Work Text:
Many things had come out of Ghost's relationship with Soap. First it was a friendship- genuine friendship - where Ghost didnt feel like any miscalculated word or movement would cost him. Then it was sleep. Usually, it was almost impossible for Ghost to sleep in a room with other people, but not Soap. There was something about his relentless flirting and accepting personality that just put Ghost at ease. And if he sometimes woke up with his Sergeant buried in his chest, well, that was between them.
The best thing to come out of their situation though, was the love. Real, genuine love that didn’t reside solely in Ghost's ability to provide. Soap saw all that Ghost was (and wasn't) and loved him anyway.
For a long time, Ghost thought that was all he needed. He had Soap, and Soap had him, and they could make it through anything as long as they were together. But there was one more thing Soap had to give. Something Ghost didn't think he'd ever have again:
Family.
"Uncle John! Uncle John!" a little girl screamed as he and Soap strode down the driveway. The sound made Ghost's body tense, reminding him too much of the screams of all the children he could not save. It was only Johnny's hand, tight in his grip, that kept Ghost anchored to the real world.
"Och, there's ma wee lass!" Johnny smiled as the girl wrapped his legs in a hug. "Look how big you've gotten!"
"You should see Para," the girl beamed. "He's fat now!"
"Now Patty, that ain't nice. Even if he is a- Hey, hey, what's wrong?"
Unfortunately for Ghost, Johnny had to take ownership of his own hand to soothe the child at his feet. Patty was staring up at Ghost, eyes wide and full of fear. She'd edged around Johnny's legs, hiding behind the width of his body as he kneeled down to her level. He seemed to realize what had spooked her, because he too turned to look at Ghost, but with sympathetic eyes instead.
"I told ye the baklava would be too much," he scolded gently.
"Uncle John, who is that?" Patty asked fearfully.
"It's alright Sweetie, that's just Simon. He's.. well, he's going to be visiting with me."
"Is he from the military too?"
"Yeah, he's a military friend. Best damn sniper in the world, far as I'm concerned."
"Why is he wearing that spooky mask? You know Halloween is over, right Mister?"
"He's insecure," Johnny whispered at her. "Be nice or he'll eat you! " He emphasized the last two words, picking his niece up and tickling her sides. She kicked and screamed, but more important than that, she laughed. Patty's laughter was like a cure-all to the anxiety building in Ghost's chest.
Just like Johnny's.
Ghost followed the jovial pair towards the house's front steps, where a rather well dressed couple were hurriedly making their way out. The woman, who bore a stark resemblance to Johnny, hugged him tight, and planted a quick kiss to his cheek.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice Johnny, I really hate to ruin your vacation-"
"Och hush up. Ye not ruinin' anything Lucy, you know it's my pleasure."
Ah, Ghost thought. So this was the famous Lucy he'd heard so much about. Johnny's younger sister, as well as his niece Patty, were his favorite talk-pieces when he was drunk and feeling particularly homesick. Ghost had heard countless stories about their childhood, some of which had painted Lucy in a not-so-flattering light. Ghost might've laughed had he not seen Lucy approaching.
She smiled kindly at him, but didn’t make to hug or even shake his hand. Something Ghost knew to be out of character for her. He knew Lucy had been informed he'd be tagging along, but it dawned on Ghost then that Johnny must have told her about him; about his aversion to being touched.
"It's nice to finally meet you Simon," she said. "Johnny never shuts up about you."
"That so?"
She nodded with a mischievous smile. "Och aye, you should have heard him back- oh what was it Ronny, July? Said-"
"That'll do, Lucy," Johnny said firmly, cutting his sister off with a scowl. "Don't you two have places to be?"
"Yes, and we're going to be late if we don't hurry, Lucy," the man- Ronny, Ghost supposed- said in the most violently american accent he'd ever heard.
"Yes, we're going now. Thank you again lads, call us if you need anything!"
"No, you call us," Johnny corrected. "Have fun... ye damn eejits."
They watched the happy couple drive off to their date night before parading inside, where they were greeted by a rather round begal. Ghost got the impression that it would have jumped on him had it had the leg strength. Johnny set his niece down, taking the dog's face in his hands and petting him violently.
"Creepin' Jesus Para, lookit the size a' ye! You really weren't kidding las!"
"I told you he was fat!" Patty laughed. She tugged on Johnny's sleeve then, pulling him away from the eager dog. "Come on, all my new stuffies are excited to meet you!"
"Of course, of course."
"How old are you?" Ghost asked as he followed the pair down the hall and into a painfully pink room.
"M' only 29," Johnny answered.
"I meant the kid."
"I'm 9!" she said proudly, shoving a stuffed bear into Ghost's hands. "This is Sergeant Fluffy Tuffy McStuffie. He's a seasoned war veteran, and he likes chocolate ice cream. Address him with respect!"
"You know, Ghostie actually out ranks the Sergeant, last I checked," Johnny said, throwing a wink right over the kid's head.
She looked from Johnny to Ghost, mouth slightly agape in awe. "But not you, right Uncle Johnny?"
"No, unfortunately the Ghost is my superior officer."
"Is he your boss?"
"Sometimes."
"That's so cool."
"Isn't he?"
Patty gently took the bear from Ghost's hands, gently placing him back on her bed. "Well.. then I guess McStuffie will address you with respect. What rank are you?"
"Lieutenant," Ghost answered easily.
"Why are you called Ghost?"
"It's what I am."
"But you aren't dead."
"Not-"
"What about this one?" Johnny interrupted, sounding not at all like it was intentional (Ghost knew it was). "Don't think I recognize this one. You sure he's not a spy sent by the boy down the street?"
"No, he is not from Henry, and his name is Count VonSnoot."
And like it was a punishment, Patty introduced them to every single one of her stuffed animals. Each had some short backstory, or made up anecdote that made the whole process longer than Ghost thought it needed to be. At some point, Para wandered in and set himself firmly on Ghost's lap. He made the whole ordeal slightly more bearable.
After the stuffies she moved on to her dolls. Patty explained all the convoluted relationships they had to each other, and Johnny would nod along, agreeing that yes, Melanie was absolutely in the wrong there. Ghost had no idea how he could stand it. It was all he could do not to fall asleep on the floor where he sat (a worrying fact all on its own).
Mercifully, before he could embarrass himself in such a manner, movement from the window caught Patty’s attention. She rushed over, the sudden movement snapping Ghost right to attention.
“Look, it's snowing!” she cheered.
“Really?” Johnny asked as he and Ghost stood. Unfortunately, the answer was yes, it was snowing. But it wasn’t just snowing, there was a full on blizzard beyond the window. Ghost’s chest tightened as he watched Johnny pale beside him. “Hells bells..”
“Can we go play outside?”
“Nono, Patty you just stay here with Uncle Simon alright? Im.. I'm gonnae go call maw ok? Just sit tight.”
The pair watched Johnny march out the room, swiftly closing the door behind him. Ghost looked down at the child he’d been left with, and was slightly alarmed to find her staring right back at him. She was scowling, ever so slightly.
“Yes?” he asked stupidly.
“You’re not really my uncle are you?”
Ghost would have choked if he wasn’t such a hardened, disciplined soldier. He did need to remind himself to breathe after a moment though. “We aren’t related so, no.”
“Then why did Uncle Johnny say you were?”
“We’re.. Friends..”
“Friends don’t-”
“Ghost!”
“Johnny!” Ghost nearly kicked the door open in his haste to get to Johnny (and away from Patty). His breath caught in his throat for a moment when he wasn’t on the other side of the door. He found Johnny quickly enough though, in the living room pulling on a jacket and beanie. “The fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“Language! And yeah, what are you doing Uncle Johnny?”
“I'm gonna go get ma an’ da, alright las?”
“You can’t go out there Johnny, it's a mess.”
“A mess my little sister is stuck in,” he said through gritted teeth. “I’ll be fine. You watch Patty, I’ll be back in no time alright? Don’t kill each other.”
Johnny grabbed Ghost’s hand tight, and firmly rested his head against Ghost’s. It was something they’d started doing months back; a replacement for when they were on the field, and removing Ghost’s mask (and therefore kissing) was out of the question entirely. It felt equally as intimate. Before Ghost could utter another word of argument towards Johnny’s insane plan, he was already out the door.
“He’s gonna be ok, right?” Patty asked at Ghost’s side. She was clutching McStuffie to her chest in a death grip, staring at the door.
“Yeah,” Ghost answered, reassuring her as much as he was himself. “Johnny’s tough. He’s faced worse. He’ll make it back just fine.”
“Worse?”
Ghost looked down at her, a frightened child, and reminded himself that some things were not appropriate for young ears. He didn’t want Johnny screaming himself raw over Ghost scarring his favorite niece.
“You know, like Gaz’s snoring.”
“Who’s Gaz?”
“Another friend. Come on, you should eat.”
Who knew feeding a child could be so difficult? Certainly not Ghost. The house was stocked full of all kinds of food. Ghost may not have been a particularly fantastic cook, but he was confident that he’d be able to whip something up. Unfortunately for him though, anything he suggested was immediately shot down by his 9 year old drill sergeant. It took them nearly 30 minutes to settle on the name brand Mac N Cheese hiding in the back of the pantry. And, of course by then Patty was sufficiently hungry enough to complain the entire time Ghost was cooking.
The child’s whining, mixed with Ghost’s mounting worry for his partner made for a horrible mix. It was like he could suddenly hear and feel everything all at once, and it was torture. By the time he’d finished cooking, and slammed a sloppy bowl in front of Patty, Ghost felt like peeling his skin off. He marched quickly to the bathroom, immediately sliding to the floor once the door was closed behind him.
Alone, and on the safety of the floor, Ghost felt like he could breathe. Just a little. He pulled his baklava off and rubbed his hands furiously down his face. He tried to calm himself in the same ways Johnny was always able to. Pressure. Ghost hugged himself tight, and felt some relief. Not as much as he could have liked though. It didn’t matter much. Whatever crisis Ghost was having was swiftly averted by a knock on the door behind him.
“Lieutenant Ghost?” asked a small voice. “Are you ok?”
Ghost sighed, pulling his baklava back on. It helped to think of this as a mission, he decided. Ghost didn’t have panic attacks on missions. He was a calm and calculating leader, and it was his responsibility to protect his people. This time, Patty was his people.
“I'm alright,” he answered as he opened the door. “It still snowing out there?”
Patty nodded, squeezing McStuffie in her arms.
“Well, no use worrying about it. Do you want to.. Do something?”
“Why didn’t you eat?”
“What?”
“You said you’re ok, but I can tell you're upset, and you didn’t eat. Uncle Johnny says you're bad at taking care of yourself. There’s still mac n cheese on the stove that you can eat.”
“I don’t eat in front of people,” Ghost half lied. It was mostly true. He didn’t tend to eat with others unless he was comfortable around them. And there were really only a few people who met that criteria.
“Because you can't eat without taking off the mask? Why do you wear it? Is it really because you're insecure?”
“No.”
“Then take it off.”
“No.”
“So you are insecure?”
“Are you always this annoying?”
Patty scowled, and immediately Ghost knew he’d done something wrong. Her face twisted in much the same way that Johnny's did when Ghost had done something to upset him. Patty huffed and stormed off down the hall, slamming her bedroom door shut behind her.
Ghost sighed. He knew he couldn't just leave her to sulk, but he really didn't want to go after her. How was he even supposed to fix an upset child? For once, Ghost found himself in a situation that he was entirely unprepared for. He wished desperately for Johnny to break through the door, his sister and brother in-law tossed over his shoulders, and pronounce that everything was ok now. Ghost waited, but the only thing waiting for him beyond the door was the sheeting snow.
Child rearing it was then.
He stood in the hall for sometime, rehearsing what he thought he should say. I'm sorry was usually a good place to start. If you don't want to be called annoying, don't ask so many questions. No, probably not. Don't be upset, your uncle is just as annoying as you and I love him anyway. No, Ghost decided, he was not going to admit he was in love with this girl's uncle. He didn't even know if that was appropriate.
Ghost still hadn't thought of a proper script when the door before him was abruptly pulled open. Patty scowled up at him, one hand resting on her hip. “Are you going to stand out here all day or what?”
“How did you even know I was out here?” Ghost asked, previous apology momentarily forgotten.
“I could see your shadow under the door, you dunce.” She retreated again into her room, flopping hard on her bed. Though she did leave the door open, Ghost noticed. A proverbial olive branch. Ghost stepped just past the door frame, and took a subtle breath as he prepared himself.
“Look, I shouldn’t have called you annoying,” he started. “I didn’t mean it. I'm just not used to.. Kids.”
“Obviously,” she sassed back. “You know, when people ask you questions you could just answer.”
“It's not that simple for me.”
“Why?”
“Be-” Ghost took a deep breath, reigning in his climbing temper. If she wanted answers, she could have them. “The military is a dangerous place. Your uncle and I fight dangerous people everyday. If they remember us, know who we are, they could hurt us in more ways than just on the field. So if I want to protect the people I care about, I have to hide.”
“But there’s no one here but us.”
“You can never be too careful, Patty.”
“What happens if they find out who you are?”
“People could get hurt.”
“Like your family?”
That gave Ghost pause. He didn’t have a family. Not a blood family, anyway, no one who could be traced back to him by lineage. But he had Johnny. And Johnny had a family. So what did that mean for him?
“Sure,” he answered. “Like family.”
Not his family, though.
“Doesn’t that scare you?” Patty asked, hugging her knees to her chest. “You have so many people to protect.”
Ghost shook his head. “I don’t just protect.. Them.. I protect everyone. Johnny and I have stopped wars from starting. War hurts everyone.”
“Wow… Are you in love with Uncle Johnny?”
“Alright, enough talking. Let's do something else now.”
“You have to answer first!”
“I don’t have to do anything, I outrank you, remember?”
“Damn it! Fine, have you ever seen a Barbie movie?”
“I'm about to, aren’t I?”
Patty developed an evil grin as she took Ghost’s hand and led him out into the living room. She told him firmly to sit while she made popcorn, and pushed an unknown dvd into the player beneath the tv. Para lumbered over at some point, laying himself across Ghost’s feet and securely locking him in place. Only a monster would disturb a sleeping dog, after all. Patty placed a large bowl of popcorn between them before taking up her own residence on the couch.
The movie they watched was called The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and it was about.. Well, twelve dancing princesses. Not exactly Ghost’s idea of an engaging watch. Thankfully, Ghost had learned how to disassociate on command, a skill that came in handy on long nights staring down a scope. A skill that would have come in handy then, had Patty not made sure he was watching by asking him very specific questions every few minutes.
“So that old bitch poisoned the king to take his money?”
“Language! And yes.”
“But the princesses suspect her, so they have to go too.”
“Right.”
“And where does the magic come from?”
“Who's got questions now,” Patty sassed through a huff.
Not that Ghost would ever admit such a thing, but the movie was at least bearable. At some point, Patty had moved the popcorn and began using Ghost like a pillow. It wasn’t long before she was asleep at his side, leaving Ghost to figure out what exactly he was supposed to do about the situation. Eventually, he settled on wrapping one arm around Patty, the other resting behind his own head.
Ghost sat there, slowly zoning in and out of reality for a while. His thoughts drifted from the girl at his side, to the man lost somewhere out in the blizzard outside. Johnny had been gone for ours, with no communication to indicate he was ok. Ghost could only soothe his nerves for so long before the anxiety began to set in.
He warned Johnny not to go out there. Lucy and Ronny were probably safe in whatever fancy restaurant they’d gone off too. It was probably pointless for Johnny to go out there looking for them, and it had probably cost him his life. Life was funny that way. Years of missions down range, stopping wars from starting, even surviving betrayals in hostile cities. Johnny made it through it all, but what was the thing that did him in? Snow.
Ghost might have laughed if he wasn’t so scared of crying. And waking the girl sleeping beside him.
He sat like that for what could have been hours. The only sign of the passage of time was the dimming light from the windows. Ghost had already decided that he wouldn’t leave Patty, no matter how much the setting sun willed him to move. Ghost was preparing for the worst, which meant Patty would need him come morning.
A sound from the door snapped Ghost’s mind back into his body. It was the sound of shuffling and bumping against the door. As discreetly as he could, Ghost pulled his hand gun from his jacket pocket and pointed it directly at the door. He didn’t really plan on shooting, of course; it could have just been someone looking to escape the storm. But if it wasn’t, usually just the threat of a bullet was enough to deter a thieving civilian.
When the door finally pushed open, it was accompanied by a gust of cold wind and a layer of snow. It also brought a flurry of swears, which Ghost immediately identified in Johnny’s voice. His grip eased off his pistol, and the dread that had been pooling in his gut melted away.
“Mama! Papa!” Patty, newly awoken by the commotion, raced towards her parents, who swept her up in a group hug.
With his side and feet free, Ghost stood and wrapped Johnny in a hug of his own. His partner shivered in his arms, and buried himself as close to Ghost as he could get.
“Alright Johnny?” Ghost asked, choking back laughter and tears alike.
“Oh, j-just fine Ghostie.”
“Why didn’t you call me, I was worried sick.”
“Tried. The storm must have interfered with the signal, so I couldn't get through.”
Ghost sighed, resting his forehead against Johnny’s. “Alright. I'm just glad you're ok.”
“Yeah. You two have fun while I was out?”
“Not in the slightest.”
“Ma, Uncle Simon is so cool! He made me mac n cheese, and told me about the military, and watched Barbie with me. He’s coming back for Christmas right? Right Uncle Johnny?”
Johnny looked between his niece and his partner, a smile growing across his lips with each passing second. “If he wants to, I don’t see why not. What do you think, Uncle Simon?”
Ghost was silent for a moment. He looked around the room at a group of people who loved each other; a family. They all looked back at him with kind eyes and smiles, and Ghost realized that they might have loved him too. It was the first time he’d met any of them, but they’d already accepted him into their little family. Ghost smiled back, and hoped they could see just how much they really meant to him.
“It would be my pleasure.”