the day was bleak, the sky was dull and was covered in spots of gray clouds. the temperature wasn't interesting either, not to hot, not to cold. not humid either. everything about that day was dull, like every other.
and, normally for ghost, this weather was just fine for a little visit to the bar nearby.
usually whenever ghost was in a bar, he would spend his time alone. drinking a nice smooth glass of bourbon, of course. although, something seemed to itch him a bit.
he couldn't help but feel a bit.. watched. by something or somebody
he's felt this feeling many times before, especially since he was always alone with himself. people would talk about it as well, them discussing about how uneasy he made others. they acted like he couldn't hear them, like he was surprise surprise- a ghost.
but these eyes felt different. they weren't judging, piercing- no. they were studying, reading what little they could read of ghost. though it was a nice change of pace, it still made ghost a bit on edge.
so instead of confronting the person or looking back, what he would do is go into the restroom, wait a bit, and then exit to scan the area. normally, he would find the person in a small amount of time. even though he wasn't the best at communication, he was most certainly good at observing others actions or emotions. so, he decided to execute his method.
he stood up and began to head to the restroom.
the door swung open, he was a few steps in near the stalls that appeared around the corner to the left. he didn't hear the door close.
as a matter of fact, he began to hear a few steps approach him
"simon-"
this part was a blur for ghost, he only remembers his 'name' making him feel alarmingly exposed. one second he was walking and the next he was holding a knife up to somebody's neck. although, based on the rapid breathing from the both of them, a small struggle mightve broken out.
"pumpin' hell ghost- do you have to scare the shit out of everybody with a knife..?!"
the voice was complaining, whiny. and most importantly, had the voice of a pissed off scottish man in it
"..johnny."
the sargeant raised his eyebrow in a bit of anger
"..yeah?!"
ghost sighed as he placed the knife back into the pocket on his belt.
"what'd I tell you about using my name like that?"
soap exhaled in relief, thankful that his body and head were still attached.
"sorry sir.."
now that soap thought about it, his concern made sense. having your real name called out at you after you've stated that you preferred something else can be stressful or- irritating at times. soap couldn't lie to himself when he said he'd felt that several times. [ayo 🏳️⚧️?]
"what're you doing here anyway mactavish?"
soap smiled slightly as he followed along ghost's walk back to his table
"was about to ask you the same thing.."
the both of them sat down at this point
"just clearing up some thoughts with a nice pint..-well, you know how it is.."
soap leaned back in his chair
"you, ghost?"
ghost's eyes drove off into his thoughts a bit
"mm.. it just seemed like a decent day to go to a bar."
ghost's eyes headed back to soap's as they made small contact, making soap internally squirm, which he wasn't quite sure why
"another drink?" ghost proposed
which made soap smile a bit toothly from his small act of kindness
"i think my tipsy will kick in soon.."
ghost slightly nodded
"seems mine'll too.."
ghost looked away, breaking the contact as he started another conversation
"..so how's everything going?"
soap exhaled
"better than I though.. bruises are healing nicely. got my testosterone meds back so, recovering ain't as much as a doozy."
ghost nodded
"i haven't been up to much, just trying to fix what little strength I have."
soap's eyebrows turned empathetic, so did his voice
"don't say that l.t.. from what I've seen you're stronger than me."
ghost leaned back on his chair as well
"you insane? you've got more potential than me, johnny.. its obvious."
soap scoffed
"you're acting like you haven't saved my arse 80 times.. hell, probably would've died by now if it weren't for you"
ghost locked eyes with him again, they seemed to glimmer a bit under the artificial, yellow-ish lights
"..you think so johnny?"
his eyes seemed a bit desperate for an answer, which soap slightly noticed
"course l.t.. i thought you would know that."
soaps eyes went back to trying to study him. he couldn't help but wonder what could possibly be hidden under that mask, he wasn't looking for the way he looked- no. he was looking for any signs of humanity in him.. or at least a small amount of whatever he had left.
"i have trust issues"
ghost narrowed his eyes and gave him a partial piercing stare
"especially with myself."
soap raised an eyebrow
"if you had trust issues, you wouldn't have listened to yourself and get me out of that hell hole with graves"
ghost raised his head in amusement
"so you're saying I should've left a teammate there in a war zone? it was purely an alliance in a time of hardship-"
"-you probably should've let me out there..-"
ghost scoffed
"..you trying to make a point here?"
soap smiled wryly at him
"yes, sir"
ghost raised an eyebrow
"should I make one too?"
soap shrugged a bit as his teasing smile followed along side it
"well shit, what's this point you have then?"
ghost stared at him directly as he stated his point
"you think I haven't heard you wankin' off at night everytime you finish a mission with me?"
soap's eyes widened, and so did his mouth as his face's color turned into a soft cherry pink
"wha- i-?! its a stress reliever..!-"
ghost could tell he hit him the worst with embarrassing him, especially in a good game of poker.
"is it a stress reliever? do you hate it when I'm tough on you? or is it the opposite-"
soap groaned as he dug his face into his hands, trying his best to prevent further embarrassment
"where the fuck did.." he mumbled into his palms
he huffed as he crossed his arms a bit
"alright then, and if I did such a thing, what the hells your point?"
"so you admit it?"
ghost wasn't the worst when it came to teasing to get his answers, and that may or may not come into play a bit later. [yo...😈]
"jesus, you gonna answer my fuckin question?"
his comical scottish accent was as strong as ever.
ghost tilted his head a bit
"my point is, you like me don't you?"
soap moved his hands a bit up to where you could see his eyes, and a little bit of pink blushing under that
"as a friend.." soap added
"a friend?"
ghost was pushing him a bit on this one. might as well have fun while at it, since he already knew soap's had feelings for from the very beginning. the way his eyes were barely able to keep off of him, he always sat close to him, and most importantly: his face would turn red when ghost assisted him with his wounds. denying it wouldn't change anything, really.
"not anything else by any chance?"
soaps eyes kept dragging away from ghosts, but no matter how much he tried, he kept going back to them.
"can't even think of a universe where you.."
soap exhaled, trying to collect the thoughts in his mind like a puzzle
"..god, I can't even say it.."
ghost tilted his head a bit
"but I can think of one where you do, whys that?"
john put his hands down and started fiddling with them impulsively
"i think the drinks got you l.t.. you're down to the ditches"
he nervously laughed to his own, horribly timed joke
ghost sighed
"maybe.. you might be right"
ghost stood up and turned to go to the restroom.. again.
"ghost? fuck- what did I do this time-"
"-nothing. just gonna use the bloody restroom.."
ghost shook his head a bit as he swung the door open, which gained soap's classic scottish cursing as he stood up and headed there as well.
the door swung open again with a scottish man following in
"ghost- look- sorry if i.. pissed you off or made you uncomfortable or.."
soap exhaled and scratched his head a bit
"im a jackass sometimes, you know that.. cant we just.. talk it out or?"
soap jumped from the feeling of somebodys hand on his waist, making him spin around to see a familiar mask
soap rolled his eyes a bit as his accent came out
"haven't you heard of fucking social cues?"
ghosts eyes weren't quite visible from this angle, which made the little scottish man slightly uneasy
"and have you heard of giving people space? you don't have to follow me like a poodle all the time"
soap's eyes narrowed a bit as his face brightened a slight pink
"whyd you follow me anyway?"
soap scratched the back of his head and held his breath a bit, he often has a habit of doing this when things aren't quite, convenient.
"i, might have some things to confess.."
ghosts arms slightly crossed
"confessing? from john mactavish?'
soap sarcastically laughed
"shocker, right? but uh.. you see I'm not.."
he paused to carefully recollect his thoughts as he opened his mouth
"fuck uh.. here goes everything then."
ghost unusually placed both of his hands on his shoulders
"..you're shaking."
his eyes became a bit viewable now
"you're a bit nervous than usual, I'm sure whatever you want to say can wait out a bit, right?"
soap's face was still a bit flustered from earlier, and he was obviously constipated about saying.. something. but of course, the majority of time, ghost was right. maybe it could wait out, it wasn't that important anyway. was it? he wasn't quite sure yet, but they'll figure it out soon.
..soon.
not now.
maybe another time
but for now, soap huffed and apologized. repeating that it was, and i quote: 'a dumb small problem that he hasnt talked about'. he kept adding onto the fact that it was unimportant. ghost found this.. interesting. sure, soap was a bit care free, but not this much. he was holding back something. something much more.. important than he stated it to be. will we able to see what this is? ..well for that.
that might just be
another time.
[DECEMBER 25TH YALL MARK YOUR CALENDERS 🙏]
this one was a bit shorter than I wanted it to be.... but I promise I'll make it worth yalls while c: