#undeathghoap

Soap is shot. Ghost watches him go down. Watches him bleed out on the cold ground of the Chunnel. He holds his hand as it twitches- just nerve spasms Ghost knows. Soap- Johnny- is dead. His body is growing cold. He didn't even see it coming- didn't know it had even happened- and he's dead. Months of getting to know him and of falling in love with him, and now he's gone. Ghost can't feel the tears running down his cheeks. Can't hear Gaz and Price yelling around him. Can't hear or see the firefight around him, or Gaz dismantling the bomb like Soap had been getting ready to do.

Everything around him fades out. Once again he's let himself get attached, and once again one of the most important people in the world to him has been killed. Faintly he registers himself pulling a glove off, checking Soap's pulse even though he knows before he does it what the results will be. He barely thinks as he pulls his limp body into his arms, holding him tight as his own begins to tremble.

'Shock,' says a voice in the back of his head, 'I'm going into shock.'

And yet, 20 minutes later when they are piling into the car, Soap's voice comes through the radio. Despite Price's protests Ghost is out of the truck and bolting to the back where Soap lay. He stirs below the tarp groaning and mumbling something.

Ghost's hand hovers above the tarp for a moment. There's no way Soap is alive. He was shot in the head! There was so much blood! And yet-

Soap sits up and the tarp falls away. The blood still covers him but the bullet hole is gone. If it weren't for the blood and the scar it left behind, it would be like it never existed in the first place. Ghost stares. Soaps eyes meet his and they're empty. Hollow. He doesnt blink. Still Ghost reaches out a hand and Soap takes it, using it to steady himself as he gets up and out of the truck bed.

He joins Ghost sitting in the back seats of the truck. Gaz and Price share a look, but they say nothing as Price switches gears into drive and they make their way to the safe house.

Ghost helps Soap out of the truck when they get there and ushers him to the bathroom so he can clean him of the blood. Soap goes willingly. He needs a bit of help stripping off his gear but Ghost doesnt mind helping, he just wants to get Soap clean. Get the blood off him. Wash away the memory of holding his lifeless body in his arms because Soap isn't dead. Not anymore anyway.

When Ghost is washing him, he notices however that Soap's skin is cold and clammy. Nothing like the warmth it used to give off. Thats alright though. Hes still his Johnny. His Johnny who is still staring at him and still has yet to blink.

Once the shower is over, Ghost gets Soap bundled up in new clean clothes that he found in one of the bedrooms. Soap doesn't complain about Ghost fussing over him. He simply thanks him in a quiet voice and leans against him. Ghost hugs him and kisses the top of his head.

"Of course Johnny. Anything for you."

Soap hums softly, burying his face into Ghosts chest.

Its four hours before exfil is able to get them out. Four hours where Ghost sits with Soap on his lap curled up with his face pressed into his shoulder. Four hours of Price and Gaz exchanging hushed whispers about how Soap shouldnt be alive, and trying to speculate how its possible.

On the plane for exfil, Soap cuddles up to Ghost, unwilling to part from him even for a moment. Ghost doesn't mind, he never wants to let Johnny go again.

When they arrive back at base, they unload and make their way to the armory. Then after offloading their weapons and getting out of their kits, they make their way to debrief. Soap remains glued to Ghost's side through all of it, and they leave out the detail of Soap being shot in the head. There would be absolutely no way to explain how he's perfectly fine and functional after such a fatal wound.

After debrief, Ghost leads Soap back to his officer quarters. Ghost needs his own shower after all, and Soap still doesn't seem willing to part with him. Ghost begins to undress the moment the door is shut and locked. The feeling of the grimy clothes sticking to his body suddenly feeling unbearable in the privacy of his own room. Soap stares, but Ghost doesn't mind. He knows what he looks like. Knows the scars that litter his body and twist his skin into nearly unnatural contortions. He knows they're not pretty.

He makes his way to his en suite, and Soap follows him. Soap steps into the shower with him, helping him wash himself in the very same way Ghost helped him in the safe house. His fingers trace over old scars, dance over the twisted, gnarled skin in places that have been torn open time and time again. Ghost lets him. He trusts Soap, perhaps even foolishly so.

Soap has never taken that trust for granted. Soap has never hurt him. Soap kisses his shoulder and Ghost closes his eyes, letting his guard down and simply allowing himself to exist in this moment. To exist with Johnny. To exist in love.

Whatever happened that brought Soap back, Ghost doesn't know, but he certainly doesn't mind either. He has his Johnny, and that's all that matters.