#ede talks

johnny teases him about getting soft and simon makes sure to be a little mean next time they spar . maybe bring some of your cooking to base to show off exactly why he's packed on a few extra pounds . after that the 141 ask for your cooking more often and now they all went up a waist size because who are you to deny big strong soldiers the meals they need to keep going ?

he does keep you from ghost though . takes his mask off before he enters the house , at most you've seen the balaclava never the skull plate , tries his best to keep details to a minimum when you ask about missions . his gear is tucked away and out of sight the entire time he's home , so much so that you don't even realize theres a gun safe in the closet in the hall because you never use it , it's reserved for his stuff . he hates when you use his call sign , even if its as simple as getting his attention with it when he zones out . hes not ghost when he's home , he never wants to be ghost when hes home .

he loves it but he also knows you thrive under his attention . that you love not having to make dinner after work when he's home because he likes to take care of all that . who has memorized your habits and tells so he knows when to lay off or press further , does things just like how you like them done to take at least one more thing off your plate .

he's not good with new people , if it's for a mission that's one thing but just in general ? good luck . new people means answering the same questions over again , asserting boundaries that seem to be more a challenge than a line in the sand for most , it means having put someone else in check over and over again until they finally give up on seeing what's under the mask . having a new sergeant under his watch means the current two will try and get you to do it all for their own entertainment at their lieutenant's expense . but you don't do any of that , you take his cold nature at face value and move on . keep things strictly tactile , roll your eyes at the sergeants trying to stir the pot , even call him lt. riley till he tells you it's alright to just call him ghost .

its some cheesy flaming skull shot glass or try hard badass skull shirt but it makes you laugh imagining him using it so you get it . place it on his desk with nothing but a note saying it made you think of him and move on . and he can admit its funny , the shot glass goes on a shelf of his limited keepsakes and he only uses it once during a night in with the unit , thrives on the way it sends everyone spiraling into laughter and smirks behind the glass when he downs the shot .

so you continue . a sugar skull from a much less tense visit to las almas , a little robotic dancing skeleton along with a book about bones from the bookshop a few miles from base . he treasures them all , even has to delegate a second shelf to the knickknacks as the collection continues to grow . before this the skeleton motif was just to fit with the face plate , a little gag he thought was funny and everyone else saw as intimidating . but not you , you saw the humor in it and ran .

his favorite gift is the first valentines card you ever made him , a wonky piece of pink cardstock with hearts drawn all over it . what you wrote inside sent him into a fit of laughter , how stupid but special to them .