Chapter Text
"Sit down, get comfy. I’ll be right there."
Johnny said, kissing his cheek before slipping into the adjacent bathroom. Taking the flowers and an old soda can with him. The top of the can had been carefully cut off at some point. It was used as a pencil holder on the sergeant’s desk most of the time.
Simon did just that, grabbing his neatly folded clothes from, under Soap’s haphazardly thrown ones, the chair in the corner. Or rather the haphazardly thrown clothes that had been his once, but had since been claimed by Johnny.
Simon had nothing against it- as long as he still owned anything decent, he would give his boyfriend literally everything else he possessed…even if he wouldn’t own anything decent anymore, actually.
Johnny could have it all. His clothes, his knifes, his body and soul. Anything.
Deep in thought he only noticed the large rectangular box on the sergeant’s bed, just a moment too late, as it poked him in the thigh, the moment he sat down.
He picked it up and set it down on the floor, finally sprawling out on the bed. The lieutenant raised his head and groggily opened his eyes just as Johnny shut the bathroom door behind him audibly.
Raising himself to his elbows Simon looked at his partner, enjoying the domesticity of just sharing a space with him.
Soap had indeed put the flowers into the improvised vase and was now carefully arranging them on his desk. He turned off the headlight as soon as he was done, casting the room in the warm glow of the sting-lights above his bed.
"Those the new paints you ordered?" Simon nodded towards the box that was now laying beside the bed.
Soap had mentioned a pack of watercolours he wanted to try out. Finally, after hours of discussion, allowing Simon to buy them for him, since he was the one that would be drawn most with them. He still didn’t quite understand what Johnny saw in him that he needed to capture as often as he did, but he could at least offer financial compensation.
Not that he said that out loud, he would get his ass beaten for self deprecating thoughts like that.
"Nah, they‘re still on the way." Simon hummed in agreement, looking at the box again. Rocking it back and forth gently, with his foot.
"What is it then?" At that Johnny turned around to him, disappearing behind Ghost's old band shirt for a second, before looking at him strangely.
Not bad. Just different. Something between insecure and excited.
Ghost continued rocking the package.
"Stop that." Simon complied, instead bending his leg and kicking the blanket into the right position.
Soap walked over to him, leaning down to kiss him softly. His hands found the dips of Johnny‘s waist almost instinctively, relishing in the soft skin under his fingertips.
"So…whats in it? Do I have to tell Price that you’re building bombs again?"
"Fuck you." Johnny flicked his ear.
"It depends. How tired are you?"
Ghost raised an eyebrow, surprised by the question, he still answered.
"I‘m good for a couple of hours. Want to spend some time with you."
He shrugged.
"I‘ll just sleep during the brass meeting tomorrow. Price can deal with that shit alone."
Johnny huffed a laugh and bent over to pick up the package. Gently setting it down on Simon's lap before joining him in bed. Wrapping his arms around Simon's waist and pulling him against his chest.
Mirroring the position from earlier.
"Open it." Soap leaned over him, kissing his neck and looking over his shoulder.
Only now did Simon notice the wrapping paper wasn’t just the standard carton, instead it was brown, yes, but there were small bars of soap and little skulls scattered all over the package. Hand drawn, evidently.
"Johnny?"
Soap just smiled at him and made him turn is head again by gently directing his chin and making him look at the box again.
"Open it, Si."
Simon pulled out the knife that was lodged between the bed frame and the wall and carefully cut the paper.
Johnny was the only person to ever gift him things wrapped with this much care. He would never admit that he kept all of the wrapping papers, hidden in his closet. Inside the box was another, smaller box, surrounded by black and white tissue paper, it took him longer than he would like to admit to figure out what was laying in his lap.
Reaching inside, Johnny removed the outer-box and set it down on the floor, Simon was holding a lego set.
But not just any lego set. A lego cottage. One that looked unbelievably close to the cottage Johnny and he had imagined time and time again.
"Are you serious?" It came out gruffer than he intended, his voice hoarse as he was trying to hold back tears.
Johnny cradled both of his shaking hands in his own, bringing them up to his lips to kiss each knuckle.
"Baby steps, darlin'."
He continued whilst kissing along his shoulder.
"I know that we both still have a few years of service in us. And as much as I hate it, I also know that theres no other option, for both of us."
He let go of Simons hands, instead cupping his cheek and resting his forehead against Simon‘s.
"So until we did our part, I thought you should have something of a promise. A promise that we'll get our happy ending."
By now Simon couldn’t hold back the tears anymore, flowing freely down his cheeks. Soap wiped away most of them, gently kissing away the ones in the corner of his eye.
"I love you." Was the only thing Simon could utter before twisting his body around to lay in Johnny’s arms for just a moment.
"I love you too."
Johnny smiled and welcomed him in his arms. Simon enjoyed the gentle caresses along his back as he calmed down, looking up at his lover as he spoke.
"Does that mean we‘ll spend our evening building legos?"
He chuckled and Soap joined in, looking down at Simon, long gone was the look of nervousness, replaced by pure adoration.
"Sounds absolutely perfect to me, Si."
Simon nodded against his chest and turned back around, investigating the box.
He cut open the side and piled the little plastic bags on on the other side of Johnnys thigh, trying to get enough space for, what he assumed to be the foundation of the house. Unsurprisingly, he was way out of his comfort zone.
Yet, he still tried, stacking bricks on top of each other only to realise that the manual was upside down, as was the fence he built.
Taking apart and putting together guns, he could do. But apparently legos were where his assembly skills reached their limit.
"Might need some help with this shite."
He grumbled, after aimlessly stacking some of the bricks on Soap’s knee. They fell over like a Jenga tower as Johnny moved.
Johnny, who had been an uninvolved bystander for the past thirty minutes. Just watching Simon with a fond look.
"This is your bloody house too, do somethin' Sergeant."
"Yessir." Johnny chuckled and reached over, quickly figuring out the pattern the fence was supposed to have and putting together the first few centimetres without issue.
He then pushed it back into Simon's hand, encouraging him to just follow the pattern.
They got through most of the repetitive parts, walls, floors, roof, just like that, Johnny starting the build and Simon continuing it.
They worked together seamlessly.
"Are you enjoying yourself?"
Johnny asked at some point in between building. Parts of the cottage scattered all around their legs, the first floor already discernible.
"Yeah." Simon sighed, leaning back against Johnny’s chest.
"You know…I never had lego’s as a kid. Never had a lot of presents either."
The admission, though nothing new, stung a little. Simon knew that he had missed out on a lot of childish joy.
Not sure who he should blame. His father for being a jerk, or his mother for trying but only making matters worse in the end. He still had a scar from where the toy truck he got for his eighth birthday hit his head, when his father found out about it. It was taken away, of course.
Maybe it would’ve been better to never get it in the first place, can't miss something you never had.
"You didn’t get the childhood you deserved, mo leannan."
Johnny kissed him again. Good. He was still in a negative from weeks of barely seeing each other.
"And as much as this is ah promise to future Simon, its also an apology to past Simon…If that’s okay with you?"
"You’re a sappy bastard, you know that, right?"
Simon whispered, tears of the past heavy behind his eyelids.
"I‘m not gonna apologise for that, ye’re hot when you feel cared for."
Soap knew that the slap on his knee was fully deserved.
They spent the next few hours putting together the cottage, banter and conversation ebbing and flowing comfortably.
As Simon placed down the last brick, it also hit him like a brick.
Jonny had promised him their future. The future he had thought of as a distant dream, was now a physical object, stood in front of him.
They had built their future together. Years ago, Simon wouldn’t've believed anyone who even implied he could have a life after the military. Now, with Johnny it was a constant thought at the back of his mind. They had both gotten more careful, more focused on getting back to the other.
Simon stood very carefully, supporting the build with both his hands as he placed it on the windowsill opposite the cot, perfectly in view.
"Bloody hell." He just stared it for a few moments before walking back over towards Johnny, who had a, way too fucking, smug look on his face.
"You’re missing a piece, Si."
Simon groaned, eyes roaming over the duvet, but he couldn’t find any left-over pieces.
"Are you fucking with me?"
Johnny shook his head, puppy eyes and pout on full display, though the smug grin couldn’t hide behind it.
"I would never. It might be under the bed though."
Ghost sighed and knelt down, looking under the bed, apart from a few, single, lost socks there was nothing.
As he came back up, he his his head against Johnny’s hand who had slipped it between the back of his head and the bed frame.
He was also hit with Johnny holding out a black, velvety box in front of him. The nervous look had returned to his features. There was a ring inside the box, barely visible in the low light, it had a dark glint, and a pattern almost damascus like.
"Don’t freak out, okay? We don’t have to do this if you feel uncomfortable with it. I know marriage is a difficult topic for you."
Simon gulped, rising on shaky knees to sit down beside Johnny on the bed.
"Just do what feels right. Ye don’t have to say yes, ye don’t have to say anything at all. Nothing will change that you don’t want to change."
He could see that Johnny was close to tears as well.
"I just…I love you Simon Riley. And I want you to know that I‘ll love you for as long as you‘ll have me."
Johnny had set the ring aside, now holding onto Simon's hand as he spoke.
"And if you don’t want to marry me, Ah'll still make sure that you still know how much ah love you, every single day."
The more excited he got, the worse Johnny’s accent became. Simon was utterly speechless, looking between his gorgeous partner, the box, and the house they had just built together.
"What the hell am I supposed to say to that…?"
He really didn’t know how to say something even remotely close to the speech Johnny just held.
"You’re supposed to say no, If ya don’t like the concept of marriage, say no if ya need more time, fucking hell, say no when you think I should’ve proposed to you in a different shirt."
Johnny was smiling again.
"And you’re supposed to say yes, if you want to marry me, Simon Riley."
Expression unapologetic and bright, getting riled up as he crushed each and every, already run-down wall, around Simon‘s heart.
"You’re not getting rid of me, no matter the answer. I want this to be however ye want it to be. I‘d propose a hundred times if you asked me to or never again if you don’t want to get married. No matter what; I‘m yours and you’re mine."
Simon certainly hadn’t expected to cry again today.
Yet, here he was, absolutely bawling because the man that had just promised him a house, a home really, was now promising himself, utterly devoted.
He had always known that he would be entirely Johnny‘s, til death did them part.
But to hear that the other man wanted to be his, bound to the dead man that was Simon Riley, never crossed his mind.
Even after hours of baring themselves to the other, emotionally and physically sharing each flaw and every story behind them. He never imagined someone would want to stay with him.
He never questioned Johnny‘s honesty, or his intentions, no. But, he still never really believed it to be true. For Johnny to feel the same way about him. But now…
"I‘m saying yes, you idiot. Yes.
Always. Forever yours."