Work Text:
It was late at night, Soap couldn’t sleep, they just left a high-stakes mission and the adrenaline was still coursing through his veins, so, almost too mundanely, he was scrolling through social media on his phone laying on his side on the thin mattress of his military-issued bed.
As his eyes started to feel heavy, sleep eventually catching up to him with a tearful yawn, he still scrolled, unconsciously waiting for sleep to catch up and make him pass out. When he felt the urge to close his eyes creep closer the phone started to ring making him jump as the vibration travelled from his hand to his entire body making him sit on the bed.
He squinted his eyes pawing at the nightstand for his glasses to properly read the name of the person who would call him at such an ungodly hour.
“Ghost…?” he read out loud, his voice raspy from lack of sleep and the small scare “The hell does he want…?” he slid his finger to answer the call, putting the phone close to his ear leaning on the headboard of the bed “Hello?”
Ghost didn’t respond for a few moments, the sounds of shifting fabric filling the silence between them “You…actually picked up.”
“You called in the middle of the night.” he sighed adjusting his glasses on his nose bridge, “Thought it was an emergency.”
Ghost swallowed. Hard. He took another sip of the cup of bourbon on his desk “I just…” he moved his hand in circles, trying to get his drunken mind to form words to describe his thoughts “...wanted to talk.”
Johnny sighed deeply “Are ye drunk Lt?” he questioned with a smile, he had never seen his superior tipsy in their usual festivities post-mission, he was curious.
“Yes, Johnny, I am.” As blunt as ever, he didn’t even sound ashamed at the admission, John let out a small chuckle.
“Alright…what do ye wanna talk about?” He laid down feeling like a teenager that was sneaking past curfew to talk to his crush,both their voices were low, and he had his head under his sheets laying on his side before putting his phone on speaker.
“I just…Just wanted to thank ya.” Ghost scratched at the back of his mask, it was suddenly too hot for his liking.
“Thank me? Fer what?”
“For…everything!” He let out a trembling sigh from the other side of the line making John’s heart pick up speed at the unusual show of emotion “God Johnny I can’t even describe how happy you make me.” he let out a huff and Johnny could hear him drink again.
“Ghost I– don’t know what to sa–”
“You don’t need to say anything. Let me just get this off my fuckin’ chest.” he put the cup down with an audible noise startling an already on edge John. “These past weeks,” said weeks were the ones that they spent on multiple back-to-back missions. Alone. Only having each other for company for days on end. John’s mind reminded him.“You’ve made me feel the most alive I have felt in years. You and you’re stupid jokes, your stupid mohawk, your stupid fucking accent, and your fucking smile, you absolute asshole!” he laughed, low and unfiltered, John wondered if he took his mask off just to confess to him or he just forgot to lower the balaclava down before he spoke.
“Thank you for letting me be Simon for a while, Johnny” he smiled to himself waiting for a response, Simon didn’t care what it would be, he was drunk enough that he wouldn’t even remember this the next morning.
John’s heart drummed loudly in his chest, he gripped the phone like Simon would evaporate if he didn’t hold tight enough onto it. “Bloody Jesus Simon…” the words came out shaky, full of all the emotions that he had repressed for months “We–We’ll talk about this in the morning…” he laughed breathily, sligh panic in his voice. “I promise,” he added for good measure.
Johnny’s heart sank as heard a thud from the other side of the phone. He rose from the bed like he was burnt by the mattress, God, he knew that getting a confession like this wasn’t a good sign.
He ran. Not even caring that he was only in a T-shirt and loose pyjama pants in the freezing cold of winter as he sprinted to his lieutenant’s room. He pushed his glasses up as he opened the door staring at the surprisingly clean room, if he didn’t see Simon sitting on his work desk he would assume that it was a vacant room he walked into.
“...Simon?” he closed the door, trembling as he put a sweaty hand on the older man’s shoulder.
He was met with a grunt, an alcohol fueled sound of awareness that put his mind immediately at ease. The bastard was just drunk, most likely passing out from the alcohol that gave him the courage for his previous confession, he smiled, sighing and hung up the call from Simon’s phone. As he was about to leave he was grabbed by the wrist.
“Jhonny…?” his voice came out hoarse and strained, still muffled by the mask, he really didn’t take that thing off when he slept uh?
He lifted his head from the improvised pillow his arms provided him “Christ…what happened? Ya look pale” he smiled pulling him closer, John let him drunkenly hug his waist feeling his skin burn when he felt him squeeze him close.
“You just passed out onto your desk after confessing to me drunk out of your mind” he looked down, Simon’s puppy eyes softened his tone as he spoke. “I was just worried.”
Simon breathed out a laugh “You worry too much, I don’t deserve all that.”
Before John could respond he was lifted onto Simon’s shoulder and then dropped on the bed none too gently, he was drunk, John didn’t hold it against him. He felt the bed dip as Simon lay next to him pulling the sheets over them both.
“Simon, I need to go t’my room.”
“No, ya don’t, ya can sleep here.” Simon grumbled against him as he wrapped himself around him making his cheeks flush.
Sighing he took his glasses off leaving them at Simon’s bedside table hugging him back by his shoulders. Simon’s body was warm, far warmer than Soap’s, and he melted into the heat “Good night, Simon” he smiled against his neck, closing his eyes.
“G’night Johnny” Simon kissed the top of his head, closing his eyes as he slipped gently into a dreamless sleep.