#<- I'm making that a tag now

[lemonwrap]

Mistletoe Mishaps

This is a gift for @tetradfreaker for the 2024 Ghoap Holiday exchange, hosted by the wonderful @forsaire!! I hope you like it :)

Read it on Ao3

Ghost doesn’t really do parties. 

Soap knows this because Ghost hasn’t attended a single Christmas party in the three years Soap has known him. …Actually, now that Soap’s thinking about it, Ghost hasn’t shown up to most of the various celebrations thrown and usually made an Irish exit when he had the chance. 

Having grown up in a big family with three sisters and a plethora of other relatives, Soap is used to every celebration being made into big events packed with people. It’s the typical kind of ‘party’ thrown on base—food, unfortunately nonalcoholic drinks, cheap decorations, and about fifty people gathered in the mess hall. It’s also exactly the kind of event Ghost would prefer not to attend, so Soap can’t be blamed for being surprised when he spots his lieutenant’s hulking figure in the tinsel-strung doorway.

“Lt, you made it!” Soap grins, abandoning Gaz and a few other soldiers to give Ghost a friendly punch on the arm. “Good to see ye this year.”

“Nice sweater,” Ghost deadpans, glancing at the garish red and green reindeer sweater that Soap is donning. “Dressed for the occasion, I see.”

“Nice mask,” Soap remarks. “Wasn’t Halloween a few months ago?”

At the quip, the corners of Ghost’s eyes crinkle in a smile, and Soap’s stomach definitely doesn’t do a little flip at the sight. 

“I’d rather have a Halloween party than this,” Ghost comments. 

“Why’d you show, then?” Soap asks. “Get visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past?”

“Just Price,” Ghost says. “You know how he is around the holidays.”

“Aye,” Soap says, thinking of their captain’s insistence on ‘team bonding’ whenever Christmas rolls around. “Want a cookie? Dawn brought some.”

“Have they got sprinkles?” Ghost asks. 

“Of course,” Soap replies.

“Good man,” Ghost says in that same approving tone he uses on ops, and Soap hopes his cheeks aren’t as red as they suddenly feel. 

…Okay, so maybe Soap has a bit of a crush. Whatever. Despite what Soap’s pastor growing up would have said, it’s not a crime to like looking at Ghost’s biceps or his deep, dark brown eyes and his long, blonde lashes, the only visible part of his face. Or his ass. Can’t forget that ass. 

Most of the tables have been pushed out of the way, so it’s easy for them to weave through the partygoers and to the front of the room, where a table filled with drinks, cookies, and other treats sits. A fake Christmas tree only three or so feet tall is set on it near the edge, adorned with a handful of ornaments. Most of the food is okay, but Laswell’s wife, Dawn, has a knack for baking and brought what Soap considers to be cookies just as good as his mum’s. Dawn herself is nowhere to be found, probably off with Laswell, but a few of her revered sugar cookies still remain on a plate.

“Got here in the nick of time,” Soap says and takes a cookie, round with red frosting. Ghost nabs the cookie with the most sprinkles, a green one shaped like a Christmas tree, and lifts up his mask to take a bite. The half Glasgow smile that runs from the corner of Ghost’s mouth and travels up until it’s hidden by his mask catches Soap’s attention like it always does, pale and long since healed. Soap likes watching how it curves on the occasion he can get Ghost to smile and has imagined how it would feel against his lips a few too many times. 

“Gonna eat that or just stand there?” Ghost asks, pointing at Soap’s cookie.

“Huh?” Soap says. Upon realizing that he’s been standing there and watching Ghost eat like an idiot, Soap hurries to eat his cookie. It’s pretty good, but he’s more distracted than usual by the man of his dreams. Sue him, but Soap knows what he wants for Christmas this year.

“Why are Christmas trees bad at sewing?” Ghost asks out of nowhere, his mouth quirking up but not smiling yet.

“I dinnae ken, you tell me,” Soap replies.

“‘Cause they always drop their needles,” Ghost says, and Soap chuckles a little. He’s liked Ghost’s horrible jokes since day one.

“Alright, what does a gingerbread man put on his bed?” Soap asks.

“A cookie sheet. I’ve heard that one, Soap.”

“Bastard. Alright, what do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite.”

That one gets Ghost to truly smile, just a small thing, and Soap treasures it. They quickly fall into their usual routine, telling shit jokes and borderline flirting with each other, like they have been for nearly three years at this point. 

Ever since Las Almas, Ghost has always matched Soap in every way, from being his equal in a spar to their endless back and forth bantering. Ghost was only trying to keep him calm and get both of them out of the city alive, but their talks continued long after Las Almas, with Ghost’s deep, gravelly voice haunting both Soap’s dreams and his waking moments. 

Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but Soap gets the feeling Ghost isn’t opposed to going a little further than over-the-comms flirting. They just need to find the right moment.

So when Soap watches over Ghost’s shoulder as a mischievous soldier pins a mistletoe right over the doorway leading in and out of the mess hall, he has a brilliant idea. 

The mistletoe! All he has to do is get Ghost under it, and a kiss should naturally follow. Genius, really. 

It’s a few minutes before Soap can manage to subtly herd Ghost towards the doorway. He’s pleased with his progress until Corporal Hodges approaches, smiling.

“Lieutenant Riley! MacTavish!” he says. “I don’t think I’ve seen you at a Christmas party before, sir.”

“You haven’t,” Ghost says, already getting that bored expression he has when he’s not interested in talking to someone. Soap knows the feeling.

Amazingly, Soap doesn’t find Hodges annoying because he’s American. It’s actually because he’s a kiss-ass and tries to butter up his superiors, Ghost included. Ghost cuts it short every time, including today, in which he not-so-discreetly moves away from Hodges only thirty seconds after the corporal started talking. Unfortunately, that also means that Ghost moves away from the mistletoe hanging nearby, and Soap groans internally when Ghost strays far enough that Soap can’t guide him back without arousing suspicion. 

To Soap’s dismay, that pattern continues. Every time he tries to even get Ghost close to the mistletoe, his plan is somehow foiled. First it was Hodges. Then Ghost goes off to talk to Price. After that, Soap nearly has Ghost where he wants him, and then a private taps Soap to get his attention and asks him when his next demolitions demonstration will be. Soap would usually be thrilled to talk about demolitions, but he’s a little preoccupied, damnit!

“It’s hopeless,” he finds himself lamenting to Gaz after Ghost walks right under the mistletoe twice without pausing on the way to and from the restroom.

“Maybe he didn’t see it,” Gaz suggests, taking a sip of his soda.

“There’s no way he didnae see it, Gaz!” Soap exclaims, nearly spilling his own soda on Gaz when he throws his hands up in exasperation, “Look at the size of ‘im, his head nearly touches it!”

Soap is beginning to come to the conclusion that he will not be getting a kiss from Ghost tonight.

The final nail in the coffin is when two soldiers steal a brief peck under the mistletoe amidst the oohs and whoops of their peers, with Ghost being entirely unaffected by the display from where he’s standing next to Soap. Soap is pretty sure the universe is just messing with him at this point.

Ghost isn’t even looking directly at him. Having given up on the mistletoe being his chance, Soap indulges himself by silently gazing at his lieutenant instead. Ghost is as beautiful as ever, even surrounded by half-assed Christmas decorations and holding a plastic cup of soda. Not a supermodel or conventionally pretty, no, not with his scars and face shape that gives off the impression of a very ordinary-looking man, but Soap has spent enough time trying to put Ghost’s likeness down on paper to be certain that Ghost is all he could ever want or need.

“Did you want to come back with me?” Ghost says, turning his head to look at him.

“Um, what?” Soap fumbles, mind blanking and trying to look like he hasn’t been staring longingly at Ghost for the umpteenth time tonight. 

“I’ve got a gift for you,” Ghost explains, seemingly unaware of Soap’s hopeless pining. “Meant to bring it with me, but I forgot it in my room.”

“A gift?” Soap asks, and hopes Ghost doesn’t see the flush that must be on his face at the idea of Ghost getting him a gift.

“I can show you,” Ghost says. 

Soap doesn’t even bother to look up at that useless sprig of leaves as he hurries to catch up with his lieutenant, trying not to be disheartened by the whole thing. The mistletoe was decidedly not as brilliant of an idea as Soap had originally thought, but he’d like to think he has the balls to make a move anyway. The night’s not over. 

“So, is it a book?” Soap asks. The hallway is still brightly lit, not having reached lights out yet, so Soap can easily see how Ghost’s eyes shine with humor.

“No,” Ghost says. 

“Okay, a sketchbook.”

“Still no.”

“Matching pajamas.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Something very obscure that took you months to find.”

“You’ll see,” Ghost says, sounding amused. 

They stop in front of Ghost’s door at the end of the hallway before Soap knows it. He’s not expecting Ghost to turn around, pull that damned mistletoe out of his jacket pocket, and hold it over their heads. Stunned, Soap doesn’t make his move even when Ghost pulls his balaclava off, and oh, he’s just as stunning as Soap imagined, all dark brown eyes, scars, and blonde hair staticky from the balaclava, and—and then Ghost’s lips touch his.

It shouldn’t be anything special. Ghost’s mouth tastes like too-sweet icing, his lips are a bit chapped, and the hallway lighting isn’t exactly romantic, but Soap has died and gone to heaven, because Simon fucking Riley is kissing him. 

It’s over so much quicker than Soap would’ve liked, but it’s worth it when they part and he sees Ghost’s pale cheeks flushed pink and his eyes locked right on Soap.

“Not bad,” Ghost comments, sounding a bit winded, and his scarred lips curve into a smile—just how Soap likes.

“How’d you know?” Soap blurts out. “About the mistletoe.”

“It got kinda obvious after the third try.”

“Seriously?!”

————

“Thank god,” Gaz says to Price when the two finally leave the room, Ghost discreetly plucking the mistletoe from the top of the doorway and stuffing it in his pocket. “The puppy dog eyes were starting to get painful.”

[shitty-mechs-headcannons]

Someone said that they hc that Jonny makes holes in his clothes so his heart can be visible.

My hc is that Brian also does this to show off his heart so he has a reminder that he is alive and still a person.

Also Tim told him about Jesus and now Brian finds Jesus to be highly relateable (you know, he ressurected a person, died and came back to life)

are you telling me brian is a jesus kinnie

-mod fen

[freyrmichokolatte]

Timmy centric Time Loop!AU where he keeps dying and reverting back 7 days before his death and he's the only one fully aware of what's happening

[egophiliac]

GET LOVED, IDIOT

GET LOVED SO HARD YOUR KIDS HOLD HANDS AND POWER-OF-LOVE YOU BACK TO LIFE

sorry guys, this is just my brain now. this is going to be the only thing I think about for the next week at least.

oh and also this

FIVE YEARS IN AND IT'S FINALLY CANON 🎉🎉🎉

WE DID IT

[mroddmod]

you'll never know.

[trickstersaint]

i want to introduce you all to a project that is very close to my heart... or lack of one. anyway. for anyone who has ever wanted to play a poem. i'd like you to meet aromanticism

(link opens itch.io - she'll run on html in your browser! please be nice to her!)

[forgettable-au]

FORGETTABLE-AU (page 86-89)

* Where it all started.

[BEGINNING] [PREVIOUS] [CONTINUE]

[wolfchans]

[sandflakedraws]

continuing thoughts from This Dream AU

re : why it might have taken the gang a while to find Bruce & Floyd

how about i erase just a little bit of the plot convenience from TBT

what if, bruce's postcard didn't survive unscathed, and they had to go off of john dory's foggy memory of the thing.

so like. they're stumbling their way through a bunch of could-be-heres before they hit on the correct one.

and what if, the Vacay Resort section was legit hard to find.

like, the entire island chain is still at Vacaytioner scale, right? so even if the search party's idea to eventually look there was right, it could still take a long time to navigate thru the tropical jungle on any individual island, let alone many of them.

.... aaaaand what if i drew way too much for a potential reunion anyways because i'm a sap

[homkamiro]

me ultimate hc that sniper can perfectly mimick animal sounds (bird whistling for example helped him attract predators back when he was a hunter!!)

[blackpearlblast]

five days until the state of georgia is scheduled to execute willie pye

[egophiliac]

ANNIVERSARY GROOVY BOYBAND! THEY ALL LOOK SO GOOD, I also love the hades reference with idia! Ik ur probably really swamped with the book 7 brain rot but I wanted to know ur thoughts. I also wanted to mention that I am so card deprived I feel like I need a replacement event to take tsumderlands place

AUGH NO I LOVE THEM. 😭 UGH now I really have to think about if I want to try pulling for Grim again. dangit. heck. I already got his little pedestal to add my guest room shrine, but...now I kinda need the boss himself...

also, the implications of it not being an OB thing, Idia can just. Do That? apparently? do you think he ever just sometimes does it by accident? what am I saying, he absolutely sometimes does it by accident.

gosh though. this event has been SO cute in general! I was wondering who'd get the focus for year 5; I could not be happier that the answer is apparently EVERYBODY. :D all the dorms get their own special songs! so many cute little scenes!!! the lowest of stakes bringing out the highest of pettiness in everyone!!!!!! it's excellent.

(also, because I will make literally anything about my diaboys...I know these events are typically sorta, let's say chronologically unmoored with regards to story. but the further implications that this takes place pre-episode 7/Malleus' Big Existential Crisis, and yet...some of these lines?)

[gigason]

They had a quarrel after Nightcrawler's training session, like true adoptive parents

Bonus:

[forgetfulmachineart]

[ID: A colored, simple, three panel comic of teen Gojo Satoru and Megumi Fushiguro. Panel one: Megumi sits on a stool, feet hanging barely half way down, as Gojo kneels in front of them bandaging their arm and holding their hand. Megumi has Gojo's sunglasses and is labeled "gojo put the sunglasses on them to keep Megumi's hair out of wounds." Gojo says "You got pretty close this time, Gumi! Want my help taming Nue next time?" Second panel: Megumi from the waist up, looking at her bandaged arm and saying "No. I'm alright Dad." A small cartoon Megumi realizes what they said and goes "wait..." Third panel: Gojo has a closed eyes smile and says "Okay, Gumi" but is labeled "Trying very very very very hard to play it cool." Multiple loud and ugly crying cartoon Gojo's reflect his real feelings in the background. /End ID]

They proceed to never talk about it again

[hopeinthebox]

bts + reductress headlines pt.14

[multifandom--mess]

will sleeps on basically the equivalent of a sofa bed. look at how flat that shit is like no wonder he's irritated as fuck half the time bc he can't sleep worth a damn on that uncomfortable ass bed 😭😭