightly.

“you see, i can throw forks ‘cause this is our father’s house,” mikey was blabbering. that disturbed look in his eye still present.

“rich,” lee called upon mikey's friend, hoping he could do something to stop mikey.

“my father's house,” mikey continued.

“we have lift off,” commented michelle.

lee pestered mikey again, but not in some playful way. a true jab about his stories again. the laugh mikey was not out of fun. mikey was hunched over as he chuckled.

“tell a story about how you're living with your mom and you're borrowing money off of her and other suckers who'll listen to your bullshit,” lee spat, silencing everyone else at the table for a moment.

“lee, shut the fuck up,” jimmy warned, though he was silenced the moment lee pinned him as one of the suckers mikey was mooching off of.

“unc, it’s fine,” mikey said, a wide smile across his face, though his face dropped as lee continued to speak.

“because this guy's nothing and he's nobody,” lee taunted. mikey's mouth was agape, but lee continued. “and i know you're-you're scared and you're afraid, aren't you, michael? and michael i don’t know what the fuck you’re on, but whatever it is, if you can hear me through the fog, throw another fork at me and you're gonna get fuckin’ rocked.”

lee and mikey stared at each other for a moment. no one else dared to make any sudden movements. you halted rubbing carmen's knee, like everyone else you were wondering how far the situation was going to escalate.

mikey rubbed his beard, just under his nose. “hey petey,” he coaxed. pete was reluctant to look at mikey.

“you think i could just, like, borrow that for one second? i just…” there was a small clattering of utensils as mikey picked up pete's fork, and an even louder bunch of voices chimed in to warn mikey to halt his actions. you knew that this wasn't going to stop mikey. mikey had already made up his mind after the first fork he threw.

mikey looked at natalie, his fork in position for launch. she was begging him not to throw it. he stopped moving when she spoke.

“i love you, okay?” sugar spoke softly, though mikey never lowered the fork.

“i love you too, sug,” mikey had a nod going as he spoke, the fork still tightly in his hand.

“i'm begging you,” sugar expressed sternly, though ot raising her tone.

steven gave an embarrassing laugh. “i'm sorry. i giggle when i get nervous,” he admitted, glancing around at the family next to him.

mikey was taken out of sugar's trance. he was waving the fork sporadically as he spoke. he was assuring steven that it was okay for his outburst. though as he kept insisting that it was okay to laugh jimmy spoke up. “michael, i need you to calm down, buddy, alright?” jimmy much like everyone else, was uncomfortable with the tension-filled room.

“mike–” carmen warned, his brother,

“there’s other people at the table, i need you to calm down,” jimmy explained, peering around the table at the confused and frightened faces. “you're being a bit of an asshole,” jimmy added, hoping mikey would see how unacceptable his behavior was.

though, mikey, high on whatever substance he was on started smiling again. “thank you, uncle j, but i'm fine.” no one could believe this fact seeing as moments before he launched two other forks across the table at lee's head and was still holding the third.

after a sarcastic comment from lee, jimmy confirmed that along with michael being an asshole, lee fit the bill. mikey also thanked jimmy for that comment. just a table with two assholes and a bunch of bystanders internally pleading that mikey would drop the fork that was in his hand.

“go ahead,” lee taunted. “let's go,” he coaxed. “fuckin’ throw it.”

mikey licked his bottom lip, the fork still waving in his hand. “yeah?”

“yeah, throw it or put it down,” lee threatened. it was followed by a weak chuckle from mikey.

“you bite lee? is that what you do?” mikey counters, his eyes darting around the table before going back to lee.

“for fucksake, your mother's been workin' for fucking days, making this meal. have some respect. there's other people at this fucking table!” jimmy scolded mikey.

“throw the fuckin’ fork,” lee insisted, though his hands went to cover his face.

“oh, would you look at that? i didn't throw it! i didn't throw it, you fuckin’ pussy!” mikey was towering over the table as he rose from his seat, aiming to throw it again. he only got louder and more entertained in this sick game as lee went to cover himself again. “you fuckin’ flinched! look, you did it again, you fucking pussy!” mikey announced louder, flicking the utensil again.

“throw it,” lee grunted as mikey sat back down. “i'm not on anything. i flinch,” lee threw another verbal jab in mikey's direction. “i still--my brain's connected to my nerves, you monster.”

“yeah, i'm a monster, lee,” mikey mocked. the entire table was in disbelief as the argument continued.

“you're a loser fuckin monster,” lee remarked with a sneer.

“nobody wants you here with your big fuckin’ mouth,” mikey said, puffing his chest out a bit more. “with your big fuckin’ mouth,” mikey repeated with a scoff. he slammed his hand into the table, making a few glasses shake.

“fuckin’ throw it,”

“yeah?”

“go ahead, fuckin’ throw it you fucking animal,”

“yeah?” mikey was screeching in a similar tone to that of a rabid animal.

“yeah, make it about you. make christmas about you,” lee sneered. “throw the fucking fork.” he urged again. though lee didn't stop talking. “you’re nothing.”

“you’re nothing,” lee reiterated. “you're nothing.” a third time. lee paused, gritting his teeth. “you are nothing.” and again. “you’re nothing.” lee didn't stop. mikey's eyebrows fell as lee said it again. “you’re nothing.” lee continued to repeat those demeaning words until donna walked into the dining area.

everyone was applauding her, putting on a happy face, wishing her a happy holiday and a merry christmas. donna looked as though she had been crying, her makeup smudged, and her blonde hair looked like she had been pulling at it with annoyance.

cigarette in one hand and wine in the other, donna sat at the head of the table closest to the china cabinet. it was deadly silent.

“what'd i miss?” she interjected the silence with a giddy tone in her voice.

lee looked to donna, “nothing,” he commented, waving his hands though his tone was not as fierce as it previously was with mikey.

“i missed something,” donna insisted, knowing the chaotic household was never so silent.

“no, no, no,” mikey denied, luckily donna didn't press any further. “stevie's about to say grace, ma,” he added, waving the fork.

steven was trying to politely decline, but the more steven said no the more mikey wanted to press him.

“just fuckin’ say the thing, okay?” mikey urged, as his mother pawed at her hair.

michelle in hopes of keeping the table at a simmer presses further for steven to say the blessing over the food. steven, as awkward as he is, took the challenge, although he was most likely following michelle's lead in wanting mikey, lee, and donna to act semi-normal for the rest of the night.

“hey, uh, it's great that we're all together, um, and healthy, i think,” steven began, michelle producing a slight giggle as he spoke. “uh, no one’s si–physically very sick.”

was he referring to mikey or donna or both? hell, maybe he was referring to himself and decided to include the rest of the group with him because it was probably true.

“i'm so grateful, um, for this beautiful meal,” steven paused looking to donna, “and donna, um, what an incredible job donna did. and i-i could hear in there. it sounded very hard and it's just gorgeous,”

donna had an impeccably large smile on her face, pride washing over her as her painstaking work had been acknowledged. her hands clasped together with gratitude as though she had won the oscar nomination for best actress.

“and is he still holding the fork?” steven asked nervously. mikey looked up, the base of the fork shoved in the center of his praying hands.

“sure is,” jimmy confirmed, steven paused for a moment before finding his way back to his prayer he wasn't prepared for.

“okay, um, listen” steven announced, though he was stalling for more time to find another topic. stalling to ensure that mikey would put down that goddamn fork and allow dinner to finish on a peaceful note. “what is the seven fishes or why do we do it?” steven nodded his head, the other’s seated at the table were now focused on steven speaking rather than blankly and nervously staring at the table. “i think i know what my definition is,” steven swallowed hard, his mouth dry, trying to accumulate more words. “uh, as soon as i think of it…it's a chance to be together and to take care of each other.” donna took a drag from her cigarette quickly so her hands could fold together in prayer as steven continued to speak. it was as though all his yammering was to talk mikey off of the ledge he had placed himself on, hoping that it would be enough to force him to drop his borrowed fork.

“and to eat together. and there's seven fishes, which means you have to make seven entirely different dishes. seven entirely different ways. and that takes a lot of time, and i think spending that time and using that time on the people that we love is how we show them that we love them,” donna was practically in tears as steven spoke of love and togetherness. maybe that’s all she wanted, love and togetherness. holidays were hard enough, but maybe she needed familial support rather than criticism. though it was hard not to criticize her or anyone else at the table because of their unwillingness to get help for their issues. they all complained of each other’s anger and hostility but never complained of their own.

“…and maybe we eat too much…and we definitely drink too much, and we say too much without listening, but tonight w-we're gonna eat seven fishes which is absurd,” michelle gave a small chuckle at steven's quips in his blessing.

“but we have to take extra time to do it and we have to chew more and we have to listen more. and, uh, we only get to do this tonight one time, so i, by the way, love it. i love being here. thank you for having me every year at this. i look…i very much look forward to this. and i love you,” he said looking towards michelle, her eyes fluttering at his sweet devotion.

“i-i-i’m very in love with michelle, and i'm not gay like you guys asked a lot, but i was thinking about what you said about bears and how they're aggressive,” steven continued to chatter, though his gaze only on michelle now.

“they're aggressive, but they're kind…they're sensitive,” his gaze was genuinely loving and of light as he looked at michelle.

“you guys have been so kind to me. you guys let me hang out with you every holiday. i don’t have a family like this and i'm really grateful that, um, you make space for me at this table and time for me on the holidays,”

“may god bless us and keep us safe in the new year, and please give michael the strength not to throw that fork, amen,” steven concluded, shutting his eyes tightly for a moment. michelle wrapped him in a tight embrace as they uttered soft ‘i love yous’ to each other.

“stevie, that was, uh, that was beautiful,” mikey commented.

donna was wiping her final tears away with a sigh. her wrinkled hands brought her cigarette to her mouth again. “it doesn't fuckin’ matter,” she muttered, her eyes closed tightly.

carmen was scratching his temple as he looked at his mother. his hand was now on yours that had been still sitting on his knee from earlier. his palm was sweaty, probably from the overwhelming amount of stress that the holiday was causing him.

“no, donna, it’s great,” you uttered as everyone else at the table tried to send their praises to her. everyone's attention was on her, trying to coax her into a better mindset.

the only one that didn't attempt to say anything was carmen, his jaw clenched tightly as he saw donna begin to exhale.

“you okay?” sugar whispered, carmen's head flipping to look at his sister. everyone at the table closed their eyes in dismay. everyone had made it through conversations, pete’s eighth fish, lee's belittling, mikey's two fork throws, and steven's version of grace, but they all knew they couldn't escape this.

sug…no…sugar

“oh, natalie rose berzatto,” donna’s eyes were closed as she leaned back in her chair, only opening them when she flicked her head towards her middle child. “do you know how much i hate when you ask me that?”

natalie's mouth was agape, trying to avoid eye contact with her mother.

mikey had dropped pete’s fork on the table he ran his hands through his hair. his petty fork throws were nothing in comparison to the hurricane that was brewing across the table.

“do you know how much i fuckin’ hate when you ask me that?” donna's teeth were gritted, a maniacal laugh surfacing as she spoke so harshly to natalie. “do you ask the rest of these people if they're okay?”

“no,” a simple answer spouted from sweet natalie, though donna wouldn't let her get any other words in as she was so keen on speaking over her daughter.

“do i not look okay, natalie?”

“not really,” michelle was saying what everyone else was thinking, though now donna's attention was now on the other side of the table.

“oh, fuck you, michelle,” donna spat. “i do not look okay? did i not just bust my ass all day for you motherfuckers?”

“i didn't mean it like that,” michelle uttered, though her shoulders dropped. she looked defeated and unheard.

donna stood from her chair, gesturing towards the table. “this is beautiful!” she exclaimed waving and shaking her hands wildly. “am i okay? am i okay? are you motherfuckers okay?”

she was screaming, her eyes wandering across the family and friends sitting in their chairs. “are you okay, lee?” she sneered.

“you didn't do shit! this is fucking gorgeous! fuck you!” donna was slurring her words the louder she became. she threw a plate to the ground. “fuck you!” she concluded, stomping away after giving her final curses to natalie.

“it's okay,” michelle quickly and quietly tried to tend to natalie by rubbing her arm.

you squeezed carmen's knee. you needed him to know you were still there. you were witnessing this with him.

lee looked from left to right with a shrug. “well, i guess we all knew that was gonna happen. so it's out. and, uh, maybe everybody, everybody can relax, huh?” he suggested, taking a breath. though mikey didn't seem as convinced with this advice.

“that's the worst i've ever seen her,” michelle mentioned, not to be rude, but to possibly try and lighten the unfortunate situation they were all now a part of.

the clattering of silverware was heard through the dining area. mikey cocked his arm back and launched the fork at lee's head.

lee hopped up in an instant. “you fuckin’ piece of shit!”

michael flipped the table, every dish and placemat was now on the floor as lee and mikey charged toward each other. the fak brothers immediately tried to hold the two men back as everyone else tried to get as far away from the chaos as possible. jimmy was screaming, hell, everyone was screaming at each other.

carmen managed to pull you close to the back wall nearest the dessert. you willingly followed his harsh tugging on your hand not wanting to get in the midst of more chaos than needed.

richie pushed tiffany towards jimmy, wanting her safety to remain intact as he went to pull mikey away from lee. richie was almost immediately forced away by mikey with an overpowering shove. the faks were still attempting to hold the men apart from each other when there was a loud crash.

donna had rammed her car through the foyer. she had gone through the front of the home, squandering the christmas tree and the remaining sanity of the rest of the guests. that was what caused mikey to rush to donna, snap out of his anger with lee, and come to her rescue. he was beating on the driver's side window.

“ma, what did you do?!” he was repeating it over and over trying to make her open her car door. donna remained locked in the car, but mikey's banging only became more forceful as donna was laughing. “open the door, ma!”

christmas was a sick joke. donna had turned the script. she won a trophy for the most narcissistic member of family dinner.

carmen was staring at a pile of pistachio-crusted cannolis topped with powdered sugar, but his main focus was the silver fork, the third and final fork, sticking out of the sweet dessert.

natalie, sugar, whoever she was, the middle child of the berzattos sat in her chair, shocked into place, staring wide-eyed at the misfortune of the holiday.

you didn't exactly remember how you and carmen ended up outside, but the chilly chicago air was calming the nerves of the both of you. carmen was pacing, chain-smoking cigarettes as you stared at him. it was a long moment of silence, though after begging for quiet earlier it only felt worse now.

the christmas lights illuminated him perfectly as he stopped and turned to look at you. his mind had calmed down to a dull roar and flicked the ash from his final smoke. carmen had enough of dealing with “mom duty.” he was done with family. it was peach and bear together again.

“why the hell did you not tell me you were working in the restaurant?” carmen asked with a huff, though he was looking past you into the window of his childhood home. carmen was deflecting; he didn't want to think of any of tonight's events.

“bear, i–”

“peach, what the hell were you thinking?”

i'm not thinking. not about that right now at least. i'm thinking about the car through the house we used to play in and how your brother, my boss, just went ape shit on your mom's boyfriend.

“i was thinking that i needed a job, and no one else would hire me with my schedule,” you admitted, tilting your head while your eyebrows furrowed.

“mikey, fuckin’, asshole,” carmen crossed his arms, stamping out the cigarette butt he threw to the ground. his pile was complete though his muscle memory reached for the package in his pocket until he grunted finding the package in a crumpled ball next to his lighter. “h-he hires you to fuckin’ stare and never gave me half of a goddamn chance,”

“it's not like that. i bag sandwiches and make less than minimum wage,” you held your temples, leaning against the siding of the house. “you're a chef. a good fuckin’ chef, and you want to work at some shithole that can barely pay to keep the lights on?”

“that's not what i'm trying to say and you know it,” carmen huffed, stepping closer to you, trying not to alert the neighbors of any more dysfunction from the household. there were already enough of them standing outside of their homes looking at the new garage donna had installed.

“bear, i have been picking up the pieces of that restaurant for the past nine months, and not once have i complained to you or even mentioned it because i know the shit that goes on there is only going to drag you down,” you explained though your chest felt heavy and empty. nine months of confusion, busting your ass, using every inch of the backbone you had to grow, and only watching a steady decline in the restaurant.

“y/n, i never asked you to do it! i don't need to be looked after like a damn child,” he spat. he was gripping the back of his hair trying to keep his anger contained. it only spiraled so quickly because his mind was reliving every moment from the night.

“carmen,” you crossed your arms. your expression had dropped. your nails were digging into the palms of your hands. “you let them drag you back into this every time. you continue to let them suck you into the ridiculousness and hysteria. how many times are you going to let them keep doing this to you? because every time i beg you to do something better you turn around and let them squander everything.”

“so i'm supposed to leave and never come back? it’s my fault for letting them do it? like i don't already have enough to worry about now i have to let this go so easily? like i'm trying to fix myself, make myself better by doing something for my career and you're mad because i come home for christmas,” carmen scoffed, as he only stepped closer.

“carmen, have you not listened to a word i've said? let me try again, you can't keep coming back because they ruin you.”

“why are you in that fuckin’ restaurant then? why do you care so much?”

“because i don't want them to call you and bring you back to the hell you're crawling out of because i fucking care about you! i have no connection to them other than you! i'm almost done here in chicago and i don't want to have to leave and know you've been coerced back because of the people that are always hurting you,” you exhaled, trying to contain yourself though carmen was frustrating you. your expression never softened. your head was pounding from the night's volume level being at a constant high. “you barely talk to me anymore because we always have this same conversation.”

carmen stared blankly. he released the grip on the back of his hair and shoved his hands into his pockets. he was so conflicted. he wanted to be the best he could be. he wanted more than who he was raised to be, but then struggled in knowing that he would probably always fall back on his berzatto instincts. angry, spiteful, grudge-holding people who were almost always mentally ill.

“we barely talk anymore because i'm scared to ruin everything i have with you. i have years with you, and you have always tried so goddamn hard to help me, but y-you're right it's the same shit every year, every fuckin’ year,” carmen admitted, though he didn't want to make eye contact with you.

“you are only going to ruin this friendship if you keep pushing me away. i want to see you succeed and thrive. do you think it’s fun when i keep having to see you hurt?” you mumbled, unwilling to see his mental health decline any further. you couldn’t bear to keep seeing someone you cared so deeply for continue to be walked over, criticized, and disregarded.

“no, but damn, like, i keep failing every time i come back. failing you because i can never seem to listen. i keep thinking things will be different and every time i’m wrong i have the urge to keep coming back to see it become right.” carmen was pacing as he spoke, but the moment he stopped he managed to slide down the side of the house next to you. he crouched on his knees as he looked up at you.

“you’re so wrapped up in everything else you can’t see what’s in front of you. you have a career. jesus, you have me, bear.” you uttered with a sigh, as you slid down next to him. his hand immediately found your hand that was resting on your thigh and gently began to trace lines onto your knuckles.

“peach, be realistic, it’s not just about me,” you rolled your eyes at his comment and shook your head.

“your life is all about you, carmen. you can control it and you can decide who you want in your life. my best suggestion is to only let those in who care. stop running away from what you want because you feel tied to your shitty family in chicago. is it just easier to hide it under your pride?” your head leaned against his shoulder, and carmen only continued to play with your hand as the tow truck meticulously tried to back into the driveway of the house to pull donna’s car out of the house.

“how am i not supposed to run?” carmen asked stifling a laugh, watching the scene intently.

“keep dedicating yourself to it. you’ve done a helluva good job so far, keep it up,” you encouraged, sighing at the car being pulled out of the house. you were only grateful no other family members bothering you both.

it was a long spell of silence, but carmen stopped rubbing your hand. he cleared his throat, making you turn your head towards him.

“i care about you too…like, l-like peach, i really fuckin’ care,” carmen admitted thinking about what you had said earlier.

“i never have stopped caring, bear,” you confessed, moving to sit flat on the ground. your hands raked through the grass nervously, never having admitted any feeling towards him in the many years of knowing him.

“i-i don’t know how to do any of this, or know anything about how to deal with this,” carmen fixated on your eyes with something vulnerable in them.

“you don’t have to know right now. you don’t have to rush with me, but you need to focus on being healthy and working for what you want,” you comforted him, being lost in the blue pools in front of you.

“i want you, peach,” he confirmed, nodding slowly, his hand caressing your cheek. “it’s going to take a while to figure you out, and fuck, i’ve known you longer than i’ve been able to cook, but i’ll be damned if i keep letting you go again, or letting my brother try and smooth talk you for me.”

“keep working then, bear, i’ll always be here.” a smile spread across your face as you relaxed into his side.

christmas would likely never be the same for you and carmen. each year that passed you saw carmen in the news, each time growing into a more successful person. you were proud of him. you regularly kept in touch, both of you just waiting for the right moment. each of you were so involved in your careers away from chicago, but still so involved with each other.

it wasn’t until carmen took over the beef that you knew he was back in chicago. you always wondered why he had gone back after being so adamant to stay away, but the moment he was back you were back with him. visiting his apartment, wondering why he had jeans in his oven, reminiscing on the good times, and trying to talk through the bad.

thinking back to the eventful christmas holiday carmen often mentioned to you how mikey and richie pestered him about you, and he hated admitting it, but they were right. you were the love of his life. the one that was always there. the one that was patient. the one that waited. the one that kept him grounded.

he missed mikey, well, he missed who he remembered mikey to be. every time he uncovered a new terrible part of his past he would call you, trying to talk through the emotions rather than dwelling on them and having a massive and uncontrollable berzatto outburst. his anxiety would never be gone and his perfectionism ruled his life, but you allowed it to be easier managed.

it was peach and bear again because it was always just meant to be peach and bear no matter how long it took, how many arguments were had, no matter how many messages were unsent, and no matter how many times they left each other only to find one another again.

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woodlandwrites · 1 year ago

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Luke Castellan

A/N: hcs cause I’m feeling feral

• Luke is a nail biter. He constantly picks and chews - drawing blood in the process.

• Luke hates the color green - it brings back terrible memories and makes him want to vomit.

• Luke loves giving forehead kisses - ones where he stays with his lips on your forehead for a long time conveying his love that way

• Luke is in fact the father of CHB. He tucks kids to bed, reads stories, kisses injuries, helps with homework. He thinks since he didn’t have a father he never wants another kid to feel that way

• Luke hates small spaces - it makes him claustrophobic. It reminds him of when he used to hide from his mother in the closet. Trapped. Sometimes at night he wakes you to come for walks outside - because the walls of the Hermes cabin were closing in

• Luke is a morning person - he has to be with all the kids in the Hermes cabin

• Luke likes the Rocky movies. He stole them from a thrift store on VHS. The boys at camp love it and even quote it (mostly Charlie and Luke)

• speaking of stealing - no one talks about how good he is at it. Sometimes he doesn’t even know he took anything until a few hours later when he looks into his pocket.

• Luke has no filter sometimes - especially around you - he blames the ADHD

• Luke is very good at sneaking around - very quiet on his feet

•Luke bounces his leg when he’s nervous

• Luke loves kids - he loves helping the younger campers. You don’t know if it is because he had a poor childhood - but secretly he considers most of the campers his children in a way

• Luke has crooked teeth - when he smiles one is chipped in the upper corner. When he laughs he throws his head back gripping at his chest - imperfectly perfect

• Luke likes domestic living it makes him feel safe and in control

• Luke only talks about his mom at night after episodes of grueling nightmares - never during the day - never in causal conversation - you never pry

• Luke has bug bites all over his legs - he always picks at them leaving scabs

• Luke makes decisions sometimes without thinking - he never really tries to think ahead

• Luke loves when you run your fingers through his hair - it helps him sleep

• Luke is a light sleeper - always prepared to wake when another Hermes camper has a nightmare

• Luke has panic attacks that frequently end up with him in your bed - vice versa

• When Luke hugs you it’s like he clings on - almost like him might never see you again

• Luke always dirty - whether it be dirt on his shirt - grass stains on his pants - leaves in his hair?

Okay I’m done for tonight

#luke castellan x reader #percy jackson x reader #luke castellan headcanons #luke castellan x you #pjo #percy jackson #luke castellan #pjo headcanon

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one-billion-marbles · 2 months ago

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I'm sure everyone has said this on my beloved Overanalysis Site™ but I'm so obsessed with the fact that this episode is our first encounter with warm colour palette

Yes!!!!! Gemma made Mark's life meaningful and gave it warmth and colour, and it manifests in the filtered sunlight and dusty bookshelves and vivid warm green plants!! It's sunny, people smile! Grief has yet to line the faces of our cast!

The juxtaposition of that versus Mark's ikea core Lumon standard suburbian house (dark, cold, the lightbulb is broken) and Gemma's new room (a white void prison with the illusion of comfort)

(did anyone else notice Gemma's drawings of plants above her bed ☹️)

#god let me kiss the director of this episode #severance #severance s2e7 #gemma severance #severance spoilers #gemma scout #gemma casey

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wordsarelife · 6 months ago

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⛧༺ NO BODY, NO CRIME ༻⛧

EPISODE 05: i think he did it but i just can’t prove it

pairing: theo nott x potter!reader

summary: you and theo go to the ball of the nocturne society and find out more about the dark magical artifact

warnings: extremely big trigger warning for the whole series, in this chapter: mentions of murder, illegal activities, underage drinking and smoking of weed, mentions of intoxication, mentions of stabbing

note: welcome back to the fifth episode of nbnc! i’m so excited to have you all back!! sorry it arrived a bit later than promised, didn't have the time to finish it sooner, but i hope a little sooner than usual is still good. check beneath the tags for a little surprise!!

please let me hear what you think in the comments!!

“okay” you muttered, still staring at the place malfoy had last stood. “what do we do now?”

theo sighed, glancing at the paper in his hand. “we still have that invitation” he shrugged.

“you seriously wanna go in there?” you asked baffled “after everything malfoy just told us?”

“well, if they’re onto us, we better try to find out more” theo noted. “i’d rather know who i’m facing than sit around and wait for them to get me first”

“good point” you finally agreed after a few beats of silence. you adjusted your mask.

theo looked at you, waiting. “ready?”

“ready” you nodded.

theo spoke the latin code word from the paper. aetema iuventa. eternal youth. the portrait swung open, revealing a hallway filled with green lanternts that hung above your heads. the entry to the party was closed by another door that flew open when theo’s hand touched it.

you weren’t ready for what you saw. everyone was dressed in similar festive clothing, just like theo and you. but the ball was everything else but that.

the location was beautiful. a big dance floor, surrounded by tables with food and drinks, a big chandelier hanging from the ceiling that rattled to the beat of the music. you bet those diamonds were real.

though the location fit the theme of a ball perfectly, the behaviour of the guests did not.

a couple was making out against the wall next to you, a few people were licking salt from each others bodies, while a few were snorting something that looked an awful lot like cocaine at the very end of the room.

“i thought most of the slytherins had gone home” you noted, swerving to the side, right before a drunk and masked man got to take you down with him.

“it might’ve looked like that” theo agreed. “but many stay for the holidays and let the houseelves bring them dinner”

“that’s possible?”

“only if your parents are heavy financers of the school, i guess”

“hm” you nodded, following him to a table filled with drinks. “well, it’s a bit more scandalous than i would’ve thought” you muttered, watching people run to the dance floor when the first few notes of ‘you know you like it’ broke through the boxes.

the music was electrifying and drowned out every bit of fear in your body.

“good evening” a voice broke your gaze away from the dancing people. theo looked up too.

a girl was standing in front of you. she was wearing a black dress with dark green details along her chest. it almost looked like a wedding dress photographed with a black and white filter. her black hair was styled in a beautiful updo, definitely with magic. you were sure not even a hairdresser could style their own hair so beautifully.

the girls mask was in the same colour as her dress — a mix between black and green — as her dark brown eys studied both theo and you “hello pansy” you greeted.

her eyes widened, as suprised flooded them. “and you are?” pansy parkinson asked with a hint of distrust in her voice at the sudden exposure.

“y/n and theo” theo intervened quickly, not liking the edge in the way she was talking to you.

“potter, huh?” pansy crossed her arms, the fabric of her dress flowing around her elbows, as she quirked a brow at your greeting. “you’re smarter than you look, love”

you ignored her, as your eyes wandered behind the girl, staying on mattheo, who was wearing a mask too, but his smug smile was the biggest giveaway in the world. “what did i tell you, pansy?” he said “she lives up to her boyfriend’s expectations, right theo?”

“um” you muttered, knowing fully well, that theo and you had not discussed anything related to your relationship status.

theo was more relaxed than you, answering before you could make a fool out of yourself. “of course”

both mattheo and pansy smiled in satisfaction, while your cheeks turned rosy. “would you like a drink, y/n?” pansy asked with a sudden kindness “i’m allowed to call you y/n, yeah?”

“sure” you shrugged, not feeling like you had any right to forbid her whatsoever. “can i have one glass of this?” you pointed at a green colored bowle that honestly looked like it was the least alcoholic thing from the table.

pansy complied, putting down the drink she had poured for herself and filled a little glass with the green liquid.

behind your back, mattheo and theo were eagerly discussing something that didn’t reach your ears, due to the loud music — right now, the bridge of ‘you don’t own me’ was jumpin through the room, rattling the chandelier — but theo’s hand was gripping your waste, unconsciously assuring his presence.

“here you go” pansy held the drink in your direction, you welcomed the glass, drinking a sip and scrunching your face at the horrible taste.

“is this your first slytherin party?” pansy asked as she giggled at your expression of disgust.

“it’s my first cult party, if you mean that”

pansy rolled her eyes. “the nocturne society is not a cult”

“no, you’re right” you nodded sarcastically “it’s just a very tight knit group of friends, how did i miss that before?”

“okay” pansy breathed. “some of the members might confuse it with one” she nodded to the a group of three people, who were eagerly trying to hex tattoos of the nocturne society’s coat of armour onto their hands.

“cults are dangerous, even if not everyone believe it is one”

“cults are dangerous, murder is bad, i know” pansy muttered, before she downed the rest of her drink “we’re no saints, but we ain’t killers either”

“maybe you aren’t”

“yeah, maybe” pansy nodded, deep in thought, her eyes wandering along the people around you. “just be careful, theo he—“ she paused, unsure if she should really finish the sentence, before she finally sighed, a soft smile on her lips, “he really likes you”

“i really like him too”

pansy squeezed your hand in a reassuring manner, sending you a look that told you again to be cautious, before she held up her arm, waving for mattheo to follow her.

mattheo quickly excused himself from his discussion with theo, following pansy through a crowd of people, your eyes quickly losing them.

“what was that all about?” theo asked as soon as they had disappeared.

“i could ask you the same” you smiled michievously, taking another sip from your drink, before you finally decided it was too strong and put it down again.

“i don’t trust them” theo shook his head, worry wandering over his face.

“i thought mattheo was your friend?”

“it’s not just him, it’s this whole society. how are they involved? mattheo and i always got along, yes, but i’ve always managed to stay out of his dubious plans”

“did he tell you anything useful?” you asked, not trying to discuss the future of mattheo and theo’s friendship here and now. “did he find out anything about the artifact”

“actually, yes” theo nodded, his gaze wandering into the crowd of people behind your back.

“what is it?” you wondered, turning around and searching the people for a familiar person.

“come on” theo motioned for you to follow him. “i think i just found someone who could help us”

he took your hand in his, dragging you a through a crowd of people. in the middle of the dancefloor, the music was somehow louder, wrapping you in a thick bubble, where the only thing you were feeling was theo’s touch. you grabbed his hand tightly, scared to lose him between this many people.

you feared that once you would lose him, you were caught. you were sure that this whole party was magically manipulated, as to make it harder to leave. you noticed the mission theo and you had set, slipping to the back of your mind anytime the beat hit and the chandelier above you rattled.

theo stopped when you reached a corner across the room from the table with the drinks. a guy in a suit was busy rolling himself a cigarette. his suit looked like it was made out of couch cushions, the soft material crunching at any move he made. you noticed it was dark green, but so dark that it almost looked black.

his hair was slightly curled, dark brown and messily decorated his head. he looked up at the sound of your approaching footsteps.

“enzo?” theo asked.

you only recognized the boy now. he looked a lot more comfortable and relaxed when he was hiding behind a mask.

it seemed that your company only confused enzo or you were sure he had recognized his friend sooner. “theo?” he finally asked, after he had searched the masked face in front of him. “and?”

“y/n” you quickly answered, smiling at his expression, when he sighed in relief.

“what are you doing here?” even though it was not far to assume, enzo sounded nothing but nice as he send you a smile, surprised at your unexpected presence at this party.

“theo brought me along” you said simply, not feeling in the mood to explain the real reason why you had come, so you put it simpler: “we wanted to ask you something, about the artifact”

“oh” enzo pushed the finished cigarette into the pocket of his trousers. “the artifact?” he questioned, his voice losing a bit of it’s confidence.

“do you know anything about it?” theo asked

“well, it’s not been dealt like a secret, not as much as it should've been at least” he shrugged, before he looked around, checking for any unwanted listeners. “blaise, he’s in the room behind this door” he nodded at the wall behind you, “he knows more about it”

“thank you” you smiled honestly, trying to calm the worry on his face.

“but please don’t get careless” enzo pleaded. “i heard it’s pretty dangerous and i’ve kept out of it for the most part. but a few people were absolutely obsessed with it. too obsessed to still care about anything else”

“we know it can be dangerous” theo muttered, not impressed by the warning.

“you don’t understand, theo” enzo shook his head, more urgency in his tone now. “it’s soul shattering. you lose a part of yourself with it. it makes you become something you wouldn’t have imagined in your worst nightmare. it could even get you to hurt a person you loved” his eyes wandered between theo and you. “love. it’s like a trigger”

“we’ll be careful, i promise” you put a hand on enzo’s shoulder, assuring your promise.

theo and you excused yourselves, walking in the direction of the door. enzo watched after you, taking out th cigarette from his pocket. “they should’ve never brought it here” he muttered, but you were too far away to still hear him.

the door enzo had guided you to was surprisingly easy to open. you had thought the room behind it was special, granting it a higher security than the party itself.

the opposite was the case. the room was full of smoke, to the brim. theo and you inhaled a large amount when it wandered in your direction.

“woah” a voice called and with a move of a wand, most of the smoke was gone. blaise zabini was laying on a red velvet couch, a blunt in his hand and surrounded by various people. he was bare chested and only still wearing the trousers of his suit. his shoes and socks were gone too.

there was a thin layer of sweat on his dark skin and his eyes and lips were redder than normal.

“theodore nott” he recognized immediately. “where have you been all this time?”

it slowly became clear that theo really was an outsider in his friendgroup, considering all of them seemed to be regular members of those secret parties.

“and accompanied by y/n potter, if my eyes don’t trick me?” blaise now asked, sitting up and waving you both inside. “get lost” he told the others. the room quickly cleared out and theo closed the door, ensuring that your conversation was kept private.

“does this even lead to something?” you asked, pointing a hand in blaise’s direction. “i mean he’s higher than a kite”

"and yet sharp as a blade" theo replied with a smirk, glancing back at blaise "don’t let his state fool you”

blaise rolled his eyes, leaning back casually “higher than a kite, maybe, but i’m still seeing straight enough to know when i've got a legend in my midst. hey ace!”

“ace?” you repeated confused.

“you don’t get to be the reason for blaise zabini making it through divination class without earning yourself a praising nickname” theo shrugged. “he’s been calling you that ever since”

“you copied my answers?” you asked, a bit of surprise stinging in your voice.

“pretty obvious question, huh?” blaise shrugged. he made a motion for both theo and you to sit down on the couch next to him. “so tell me, what can old blaise do for someone like ace potter, hm?”

“this is weird” you muttered, but followed his request, before theo and you explained what you were searching for and why.

while you were talking, blaise nodded along, expertly rolling another blunt, before he lit it up, unintentionally breathing the smoke in your direction.

your nose was fillled with the smell of weed and there was no escape in the small room.

“i’m sorry” blaise said when theo asked him to put out the blunt. “i need this or i won’t be able to think straight”

“okay” you nodded, putting a calming hand on theo’s knee, who you felt was ready to discuss the matter. “then let’s not waste any time. what can you tell us about the artifact?”

“it didn’t work” blaise shrugged, “it was useless basically. just a dust catcher if you ask me”

“we heard different things from enzo”

“well, i’m sure it’s pretty dangerous once you find out how it’s activated” blaise muttered. “but we didn’t. no one could use it, it was impossible to crack. nothing we tried worked”

“what did you do with it?”

“nothing”

“what do you mean ‘nothing’?” you almost laughed, his answer confusing you.

“we kept it in the hope that we would find out what we could use it for. it’s in the cushion behind you.”

theo quickly sat up straight, not wanting to disturb or destroy the artifact by leaning against it.

“professor burbage suspected that i had stolen it. she confronted me before she died. but it was weird, really” blaise’s mind wandered off, as he let the rest of the sentence hang in the air unfinished.

“what? why?”

“well, for starters: she didn’t even want to have it back” blaise shrugged. “she was acting strange altogether. she made me promise to be careful, but i think she wanted me to keep it and try to use it further”

“why would a teacher want a student to keep a dangerous dark magical object? that doesn’t make any sense if you ask me” theo mumbled.

“well it doesn’t, unless she—“ you paused, thinking for a second before you finally finished the sentence. “unless she didn’t know how to use it herself”

“you could be right” theo nodded, his eyes widened. “we never found out how burbage got it into her hands in the first place. maybe you weren’t the first person to steal it, blaise”

“just for the protocol; i was not the only one involved in the um, disappearance of the artifact”

“no one here is writing a protocol, blaise” you assured with a tap to his arm.

“you never know who listens” blaise mumbled, the paranoia of the weed clearly setting in.

“has someone shown any particular interest in the object or tried to take it?”

blaise shook his head. “no, not that i noticed”

“great” you smiled. “please be sure to hide it better, we don’t want anyone getting stupid ideas and going to dumbledore could lead to you leaving the school, so just keep it on the down low, yeah?”

“don’t worry, ace” blaise nodded with such a confidence you almost had to laugh. “it’s like fort knox in here.”

“sure, okay” theo nodded, standing up, but wobbling a bit.

“are you alright?” you questioned, copying his movement, but finding yourself to be unable to stand straight.

“it’s the weed, i think” theo mumbled and you nodded. “maybe it’s just a short effect”

the effect was anything but short. as soon as theo and you walked, or more wobbled back onto the dancefloor, it seemed to only highten the feelings you were experiencing.

everything he said was so so funny. the music was like a drug, you couldn’t walk away from and theo’s two heads were definitely a sight to see.

“what was the plan?” you screamed into theo’s ear. the loudness of the music made you feel like it was coming from right next to you.

“what?” theo called back, before he finally understood your words. “what plan?”

“uh- i forgot” you answered before you broke into a loud giggle.

“let’s dance” theo encouraged, taking your hand in his and bringing your bodies closer together.

you recognized the song that was playing as ‘meddle about’ and theo smiled, because he recognized it too.

the dancefloor was quickly filled with even more people that had the sudden need to dance to the intoxicating music. the chandelier glistened in an intense green and if you weren’t mistaken, it flashed a lighter tone with each beat. someone had hexed it to fit the music playing perfectly.

theo and you moved effortlessly. it felt like you had no real control over your body, as you lost yourself in a haze of sweaty and hot bodies. the light made the scenery feel ethereal.

theo’s chest was warm as your hands pressed against him. he held you close by your waste, the fabric of your dress not able to lighten the heat of his touch.

he smirked down at you, when you threw your head back, your hair falling out of the clip you had secured it with. theo caught it effortlessly, clasping it around his belt.

his hand didn’t go back to it’s original position on your waste, but wandered to your neck, lifting your head up, so that your eyes met his. his face looked heavenly in the green light illuminating it. his skin looked like porcellain and the usual blue of his eyes was a mirror to everything playing out before you, you even noticed your own face in them.

“that’s me—“ you pointed to his left eye as theo brought you close in the same second, connecting your mouths and interrupting the rest of your sentence.

his lips were soft and just as hot as the bodies surrounding you. he tasted of nicotine and —if you weren’t mistaken—, a hint of blaise’s weed you both had inhaled, but maybe that was only due to your own state of intoxication.

theo’s hands wandered through your hair, tilting your head to bring you even closer to him. you found help in his tie, your hand clasping around it like a lifeline as your knees got weak at the way he was kissing you.

you felt yourself fall deeper and deeper into the haze as theo’s lips intoxicated your body even further, but you were interrupted by a loud snapping sound.

you broke the kiss. “what was that?” you muttered against his mouth. it looked like no one around you had heard what you had, maybe they were even further gone than you.

“i don’t care” theo mumbled, pushing his mouth to yours again.

“no” you said when he began kissing you neck. there was the sound again. “theo, we have to stop”

“no, why—“

“we’re falling for it” you said, holding his face in your hands. you quickly noticed the redness in his eyes. “it’s not real, theo, we have to wake up”

theo ignored what you were saying and tried to kiss you again, but you quickly swerved to the side. that seemed to have been enough for him to fall out of his own trance. “what—where?”

“yeah, i know, we—“ the snapping sound repeated for a third time. now louder, more urgent. you searched the room for a hint where it was coming from, when your eyes finally wandered to the ceiling above you.

your eyes widened. three of the five strings that were holding the chandelier had snapped. it was hanging dangerously to the side, only waiting for the other two strings to break.

“the chandelier” you said and theo understood immediately, helping you to push the people away.

you had reacted at the right time. just a second after you had pushed the last guy away, the fourth and fifth string snapped at the same time, sending the chandelier flying down.

theo and you, having been the last people in the middle, dashed to the side. he pressed you body to his chest, as you watched the chandelier fall apart right in front of your feet.

a few seconds went by without anything happening.

1, 2, 3. when finally loud screaming broke out and everyone fell into a similar panic. the people began running to every side, while theo and you stood in the middle of the room, watching the chaos around you unfold.

people were screaming all sorts of things. from ‘oh my god, so close!’ to ‘someone just tried murdering me’

you continued standing still, quickly realizing that it was to no use to throw yourself into the panicking crowd. bodies hit you as they ran through the room without care and theo and you could only wait and hold each other until the panic had calmed down.

a body collided with yours, almost pulling your hand along as they ran around you. theo caught you, pulling you back. you watched after the figure in confusion.

“what is it?” theo muttered, noticing the room had calmed down as the guests were pouring out of it. he walked you both to the wall, away from the leaving crowd.

you held up your hand between his and your body, revealing the content inside. it was a crumpled up piece of paper the unfamiliar person had given you admist the chaos.

theo furrowed his brows, taking the paper from you and folding it open, reading the words written inside of it: “humpty dumpty sat on a wall, humpty dumpty had a great fall. all the king’s horses and all the king’s men”

you looked at him, waiting for him to finish. nothing happened. “couldn’t put humpty together again?”

“yeah” theo nodded, “but it doesn’t say that” he held the paper in your direction, showing you how the rhyme ended in the middle of the last verse.

“what does that even mean?”

“i have no idea” theo pushed the paper into the pocket of his trousers, “but i say we get out of here. we cannot be sure the noise hasn’t triggered a teachers attention”

“yeah” you nodded. you looked behind you at the door that was hiding both blaise and probably the most dangerous artifact in the whole castle, debating if you should warn him. the door flew open, revealing blaise leaning in the doorway.

he waved at you, clearly less intoxicated, and watched as theo walked you out of the room.

“despite how the night ended it was pretty successful, right?”

“you think so?” theo asked surprised. “i wouldn’t say we found out a lot”

“well, i’m pretty sure that we can rule out the artifact as a motive. i mean she didn’t even want it back, it would’ve been easy enough to steal it from the professor, but blaise is basically no threat if the killer was really trying to get to the artifact”

“yeah, you’re right” theo nodded. “if the artifact was the motive, there would've been no murder, so it’s basically a false lead”

“maybe an intentional false lead” you thought aloud. “remember who first mentioned it?”

“mattheo” theo muttered, realizing it had been his friend who had first brought up the existence of a dangerous dark magical artifact.

“but mattheo isn’t the killer” you quickly assured.

“how can you be so sure?” he challenged, skepticism dancing in his eyes.

“well, first of all: it’s mattheo we’re talking about” you replied, shaking your head. “he isn’t stupid, and he doesn’t even have a motive. why would he risk an unnecessary murder when he gets absolutely nothing from it? no, the killer had a reason. a good reason.”

“something that warrants a murder?”

“no” you shook your head. “something that requires a murder”

“a point of no return?”

“exactly” you nodded.

the both of you were walking down the corridor to the gryffindor common room, theo not leaving you alone until he was sure you were safe. you had made a stop at the room of requirement, switching back into your normal clothes, as to not reveal where you had been the whole evening.

“i know it’s not really the right time, but i just wanted to tell you that i had a great time, apart from all the drug intoxication and us nearly being killed by the chandelier, thanks for saving me by the way”

you smiled at him, stopping in the middle of the hallway as you looked at each other. “i couldn’t have imagined better company than you, theo nott”

“don’t flatter me, sparrow. you’re the most—“

the portrait to the common room flew open, revealing an angry harry potter. he was red in the face as he walked in your direction with an urgency you had never seen before.

hermione almost fell as she tumbled out of the portrait behind him. she looked even worse. the buttons on her cardigan were only halfway done, missing out one completely as it hung to the side. her face was as red as harry’s but not from anger. the reason for it were the tears on her face, sobs shaking her whole body as she tried reaching for harry’s arm.

“i couldn’t stop him” she sobbed, trying her best to hold him back from theo and you. “i’m sorry”

“what?” you muttered confused “what happened?”

theo was less relaxed than you, quickly interpreting the scene, knowing clearly well hermione would’ve never revealed your secret. “what did you do to her potter?” he stepped in front of you protectively, softly pushing hermione behind him at the same time.

“what have i done to her?” harry huffed unbelieving. “what have you done to my sister?”

“harry, please i can—“

“no, you can’t” harry shook his head. “i have been worried sick. there’s been a murder and you’re nowhere to be found, running around with him. he is part of the people we once stayed clear of, remember?”

“harry, please don’t—i mean burbage, she—“

harry shook his head and you had to look around theo’s body to make out his expression, the surprise in his eyes making your eyes widen, while hermione was hanging on your arm like it was a lifeline.

“i’m not talking about burbage”

“what?” you muttered in shock, stepping around theo to fully look at your brother, hermione right by your side. “where is ron?”

you could feel hermione shake her head.

“it’s not ron” harry declared and your breath calmed down for just a second, before he added “it’s neville.”

hermione sobbed again. tears shimmered in your eyes, while you grabbed theo’s arm as not fall to the ground. you felt like you couldn’t breathe, the air being sucked from your lungs completely.

“longbottom?” theo almost whispered. even he was shocked at the revelation. none of you could even think about what would qualify neville as a murder victim. he was never involved in anything remotely bad. he always stayed clear of danger or forbidden stuff. how could someone even so much as think about—

“hermione found him in the library” harry’s voice was a lot calmer now, realizing your obvious shock to the situation and deciding there was no use in screaming at you now. you outstretched your arm, pulling hermione close. she hid her face in your shoulder, as both of you cried together. “this was in his hand. she thought you might want to see it, so she made a copy” he held a little piece of paper in theo’s direction, who quickly took it.

“how?” you whispered, while theo was staring at the writing.

“stabbed” harry’s voice broke, as he looked to the ground. he cleared his throat, taking hermione from your arms and walking her back to the portrait. “please come inside now” he demanded, but his voice was only so much as a whisper, defeat swinging along in his tone.

you nodded quickly, ready to follow behind them, when theo held you back. “wait”

and with that he held the paper in your direction, the one neville had held in his hand when he died. you looked at him, silently asking if that was really important now, when he nodded down at it.

your eyes fell on theo’s hand, the veins popping out through the hard grasp he had on the paper. his hand was shaking, nerves playing out as he recited the earlier message you had received in the ballroom: “humpty dumpty sat on a wall, humpty dumpty had a great fall. all the king’s horses and all the king’s men..”

your gaze froze on the words, reading what was written on neville’s paper.

“..couldn’t put humpty together again”

go to the next part

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ps: there will be one more chapter, but surprise: there will be a seventh one: an epilogue!!

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