Chapter Text
I arch an eyebrow and blow a bubble. *POP!* It echoes, drawing every gaze my way. “What?” I shrug, the bubble gum stringing away deliciously. I blow another colossal bubble, *POP!*, giggling at the reverberations that fill the debriefing room. The door swings open without warning, and there stands Captain Price, a cigar dangling from his lips. We leap to our feet at attention. “Who authorized the use of extra explosives?” His words thunder through the room. Silence ensues, but no one steps forward. I can’t help it—I burst into laughter, an absurdly nervous tick of mine. Price invades my personal space in a heartbeat, his tone low and dangerous. “Something funny, Private?” he growls.
I don’t trust myself to not laugh, so I shake my head. I meet his intense gaze, The dirt and grime on my face and uniform only added to the thrill of the mission. my long brown hair falling a tad disheveled around my face. Blue eyes wide with mischief, I stand defiantly at 5’1” of petite stature, not backing down. My perky tits heave with suppressed laughter, a stark contrast to the gravity of our situation.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Soap, trying to suppress a smirk. I bit my cheek to keep from giggling, but it was no use. A small chuckle escaped my lips, and before I knew it, I was laughing out loud. The room fell silent, and I could feel everyone’s eyes on me. I quickly regained my composure, but the damage was done.
Captain Price spun around, his cigar clenched between his teeth. “Is something funny, Private?” he growled. I straightened my posture and answered loudly, keeping my eyes forward. “No, sir.” But the damage was done. The Captain had singled me out, and I could feel his piercing gaze on me. Suddenly, without warning, he stepped closer to me. He leaned in, his cigar smoke wafting in my face. “You think this is a joke, Private?” he whispered, his voice low and menacingly.
Just then, Soap stepped forward, his scottish accent thick and confident. “Sir, with all due respect, I think we all needed to let off some steam. We just completed a high-stress mission, and we needa way to unwind.” The Captain grunted in agreement, and the tension in the room dissipated. He turned to the team with a low growl. “that’s everything. Dismissed” Price turns to talk to Ghost and I start to walk out with Soap. “ Zellar” I freeze and I curse to myself. Soap and Gaz mouth ‘sorry’ giving me an apologetic look. I shrug before turning around.
“close the door” Price orders and I roll my eyes as I turn back around. “I don’t mean to laugh, I just do. It’s a really bad habit I picked up in middle school” I blurt out quickly. Price looks up from the paperwork on his desk still puffing on his cigar. He looks up at me and lets out a huff “that’s not what this is about” he starts. I don’t dare release the breath I’m holding yet. “its about the use of unauthorized excessive explosives” “but Capta-“ I try to interject. “Don’t interrupt the Captain” Ghost barks and I glare at him. “but you don’t” I try to explain. “shut the FUCK up and listen unless you want to find yourself being a desk bitch for the rest of your career” ghost threatens. My eyes widen with shock and I feel my ears turning hot with my temper. I’m too busy imagining punching Ghost in the face I don’t realize Captain Price’s talking again. “Is that fucking clear” Price questions as he looks at me seriously. Damn it I wasn’t listening. “transparently” I tell Price. “you’re dismissed” Price tells me. I shoot a death glare at Ghost before I sashay to the door. “for the record Captain, which you can check. we used less explosives than authorized. It’s all about placement.” I give a small smirk of victory before I close the door firmly, and let out the breath I was holding.
I make my way to the gym after I changed into leggings and a sports bra. Earbuds in, I hit the treadmill hard for an hour before moving over to the bench. I do light weights until a shadow stands above me blocking out the harsh lightening. “what do you want?” I ask as I keep my eyes on the ceiling. “Wanna play a game Bonnie?” I close my eyes and smile as I set down the weights. “What do you have in mind?” I ask I sit up. Soap opens his mouth to answer but is cut off by Ghost stalking in our direction. “how about Simon Says. I’ll go first. Simon says beat it" he growls, almost everyone in the gym scatters. I roll my eyes assuming he’s talking to me. I mock salute as I stand up and grab a drink of water. “all yours” I wipe the bench down and start to walk away. “not you” ghost growls as he reaches out and grabs my arm. I glare at his hand on my arm before turning to glare up at Ghost.