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Ghost wasn't sure when he had become fond of Graves. He would never admit it, never aloud. Voicing his affections for Soap or Price was hard enough. Admitting that his heart was soft for a former enemy? Those words would never come.
That didn't mean he was stuck being a stubborn ass about the whole thing. Graves was one of the boys, same as the rest of them. Ghost was shit at expressing his feelings through words, but he had other ways. He never missed a birthday, was always there to lend a hand and pick up the pieces when someone fell apart. He was an angry man, yes, but at his core he felt he was half decent.
Ghost saw a brother in Graves, in a way that was different from the simple fraternity of warriors most soldiers found themselves in. There was a likeness of souls in the two of them. Soap might make fun of Ghost for getting jealous of how much attention Graves was getting from Price, but that wasn't true. He also wanted attention from Graves, thank you. Everyone fulfilled different needs, and Graves fulfilled Ghost's need to have the perfectly sized armful to squeeze.
There was a bomb threat that had pulled Soap and Price off of the base. Someone has to hold down the fort, and if his skill set wasn't needed that responsibility always fell to Ghost. When personnel were wrangled, paperwork was done, and his belly was full, Ghost worked his way back to his quarters. He was dead tired. Ghost had one goal, and one goal only. Find Graves so he could sleep.
Graves, for his part, wasn't busy. If he had been, Ghost likely would have stolen him from whoever he was entangled with. His need for a cuddle buddy superseded anyone else's wants to get their rocks off. Thankfully he didn't need to establish his territory tonight. Graves was merely brushing his teeth alone when Ghost found him. He didn't have the time to acknowledge the other before the large man was draping himself over his shoulders.
“Mmph- Simon!” Graves exclaimed, his mouth full of toothpaste.
“Hurry up, I'm tired.”
“What's that got to do with me?”
“Bed.”
“Last I checked, curfew doesn't start when the Ghost gets sleepy.” Graves spit into the sink. “It's not even dark yet. You know how much dick I could get before I'm tired?”
“Don’t care, Bunny.”
Ghost pulled Graves away from the sink. The man might have squawked some protests as he was dragged, but any resistance he put up was token at best. Graves didn't have any plans for the night. Their soulmates were away for the time being, and curling up together was a suitable balm for their spirits.
“Will you at least switch to a plain mask to sleep in? Last thing I want if I wake in the middle of the night is, uh, all of that.” Graves waved at hand at Ghost's face as he jumped onto his bed.
Ghost shut the door. “Sure. How about you change out of the cheeky cunt mask while we're at it- oh, wait. I think that's just your face.”
“Real clever Si. My face is adorable, thanks.”
“Whatever you have to tell yourself.”
Ghost still took off his hard plate mask despite their teasing. It wasn't comfortable to sleep in if he could avoid it. There was a part of him that wanted to change into a mask with a skull print on it just to fuck with Graves, but a greater part of him wanted to lay down and be done with the day. That part won. Plain black it was. Let Graves think he'd pulled a win. He definitely didn't, though; Ghost never ever let Graves talk him into anything.
Sleeping next to Graves was much different than laying next to Soap. His Johnny was a solid, warm man who could very reliably be found in the same place and in the same position at all times. Ghost greatly appreciated that predictability. However, since Soap was a very heavy, densely packed sort, he did not make a particularly good teddy bear for molding into whatever configuration Ghost wanted. He tended to resist being yanked around. Graves however? Oh Graves did not have the muscle tone to resist Ghost, so he could have him wherever he wanted.
This meant that the very second Graves was climbing onto the bed next to him, Ghost was snatching the man around the waist and rolling him over. He hooked his leg between Graves' to keep him from trying to escape. Graves was mostly squished into the blankets and pillows but he was where Ghost wanted him. Perfect as far as he was concerned.
“Jesus Christ! Was your father a boa constrictor?” Graves demanded as he struggled in Ghost's grip.
“No. He was a viper.”
“Is that why you bite so hard?”
Ghost snorted and tucked his head over Graves shoulder. “Clever Bunny. You get that tongue from the rabbits who made you?”
“Oh, no, my people aren't that sweet. I'm an anomaly.”
“Mm?” Ghost hummed. It was how the two of them talked about themselves to each other. Teasing metaphors that hid the whole, ugly truth.
“They'd be, hmm, pigs I think.”
“Ugly and smelly? I'm from Manchester not a farm, Bunny, work with me here.”
“City boy. Vicious at the sight of blood and prone to eating their young.”
Ghost let go of Graves to sit up in horror. “Wait, wait hold on. You're telling me that pigs are fucking cannibals?”
“You didn't know that? You're kidding me,” scoffed Graves.
“I thought they were just, you know, fat pink things that ate trash! Bunny, what the fuck!?”
“Yeah Si, they're horrifying animals. Will eat a dead body, a live one if they're feeling in the mood. A sow will totally eat her babies, it's freaky. Did you know that human tastes like pig-”
“Okay, okay! No more animal facts! That's enough for tonight, I would like to sleep,” said Ghost, covering Graves' mouth.
“Well you're no fun,” mumbled Graves.
“It's disturbing, Bunny,” frowned Ghost.
“Delicate.”
Graves climbed on top of Ghost's stomach, resting his head on his shoulder. Ghost appreciated the weight on top of him. It was relaxing. Both he and Graves had been through their own traumas- Graves somewhat more recently than Ghost- and if there was one cure for bad nights that Ghost had figured out it was having a sleeping companion. Someone to watch your six, someone to shake you out of the nightmares. Graves didn't care that Ghost had to sleep with the lights on; he slept soundly with him all the same. This room was a comfortable den for Ghost, never like the makeshift tomb he almost died in.
For all his complaining that Ghost was pulling him to bed early, Graves was still the one who fell asleep first. He wasn't immune to being warm and laying on top of someone. The man was snoring softly on Ghost while he read a book on his phone. It took a while for him to relax at night, and cuddling with someone he considered safe helped immensely. He'd close his eyes when he was ready, comfortable next to his friend and brother.