I wish Instagram videos popped up and fomated like YouTube videos in here cause the amount of times I have run into videos and went
"Yup that's the kinda bullshit and shenanigans Clover went through in her early military days"
BECAUSE SHE DID HAVE QUITE A SILLY AND GOOD TIME.
As serious and standoff I write her I like to show that she wasn't always like that. She still isn't. If she's comfortable enough and trusts someone enough she would more then happily get into shenanigans with em.😭😭😭
Mentions of death, semi descriptive gore in story! If you are uncomfortable with any of that matter please do not read further!
There was once a dumb private.
A knucklehead who was far too loud yet caring for his own good. No matter how annoying he seemed, his personality was so stupidly radiant that he was naturally liked by everyone.
Everyone but a single girl.
She was quiet, kept to herself. He saw this girl and, for some reason, declared to become her friend.
Day after day. Joke after joke. Smile after stupidly bright smile. He came up to her and greeted her like an overexcited dog. Every time, she ignored him. Yet despite the constant denial of friendship. He happily bounded over to her again and again.
The girl had created such high walls. Walls unintentionally made, yet she didn't know how else to break them down. Yet somehow, bit by bit, he chipped them away. Until finally he was able to reach through and hold his hand out to her.
The silly, stupid soldier who suddenly made her days brighter...
The silly, stupid soldier who finally made her laugh and snort water out of her nose for the first time...
The silly, stupid soldier that made something in her chest flutter and tighten with something so warm she couldn't explain...
The stupid soldier who screamed her name in pure panic and worry.
The stupid soldier that had suddenly pushed her down to protect her...
The stupid soldier who now laid on top of her with a bullet lodged in his head.
That stupid soldier was Private First Class Elias J. Reed. Born January 1st XXXX. Died at nineteen from an ambush during a routine trip to medically aid the locals.
We as humans are naturally social creatures. No matter how much of a lone wolf one strives or wishes to be. We are all lulled to the comfort of another's company...
Why is it so simple and easy to lower your defensed for a person?..
Why is it that, somehow, despite all the walls, despite all you do to ignore and push them away, they still look at you and give you their brightest smile? A smile so blinding they might as well have been the sun itself...
How can simple routine and pure kindness bring people closer together?..
It is a concept that can never be truly understood.
You have been given the sun. A warm ball of light in your life you never thought possible. What do you do with it?
Naturally protect it, right?..
But what do you do when your sun so suddenly and violently dies?
It was only a star after all, and all stars eventually die...
What are you supposed to do when you witness that explosion right before your very eyes? Watch as your precious light fizzles out and disappear right before you?..
How do you erase someone's final moments from your memory?
How do you erase the memory of a bullet going through their skull? The sickening sound and sight of brain matter, blood, and pieces of bone splattering onto your face and gear. As you're forced to watch as the usual bright sparkle in their eyes fade away, and then just... dissapear... The weight of them suddenly so painfully heavy on top of you.
How do you forget the strong metallic smell of their blood as it bloomed and soaked into your uniform and gear? The warm and sticky liquid feeling unnatural against your skin.
Sure, she had smelled blood before... Her own blood that bloomed from wounds created by her mother. Wounds that were her punishment, a way to repent to god for her failure as a daughter. She never paid mind to the disgusting metallic smell.
But why... Why has the smell of his blood never leave her senses? No matter how many times she washed herself, her uniform, her gear. The smell of him, of his death, clung to her like a second skin.
How do you move past the daze of your NCO kicking his body off you and dragging you behind cover while assessing you for wounds? How are you supposed to respond to his screaming voice that only sounded like loud static in the chaos of screams and gunfire?
You fight. That’s the only option you have if you want to live.
Jung felt the stinging burn of her NCO’s gloved palm connecting against her face, snapping her out of the daze she was in. Her head snapped to the side as she slowly looked back at him. She could see her reflection in his sunglasses. Why did she look like that? Why did she look like some scared child? Her attention snapped to her NCO's face. Red from all the screaming and adrenaline, probably a sunburn too... He goes back and forth between spitting out commands and looking back at her. His screams finally connect to her brain. Her head is just nodding in automatic response as she watches him move to return fire.
Finally, she moves to grasp her M4. It felt heavier then before. Had it always been this heavy? This intimidating? She takes position behind cover. Weapon off safe as she racks the bolt and puts a bullet in the chamber. She is listening for the call-outs all around her. Eyes moving to find her targets, brain trying to follow the steps of her training. But in a real firefight, it's harder to focus. To aim at the moving targets that bob their heads in and out of view. It's worse then a game of whack-a-mole. It's nothing like the shooting range. The targets pop up and dissapear faster then expected. They are sat at weird angles and ensuring they're behind cover as well.
She stares down her sights, theres a shake to her hands. A shake that vibrates the rifle in her hand. She had never shook like this shooting it before. In fact she had been quite proud with how steady her hands and body always was before shooting. The text book definition of a sharpshooter. Yet here she was shaking. Her grip tightened around the rifle as she shoved it into her shoulder even tighter to mitigate the shake. Maybe the dull ache of hard plastic digging into her shoulder will stop the shake. Regardless she looks back down her sights. Aiming for the head that continued to bob in and out of view. Her finger moves to the trigger, curling around it.
Deep breath...
In four...
The nauseating smell of Reed's blood makes her head spin so quickly.
Hold... Hold...
She finally squeezes the trigger the moment a head pops into view. The sound of the gunshot ringing in her ears. Breath, hold, fire, repeat.
The chaos felt like it had lasted for hours when the skirmish lasted for no more than twenty minutes. A silence falls over the previous warzone. Bodies and blood cover and soak into the sands.
Put the weapon on safe. Give a SITREP to her NCO. Move to the others and assess injuries. She's the only medic now. She was responsible for their injuries and physical well being. The report is complete, and the incident is called up.
One KIA. GSW to the head. One injured, GSW in the arm, bleeding minor.
Her NCO orders for two other soldiers to move Reed’s body to a more secluded area as they waited for QR.
Jung immediately just follows. Staring at his open eyed gaze. His expression was blank. Lifeless. They laid him down in the sand carefully. One of the soldiers clapping a hand on her shoulder before walking past her. She stood there in silence. Waiting for his stupid shit eating grin to pull against his lips. To see his one crooked tooth, that was noticeable from his otherwise perfect teeth, flashing her as he grinned. She was waiting for him to just suddenly sit up and scream ‘Gotcha’ while laughing his ass off.
Yet. None of that happened. He just laided there, motionless... Lifeless...
Jung’s body crumbled as she fell to her knees beside his body. Her hand moved to grasp his wrist. Looking for a pulse. Yet there was nothing. Her hand moved to his neck doing the same. Nothing again.
But.. But he was still so warm. Skin and muscle were still pliable in her hand. Where was his pulse?.. Weren't bodies supposed to become cold and ridigid upon death? Why was he still so warm?
“Hey. This isn’t funny anymore...”
Jung finally spoke. Her voice cracking as she shook the corpse's shoulder.
“Reed. This isn’t fucking funny. Get up already. You left me alone to play a fucking demented game of whack-a-mole.”
She said, angrier this time as her other hand moved to grasp his other shoulder shaking him harder. Staring at his face, her gaze locked with his eyes. The usual beautiful green eyes were growing cloudy causing the color to look faded.
“Ha ha ha! Very fucking funny! Stop messing around and get the fuck up!”
She shook him harder. Tears brimming her eyes as her voice grew in decimal. The denial only tettering as reality slowly seeped in.
“You bastard! Fucking idiot!! WAKE UP!”
She finally shreiked out. Her hand slapping the front of his chest, hitting his kit.
“WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!”
She screamed hitting his chest full force. Her NCO immediately arrived to the scene grabbing another soldier to come help him. Hands grabbed her shoulders and arms pulling her back. Her body tensing from the sudden touch.
She just screamed in sheer panic and distress. Kicking and squirming the whole time she tried to pull away from the two as they dragged her away. Dragged her further away from Elias. She was sobbing, pleading, and begging as she reached out for the lifeless corpse that laid in the sands. Begging for him to stop playing around. Pleading for this to be some twisted sick joke he took too far. Sobbing as the reality sunk further and further into her with each inch she was dragged away.
“ELIAS!!”
“Hey Jung.”
Reed called out as Jung gave a small hum in response.
“Since our birthdays are only a day apart, how about we go out and celebrate together?”
Reed suddenly asked as he looked up from his phone. Jung looked up from her book. They were both laying next to each other, in her bed, as she looked at him with a raised brow.
“I guess I don't mind. But aren't you gonna wanna celebrate New Years Eve? Go out and get up to your stupid shenanigans?”
Jung responded and questioned before turning her gaze back to her book. Reed smiled as he put his phone down and looked at her properly with a smile.
“Not really. It'd enjoy it more celebrating your birthday.”
He grinned and shuffled to rest his head on her shoulder.
“Flirt.”
Jung rolled her eyes.
“You love me.”
Reed responded with a lopsided grin.
“Fuck off.”
Jung tried to shrug off Reed, for the man to stubbornly stay in place while softly chuckling.
“Hey.”
He called out as Jung glanced at him again.
“Hm?”
“Promise to buy my first drink?”
“Only if you promise to buy mine.”
She easily responded as she flipped a page in her book.
"Deal."
Reed smiled and sat up quickly. He held a pinky out to her with a big grin. She paused her reading and looked at him, down at his outstretched pinky, then back up to him with a raised brow.
“Pinky promise?”
Jung looked at him and then scoffed.
“Come on Jungie. Don't leave me hanging now.”
Jung scrunched her nose up in displeasure as she placed her book marker in her book and placed it off to the side.
“I've told you several times not to call me that.”
“Okay then, I'll call you Byeol-i then.”
He teased. Jung cringed harder.
“Fucking asshole you know that ones reserved for my grandma.”
“Oh come on it's cute!”
“Fuck off, just call me Jungie at that point.”
She sighed finally hooking her pinky with his. Starting their simple ritual for pinky promises.
“Lock.”
Jung started as Reed smiled, their thumbs moved to press together
“Stamp.”
Jung added then held out her free hand palm up.
“Sign.”
She looked at Reed waiting for him. Reed chuckled as he signed his signature into her palm before mirroring her movements as she did the same.
“And signed.”
Reed finished as Jung just huffed.
"No take backs."
Reed chuckled and teased as Jung rolled her eyes again.
“Yeah. Yeah whatever.”
She replied simply. As she was about to pull away, Reed tugged her forward. Placing a gently kiss to her cheek before chuckling.
“I wanna try a whiskey. See what the fuss is all about for that drink.”
Jung looked at him with a raised brow though her gaze seemed to soften. As he looked at her with a wolfish grin she scoffed and immediately shoved his face away.
“Fuck off. Imma make sure to buy their most expensive alcohol. Break that stupid wallet of yours.”
Jung retorted as Reed flopped over onto her bed and let out a bark of laughter.
“Hey! My precious private money! I worked hard for that dough!”
He chuckled before taking her pillow and smacking her with it. Jung let out a soft oof in return as she narrowed her eyes at him.
“Come on! Give a guy some slack! How about some dark chocolate. Hmm? Something to sweeten you up for me?”
He wiggled his eyebrows as Jung groaned.
“Oh my god. Shut up already. If you wanna be all flirtatious right now go find some other chic to bother.”
She rolled her eyes. Reed just let out a cackle before laying back.
“Nah. No one else is as fun to mess with as you.”
He declared as Jung pinched his side. As a result he let out a cartoonist yelp.
Reed apologized but kept cackling out. Jung just gave him a side eyed look. Though a smile tugged at her lips as she returned to reading her book.
Neither of them were even old enough to drink yet. Yet one was sent home in a box, and the other was forced to live and uphold a onesided promise. How disgusting and cruel war could be. How the pain it creates festers and grows into something horrifying. It sparks a flame in ones soul. Growing into an inferno that never seems to be satisfied no matter how much it is fed. A rage that nearly consumes ones entire being, all for what? Revenge? Revenge had been dealt so long ago... Yet the fire continues to burn so brightly. Even when it has been fed its original reason of creation... It still burns so disgustingly bright.
Would she fizzle away slowly or would she part this world just as violently and horrible as Reed did?..
At the end of the day, when that fire finally fizzles out and exstingushes like the very first life she watch dissapear right before her. What is left behind in the smoke and ashes?.. Who was she when that fire finally fizzles out?
She hoped for the latter...
She sat there staring at the whiskey placed before her. Her ID place beside the cup. The bar was packed and obnoxiously loud. Full of patrons partying and getting drunk readying themselves for the new year count down. She pulled off her dogtags. Shifting through the metal IDs her fingers rested to hold a third one.
Her thumb ran over the stainless steel tag. Her nail slightly dragging over the groves of the indented lettering. The big screen in the middle of the bar blared as the new year count down began. Jung clutched the tag into her palm as she looked up at the screen.
10!
9!
8!
7!
People began screaming the numbers louder. Jung held the cup of whiskey in her hand.
6!
5!
4!
3!
She raised the glass slowly to her lips. The smell of alcohol from the whiskey burning her nose.
2!
1!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The patrons screamed out and cheered. The noise becoming so deafening yet she heard none of it. The static in her ears buzzed softly as she softly spoke to herself.
“Happy Birthday Elias.”
She whispered before slowly taking a drink from the glass. The liquid rolled past her tongue and down her throat in a nauseating burn. Despite this she finished it off all in one swing. The cup was placed down onto the counter as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
Notes: Hello! Lost here! I hope you enjoyed reading this background story on Clover! Just for quick explinations the timeline for this would be when she was 19 or so when the incident happened. Clover and Reed did not have any romantic relationship. It was all platonic. Yes in my head canon they boinked and did the nasty, but it's all mainly cause it was just convenient and they trust each other. They were designed to just be very close friends. Reed was ment to be a form of heartbreak that wasn't ment to be romantically. Theu type of heartbreak you get when you lose someone you trusted very much. Plus he was just simply the first person to treat her with actual kindness with no alternative motive aside from her grandma.
Hopefully that explains some things further. ^^;;;
I honestly feel like I wasn't able to convey the emotions and stuff enough for this story. I might take it down and rewrite it at another time. But for now THIS SHIT WAS MAKING ME INSANE AND I HAD TO STOP MYSELF.
Anyway- thank you so much for reading my chopped work lol.
She had a bunch of 'random' dot scars on the left side of her chest right near her heart because of the (well technically band in real life now-) ceremony called blood pinning. Having earned various pins they were all punched into her body when she earn them.
