#flustered ghost

You squinted up at them from the cot, head pounding in slow, tidal waves behind your eyes. The pain meds they’d given you were doing their job — mostly — but they also made everything feel… floaty. Like your body was there, but your brain was hovering somewhere a few inches above it.

You heard boots before you saw faces.

Heavy. Familiar. Military.

Price appeared first — of course he did.

Brows drawn tight, mustache twitching slightly as he stepped into the room. His vest was gone, sleeves rolled, but he still looked like he’d walked straight out of the battlefield and refused to mentally leave it.

He pulled a chair up beside your cot without asking.

Sat.

Leaned forward, forearms on his knees, studying you like you were a tactical situation instead of a person.

“Phoenix.”

You gave him a lazy half-salute from where you were sprawled.

“Captain.”

His eyes flicked to the bandage wrapped around your head. Then to the monitor beside you. Then back to your face.

Assessing. Counting. Measuring.

“Medic says you took a nasty hit,” he said.

“Mm.”

You blinked slowly.

The door behind him creaked open at the exact worst possible moment. Soap walked in first — Gaz was right behind him. Ghost filled the doorway last.

All three froze.

Price leaned closer, voice softer now — not command, just concern.

“How’s your head?”

There was a beat. A long one.

Your brain, fogged with meds and absolutely zero tactical awareness, grabbed the first response it could find. You smiled — smug, slow, completely unbothered.

“Haven’t received any complaints yet.”

Silence.

Price blinked.

Once.

Twice.

You, blissfully unaware of the social grenade you’d just tossed, gave a small satisfied nod like you’d delivered the funniest line in existence.

Soap’s mouth fell open. Gaz choked on absolutely nothing. Ghost… went completely still. Price turned his head slowly toward them, eyes narrowing beneath his brows.

“…Right,” he said after a second, voice dry as desert sand.

You frowned faintly.

“What?”

Gaz tried — truly tried — to keep it together. Failed immediately. A snort burst out of him before he could stop it. He slapped a hand over his mouth, shoulders shaking. Soap wheezed - actually wheezed.

“Jesus Christ, Phoenix—”

Price straightened in his chair, rubbing a hand down his face like a man reconsidering every life decision that led him here.

“I walked right into that one,” he muttered.

You looked between them, confused but amused.

“What? It was funny.”

Soap pointed at you dramatically.

“Oh it was funny, alright. Just— maybe not in front of the Captain while you’re concussed.”

“Am not concussed,” you protested, words slightly slurred. “I’m… medically relaxed.”

Gaz lost it again, laughing harder now, turning away so he wouldn’t make eye contact with Price. Ghost still hadn’t spoken.

He stood in the doorway, arms crossed, skull mask unreadable — but the faint tilt of his head gave him away. Processing. Replaying your sentence. Probably correlating it with… past data.

Soap noticed too - of course he did. His grin turned feral.

“Oy, L.T.,” he said, elbowing Ghost lightly as he stepped further into the room. “You awfully quiet there.”

Ghost’s gaze shifted from you to Soap.

Slow. Measured. Dangerous.

“Shut it, MacTavish.”

“Oh come on,” Soap laughed. “No complaints, they say. That ring any bells?”

You blinked at them.

Still not fully computing.

Gaz made a strangled noise. Price pinched the bridge of his nose. Soap grinned like Christmas came early. Ghost exhaled through his nose — the closest thing to embarrassment he’d ever show.

“You’re drugged,” he said flatly. “Doesn’t count.”

You smirked lazily from the cot.

“Didn’t hear you complaining either, Lieutenant.”

The room exploded.

Gaz doubled over laughing. Soap actually had to brace himself on the wall. Price stood up abruptly, chair scraping.

“Right. That’s enough.”

But even he was fighting a losing battle against the corner of his mouth twitching upward. Soap wiped tears from his eyes.

“Phoenix, you’re gonna give the poor man a cardiac event.”

“I’m fine,” you said, waving a hand. “Head hurts. Pride intact.”

Ghost stepped closer finally, looming beside the cot.

Up close, you could see the faint crease between his brows — worry, not irritation.

His gloved hand hovered near the bandage but didn’t touch.

“You blacked out,” he said quietly.

“Briefly.”

“Briefly,” Soap echoed. “They dropped like a sack of bricks.”

“I was being tactical,” you murmured.

Gaz snorted again.

Ghost ignored them, eyes scanning your pupils — medic instincts drilled into all of them by now.

“You dizzy?”

“Only when you stand too close,” you replied automatically.

Soap made a scandalized noise. Gaz covered his face. Price turned toward the far wall, shoulders shaking suspiciously. Ghost went very still again.

“…Pain meds,” he muttered.

“Mm-hm.” You were absolutely enjoying this.

Soap leaned in on your other side, grin wicked.

“So — just for medical documentation — still no complaints, aye?”

You tilted your head toward him, eyes half-lidded.

“MacTavish, if I recall, you were the one who—”

“ALRIGHT,” Price barked, louder this time.

Everyone froze.

He pointed toward the door.

“Out. All of you. Phoenix needs rest, not whatever the hell this is.”

Soap straightened, still grinning.

“Aye, sir. Medical priority.”

Gaz gave you a two-finger salute, laughter still in his eyes.

“Fuckin hell…” The scot pushed himself up from the couch, taking quiet steps through the living room until he made it down the dark hallway and to his door. There was still movement inside, he could hear it through the thin walls of the apartment and the even thinner door. Soap knocked lightly, the movement inside stopped and he waited a moment before knocking again just a bit harder. “Ghost, you ok in there?” Again no answer came through the door, the room beyond remaining ominously quiet. “I’m coming in Ghost, hope you're decent Lt.”

Soap pushed the door open with a shoulder, his hand reaching up for the lightswitch when he saw the white part of Ghost’s mask in the darkness headed straight for him. There was a fire behind those eyes suited only to kill and his own blue ones widened at the sight. The Lieutenant’s fist smacked into the door frame where his head had been only a heartbeat before. Soap slipped beneath Ghost’s punch and around him into the dark room. He kept the other man at arm’s length with an outstretched arm backing himself up against the wall until he saw the fire die in Ghost’s eyes and his breathing even out. His balled up fists lowered as he stared at Soap and glanced around the room seeming to come back to reality, the cloud of fog inhabiting his mind clearing up for him to come back from whatever scenario his devious mind had thrown him into.

“Johnny?” Ghost took a slow step forward, a hand reaching slowly for him before it landed on Soap’s shoulder and squeezed hard into the solid muscle there as if he was a life preserver and if Ghost let go he would drift away again. It brought the tall man back to him, his shoulders relaxing and breath exiting his lungs that sounded as if it had been pent up for hours. “Shite, I’m sorry Johnny, I broke it I didn’t mean to,” Soap shook his head quickly, putting a hand on Ghost’s where it rested on his shoulder keeping that strong grip there. Grounding Ghost in the present rather than whatever it was he had been imagining. Ghost had been there for him and the Scotsman had every intention of returning the favor now for the introverted man.

“It’s ok Ghost, you’re fine. It doesn’t matter what you broke.” Ghost stared down at him, his eyes unreadable behind the mask and in the darkness, but he could see a tiredness there that only came with countless sleepless nights. “Come on mate just lay down, we can fix whatever it is tomorrow morning. You need to sleep. Come on, lay down Ghost.” He guided Ghost down to the bed like you guided a drunk man to his room. He watched as Ghost’s knees buckled before he sat down hard, the bed rocking under the sudden weight. The tall man tilted his head back, eyes closing for a moment before he let himself lay back on the sheets, tiredness winning him over in the end.

Soap watched him for a second almost worried to leave him alone again before he turned to leave, he didn’t even make it a step though as a hand grabbed his own and held him back, squeezing him in a tight grip. Ghost’s fingers were rough against his skin, devoid of his gloves this time it was the first time Soap had ever felt the other man’s rough and scarred skin against his own. And when the Scotsman looked back down with a surprised glance he saw the man’s eyes were still closed, watching him yawn as he pulled at his arm. Soap felt his fingers squeeze his own, dragging him down to the bed beside the larger man with a strong tug. He sat down, muscles tense as Ghost’s fingers played with his own without the Lieutenant even really thinking about it. A thumb rubbed against the back of his hand while the other man’s fingers laced themselves through his. He could feel the callouses there, his heart racing as Ghost drew circles on his hand so close to being asleep he was sure the man was imagining him as someone else. The man never even opened his eyes to look at him. His low, raspy voice, made even more so by sleep, went straight to the place he couldn’t afford for it to go, making him shift just a bit on the bed as Ghost said slowly, “I’m sorry. Don’t be mad at me…”

His body melted at the words Ghost nearly purred out in that deep voice that had been wrecked by sleep. “I’m not mad, just go back to sleep, Ghost.” Soap slid back on the bed until his back found the headboard. Ghost rolled to his side facing him, and he could feel the man sapping up every bit of heat his body put out. The gently drawing hand let his go as Ghost pushed himself up until his head laid gently against Soap’s stomach, his long, tattooed arms snaking around his torso before locking the Sergeant in place. It wasn’t long before the Lieutenant’s light snores filled the room, his body vibrating like a cat against Soap’s and his face rubbing against his thin t-shirt as he slept, the fabric scraped his skin but he wished it had been the stubble beneath Ghost’s mask instead. The Scot tried to swallow down the lump in his throat that had formed the second Ghost grabbed his hand though it was no use, it stayed stubbornly lodged making it difficult for him to breathe. He shifted his body down slowly so he didn’t disturb the sleeping man until his own head rested on the pillow. His arms were raised awkwardly in the air unsure of what to do with them, blue eyes staring down at the man who was currently shoving his entire body into Soap’s, knees and all. The Scotsman didn’t know what to do, he hadn’t come in here expecting to be turned into Ghost’s life size teddy bear but he couldn’t say he was disappointed, it had been a distant fantasy of his since he had watched the other man sleep while they were grabbing Suheil.

So many thoughts ran through his mind he couldn’t slow them down and sort them. His brain was always doing this, turning every little thing someone did into so much more than it needed to be. But then wasn’t this something? The man was literally draped across his body like a blanket and quite literally snuggling into his stomach like he was the most comfortable pillow he’d ever used. But no it couldn’t be anything, neither of them could afford for it to be anything, it was merely a friend helping a friend. Ghost had been unable to sleep and for whatever reason having him there had let him relax so maybe this was nothing. Maybe it was just his friend needing him to be there for him physically rather than emotionally. Everyone had their own way of dealing with things and maybe this was just the Lieutenant’s way of doing that. Ghost was happily asleep and meanwhile Soap was thinking about every interaction he had ever had with Ghost up to this point, and when he had sufficiently covered that his mind shot forward to every interaction they would be having after this moment, what it might be and how it would affect their relationship and the team’s cohesiveness. The night carried on around him, lost as he was in thought it really didn’t feel that long this time. His arms had gotten tired at some point from being raised in the air and he had shoved one behind his head, the other laying around Ghost’s shoulders.

A quiet stir caught his attention as Ghost lifted his head off his stomach, the absence leaving a cold spot in its place. Soap panicked and shut his eyes before Ghost caught him watching him, feeling the man’s chin move against his stomach as he turned his gaze up at the presumably sleeping Soap. He listened as the Lieutenant moved slowly, the large body leaning across him, and no doubt seeing Soap’s leg hanging off the bed just like half of his body was. The man shifted backwards on the bed and he felt Ghost pull him along slowly with him, before he reached down and pulled his leg up to rest comfortably on the mattress for the first time that night. The tall man shifted again and everything in him wanted to open his eyes and see what it was he was looking at but he was afraid to. Afraid Ghost would get uncomfortable and definitely afraid the man would want him to leave. He was just starting to get comfortable laying next to the big guy. Thankfully though, Ghost settled back against his side, head finding his stomach again and his arm draping over his torso to keep Soap from moving anywhere. The dark haired Scot wasn’t awake long after that, his breathing evening out and his thoughts no longer invading every crevice of his mind. It was the best sleep he’d had in a long time.

----------

He woke slowly, his mind dazed and body stiff from laying so still all night with a giant of a man draped across him. One eye cracked open, peeking through dark lashes around the half lit room. The light across the hall from the bathroom was filtering in through the door sending soft shadows playing across the plain walls. Slowly his eyes blinked open, forcing himself awake as he noticed the large man was no longer there, his blanket had disappeared. Soap shifted a bit, wincing as he stretched his back before he sat up with a huff. The man wasn’t gone at least, he could hear him moving around in the kitchen through the thin walls. He swung his legs off the bed and stood, stretching his arms up as he did with a loud yawn. Soap moved to the open door, peeking his head out before he remembered why he had even come in here last night, something had broken. He flipped the light on looking around the room slowly until he saw the picture laying on his desk, no longer in its frame. That must have been what broke last night then.

He picked up the picture, studying his older brother and little sister, his parents with their arms around all of them. He remembered that as a good day, his brother graduating university and Soap having just returned from boot camp wearing his uniform with his crew cut and clean shaven face. The next day he had been deployed and hadn’t seen his family for months overseas. Soap laid the picture back on the desk, backing up a couple steps before he turned and headed down the hall where he found Ghost making tea in the kitchen and watching the soft glow of the TV on the opposite wall with the volume turned nearly all the way down. Hazel eyes found him as he exited the long stretch of the dark hallway, he caught a nervous look there, taking note of his edginess as the hazel eyes shot back to the TV. Soap glanced towards the soft glow too before giving Ghost a quick smile, “Mornin Lt., sleep well?” He received only a short grunt in response and an uncomfortable shift from the counter to the stove where the kettle was on the burner. Soap moved to the counter, pushing himself up on it and leaning back against the wall watching Ghost closely. “Why didn’t you wake me up? I would have made us breakfast.”

The big man shrugged from his place at the stove, still not answering him with words. Soap’s brows furrowed at the responses he was getting, concern and anxiety beginning to raise his heart rate. Ghost didn’t give him much time to think on it though before saying, “Price pushed our meeting time back. You should get ready. We have to be there in an hour.”

Soap watched him for a few more seconds before he nodded his understanding and slid back off the counter, “Ok Lt., be out in ten.” He headed quickly for the bathroom, shutting and locking the door. His anxiety was making his skin itch, heat dancing all across his skin. His hands turned to fists before his fingernails dug into the skin of his hands as he paced for a minute, muttering quietly to himself, “Fuckin stupid, so fuckin stupid.” He was on the verge of a fucking panic attack when a knock came at the bathroom door and he froze, glancing towards the door and managing to choke out, “Yeah?”

It was quiet for a second on the other side before Ghost’s voice answered, “I’m sorry.” Soap was about to ask what for when he elaborated without the prompting, “I’ll get you a new frame.” It was almost funny how little he cared about that picture frame, and yet here Ghost was offering to replace it. Soap was more worried about why the Lieutenant wasn’t talking to him or even looking at him than he was worried about when that stupid frame would get replaced. The anxiety washed away with the simple statement as the tall man through the door unknowingly plucked his mind out of its overthinking.

“It’s fine Lt. Just a frame,” he heard the man turn and head back down the hall. Soap stood there smiling for a second not even sure what it was he had been freaking out about five seconds ago. Instead he turned the sink on, decided to finally run his clippers over the beard that had grown on his face. And then he did the same with his head, attacking the sides quickly and efficiently until his mohawk looked like it had before they had all gone on leave. He washed the hairs off in the sink and then left the bathroom to change clothes. He came out in a pair of jeans and a dark gray t-shirt, catching Ghost’s eye as the man was pouring them both a cup of tea.

Ghost lifted one of the mugs to him, offering it to him with a quick, “Here.” Before he took his own and made for the door. Soap watched him go with a furrowed brow the front door left sitting wide open. He stood there for a moment, cup of tea in his hand before he shook his head and grabbed his keys before running out to catch up with the Lieutenant. Whatever his problem was they could fix it, maybe Ghost had just woken up on the wrong side of the bed.

The drive was awkwardly quiet, Soap occasionally glancing over towards Ghost wanting to say something to him but unable to find the words. The man broke the silence though as he pointed ahead of them and said, “Stop up there. I need something to eat.” The man looked quickly to him before he pulled into the drive-thru. When the lady asked what they wanted, Soap ordered quickly before glancing at Ghost and asking, “What do you want Lt.?” The big man shook his head before Soap sighed and leaned over the man again to tell the woman, “Just give me another of those and that’s it. Thank you.”

He sat back down as Ghost pulled around the side. The man glanced at him as they waited before rasping out, “I said I was fine.” The Lieutenant turned away, looking at the painted brick wall beside them to avoid the blue eyed gaze that immediately snapped to him.

“You sure did, didn’t ye Lt. Sucks for you I’m not the best at listening though, am I?” Ghost turned his hazel eyes back towards him again for a moment to catch Soap’s smile before the man immediately turned away. The smile faltered before it disappeared and they both fell silent. They ate their food quietly, Ghost’s mask pulled up just far enough for him to eat as he drove them towards the base. He had said he wasn’t hungry but the tall man sure did eat the food Soap had bought for him. Ghost pulled into the parking spot next to Soap’s car, both finishing quickly before their phones buzzed at the same time. Soap pulled his phone out and looked down at the text, “Were we supposed to be in the training house today?”

“No,” the Manchester man answered, ignoring his own phone to fish around in the backseat for his gear.

Soap chewed at the inside of his lip, “So why are we meeting at the cages then?” Ghost turned quickly to him with narrowed eyes and a shake of his head that let the Scotsman know that he truly had no clue. “Well come on then Lt. we better go see what it is Price wants.” He got a grunt from the man as he opened his door, the both of them heading in the opposite direction of the gym and their original meeting spot. They entered the team’s room, their separate areas that held their bags, weapons, and other personal items. Nobody was there yet, they weren’t that early, only fifteen minutes ahead of their meeting time and Price was never there after anyone. They moved to their separate places, taking a seat in their cages while they waited to see what the fuck was happening.

A few minutes before they were supposed to be there Gaz walked in, backpack slung over his shoulder as he glanced at both Ghost and Soap. “You know what it is the Captain wants?”

Ghost shook his head and Soap answered, “No idea, was hoping you might know something. We aren’t supposed to be running the training house though so we shouldn’t even be in here. Unless he has something for us, but he would have called us to the black room if that was it. Doesn’t make sense, Gaz.”

Gaz threw his bag onto the floor of his cage, turning back around, “It’s nice to hear you talking again at least. I was worried yesterday.”

Soap gave the Sergeant a half smile, “Just a bad morning, no worries though I’m fine.”

Before Gaz could say anything else Price came through the door. The Captain looked at all of them in turn before saying, “Alright boys it’s time we had this discussion. Haven’t told you yet but we have a new member coming to 141.” All three men raised an eyebrow standing up to move a step forward as if Price had just told them the government had conjured up a dragon to fight their battles now. No one just joined the 141, this was built on a trust forged through another’s betrayal, so Price bringing someone else in to work with them was unexpected to say the least. “Don’t look at me like that, we had a problem and the only way to fix it was this.” The Captain backed up to the door and opened it, motioning with a nod of his head for whoever was out there to come in. A tall man stepped through the door, he had a mask on his face covering his features now but Soap and Ghost knew exactly who he was. “This is Konig, he’s joining us from now on. Got cleared by medical yesterday.”

Ghost stared hard through his balaclava at the German before glancing to Price, “He’s ex-KSK Price, it’s not a good idea.”

Price shot back within a second then, “It wasn’t a good idea to bring him back, we passed good ideas about two weeks ago Ghost. There was a problem and this is the solution. Don’t like it too bad, deal with it yourself. Now play nice.” The Captain turned towards Konig looking up at him before leading him to one of the cages that sat empty, “This is yours now. You can keep whatever you want in there but keep it clean, I don’t do messy cages. Most of us have guns, knives, and personal stuff in there but like I said, whatever you want. If you need anything just ask, we’ve got your six Konig.”

The big man was looking between everyone then before slowly answering with a nod, “Ok Captain.” The big man turned to find a smiling Soap, a glowering Ghost, and a confused looking Gaz behind him. “Um, hello,” he said hesitantly, shifting his gaze between the three.

“Welcome to the team,” Soap pushed his hand forward and Konig took it slowly before Soap pulled the big man in and clapped him on the back. When he pulled back Soap turned to look back at Ghost and smiled before he pointed towards the big man, “Look Ghost, he’s another you. He’s a bit bigger though I gotta say.”

The glower shifted down from Konig and then to his blue eyes, “Shut up Soap.” The Lieutenant moved back to his cage, turning his back to the group before taking a seat with a knife in his hand and setting himself to sharpening it. Ignoring the talking of those around them, especially in regard to the newest member of their team.

Ghost held the medkit as he stood beside Soap outside the other man’s door, watching him silently until the shorter man finally managed to turn the key in the lock and push the door open with his shoulder. “Here we go, mi casa es su casa Lt.” The big man stepped inside behind him, glancing around the apartment. He had driven Soap home on multiple occasions from the bar when he was too drunk to drive himself, but this was the first time he had ever actually been inside. It was surprisingly plain, a far cry from what anyone would expect from the beaming Scotsman. A couch faced a TV that was hung on the wall and as Ghost stared at it he noticed it was a bit crooked like whoever had hung it hadn’t had any help and had just said ‘Fuck it’ and left it like that. There was a shelf on the wall next to the arm of the couch, it had a few houseplants that spaced out a few framed photos. Turning his head to the left he saw the kitchen, small just as the living room was with a small fridge and freezer combo, a gas stove, and two cabinets with plain black countertops and place for storage underneath. He saw a dark hallway that split the apartment in half and two doors near the end on opposite sides that were both closed. His quiet investigation must have made the Scotsman nervous though because finally he said, “It’s not much I know but I’ve got what I need.” He pointed down the hallway and explained, “My room is on the left and the bathroom is on the right.”

Ghost nodded quietly before he said, “It’s nice Johnny.” There was something in the way his face brightened up that brought a heat to the masked man’s face and he was thankful to have the mask to cover it. He moved towards the couch, eyes darting to the photos on the shelf as he inspected them closer. There were several family photos, a man who assumed was the brother Soap had mentioned during his rant earlier was standing next to a short blonde woman with a tiny dark haired girl standing between them. Soap’s parents were in another photo holding the same girl though she was much younger in that picture, maybe a year old. He inspected the photos of the family but was surprised to see the photogenic Soap was absent from just about all of them, save for a single one. He glanced towards the other man who was doing something in the kitchen before Ghost reached up to grab the only picture with Soap actually in it. “Hey Johnny, who’s this?” The tall man was looking down and studying the other man in the picture with him, almost feeling like he had seen him before but was unable to place him.

Soap’s eyes glanced over and noticed very quickly just what it was Ghost was talking about. His face seemed to drop before he tried to play it off and shook his head, “It’s nobody, just a friend Lt.”

Ghost gave him one of those hard stares that always seemed to carve itself into other people’s minds and asked, “You sure about that?”

The dark haired man ran a hand through his mohawk before he seemed to give in and shook his head before answering, “He’s my ex Ghost. Been meaning to get rid of the picture actually but I keep forgetting, I’m not exactly here very often.” Ghost was caught off guard with the confession, he had never expected Soap would be into men but then again who was he to judge? It didn’t change anything for either of them. Instead Ghost simply nodded and put the picture back up as Soap came over, eyes nearly glaring at the picture. The big man could see the hurt that hid behind those eyes when he thought of his ex. The betrayal of being broken up with by someone you thought you could trust never sat well with anyone. “He ended it about two months ago, right after Mexico and Hassan. Said he couldn’t take being with me anymore, it was just too much.” Ghost gave Soap a confused look before the Scotsman shrugged and elaborated, “He didn’t like that I wasn’t here very often. Not to mention my paycheck. And even when I was here, he said I was never really here.”

Ghost sighed and shook his head. It was hard for civilians to understand their life and even harder for them if you were as giving as Soap was. The man did anything he could for those he cared about, he always had, it was what drove him to tears in that parking lot earlier. He gave too much. And when a man like that, who would give anything for anyone, decided not to give you the one thing you were asking him the most for it was near impossible to comprehend. Ghost reached up, putting the photo back on the shelf and hiding a hint of jealousy in his voice as he said, “Didn’t know you were dating anyone.”

The shorter man gave a quick shrug and retorted, “You never asked Lt. no one ever did. And there was no reason to tell anyone either. Wasn’t like we were nearly getting married, we were only together for about six months anyway.” The Scot reached up for the picture, pulling it off the shelf as he turned it over and undid the back to pull the picture out. “You know he ended it right before that two week leave we had a couple days after Mexico. I spent every dime I had to take him to Bermuda and I was gonna surprise him with the tickets that night because he always wanted to go, you know. I lost every cent I spent on that vacation, dinnae even take myself I just decided to stay home the whole time.”

He gave a cynical snort and ripped the picture up before he took it over to the trashcan and let the pieces fall. Ghost watched silently before feeling a compulsion to say, “I’m sorry Johnny.”

The Scotsman waved him off with his little half smile that meant he cared but not enough to say he did and shrugged, “No worries Lt. I probably deserved it honestly, that whole thing with Graves and Hassan was pure fuckery. I couldn't trust anyone after that, especially not anyone outside of us." Soap pointed between himself and Ghost before giving another light laugh to lighten the mood and continuing, "I was hard to live with for a bit after that.”

A thought struck him then and Ghost asked, “Was that the same night you told all of us to come to the bar and we walked into you dancing on a table? Three girls stuffing bills down your fuckin pants like you were a stripper?” He saw Soap’s cheeks begin to burn hot as he held back a self-conscious smile though he nodded nonetheless. “The same night you smacked that bloke across the back with a pool stick cause he wouldn’t leave that girl alone?”

Soap chuckled a bit at that one, “Aye, the very same. Wasn’t my fault the man couldn’t take no for an answer. She wasn’t interested, I was just helping him understand that.” A snort left Ghost then, involuntarily but a snort all the same. Soap smirked then and shrugged again, “On the plus side she made it all worth it at least. A nice distraction that night you can be sure, I couldn't even feel my broken nose after she was done with me.” 

Another snort from Ghost as the big man shook his head and headed for the counter to put the medkit down that he had brought with him upstairs. “Alright Johnny, go take a shower. I’ll help you with your hands once you’re done.”

The other man nodded and turned before throwing over his shoulder, “If you want to watch TV the remote is on the shelf. Mi casa-”

Ghost cut him off, “es su casa. I know Johnny, go.” The big man waited until Soap had disappeared into the bathroom before he opened the med kit and started looking through the contents. By the time he had found what he needed the Scotsman was crossing the hall to his bedroom to find the clothes he had forgotten to bring with him. Another few minutes passed and Soap was rejoining him in the kitchen. He held a shirt in his hand with a pair of sweats on, drops of water still littering his chest as he tossed the shirt onto a counter and opened the fridge. The man was leaning over as he rifled through the fridge, water clinging to his skin where he hadn't really taken the time to dry off. He noticed several freckles there like a constellation across his back that just ached to be traced. His skin begged to be clawed and marked up, to be owned. The masked man watched him turn around, forcing his expression to remain neutral as Soap caught him staring red handed. The shorter man held up a couple bottles of water to show the Lieutenant and tossed one towards Ghost. The most he could manage was a grunt of thanks before he had to clear his throat to get the tension out and said, “Come here. Let me see your hands.”

Soap did as he was told, putting the water on the counter next to Ghost who was leaning back against it, doing his best to feign disinterest. Then he held out his hands watching as the big man went to work with surprisingly deft fingers. He caught the shorter man staring up at him more than once, blue eyes studying him and the mask. Soap’s body heat was radiating off of his half bare body, it made the big man shift uncomfortably against the counter as the heat spread up and across his face. Neither of them spoke, even Soap who couldn’t stand the silence was quiet, save for his breathing. Ghost cleared his throat again as he finished and dropped Soap’s hand, avoiding the other man’s eyes that he could feel watching him. “There,” Ghost pushed up from the counter and slipped by Soap avoiding touching him anymore as he felt the overstimulation speeding his heart beat up far more than it should have. He was beginning to feel boxed in and trapped by the Scotsman even though the man had been nearly an arms length away from him.

It was Ghost’s turn to feel the eyes on him, carving shapes into his back that caused his breath to hitch in his lungs. He could hear the smile in the other’s voice now as he spoke, “Thanks Lt. I’m gonna let you patch me up next time we’re in the field. You’re way better at it than Gaz is, man has hands like a brick I swear.” Soap watched the big man as he nodded, not saying anything before he offered, “You should go shower too you know. Not healthy to leave those sweaty clothes on this long. Is your go bag still in your truck?”

Ghost glanced over his shoulder at Soap before nodding slowly, the tension that had been suffocating him not even a moment ago was washed away by his dismissive words. His shoulders easing from the tension as he fought to keep the calm this time, “Yeah, it’s in the back seat.”

Soap grabbed Ghost’s keys off the counter then and nodded towards his bathroom, “Go shower, I’ll leave your bag by the bathroom door. My little thanks for patching me up Lt.” Ghost eyed the dark hallway for a second before he gave in and nodded. The door to the apartment closed behind Soap as the bathroom door closed behind his own back.

------------(Soap POV)------------

The go bag was easy enough to find, Ghost’s truck was meticulously clean especially in the back seat. It was obvious no one had ever sat back there before. He grabbed it, ignoring the twinge of pain in his fingers, and hurried back towards his apartment. Soap stopped in the kitchen, his mind wandering from the task he had given himself as he listened to the water run in the shower. Before he really even thought about it he dropped the bag and turned towards the stove, “He likes tea yeah? Don’t have any bourbon so tea will have to do.” He put the kettle on, letting the water heat up, and he was about to continue his earlier task of bringing the bag down the hallway when a knock sounded against the door. He furrowed his brow at the door not answering on the first knock and moving towards it slowly as another knock sounded. He looked through the peephole and blinked a couple times as if he was seeing things before he unlocked the door and a short dark haired woman pushed inside past him.

“Took you long enough John, what're you gonna do, leave your poor mother out there to freeze to death?” The woman was looking him up and down, shirtless in his kitchen with a kettle on the burner. The water had stopped just as she entered and though she had no evidence of it her dark eyes glanced about the apartment as if she felt that something was different in here. “Well, don’t I at least get a hello? I only birthed ye.”

Soap looked wide eyed down at his short mother before his strained voice asked in a high pitch, “What the hell are ye doin here mum?”

She gave him a shake of her head, “I came to see ye John. What can I no see my son now? Ye already live as far away as ye can.”

Soap was staring at the woman with a wide eyed look when he heard the bathroom door squeak open on its hinges. The light illuminated the hallway and he could see Ghost’s covered face looking down at the floor for a second before he turned with a towel wrapped around his waist and came down the hallway. The already wide eyes widened even more and he glanced towards his mother who was about to peek down the hall as well. His worlds were about to collide and he perished the thought. He was frozen in horror as Ghost stopped dead in his tracks holding a towel wrapped around his waist and his mask on his face. Staring at his mother with blinking eyes, chest bare and water dripping down that made Soap’s eyes linger a bit too long for comfort. The Scots mouth was more dry than it had been in that desert. Tattoos decorated his pale skin, and blue eyes traced the lines of water droplets across his skin. Ghost's broad chest was littered with scars, bullets and knives had marred that perfectly pale skin. The grooves of his abdomen and the dip between his pectorals would have had him salivating if it wasn't for the biggest cockblock in the world standing three feet in front of him.

It was his mother who broke the tense silence with a loud, “And who the feck ye?” Her accent was thicker than anything Ghost would have heard before, even when Soap was neck deep in Gaelic.

“Mum, you cannae just ask people that!” Soap’s own accent was thickening now, driven by his mother’s.

She scoffed loud at him and looked the big man up and down with a harsh glare, “Aye I can and I will. Who. The feck. Are ye?” Every word was pronounced with harsh syllables as internally Soap screamed at her to just shut the fuck up. Ghost looked towards him and then down to where his bag was sitting on the ground before he quietly walked over, picked it up off the ground, turned around, and headed back down the hallway without a word. Soap watched him go with horror in his eyes as his mother turned on him then, “Are ye just letting men into your apartment now John? And why the hell is he wearin a feckin mask? What kinda shite are you into!? And since when were you gay!?”

Soap let out a groan, a hand reaching up to his eyes as he very nearly started crying at the atrocities being committed here today. “Mum, listen very carefully to me right now. His name is Ghost. I work with him. We are not together. I had an accident at work and he drove me home. That’s it, ok? That’s all there is to it. I’m not gay, I swear to you I am not gay ok?”

“You’re letting a man shower in your apartment and you’re gonna try to tell me, standing there half naked, that ye aren’t doing something ye aren’t supposed to be doing?” She eyed him closely with doubt obvious in her eyes.

“Mum, nothing's happening between me and him. He’s a friend, and a good one at that. Now please leave, I'm beggin ye mum. I just saw you for an entire week, I stayed in your bloody house woman. Please go home.” Soap would have been on his knees if he thought it would have hurried her along, he was more embarrassed than he ever had been, nothing he had ever said or done could top this moment right here. She had come in at exactly the worst moment a mother could walk into her son's apartment and the worst part was that he truly wasn't even doing anything.

She glanced back down the dark hallway, Ghost had confined himself to the bathroom as he got dressed thankfully. Finally her voice dropped an octave and she said, “I was just worried about ye John. You seemed upset when you left yesterday, I was worried you might be angry at me and your da, I just wanted to check on ye.”

Soap took in a deep breath and shook his head, “I’m not mad at ye and ye don’t have to be worried mum. I’m alright I promise. And I love ye mum, more than anything else, but please for the love of Christ leave. This has already been a nightmare come true. You’re gonna freak him out and he’s my superior mum. I really can’t have him hating me.”

His mother’s lips pursed as she thought and finally she opened her arms beckoning him forward, “Ok, I’ll leave ye alone. Give me a hug John.” He wrapped her up in his arms for a second, smiling when she said, “I love ye too son.” Then she pulled away and headed for the door, “Don’t be a stranger anymore, we miss seeing ye at home.” Soap nodded and thanked God when the door finally shut behind her.

It wasn’t even a second later the squeal of the kettle snapped his attention over to it and he hurried over. He pulled it off the burner and grabbed a mug before rifling through the cabinets for the tea. He poured Ghost a cup and set it on the counter quietly waiting for him to come out of the bathroom. After a few minutes he did, his eyes searching the room for the woman who had just been there before Soap pushed the cup of tea forward and said, “She’s gone don’t worry.”

Ghost glanced down at the mug and nodded slowly before he took it, “She’s…excitable?”

Soap snorted and shook his head, “She’s a bit more than that. But, she’s my mum, what can you do, you know?” The Scot stepped around his house guest and made for the couch, taking a tired seat on one end and grabbing the remote. He flipped the tv on and glanced up as Ghost joined him sitting on the opposite side. “Thanks for not making a big deal about it. And I’m sorry she yelled at you Lt.”

Ghost turned his eyes to glance at him before shrugging, “A lot of people yell at me Johnny. I just surprised her.” He went quiet for a few seconds before he added on, “And damn did she surprise me.”

Soap couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up at that, “I’ve never seen that look from you before. She was just staring at you and…God Ghost you didn’t even say anything. Ye just grabbed your bag and walked away. I thought ye were gonna pass out how stiff ye looked.” Ghost eyed him with a humorous gaze himself as Soap laughed about it, his stomach aching as he remembered the big man blinking slowly at his mother, almost looking scared to speak to her. After the day he had had not to mention the week it was nearly impossible for him to catch his breath, but he needed a good laugh that wasn’t at his own expense. He was just thankful Ghost was letting him have it. His stomach ached by the time he had calmed himself down and Ghost had finished the cup of tea. It was dark outside, the one window by his TV that shined light on the plants was dark now, beads of water rolling down the pane.

Ghost looked down at his watch and muttered, “I should go. It’s getting late.”

He stood and the Scotsman was quick to follow as he shook his head, “There’s really no reason to you know? You can stay the night here. You’d have to come back tomorrow morning either way, we both get more sleep if you just stay. You can have my room, I sleep on the couch most of the time anyway. I like the sound of the TV.” Ghost glanced uncertainly at him and he could see the denial about to come out of his mouth before Soap added, “And me mum would probably kill me if she knew I was a bad host.”

Ghost sighed and finally nodded, “Fine. If that’s what you want Johnny.” The big man took his cup to the sink and set it down before washing it out. Soap had disappeared down the hall for a few moments, coming back with a blanket and pillow from his room and throwing them on the couch.

At Soap’s beckoning, Ghost followed the Scotsman down the hall to his room as he opened the door. A desk sat on the far side of the room with a couple more pictures of his family and a bed sat against the wall. The sheets looked fresh like Soap hadn’t slept in them since they had been put on, the Sergeant hadn’t been lying when he said he rarely used it. There was a short table beside the bed with a wire coming up behind it so Soap could charge his phone. It was just as plain as the rest of the apartment. It wasn’t unusual though, the team spent more time away than here, Soap’s room at the barracks had been more personal than this place was and it hadn’t even been his. The only thing that let you know it was even Soap’s place were the pictures of his family. The shorter man cleared his throat then and looked at Ghost, “I’ll leave you to it Lt. Hope you sleep well.”