Confession
SailorStarDust1, September 2016
A/N: A little something for the Twitter MGS crew :D Written on my phone, hopefully any proofreading errors are light.
It was past 0230 hours. Ahab would come to, soon. They had to act fast as Ocelot found some semblance of order within the hectic evening. John was safe, Ahab was unconscious but secure nearby, things were—more or less—overall according to Zero's brilliant plan.
Within a thicket, the two men stood, barely a mile away from the crashed ambulance. Close enough to act if a new enemy encounter brewed, but far enough away for some breathing room.
John hasn't said a word since being pulled away from the ambulance, the bandages slowly removed from his face, as he occasionally shot back glances towards Ahab's location. He had just wanted to reach out for him, and bring him to safety. Damn shame what happened to everyone within that hospital, in order for Ishmael and Ahab to survive.
"Not like you to be worried, but he's fine. You kept an eye on him, right?"
Ocelot, hands in pockets, realized his unintentional play on words too late, that milky blue 'staring' right at him. His ancient—personal, albeit accidental—marking that John belonged to him.
"I'm not...It's just." He looked back yet again. Was he biting his lip?
"John." The brunette blinked, turning to see Ocelot smiling. "It'll be fine. Trust in him."
"You're right." He visibly relaxed, but couldn't bring himself to smile back. Something apparently on his mind.
"Ah, I get it."
A blink. John looked up, about to change into a fresh bag of clothes, thanks to Ocelot. It briefly looked like Adam was checking out his ass... Strange. He must've been imagining things, though his hospital gown wasn't exactly...
With a shrug, Snake undressed in front of his best friend. A biker getup, huh? "Hm. Cute outfit."
"Eva's idea—We thought you'd like it." Another relaxed smile as Adam politely averted his gaze. Still, he opted to take a sneak peek every so often, hiding his grin behind a gloved hand.
Not like it was the first time they changed in front of each other. John suddenly realized Adam himself might've been the one to bathe him, during the nine-year "nap".
Thinking about that... His heart felt warm. The best way to explain it.
Slipping on underwear, pants, then boots, Snake silently listened to Ocelot continue: "You're worried about Miller, aren't you?"
In the middle of throwing on his shirt, Snake froze. His heart, for a moment, sank. Kaz. Maybe this was a bad idea, after all. Maybe he should be the one to save him while Ocelot and Ahab set off to that new Mother Base in the Seychelles.
"Don't worry, Boss. Ahab'll bring him back."
A silent nod. Just to keep Snake safe during his coma, Kaz had... As such, this current situation was unfortunate, but couldn't be helped. Right now, this was the only way to keep one another safe. Kaz would understand, if the truth came to light one day. He'd have the phantom by his side—What more would Kaz need?
They'd always have their now bittersweet memories of Costa Rica '74.
"It's fine.", he spoke while adjusting his leather jacket and gloves, keeping up the cool front. Finally, a fresh eyepatch and some driving goggles, although he didn't need the latter. "I'm not worried."
Ocelot knew better, but said nothing on that topic. "What'll you do before we're ready to move?"
"Nap."
Ocelot blinked. "Here?"
John patted the top of a cardboard box that seemingly came from nowhere—Where did he get the silly things from? Still, he was rather fond of them... The man's exhaustion despite awakening a few weeks back was evident, dark circles against his eyes. Secret new stresses with what became of Ahab after their helicopter crash, Kaz's current fate in Afghanistan, even the world at large wanting the legendary warrior himself dead and forgotten.
"Uh, if you say so, Boss."
"Something wrong?" Funny, that he was the one to show concern for Ocelot.
Her eyes met John's. "Just stay safe."
Swallowing, Jack's eye fell to the grass as he double checked his CQC knife and sidearm, safely concealed within a jacket pocket. "Yeah." Thinking about her right now...He could deal without the stress, the regret, the anger.
"John." A gloved hand held one of his, that kind smiling unwavering. "I..." Adam chuckled lightly, despite his thick yet fake Texan accent. "I hate to see you suffer."
A snort while John smiled bitterly. "I didn't suffer as much as some did tonight." Without understanding why, his fingerless gloved hands returned the gesture, their fingers slowly interlacing.
Their eyes meeting yet again, Snake found it strange to realize he could feel Ocelot's thudding pulse through the handhold. Were they always standing so close tonight, practically nose to nose?
Potential future regrets weighing heavily on his mind, Adam's lips abruptly pressed into John's: A wordless confession. Slightly frustrating that Big Boss was so damn oblivious these past twenty years, yet he didn't blame his best friend nor anyone else for it. Still, Ocelot would be damned if he'd be only second best to Eva, to Miller, especially her.
Ocelot was shocked to realize Snake was tentatively kissing him in turn. Too many wasted years, too many missed opportunities, regarding Adam's true feelings. It wasn't fair to Adam. It wasn't right.
Lips pressing, hesitantly tangling tongues, Adam's hands lay against either side of John's cheeks, enjoying that bristly beard. John, for his part, tightened their hug, one hand on Adam's upper back, the other tangling soft gray hair. Very few—only a handful of people, really—would Snake show his sweet side towards. Ocelot would always find it an honor, he knew, as their gentle kisses continued.
Their almost immediate liking one another on that battlefield in '64... Perhaps it was something like fate, perhaps they were drawn to each other due to The Boss. The reasons behind the why and how were irrelevant. They'd always have each other's backs.
Breaking away, light smiles as they embraced while bumping nose to nose, Ocelot was the first to speak. "I'll miss you, John." Sincerity in his gentle eyes and tone, tenderly thumbing Snake's eyepatch, loving smiles without end.
"Yeah...I will, too." Clumsy with his words, yet a light kiss to Adam's nose, a face-flushed John opened his mouth to form an apology. About what, he wasn't even sure, as the cowboy shook his head, smiling.
"I ain't mad, Boss." A chuckle while breaking away from John's warmth. The older man offered just one more innocent kiss before Adam pulled away completely, much to his own delight.
"You have a good rest, alright?"
It was already close to 0300 hours—where the hell did the evening go?
In anticipation of Ahab awakening any minute, Ocelot had to prepare. With their shitty luck, who knew what would be after them both, en route to the harbor?
"Yeah. In a few hours, then."
Big Boss's warm smile, at least, was all the reassurance Ocelot needed that burning in hell for his various sins—especially those yet to come—was more than worth it.
With one last wistful look back—pure devotion in each other's eyes—their fingertips lazily trailing away, Ocelot set off. The first order of business was to reach his horse. If the evening played out right, he'd be Venom Snake's horse from here on out.
Ocelot forcefully blocked out the sounds of nearby rustling bushes, that cardboard box settling down...Otherwise his heart would ache. The hardest part, he knew deep down, was soon enough living the lie about the phantom. Yet if it was to keep his beloved safe, away from the world at large...
No.
He'd dwell on this later, on his upcoming sleeplessness nights within the whaler's cabin. Right now, it was best to mentally map out the rest of the early morning, calculations within.
Ahab—exhausted from the events and full of deep concern for Kaz—would need rest, too. Venom and Boss weren't terribly different in that regard, he realized with a wry smirk. Offering genuine reassurances and politely excusing himself to check on things nearby, Adam would then help John depart around 0600 hours—If his personal timetable stayed on schedule.
John doing the only reasonable thing he could at a time like this—sleep—was indeed wise. He'd need all the rest he could get, before his long departure, away from Diamond Dogs, away from...
Adam swallowed before his thought process came to a screeching halt. He could barely make out a strange floating silhouette amongst sudden bright flames within the sparkling night sky.
Shit.
Time to move.