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"Come home for Christmas with me." Soap had really just said it out loud to Ghost. It was an impulse thought that made it out of his mouth before he could consider it twice.
He had been thinking about it too much in the past few weeks, leaving Ghost behind all on his own, while he headed back to Scotland to see his parents His heart ached a lot at that thought, definitely more with each time any other person would bring up Christmas leave and Ghost would try to hide the increasingly solemn expression in his eyes. Nobody bugged him about his plans, which was good, but they didn't seem to pay attention to their chats being possibly hurtful anyway either.
Soap saw it all, however, he saw it and with every mention of the topic, his urge to do something about it grew, so when Alejandro brought up his plan to visit Rudy and Rudy coming to see his family afterwards, he finally snapped.
The expression on Ghost's face was so many things at once that Soap couldn't tell whether the net outcome was positive or negative. It took a very long and stressful minute for an answer to come out of Ghost's mouth.
"If you're sure you want me there..." he looked almost apologetic but there was some spark in his eyes that made Soap's heart beat faster.
"Of course I do!" Soap grinned, uncaring to mask his genuine joy; he feared he'd make a fool out of himself or even anger Ghost, were he to read it as a sort of gesture that would come out of pity.
Which it truly wasn't because Soap was thrilled to spend the holidays with him, see him outside of their headquarters and not in the field, see more of the Ghost that he sometimes got a tiny glimpse of between missions, when he'd put on something that could almost count as housewear and read his book or watch a movie. The Ghost that would put his hoodie on with the balaclava or even just a simple medical mask and go out shopping with him. One that would complain about stalling but still stop to grab some ice cream on the way back. Soap honestly liked all versions of Ghost he came to know but that one held a very special place in his heart.
He had a feeling it was exactly this Ghost that smiled back at him tentatively.
***
Soap's parents were perfectly Scottish just as one would expect.
Ghost didn't know exactly how to behave at first, especially as he had been pulled into a full on hug by Mrs. MacTavish right after she let go of her son in their small hallway and he had not been prepared for such a dose of motherly affection. She smelled of warmth, good cooking and honey, her embrace firm but caring, a genuine gesture of welcome. It took all of his willpower not to just freeze there, paralised by how deeply moved he suddenly had felt.
"Hello." she said cheerfully. "We've heard much of ya from John."
"Aye, laddie, welcome to our house." Soap's dad reached out to shake his hand as soon as she let go of him.
Ghost was so glad his body handled social interactions on autopilot for him because what did they just say? Soap had been telling his parents about him?
He politely greeted them both and thanked for the invitation but found his eyes darting above their heads to find Soap with his back turned to him, all too casually taking off his coat, an unusual stiffness to his movements.
Overall he was still quite baffled by Soap inviting him for Christmas. He almost had said no to him just because he didn't like celebrating these holidays at all but something about the look in Soap's eyes had him reconsider and agree. Yes, they had grown pretty close in these past few months but they weren't really anything other than close friends officially, that is also only if you skimmed over the fact that friendships were not in the field manual. Not that Ghost didn't think about all the other possibilities because they kept him awake alright but his social skills were definitely rusty and he wasn't even sure any of his attempts at flirting read as such.
It did feel like Soap flirted back sometimes but they never really named it so or really talked about it. They were just kinda stuck at this stage where they were comfortable in each other's space but someone would have to make a bolder move to push it one step further. However, it felt a little crazy and risky to admit even to yourself what you actually wanted, when every day you faced a real possibility of death or injury and the person you cared about a little too much for your own good run the exact same risks.
All these circumstances made him only more curious what exactly Soap had told his parents about him and why.
Soap's mom said something about them being knackered after their flight and Ghost politely complained about the jetlag and their prolonged wait at the airport due to their plane getting delayed. Truth to be told, he had actually enjoyed the extra time with Soap. They watched an entire season of some silly reality tv show on Soap's iPad, sharing his headphones, first sat on the floor by their gate and later on their neighbouring seats on board. They caught up on some sleep on the plane too, Soap drooling onto Ghost's shoulder, which he happily pointed out just to rile him up a little, when they woke up, even if he actually didn't mind.
Now, however, that easy familiarity wasn't quite there; Soap seemed a little off, avoiding his gaze as his parents kept casually talking about how they couldn't wait to meet Ghost and how Johnny just would not shut up about him and even sent them a piture of a drawing he created, a masked portrait of Ghost in person.
Having mentioned it, Soap's mom pointed at the surgical mask he still had on.
"Johnny explained to us that ya have yer reasons to keep your face covered so please, just tell us how we can make it comfortable to ya while we share a meal. Forgive us for any indiscrecies, if any occur." she seemed genuinely concerned with his mental comfort and Ghost couldn't help but find it even more endearing than her motherly warmth and openness.
"I don't think that will be an issue." he said and took his mask off to smile at her.
He risked a glance in Soap's direction and found the man finally looking back at him, his face one of poorly concealed awe with an edge of something else. Approval? Relief? Ghost winked at him and Soap blushed but didn't avert his gaze this time.
Mama MacTavish was staring at him too for a moment before she shook her head minutely and invited them over to the table.
The smell of food made Ghost realise he had actually been starving so he eagerly took a seat next to Johnny and dug into his portion with vigour, satisfying the worst of it before he thought to bring up the topic that really interested him.
"So what did Johnny tell you two about me?" he asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
The way Soap almost choked on his food, glanced at him with alarm and then made big eyes at his parents was quite entertaining.
"Oh, only positive things, I assure you, laddie." Soap's father came to his rescue.
"He told us all about how you take good care of each other at work and how nice you are to him. That you spend a lot of your free time together, things like that." his mother rambled a little and Ghost listened while looking at Soap, who squirmed on his spot and got redder in the face. "I'm just happy to see my son find someone so honestly caring and sweet."
Soap hid his face in his palms, groaning, and Ghost couldn't help chuckling.
"Thank you" he said to her. "for being so kind."
"All John's words not mine." she shrugged, clearly flattered anyway.
Ghost turned to Soap, who was clearly going through a bout of critical embarassment, and he kind of felt for him a little, even though he had never really experienced this type of family-induced shame himself.
"Hey, Johnny" he said, putting an arm around the other man's shoulders. "Thank you for speaking so highly of me, even when you know I can't hear it." on an impulse he pressed a kiss to Johnny's temple, noticing with deep satisfaction that the very tips of Soap's ears turned red.
***
Soap sneaked into the kitchen after the dinner was done, hoping to catch his mom alone first chance he got. He took a deep breath, ready to tell her she must have clearly misjudged the situation, thinking him and Simon were dating but before he gathered enough courage, she spoke first.
"He is so nice, isn't he? I see clearly ya make each other very happy." she smiled brightly, her eyes the exact same shade of blue as his but surrounded by a net of subtle wrinkles. "I'm truly relieved to see ya with someone who seems such a perfect match. Ya best hold onto that for dear life." she patted his shoulder before turning away to pour more water into the kettle and Soap realised he no longer had the heart to tell her the whole truth.
Honestly, sometimes he thought that maybe it was just that Simon wouldn't like to call whatever they had going dating, even if they flirted a lot and technically went out together all the time. He had heard people say that Ghost never dated and it did put a bit of a barrier up for him since he didn't want to drag Simon into something he'd be uncomfortable with and he also didn't want to make any clearly romatic advances only to have them misinterpreted as strictly sexual, in case that's what "never dating" meant.
It was a struggle to figure out the right time, place and words to clearly spell out what he really hoped for, without getting overbearing from the get go. Something about how long it took Simon to let go of the toughest aspects of the Ghost persona around Soap, told him that going for grand confessions right from the beginning could shove Simon back into his shell where he wouldn't have to face the risk of losing another person who cared about him deeply.
This occasion though, this familial setting with his warm, welcoming parents, who clearly assumed they've already had been through that talking stage, it seemed to somehow unlock and disarm Simon, making him seem so much more approachable, forget the dangerous reality of their lives with a glimpse into a normalcy they maybe could hope to retire into sometime.
Lost in the thought, Soap didn't even notice when exactly his mom had left the kitchen. He stood there alone, leaning against the island, wondering what would happen, if he simply asked for what he had secretly dreamt of ever since he laid his eyes on Simon Riley one fateful day.
***
Simon had a surprisingly grand time talking to Soap's dad one on one. The older Scottsman had a clear soft spot for horrible dad puns so they exchanged some favourites, when Soap and his mom had left the room and they had a moment where no one would groan and complain about how silly they were.
Simon found it quite endearing that Soap's dad kept calling him a "laddie" despite being at least a head and a half shorter than him and of a scravnier build. His smile was exactly the same as Soap's though; even if Johnny had his mom's eyes, there was an almost eerie similarity between him and his dad.
"So, laddie" Mr. MacTavish cleared his throat after they had another laugh. "Anno it's a wee bit silly to ask but I wanna see wit yer script for my son is. Ye gonna make him an honest lad?" his gaze was still warm yet honestly questioning now.
Simon felt a fair bit uneasy despite any bodily threat from this man having no right to be so intimidating; his words weren't even directly threatening either.
"I-uh" he felt himself blush, his traitorous face betraying more emotion than he was used to expressing publicly. "If only that's what he wants, I'd be really happy to." he answered more earnestly than he had expected, regardless of how long he'd spent sleepless thinking about how much he truly yearned to lay his claim on Johnny as someone more than just his closest friend.
He thought of it almost every night now, even if it was terrifying to admit that despite his best efforts to stay a cold, collected man, he had let someone into his heart again, probably against their best interests too.
Soap's dad nodded in approval.
"Aye" he looked Simon straight in the eye, "I feared he'd struggle some to find a quality lad since he came out. Lads play more and he ain't built for that, my Johnny. He winna settle for naw player's mince, he needs a proper family."
Simon held his gaze but fell deeper into his thoughts for a moment. The only real family he had ever had was the one his brother made and he lost it so tragically on a Christmas Eve all these years ago. Could this perhaps be a delayed apology from the fate? To gain a new family exactly on the anniversary of losing the first one?
"I do need a family too." he admitted, more vulnerable than he'd ever been in front of a stranger.
"You got one now, son." Soap's dad smiled and reached out to place his hand on top of Simon's, warm and gentle in its certainty.
Simon could only stare back at him, speechless with the appreciation and emotions that overcame him.
Their moment of silent connection prolonged until Soap's mom returned with more tea. She smiled looking between them two as she settled the full teapot down.
"I think Johnny would appreciate, if ya went to fetch him before the tea gets cold." she turned to Simon, trying to hide a smug smirk.
Simon cleared his throat, hoping he didn't blush too much with all the emotions that he had just gone through in the short span of their conversation.
"If you'll excuse me then, I'll go get him." he stood up and attempted to walk across the room casually, as if he didn't really wish to run.
He found Johnny propped against the kitchen island, his legs outstretched in front of him and arms crossed. He was clearly lost in his thoughts as his sight focused on Simon only when he stepped really close, completely placing himself in Johnny's space, his legs firmly on each side of Soap's own.
"Hey" he said, looking Soap in the eyes. "Wanna tell me why your parents are convinced we are dating?"
"I..." Soap blushed hard; it happened comically fast too. "I didn't tell them anything of the sorts, they just made their own assumptions, I guess. I can tell them the truth, if you want me to, right this instant but they just seemed so happy..." he would have clearly rambled on but got cut off as Simon put a finger against his mouth to shush him.
"Alternatively, you can just say yes to actually dating me." he put it out there, as simple as that; it felt like the ground slipped from underneath his feet though, when the weight of his own words hit him. "I know it's scary, Johnny, trust me. I've already lost so much and to have somebody to lose again was one of my greatest fears since then, the very reason I put Ghost up like a wall between me and the other people. You, though, you took that wall down as if it was all paper-thin to begin with, a frail facade that couldn't stop your warmth from seeping in. You're the only one to peek straight behind the mask and not despise what you've found. Tell me, if I'm wrong but I dare to believe you've somehow, against all reason, fallen for me the same way I've fallen for you and I cannot pretend anymore that I don't dream of holding you tight for the rest of our time on this cursed Earth."
"Simon..." Johnny looked like he was about to cry, his blue eyes watery but still holding his gaze. "Of course you're right and we've been fools or wasting the precious time until now, when I could have kissed you good morning, good luck and good night every day."
"Hey, there is no point in living through what could have been, when we can live through what is now and you can kiss me right here, if you only feel so inclined." Simon didn't care to fight his own tears and stop one from rolling down his cheek; Johnny wiped it off, a gesture so natural as if they had been through this already, and tentatively cupped his face to pull him down into a soft kiss, as careful as if he still couldn't quite believe Simon wasn't going to bolt out of his arms last second.
It felt so right to embrace Johnny with no reservations and kiss him back, boldly enough now to deepen it, explore just a little as a prelude to everything else they had yet to discover about one another. He felt Johnny's hand slide down his back to squeeze his ass experimentally and he groaned against his mouth, biting gently on his lower lip before pulling back.
"No shame, MacTavish, I see." he said in a low voie. "In you own parents' house."
"Oh that's definitely not the worst thing I'd risk it all for in this home." Soap laughed, his cheeks rosy and eyes sparkling.
God, Simon would really let that man kiss him silly in front of the whole 141 now.
EPILOGUE
December 25th found Soap waking up in his old room, in a warm embrace of a man he was absolutely crazy for. He couldn't stop himself from pressing a gentle kiss to Ghost's now relaxed forehead and it didn't surprise him at all that it was enough to wake the other man up.
"Hi." he said coyly.
"Hello." Ghost smiled and leaned in to kiss him good morning.
God, he could get used to starting every one of his days just like that.
He'd seriously consider spending the following hours right in this bed that was a notch too small for the two of them but he knew his parents were excited for breakfast and presents so they only allowed themselves a couple of soft minutes, lazily making out. He didn't even think to get self-conscious about his morning breath since Simon didn't seem to mind at all.
When they finally made their appearance at the breakfast table, Simon was holding his hand and Johnny got quite suspicious of the knowing look his parents exchanged but he didn't have it in himself to feel embarassed, when Simon kept looking at him so openly, with affection written all over his face.
He relaxed as the meal went on and by the time they finished eating, he felt quite ready for the gifting chaos to ensue.
Soap wasn't too surprised both him and Simon got his mom's signature Christmas sweaters though he was quite impressed she knitted one for Simon so fast. Then again, he wouldn't have put it past her to start on one the very second he first mentioned him to her, just in case something in his life worked out for once.
Johnny, in turn, had painted them a portrait of theirs that he was quite proud of. They did really like it and his mom immediately knew which wall it would go onto.
What he couldn't have prepared himself for though was the gift that Simon had for his parents.
It was a photo album with plenty of the pages already filled with photos of mostly Johnny posing with others from 141, group pictures they sometimes would take and even some silly selfies he must have swiped somehow from Johnny's phone. There were a couple pictures of him there that he didn't recognize, mostly shots of him talking to someone or drawing and he immediately assumed Simon had to have taken these himself. On top of the album he also go them an Instax camera and said it was to take a few pictures over these Christmas to add to the album, without having to go print them out. Johnny found it quite adorable, when Simon blushed as his mom pulled him into a hug.
Johnny's present for Simon was a custom made hard mask he spent hours bending and sculpting out of this extra durable yet light material he found. It was obsidian in colour and slightly more angular and devilish than the gray skull he donned as of late. Simon seemed quite impressed with it and kissed Johnny on the cheek before trying it on, his eyes striking behind the menacing cover.
As for the last gift to be opened, the one Johnny recieved from Simon, he was quite shocked to find two tickets to see Katy Perry in the following week and not just any tickets at that, they were VIP with meet & greet included.
"How in the hell did you get that?" he made big eyes at Simon.
"I may have bought them for you three months ago, knowing you were likely to head home for Christmas." he shrugged as if it was nothing. "You listen to her non-stop, thought you may wanna go see her live, take your mom or a friend."
"You!" Soap pointed at Simon, still in deep disbelief. "You're gaun chum me there! Katy is my absolute favourite and yer aff your nut for this!"
"I'm glad you like my present." Simon stil looked a bit sheepish but Johnny wasn't going to just get over this normally, especially because he tried to get these tickets himself before and failed.
Sue him for being stereotypically girly pop but that music gave him his daily boost of joy and if he could get Simon to maybe feel the same energy for once with him, it would truly be the best day ever.
On an impulse he grabbed Simon by the collar of his new Christmas sweater (because of course they had to try them on as soon as they got them) and kissed him fully on the lips, right in front of his parents. He was so focused on the softness of the pliant mouth underneath his own, when Simon started kissing him back, that he barely registered the sound of the shutter in the background.
Only his mom saying "Ha, this one goes straight to the album!" made him pause and pull away to blink rapidly at Simon's absolutely owlish expression and reddened lips.
Soap turned slowly to see is mother holding a developing polaroid picture, somewhat triumphantly. Slowly, a photo of them caught in a kiss appeared in front of their eyes as she waved it around a little.
"Lovely." she commented, squinting at it from an arms distance as she didn't have her reading glasses on.
Soap's dad had already pulled a tube of glue out of God knows where and before they could even say a word of protest, the picture was firmly stuck in the album, right in the middle of its own fresh page.
"So glad you finally got over yourselves." Mrs. MacTavish looked up from the photo once she was satisfied with the placement and smiled at them.
"You knew we weren't together?!" Johnny couldn't hide his shock as both his parents nodded.
"Honey, I know a pining man when I see one and the two of you?" she shook her head, pursing her lips. "Hopeless, utterly hopeless. I had to help you a little."
"Ugh." Soap groaned and hid his face in his palms.
"I, for one, am very grateful, Mrs. MacTavish" he heard Simon say quietly after a short pause.
"It's the least we could do." she smiled all innocently. "And you should just call me mom from now on, God knows I hate being called a Mrs."
Soap glanced at Simon and saw the shocked expression on his face. He reached out for his hand quickly and as their fingers twined, Simon finally looked at him, a shaky smile on his lips and disbelief in his eyes. Johnny nodded his head, his expression softening, even more so as Simon squeezed his hand gently.
The disbelief slowly dissipated into hopefulness and Johnny had to admit, it was truly the most beautiful sight.