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The exhaustion of the mission must have been clear on Gaz’s face as he climbed out of the helo because as he greeted Ghost and Soap, the lieutenant had squeezed his shoulder and murmured, “Come by my quarters once you’ve dropped off your kit.”
The mission objective had been completed successfully, but not without a series of, in Gaz’s opinion, preventable mishaps that delayed their progress. It wasn’t that the operators that he had been working with were bad, only that it made him realize how spoiled he was working with the 141, the way they were a cohesive, well oiled machine.
Gaz was stiff from sleeping on rough terrain on the thin bedroll in his pack and was looking forward to having a more restful sleep on the moderately more comfortable military issue mattresses in their bunks.
With leadened feet, he returned to his room, dropping his bag on his bed, and removing his tactical gear and stowing it away. He desperately wanted a shower to rinse away the grime and to ease aching muscles, but instead made his way toward the officer’s quarters as instructed, knocking twice firmly on Ghost’s door when he arrived.
The door opened and Ghost stepped aside to let Gaz in. Door closed quietly behind them, Gaz found himself folded into Ghost’s chest, strong arms wrapping around his shoulders, pulling him close. He melted against the other man, breathing deep, feeling the stress of the mission begin to slip away.
Wordlessly, Ghost guided Gaz to his private bathroom. He turned the shower on until the water was comfortably warm. Gaz stood still as Ghost carefully stripped him of his clothes, setting them neatly aside to be dealt with later. Ghost removed his own clothes and gestured Gaz into the shower stall ahead of him.
The water felt amazing, and Gaz sighed as the dust and the grime began to loosen and rinse free. Slick hands on his shoulders, gentle but firm, lathered soap across his skin. Ghost worked methodically, massaging tense muscles until Gaz leaned back against him, pliable and relaxed.
Gaz hummed as Ghost rubbed shampoo into his hair, massaging his scalp and the nape of his neck. As the residue rinsed free, Gaz felt as though he might disappear down the drain with it.
A hand, cautious around his groin, questioning. Gaz shook his head no, blinking up through the spray at Ghost who pressed a gentle kiss to his temple in acknowledgement.
Water turned off, a towel was wrapped around his waist and Ghost led Gaz out to the small loveseat tucked opposite the narrow military bunk. He lay Gaz down on it, moving to gather something from a small bureau near the door.
Gaz was near sleep, relaxed from the heat of the shower, Ghost’s careful touch, and the relief of simply being clean. Something slick and cool touched his skin and then Ghost was massaging Gaz’s hands, his arms, his back, coating his skin in something nutty and sweet. By the time Ghost finished, Gaz was softly snoring, breathing slow and even.
Ghost brushed a careful hand across his brow, drawing Gaz back to wakefulness. He blinked bleary eyes up at Ghost in question. “Come to bed,” he said lowly, drawing Gaz up from the sofa.
It was a tight fit on the narrow bed, but they were familiar with the best arrangement of limbs so that they managed comfortably. Gaz tucked his face into Ghost’s neck, breathing deep, already slipping back into sleep as a large hand stroked his back in long, languid passes.
“Good to have you home, sergeant.”