Chapter Text
The bell on the shops door rings as it opens for the man and closes behind him. Observing the board, he decides a plain coffee will do just fine. He’s never had a taste for any of the sweeteners the shop uses.
The coffee is hot and he decided to sit outside for once, wincing as he pulls the shops door open, the motion jostling his fractured ribs. His other arm in a sling and his leg in a bandage.
Bruised up as he is he’s determined to get back to work as soon as he can. The worst of its past and his arm just needs to rest, no heavy liftin they said. His leg will heal like all flesh wounds but in numbers it may take time. He sets his coffee on the table.
The sound of his phone ringing grabs his attention, the chair of his table pulled out and himself going to sit. He doesn’t recognize the number.
“Hello?”
“…Soap…”
There’s something in his voice, something wrong. And Soaps stomach drops.
“Ghost is that you? What’s wrong?”
He’s met with nothing but a shaky breath.
“Simon-“
“Where are you Jonny…?”
“A coffee shop two blocks from our house, where are you-?”
“…Tea, grab us some tea.”
And Soap would laugh if there weren’t a new pit in his stomach.
“What’s wrong Simon? Please tell me…”
A breath. Two. “I’m coming home…”
As he feels his own heart pick up it’s pace, another voice on the phone chimes in and pulls him back from his wondering thoughts.
“Ghost who else is with you?”
He hears a request for the phone, it’s quiet for a minute and he hears something creak in the background.
“Soap?”
“Captain? What’s going on?”
“It’s Ghost, something’s happened, he won’t talk to anyone, first words he’s said in three days, your name, I’m sending him home.”
“You said the mission would take two weeks.”
Silence again. He hates when they do this.
“Captain please, tell me what you know? You’re sending him home it can’t be good.”
“You ain’t gonna like it Jonny.”
“Spit it out already then-“
“We don’t know. Thought he was dead when we found him. Mission is almost over, main target out the way, but Ghost…Ghost wasn’t doing to good. Found him unconscious two kilometers from the safe house, two bullet holes in his vest. Must’ve hit his head with the impact. When he didn’t wake up we drew blood, found something in it. Never seen this type before, Roach thinks they enemy is was testing something out…”
“That ain’t it, Ghost don’t just shut up if he’s been shot, what aren’t you telling me?”
“…We lost contact with him. Only for a day, it’s not uncommon for him to go solo, you know this Soap. Alejandro and his men are the ones who alerted us to his position. Said they’d seen him there while finishing up there part.”
“What else?”
“Said he was fucked up, aimed at them, even hit one of his guys in the arm. They didn’t return fire but that alerted the enemy and everyone got split up. Alejandro said it was like he wasn’t even looking at them, like he was seeing someone else. Looking for someone else. Ghost is…something happened, something bad. He ain’t in it right now. Can’t risk him possibly letting whatever got him take over completely. He’s coming home.”
“Should I come get him? It’s not a long flight-“
“No he’s packed up and ready, we just can’t get him to get up, he said he needed to talk to you, that he wouldn’t move until he spoke with you. He’s leaving now.”
“Alright captain…”
“You contact us when he’s back…he’s not ok Soap. Find out what’s wrong and get him back.”
“Copy that.”
The sound of people talking comes back into his focus as the phone beeps. He deftly put sit back in his pocket and grabs his coffee, heading back to their home. The pain in his leg nothing compared to the anxiety he feels at not knowing what’s wrong with Ghost or how to help him.
Twelve hours is a long time to wait when you know something’s wrong. The suv headlights shine through the front windows of their place and are gone before Soap can open the front door.
There he finds a tall figure with two bags. He steps into the porch, grunting already at the cold wood on his feet. Before he realizes it, Ghost is right in front of him, pushing him back inside.
Soap takes a few steps more to make room for Ghost to step in and he hears the bags hit the floor, all of Ghosts tactical gear being removed as quickly as it can be done.
Soap wants to touch him so bad, but he knows his long time lover is fucking out of it, his eyes distant, hands shaky, breaths quick. His ghost is not ok.
Reaching his good hand out once the vest is off, Soap doesn’t realize what he’s just put on motion.
Ghost does not tackle him but it is damn near it, the man’s arms wrapped so tightly around Soaps chest and back that he does let out a slight cry of pain.
Ghost flips them so Soap can lean against his chest instead of the rough walk but his grip barely falters, only moving to his waist and shoulder as he buries his head in Soaps neck.
It’s silent apart from Soap trying to get his breath back all the while not letting his ribs expand completely to avoid the sharp pains it causes him. Ghost has just barely lifted his mask, and only to place a soft kiss right on Soaps collar bone.
And when a hand reaches up to his shirt, lifting it from the waist band of his sweat pants, he can feel the idea starting to get to him.
He wants to question the Ghost, to ask him what went down and what he can do to help but he’s also learned that with Ghost sometimes are better left to the physical side to explain.
Soap lets his head fall slightly, resting his forehead against the top of the mask his boyfriend wears. His breath catching slightly as a fingers drift deftly over his left nipple.
He keeps a hand on the back of Ghosts head, the other on his shoulder, and the other man twists his fingers just right to make Soaps kneels feel weak. His right leg already weak with the injuries on his thigh, it doesn’t take much for Soap to have to completely lean against his partner.
They find themselves on the couch, an L shaped one with a few more cushions to fill the gap, essential making it a square.
Ghost is careful when tipping Soap back onto the cushions, kneeling between his legs as the other makes a face at his touches.
Soap feels the rough pad of a thumb swipe over his chest again and wraps his arms around the others neck, pulling him down to kiss.
A hand finds it’s way to his pants and he helps the man take them off, kicking them somewhere before watching ghost sit up and take off his shirt, pushing his pants down just enough to free himself.
“Ghost, you’re so impatient with your injured lover, we have time.”
He tries to lighten his partners spirits with the small banter, if you can even call it that but instead Ghost just stops.
His head hanging as he sits between his lovers thighs, hands clenching the fabric beneath them. He rips his mask off but doesn’t look up.
Soap doesn’t say anything, giving the man his time, until the others chest heaves and he almost slams himself down onto Soaps rib cage.
Ghost hovers just over it, resting on his elbows but his head lays dead center as lightly as possible. Soap doesn’t know what to do.
A hand goes down to trace the bandages on Soaps thigh, a soft sob rocking the other man’s body.
“I’ll kill him…”
It suddenly hits Soap. This is not just a build up of emotions flowing over, there’s something rooted deeper here.
“I’m gonna kill him, fucking kill all of them, I can’t let this happen- Soap!”
He’s not frozen, he just doesn’t know what to do.
The other man sits up so fast it almost makes him dizzy, a hand coming to rest over the bandages covering the slash wounds.
Their last mission they’d been outnumbered, how they don’t know but more had showed up faster then they could reload and that’s how Soap got hurt.
His arm yanked out of socket by an enemy soldier as two other did their best to stop on his chest. It worked for a few seconds, until Ghost took them down.
Head shots, it looked like head shots but Ghost had been quick, shooting them down and then deciding to instead of manning his post to cover them, run down to get Soap himself.
In the meantime one was not shot in the head, a knife in hand dragging himself towards Soap, he’d been stunned by the pain.
Head spinning he was unable to move away quick enough and the man had reached him, stabbing a knife into his right thigh.
He had screamed, pain exploding in his thigh as he tries to pull himself away and the man yanked the knife back out, plunging it back in again.
Soap doesn’t remember much after the third stab, the knife sitting painfully in his thigh as the other man dragged himself up enough to straddle Soap and wrap his hands around his neck.
He only remembers trying to pry the man’s hands off his throat and getting nowhere because he couldn’t breath and his body hurt.
Soap does remember Ghost. The one who flew in on two steps and had ahold of the man, throat slit and tossed off of Jonny in what felt like less then a second.
It’s blank after that, just waking up to white lights and Ghost leaning over him. He was sent home after that. Ghost had stayed for about three days before he was called back to finish the mission off.
“I swear I’ll kill him Soap, I won’t let him touch you again-! No one, ever! I can keep you safe I promise please-!”
He sits up, as best he can, and pulls the other man’s forehead to his own. It calms him some, the other just heaving down air and shutting his eyes.
“I’m ok Simon.”
“I can…I can keep you safe, I will please- I’ll find the bastard, I swear and I’ll kill him…”
Soap feels his partners hand rest gently over the remainder of the wounds in his thighs and puts a hand over it.
“Listen to me Simon, I am ok, I’m fine, they don’t even hurt-“
“I promise I’ll kill him, Jonny please, I’ll kill him, please stay…”
His words are followed by a few more softer sobs, he lets the man calm down some more before talking.
“Ghost listen, you got them. Cut their throat right there, you saved me.”
He feels the other man go ridged and places a soft kiss on his lip.
“I killed him… For hurting you, he was killing you Jonny I couldn’t- I can’t…can’t lose you to…”
“I know, I’m not going anywhere thanks to you. I’m here with you.”
“I thought…I thought you had left…”
“No I’m right here, never gonna leave you again you hear me? Do you wanna talk about it?”
“No…no I don’t…”
“Fine with me. What would you like me to do?”
“I…I want you to lay down, let me have you.”
“I’m all yours Lt.”
Soap lets himself lean back against the couch pillows this time and hears the sound of a tube being opened.
He shuts his eyes, waiting for the pressure. A slight cold before a digit slides in and he relaxes around it.
“I missed you Ghost.”
“…Missed you to Jonny…now let me take care of you.”
He nods, letting his head head fall back and relaxing into his touch. Glad he missed him.
It takes no time before Ghost slides a second digit in and Soap lifts his good leg some. A quick minute later and he knows Ghost has found his spot cause he’s seeing stars.
Back arches some what and toes curling, Soap lets himself finish without any guilt. He waits for it to continue but Ghost just rubs him through the rest of his peak before pulling his fingers out and grabbing a towel to clean him up with.
“You don’t want a turn?”
“…No. This is what I wanted, you…just you. It’s all I want.”
“You sappy fuck, come here.”
Ghost lets himself fall, that’s the only way he can describe it. And cuddles up to Soaps side, a hand resting in his hand and the other on the man’s chest.
They fall asleep like that, content to stay the way they are.