A/N: I'm sorry for the 11 day wait. Urgh, I feel so bad. That, and this chapter ain't much, just to fill up the events of Day 4 before drawing it to a close. Hopefully, just hopefully, next chapter will make up for it, because I think I have some good stuff for next chapter and was pretty excited about writing it down.
Thanks so much to everybody for reviewing, it overwhelms me beyond words, even if I can't reply to all.
By the time twilight fell, the rec-room was fully cleaned up. Any evidence of there being a party the night before was wiped out. As some members retreat to clean themselves up or return to their chambers, you make yourself comfortable on the sofa, enjoying the feeling of being in a clean place. It's also rather humorous to know they use flower-scented air fresheners. Being a covert task force's base, you'd expect them to use something more…manly.
Roach is sitting on the armchair next to you. Seeing him makes your thoughts fly back to Ghost, and you wonder whether the poor Bug realizes his superior's genuine feelings or not.
"Private," Roach suddenly pipes up, striking a conversation amid the peaceful silence, "you came here to get some firsthand experience of what we soldiers do. I'm pretty sure you were expecting lots of training, profesionalism, seriousness…"
At this point, a small smirk falls upon his lips. "Bet you didn't expect romance and booze and us scraping shite off the wall."
You laugh softly at his remark. "Honestly, I didn't know what to expect, but romance, booze and you guys scraping shite off the wall sound better than the normal military procedure."
"Wanna know what else we do?" Roach's lips break into a grin. "We pull off pranks."
"I don't doubt it," you smile, remembering what Soap said a few days ago when he ran into you in the shower. How the base was out of soap because of 'a prank the numptys pulled off'.
"Oh, you must have heard about the soap prank we did on Meat," Roach beams, apparently proud to know you've heard of the event. "Sometimes he doesn't bathe for days, so Toad, Royce, Worm and I just used up all of the soap to make four whole buckets of soapy water. You can guess what happened to the yank, he really deserved being soaked and covered with foam."
A giggle escapes your lips, mind constructing what must have taken place that day. How pissed Meat must have been, and how Soap and Ghost must have been laughing their heads off in the background (so much for being responsible superiors).
"You probably heard about the prank from the captain, didn't you?" Roach raises an eyebrow.
"How did you know that?"
"He told me at the party that he told you," Roach replies, obviously trying to suppress a smirk, and failing. "He was shitfaced when he suddenly confessed he ran into you in the showers. I don't think he realized what he said, the numpty had too much beer."
Blood rushes to your cheeks. The blush must have been evident, for Roach sniggers and continues with a waggle of his eyebrows. "That's not all he told me. He had about three seconds to look before he realized who he was looking at. And guess what? He said you had a nice—"
"Roach!" you shriek, interrupting him before he can even finish, your face probably absorbing into seven shades of red from immense embarrassment. It's even more infuriating when Roach snickers at your mortification.
"Aren't you girls supposed to be flattered that high-ranked soldiers like Captain MacTavish think you have a nice—"
"Shut up," you snap before he can finish, before adding shakily. "And, hell no. It's fucking embarrassing, especially by how he noticed." In the goddamn showers, not by checking you out when you're fully dressed or anything. That's what makes the whole thing humiliating.
When Roach chuckles again, you inhale deeply to restrain yourself from punching him in the face.
A silence falls between you, and you take advantage of the brief moment to calm yourself. Instead of steering your thoughts away from the subject, your mind lingers on it. Not that it was flattering to know Soap admired—fuck it, you ain't finishing that thought. There's something in the way Roach said the sentence that was rather suspicious…
You know that Roach was obviously flirting with a wasted Soap that night. To know that the captain suddenly talked about you amid their romantic session must have sparked some sort of distaste in the sergeant. You recall the tone in Roach's voice earlier, how his supposedly flirtatious glance held a small hint of envy, how his smirk of mischief seemed near to reluctant…
Suddenly, it hits you. You smile maliciously as you counter, "Ooh, are you jealous, Roach?"
The question catches the sergeant off guard. "What? Me, jealous?" Roach repeats, chuckling as though the idea was incredulous, though the nervousness in his voice gives him away. "That's ridiculous. Why would I be jealous?"
"Oh, please. You're halfway romancing him when he suddenly talks about me, how he ran into me in the showers, how he thinks I have a nice—whatever…still, don't tell me you didn't feel a little envious." You're enjoying Roach's flustered state too much to get embarrassed. On the contrary, a grin breaks out on your face.
Roach seems at a loss of what to say, as though he knows there's nothing he can do to steer the conversation in his favour.
A bit proud of yourself to have made a successful counterattack, you lean back against the sofa and fold your arms. "Anyway, enough about that. Now then, back to the topic of pranks…do you want to try and prank somebody tonight? To show me how real soldiers pull of pranks?"
"Not really…but, is there something on your mind, Private?"
"Well, I was thinking about something really simple," you begin, lips curling into a small smile. "It's not a prank at all, actually. The thing is, I've only seen Ghost without his balaclava thrice; when we went out grocery shopping, during the party, and when I found him, you and Soap in awkward positions—" (At this point, Roach blushes) "—so I was wondering if it was possible to try and take the balaclava off without his consent."
"That's quite risky, but I've never thought of it before," Roach remarks, looking up at the ceiling. The slight traces of pink on his cheeks give him an adorable, innocent look to his already innocent baby-face, but you know very well there's nothing 'innocent' about Roach. It's similar with Toad.
"I'm not willing to risk my ass taking that thing off of the lieutenant," you grin, "so I was wondering if maybe you could do it? You have a reputation for being the childish troublemaker around here, so why don't you prove it?" After a few moments, you add, "Also, I heard Toad and Meat are trying to claim the title."
Roach must have taken your words as a challenge, for he narrows his green eyes as a small smirk curls his lips upwards. "Toad and Meat? Please, they couldn't beat me no matter how hard they tried. Anyway, what are we waiting for, Private? Let's go look for Ghost."
The sergeant gets to his feet and ambles out of the rec-room with you following up behind him. However, it surprises you that Roach leads you out of the building through the back door instead of heading to Ghost's room or office. As the both of you walk out into the chilling cold and dark of the night, you look at Roach inquiringly.
"Why are we out here?"
"Ghost sometimes takes a smoke at this time of night," Roach informs, "He said it's one of the only times he can be alone in this place." He looks around and heads off in the left direction, his footsteps reducing from loud crunches to noiseless steps. Reaching the corner, both you and he peek out to the side of the building.
True enough, Ghost is there, slightly hunched forward with his elbows against a wooden fence that reached up to his stomach. A single white light sticking out the side of the building provides illumination. It's peculiar how he still had that goddamn mask on even when he's smoking. The balaclava is pulled up and resting just on the bridge of his perfectly-sculptured nose, a cigarette clipped between his lips. The sunglasses are missing, and his sky blue eyes stare up at the starless night.
Another thing that weirds you out is that Ghost, instead of wearing the usual, long-sleeved shirt, is in a black tank top. That's the sexiest you've ever seen of the lieutenant (excluding seeing him in only boxers, you were either too dizzy or your mind was too occupied with other thoughts to comprehend the view at the time).
Pale, slim yet strong arms bare, shoulder blades outlined in the back of the shirt, the shoulders themselves open and looking smooth…and that's just his back. With a shirt like that, it must slink around his abs as well, and with that balaclava on… you silently hope you won't drool if Ghost turns around.
"Why is he hunched like that?" you whisper, trying to pull your gaze away from Ghost's ass. With him bending forward and resting against that fence, he's just…what's the slang these days? Booty tooching? Yeah.
And damn, do those pants make his ass look nice.
You suddenly flush at your thoughts, reminding yourself that Roach is right next to you and might have caught you staring, had it not been for the fact the sergeant, too, was ogling the superior with a look in his eyes you probably don't want to know about.
"Hey hey, stop staring," you hiss, and Roach's gaze snaps back at you, a blush tinting his cheeks at the same time. "Go on, he looks pretty lost in thought, so…now may be a good time."
Roach grins. "Watch me. I can be sneaky if I want to."
A smile breaks out on your face as he exits the shelter of the corner and approaches the lieutenant. The way he draws near unintentionally reminds you that Roach is a part of TF141 for a reason. His extreme caution, his silent footsteps, his keen observation on Ghost, his suddenly soft breathing. It's rare for Ghost, but he actually let his guard down, which surprises you.
Eventually, the sergeant is exactly behind the superior. Ghost's eyes are closed, as though absorbed into some sort of dream. In fact, he's too aborbed to realize the presence behind him.
Suddenly, Roach's grabs at the balaclava, and how he so easily pulls it off Ghost's head surprises you, too. Expecting the older man's head to jerk back from sudden force, you can feel your jaw drop as the mask slides over his eyes and through his choppy black hair without even disturbing his hunched-forward position…Roach pulled it off as smooth as running your fingers through silky long hair.
Ghost's eyes fly open and he opens his mouth in slight shock, cigaratte falling from his lips in the process. It drops to the ground as he turns around to meet with Roach's cheeky grin.
"You shouldn't let your guard down, Simon," he chides, a hint of mischief in his childishly-sweet voice. For some reason, your heart flutters at how affectionately Roach addresses Ghost by his first name. Hell, the sergeant probably didn't even realize that he called Ghost that.
Instead of getting annoyed, a dreamy smirk plays across Ghost's face. Quickly, his hand swoops in to grab Roach's other wrist, the one which wasn't holding the mask. He pulls the younger man closer and wraps an arm around his waist, nuzzling his face into Roach's neck at the same time.
"Always the sneaky cockroach, ain't ya, Bug?" Ghost murmurs, planting soft kisses along his jaw, pulling him closer when Roach squirms and tries to wiggle out of the embrace.
A half-smile twitches the edge of your lips as you bite your bottom lip to prevent a cry, face pleasantly flushing at what was unfolding. This is definitely an unexpected scenario.
Roach seems reluctant to move away from Ghost, wanting to kiss him back but doesn't because he knows you're watching, and then again, Roach couldn't get away even if he tried. Ghost's grip is strong.
"Simon…" Roach sighs softly, the rest of his words drowned out when Ghost kisses him, full and hard, on the lips.
You hear a soft moan, and unsure whether it came from Roach or Ghost, you continue to watch no matter how much your inner self screams for you to make a run for it.
"Isn't this why you interrupted my alone moment and pulled my balaclava off?" Ghost smirks, stroking Roach's clean-shaven face, amused by how the sergeant is abnormally embarrassed by the affectionate treatment that he should have been used to by now. "To get me to pay you some attention, aye?"
Roach doesn't answer, instead avoids eye contact. You giggle softly, obviously he isn't answering because he doesn't want Ghost to let go of him. The sergeant looks off in your direction, almost pleadingly. He can't see you, and you know that, but you accede to his request anyway and smile softly.
Much to your fangirl-side's reluctance, you leave and give them some privacy as Roach returns a few kisses of his own.
In the ten minutes you were gone, chaos ensued near the members' chambers. After grabbing a cup of ice cream, you head towards your room, passing by the soldiers' rooms pon the way. For some reason, everybody's making a big fuss of the room Chemo and Rocket share. Others are laughing and sniggering, whereas others look disgusted or amused. At that moment, an awful smell forces its way into your nostrils, pulling your face into a sour, revolted expression.
"Urgh, what the fuck is that smell?" you ask, the smell's so bad that the f-word was necessary.
It did come from Chemo's and Rocket's room. Unwilling to peek in, you squeeze your way through the numerous people watching and stumble past the room, eventually finding Soap on the other side. Seeing him did send a jolt of self-consciousness in you, especially with what Roach had divulged, but you manage to keep the embarrassment in check.
"What's happening?" you ask the captain. He's lying against the wall with his arms folded, somehow able to watch over the shoulders.
"I don't know why they're making a big fuss about it, but somehow a cat got into building," Soap starts with a lopsided smile. "It took a shit right on Chemo's bed. It's also weird because they didn't realize it was there until Chemo laid down on his mattress."
You wince, smiling sympathetically. "Damn, poor guy."
"I think he's been in the showers for twenty minutes," Soap scratches his chin, chuckling. "Which just leaves Rocket with the duty of getting the shit off their beds. Apparently, my men are more accustomed to dogs than they are to cats…and it's just amusing to see Rocket struggle so much." After a few moments, he adds, "Look, even Archer's enjoying himself."
"…they don't know how to clean cat shit?"
"Aye. That's a simpler way to put it."
Both you and Soap share some laughter, and it wouldn't have died down if it weren't for the shriek which came from the room.
"Oh God help me. Even with five sheets of newspaper I can feel the shit underneath my hands. IT'S ALL MUSHY AND SMELLS LIKE CHEMO'S SOCKS, FOR FUCK'S SAKE."
The crowd makes way as Rocket runs out with a ball of crumpled newspaper in his hands, a look of digust and agony on his face as he rushes for the nearest dustbin. In fact, he looks like he's about to throw up.
"This is probably one of the reasons why I prefer dogs," Toad comments with a chuckle, slamming Rocket's door shut to block off the smell. When the crowd agrees with him, they look at you and Soap. "What about you two?"
You don't answer, whereas the captain smiles sheepishly. "Sorry mates, I—uh, dislike 'em. You could say I'm a cat person."
"What?" Royce throws his head back, laughing. "Guess our macho captain ain't so manly after all!"
Soap snorts, "If any of you muppets went through what I went through five years ago, trust me, you wouldn't be a fan of dogs either."
"Tell me about it…" you mutter, rolling your eyes, recalling the first time you played Call of Duty 4. When Soap looks at you suspiciously, you stammer, "I got pounced on by a dog once…?"
The pathetic excuse strangely convinces everybody present at the time. Then, Soap looks up at the ceiling and says, "Hmm, I remember my old captain wasn't too fond of dogs, either."
"Old captain?" Worm looks up, before adding in hopefully with a grin. "Story time, eh, Cap?"
"Captain Price was his name. He and I shared a lot in common, mainly our mutual dislike for a lot of things. Dogs for instance, he told me about his encounter with one back when he was a leftenant in Pripyat."
Since you're only a few feet away, you notice the frown tugging on his lips. As though he's uncomfortable talking about the older captain.
"Sounds like your typical grumpy superior," Meat remarks, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Well, the ones those other units have, of course. As for our task force, our superiors are unique. Cap's laidback, Ghost is insane and Archer's just passive-aggressive."
Archer looks at him incredulously. "I am not—"
"Where's Captain Price now?" Scarecrow asks.
You watch Soap carefully. Hesitation glimmers in his baby blue eyes that avert eye contact, and his fingers clumsily scratch at his well-trimmed beard, and his weight shifts from one foot to another. He's obviously considering what he should say.
"He's…uh, KIA."
An awkward silence falls upon everyone there, and you struggle to keep yourself from shouting that Price is alive and dressed like a hobo and locked up in a gulag for a while.
Noticing that you're reaching your limit of holding it in (that, and your ice cream is melting), you break the sad quietness with a fake cough. Apologetically, looking from Soap to the members, you say, "I need to go back to my room, guys. I'm sorry. Good night."
You skitter down the path and turn into the hallway housing your room, swiftly entering it and locking the door with a soft click. The earlier conversation reminds you of your curiosity from a few days ago of what the TF141 is up to. Whether anything major has happened, or any of the sort. You're still afraid you may be suspected of being a spy, but the inquisitiveness is starting to get too much for you to handle.
After some careful consideration, you decide to do some snooping tomorrow morning, when the members are out training…
And then a yawn brings a bout of sleepiness over your frame. With a small smile, you shuffle towards the bed to go to sleep.
A/N: Honestly, I'm not sure if I messed up some facts here; I literally suck with MW references. Oh...and I completed CoD Ghosts recently. Would any of you like to read a one-shot of Keegan/Logan...if only I can think of a fluffy plot.
Leave a review! I know this chapter sucked but I think next one will be better!