Archive of Our Own ^beta

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‎## **The Whispering Campaign**
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‎The Red Ranger Academy classroom buzzed with an unusual energy that had nothing to do with Jason Scott's lesson on morpher maintenance. Andros sat at his desk, increasingly aware that something was very, very wrong.
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‎*Whisper whisper whisper.*
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‎He glanced to his left. Cole was having an intense discussion with Wes, both of them gesturing wildly until they noticed Andros looking. They immediately went silent and pretended to be fascinated by their textbooks.
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‎*Whisper whisper whisper.*
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‎He looked right. Devon and Brody were huddled together, but the moment Brody spotted Andros, he straightened up so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash and started examining the ceiling like it held the secrets of the universe.
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‎*This is very strange,* Andros thought, facing forward with a sigh.
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‎Behind him, he could practically feel sixteen pairs of eyes boring into the back of his head, followed by more suspicious whispering. It was like being watched by the world's least competent spy network.
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‎---
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‎"Alright, that's all for today," Jason announced as the bell rang, causing every single boy in the room to sigh in relief like they'd just been pardoned from execution.
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‎Jason rolled his eyes with practiced exasperation. "Don't forget to read page sixteen of your Morpher handbook."
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‎"We KNOW, Mr. Scott!" came the collective groan from the boys.
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‎"Little know-it-alls," Jason mumbled with a fond smile before leaving the room.
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‎Andros began packing his bag, still puzzling over his classmates' bizarre behavior, when Cole approached him with his usual smile.
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‎"Hey Andros! Want to hang out with me and the others? We could—"
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‎Behind Cole, Wes and Leo suddenly choked on their own saliva, making sounds like dying seals and immediately lunged forward interrupting Cole.
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‎"—we uh have somewhere to go after school!" Wes gasped, immediately grabbing Cole's arm. "Without you! See you at the dorms!"
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‎And before Andros could even open his mouth to respond, they dragged Cole away like he was a kidnapping victim.
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‎"Weird," Andros blinked.
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‎He glanced toward the door where Connor and Tyler were leaving together. The moment Tyler spotted Andros, he went rigid as a board, looked away, and started whistling with all the casual innocence of someone trying to sneak a bomb past airport security.
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‎Connor just sighed deeply, groaned like his soul was in physical pain, and pulled Tyler out of the room.
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‎Andros turned back to his bag, now officially suspicious, when he heard what sounded like... sneaking?
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‎He looked up to see Brody, Nick, and Devon attempting to leave the classroom by hugging the walls like ninjas, complete with exaggerated tiptoeing and hand signals.
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‎"Uh... what are you guys doing?" Andros asked.
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‎All three boys immediately squeaked like startled mice and ran out of the room like their pants were on fire.
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‎Andros's eye twitched. "Something weird is definitely going on here."
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‎---
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‎He spotted Carter heading for the door and decided to try direct approach. "Hey Carter, do you know why everyone is acting so weird?"
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‎Carter froze mid-step, sweat immediately beading on his forehead. "Weird? Weird how? How would I know? I don't know anything! Yup, nothing at all! Why would you think I know something? I definitely don't know about any—"
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‎Shane appeared like a superhero, immediately pushing Carter toward the door. "It's nothing! We're just going to, uh... umm... see Mr. Oliver about something! Right, Carter?"
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‎"Yup! Bye!" Carter squeaked before they both fled.
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‎Andros turned to see Jack and Mack near the back of the room. Before he could even ask, Jack immediately started making excuses.
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‎"I gotta uh... go feed ducks! At the park! Very important duck feeding business! Bye!"
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‎He sprinted away like the ducks were on fire.
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‎Mack stepped forward with the confidence of someone who'd definitely rehearsed this. "And I'm going to hang out with my girlfriend Rose, who's a girl that I'm dating, so we can discuss relationship stuff because we're in a relationship as a couple he said sweating "Bye!"
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‎He attempted to make a dramatic exit but ran directly into the door frame with a loud *THUNK*
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‎"I meant to do that" he said before stumbling out.
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‎---
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‎Andros blinked, still processing the weirdness before he spotted Scott, Casey, and Jayden heading for the exit and narrowed his eyes. "Let me guess, you guys have plans too?"
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‎Scott began sweating like he was being interrogated by the FBI. "Yup! I have racing practice with Mr. Oliver! At the track!"
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‎Andros crossed his arms. "I thought Shane and Carter went to see Mr. Oliver."
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‎Scott's brain visibly short-circuited. "Did I say racing? I meant uh... karate! Yeah, karate!"
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‎He pulled Jayden and Casey close in what looked like the world's most suspicious group huddle. "All three of us! Right, guys?"
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‎"Absolutely!" Jayden nodded frantically.
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‎"Yup, i love hitting people!" Casey announced with disturbing enthusiasm.
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‎They left with all the subtlety of elephants trying to sneak through a library.
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‎"What the hell is going on?" Andros muttered.
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‎He noticed Troy leaving with headphones on, clearly thinking very loudly: *Just pretend you don't hear him, just pretend you don't hear him...*
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‎"Uh Troy?" Andros tried but the other boy just kept walking untill he was out the door.
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‎Andros looked around the now-empty classroom and sighed in resignation. "Guess I'll go back to the dorms by myself. Alone."
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‎As he walked toward the Red Dorms, his mind raced with possibilities. *What's going on? Did I offend them somehow? I mean, there's no way all sixteen of them are mad at me at the same time... right?*
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‎---
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‎Meanwhile, from the computer room upstairs, sixteen silhouettes watched Andros's lonely trek back to the dorms.
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‎"That was close," Wes sighed in relief.
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‎"Yeah I was worried he'd suspect something" Nick said.
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‎"Yeah, but you almost blew it, Cole!" Leo accused.
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‎"Sorry, I forgot!" Cole defended himself.
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‎"You almost gave us away too, Tyler!" Connor pointed out. "Subtle much?"
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‎"Sorry! I'm nervous under pressure!" Tyler squeaked.
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‎Carter stepped forward like a general addressing his troops. "It doesn't matter. Somehow it worked. Now we can start our meeting for—"
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‎"Planning Andros's birthday!" Brody finished excitedly.
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‎The room erupted in cheers.
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‎---
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‎"I'm surprised you were able to find out Andros's birthday, Casey," Shane said admiringly. "It's really surprising considering how private he is."
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‎"I just asked his sister Karone when I saw her at the library yesterday," Casey shrugged. "She told me immediately."
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‎"Wow, it's really surprising how easy that was!" Jayden said.
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‎"Enough small talk!" Carter declared. "Let's plan a surprise party for our favorite stoic alien!"
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‎Everyone cheered like they were planning to storm a castle instead of throwing a birthday party.
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‎---
‎
‎## **The Next Day: Mission Impossible (Teenage Edition)**
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‎The living room of the Red Dorms had been transformed into a top-secret planning headquarters, complete with Tyler pacing around like a paranoid general.
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‎"Is it safe to do our meeting here?" Tyler whispered dramatically. "I mean, Andros could walk in!"
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‎"It's okay, he's not around," Devon assured him.
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‎"Yeah, he went to study at the library" Scott said like someone who had his schedule memorized.
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‎"Still, we should be fast," Leo urged, and everyone nodded like they were planning a heist instead of a birthday party.
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‎The brainstorming session began with all the organization of a kindergarten class on sugar.
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‎"We need a cake!" Scott announced.
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‎"With his face on it!" Connor added excitedly.
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‎"A GIANT face!" Tyler contributed. "Like, bigger than his actual head!"
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‎"And fireworks!" Brody suggested. "Shooting out of the cake!"
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‎"With sparklers that spell out 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' in the air!" Nick chimed in.
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‎Carter held up his hands. "Guys, Andros wouldn't want something too flashy."
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‎"So no cake with his head?" Brody asked, deflated.
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‎"No way!" Carter laughed.
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‎"But that sounds cool!" Connor protested.
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‎"Andros wouldn't like that," Devon reasoned.
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‎"But he likes chocolate!" Mack pointed out triumphantly. "He always buys chocolate from the school store!"
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‎Everyone murmured in agreement.
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‎"Write that down!" Carter ordered.
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‎"We have a secretary?" Jack asked, confused.
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‎Shane held up a notebook with the pride of someone who'd just been promoted. "Yes, me!"
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‎"What about decorations?" Leo suggested. "We could get those balloons that look like—"
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‎The door opened.
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‎Andros stepped in, looking confused. "Uh, are we having a meeting?"
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‎The room exploded into chaos. Sixteen teenage boys suddenly had sixteen different urgent emergencies:
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‎"I FORGOT I LEFT THE STOVE ON!"
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‎"MY FISH NEEDS WALKING!"
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‎"I HAVE TO RETURN SOME VIDEOTAPES!"
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‎"THE DUCKS ARE BACK!"
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‎"DENTIST APPOINTMENT!"
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‎"ALIEN ABDUCTION!"
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‎They scattered like startled cats, leaving Andros standing alone in the living room, blinking at the sudden emptiness.
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‎He deflated like a sad balloon. "Okay, this has to be some new form of bullying."
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‎---
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‎The next day, Andros sat in his room with a tiny robotic mouse equipped with a spy camera, looking like a man who'd been pushed to his absolute limit.
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‎"This is unethical," he muttered, "but if they're not going to tell me why they're acting like I have a contagious disease, I'll find out myself."
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‎He set the mouse down and used a controller to guide it toward Carter's room, where suspicious sounds of conspiracy were echoing through the hallways.
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‎The tiny spy mouse slipped under the door undetected, and Andros put on headphones to listen in.
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‎"—so we'll get him a chocolate cake, but what about presents?" Carter's voice came through clearly.
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‎"I still think we should get him a new leather jacket!" Scott suggested.
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‎"With 'SPACE RANGER' written on the back!" Tyler added.
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‎"Or a telescope so he can look at his home planet!" Connor chimed in.
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‎"That's... actually really thoughtful," Devon admitted.
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‎"Yeah, we'll all give it to him at the party" Tyler said.
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‎Andros paused, his eyes widening in surprise. "They're throwing me a party?"
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‎He continued listening as they discussed logistics, including how he always went jogging Saturday morning (which was his birthday), and how Brody would do lookout duty so they could all jump out and scream "SURPRISE!"
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‎Andros smiled, something warm spreading through his chest. "Normally I'd go tell them I already know about the surprise, but they're really taking their time to do something nice for me."
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‎He thought about his home planet KO-35, where birthdays weren't really celebrated.
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‎He didn't really care for birthday,  on KO-35  they weren't a big deal, just another day so he never gave it much thought but still listening to everyone speak about how they wanted to give him the best party ever and make him happy, it touched his heart, he felt himself smiling
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‎ "if it makes them happy, I'll play along." He says  "even if they are the worst at being subtle"
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‎He called the spy mouse back, sighing in relief. "I'm just glad they don't hate me!"
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‎---
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‎Saturday morning arrived with Andros returning from his jog, pausing outside the Red Dorms door as he heard frantic shuffling inside.
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‎"Okay, okay, we're in position!" Carter's voice was barely muffled by the door.
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‎"Is everyone ready?" Tyler whispered loudly.
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‎"Shh! He's coming!" Brody's lookout report came through.
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‎"Ok let's hope my acting skills are decent" Andros says then practiced his most surprised expression in the door's reflection, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
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‎"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANDROS!"
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‎Sixteen boys jumped out from behind furniture, under tables, and in Mack's case, somehow from inside a coat closet, all screaming at the top of their lungs.
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‎Andros gasped dramatically, his hand flying to his chest. "OH MY GOSH! You guys! I had NO IDEA!"
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‎It was not very convincing but the boys were too excited to even notice which worked in his favor.
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‎---
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‎The living room had been transformed into a birthday wonderland that looked like it had been decorated by sugar-high kindergarteners with access to a party store – and it was perfect.
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‎"Happy birthday, man!" Cole grinned, pulling him into the room.
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‎"We can't believe you're sixteen years old now!" Wes laughed.
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‎"Yeah the first of us" Mack said.
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‎"PRESENT TIME!" Tyler announced, bouncing like a caffeinated kangaroo.
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‎The gifts were exactly as wonderfully ridiculous as Andros had expected:
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‎Scott presented a leather jacket with "GALACTIC RANGER" bedazzled on the back in silver rhinestones. "I know it's not subtle, but—"
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‎"I love it," Andros interrupted, genuinely touched.
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‎Connor handed over a telescope. "So you can look at the stars and think of home!"
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‎Andros smiled feeling touched "This is incredible, Connor. Thank you."
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‎Tyler's gift was a book titled "Earth Customs for Aliens (And Other Confused Beings)."
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‎"It's got everything!" Tyler explained excitedly. "How to order pizza, what 'Netflix and chill' means, why humans say 'bless you' when you sneeze – it's like a survival guide!"
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‎Devon gifted him a care package from the school store filled with every variety of chocolate they sold.
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‎"You always buy chocolate bars after training," Devon explained. "So I got you one of each flavor!"
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‎Nick had somehow managed to find a red bandana with tiny rocket ships printed on it. "For when you want to be space-themed but casual!"
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‎The gifts kept coming – each one more thoughtful and ridiculous than the last. A "World's Best Alien" mug from Shane, a playlist titled "Earth's Greatest Hits (Alien Approved)" from Casey, a plant that apparently reminded Mack of KO-35 because "it's red and looks tough."
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‎"You guys," Andros said, his voice slightly thick with emotion, "this is... I don't know what to say."
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‎"Don't get all emotional on us now!" Jack teased, but his grin was fond.
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‎"Group photo!" Tyler suddenly announced. "We need to commemorate Andros's first Earth birthday!"
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‎Everyone immediately started jostling for position, with Carter trying to organize them like a school photographer while chaos reigned supreme.
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‎"Tall people in back!"
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‎"Where's tall people?"
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‎"I'M tall people!"
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‎"Tyler, you're literally shorter than me!"
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‎"Height is a social construct!"
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‎They finally managed to arrange themselves into something resembling order, with Andros in the center looking genuinely happy, surrounded by his chaotic, ridiculous, wonderful friends.
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‎"Say 'SPACE CHEESE!'" Tyler called out.
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‎"SPACE CHEESE!" they all yelled, and the camera captured seventeen boys mid-laugh, all looking absolutely ridiculous and perfectly happy.
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‎---
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‎Andros sat on his bed, looking at the printed photo Tyler had somehow managed to develop in record time. Seventeen faces grinned back at him – some making peace signs, others mid-laugh, a few making ridiculous faces, but all of them genuine.
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‎He thought about his home planet, where birthdays passed without fanfare, where emotions were kept carefully controlled, where celebrations were rare and subdued.
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‎Then he looked around his room at his new leather jacket hanging on his desk chair, the telescope positioned by his window, the chocolate care package on his nightstand, and the "World's Best Alien" mug already claimed as his favorite.
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‎These ridiculous Earth boys, with their terrible secret-keeping skills and their over-the-top gestures and their completely unsubtle surprise planning, had somehow made him feel more at home than he'd felt since leaving KO-35.
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‎Andros smiled, carefully placing the photo on his nightstand where he could see it first thing in the morning, and settled in for the best night's sleep he'd had in months.
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‎Outside his door, he could still hear muffled laughter and the sounds of his friends cleaning up wrapping paper and probably arguing over who had to take the decorations down.
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‎*Home,* he thought sleepily, *isn't always where you're from. Sometimes it's where you're accepted exactly as you are – terrible surprise faces and all.*
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‎"I should tell them to help me plan a birthday party for Karone too so she can know how fun it is" he thought with a smile as he drifted off to sleep.
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