Chapter Text
While recruit training isn't high on Soap's list of his least favorite tasks on base when training needs to happen in the dead of night, it starts to get pretty damn close to the top.
Now that it's wrapped up, Soap can't complain as he steps into his room. He sheds his gear, dropping it into a pile by his door to deal with later. A nice hot shower is calling his name.
Well, it was until he caught sight of something quite unexpected.
Soap approaches his desk and takes in the six delicate looking butterfly cakes on a tray. While he should be a little more wary of the baked treats the sight instead brings him back to his days as a lad, crowding around a table with other children hoping to get first dibs on birthdays.
The cupcakes are pale in color, with a white swirl of buttercream at the center adorned with cake "wings" and a dusting of powdered sugar. If Soap remembers correctly, there should also be a dollop of jam hidden underneath the beautifully piped cream.
Only one person has access to his room and also has a penchant for baking. Soap's suspicions are confirmed when he notices a small note tucked underneath the tray the butterfly cakes are on.
Happy Birthday
Just a little something. Don't eat them all at once.
-Ghost
Soap doesn't know how many times he reads the note over until he eventually sets it back on his desk. He looks back at the cupcakes and can't help the smile that spreads across his face.
Soap had resigned himself to celebrate his birthday some other day, but this was a pleasant surprise.
Ghost, you sappy bastard… Soap thinks, but he can't help but think fondly of the man, his mind conjuring up images of Ghost decorating the cupcakes with the utmost care and diligence.
He picks up one of the cupcakes, bringing it up to his face to examine it more closely. Soap can't imagine when Ghost managed to fit in the time to make them, any baking endeavor a time commitment Ghost would have needed to prepare for.
Wait.
That means Ghost had planned to make the butterfly cake. They weren't made on a sudden whim.
"I really can't eat all of these on my own…." Soap ponders momentarily, setting the cupcake down with the rest before he scoops the tray up, shower now wholly forgotten, before leaving his room.
When Soap finally manages to reach Ghost's room on the opposite side of the barracks, he's down to five cupcakes, but has gained a promise from Gaz to pay for his drinks when they head to the pub at the end of the week to celebrate.
Soap knocks on the door in a specific pattern, a surefire way for Ghost to know it's him. He doesn't have to wait for long when Ghost pulls open his door, and he immediately feels guilty at the sight of the Brit.
He's clad in a plain black balaclava that's slightly askew on his face and a simple long-sleeve tee and joggers. He didn't even bother with his boots, his feet clad in plain black socks. Ghost looks like he haphazardly rolled out of bed.
He looks so cute. Soap thinks.
He's never seen Ghost so dressed down, and by the way the man squints at him against the hallway lights, it's apparent that he had been sleeping moments ago.
Soaps guilt increases tenfold.
"Fuck, 'm sorry. Didn't mean to wake you." Soap begins to apologize.
"Don't be sorry. There somethin' you need?" Ghost interjects before Soap starts babbling more apologies. At that moment, Ghost notices the cupcake tray in Soap's hands.
"Did you like 'em?" Ghost asks, almost a little bashful.
"Oh...well," Soap chuckles nervously, "haven't had the chance to try one. On my way over, I ran into Gaz, and you know that man can't resist a sweet."
Ghost snorts, shaking his head.
"Anyway, I'm here because…I wanted to say thanks, and I want to share these with you." Soap can see Ghost's eyes widen in surprise. Can see the Brit ready to protest.
"Don't say anything! Just, enjoys these with me, yeah?" Soap tries again, not afraid to use a little pout and an eyebrow wiggle to get Ghost to relent. He knows it worked when Ghost rolls his eyes at the gesture, not entirely annoyed.
"Now, how can I say no to that face?" Ghost snorts, stepping aside to let Soap into his room.
The room is pitch black until Ghost flips on the lights, and the familiar sight of the relatively spartan room comes into view. The Brit's gear is impeccably maintained on the small dresser, and the only mess Soap can see are the rumpled sheets on the bed. He fails to notice the sweater he forgot to take with him the last time he visited mixed in with Ghost's bedding.
The Scot sets the tray down on Ghost's desk, perching himself on the edge while the Brit shuts the door. Soap hands Ghost one of the butterfly cakes as he pulls the chair from his desk to take a seat.
"When's the last time you had one of these?" Ghost asks, pulling up the bottom half of his mask before he starts peeling away at the cupcake liner.
Soap thinks about that for a minute, hands stilling from where they were working on unwrapping his own cupcake.
"Hmm, probably when my nephew turned four the last time I went on leave. Back home, these look a little different, an' we call them fairy cakes. Mam makes them with a thinner frosting, and we top em' with sprinkles," Soap can't help it when a breathy laugh escapes him when a specific memory springs to mind.
"I remember once I tried to help her make some for my sister. Got a little too excited with the sprinkles, an' I swear it sounded like we were eating biscuits and not cake!"
That pulls a chuckle out of Ghost. "Well, I guess next time I'll have to make you some that remind you of home a little better."
"Don't go sayin' that! You didn't have to do any of this, so I meant it when I said thank you." Soap says, hoping his words get through Ghost's thick skull.
He takes a bite out of his cupcake before Ghost can say anything else, and he was right to assume the Brit had filled the center with jam. The tart flavor of raspberry hits his tastebuds, followed by vanilla from the cake and buttercream. Soap swipes his tongue over his top lip to lick away some of the cream that escaped his first taste.
"It's delicious!" Soap says, lapping up some of the jam that dribbled onto his hand. He pointedly ignores the way Ghost's eyes follow the movement as he savors a bite of his own.
Ghost is still working on his first cake when Soap starts eating his second, and he sticks his tongue out like a child when the Brit scolds him for having too much sugar before lights out.
"You're the one who made me the cupcakes, Lt." Soap cackles when Ghost rolls his eyes.
"Fuckin' hell, I've created a monster." Ghost huffs, although the look in his eyes betrays his tone.
They lapse into a comfortable silence, but Soap notices that Ghost looks like he's got something on his mind. Before the Scot could voice his concern, Ghost beats him to the punch.
"I actually have another gift for you." Ghost breaks their comfortable silence.
"Oh really? Another gift. You're really spoilin' me today, Lt." Soap teases. He can't help his bark of laughter at Ghost's expression, at least what Soap can make out through the mask. He can see the man trying and failing to hold back his pout. It's equally funny and adorable.
"I need you to close your eyes." Ghost huffs, and suddenly Soap is very aware of the Brit's shift in tone. If he had to put a finger on it, Soap would say that Ghost sounded nervous. He pretends not to notice, choosing to follow Ghost's directions instead.
"Alright, alright. I'll quit my yappin'," Soap says, closing his eyes as he waits patiently for Ghost's gift. He shifts a little bit where he's leaning on Ghost's desk, ears picking up the slight sounds of shuffling. It sounds like Ghost has stepped away, but his presence returns almost immediately.
"Keep your eyes closed. Okay?" Ghost murmurs, and he sounds less than an arm's length away from Soap.
Soap hums in acknowledgment, not really knowing what to expect. He's surprised to feel cool hands cup his cheeks, not having realized Ghost had closed the distance between them. Almost immediately, he feels his face heat up.
This thing that's been grown between them was nurtured slowly, not only by lingering touches and flirty banter but by late nights when neither of them could sleep, sharing words of comfort and security. It was always something Soap thought would never move past friendship. It was never something he thought Ghost would earnestly reciprocate, but now it feels like their teetering dangerously on the edge between friendship and something more.
"Ghost…" Soap whispers as he feels the Brit's thumbs swipe gently under his closed eyes as he tilts his head up.
"Soap.” Ghost whispers back, forehead pressing against the Scot's.
Skin on skin.
Soap hadn't caught it earlier, but Ghost's voice had also sounded so clear, unmuffled by cloth. The realization hits him like a punch to the gut, stealing his breath away. Ghost isn't wearing his mask.
Soap swallows audibly. He's at a loss for words, but Ghost isn't.
"Do you trust me?"
That immediately sets Soap's mind back into gear.
"With my life."
Soap's mind promptly short-circuits again when he feels lips brush against his own. It's tentative, leaving room for Soap to pull away and change his mind. Even with Soap's consent, Ghost is still giving him an out.
It's not needed.
Soap surges to meet Ghost's lips again, intent on tasting the man he's been yearning for since he first laid eyes on him. He can feel the jagged edges of a scar that cuts through the Brit's lips, but he pays it little mind as his tongue swipes at the seam of Ghost's mouth. Asking for permission. Ghost matches his energy in kind, allowing Soap access.
Soap almost immediately licks into Ghost's mouth, the first timid kiss morphing into a heated one as Ghost moves a hand to cup the back of Soap's head. Fuck, if that doesn't make the Scot pull the bigger man impossibly closer. They can't seem to stop, the taste of each other intoxicating even with the underlying flavor of the cakes they had minutes before.
When they eventually pull away to catch some much-needed air, breaths mingling, Soap is still very aware that he's kept his eyes closed the entire time.
"Do you trust me?" Soap asks, wanting so badly to see Ghost's uncovered face.
"Always." Ghost echoes Soap's sentiment from earlier, would let Johnny do whatever he wanted in that moment.
When Soap finally opens his eyes, he's met with the familiar sight of twin pools of honey bracketed by long blond lashes. The smattering of freckles all over Ghost's face catches his attention soon after, and he can't help but stare. He hadn't noticed it when Ghost first showed his face back in Alejandro's safe house.
All Soap could remember from that time was that Ghost had been right. He wasn't ugly in the slightest.
"Have I got something on my face?" Ghost asks when the silence has stretched too long.
"Not at all. You're gorgeous, Simon." Soap says, taking Ghost by surprise by giving him a peck on the nose. "Thank you. This is the best gift I could have asked for."
Ghost's face immediately lights up like a tomato. It's no wonder the man always wears his mask when just a few words from Soap have him blushing like crazy. He tries ducking his head, at least to get the color of his face back under control, but a steady hand stops him.
"Can I get another?" Soap asks, adoration and warmth coloring his tone.
It sets Ghost at ease.
"As many as you want, Johnny." Ghost responds, a smile tugging at his lips as he pulls Soap in for another kiss.