Overcooked

The night was young, and they had set up camp right at the edge of the woods. Jacques spotted a large meadow nearby, filled with wild grass that looked soft, almost like a green dog's fur.

"Oh, cool! Look at that! A meadow!" Jacques exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with excitement. He spread his arms wide, looking optimistic and carefree.

"Ugh, it looks itchy. I'm not laying there just to risk getting bug bites," Charles grumbled, tugging on Jacques's sleeve. He was beyond exhausted after the day's events and had no energy left for anything other than collapsing into the tent.

But Jacques was already heading toward the meadow. "Come on, Charles! I bet you've never done this before. It's going to be amazing!"

"Jacques Durant, I'm going back to the tent, with or without you!" Charles warned, his tone sharp with irritation. But Jacques didn't even look back, too caught up in his excitement.

With a resigned sigh, Charles gave in and jogged after him. Moments later, they were lying side by side on the soft grass under the open sky.

Charles sat upright at first, glancing at Jacques , who was already lying down with his hands behind his head, gazing up at the glittering night sky. The stars spread out like countless jewels scattered across a velvet canvas.

"What are you even doing?" Charles grumbled. Did Jacques not care about the bugs that might be crawling around? No wonder dust and sand always fell from the top bunk—Jacques probably didn't even change his pants before bed. Charles was seriously reconsidering switching bunks.

"I bet you've never stargazed before," Jacques said casually, his eyes still fixed on the heavens. His expression was calm and peaceful, a rare sight.

Charles hesitated, but eventually sat down. At first, his mind raced with complaints—he'd have to scrub himself in the river again, even if it left him freezing tomorrow. But as the cool grass brushed against his hands, he felt its strange comfort. Slowly, the nagging thoughts about bugs faded away.

"I can see why you like this," Charles admitted grudgingly. "But still… isn't it—"

"Imagine," Jacques interrupted, pointing at the sky, "ten years from now, I'll be up there, soaring among the stars."

Charles raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you want? You're supposed to be an interplanetary driver or whatever, working for some delivery company. What are you even doing in the police academy?"

Jacques grinned, his gaze distant. "I know how bad some of them are. That's why I need to be here—to learn how they work, so when I become a voyager, I can avoid them getting in my way."

Charles groaned, already imagining the headache. "Don't you dare turn into an outlaw, Jacques . I'll have to be the one chasing you down."

"Relax, Charlie-boy. Becoming an outlaw isn't my goal. I just want to explore. That's all."

"Why, though? What's the point? Sounds like a total waste of time to me."

Jacques exhaled softly, his voice turning thoughtful. "I don't really know. Ever since I was a kid, I've always looked at the sky whenever it snowed, and it made me happy. I guess I just feel like… something good is out there, waiting for me."

Here's the text with grammar corrections:

A flashback occurred in Jacques's mind, back to when he was a stray dog in human body. His body stank, his hair had never met razor, and people were always throwing things at him to chase him away. At night, when it was cold, he was all alone. The warmth of his mother dog was the only reminder that, even though things were hard and uncomfortable, he was still loved.

It was even worse when the snow fell, and worse still when his mother dog died on the street, a victim of a hit-and-run.

When he cried over his loss, he still remembered the ache in his heart and how he screamed out his agony, but people threw stones at him. He had no choice but to leave his mother's lifeless body behind to avoid getting hurt.

From the shadows of the alley, he could only cry, watching as the monsters picked up his mother's body with a shovel. They grunted in disgust before tossing her into the river like trash. He remembered chasing his mother's body along the riverbank, crying the entire way, but then he tripped and fell. He could no longer run. He cried again, helpless as he watched his mother dog swept away by the current until she disappeared.

The night sky always became his escape. He remembered that every time he looked up at the night sky, all his troubles seemed to be cast out into the vast expanse above. He would smile at the stars and tell them, "Wait for me. I'll be there soon! It's all worth it—every broken piece of my heart, it's worth it." Of course, since he couldn't speak at the time, the words only formed as raw, abstract ideas in his mind.

Charles smirked, teasing, "What, like the girl of your dreams?"

Jacques narrowed his eyes, genuinely considering it for a moment. "Nah. I don't think it's about girls. Honestly, I don't find them all that interesting."

"Maybe your dream girl's out there, waiting for you in some distant galaxy," Charles teased again, enjoying Jacques's annoyed expression.

Jacques rolled his eyes, then shifted his attention back to Charles. "What about you? Why are you here in the academy?"

Caught off guard, Charles chuckled nervously. He looked away, avoiding Jacques's gaze, which made his chest feel tight for reasons he couldn't explain. "Me? Hm… maybe because I didn't want to stay home."

"Because they have dorms?" Jacques joked, laughing. But then he noticed Charles avoiding his eyes. "What, do you hate your parents or something? Let me guess—they fought a lot, huh?"

Charles sighed, finally turning back to face him. "Something like that…"

Jacques was closer now—too close. Charles felt his ears heat up, but his lips betrayed him with a smile.

"Means you don't see your future as a cop, huh? Then how about this—fly with me. Just the two of us, across the stars. No home, no boundaries, nothing but new horizons and new worlds to explore." Jacques's voice was steady, his grin infectious.

"That's tempting…" Charles doesn't really answered Jacques's offer because his mind now is clouded with emotions that he didn't fully understand.

Before he could think twice, Jacques leaned in for a kiss, and Charles didn't stop him.

Once again, his heart felt like it was bursting, butterflies escaping through every gap. In that moment, he wished they could stay like this forever—just the two of them, under the stars.

"Let's fly together, after we're no longer cadets," Jacques whispers to Charles, between their kiss.

***

On the fifth day, all cadets were expected to complete the treasure hunt and return to camp with the treasure. By now, everyone should have made it back. Instructor David, however, was growing increasingly concerned about the safety of his students. Just yesterday, one team reported an accident in which a cadet fell from a cliff, resulting in a broken knee. The team had evacuated immediately and rushed the injured cadet to the hospital.

When Jacques and Charles finally returned to the main camp, something unusual caught Instructor David's attention. The two cadets, who were notorious for constantly bickering like cats and dogs, now seemed to be getting along remarkably well. Charles was talking to Jacques, his expression light and cheerful, while Jacques looked equally at ease. They walked closely together, no longer avoiding each other, and their faces reflected a newfound camaraderie.

Instructor David nodded in satisfaction, feeling his plan had succeeded. Pairing these two cadets on the same team had been a deliberate decision, designed to build mutual respect and cooperation. He hoped it would help Charles overcome his stubbornness and learn from the other cadets—particularly Jacques, whom he had openly disrespected in the past.

But then Jacques playfully pretended to bite Charles, and Charles pushed him away, giggling and visibly flustered. At that moment, Instructor David's brow furrowed in suspicion.

Perhaps his plan had worked a little too well.

Here's the adjusted dialogue with Instructor David sounding more like a police academy instructor:

Finally, after returning home from the camp, Charles finished his essay on why Jacques had been successful in the crime scene simulator while he failed twice. When Instructor David read it, his eyebrows furrowed. The remarks about Jacques's luck or the flawed simulator have now gone. Instead, Charles's essay was filled with overly enthusiastic praise—almost as if it was a diary entry from a girl heavily infatuated with her crush.

"Yep, seems like the plan was too much," David shaking his head. But he doesn't mind, though, because all the points Charles add in his papers are exactly align to what he think about what Charles can learn from Jacques; adaptability and quick thinking being the main reasons.

If it had been a hundred years ago on Earth, the attraction between Jacques and Charles would've been grounds for expulsion or separation. However, since they were both the same sex, the academy chose to leave them alone, viewing their evolving relationship as the perfect buddy system.