#john soap

JOHNNY MET YOU WHEN HE WAS AT ROCK BOTTOM. You were an angel sent from above, sucking up the morsels that resided on the sandy ocean floor and bringing them to the cresting waves and still waters above. You were a pure light in a world brandished by hellfire and turmoil. Bright eyes and sweet words graced your soft lips, where rigidness tainted his cracked ones.

At least, he imagined they were soft when he found his blue eyes flickering down to the way they manipulated words. He hung on to everything, stowing away every beautiful syllable until he was able to craft a sweet treat.

Johnny learned deeply what it was to be cast out. Unable to continue working for a cause that he devoted his whole life to. It was humiliating. He had nothing left. Didn't want some cheap, easy civilian job. He couldn't sustain himself that way.

Which was how he somehow started volunteering at one of Glasgow's many animal shelters.

He found himself between metal cages and barking dogs nearly every day. The retired, disabled vet was a godsend for the older couple that ran the place. It was apparently tumultuous to get support for organizations like these. Something Johnny curled his lip at all the time.

How was it that the good, charitable people always suffered?

Every day he was there. Bright and early because he still couldn't fathom sleeping in. It felt like too much of a waste of a day to spend it loitering in bed. So, every day, he was at the shelter, ready to walk every single dog, and then spend time with them afterward.

He became a paid employee by the end of the first week because he was such a great addition. After that, his tasks got more plentiful. Something he desperately craved.

You arrived at the end of his first month. Well, technically, you had been here for years, apparently, but had taken a long leave of absence to deal with some family issues. He wasn't aware of your status at the time of his first introduction, but instantly, he noticed how well the animals received you.

He had just entered the building for the first time this morning, when he saw your form seated in front of Comet’s cage. He looked around for Fiona but found the older woman was not at her usual perch at the front desk. He pouted slightly and turned back to you.

“Ye awright, love?” He greeted and watched as your head shot towards him. “We're no’ open yet.”

You smiled brightly at him, to his surprise not even moving from your spot. He wondered how you even got in when he just had to use his key to come in the front door. He at least hoped Fiona knew you were here.

“Morning,” you greeted casually. “I'm aware, thank you. I work here, after all.”

Johnny tilted his head at that. “Ye work ‘ere? Since when?”

You thought for a moment, tapping your chin. “About two years now, give or take.”

Now Johnny was perplexed. He was well aware the synapses of his brain were a little shot as of late, but he knew he wouldn't forget a pretty doe like you any time soon. Even if you were a phantom in the back of the building, he would remember you. It boggled his mind a bit, especially since Fiona never mentioned anybody else worked here.

“Two years?” He repeated incredulously. “Where ‘ave ye been the last month? Hidin'?”

You huffed, “Been on leave. You're as much of a surprise.”

Johnny grinned at that, “Aye, a guid surprise, ah hope.”

“That remains to be seen…” You trailed off when you realized you didn't have his name.

“Johnny…” he filled in the space quickly.

He didn't really like meeting new people and learning new pleasantries for the initial start, but he decided then that he didn’t mind meeting you. Maybe it was the fact you were the first person in a while that he conversed with that was around his age. Yeah, that was the reason.

You stood to your feet and came to a stop just to his left. He didn't immediately turn to you, so he missed your mouth moving as you said something. It was only when you tapped his shoulder that he finally looked over.

“Huh, love? Wha’ did ye say?” He asked.

“Already spacing out, Johnny?” You mused. “Only two minutes into your day?”

Johnny felt his cheeks warm up. He scratched at the back of his neck, preparing to say what usually rendered people silent. They never knew how to react to his situation when they learned the truth. Always a pitying stare and an awkward glance somewhere else. Well, he might as well bite the bullet and mention things ahead of time.

He turned his right side towards you, suddenly the muffle of his left ear was not an issue right now.

“Nah. Jus’ a wee bit slow in ma processin’,” Johnny started. “Also hard o’ hearin’ on yer side.”

Your expression softened as you grew thoughtful. He shifted on his feet. The one thing a bullet to the head gave him was more insecurity. As if the starfish-shaped bullet scar was a shining beacon. In reality, not many people noticed it unless it was specifically pointed out.

“Well, if I ever yap too much, then I guess you can just turn that ear to me and shut me off,” you finally said.

Johnny found himself grinning again, “Ah'm sure yer yappin’ is nice.”

“Oh, Johnny,” you shook your head, “you're going to regret those words.”

Johnny liked that challenge.

♡◇♡

A new animal was set to arrive any second.

It had been two weeks since Johnny first met you, and his initial opinion of you had not yet been proven wrong. He had relished in every bit of commentary he received from your pretty lips. Sometimes, he enjoyed the movement of your lips a little more than the words themselves. All in all, you were one of the biggest highlights of his week.

He had been aching to ask you out for a proper dinner, but he had not done that in a long time. Plus, if the military had fraternization rules, he was almost sure so would the shelter. He gave himself every reason in the book not to approach you in a less than platonic way.

Roger, Fiona's husband, always went out to collect the animals. He was older, but he still could overpower most dogs still. He had the proper demeanor to handle the frightened little things initially. As Johnny had not witnessed one dog that floundered in Roger's periphery yet.

The doors opened, and Roger popped up, leading a sweet German Shepard. The poor girl's tail was tucked, and Johnny immediately noticed the hobble in her steps. She was sweet-eyed, big brown pools of color analyzing the front room apprehensively. Yet, she followed Roger obediently.

“Awright, lad,” Roger stopped in front of them and leaned down to give the canine a quick treat. “Ye got a twin.”

Johnny's eyebrow raised as he looked at Roger for a moment before blinking down at the dog. She was already looking up at him. Her eyes said so much, and he wished he could understand her silent language. He was always fond of animals.

“Sweet wee thing was shot in the ‘ead,” Roger elaborated.

The hobble made sense now. Johnny’s heart clenched. It was one thing for him to be shot. An innocent creature? That stirred some deeply-woven anger in the pit of his stomach. Who had the cruel heart to aim a lethal weapon at a wonderful creature.

While he was contemplating, you moved.

You crouched down, holding a gentle hand out for the dog. “Poor thing…” you muttered as the dog accepted your kind gesture and nudged her wet nose into your hand. “They catch the bastard?”

Roger's lip curled, “Aye. Lass was protectin’ her owner. All part of ‘her trainin’, y'ken? Though, it retired her.”

Johnny's gut was unsettled at those words. How could a different species understand the turmoil of losing something? The situation was surreal to him. A kinship to this dog was not what he expected this morning.

He crouched down next to you, ignoring the way your shoulders brushed against each other. His calloused hand ran over the dog's head as soon as she accepted him in.

“Lass was a police dog,” Roger spoke after a moment. “Sorta like our wee Johnny boy.”

Your eyes found him. He noticed that since the first day he met you, you always ensured you were on his good side. When you spoke to him, you let him see the syllables your lips produced. He had gotten quite good at reading your lips.

“You were a cop?” You wondered. The one thing Johnny always liked was your genuine curiosity.

“Military, doe,” he answered. He paused for a moment, always finding it hard to talk about that part of his life. He always felt resentment afterward, cursing the universe for the way it shackled him to the sea floor. “Was a Sergeant.”

“Oh…” Your eyes flickered up Roger. “Reckon Johnny should be the one to help this little girl warm up to us.”

“Already ma plan, hen,” Roger smiled brightly. “They'll be a pair soon enough.”

With that, Roger took his leave. Johnny kept petting the dog, suddenly nervous to be alone in a room with you. He hadn’t had a crush since he was a little boy. It was pretty much humiliating that at the ripe age of 29, John MacTavish was smitten over a bonnie thing. He was so out of his element. He was used to gunpowder and picking up his ashes from the war zone. Not whatever this infatuation was.

“You were shot?” Your voice brought him out of his thoughts.

He swallowed, “Aye, doe. Plenty o' times. This is jus’ the one tha' stuck.”

♡◇♡

Johnny could be found with Callie the pup most days.

For three weeks, he would idle in her pen, bringing toys and all his drawing items with him. He would laze around on her thick dog bed, the mutt’s head either in his lap or anywhere nearby. She would let out soft chuffs as she dreamed away in that little brain of hers, while Johnny sketched and sketched.

Well, he taught himself how to again.

The bullet took most of his motor function. With a year of physical therapy, Johnny thankfully gained back most of his previous abilities. Just not the fancy stuff like standing for long periods, most running, and most disappointingly, he had a consistent tremble to his hands.

With restraint, he was able to reduce the annoying shakes, but when he wasn’t doing anything to distract himself, his body had a mind of its own. It was so frustrating he wanted to bang his head against a wall and hopefully reverse the trauma that had been bestowed upon him.

Petting Callie helped. When his hand stroked the soft tufts of fur on her body, his hand trembles stopped.

“I should be taking more pictures.”

Your voice was saccharine honey as it escaped the confines of your mouth. It immediately had his attention. Like he was the mutt that was trying to puff up and gain attention in hopes that it would allow him a ticket home.

Home. He wondered what your home was like. Most likely clean as you were naturally a neat person. You also loved color, suggesting ways to spice up the front entrance to Fiona. The older woman took your suggestions to heart. Already there were new pictures and painted walls as of this week.

“Aye. Ye like seeing the lass and ah together?” Johnny replied, throwing a smile through the bars of the pen.

“It’s sweet,” you responded easily. Your fingers curled around the bars as you gazed in. “Looks comfy, too.”

“Ye want tae join?”

Your eyelids slitted, seemingly taken aback by that simple offer. Johnny almost took his words back, heat creeping up his body. It felt like such a juvenile thing to get worried over, but Johnny had been reliving his teenage years all over again. Only the lasses he always went after had nothing on you.

“Where am I going to sit?” You asked.

“Dog bed is big ‘nough,” Johnny pointed out. “We can push Callie doon if we need tae.”

You were silent yet again, and Johnny placed his sketchbook on the floor by the bed. He pretended he didn’t care, but to him, asking you to do this meant a lot. The bed was big when it was just him, but with the added presence of you, it would mean you would be pressed right up into him.

“Okay, scoot over, MacTavish,” you decided.

Johnny’s heart was thumping as you opened the pen and stepped in. He scooted over as requested and watched stiffly as you slipped onto the bed. Callie lifted her head, tail wagging for a moment before she slipped back into her slumber.

Johnny could hardly breathe as you suddenly shared the air around them. He saw the features of your face much more prominently now, and he swallowed nervously. His hands grew clammy as he adjusted his body some. Yet, nothing stopped the way he was so close to you.

“You should adopt her,” you spoke as you settled.

“Aye?” Johnny hummed. Conversation was good. Maybe it would distract him. “Ye reckon?”

“Yeah. You are two peas in a pod,” you said. You reached out to pet Callie’s head, and the dog sighed in her sleep.

Johnny never considered bringing the canine home. He saw her nearly every day and missed her on the weekend. He knew she did as well, if the wag of her tail was anything to go by when he came in bright and early Monday mornings.

The poor sweetheart retired two years ago when she was just 2 years old. It was a routine drug check, but someone got antsy, and Callie had jumped to protect her handler. After a year of rehab, Callie was freshly domestic and living in peace with her handler. Then, just 9 months later, said handler had died, leaving Callie needing a home and no one wanting to adopt. So, she was surrendered to the shelter.

Now, here she was. Craving a forever home, somewhere to stake her roots after the abrupt life change. Just like Johnny.

“Ye really think ah should?” Johnny asked once more, just so he had it right.

You reached your hand out and put it over Johnny’s awkwardly dangling one on his right thigh. Johnny froze but found out he could be brave sometimes as he turned his hand so you went palm to palm. You got the message and slipped your fingers between the grooves of his.

“I really do. As long as I still get to see her,” you declared with a grin.

Johnny found himself grinning back. He looked down at your hands, letting his thumb run along the ridges of your knuckles. Your hand was warm, and his slightly trembled. He would pass it off as a symptom of his eroded synapses. Just to spare himself the embarrassment, but he knew for a fact that this case was because of you.

“Aye, tha’ can be arranged, doe.”

°•○●○•°

TAGLIST

@babybatreads @armycaratlover @malevolentghoul @little-mini-me-world @ash-tarte @maverickricky @box-loves-you @shhitskinkytime @all-by-myself98 @z-wantstowrite @joopg00p @love-cod-lols

Price: friends to lovers, I think when Y/n first met Price they became good friends. After a while, they both started to come to the realization there was something more there, something much more. After a few awkward weeks, they both finally acted on it.

Ghost: frenemies to lovers. just hear me out when you and Ghost first met whenever you did something to put yourself in danger whether it was something small like forgetting to charge your phone or something bigger like going out alone and walking home in the dark he would scold you. however, after a while, he began to realize why he cared so much because he couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to you.

Soap: Best friends to lovers, simalr to Price i know but it was as simple as you two being inspratable since the moment you met and being the closest of friends and then one day Something clicked, something that showed your relationship was much more then best friends. Whether it both clicked for you at the same time Is up for debate But at some point in time it became clear to the both of you and releionship hasn't been the same since.

Gaz: Soulmates. Not overly exaggerating at all,You and Gaz met one day and from then on you both knew it was meant to be. You were both equally infatuated with each other and there was no changing that. While it’s not always the best decision to run into relationships within the first week of you guys talking you were in a relationship and it’s been that way ever since.

Alex: Coworkers to Lovers, I recently wrote about Alex falling in love with someone he worked with and honestly, I think it fits perfectly. When you both met each other it was decently clear there was something There, but as you Both spent more time together at work you then started spending time together outside of work which really open both of your eyes to your true feelings for each other.

Alejandro: Secrect relationship, you and Alejandro had been seeing each other for quite some time, the only problem was you liked to keep that fact to yourselves. You both had insanely chaotic lives and you liked coming home to eachother and letting all your worries wash away, you like how that time you spent together for only for you two and you two only.

Rudy: Love at first sight, when you both laid eyes on each other it was immediately crystal clear your love for each other, you both found one another the most precious thing in your lives. You almost instantly hit it off with one another and from then on it was adamant you’d be together forever.

Graves: Oppisties Attract, You and Graves were opposites. From your view of the world down to what television shows you liked there was almost nothing you could agree on, almost nothing. The one thing you could both one hundred percent agree on was your love for one another, while you might disagree on things you’ll never disagree when it comes to how much you care for one another.

ahh i had so much fun writing this, thank you again for requesting And as always id love any feedback anyone has !! thanks for reading.