A/N: So, the original concept for this one got away from me and I don't really remember what it was supposed to be, but this is what it turned into. XD Roach slashed with my OC from the last chapter, Stray. (He may or may not make a few more appearances). References to Soap/Ghost and Jealous!Roach. This one is somewhere between good and shit... Written mostly while I was working, haha. ALSO! I know a few of you have mentioned how sweet the sign language thing was, and if you want to see a picture of how that would play out, visit DeviantArt (dotcom, for those who don't know) and search out an artist by the name of ameij. The picture is called "Words Unspoken" and it's wonderful, as is the rest of her gallery. ;D
Scorpling-No-Okami: Thanks for the birthday wishes, haha. And Roach is main-charactery in this one too. :D For someone who doesn't talk, I absolutely adore him for some reason... haha.
xGhostxStealth: I actually know a little sign language myself and I've been using it around the office because there are some things that can't be spoken in front of certain co-workers, and I'm too lazy to find my phone and send a text, haha. Thanks for the birthday wishes and I hope your book turns out well. :D
duvalia: I wish it was a 141 tattoo, haha. I ended up with "Cognito Ergo Sum" (I think, therefore I am) on my right shoulder blade, haha (And fuck all, but it itches now that it's healing. X-x). I happen to sometimes think of ameij's Roach as well, haha. I totally think Clumsy!Roach is cannon, and accidentally avoiding capture definitely seems like something he would do, haha.
UnlikeAnyOtherDay: See, I'm always telling people I'm God in disguise and they never believe me. XD I'm glad you liked them. If you're looking for something else to pelvic thrust too, I'm seriously strongly suggesting looking up ameij's pictures on DeviantArt. Especially one called "Toll". But have tissues at the ready, as a nosebleed will ensue. :D
PhonyPrincess: Don't worry. Roach is back and Jealous! Haha. And besides, Ghost seems like the type of person to just get bored and look up something like sign language for fun, haha.
Captain Aarfy: Well thank you! My brother knows I write slash (though he doesn't really approve that much) and he tells me all the time I do way too much research on trivial things for the characters. But when I get a review like yours that says I did a good job at the characterization, it makes it all worth it. :)
CountSheep: I have to admit that I'm a reader and a writer that gets very ADD. If it isn't important, don't fucking include it. I hate unnecessary digressions, and I'm glad I did a good job at keeping the flow and keeping you interested. :D
"You stretch like a fuckin' cat."
"Fuck you!" Gary threw a pen at Stray and celebrated in a minor way when it hit the sniper. Stray's eyes narrowed, to which Roach replied with a slightly frightened "shit". Stray soon lunged at Sanderson, who attempted to dodge it, and only managed in getting taken down to the floor, instead of his bed where he could have landed comfortably. He looked up at Sergeant Alexander Kennedy with a faint smile.
"Looks like you win again, Stray." Gary murmured.
Alex smiled. He had one knee on either side of the Fucking New Guy, and Roach's wrists in his hands and pressed against the floor. Stray leaned forward and kissed Roach lightly. Gary smiled into the contact.
"You're certainly in a good mood." Alex said with a suspicious gleam in his eyes.
"Today's just a good day."
The two of them shared an apartment close to the base, and even closer to Ghost and MacTavish (who were one unit down the street from theirs). It was a quiet, casual existance that they enjoyed when they had the time to actually sit still and be with each other.
"There's more to it than that." Alex insisted.
"No, just in a good mood." Gary shrugged.
The sniper thought for a moment before it clicked.
"This is about Archer being sent to Mongolia, isn't it?" Kennedy accused.
"That might be part of it." Sanderson reluctantly admited.
With an exahspirated sigh, Stray nearly lept away from Roach and walked from the master bedroom to the living room. Roach sighed himself and followed him out of the room.
"Come on, Alex. Don't go gettin' all pissy."
"You're the one that's freaking out over something that doesn't exist. Steven's a fucking team mate. It's not like I'm sneaking behind your back and fucking him!"
Gary knew he was just a little paranoid, and jealous to boot, but there was something that suggested Archer wanted more from Stray than friendship.
"Where are you going?" Roach asked. He was, as usual, stuck living in his own world and missing conversations.
"I'm going for a run. I'll be back later."
The door slammed shut before Gary could ask how late was "later". He ran to the door and jerked it open, but Stray was already gone. The sniper prided himself on his speed and would probably be halfway down the block before Sanderson could get down the stairs. Gary sighed and dropped bonelessly onto the couch. He didn't bother looking for the television remote. He knew that it would just end up on mute while he tried listening for the sound of Alex's footsteps coming back up the stairs.
Stray stood in the cold, thoughtlessly tapping his food against the concrete sidewalk. His thin jacket was open and he was ignoring the cold bite of a wind that promised snow overnight. He flicked the ash off the tip of his cigarette and was reminded that this piss-poor habit was the reason he was stuck outside instead of sitting in the yuppie coffee shop with something warm in his hands. They were apparently too uppity and too clean for his dirty smoke. He scanned the street with wary eyes, more out of habit than anything else.
"Alex."
He turned with a faint smile and another pull from his cigarette.
"Sorry to drag you from home, Simon, but..." Alex let the thought die and he shrugged his shoulders with an expression of sheer exhaspiration.
Ghost shrugged his shoulders. He'd known Alex's older brother in high school and Alex had always looked up to Riley as a secondary brother, especially after Troy had died. Simon snatched the cigarette from Stray's fingers and crushed it under his boot with a muttered order that they get inside where it wasn't quite so cold.
They ordered black coffee, which was apparently very odd for such an "upscale" establishment that prided itself on its various flavors. The two of them sat in a corner table and scanned the patrons that passed them.
"What's bothering you, Alex?"
Sergent Kennedy sipped at his coffee and wished he could smoke inside.
"Gary. Always Gary. No one on this planet has the ability to piss me off like he can."
Ghost just waited for him to continue. He found most problems worked themselves out if you just sat and listened.
"I asked him why he was in such a good mood today, and he said it was nothing, and then when I asked him if it had something to do with Archer's transfer, he shut down and denied everything!"
"Maybe there's nothing for him to deny."
"Come off it, Riley! You know there's something for him to deny. Every time Archer touches me, Gary freaks out."
Simon rubbed his bare face. He didn't mind showing Alex what he looked like, and he hadn't been in the mood to look for his balaclava before he went out. Until Alex had called him, pissed off and slightly out of breath, he'd been sprawled on the living room floor, playing cards, drinking Scotch, and watching old movies with John.
"I just don't get why he's got to be so jealous." Stray finished his tirade.
"Roach ever talk to you about his past, Kennedy?"
"Once or twice... Why?"
"For good reason. Dead druggie mum, negligently alcoholic dad... Not much good has crossed over Gary. Let him enjoy what he has."
"What about John? His life's been fucked up. I don't see him freaking out every time you pat me on the shoulder." Stray muttered into his coffee.
"John and I have been together for a long time, and working together for even longer. He's still a jealous bastard. The difference is that I remind him where I stand when I see that jealousy. You have to learn what to look for and when you see it, back off and show him where you stand. He'll eventually get used to you associating with other people."
"And the problem is that I don't even know what he wants from me!" Gary sighed.
MacTavish nodded and poured both of them another glass of scotch. Simon had been gone for only five minutes when Gary had knocked, distressed and irritated at Alex's disappearance.
"I mean, it's not that I don't trust him, but that's how he sees it. I don't trust Archer. You know how he gets handsy, especially after being stuck on base or in the middle of nowhere." Roach muttered. He knocked back his glass of scotch and popped his knuckles.
"Not how it looks to him." John shrugged.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I used to do the same thing by accident to Simon. He hit me one day and told me I was acting like a paranoid father stalking his daughter at prom to make sure she wasn't standing too close to a boy. So I made the effort to avoid doing that to him again. In return, he made the effort to avoid the whole jealousy thing." John sipped at his scotch and watched Gary process the information.
"So I should just stop caring who he's with, is that it?"
"Don't think he's cheating on you if he gives Archer a high-five."
Gary sighed. He downed the last bit of scotch the captain poured him and muttered something about going home before it got dark out. He walked out the door with a "thanks" thrown over his shoulder. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked back to his apartment, kicking at the faint layer of snow that was beginning to form on the ground.
"Hey." Alex closed the door gently behind him. He brushed a handful of snowflakes from his hair on to the carpet and toed off his boots. Gary was sitting on the couch, watching TV with a distracted look.
"I was talking to Simon-"
"I know." Gary smiled.
"How do you know?" Alex demanded.
"I was at his apartment, talking to John."
The silence that descended was awkward and tense.
"I know you're not going to run off with Archer, not right now, but it doesn't keep me from worrying about what he might do." Gary tried.
"It's not that I want to be defensive, but you're hovering like a paranoid parent would stalk an un-trustworthy, drug-addicted teenager!"
The silence settled again, but Kennedy took it in stride and sat down next to Sanderson. They sat close and watched the television for a few short minutes before Gary yawned. He didn't want to admit it, but worrying over Alex had taken a lot out of him.
"You yawn like a fuckin' cat too."
"Fuck you."
DISCLAIMER (because I haven't had one in ages): I don't own any of this. It all belongs to Infinity Ward. Well, except Stray. He's mine. :D Also, the plot line. Mine as well. Haha. And now a word from this update's sponsor, Sergeant Johnson!
Johnson: RAMIREZ! MAKE SURE THEY REVIEW! ALSO! MAKE ME A SAMMICH, STOP THAT NUKE WITH A RIOT SHIELD, TAKE DOWN THAT AC-130 WITH YOUR KNIFE, AND DEFEND THAT BURGER TOWN WITH MY EMPTY P90!
Thank you, Sergeant. Hope this has been enjoyable, as I'm in an odd mood and updating from work where it's cold and I'm way too sober to deal with assholes all day. XD See you kids in the next update.