"Hey look. It's me!"

I didn't even spare a glance up. "Put down the banana, Jimin."

"It's not a banana."

I exhaled and looked up from where I'd been picking out oranges.

"You're kidding me right?"

Jimin grinned innocently from where he held a three pound large sausage in his hands. "Wanna find out?"

"Stop wiggling your eyebrows."

"No matter how hard the wind blows, the mountains never bow. Thus, no matter what you say, my eyebrows will continue a-wiggling."

A tiny smile pricked at my mouth.

It was difficult for me to smile like I used to now a days. But moments like these, when Jimin put in every effort to bring the sultry jokes back, almost always managed to prick a little grin from me.

It had been a little under a month since the attack at the base. Through much interrogating with the captured Reformists, it was uncovered where the home base of the Purists was. After that, a large troop had been sent down there to attack and contain.

Jimin had been one of the soldiers sent down to accomplish the mission, but the trainees, like myself, were once again held off. This time because we were declared 'heroes' for managing to take back the base against all odds and did not needed to fight anymore unless an emergency. I called bullshit, but at the same time I knew I wasn't ready to be thrown in a large scale fray again; not now, not without potentially losing my mind.

The battle had been swift and ended almost as soon as it began, though. The Reformists were easily outnumbered and were forced to surrender.

The official signing of the surrender was to be televised in four days at the base of the former Infinity Council headquarters. Everyone from the Capitol Base was attending, including myself and Jimin. After the signing of the surrender, a vigil was to take place in the evening to remember every life that had been lost. Including the lives of the Reformists.

I didn't want to go. I didn't want to see the names.

Yoongi. Yuta. Irene. Wonwoo. Countless other names to the growing list of those who had not made it out alive. Countless other names on the growing list of what this violence and bloodshed had taken away.

So many. So young.

The gruesome battle haunted me, both in the waking world and in my sleep. Images branded in my mind— red stained uniforms, lifeless eyes, a blood stained shoe....

I often woke up in the middle of the nights, barely making it to the toilet before throwing up. Panic attacked me like a thousand needles at every sudden loud noise I heard on the street. And I knew I wasn't the only one who was suffering.

Krystal, Tzuyu, and I all stayed in close contact with each other and confessed the anxiety attacks, the flashbacks, everything. Most of the other trainees were like that. Haunted looks in all our eyes, nervous glances over the shoulder, tense muscles, bracing for a sudden attack.

Nobody could really blame us trainees either. Our first time fighting in action had been devastating. Two days of utter horror. I was lucky; I'd managed to survive all of it with just several cracked ribs, a concussion, and of course countless bruises and cuts. But other trainees had practically bled out to the brink of death when we were locked up.

And the Outworlders. Tzuyu herself still couldn't even speak of what had happened to the Outworlders when they'd been locked up without having a mental meltdown. So many Outworlders now had scars that ran across their skin from where the Moonsbane had deteriorated their skin. Some Outworlders had it so bad that their very Marks no longer glowed in certain places.

The small blessing from it all was that Namjoon and the other scientists' antidote they'd created was proven successful. Many Outworlders were saved by the antidote and had healed against all odds.

On top of that, Taehyung and Hansol were to be given recognition for their bravery and cunning to slip past the Reformist's occupation and help lead the trainees into the victorious retaliation. Apparently, Hansol had been the one who had sent the message to the Infinity soldiers in the North City what was happening and alerted them to come as quick as possible to the base.

The Infinity Council members, at least the ones who were able to work—some of them, such as General Konu had been critically injured in the Capital Base attack— were passing different articles and laws that would try and start bringing peace to the country.

However there was still unrest. But not from the Reformists, but from the soldiers and trainees like myself. The Infinity Council had done practically nothing in this short war against the Reformists. All they'd done was hide behind walls and no one was so quick to forgive them for that.

There was still anger, pain, hurt flowing around the base. So much so that I'd almost wanted to end it all. Just disappear. Escape. Flee. Anything to get a break from the aftermath.

Jimin obviously picked up on this and had somehow managed to negotiate with several of the higher ups to allow both him and I to leave the base until the signing of surrender ceremony.

I swore, I'd never loved Jimin more than when he found me in the hallways and told me to pack up because we were going back home. Back to the Sharehouse where it all began.

It had been two weeks since the attack on the base, two weeks since we'd gotten back to the familiar beige Sharehouse. Already I felt like I could think clearer. I didn't feel like I was suffocating while breathing. Furthermore, Jimin had done all he could to put aside the military side of him. To turn back into the fun-loving boy whom I'd first met him as.

Like he was doing now: with the large sausage in his hand as he smirked suggestively at me.

"Jimin," I exhaled heavily, exasperated.

"Alright alright," he muttered, scurrying back to wherever he'd gotten the large piece of meat from.

I ran a hand through my hair and turned back to the shopping cart. My eyes caught sight of a little girl staring with wide eyes at me.

Something in me hitched as she pattered up innocently to me. Not because of her approach, but because I realized what she was.

Everything about her seemed normal— save for the unlit Marks that scrawled down her arms.

The girl was a hybrid. A healthy, hybrid child.

"What happened to your face?" The girl asked, tilting her head.

Her mother, a couple feet away, whipped around and her eyes widened. "Sasha!" She whisper screamed at her child, running up to scoop the kid into her arms. "Don't be so rude!"

I smiled again. A real one. The mother, human, quickly bowed apologetically to me before scurrying off, scolding the little hybrid.

I didn't mind though. I couldn't blame the girl for her question. My face was still covered in healing bruises and cuts which drew many stares that ranged from curiosity to suspicion to glimmer of respect and acknowledgment.

I was so preoccupied gazing after the hybrid child that I didn't realize he'd come up behind me until he'd wrapped his arms around me tightly.

"You think we could do that?" Amusement flicked through his voice. But beneath that amusement was a strange somberness that made me quickly look at Jimin.

"What?"

He nodded towards the little hybrid girl who was now helping her mother put apples into the cart.

My heart quickened a little in my chest at what he was implying. "I don't... I mean..."

He chuckled a little and planted a little kiss on my cheek. "Let's go home, partner."

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