"Rookie" Your eyes fluttered open to the meet the new day. A slightly grey but otherwise sunny day. Price was shaking your shoulder gently and Soap stood behind.
They looked like two kids trying to wake their mother up. You sat up, rubbing your eyes as Soap tapped Prices shoulder.
Price turned and Soap whispered something to him, and he nodded turning to you.
"There's no food" He reported.
"And were hungry" Soap said to price.
"And were hungry" Price repeated for him with a sigh.
You smiled and sat up, stretching your arms.
"We have popcorn" you said.
"No one wants popcorn for breakfast" Price commented.
....
You pursed your lips and stood up, trying your best to ignore the headache pounding inside your head. You wrapped the blanket over your shoulders as you walked past them.
"I'll head to the store then" You mumbled, walking with them following you back to the open area. You noticed the sun was quite high up.
"What's the time?" You asked price.
"11:40am" He replied.
You stared at him "You let me sleep so long?" You frowned as you turned back to face the window.
"Well first of all we couldn't find you" Soap said.
"We thought you were upstairs, and you didn't want us up there" He added.
"And we also did more work on the mission that was required, then Soap got hungry, and Ghost said you weren't upstairs, so we went to search for you and found you" Price explained.
"Where is Ghost?" You asked looking around.
"Shower" Soap reported.
You nodded slowly as you double checked the pantry and cupboards.
"Believe us Rookie, there's no food Soap has been checking like something will appear magically" Price laughed.
"Well, what am I expect in this house? Have you seen the lighting panel??" Soap defended.
"It's fine I'll head to the shops as I said" you mumbled.
You felt sick, a burning feeling at the back of your throat and your head hurt. You felt tired, despite the amount of sleep you'd had. It'd always been that way, the more sleep you got the more tired you were. You didn't understand it either.
Being home still left your stomach in knots, tightening at every familiar sight. Unfortunately, the whole place was recognizable, untouched. Put on pause when you'd left that night, resumed now that you were back. It almost tickled, the feeling in your stomach.
But it hurt too, made you feel anxious but crushed at the same time. You were doing this for the team, unspoken battles stayed inside of you not needing to be shared. You folded the blanket and threw it over the couch as you looked around, hands on hips.
"Who wants what?" You spoke.
"What is there?" Soap asked, you sighed. "Food"
"What kind of food"
"Food you eat" you replied.
You inhaled deeply, eyes drifting up the set of stairs. You'd have to go up and change.
"How long are we here for?" You asked price checking to see if he had any more information on the topic.
"It's looking to be about a few days, they're wanting us to keep surveillance on the enemy team due to the fact they keep moving locations."
"We're much too low on intel to make a move knowing the team will be safe so we're holding back."
You nodded, taking in the information. The clouds parted slightly, and a warm mid-day sun peeked through the trees and sent golden beams across the house.
The sudden urge to cry burrowed into your chest and pushed, urging you to shed tears as you felt your energy drain.
How exhausted you felt, no sleep would fix it. Your weight too much for your own legs as you dragged.
"Give me a minute to get ready" You mumbled heading towards the stairs.
"We've got gear for you rook. The rescue team that got the hostages out dropped some at the safe house on request, Ghost went and retrieved them, and he'd slipped down a slope, hence the shower."
Soap grabbed the folded clothes from the counter behind him. You smiled, thankful at least as you walked down the hall to a bathroom. Happy that you got to avoid your bedroom. A room that felt as if dread was a place. Stepping in and immediately choking in smoke, inhaling a bland dark pain.
Your room was once a sanctuary for your lonely soul. A refuge of safety, a room that reflected who you were as a person. Almost like a friend, it was everything you liked. It held your memories, your secrets, your enjoyments. A place you always liked coming back too after a long day. The room of your inner child, through the training and the work you did. It was somewhere you could lie down and recharge.
Now, it felt a cold box. An invisible dense sadness to the air, a place of despair. All your enjoyments, memories and secrets pained you. The room reminded you of days that you felt so alone but you never knew the true meaning until you were alone. There was always a sense of your father's presence, until there wasn't. It wasn't the same.
You exited the bathroom after letting a few light tears slip. Not wanting to make your eyes red or eyelashes clump together and give away your weak moment. You readjusted your vest and buckled your belt as you walked back to the living area. You found Soap lounging on the couch and Price fixated on the plants around.
"You shouldn't go out in that gear rook" Price spoke without looking at you.
You threw your arms up, "you couldn't have told me that before I changed, why not?" You asked.
"Going out in public like that will alert the enemy base that they've got another team in their 'supposed' territory. You'll let em know that we're watching essentially" He explained.
Yeah, that should've been obvious to you. Price was just more experienced, doing this for years. You didn't argue, knowing he was right. "Can I come with ya rookie?" Soap cut in.
You looked at him, considering it. You gave him a small nod, shouldn't be too bad at least this way he could tell you what he wanted.
"Mind if I join?" Price asked. "I'd like to get a small idea of the layout in this town" He added. You nodded allowing him too.
"What about Ghost?" You asked.
"I'll go ask him" Soap said getting up. "If I don't get lost" He added as he walked away.
You watched what hallway he went down, just for precaution. You looked at Price who stood up straight with a warm smile. "You got any clothes for us then Rookie?" He asked with a soft chuckle.
You nodded without really being sure. There would he some of your fathers' clothes around they could borrow.
Your father was a muscular man, wide shoulders and a bulky build. Although he certainly wasn't the size of your teammates, he was close too.
Just then Soap and Ghost came back, hearing their footsteps approaching.
"He'll come too" Soap said, hands on hips as he stood beside you. Ghost joined, looking the same as always and already dressed.
"Well Rook has said they've got clothing for us" Price said.
"Sweet" Soap commented.
"I'll be keeping my device on me for any updates on the mission" Price said and everyone nodded.
They followed, walking behind you. You listened in as the three conversated about the current mission at hand, small details and gathered information they'd received earlier today.
You entered the spare closet room it was nothing big. You walked over to the wooden sleek sliding doors and slid them across, revealing racks of dark shaded clothing.
Your father was never much one for bright colors, nor fashion. Truly just comfort and warmth. You sifted through, you handed some dark grey lose fitting cargo pants, along with a black long sleeve shirt to Ghost.
You didn't think much of it really. Just grabbing something similar to their underneath gear. He wore long sleeves and similar pants under his gear, so you assumed he'd like something close to.
You passed Soap blue jeans and a beige colored shirt. You took a look at Price before passing him some brown cargo pants and an ashy brown jacket that was similar to the one, he wore.
You passed out belts as they had their clothes hung over their arms.
"Rookie?" Soap said looking at his clothes.
"Hm?" You hummed.
"I think Ghost deserves a dress" his serious face lighting up with a smile. Price chuckled as you grinned, Ghost nudged Soap roughly and he laughed.
"You guys can use the bathro-" You stopped talking as they all began to change, pulling shirts off and kicking boots off.
You left quickly, not complaining or exactly eager to leave but it felt respectful. Although you glanced back once.
"I'll meet you back in the living room" you said as you walked away.
You made your way up the stairs, deciding you'd quickly race in and grab a shirt from the hangers, pants from your dresser and shoes from your shoe rack before racing out into another bathroom.
It didn't feel as lonely up there with someone else, like last night with Ghost.
Ghost ... last night.
Suddenly the memories came back to you. His touch, his kiss, his hands against your skin.
You felt your body warm, wondering if he remembered too. Your mind was racing all over, your heart a pace faster as you replayed the moments, the sounds, the heat.
You stood in front of your doors, inhaling deeply. Just a quick drop in and then out. You pushed open the doors, racing in, darting to the closet as you snatched something from the hangers while opening the drawers, snatching up some pants before grabbing shoes and racing back out.
You made your way calmly to a downstairs bathroom as you changed. A short sleeve shirt and overly baggy cargo pants, not made with the proper fabric. It was cheap and thin, purely for the look not for the actual purpose.
The shirt was a light cotton and had a collar, few buttons reaching down but not fully through the shirt. You pulled on the high-tops you'd snatched up and tied the shoelaces, standing up and staring at yourself in the mirror. Bags under your eyes, bloodshot snakes of red crossing the white of your eyeballs.
You walked back out to the living room where they all stood, dressed nicely. You flicked your eyes between them each, attempting to be discrete as you very politely admired their forms.
Your fathers' clothes weren't too bad, fitting lose on them in areas until they moved. Outlines of their abs and muscular areas making an appearance as they shifted.
You didn't have trouble admitting they were attractive to yourself. A different story however, if you were to be asked. Their clothing hugged their muscles tightly.
Soaps jeans especially tight around his quads. His shirt tucked into his pants in a way that didn't make him look bad, suited nicely with his belt. No complaint from you at all.
Ghosts outfit was more of a darker hue, but it was definitely not hard to see his form underneath. Prices clothing clung to his body outlining his features and results of being in the military.
You forced your eyes to stop staring as you walked over. Immediately your mind went to Ghost and last night's events. Yet you dragged them away with all you might.
"Ready?" You asked. They all nodded, and you glanced out the window, the sky brighter now it was mid-day. The sun's warmth beaming through the windows.
"Are we wanting to drive or walk?" You said looking up at Price.
"Walking would be the better option considering I know no one who owns an army convoy for a simple vehicle" he chuckled. You nodded, eyes flicking to Soaps legs for a split second before you turned.
"Makes sense" you said as they followed you to the front doors. You opened them, met with a warm breeze. There was casual conversation between you, Soap and Price but Ghost stayed quiet only grunting when asked a question.
You made your way down the gravel driveway, the lengthiest part of the walk. It took about 15 minutes to reach the small town and another 15 to reach the store. The conversation was kept up, a new topic surfacing every so often.
Once inside the store you grabbed a cart immediately having it taken by Soap with a chuckle. "I'll push" He offered; you nodded as you walked on.
You'd rarely come to the store, maybe for a snack on a weekend night. It was familiar enough that you knew your way around.
Price was responsible grabbing nutrients and protein foods. Fruits, vegetables, meats. Soap was a child let lose, sodas, confectionary and junk food stacked into the shopping cart. A few frozen meals, microwavable foods, quick snacks and drinks.
You grabbed a few things yourself, putting them into the cart. Ghost walked quietly along.
You kept your mind off Ghost, off your father, focusing on the shopping trip with ease due to Soaps constant entertainment.
A slight shoving fight broke out between Ghost and Soap in the isle. Soap had pushed the cart into Ghost one too many times and Ghost took his shopping cart privileges away.
Soap glared for a moment but easily forgot when his eyes landed on a new snack that he put in the cart. You guys checked out, carrying the bags of groceries with a sigh. Apparently, none of you had considered the fact you'd have to carry them back.
—————
It was around 4pm in the afternoon, all four of You's had just finished more work on the surveillance mission another group of taskforce141 soldiers had been given the same task at a different location, the enemy teams suspected next stop.
The day had grown hot and the four of yous lounged outside drinking cold sodas. "Rookie?" Soap said, you looked at him, raising your eyebrows in sign for him to keeping going.
"Is that lake alright to swim in?" He asked.
You nodded "are you wanting to go for a swim?"
He shrugged "might do, before I die from' this heat, 'eh" He laughed.
"There's swim gear somewhere downstairs" you said nodding towards the entrance doors to the lowest floor of the house.
Soap looked over his shoulder at them and stood up. "It's decided then, joining price, rook?" He asked.
"Yeah, might as well" Price said as he finished his soda and stood. You shook your head no with a small smile.
"I'll pass" you looked around, Ghost wasn't with You's. He was here a moment ago.
"Where's Ghost?" You spoke. Soap nodded behind you.
"He went down that way" Soap said. You turned looking behind you, he was nodding towards the path that led to yours and your fathers training grounds.
"Thanks" You mumbled as you stood up. You head down the stone slab path before reaching the worn dirt path ahead of you.
It winded through the forest, the familiar sounds of nature and route to the training grounds. Sheltered from the sun under the trees as you made your way along.
You stopped, seeing Ghost standing at the entrance with his back to you.
Suddenly last night's memories came up, filling your mind with its indecent desires as you tried to push them out. Stepping beside Ghost as his head turned to face you.
"Rookie" he said with a nod, greeting your presence.
"Ghost" you said, staring ahead as you felt his gaze on you from beside you.
You watched from the corner of your as he hesitantly lifted his hand. Feeling a soft touch on your neck as he grazed his thumb lightly across the hickey, he'd given you.
"What's that...?" He asked slowly.
You immediately pushed his hand away as he confirmed he didn't remember.
"Nothing" you said quickly, holding your hand over it. "Just a bruise" you added.
You watched as his chest moved in a silent chuckle.
"I'm only messing with' ya rookie" he smiled. You grumbled back under your breath before it fell silent.
He'd brought up the fact and now he was letting it hang in the air. You shifted awkwardly. You felt the warm days breeze brush across your face and weave through your hair.
Ghost turned to face ahead just like you were. Speckles of sunlight hitting the ground through the leaves. You both stood in silence for a moment before he spoke quietly.
"We should play ... tag" He mumbled.
"Tag?" You repeated.
He looked at you, a certain glance of something cross past his eyes.
"...Tag" he said with a nod while his eyes looked you up and down.
A/N
I'm sorry if the chapters seem short but I will be uploading more soon. I know things may seem a little slow at the moment, but I promise they get better.
Sorry if any mistakes have slipped my attention in previous or upcoming chapters, English is not my first language :)