#am also planning a pt. 2 where you and the rest of 141 adopt said cat!! if anyone has name recs i'd gladly take them ♡

[kittensinribbons]

you find a stray cat lingering around the barracks, and ghost tries to act like he doesn't care. | pt. 2

wc: 637

ghost's love language being physical touch and action <3 but not knowing how to voice it

cw: no caps bc this is more of a drabble!

she was a mangy little thing; you could see it the moment you saw her. she lowered her body to the ground the moment you made eye contact. her lips pulled back into a hiss, white teeth threatening to bite. you didn't doubt they could. but the feral look in her eyes- nobody was born that way. it came from something, it always did.

so, slowly, you began to draw the little thing in. you left out a bit a food from every meal to get her interested. bits of meat (if you could call whatever slop came out of the can that), bread, anything. you would tear it off as you ate and throw it somewhere nobody could step on it, but somewhere she could see.

the other soldiers were a little too busy tearing into their meals to care, but ghost, ever-watchful of you, does. "'s just a cat. you need to eat," he told you, voice low and serious.

but you just smiled, that damn smile that always melted him to his core. "so does she," you replied.

and ghost couldn't find it in himself to say otherwise.

you watched her slink out of the shadows and give the chunk of meat a few sniffs. she finally sank her teeth into it and ran off once more. it didn't take ghost long to notice that your eyebrows were furrowed.

"spit it out," he said, making you turn to him, confused. "you're worried abou' somethin'. out with it."

the rough way he speaks makes you (affectionately) roll your eyes. ghost has never been good at expressing how much he loves you through more than touch. his words are always a little rough, but his hands are always gentle. "well, we're moving bases soon," you remind him, having another bite of your food- a simple stew that more resembles slop. "i don't want to leave her."

although ghost rolls his eyes right back, he can't help but feel himself grow soft. it's a perfect reminder of why he fell in love with you in the first place. despite being this, despite being a soldier, you have a love for life that makes ghost want to hold you and never let go. "we can bring her with us."

his words make you raise your eyebrows. "i thought she was just a mangy cat," you reply, smiling as you repeat (mock) his words.

ghost grumbles something under his breath as he wraps an arm around your waist. "don't like seein' you worry," is all he says.

without hesitance, you lean into him in the way you always do- your head on his shoulder, hand on his. you know ghost doesn't always know how to express how much he loves you in any way but this. and you'll take it. you lift his hand to press a kiss to his knuckles and lift your head so he can see your smile. so you can see his eyes, softening like butter beneath the summer sun. "well, i don't want to scare her," you tell him. then you raise yourself higher to press a kiss to his cheek, even though his face is covered by the mask. "but thank you. that was sweet."

ghost grumbles something you can't quite make out other than "just a cat," making you giggle. the sound makes him lower every single defense he's ever had around you. he can't help it; he's a military man. he's defensive. but when it's you... everything becomes different. ghost brushes your bangs out of your eyes so he can stare into them a moment longer. before price gets you all up and running again. before you two have to exist anywhere outside of this moment.

his squeezes you to make sure you're really there.

"anything to make you happy, love."