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Johnny was more excited today than he had been all week. The base had received a new shipment of explosives to test before using it in the field, and Price had left him in charge of the experiments. As the resident demolitions expert, he was the most qualified to handle the tests, and Johnny had no complaints there. He was practically skipping as a group of recruits followed to observe the demonstrations. The crates of explosives were already laid out for testing, only needing minor setup procedures. "Alright, rookies, we’ve got some RDX, chemically known as cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine. Try to say all that ten times fast!” He was practically beaming with excitement. He adored explosives; they always created a beautiful display of light and sound, leaving a smoldering scene afterward.
“We will use a controlled environment to test the explosives for this demonstration. Please ensure your visors and headphones are securely fastened; this will be a bumpy ride.” One of the recruits rolled their eyes while the rest ensured their gear was secured. “RDX is a potent explosive commonly used for mining and large-scale demolition. It’s one of the most powerful compounds used in the military, so we aren’t messing around here.” He couldn’t help but gush a little. He knew far more than the average man when it came to explosives, and he never passed up a chance to talk about it.
“Does anyone have any questions?” He turned to the recruits, scanning the group for a hesitant face. Some of the recruits looked slightly annoyed, but he just assumed they wanted to hurry up and see the explosion; he couldn’t fault them for that. He began setting up the wiring and placing the charges, calculating the blast's scale and detonation rate. “Alright, we need to back up at least 20 feet to avoid any shrapnel or kicked-up rocks. Everyone, follow me to the barriers.” The small group began walking to the crude set up of a crumbling wall to protect them. Maybe it wasn’t entirely up to code, but it did its job just fine.
As they walked, Johnny couldn’t help but recite more of his facts on the explosive. “Did you know RDX was first used by both the US and Germany in World War Two? Americans used it on the German U-boats in an attempt to get rid of em.” Some of the recruits groaned, and Johnny glanced around at them. Were they tired from their short walk? Maybe he should tell the captain to work them harder during training. He continued to ramble on when they finally reached the barrier, getting into positions.
“Is everyone ready? This is going to be beautiful!” He began detonating the charges and waited anxiously for the explosives to set off. The ground rumbled before a burst of dirt and rubble exploded into the air, flashes of light following it. The sounds of small blasts filled the air, and it was music to the Scot's ears. He couldn’t help himself and let out a delighted cheer, practically vibrating in place. “Steaming Jesus, that was gorgeous! I wish we could set off some more after that! Did you see the way the ground shook before it busted open? Truly a sight!” He almost couldn’t stop himself from running over to where the explosion had taken place, but he knew he needed to allow the dust to settle for a moment.
The recruits were snapped out of their awed expressions at the sound of the sergeant's grating voice. They were all agitated at his constant screeching about pointless facts, just wanting to see the boom. None of them commented to avoid getting written up for disrespecting the man. “Alright, let’s go check out the damages!” Johnny was practically running to get to the site and serve the area around. He wanted to see how much the RDX had affected the earth, had it indeed split open as he thought? He scanned the area and was excited to see large pieces of metal from the RDX scattered about, quickly picking them up and inspecting them. He was lucky he had a pair of heat-resistant gloves because they felt hot even through them. If he hadn’t been smart enough to think ahead, he definitely would have gotten a few burns.
“Look at this! Do you see the way the sheets contort and warp from the explosion? This thing is sharp enough to be used as a shank.” He held it out to the recruits, but they only scoffed and began taking off their gear. He shrugged, continuing to examine the metal. “With all due respect, sir. You’re pretty bloody annoying.” The other recruits turned to stare at their fellow soldier, shocked someone had spoken up. While they were grateful someone informed the man, they were nervous about the reaction. Soap was known around the base for being a charming man, easy to get along with, if not a bit much at moments. Though many knew he could be a frigid, calculated man on the field, no one pushed him to see if he behaved the same off it.
Johnny paused, looking up from the shard and staring at the rookie. “Excuse me?” He sounded genuinely confused, if not a bit hesitant and small. No hint of anger was in the man’s voice, so the recruit carried on thinking it would be alright. “You can be a bit much. Constantly going on and on about useless information. When will we need to know half the stuff you said in the field?” Johnny looked away, feeling a bit guilty for bothering the others so much. He hadn’t even realized he was being obnoxious. “Oh, well, I appreciate your feedback…” He paused; he didn’t even know the recruit's name.
Now he felt even more like a douche; he had been so focused on the explosives he hadn’t bothered to get to know the others. “It’s David. Just make sure to tone it down next time.” The kid had confidence; he could give him that. Soap felt like pure shit, lost in thought for a moment before shaking his head. “You all are dismissed.” He muttered weakly. His voice didn’t hold the same energy or spark as it did earlier, sounding almost monotone to his ears. He returned to his barracks and stared in the mirror for a while, his head swimming with thoughts.
Was he truly that annoying? The recruits had only known him for less than half an hour and had picked up how irritating he could be. Perhaps he talked too much or said too many useless things. He could fix that. He was too high energy compared to the other men on base, always known as the arrogant sergeant whose voice carried down the hall. He could fix that too. Soap needed to be better, and he would be.
Ghost didn’t like the shift he noticed in Johnny, the man growing quieter and quieter as the days passed. He seemed distant in his head a lot. He had even begun to observe as the man would rev up for one of his speeches about whatever topic had caught his interest before defeating and slumping into his chair. It worried him; the usual spark in the man had dimmed into only a tiny ember. He wanted to reach out and question the change in attitude, but Ghost was notoriously terrible with emotions. He could barely do his own, let alone another human’s. This excuse was thrown out the window when he heard the Scot mumble, “Stupid Soap, when will you just shut up.”
Before he could second guess himself, he grabbed the sergeant’s arm and pulled them from the room they had been residing in. Johnny allowed himself to be led, a confused expression on his features. “What’s going on with you, Johnny?” Soap looked up nervously, unused to the intense scrutiny of his superior officer. “Nothing, sir.” He almost continued with a half-assed assurance before realizing it might appear annoying. He quickly snapped his mouth shut and looked away.
“Bullshit, you’ve been acting off all week.” Soap felt like a bug under a microscope and quickly cleared his throat. “Just had some helpful insight, that’s all.” This piqued Ghost’s curiosity; this was the most he’d heard from the Scot all week. “Go on.” He nudged the other man to continue, but the man remained silent. “Johnny, you can speak freely with me.” Soap looked up with big doe eyes as though that was all he’d ever wanted in his entire life. The simmering ember was growing into a dull shine.
“Well, I went out to test explosives for Price earlier this week. I took some rookies to observe with me. One of the recruits had the guts to speak up to me, but he needed to do so.” He could tell he was mumbling, but the lingering anxiety kept him silent. “What did they say?” Ghost sounded colder, seemingly annoyed at the idea of Soap being talked back to. “Informed me I could be annoying, too much at times.” He looked away, knowing the words were genuine deep down. He felt the overwhelming shame bubble up once more. “Do you actually believe that?”
Soap looked up and saw nothing but sadness in his lieutenant’s eyes. He was shocked by the expression, the guilt growing ever more vital. “Aye, sir, I know I can be a lot to deal with.” Ghost released a sad sigh, shaking his head minutely. He didn’t know fully how to reassure the man before him, still terrible with emotions. He knew he needed to say something to help Johnny, but he was coming up blank. Instead, he just confessed how he felt about the other man.
“Johnny, you aren’t ‘too much’; if anything, your bright personality is a welcome difference at the base. Most of the lot here is a bunch of brooding assholes, me included.” Johnny appeared to want to interrupt the man, most likely to tell him the lieutenant wasn’t, but he allowed the man to continue. “Your long rants and speeches allow us to escape for a moment, not think about the harsh reality on the other side. That’s more than any of us could ever ask for.” Johnny was a bit speechless; Ghost liked hearing him talk.
“Those rookies only said that because they haven’t experienced what we have, not yet. When they spend a bit more time here, they’ll be begging for another one of your lectures about bomb disarmament or whatever.” Johnny smiled bittersweetly, the words kind but not entirely sticking just yet. “Thanks, Lt.” Ghost could tell the man was still doubting himself, too wrapped up in his head. He did the only thing he could think of to get the man talking again. “Say, Johnny, what kind of bomb was it that you tested?” He watched in amusement as the sergeant’s eyes lit up, the shine growing into a burst of light. Huh, kind of like an explosion.
Johnny had talked himself into a coma, passing out onto the lieutenant’s shoulder and snoring softly. They sat in the common room with Price and Gaz, playing some cards. Soap barely stopped to breathe as he rambled on about different tactical uses of flashlights, a topic they were all well versed in already. Still, it was nice to hear the sergeant so animated once more. Ghost looked down fondly at his sergeant, coughing when he noticed the smirks he was receiving from the other men. Suddenly, he was struck with a crucial memory.
“Price, do you remember the rookies who went with Johnny to the explosives test?” Price paused, thinking deeply. “I believed it was that lot in Alpha-04, the ones who were shipped in last month.” Ghost nodded sharply, resuming their game for a few more minutes. Gaz let out a quiet yawn, mumbling his departure for the night. Once he was gone, Price turned with a stern look in his eye. “I don’t know your reasoning for the question earlier, but don’t rough the kids up too much.” Ghost nodded, knowing it would be difficult not to throttle the man who’d insulted Johnny so personally. It made his blood boil with how flippantly the recruit had insulted his Johnny.
“No promises, captain.” He mumbled, carefully moving to pick the Scot up into his arms. He needed to transfer him to his barracks before he made any move to confront the newbies. “Try to make it look like an accident; less paperwork then.” Price mumbled, snuffing out his cigar and strolling out of the common room. Ghost let out a small chuckle, accidentally jostling the man in his arms. Soap mumbled, shifting around to get closer to the man’s warmth. “Shh, it’s alright, Johnny. I got ya.” His voice was softer, less fierce, and grating on the ears. Jesus, the Scot had him wrapped around his little finger.
He treaded lightly down the halls, ensuring not to knock or shake the sleeping man too much. Once he reached the barracks, he placed the man delicately on the bed and began stripping him off his boots and extra gear. “Mmm, Simon?” Johnny had whispered his name so gently it nearly stopped the lieutenant’s heart. He had called him Simon before, but not with such care and innocence. He almost wanted to forget about reprimanding the recruits and curl up into bed with the sleepy man.
“Right here, Johnny. Going to go deal with something, you rest.” He went to pull away, but a loose grip had found a home on his wrist. He turned to be faced with the bleary eyes of his sergeant, and he smiled slightly at the sight. Jesus, this man was making him go soft. “You come back?” He sounded so muffled from where his face was pressed against the sheets, straining to look at the Brit. Ghost sighed and nodded, “Promise.” This seemed to sate the man, and he drifted off into sleep once more.
Finally, Ghost departed from the barracks and swiftly approached the Alpha-04 chambers. The simmering fury from earlier was growing steadily with every step he took. The lieutenant harshly pounded on the door for a moment and barely waited for confirmation to come in before throwing it open. The recruits inside seemed to be preparing for bed but quickly stood at attention at the sight of the officer. Ghost knew he could be intimidating, and he had never felt more appreciative of the fact until this moment. “Which one of you lot talked back with Sergeant MacTavish?”
The rookies glanced at each other nervously, wondering if they should rat out their friend. Ghost looked absolutely livid, and they knew this conversation wouldn’t end well. “No need to save his skin; I’m not killing him.” That didn’t seem to settle any of the other men’s nerves, but they finally glanced at what he assumed was the perpetrator. “You, what’s your name?” The recruit stepped forward, attempting to appear brave, but Ghost could notice all his tells. “Private David, sir.” Ghost hummed, glaring at the man fully now. “Will you tell me why you thought it was good to speak back to your sergeant?”
“Well, I wasn’t necessarily speaking back, sir; I was only-” Ghost cut him off with a short growl. “I don’t give a fuck what you were trying to do. You were clearly being insubordinate, and Sergeant MacTavish should have clocked you where you stood.” David gulped, finally working up to a noticeable tremble of fear. “You’re lucky Johnny is a merciful man because I surely am not. I should strike you where you stand.” The man looked like he could shit himself at any moment.
“If I catch wind of you speaking illy about my sergeant again, I will ensure you are discharged and never walk into this base too. I’ll go as far as to ensure you never walk again.” With that, he turned briskly and strolled back to Johnny’s room. He was greeted by the sound of soft snoring and Soap sprawled out on the sheets. The Scot began to stir when he heard the door open and glanced up to make eye contact with his lieutenant. “Hi, Lt.” His voice was riddled with exhaustion, and it melted Ghost down to the core. He peeled off his gear and climbed into the sheets with the other man.
It was a considerable step for their relationship, but neither made to comment, content to be in the presence of the other. “Take it off, Si.” Who was Ghost to deny a request in that voice? Timidly, he peeled off the covering and looked away bashfully. “Gorgeous.” A furious flush spread across Simon’s face, and he rolled his eyes fondly. “Shut it, MacTavish.” The Scot beside him giggled childishly and moved to place a tender kiss on his bare cheek. Simon could feel himself grow more flustered. “Aye, sir.” They didn’t say anything more, tangling into an embrace and falling asleep.