#johnny x goggles

[itsa-me-lily]

@nightunite I hope she is everything you want her to be.

This is the start of an expansion in the Military Program Spouse Universe.

Please note this is a different reader than with Simon. Here you are Goggles and you are a menace to all.

The gym scene that Johnny is obsessing over came from Pick Up Games (A fic from Simon and his reader's playlist)

Here is Johnny & Goggle's playlist

Content warning;

Sexual themes, sexual tension, Sexual innuendoes, Goggles

Johnny knew he was a good solider. He was part of the 141. He prided himself on it. So why the hell was he letting someone from Mechanical of all places get under his skin like this?

"I bet you're real good at following orders aren't ya Sudsy?"

The words from the gym kept circling around and around in his head for days. Sudsy. That wasn't his call sign and he positive you knew it. It would be like if he called you fucking Wrenches instead of Goggles. What kind of call sign was Goggles anyways? He earned his call sign with how cleanly he swept houses thank you very much.

With a huff he cut off whatever conversation Gaz was trying to have with him. Something about a bird? A pigeon? Or dove? Whatever it was Johnny was sure that it was something they could revisit later at least. He could feel an energy buzz in his fingertips. It was similar to when they'd be cooped up on site, a need to excise it without the space to do anything about it.

Only this time he wasn't cooped up waiting for some terrorist or oligarch to make a drop. The only four walls around him were the breakroom, and he could leave it at any time. And like a cartoon it was almost like a lightbulb went off above Johnny's head. He just had to tell it to you straight. His call sign was Soap, and he was a seargent damnit, he was going to be respected.

With that mission directive in mind he hustled his way out of the break room and down to the garage. Surely you had to be there.

Whoever the fuck had decided to go try mudding with the LTATV and fucked up the undercarriage, their mother was hoe. You could feel your blood pressure rising as you looked at what seemed to be like gallons of dried mud that caked underneath as well as inside. Seriously, it was built for like two people, but given how the suspension was fucked you could only guess that, the weight limit was happily disregarded. Cap gave this to you as payback for giving Smudge new markers, you were sure of it. Bastard.

Before you could consider if insubordination was worth having on your permanent record, the very man you were considering insubordinating was calling for you. What great timing. With a grunt you rolled out from the LTATV, brushing the crumbling mud from your front, uncaring of what was caught in your hair at the moment.

"Yeah yeah I'm coming what-Oh Sudsy!"

And just like that your day was looking so much brighter. Sgt 'Soap' MacTavish was an absolute fucking meal and you were starving. Especially when he got that annoyed pouty look on his face that made you wanna give him something to be a little less grumpy about. Or maybe a little more grumpy depending on if he'd let you-

"Sargent here wanted to have a word with you."

Fuck Cap for being a goddamn buzzkill. You were enjoying giving the good sargent a slow once over.

"Sure. I'll take a little break from the bullshit you gave me."

Honestly you knew you were lucky that Cap let you be as mouthy as you were, but that was something to tell him later. You were giving your undivided attention to a certain Scott.

"So, what can I do ya for? Sudsy?"

Oh you probably shouldn't have enjoyed the way his eyebrow twitched at your new nickname for him. But you did and well that was going to be his problem. You tilted your head as you waited for an answer, enjoying the way Johnny crossed his arms over his chest. Seriously you just wanted to gnaw on him. Just a little. Those biceps looked very gnawable...

"What's wrong with it?"

It took you a moment to realize what he was talking about, looking back at the LTATV with a shrug.

"Some dumbasses thought they'd test the all terrain in some unauthorized mud shenanigans."

"So it just needs a wash?"

Oh it should have been illegal for him to sound so cute when he was confused. Seriously. You just wanted to smoosh his face between your hands.

"The suspensions fucked at the very least, but won't know until I can get a better look. And get covered in mud myself."

With a sigh you leaned against the side of the vehicle, and couldn't help but give Johnny a smirk.

"Though I bet you know all about that right?"

His confused stare only made your smile grow.

"Getting dirty? You know through mud and blood and all that jazz? Bet you clean up real nice too Sudsy."

Having a neon sign above your head flashing 'fuck me' might have been a little less obvious. But given the look on Johnny's face you weren't sure if he was getting it yet.

"Soap."

Huh?

"Huh?"

You didn't mean to sound stupid, but if it meant having this man step into your space, you could be the dumbest bitch possible. You could just barely smell whatever aftershave he used as you tilted your face up to keep eye contact with him.

"Call sign's Soap. Not Sudsy."

Fuck you'd call him whatever he wanted with that hard look on his face. Wonder if he'd still look like that if you slid down and-

"Right. Soap."

"Don't forget it."

You weren't planning on it anytime soon, and you could feel how charged your little stare down was getting. It was for you at least. Before you had a chance to suggest that you move your little meeting to somewhere more private, like a storage closet, the man was nodding to himself and stepping back to turn on heel and walk away.

Not great manners, but you could train that into him. You were sure. You enjoyed the view of him walking away, waiting until he was just about to leave the garage to call out to him.

"Toodles...Soap."

The man didn't bother to wave good bye but that was alright. You were pretty sure the flush you saw crawling up the back of his neck wasn't your imagination. With a groan you dropped your head back for it to clunk to the ATV frame.

"Fuuuuuck I gotta get that man pregnant."

You weren't sorry for the private that you startled.

Edit;

Goggles is a menace and I will never apologize for that.

[abbu0414]

Boarding Lessons (snowboarding!Ghost x fem!reader)

Word Count: 552

♪ Song to Listen To: A Dream With a Baseball Player by Faye Webster

I know this is really short but it's based off of a Tik Tok I saw this morning and it was literally the CUTEST thing I've ever seen.

This was literally the worst and most embarrassing experience of your life. Seeing so many people go down the hill with ease, and then you only being able to fall on your ass. You had been brought by your best friend and her boyfriend and they were the cutest skiing couple you had ever seen. It was disgusting, but you had been a hopeless romantic your whole life so it was easy to get over. 

You had been snowboarding maybe once or twice in your life when you were younger, but it is so much harder to relearn now that you are 21. Unfortunately, you had forgotten what the levels of slopes were so here you were…stuck on the top of the black diamond. 

“I-I don’t know that I can do this.” You said to your friend. But it was too late, her and her boyfriend were already down the hill.

“FAKE ASS BITCHES” You yell down the hill in frustration. You had decided to get over yourself and just go down. That’s easier said than done because you’re not even half way down the hill and you’ve fallen about seven times.

You would’ve been down the slope sooner but this group of assholes sped down the hill racing each other, and just about running you over on their boards. You fell yet again and burst into tears under your goggles. You laid in the starfish position and just sobbed for a few minutes. You hear another snowboarder make their way down.

“Slow down ya bunch of muppets!” A thick British accent pokes through the skeleton balaclava and a pair of goggles look down at you. 

“Would you like some help…?”

“Y/N, and yes I would. Your buddies are kind of assholes.” He lifts his goggles on top of his helmet and raises an eyebrow.

“Well I apologize for them, but what are you doing on the black diamond then love?” You turn bright red.

“My friend dragged me up here and went down with her boyfriend” You frowned. You see his cheek bones lift a little bit under his mask and loose strands of blonde hair poke out of his helmet as he stretches out his hand. He easily lifts you off the ground and holds on to your hands.

“I’ll help you down the slope, yeah?”

“Y-yeah okay,” You kept hold of his big, gloved hands and looked him in the eyes. “Don’t let me go, I cannot fall again in front of all of these people.” 

“I’ve got you love, bend your knees a little.” After a while it was smooth sailing and you both got to the bottom of the slope. You see a group of men approach him.

“We’ve been waiting FOREVER for you Ghostie, what took you so lo-” A man with a mohawk gets shoved by his friend. 

“Johnny, shut up, he’s flirting.” His friend says, rolling his eyes.

You looked up at him while his friends walked away shoving each other while unlocking your boarding boots. 

“Ghostie? Is that what I should call you too?” You laugh to yourself.

“You can call me Simon, and you can also call me anytime” He winks. You look down in your glove and see his number on a piece of paper crumpled up as he walks away.

‘Call me soon for boarding lessons Lovie ;) -S’

[sehunniepotwrites]

CELEBRATION | JH.S

a GOING FOR THE GOLD bonus scene you’re so golden: the olympic collection

SYNOPSIS. Four days after you win gold, it’s Johnny’s turn to earn his place on the podium. As his proud girlfriend, it’s your job to support him and tease the hell out of him as he earns his spot on the podium.

GENRE. established relationship!au, olympics!au, suggestive  PAIRING. Olympic Swimmer!Johnny Suh x (f) Olympic Swimmer!reader

WARNINGS. no explicit content (sex); y/n makes the blowjob gesture (tongue poking cheek); johnny gets a boner 

WORD COUNT. 2k+

AUTHOR’S NOTE. You don’t have to read the other parts but it would make a lot of sense if you did. 

DAY 12 AT THE VILLAGE, DAY 8 OF THE GAMES: MEN’S 200M BUTTERFLY FINALS

Four days after you won gold, the roles are reversed. This time, you are the one in the crowd, screaming until your lungs collapse, as you watch Johnny’s wide wing span take over his entire lane. You watch as Johnny comes up for a breath, mouth open wide and gasping for air, handsome face drenched in water and determined eyes covered by the black goggles. It’s the final lap and there’s only a short distance between him and the predicted runner up in this race. 

You and the girls–Sooyoung, Yerim, Seungwan, Seulgi, and Joohyun–squeeze each other’s hands with such intensity. Jaehyun, who is not participating in any event that day, rests his hands on your shoulders, his grip tightening as Johnny’s opponent picks up the pace. The intensity of his hold doesn’t even phase you, not when your new boyfriend is so close to obtaining an Olympic gold medal for himself. 

The small crowd with the Aquatic Center roars with excitement and adrenaline as Johnny and his competitor reach for the wall at the exact same time. None of you can determine the winner from that close call from your point of view, so you impatiently wait for the results to appear on the big screen. 

Johnny’s large body is bobbing in the water, goggles already ripped from his head, and hands gripping tightly to the edge of the pool. Commotion erupts from all around you, with Jaehyun’s arms shaking your body and Yerim’s screams ringing in your ear. It’s then you realize that your man had done it–he earned the top spot on the podium. You’re crying at this point, so happy that he achieved his lifelong dream and that you were there to witness this historic moment.

You were there for him two days prior when the boys won Silver for their relay. You felt the disappointment dripping from Johnny’s features when he found out he was mere seconds behind first, just a hand width away, but you are sure this victory makes up for it.

“That’s your boy,” Jaehyun whispers into your ear and a surge of pride rushes through your veins. That is your boy–he is the light of your life, the shining sun in your darkest days, your greatest love, and now your one and only Olympic gold medalist. Your Eagle. Your Big Bird. Your Johnny.

Your ears are attuned to his voice, Johnny’s victorious yells carrying through the noise. You wish you are able to run down to the area but your team was already let out with a warning once. You do not want to take that risk again. Instead, you make your way down to where the interviews are held and park yourself behind where Tiffany Hwang, Team Korea’s swimming correspondent, records her bits. 

As Johnny saunters over to the streaming area, he catches your eye, does a full scan of you draped in his swimming parka, and has the audacity to smirk and send a flirty wink in your direction. Everything romantic between the two of you is so new, meaning four days old, Johnny’s actions leave you weak in the knees. It makes you lose your balance for a second and you are embarrassed at how much your best friend, now boyfriend, can have such an effect on you. You wonder if anything you do would garner the same reaction. So as Johnny steps into position to start his post-swim interview, you start to formulate a little scheme.

“Congratulations on winning gold, John,” Tiffany greets with a bright smile. The reporter has always been pretty and a sight for sore eyes but there is a better view standing just a few meters away. 

Johnny places himself in a way where he can see you in his sightlines. The two of you may not be public yet but he is so close to saying your full name into the microphone when asked who he dedicates his win to. “Thank you, Tiffany.”

“It’s so great to see another Korean-American such as yourself earn a grand title such as Olympic Gold Medalist. How does it feel to finally be a part of that small inspirational group of Asian Americans?”

“Amazing. A dream come true really. I just hope that people who look like me,” he pauses, takes a second, remembering that Tiffany is another Korean-American, “people like us continue to work hard to achieve our goals.”

Tiffany smiles and nods in agreement.

“We didn’t have many prominent Asian or AAPI athletes to look up to growing up. But we’re on the rise. Our time is here and now. Representation matters and I hope my achievement will inspire all the Asian greatness that is to come.” 

Johnny steals a glance at you and finds you with a hand over your heart. “I love you,” you mouth, “I am so proud of you.”

Johnny wants to reply, to declare his love for you to the world, but you are still his little secret. He wants to keep you to himself before the rest of the world makes sense of your relationship. His eyes shine with the brightness of a million stars as he looks at you and he hopes you are able to read every emotion behind them. And you do.

The swimmer forgets the task at hand as he continues to stare into your eyes. You shake your head and gesture back to Tiffany, prompting your boyfriend to turn back to the camera. 

“John?” Tiffany’s voice calls.

“Sorry, yes?”

“That’s alright. Still soaking in your victory?”

Johnny catches your eye again and you laugh. “Something like that, yeah. What were you saying?” 

As Tiffany shoots out another question that goes in one ear and out the other, his gaze remains on you. He sees one of your hands, covered by his oversized sleeve, coming up to cup the side of your face. The expression you wear shifts almost immediately, the innocent and proud grin you wear turning into one that he’s seen behind closed doors. Your lids droop to mirror the eyes of a siren and your lips curve into a smile that drives him wild.

And just when Johnny thinks that is all, your tongue drags along your bottom lip before poking the inside of your cheek. It’s a lewd action to hint what is to come and his mind immediately comes up with a billion scenarios on how it will play out. His pupils dilate, his heart rate increases, and he feels something twitch below his torso. Quickly covering his lower half with the towel he was given, he fixes his stance and gives you a warning stare. The sound of your laughter reaches his ears and flares him up even more. No amount of laps in the cool down pool will help him out of this mess. 

With his gaze zoned in on your lips, Johnny barely recognizes that the word you are mouthing is “focus” before Tiffany calls him back to reality once again. 

“Sorry again,” he apologizes sheepishly.

“No worries. I was just asking how you are going to celebrate.”

Johnny gulps. A celebration is definitely in order. It’s just not one he’d like to reveal to the world at this very moment. “With my team, of course. A couple of beers in our room and games should do.”

“The usual suspects that are in your vlogs, I suppose?”

Johnny shoots her a grin. “How ever did you know?”

“A lucky guess,” she shrugs. Johnny likes how casual Tiffany is. Since she’s followed his career since he first started, interviews with her are like talking to an older sister. She’s on the younger side compared to other correspondents but her youthfulness is what makes her so likable. “Thank you for your time, Johnny, and congratulations again. Take your time to soak in this win–a moment like this is one to be celebrated.”

“No, thank you, Tiffany.” 

The camera turns off and the crew begins to prepare for the next event. Just as Johnny turns to leave, the sportscaster calls him back. 

“Yeah?” he answers.

Tiffany, in her hot pink suit and matching nails, gestures to him to come closer. When he is within reach, her manicured hand cups her mouth and she whispers in his ear, “If you want to keep your relationship hidden for a bit, stop being so obvious, Suh.”

Johnny chokes. “What?”

Tiffany raises her perfectly filled in brows at him. “It’s like you two want to get caught, I’m trying to save you from the publicity, you doof!” She moves to slap him and he winces.

Tiffany also motions to his lower body. “You need to keep it in your pants,” she scoffs with a hint of disgust. 

“It’s her fault,” Johnny whines, bringing the towel closer to conceal his growing problem.

“Fly high, butterfly,” Tiffany mocks, mimicking your voice. “Ugh. You two are hopeless.”

“Jae says the exact same thing,” Johnny retorts.

Tiffany rolls her eyes. “Get outta here, I have interviews to conduct and you have–” her voice trails off, “–celebrations to attend to.” He takes that as his cue to leave. 

Since his event was one of the last of the night, the medal ceremony arrives fairly quickly. And although taking his place on the podium is a moment he’s dreamed about his entire life, Johnny cannot help but think of what is to come after. His heart, mind, and soul are all clouded by thoughts of you. And unfortunately for him, so are other parts of his tall, endowed body.

The minute he’s out of camera focus and back in the ready room, Johnny finds you grinning in the back corner. You are the only thing he sees as he makes his way towards you. His big hands pry his unzipped parka apart and plant themselves at your sides. He gives you a tight squeeze before tugging your body to his front. His ears pick up on the smallest noise that escapes your pretty lips. 

Johnny doesn’t care who else is in the room. He needs to set one thing straight with you. 

“You’re a menace, Flip,” he practically groans into your ear, his head then dropping to your neck in defeat. Johnny’s wet hair drips onto your skin and the dry parka that dwarfs your body but it doesn’t phase you—you’re used to the way water feels.  

You grin back up at him, fingers circling around the cold first place medal around his neck. The featherlight skims sends tingles down his spine and he shivers. Nothing compares to your touch. Nothing will ever compare to you. 

“How so?”

Your coyness riles Johnny up even more. “You know what you did,” he almost whines, voice dipping low.

“What did I do?” Opposite of your lover, your voice raises in pitch. 

“Y/N,” he warns.

“Johnny,” you reply cheekily in the same tone, fluttering your lashes at him. 

Another groan escapes him because now that he has you—now that you are officially his—Johnny will never win. He steals a kiss, one not too long or intense, but just enough to preview what is to come before pulling away. His supple tongue quickly swipes against your pouting lip. “What are you doing to me?” He whispers into your mouth. 

“Well, there are things I want to do. I just can’t do them here.”

A frustrated glare flashes in his eyes and you laugh at the words he is holding back. Johnny’s large hand engulfs yours as he drags you out of the area. “We’re leaving. Now.” Your giggles bounce off the hallways as you rush back to the housing complex. Something tells you it will be a night to remember. 

(Jeno sees the two of you escape and he sighs. He turns to his roommates and the girls who are standing next to him. “Great. We’ve been sexiled.”

“Again?” Sooyoung whines. 

“So…anyone down for getting shit faced tonight so we don’t have to deal with their noises?” Mark proposes.)

COACH’S DEBRIEF. Surprise, I’m back with my favorite Big Bird and tagged everyone that adored him! I haven’t written anything in a while but I’ve hit two huge milestones (graduating and hitting a follower count) that I wanted to celebrate with a lil something. Thank you all for sticking by me. I hope you enjoyed my little return!

TAGLIST. @johtenrecs @baekhyuns-lipchain @smileysuh  @hotdogct @donutswithjaminthemiddle @jaehyunnie77  @itsapapisongo  @moonctzeny @weiyiann @justwonus-recs @emmybyeakitty @sakamoto-hey @suhpersonic @dnylwoo @fluffypoodle  @yixing-jaehyun @crescent-iak @iwishiwasthemoontonight @jaehyunfirstlove @nonnnimous @nctsworld @suhreal @justsayk​ @hoshologies​ @moonctzeny @sokkigarden​ @everlovingavenue​ @pak-pak-suhgar​​ @smileyerim​ @suhnnyskiess​ @brightestmark​ @bonnieblue0606​ @amazinggraxia​ @ficrecnctskz​ @lydinews​ @chittaemin​ @ahcaratzen​ @seongfish​ @satansooenthusiast​ @suhlovrreads​ @hyuckworld​ @yougotthatbilly​ @hyperfixationficrecs​​ ​

© sehunniepotwrites, 2021-2023

[vgilantee]

I gotta know what pilot soap is wearing!!!! Does he have on one of those cute lil jumpsuits with the awkward collars that all pilots in Star Wars seem to wear at one point or is he “not like other pilots”

AHHHHH!!!!! STAR WARS COSTUME DESIGNNNNNN

okay so the jumpsuits with the fuckass collars in bright orange are actually rebellion era, and the johnny x reader fic is set during late clone wars/order 66 so no awkward collars yet. definitely a jumpsuit though because when it's tied around his waist it's so slutty and sexy hehe

I've got references below the cut, but basically he has a brown jumpsuit which he ties around his waist, mid-shin black boots, thigh holster and shoulder holster things (see pic 3 and pic 1) because they're slutty and sexy, and the chest armour of pic 4. when I have a more solid idea I'll do a proper description but that's more or less what his fit is!! all neutral browns and creams and greens. OH! and he 100000% has goggles

[princessdimondheart]

It’s The Dog | Chapter 2 | Ghost x Dog Handler! OC

Pairing: Ghost x f! OC

Warnings: None really, language, is dog poop a warning??

Edited: No

A/N: An extra long chapter for the wait. ~3k+! I'm finally on Spring Break!! I’m not certain what to name my OC so I’m just gonna leave her nameless (for now, maybe idk). However, she is a Latina (Mex) so her name is of Hispanic origin. She's 21, and Ghost is 30-32, so... age difference. As for her rank of Sergeant, she's freshly pinned. Debating whether I should name her dog Riley…. I did in the end lol

Masterlist

Ch.1 | Ch.2 [Here] | Ch.3

Title banner ©️ Me

2.

The last mission was long and hard, but Sergeant Canis was certain that she and her dog were going to be fine after a good rest back at base. They were waiting on the other side of the huge hill again for an exfil. She had just called over her radio and was waiting a response back. Although their work was done for the time being, both she and her dog were actively searching the top of the hill for any signs of enemies that they may have missed. She glanced to her dog. He had his ears on a swivel and his nose was twitching as he tried to scent out any bad guys to bite. 

Without a doubt was Canis proud of her doggo. He’d been working extra hard this mission and rightly deserved lots of treats and pets. 

Hmm… maybe I’ll cook him up a steak-

Her train of thought was cut off by the grainy- yet somehow clear- sound of her radio going off. 

“Charlie-04, what’s your status? This is Tango-06”

“Tango-06, this is Charlie-04, requesting exfil to RTB. The LZ is clear.” Canis provided their coordinates to the pilot. 

“Received. ETA in 6 minutes.” The helicopter pilot responded. 

Not long after, the helicopter was landing nearby and blowing hot air and dust all over the place. Luckily she was wearing sunglasses and her dog had to funky goggles that sometimes made her giggle at the sight of him. Both quickly made their way into the helo and they were off back to base. But just before they could properly settle in one of the exfil crew was calling her name. 

“Sergeant Canis, sir, you have an incoming call. Permission to switch to private comms?” 

“Go ahead.” She was a bit confused. 

Who the hell’s calling me at a time like this??

Once the comm was switched it was then that she heard him. 

“Sergeant? How’s it goin’, love?”

“Well, hello there, Captain…”

This was going to be a long day for Canis, she was sure of it. 

~~~~~

Ghost was waiting next to Soap a little ways off from the tarmac, when a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft landed on the runway. It began to taxi towards their standing location. Several minutes later the plane began to unload its cargo. If he was to be honest, Simon was excited for a dog to join the team. He had always liked them when he was younger but was only ever able to admire them from afar. His father would have never allowed one in their home. 

He could hear dog barks getting closer as the crate transporting the dog was unloaded. Ghost spotted the crate and could just make out the silhouette of a German shepherd dog. His eyes moved up when he saw a figure walking up next to the crate. The person placed their hand on top of the crate and pat it a few times, most likely to calm the canine down. It didn’t seem to work.

When they got close enough, Johnny voiced his concern. 

“Is the dog good?” He was worried the dog was going to bark itself to oblivion. Even with the muzzle the dog had on, he kept barking. 

“Riley? Oh, yeah. He does this when he notices we’re not at the same base as before. He’ll get used to this base eventually, so when we comeback from missions in the future he’ll just be sleeping.” Riley? “I think he does this to freak everyone out. So are ya?”

“Freaked out? A bit, lass.” Johnny chuckled, then remembered the dog’s name. “Did you say, Riley?”

“Yeah. It was his name when I got him as a two-year old. Why?” She looked between the two men. Mohawk guy was giving a knowing look to Mr. Broody. She couldn’t bring herself to look at the skull-clad man in the eyes. His presence was intense. He didn’t acknowledge his younger teammate. 

Johnny grinned, “No particular reason. Just glad to have you and Riley on the team…”

“Oof, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself there.” She gave them her name. “But you guys can call me Canis.” 

Canis and Soap shook hands. “Name’s Johnny MacTavish but you can call me Soap since we’re the same rank.” Letting go of her hand, he gestured to Simon. “This here is Ghost. I just call him L.t.”

The lieutenant grunted in greeting before reaching out his hand for a shake. His hand was warm against her cooler fingers. They were definitely much larger than hers, but given her height, everyone’s hands were bigger than hers anyways. Canis steeled herself and looked him in the eyes. His lids drooped and she couldn’t see his pupils in the darkness, but she could see that his eyes had a softness in them yet not completely. He was still wary of her being there, all new and whatnot. Her cheeks began to warm as the stare held on. His hand was in hers for a few seconds longer than normal, and when Ghost noticed he immediately let go. His mind had wandered off like hers did. Her eyes drifted to Riley who had finally relaxed his barking during their little introduction. She didn’t see Ghost flexing his hand behind his back. 

Ghost’s own cheeks had warmed, but he shook the feeling away. “Let’s go. The Captain is waiting for us.”

He turned and led them to the building, not turning to see if they were following them or not. 

~~~~~

Once in the cargo bay of the main building, Canis clipped the leash onto Riley’s collar which clearly read: DO NOT PET; and let Riley walk out on his lead, letting him quickly do his business on a grassy area just outside, then cleaned up after him. She had trained him to go on command, which was convenient for her whenever they were on time sensitive missions. 

They walked for a short while until Ghost stopped in front of a frosted glass top door. Canis could make out that the lights were on but she couldn’t see if anyone was inside already. Ghost knocked on the wooden part of the door and waited until a muffled answer told him it was okay to enter. Upon hearing it, he opened the door and held it open for his two sergeants. Soap pat his thanks on Ghost’s shoulder, while Canis whispered her thanks. Ghost could just hear it but his hand gripping the door began to sweat. Riley took a moment to sniff the tall man. Curious. 

Captain Price was sitting behind his desk like usual. A young man closer in age to Canis was sitting across from him. Both looked over to them as they came inside the decent sized office. Extra chairs lined the far wall, which Johnny was taking the time to move them in front of the desk. 

Price called her name. “Or should I call you Canis now?” One of his thick brows twitched upwards in question. “Running with the wolves now, love?”

Canis grinned at her new Captain. “You know me, Old Man. I’m always one for having a pack.” She gave him a little wink. A short laugh escaped her blush pink lips. 

“You two know each other well?” The only person Canis did not know looked between them. Johnny also had a slightly confused look to his face. 

“Quite, Old Man and I go back since I was in the womb to be honest.” Canis looked at him. “Umm…?”

“Oh! Gaz on missions and Kyle while on base.”

“He’s like an uncle to me, Kyle.” Canis sat down. Riley and the other two doing the same. 

“Her father and I used to run missions together.” Price gave his two cents. “He’s an Army Ranger. Good man. Retired now.” The others looked at her in awe. The Army Rangers were the elite of the elite and were definitely people that any military man should inspire to be. His face turned contemplative. 

“Any reason why you’re in the Air Force and not following in your father’s footsteps?” It was a legitimate question, but it made Canis tense at the words. 

“Well, you know him, Old Man. I wanted to piss him off… He’s a better Ranger than he ever was a parent.” Price’s brows furrowed, then she mumbled off a, “Chair force my ass…” 

The situation with her father still made her upset so she said nothing more. She did not want to dampen the mood any more than it had already had. 

It was quiet for a second until Johnny broke it, asking her a simple ice breaker question. “So, your doggo know any tricks, lass?” Johnny flashed her a grin. His eyes darted to the diligently sitting German shepherd. 

“A trick, Soap?” She smiled back. 

“Yeah.”

“Salute your superior, Sergeant.” She grinned at Soap while his face flashed a look of confusion at the other three. Gaz looked equally confused but Price had a small smile on his face, and he couldn’t gauge Ghost’s reaction because of his mask. 

“Umm… the Captain?” He wasn’t sure what she meant. His fellow Sergeant shook her head and tilted it towards her four-legged partner. Riley sat perfectly still, his brown eyes staring at the man. “The dog?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Ah… okay, then.” Soap then brought his hand up in a salute and waited, but only for a moment. 

Riley lifted his large paw as high as he could and placed it in front of his eye before setting it down. A doggy salute. 

Soap blinked and yet still couldn’t believe it. Riley had saluted back at him. Captain Price had chuckled at the antics going on and Gaz let loose a “Woah!” Ghost only titled his head a bit but he was definitely amused by this. If anyone had looked closely, they would have seen the skin by his eyes crinkle just a bit. 

Riley wagged his tail and turned his head to his designated mother as if asking: “I did good right? Okay, now where’s my treat, human?”

Canis tossed him a piece of chicken she had in her pocket. Riley snapped at it mid air with a sharp snap of his jaws. She was proud of her friend. This was not something that was explicitly taught when going through handler training, but was a trick that Canis taught Riley to do as a way to boost morale on long haul missions with her previous teams. The boys had loved it so it stuck. “Good boy.”

“Wait, why does Johnny have to salute Riley? He’s his superior?” Gaz almost raised his hand to ask, his upper body moving towards her. Soap leaned closer, too. 

“Well, any MWD is a rank higher than their handler.” Canis replied, her face turned serious. “It’s like that to prevent any handler from abusing their dogs. Imagine punching your Captain… yeah, it wouldn’t go down well.”

“Well said. Now, get settled. Tomorrow we’re going to do a mini training session with all of you and with Riley. I want to see how well you perform.” Price stood from his chair. “I also want those of you who haven’t worked with a dog before to get used to them and see what they are capable of, at least in principle. You’ll get the idea once we’re out in the field.”

A chorus of ‘yes, sir’s and everyone stood up.

“Did’ya bring any special equipment with ya that we could use for tomorrow?” The Captain continued. His attention focused on Canis. 

“Equipment?” She believed she knew what he was talking about. “Yes, sir. I’ll have it prepped in the morning.”

“Good, miss.” Then he exited first. 

Canis grabbed a hold of Riley’s lead before he could wander off with the rest. Riley began sniffing everyone as they walked out the door. He sniffed the longest at the person who stayed behind. 

Ghost let his hand be sniffed by Riley. The dog was taking lots of breaths, his nose twitching with each inhale and exhale. His lips twitched when he saw Riley’s tail move side to side. It was 100% a pleasure making a dog happy. Taking Riley’s friendly posture as a queue, he pats him on the head. Riley’s butt wiggled with his tail wags, and he tried to lick Ghost’s hand even through the muzzle. 

Canis stood there and let the interaction happen with no interruption, despite the ‘DO NOT PET’ in bold on his collar. This would be the only exception. It was good for Riley to interact with the team as soon and as often as possible. It would help them trust her dog more while on a mission. She smiled at the two. It was sweet. 

Ghost looked up sensing eyes on him. His cheeks burned again. He felt a little silly forgetting that Canis was still there waiting on them. And here he was loving on her dog. A good dog, but still. He coughed lightly and with a final pat on Riley’s head, Ghost turned and left the room.

Canis shrugged and smiled knowingly once he was out of the room. Then she led Riley out as well and made their way to their designated barracks. 

~~~~~

The following morning Canis woke up early due to Riley licking her hand. His whine to be let out had her shooting out of bed. She did not want to miss his queues to be let out like before when they were first partnered together. Those were not good moments for them both. 

Canis dressed in her combat outfit sans her heavy gear load out. She attached the leash to his collar, not forgetting to grab his favorite ball- foregoing his muzzle, and led him from her room to an inner courtyard she saw in passing the night before. Now that the sun was rising, she could see that the courtyard was open with a few benches along the wall. The middle had green grass that was in need of a cut soon. The grass was wet so it must have rained in the middle of the night. There were a few bushes that appeared to have flowers on them but since it was early fall, they had begun to shrivel up and a few had already fallen. 

Canis led Riley to a corner of the yard to do his business. She didn’t want him going all over the place- and not wanting to be discourteous to others. Riley did his business and she cleaned up after him like a responsible handler would and deposited the bag in a trash bin. Then she let him loose and threw his ball to the other side of the courtyard, slowly making her way after it. Riley bolted after the ball, mouthed on it where he got it and ran back for her to throw it again. They played like this for a few minutes. 

She should have realized that he was somewhere behind her before Riley ran past her with a yip. Ghost would always be silent, under all circumstances. Canis made a quick turn to see Ghost sitting on a small bench with Riley’s ball firmly clenched in his skull-gloved hand. Riley’s backend wiggled with the intensity of his tail wagging. He barked a few times, urging Ghost to ‘throw the ball already!’ 

Ghost looked at her. A beam of sunlight passed over the courtyard, illuminating Ghost’s brown eyes into a deep honey. Their identical colored eyes locked in a way that had her taking a deep breath. She nodded her approval to him with a smile and he chucked the ball. Riley was like a bullet trying to get it. 

Canis made her way to where Ghost sat. He scooted over just enough to let her sit next to him. He was manspreading so her knee was lightly touching his thigh. Both of their legs twitched but settled against each other when neither of them said anything. Riley bounded over with his happy self, ball in mouth. He plopped the ball back into Ghost’s open hand again then took off once more when he threw it. 

“He really likes you.” Canis chuckled. “It usually takes him longer to warm up to new people on the teams we’ve joined up with.” 

“Mmm…” Ghost fiddled with a loose string on his black sweater. “I guess I have a way with dogs, then.”

He was teasing her. She looked up at his much larger frame. “Oh, Lieutenant… Riley here can turn at the drop of a single word.” 

He didn’t doubt her there. Ghost’s stomach twitched at her unknowing use of his name. He’d definitely have to get used to that. 

When Riley came back with his ball, Canis had him heel between her legs. “Watch the door, Riley.”

Riley’s ears perked up at the order and his head turned on a swivel to the door. His hackles rose and his lips curled in a silent snarl. Ghost could see that his eyes had an intensity that wasn’t there before while they were playing ball. Riley was a serious dog and he could turn so easily. 

“Release!” After a few seconds, Canis threw his ball into the air and Riley lunged at it breaking his command. He was back to his happy tail-wagging self. It amazed Ghost how easily he transitioned between his working mode and calm mode. Although, he hadn’t seen the full extent of Riley’s abilities, yet. 

Canis looked at her watch. “I should be getting our gear ready for our training session soon… I still need to feed Riley.” She went to stand then turned to Ghost, “I’ll see you later, sir. It was nice seeing you interact with Riley. We can do it again if you want?”

Ghost looked her in the eyes, “Yeah, I want to.”

She gave him a small smile then returned her attention to Riley and reattached his leash to his collar. As they walked back inside, Ghost lowered his gaze to a large paw print imprinted into the wet dirt a few feet from him. The blades of grass glowed as the sun moved higher into the sky. 

Ch.1 | Ch.2 [Here] | Ch.3

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@missroro

[a-world-with0ut-dr34ms]

Decode

From Control - Full Story in Progress on AO3!

Ghost x Shadow!Reader x Soap

Your mission takes a turn for the worst after getting shot down from the sky. Now being injured, low on ammo, and completely surrounded by hostiles, you're only hope is for the Task Force to reach you in time before it was too late.

WC: 4k ~

Action, Angst, Thriller, Suspense, Tense, Graphic Violence, Dark, Mentions of Death, Slight Unrequited Feelings, Slow Burn, Romance, Love Triangle, Longing, Drama, Canon-Compliant, Mentions of Blood

Happy 4th! 🦅🇺🇸

CoD Masterlist

Control Masterlist

Chapter Twenty-Two ~ Decode

There's a reason Ghost liked to keep everyone at a distance, and why he's told himself countless times not to give in to his urges and care too much.

It hadn't been out of fear of being close or even vulnerable towards another, nor did he keep his distance out of the coldness of his own demeanor.

At the end of the day, it had only ever been about one thing and one thing only: Control.

To know one's self and to keep things in check is what matters most, both in peace and combat. After all, it's the actions of those who know no bounds to their own greed and power that have left the world in such a way as is; it's one of the very reasons it's brought everyone here tonight.

All of Simon's life has he seen the dangers which came from men unwilling to keep themselves in check; his own father showed him as much before he'd yet to hit puberty.

"I'm takin' the boy out and teachin' 'em how t'live like a real man," he'd say. A real man.

It's selfish, evil men who relish in the barbarity of their own nature. And Ghost only knew that he did not want to be anything like that. He feared those parts of him he's inherited, whether he could say so out loud or not. And he had feared them so much that he'd been willing to sacrifice everything else in his life to keep them buried.

Keeping control meant everything to him. For a long time, it was the only thing he cared about. The only thing that mattered. The only thing he had left.

Had things been his way, it'd stay that way. And yet it had been one thing to look up to the sky and see you be shot down, bringing an ice cold chill through the man's body as though he'd just been thrown into the artic in just his undergarments, but to then know that Johnny stood beside him in absolute shock, his eyes wide, gun frozen in hand, mouth agape with horror... In complete and utter despair. A sight the lieutenant has never seen of his Sergeant before.

An old and familiar madness stirred in Ghost once more, one he'd thought had been dead and buried long ago. It made his blood boil and his jaw tight beneath his mask.

His gaze hasn't left the spot that you've crashed since watching the entire thing conspire -- simply processing everything through the hazy green of his night vision goggles. Breathing. Blinking. Hoping that if his eyes opened once more that what he'd seen had only been a trick of the mind.

Yet his eyes keep opening, and your helo still sits in the distance. Burning.

Ghost does the first natural thing that comes to mind and reaches for his comms. "Alpha, what's your status?!"

Silence. No response from anyone in Alpha, nothing beyond their coughs in between static and gunfire.

No sound from you either.

Ghost shuffles about anxiously in his stance, tuning out the worried chatter of the others around him, and feeling the pit of his stomach sink to new depths he hadn't known yet existed in him.

Had he lost you so soon, he wondered.

The lieutenant goes for his comms again, doing everything in his power to keep his composure and stay focused on the task at hand.

"Alpha, how copy..?"

A voice finally picks up on the comms, and Ghost swears it hits him like a shot of adrenaline.

"Bravo- Alpha is immobile. Multiple critical!" One of the soldiers relays through the comms.

Ghost attempts to take a moment to digest this information -- Multiple critical, but that hadn't meant everyone had been lost. Though fate seemed adamant on making that a reality, as the sounds of gunfire start to erupt in the distance.

The comms cut back in. "Oh, shit-! We're taking effective fire!"

In a matter of seconds, the building the helo had crashed near continued firing on them, bullets and shouting picking up through the comms.

With Alpha down, that left Building Three compromised, further complicating the mission. Ghost knows what needs to be done here. He radios in, "Alpha, we're moving to building one. Hold tight!"

Alpha Team has to wait while they secure Buildings One and Two, as the mission states. While Ghost is aware that the others would rather jump straight into the fire for their comrades (he shares the sentiment), he knows that it won't do anyone any good if they're all taken out in a single emotionally driven move. it's too high of a risk to go and help them now, and Ghost knows this.

Yet, he remains still, knelt beside his team in the tall grass, as the darkness surrounded him in more ways than one.

Had you still been alive? How could this have happened? Why did this happen?

His mind buzzed with these pains within him, intertwining with each and every other thought. No matter how much he tried to shake it, they ate him alive. And after each one, the same thought concluded them.

This is why, he thought. This. Is. Why.

This is why he wanted you to stay away from him. Why he hadn't wanted to get to know you, and for you to know him. Because suddenly, the thought of losing you tonight had felt unbearable.

"Ghost." It takes hearing Soap's voice, riddled with impatient desperation, for his mind to be made up about the situation. "We need to secure that crash site, now."

For Soap, it hadn't even been a question of what needed to be done here. He wouldn't believe you were gone until he saw for himself, and until that day comes, you've now become the only job that matters to him.

"First, we clear for Hassan," Ghost commands. "That takes the heat off Alpha. Then, we secure the crash site. Clear?"

Soap nods. "Roger that."

"Let's move."

The team moves forward in unison down the hill, using the dark and tall grass to their advantage. Each step made closer to Building One -- approaching the erupting gunfire and explosive blasts -- Ghost felt another part of himself be done away. Parts of himself that were once calm and feared only for himself and the mission's status.

Before long, your helo feels within arm's reach, blocked off by obstacles needing to be tended to. Fear becomes action, only to be fueled by the impending rage he kept within himself.

Ghost would not lose himself tonight, he told himself again and again, don't lose yourself.

He would not lose you either.

It's the smell of burning flesh that wakes you, and the thick taste of iron on your tongue that brings your heart to an erratic drumming.

The world around you is a foggy black, as though you were drowning in dark waters. The gunfire comes in slowly after the taste of blood has settled in your mouth, distant at first, before it blares alongside the shouts and screams of your comrades.

It's then you've heard the loud popping noises of the gunfire, and the thunderous crashing of bombs and RPG blasts just barely missing your position. It shakes the entire ground, rattling your insides, and making the sores on your body swell with pain.

You cough involuntarily before your eyes have even opened, to your dismay, as it ripples a dull pain through you that only grows sharper at every hoarse exhale.

Once your eyes have opened, you're damn near blinded by the growing fires surrounding your crashed helo, the bright fluorescent oranges and yellows hitting your retinas like needles. Your comrades' silhouettes appear blurred and twisted in the flame's light, gathered for cover at the open end of the helo, grabbing whatever ammo hadn't fallen out of the sky to keep them settled until help arrives... if help arrives.

If that help didn't get here soon, there wouldn't be anyone left to save.

One of the two men defending the entrance of the helo is suddenly mowed down, their body becoming riddled with bullet holes. If the crash had already made him worse for wear, then it had been this act after which killed him.

His body crashes to the ground without so much as a scream, and his teammate, Alpha 0-4, who's now been left outside to pick up the pieces alone, does just that. He takes what remained of the marine's ammo and continues to defend his position. It's either that or they all die here and now.

You didn't need to look around and see the rest of your team's dead and butchered bodies -- some from the crash, others from the gunfire soon after -- at this point, this had now become about survival. No matter what, you must keep moving.

You see that you're still buckled in your seat, though your weapon was no longer at your side. It had been the least of your concerns, at the given moment.

You reach for your buckle, pushing back the pain it coarsed through you as your muscles shifted and tugged at the device. The longer it wouldn't unclasp, the more desperate your actions grew.

"Let me get that!"

One of the other marines on your team, Alpha 0-2 you believe it was, rushes over to your aid, having just been assisting another wounded soldier leaning against the walls of the helo. Since the crash, he's been scrambling about trying to help the others, seeing as he had been the least injured one of the lot here.

He pulls a knife out and cuts the straps from you, releasing you from your temporary confinement. The second he does, you feel the weight of your constraints release you, and it feels as though all your insides had been compressed up until this point. The sudden release of pressure overwhelms you, nauseating you.

You fall to your knees in pain, feeling your entire body throb and your brain pulsate in your skull. You did just survive a helicopter crash, so whether or not your mind wanted to, you needed a couple seconds.

Had it not been how light-headed you suddenly felt, the cold breeze that bit at your hip finally tipped you off that you were bleeding. Loose bits of metal must have hit you during the crash; frankly, you were lucky that it only seemed to graze your hip, leaving a nasty gash at your side you only knew would heal poorly later.

The blood dampens your uniform, making your sweat run cold, as you bring a hand to your wound, attempting to soothe away the pain.

"I'd offer you some supplies," Alpha 0-2 says to you, bringing a hand out to help you back to your feet. "But we've barely even got any ammo left as is after that crash, let alone supplies. AQ's been rainin' hell on us since."

You take his hand, gritting your teeth as you'd gotten back to your feet. The hip wound wasn't as bad as it appeared, though your entire body still throbbed from the crash. At this point, if you stopped moving now, your adrenaline would dip, leaving you an exhausted wreck on the ground if you weren't careful.

"We thought you were a goner," the marine only continues. Up until he'd heard you cough, he'd all but been ready to count you as part of the deceased. "We've lost four guys already," he says. "Alpha 0-5's wounded and we're running low on ammo-"

Bullets shakes the helo, making you both duck for cover. AQ only seemed interested in providing one-minute intervals between firing on your position. Whatever little time you once had before, had now been gone.

A small part of you felt desperate to ask 0-2 for answers, wanting to know what could be done, or if this had been hopeless. Your mind was being pulled in so many different directions all at once; it was difficult enough just focusing on breathing and keeping the pain bottled in.

However, you had been Team Lead. if anything, Alpha 0-2 was happy to see you living, because now it means he didn't have to be the one giving out orders anymore. In a matter of minutes, he's watched his team's numbers drop from a group of eight to three. If any hope had been left for them now, it had been you being the extra number, and you being the leader.

With the helo wall pressed hard against your back, your clothes sticking uncomfortably to the blood and sweat which stained your skin, you find thinking a bit more streamlike suddenly.

You look to your side, being fortunate enough to find a spare pistol on one of your fallen teammates. Quickly, you reach over and retrieve the weapon, checking it for ammo first, before turning back to Alpha 0-2.

"Hold this position until Bravo can reach us," you say. "We'll reassess our game plan after we've regrouped."

"Roger that!"

As you always try and do, you put things into perspective for yourself, running by what would happen from this point on.

Soap wouldn't leave you here now. Ghost wouldn't leave you here either. Somehow, you just knew they wouldn't, which made things clear: Wait and survive.

"AUGH!"

Both your heads turn to the entrance of the helo, where you've seen Alpha 0-4, the last man other than you two, get shot.

He falls back to the ground with a heavy thud, grunting out in pain before crawling over to cover behind one of the fallen crates.

"Samson!"

Alpha 0-2 looks about ready to stand up and head out there himself, which sets alarm bells off in your head.

"Wait!" You grab his arm. "I'll go."

"What?! You can't go out there; you're already beat up as is-"

"Which is exactly why I'm going! The last thing we need is for you to get shot as well. Stay here with 0-5 and cover me, I'll bring Samson back in."

You don't give him much time to protest before you've turned your back to him, waiting for an opening between the gunfire before heading out to your comrade. Once the enemy fire ceased, you listen for your cover fire, and in a low crawl, rush out of the helo.

Outside the safety of the crashed metal, the cold night air pools around you in heavy waves. You were scared. You were terrified. One wrong move and that's it -- Light's out.

The realization of your situation hits you as you weave your way over to where your comrade has knelt, the fear and adrenaline buzzing through you as though you were drunk on it. Your actions come to you in a matter of seconds, your body relying on all of its most trained muscle memories to do what needs to be done.

You wanted to do more than you have these last few missions. You wanted to give more, to be more. And now was your chance to show that.

You crouch behind the crate, getting beside your comrade as he looked up to you, both surprised you came and writhing in pain from his wounds. However, up close, his condition had been much worse than you'd hoped, your expression sinking.

The bullets tore completely through his armor, having been shot twice through his chest. The blood pooled around him, only growing the more he shifted against the crate, and it had been clear it was taking all he had in him just to keep breathing.

Enemy gunfire picks up again in the distance, though their focus sits mainly still on the helo, the nightshade providing you with extra cover. It gives you both some time to breathe and assess the situation.

Alpha 0-4's eyes, wide and shaky, look over to you, pleading, and you've felt his trembling hands grab hold of your arm. He doesn't speak, he can't, but his actions say everything to you, and you hadn't come over here to leave him unanswered.

You bring your hands to the soldier's arms, looking him in the eyes and listening for the gunfire. "When they stop firing, I'm gonna bring you back over to the helo, alright?"

He nods.

You keep hold of him the entire time you wait, feeling his grip grow weaker by the second, and your own heart beat in your ears.

The shooting stops, the surrounding woods growing dead silent, apart from the crackle of the fires, and the distant shouting of AQ. You take hold of the soldier, lifting him up from his spot. He yelps as you bring him to his feet, and once he's stood, the minute he tries to walk he stumbles. But you steady him, letting him lean against you as you damn near drag him back to the helo with you.

"I've got you," you assure him, taking in deep breaths to distract from your own pain. "You'll be alright!"

You make it into the helo just before the enemy has started firing on your position again, their bullets kicking the dirt up in front of the helo's entrance. Had you been a few seconds slower, it's safe to say you both would have been taken out.

Inside, you bring Alpha 0-4 over to where 0-5 had been lying injured and unconscious, deciding to keep all the wounded in a single area.

"Look, we made it," you rest the soldier against the wall of the helo, steadying your breathing now that you were safe. Or at least safer than you had been out there. "Let me-"

As you've rested him down, you see the man begin to convulse. His eyes and hands starting to twitch, as gutterly noises erupted from his throat. He groans in pain, unconsciously hugging his arms over his body, as the blood continued to pool from him, his mouth now having spilled its share for itself.

"No, no, no," you begin looking around for anything that could help him -- bandages, morphine, or even just a damn bottle of water. It seems everything had been destroyed in the crash, just as Alpha 0-2 said, save for you yourselves.

His demise had only been a matter of time at this point.

"Try and hang on," you beg. "The others will be here soon."

Yes, you remember to remind yourself that fact. The others are on the way. This whole time they've been on the way. They'll get here on time, you tell yourself. They'll make it here on time. They've got to.

But when they get here, what will they do exactly? What can they do..?

You look to the man's hands, seeing them trembling and shaking. He couldn't stop the tears from falling from his eyes, just as much as he couldn't stop the blood from leaking out.

You can see that he knows.

Unsure of what else to do, you simply reach out and take hold of him, letting your touch soften his grip.

"I'm here," you say. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Alpha copies all!"

You look over to Alpha 0-2 upon hearing him speak over the comms, your heart racing as you see the joy in his face. "They're heading here now."

You don't even try and hide the smile that grows on your face. They'd made it in time after all.

"Look!" you say. "Did you hear that-"

You turn back to 0-4, only to have your smile fall and your heart sink. His grip goes still in your grasp, his eyes glassed over and wide, as his mouth sat lightly parted, the air no longer pulling its way through. Dead.

You had already known he wouldn't make it, and yet...

"Blue! Blue!"

You hear the sound of Ghost's voice boom from behind you, as the sounds of gunfire outside came to a sudden end.

Ghost is the first to enter the helo, and it was Ghost whose eyes you first met the minute he had the chance to search for you. It hadn't even been a struggle for him to find you tucked away toward the back of the helo. But when his eyes finally met yours, it was as though a weight the size of the world had suddenly been lifted off his shoulders.

It seems he hadn't lost you after all. And though it wouldn't be until later that he realizes this, it had almost been laughable how happy it made him feel to see you still here. One of the most unexplainable things he's ever experienced, only that seems to happen a lot with you, he's noticed.

And you couldn't be happier to see him. In fact, you felt the air from your lungs leave you the second his voice traveled in the air. Even as it had still saddened you of the ill-fated outcome of your team.

You can't bring yourself to speak, even as a million words passed through your mind. Had any come out, you may have just lost your composure altogether, overwhelmed with everything that had been and still was going on.

Ghost steps further into the helo, lowering his rifle and almost instinctively making his way over to you. You watch his gaze fall to the injured and deceased behind you, and then to your wounded hip.

It's there you've seen something change in him.

"Ghost..?" Your voice breaks when you speak, to your dismay. It takes all you can not to break down, now that you've allowed too much time to settle and for your troubled emotions to fester, your body screaming at you for aid.

Hearing your voice now, so tattered and broken... Ghost wishes he hadn't, even as it had been everything he hadn't known he needed to hear right now. Just the simple sound of you again.

Ghost had wanted to address you, having felt the urge to speak to you, and yet not having wanted to overstep the boundaries you two had created up to this point. The ones he has all but painstakingly made. However, you move forward before he can speak, and without so much as a word, you embrace him.

Ghost stands frozen, feeling as your arms tremble over him, your face buried into his chest, pressed uncomfortably to his gear. Your body moved almost involuntarily, merely needing to hold onto something, anything. Anyone. If only for a few seconds.

You hadn't expected him to reciprocate. Hell, you were fully prepared for him to push you to the side and reprimand you for distracting him from the mission. However, something comes over the man, an impulse that had been with him his entire journey here, and it's somehow wrapped his arms around you too, holding you tight, as though to make up for all the times he couldn't bring himself to do so properly before.

At this very moment, he truly realizes that you are alive. You are alive, and he cared more for you than he should ever have let himself.

"Canary?"

But it's Soap's voice that finally wakes you up.

You've pulled away from Ghost almost as quickly as you've taken hold, your attention being dragged in another direction.

You see the Scot emerge from behind the lieutenant, and immediately his blue eyes have fallen on you, lighting up with the twinkle of a thousand stars at the sight. He says nothing -- he wouldn't have the words to say anything good right now anyway -- he instead comes your way and takes you into his arms as well. Only unlike Ghost, who had been reserved and caught off guard by your touch at first, Soap had reciprocated your need to be held immediately, tenfold.

Soap pulled away from you, though he'd been reluctant to let go, only now noticing your injury.

Never in your life have you wanted to lean in and kiss someone before so badly like this, let alone in combat. Looking into Soap's eyes, you could see he'd felt the same way, the only thing holding you two back being your current responsibilities. That and the eyes of your lieutenant, who had watched you two silently since converging.

"Thank Christ you made it," Soap says, his eyes dropping to your wound again.

"It's not as bad as it looks," you say.

"Damn good to see you guys." Alpha 0-2 chimes in. Naturally, everyone's attention falls back on him, coming back to the task at hand. "We got five KIA, one wounded. It's just my gun and I'm low on ammo," he starts to make his way over to you and Alpha 0-5. "Help me move him-"

"No time," Ghost moves over to one of the helo's windows, checking the perimeter from his position. "They're here. Get your gun on that tree line."

Soap gives you one final look, his hands tightening over your arms. You can do nothing else but look back at him, sharing silent words with one another.

Your brief moment of levity had now come to an end. Granted, there had been no rest for the wicked. You still had a job to do.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note: At first I was gonna have more go on with Ghost and Canary/Reader, however, as I was typing it, I was just like, "that wouldn't happen right here", so it didn't.

I kind of run out of things to say here in the notes. I sincerely appreciate all of you who continue to read and support this series, it truly means the world to me and it's one of my biggest motivations to see this story through. I really don't want this plot to turn out poorly or not worth it.

I would like to upload more quickly, but alas, life has really been hitting me with the wombo-combos lately. But the next chapter will wrap this mission up, and then after that, Ghost x Reader girlies, I hope you're ready for mess 😈. Stay Tuned~

Taglist: @sleepless-atnight @sarraa-26 @quincessimus ꒰ · ◡ · ꒱

[soaps-hoe-141]

Back Together

Part 3

Pairing: Soap x Ghost

WC: 5.6k

Synopsis: The horse has arrived

Warnings: Death, blood, some gunfights, bit of murder to spice things up, hostages

Blue eyes opened wide as he stared into the darkness that surrounded him, he struck out at the arm that had jostled his shoulder. His mouth opened but before he could utter a sound a gloved hand covered his mouth and another held his shoulder down. It was just enough time for Soap to follow the arm up, staring into Ghost’s eyes for a tense moment before the hand that had been on his shoulder raised to the Lieutenant’s mouth indicating he needed to be quiet. A slow nod communicated his understanding as Ghost removed his hand and backed up. The Scotsman sat up from the couch he had been stretched out on and looked around giving Ghost a confused look. He gestured with a jerk of his chin towards the kitchen which was near the back of the house before he led Soap into the backyard where the Sargeant’s bag had already been laid up against the side of the house.

The Captain looked up as they exited the house and he whispered, “We’ll be together for about thirty minutes and then we’ll break off. Be quiet, there are hostiles all around the city and they cut the power some time this morning so we are in the blind, Laswell doesn’t have access to city’s cameras anymore. Come on.” No one said anything, just grabbed their things and headed for the fence. Soap was the first over as Ghost boosted him, Price doing the same for Gaz beside him. The two Sergeants landed on the other side, night vision goggles pulled down in front of their eyes, scanning the alley carefully before Soap knocked his knuckles against the fence. Gaz and Soap watched either side of the alley as the others climbed the fence. When they had all made it over they split into groups of four with Soap and Ghost both at the back, backpedaling until they left the alley and continued on to the pitch black streets. Not even the moon hung in the sky now, the sliver that had lit the sand up the night before having disappeared completely in its cycle.

The eight men continued into the city together until it was time for Ghost and Soap to split up. They paused between a stand of buildings as Price spoke quickly to them, “Get to your overwatch position. You will be our eyes and ears. Stay frosty team two.”

Ghost nodded once quietly before Soap answered for the both of them, “You too Captain, I think we’ve had enough wrenches in the plan already.”

Price turned back to the main road and glanced over his shoulder as he and Ghost backed up, “You keep us stocked on wrenches Sergeant.” He saw the smirk on Price’s mouth before he leaned forward, “Let’s go, Lanster.”

“Rog,” the simple word came over all of their headsets as the young man leaned forward into the street looking around before leading them all out. Before Price had disappeared around the corner Soap and Ghost were already turned and headed down the alley towards their own objective. The building had been confirmed as a local hub for business matters and with the evacuation of the outer homes it was supposed to be clear of just about all activity. Neither the Sergeant nor the Lieutenant took the intel at its face value though. 

They moved quietly through the door as Ghost opened it. Soap swept the muzzle of the gun around, eyes hyper focused on any movement but there was none. He whispered quietly into the mic, “Clear Lt.'' The skull-faced balaclava entered the door behind him, shutting and locking it as he did. They headed for the stairs, every movement controlled and efficient.

When Ghost lined up on the stairwell door his eyes glanced up to the Sergeant, a confused look in his gaze at the face Soap was making before he asked, “What’s wrong, Sergeant?”

The blue hues moved to look at Ghost as he answered, “There’s going to be so many stairs Lt.” 

An annoyed sigh came from behind the balaclava as Ghost muttered, “Fuckin’ hell Johnny.” The Sergeant sighed and then lifted his gun to his shoulder and nodded to the waiting man. Soap watched the door open and pushed into the stairwell, he froze in his tracks before he tripped and glanced down at his feet before his attention shifted to the stairs, his gun aimed at the levels above just in case.

Two dead bodies laid in front of him, bullet holes littering their chests, a man and a woman’s lifeless eyes looked up at him, the fear of their last moments still on their expressions. He shook his head whispering, “Bloody Jesus Ghost, they were killing their own people too, not just ours.” He stepped over the two and heard a shaky breath come from under the stairs. His gun immediately shifted to the sound, staring into the dark corner before he took another step forward, his finger just above the trigger and ready to fire. He swung around and his gaze shifted to the floor again, a child’s eyes stared up at him. They were round and full of tears, and it wasn’t just because it was likely his parents that were sprawled out on the ground. The boy’s face was pale and he had dark circles around his eyes, glancing down Soap saw his hand holding his chest. The front of his clothes were soaked in red, and his hand that was trying to hold him together was shaking over the wound as he tried to move but couldn’t. “Get in here Ghost, there’s a kid.”

The man clad in his dark hoodie and jeans slipped through the door and closed it behind him before he turned to see what the hell Soap had meant by there was a kid. Sure enough a child was laying in front of the Scotsman who was kneeling now in front of the child. Soap’s hand pulled the boy’s away and he heard a soft groan of pain from him. Ghost looked up the stairs, checking to make sure no one else had been present to hear that before he joined Soap, standing just above his shoulder. The tall man put his hand on Soap’s shoulder lightly as he looked down at the boy, there was no saving him, evac couldn’t get here in time and even if they could he wouldn’t survive being moved. He was already dead, his body just didn’t know it yet. Price’s voice came through the comms then, “Team two this Bravo 0-6 repeat your last.”

Ghost spoke for the Scotsman this time, “We found a kid, he’s alive for now but there’s nothing we can do for him. He’s been here for a couple days looks like.” Soap’s jaw tensed at the statement as he sighed, putting the boy’s hand back on the wound.

“Are you sure nothing can be done?” Price asked, tension evident in his voice.

“Affirmative sir, he wouldn’t survive being moved.” Soap was the one to answer then, as he tried to move the boy towards him before he stopped, the pain written on the kid’s face making it very obvious that he was in fact doomed to die here.

Ghost glanced back up the stairs and gestured with a look, “Come on Johnny, we have to go.”

The Sergeant bit the inside of his cheek before he sat down with the boy. Blood covered his hands now as it did his chest when he moved the boy up into his lap. “Give me a second Ghost, just a couple.” Soap smiled down at the kid, trying to sound as calm and soothing as he could, “It’s ok kid, I don’t know if you can understand English but it’s ok, I promise.” The kid looked up at him, the breaths that had been coming in shaky and shallow evened out. They deepened as he seemed to get that they weren’t here to shoot him again and that they weren’t with those who had killed his parents. Soap smiled as he pointed up to Ghost, “Look at that guy, doesn’t he look silly with that mask?” The boy certainly knew some kind of English because he smiled as well nodding at Soap’s words. The blue eyes looked up to Ghost’s before his hands that had been stroking the kid’s hair and soothing him jerked the boy’s head to the side and up. It was quick, as painless as he could make it. Better than lying on this floor for however many hours it took, or being carried through the streets and given false hope only to die on the way there, sobbing and in pain. A smile was still on his face and Soap looked away as he closed the kid’s eyelids and stood up. “Couldn’t leave knowing he was suffering down here Lt. I’m sorry.”

The big man stared at the Scotsman for a moment, eyes unreadable before he nodded, “If you hadn’t I would’ve. Better than his alternatives. Come on Johnny, let’s go.” Soap had already stood back up, bringing his gun up to his shoulder and nodding at Ghost as he started up the steps ahead of the Lieutenant. They made it to the roof without any other incident, both still imagining that boy lying under the stairs though neither would have admitted it. They both set up their positions, each pulling a spotter scope out of their packs before Ghost spoke, “Team two is in position Bravo 0-6. What’s your status?”

“Copy, hold.” Price went silent for a few seconds before he spoke again, “East side of the building, still in cover. About to make our move to the east entrance. Holding for your all clear.”

Ghost and Soap both looked through the thermal sights on the guns, scanning the building Team One would be entering as well as the open square they had to cross to get there. Soap was the first to call out, “Three hostiles in front of the building, males and armed 0-6. Four more two blocks east of you position and heading north on the street, looks like they have a dog with them so you need to move fast.”

Price spoke to the others in Team One before answering, “Good copy 7-1. Anything on your end Ghost?”

Ghost had been scanning the inside of the building as best he could before he reported in, “Negative sir but be advised the lower levels have fewer and smaller windows. You’ll be clearing blind until you reach the fifth floor.”

“Good copy 0-7, keep us posted if you see anything.” Price went silent as Ghost and Soap both acknowledged Price’s orders and then it started. “Take out the three in front on my mark, 3, 2, 1, execute,” a shot from Ghost and a shot from Soap and one from Team One and the three men outside dropped. That’s when they spotted the six men moving across the street and headed into the building. They entered and everything was essentially out of the snipers hands until they made it to the fifth floor where they exited the stairwell with both Ghost and Soap tracking them. “Anything on your end Team Two?”

“Affirmative sir, five hostiles end of the hall looks like they have three hostages with them,” Ghost answered. He got an acknowledgement from the Captain before he said, “My mark on 3, 2, 1, execute.” The men dropped as Lanster and Powell untied the hostages, pointing for them to leave and to leave fast before they hurried up the stairs behind the rest of Team One. “Multiple hostiles on the eighteenth floor, looks like they’re holding on to something real tight there sir. Probably our target.” 

“Good copy, headed there now,” the six men cleared each floor with the help of the two snipers on overwatch, moving at a steady pace upward through the building. When they made it to the eighteenth floor Team One stopped and Price spoke again, “Let us know when we are clear for entry Bravo 0-7.”

“Affirmative, hold your position,” Soap and Ghost put their attention on either side of the floor glancing to one another as Soap nodded he was ready before Ghost finally said, “You are clear for entry Bravo 0-6. Time to get loud.” The charge on the door blew as soon as Ghost cleared them, it took out the two guards stationed on either side of the door as well as the door itself. Gaz entered first, dropping three men down the hall that Ghost and Soap couldn’t see. Price was the next through the door, shots firing from his gun at men the snipers still couldn’t see. Lanster, Powell, Baris, and Holland were next laying cover fire down as all six men made entry, Holland firing shots at men who were coming from the floors above after hearing the explosion. The dark haired Sergeant held the door with Ghost’s help, firing shots through the opening and dropping a few men running down the stairs before they decided a different approach was probably best. They would come from another direction though, they weren’t giving up.

Ghost was covering the door on the east stairwell as Soap sighted in on the hallway. He watched as several men ran into the same door and shut it as fast as they could. He saw several other heat signatures inside as well before the door closed. “Bravo 0-6 be advised there are several hostiles currently in the room three doors down from your current position. At least ten, I recommend a C4 charge and a flashbang for entry. Target is likely in the room as well.”

“Copy that 7-1, moving forward to the door now. Watch the end of the hall as we make entry.” Price moved forward with Gaz right behind him as well as Lanster, Powell, and Baris.

Soap moved his sights to the end of the hall and answered, “Copy that Captain, you’re cleared for entry.” He dropped two men with back to back shots as they entered the hallway opposite of Holland. He saw the flare of the C4 charge even looking at the end of the hallway as Team One made entry. Soap kept his side locked down, knowing Ghost was doing the same on his end with Holland’s help.

“We have the target, I repeat we have the target. Exiting the room now with him, we are on our way to exfil now Team Two.” Price and the others exited the room quickly, a man was slung over Lanster’s shoulders as he exited and they headed for the stairwell. “Clearing down now, we’re in the home stretch boys.”

“Rog, get outta there old man,” Ghost turned to Soap then, “I’m setting up in sight of the exfil, keep overwatch on them until I have them in sight.” Soap nodded and Ghost moved quickly to set up his second position. 

The Sergeant kept his eyes on the team watching their backs and killing hostiles that were headed for them. He glanced at the plaza outside and said quickly, “Be advised Bravo 0-6 you have ten hostiles outside the building, possibly more.” He started popping heads then, watching as each of the men he could see fell with each of his shots. Soap then said, “All that I can see are dead, but stay frosty Price.”

“Copy that Soap, we’re exiting the building now,” he watched the six men exit and turn back the way they had come. Ghost would be able to see them soon as they headed back down the same roads they had entered on.

A voice sounded over all of their comms then, “Exfil is ten minutes out Bravo 0-6, let’s make this a clean cut operation yeah?” 

“Affirmative,” Price said immediately as the six men wound their way through the streets. As they left Soap’s sight he moved to where Ghost had already set up and was helping to cover their escape. The two snipers saw the incoming trucks as Team One made it back to the neighborhood they were exfilling from and watched as the target was loaded and the team climbed in. Then they were heading out, their extraction had been successful, another job well done. “We are extracting now Team Two, you are free to make your way to your primary extraction point.”

Ghost and Soap pulled their rifles down off the ledge and sat back, packing the rifles up and securing them on their packs. “Copy that Price, see you in a couple days,” Ghost glanced at Soap then with a deep breath before switching his comms off and waiting for the Scotsman to do the same. “Good job, Johnny. We should move though, come on.”

Blue eyes narrowed at Ghost before he said accusingly, “You turned your comm off so no one would hear you say I did a good job didn’t you? I can’t believe you.” Again he saw the movement of Ghost’s mouth that looked like he was smiling under his balaclava though he refused to confirm or deny the accusation. The Scotsman stood up following Ghost to the roof entrance and followed him down the thirty flights of stairs and out a side entrance of the building. Neither man looked at the bodies that littered the floor and the stairwell nor did they comment on it. There was no reason to pay attention and nothing they could do to help now, paying attention to it would only serve to worsen their already fragile mental states. Everything was packed behind the wall of their mind, sealed off with every atrocity they experienced. It was a thin line to walk though sealing those thoughts behind those many layers. A delicate balance in their minds that kept them sane even dealing with everything they had to experience.

Soap and Ghost turned their comms on as they left the building, they were outside the range of the team comms now, the only people who would hear them were each other now. “Hey Johnny,” he was surprised it was Ghost that broke the silence between them but he gave a grunt of acknowledgement quickly to let him know he was listening. “When does a joke become a dad joke?”

The Sergeant glanced at Ghost before asking, “I don’t know, when Lt.?”

“When it leaves you and never comes back,” eyes glanced at him as they walked quietly through the darkened streets to find Soap’s face barely holding back a laugh and struggling to suppress his smile as well. Ghost nodded slowly and he knew the Lieutenant was proud of himself at catching Soap off his guard with a pun. A terrible time for it really, but it just made it all the more funny. They made it fifteen blocks before Ghost checked his watch and led them inside a dark building. They went up to the second floor, clearing the building with quiet efficiency before they locked themselves into a room on the second floor and shed their gear. Their voices were quiet whispers in the silent city knowing that in about thirty minutes it would be coming to life around them, “I’ll take first watch Johnny, get some sleep.”

“Sounds good, Ghost. You want an MRE?” Soap dug in his pack for one of the good ones before pulling out another and handing Ghost the better of the two. The big man stared at it for a second before finally taking it and casting a weird look Soap’s way, he honestly had no idea what it meant.

“Thanks Johnny,” the Lieutenant turned his back to Soap before he lifted his mask. Soap watched for a second before he too turned his back and leaned back against the other man’s back as they held one another up. He listened in silence as Ghost ate, finding he enjoyed the quiet inhales and exhales of the man leaning into him now.

Soap finished his MRE before he spoke with a smirk on his face, “Hey Lt. Where did Joe go after getting lost on a minefield?”

The silence lasted a few seconds before Ghost asked, “Where?”

“Everywhere.” Ghost gave a soft chuckle and he felt the man nod his approval before he too finished his MRE and pulled his mask back down. “Good one.”

“I try my best Lt.” They sat quietly for a few minutes as the sun rose outside the shaded window. Without saying so they moved apart at the same time, Ghost finding a place to sit near the door that separated them from a city full of armed men and dead bodies. Soap settled on his pack using it as a pillow as he laid down. He had learned early to sleep whenever and wherever so the Sergeant was out within a few minutes.

It felt like no time at all when Ghost woke him with a light hand on his shoulder. Soap looked up at the skull-faced balaclava for the third time in as many days and gave him a tired smile, “My turn already?” The Lieutenant nodded and Soap sat up stretching his still tired muscles that were aching from his thirty kilometer marathon however many hours ago that was. The sun was high in the sky now and when Soap looked at Ghost he could see the redness of the man’s eyes, “Alright Lt. get some sleep, you deserve it.” A tired grunt was the only response he got as Ghost laid on the ground just below the window. He held his pack against his chest like it was a stuffed animal or something. Soap watched as he slid into sleep easily, mouth turning up at the corners.

That was how he spent his entire day, staring at the Lieutenant as he turned over a few times, the pack pulled to his chest. A thought crossed his mind as he considered what it might be like to take that pack’s place. He struck it from his mind as soon as it came though, it was no secret Ghost didn’t exactly like him. The big man merely tolerated his presence because on occasion he had proven to be useful. Most of the time it didn’t bother him, he was comedic relief for his team and he knew that, but when he was sitting quietly without anything for his hands and mind to focus on he started overthinking. It was a curse. Maybe he should bring something to do next time. A rubik’s cube maybe? That might be nice. Thankfully the sun started going down and Soap woke the Lieutenant. The wild look in his eyes set him on edge at first until Ghost looked around the room and the tension in his shoulders relaxed and he pushed himself up to sit.

As the sun sank below the horizon the two ate quietly, preparing themselves for a run in the desert. They had a day and a half to make it to their extraction point and neither wanted to face the repercussions for missing that deadline. Soap stood, lifting the curtain of cloth that hung over the window looking around. As the sun set, the lights of the city suddenly flashed on. The Sergeant pulled back some from the window then, “Fuckin hell, the lights are back on Ghost. They either know we’re here still or they have no clue and think they’re safe. I don’t like it either way.”

Ghost moved to kneel beside Soap as both looked out, people still milled about the streets heading to wherever they were supposed to go before the curfew set in. “Damn…” Ghost eyed the streets and he could see the thoughts working behind his eyes before he shook his head, “We’re not changing our timeline. Come on, we gotta go.”

Soap grabbed his stuff and the two left the building as fast as they could. They set off onto the street, avoiding patrols with perfect timing and luck. They were three blocks from being home free in the open desert. As they neared the corner of the alley they had been moving through, Ghost peeked out while Soap was on a knee behind him watching where they had come from. “Fuck…”

Soap didn’t turn around but asked quickly, “What’s wrong now?”

The silence that followed his question had Soap’s nerves on end, his mind wondering if they were about to be in a fight or flight situation. Finally Ghost answered, “I know him, he’s ex-KSK.”

“German special forces? What the fuck are they doing here?” Soap glanced over his shoulder at Ghost who was still watching around the corner.

“I said ex-KSK Soap. He hasn’t been on their payroll for a few years now.” Ghost waved him forward and the Scotsman moved up to look around the corner. Two men lay dead on the pavement, another kneeled with a sack over his head and his hands tied behind his back. The last was currently taking punches to the face and stomach, before they threw him to the ground. One of the men pointed a gun at the back of the hooded one’s head, looking back to the one Ghost had been talking about.

The man’s voice was loud, malice dripping from every word, “You have one more chance to answer me, don’t get the question wrong this time. Where are the men who took Suheil?”

The man who had been getting the shit beat out of him not five seconds ago stayed quiet for a few seconds before he shook his head. “I told you! I don’t know! I don’t know what men you’re talking about, I don’t know who the fuck Suheil is, and I don’t know where those men are! We've been here for months, listen to me! I-DON’T-KNOW! You want me to tell it to you in German? Ich weiß nicht!” The man with the gun stared hard at the other for a few seconds, head tilting slightly before he pulled the trigger. He never even turned to look at the man, just pulled the trigger and let his body slump to the ground lifeless. “Schweinehund! Fick dich! I don’t know anything!” 

Before Soap or Ghost even knew what was happening the man turned his pistol on the large man knelt in front of him now and pulled the trigger. “Die in the dirt like the dog you are. Know that we will get Suheil back with or without you.” The men with the gun left the large man as he slid slowly to the dirt.

Soap looked up at Ghost from where he was knelt, meeting his eyes for a moment before Ghost shook his head, “We have to go. He’s dead already.” A few more seconds of Soap staring and Ghost tried again, “You’ll get us killed Johnny, we have to go.”

“Not gonna happen Lt. We couldn’t save that kid, we can save him though.” Soap looked back out at the street, the man had pulled himself to the wall of a building and before Ghost could physically stop him Soap took off across the street.

“Damnit Johnny!” He heard Ghost as the man trailed behind him. As they neared the ex-KSK looked up with wide eyes at the both of them shuffling backwards as best he could with a gunshot wound and his hands tied. “Konig,” Ghost said quietly as he looked around, “Long time no see.” The large man on the ground tilted his head a bit before his eyes blinked a couple times and his body lurched forward slowly. Soap was there though, keeping him from hitting the ground and laying him down. “Hurry the fuck up Johnny,” the tension was palpable now as they were much too far out in the open.

“I’m working on it, Ghost,” Soap muttered under his breath as he lifted the man’s tattered shirt to find the entry wound. It was a rather terrible shot, Konig would have died without them sure, but it was unlikely to happen now with first aid so readily available. It was exactly like the shot on the kid from the stairwell, meant to let you suffer for as long as possible. Soap didn’t have much time to think about that though, not here, so he bandaged the wound quickly and slung the man over his shoulders. His eyes bugged at the weight for a moment before he nodded to Ghost, “Let’s go.” Neither wasted any more time on words as they took off down the street back to their original course.

They were in the open desert well before daybreak and as the sun began to rise they decided not to stop. They continued through the early morning, eventually Soap handing his bag over to Ghost as they jogged. The Lieutenant flat out refused to take any part in the saving of the German. Ghost had said he knew him, never had he said he liked him. They finally stopped as the sun was nearing midday, it was much too hot to keep going now, so they took shelter in a rocky outcrop. Konig had woken up a few times on the trek there, but had quickly lost consciousness again each time. He was still losing blood but at least it was slow, but Ghost had refused to stop so close to the city and Soap couldn’t exactly make him. He had already stretched his luck thin with the man and Ghost didn’t look like he was in a very forgiving mood, especially not in this heat.

He laid the large man down, pulling his medkit out of his pack as he did. He felt Ghost’s eyes drilling into his back as he lifted Konig’s shirt and pulled the bandage from earlier off. Blood leaked down the sweaty muscle but at least it was slow. Everything was quiet as Soap grabbed an injector from the kit, he slotted in a shot of morphine and shot the big man up with it watching as his face relaxed from the twisted sort of pain. He grabbed another injector then and muttered quietly, “Here’s hoping you aren’t allergic to anything big guy.” Soap watched as the antibiotic slid into the man’s body. The Scotsman didn’t dare move, as if doing so would set off the reaction he so desperately feared, but after a minute went by without any problems he took in a deep breath and nodded, “Hell yeah.” He heard a low grunt from Ghost but when he turned the masked man had his back to them, ignoring Soap completely for the first time since he had saved him a seat on that plane before all that shit went down with Graves. He shook his head, he didn’t have the time nor the energy to figure out what his problem was right now, he had just carried a man on his back through the desert he didn’t feel like handling all of the bullshit.

Soap instead put his mind to carefully bandaging and wrapping the wound, careful not to run the wrapping over the bruises on his abdomen from the men who had beaten him. He had given him morphine yeah, but eventually it would wear off and they didn’t have enough to give him a steady supply. Konig remained steadily asleep through the whole process, eyes closed and face wincing every now and then but Soap didn’t really think that was a physical pain, probably more of a mental one. He taped the wrapping off and glanced across the well formed physique as he pulled Konig’s shirt down. Ghost growled again, and again Soap looked over to see the Lieutenant’s back staring at him, “You ok Lt.?” Ghost glanced over his shoulder at Soap and rather than speak he merely nodded. Soap watched for a second as Ghost’s shoulders rose and fell with his breathing. “Are you sure, Ghost? You look…angry?” It came out as a question but it wasn’t, he was just not sure how he knew it was anger. Ghost growling was nothing new but it was the way he sat and ignored, refused to turn around, it just gave off angry vibes.

“I’m fine, MacTavish.” A dark eyebrow raised at the use of his last name. It was Ghost’s turn to feel a hard stare on his back and feel it he did because it was the only reason he turned around to look at him. “You could have gotten yourself killed helping him Soap, you don’t even know him.”

The Sergeant glanced down at Konig then shrugged, “You do though.”

“I never said I liked him enough for you to risk your life for him,” the tall man shot back immediately.

Another shrug from Soap drew an angry glare from the eyeholes of the balaclava. “He needed help. We went into that mission to take a man who had already slaughtered half of the citizens in that city. I wanted to actually help someone, and we couldn’t help that kid Ghost. I killed a child, a little boy whose only crime was being born in the wrong country, and this guy, Konig, was about to take the fall for something we did. I wanted to help Ghost, so I did.” They stared hard at one another, neither one accepting defeat in their stance on the matter.

They looked away at the same moment, Soap turning back to Konig as he set himself up with a place to sleep and Ghost looking out from their spot in the rocks. The Sergeant laid down then, his mind beginning to slip until he heard Ghost’s voice, “You did good Johnny.” Soap didn’t move and neither did Ghost but the Scotsman smiled a bit at the praise before closing his eyes and letting himself drift off.

[anniezsecretz]

Replacement ★ (Ch 1) OC x Simon "Ghost" Riley

ao3 version of this can be found here! welcome back y'all and heres my brainrot of COD <3 callsign "trick" (hence the link name), femme mc but the pronouns switch here and there to they/them im new to this kind of stuff, so if you think sumn (like a tag) is not right, let me know!!! first chapter (this one!) ★ prev ★ next

★★★★★★★★★ chapter tags: // anxiety, older brother price, captain OC, Simon “Ghost” Riley/OC, trauma mentions, emotional support pup, OOC Ghost (for a reason), spiteful Ghost, enemies to lovers (enemies), vague mentions of death, canon deviation, brief-ish panic attack with decent description, angst no comfort, no smut :( ★★★★★★★★★ bite-sized synopsis: captain trick has a rough and anxious first day.

Okay. The first day with a new squad, and here I am. I’m on a cargo ship, landing in 3 minutes, and just barely mentally collected. It’s gotten to the point I have to anxiously pet Axel while taking in deep breaths; ironically he is more relaxed than I am on this plane. Planes always gave me bad anxiety, and my emotional support pups nudged my hand with his snout to alert me. So I sit back in my seat, close my eyes, and brace for the usually-rough landing.

But despite my attempt to relax in my seat, I can hear the soldiers behind me talking. I can barely hear it through my earmuffs, but I can still pick out details of it.

“Did you know 141 is stationed here for the month?” One soldier asked with excitement.

“Yeah, dude! We get to see Ghost! N’ I heard a rumor Captain Trick is joining them, that’s why she’s— on. this. plane! ” Wow. Okay, well it seemed like I was a hot topic.

I dozed off to continue bracing myself, gritting my teeth and an extreme grip on the seat’s armrests. ★★★

We landed. And after 5 minutes we were let out of the plane, Axel staying at my side as we walked off the plane. Uy, it’s cloudy as hell down here. Maybe I even have to change my goggles to compensate for the cloudy conditions— but that doesn’t matter as much. What does matter is who is waiting for me.

“Verdano!” John Price, my good old friend, was there with his taskforce to greet me. We greeted each other with a hug and then talked for a few moments. But already, his squad was gawking at me, especially this one with a mohawk, who I briefly waved at. Then John turned me to face the group awkwardly and Axel forced his snout into my gloved hand to be a comfort. “Everyone, this is Verdano. We met a few years ago and we’ve kept close contact, thas funny, innit Ver?”

I nod at John while I was too terrified to speak to the group yet. So instead, I give a polite wave and a bow of the head. But I noticed that not only was the mohawk gawking at me, but the other guy with a skull mask was also staring at me. Huh. Two skulls, hm?

“I’m Seargent Johnny MacTavish! Callsign Soap,” said the mohawk (now MacTavish) while putting his hand out to shake. Of course, to be polite, I took it in a firm shake and a gentle nod of the head. Then he directed to the skull one. “N’ this is Lieutenant Sim— Ghost! Ghost, his callsign’s Ghost.”

John leaned into my ear like he was telling me gossip. “He isn’t too fond of others sayin’ his name. Other than you n’ I, probably.” I nod in understanding before giving a small wave to Ghost. Jeez, I really do not feel like talking today.

Then they showed me Gaz and Roach. Gaz has a noticeable Union Jack flag on his hat, his posture being upright and much more at attention than the others. But that didn't stop a light smile on his face while greeting me with his name and a handshake. Roach is the silent type like me and waves back. Aww, he has two antennae on his helmet that look like roach antennae. How cute!

“Come on, Ver. I’ll show you around. N’ everyone? Remember, debrief at 1700.” John put his hand on my soldier and led the way to the main base, dismissing his squad as he and I caught up on some much-needed talk. ★★★

That Ghost guy has been stalking me while I'm exploring the base on my own and familiarizing myself with the layout. I catch him looking at me in the shadows, just suddenly appearing in the same room as me, and doing that thing I’ve had to cut my own L.t’s from doing; intimidating the rookies.

Well, he’s gonna have a rude wake-up call.

I especially noticed it when he was stalking me as I looked over my favorite sniper rifle, the beautiful McMillan Tac-50 in my hands. I even caught glimpses of Ghost looking amused in the eyes, it was… odd. I was fascinated by this man. Like, who names themselves Ghost? And isn’t considered an edgy teen? ★★★

1700 rolled about, Soap sitting to my left and Ghost sitting to his left. But John was punctual as usual, everything being ready for the second it turned 5. 

“A’igh! Now that everyone’s settled, Verdano?” Oh yeah. I was gonna introduce myself. Got it. I took every ounce of bravery in my body and took a deep breath before going up in front of everybody. Shit, I haven’t talked! Does that mean they’re gonna be upset over how I sound?

Fuck. No time to think, I straighten myself out and put on my brave voice.

“Good evenin’ ev’ryone,” my Mexican accent mixed with my Aussie accent obviously stunned some people in the room. Uy. It really was a harsh mix, I remember everybody points that out at least once when they were familiarized with me.

“I’m Captain Annette Verdano. Callsign Trick. You mighta heard o’ me, you mighta not, either way, it doesn’t matter.” I take a deep breath and Axel is nuzzling my hand. “I am officially yer co-leader for Taskforce 1-4-1. It’s a pleasure to be workin’ with y’all, I hope we really do get along! 'N I hope you can kick my ass at least once." Okay, nailed it. Absolutely 100% nailed it despite the pit in my stomach saying otherwise. The pit in my stomach made me feel completely wrong.

But to keep up appearances, I give a nod of my head and sat back down while John took my spot. He was already starting to talk about an upcoming mission in a month, and leaving me to recharge from that.

Sure, I handled platoons before. But I haven’t done one since Xio. Our platoon was the last one I managed, the one she was in, and the one we met through. Fuck it’s been a year. I need to sort my shit out, especially with these upcoming missions. At least I have Axel at my side. ★★★

Then it was sleeping time in the barracks. Since this wasn’t really their actual base, we had two people in a room. MacTavish and Gaz shared, myself and Ghost shared, while Roach and Price had their own. I didn't know why though. But apparently the reasoning for pairing Ghost and I was “the respect that lurks with wearing the mask”. Aka, just so we can wear our masks without pestering the other to take it off.

When I entered the room, there were little to no decorations. Just a perfectly made bed with a few teddy bears. One had a mohawk like Soap’s, the other a mustache and hat like John’s, one with little antennae to hint to Roach, and the last one had a UK hat like Gaz. D'awww, t hat’s oddly endearing. I set my shit and the files I was tasked to read before sleeping tonight on my bed across from Ghost's. Shit, the number of files I had was excessive. Two boxes full of them! Either way, it was time for me to settle down. I took my helmet off just to replace it with a regular hat right after, dropping my vest onto my bed, and just taking off general heavy shit. 

Eventually, I could have the pleasure of a nice shower, especially since we had the privilege of a bathroom each to share in our rooms. I haven't had a shower for a long while, and at this point, I’m sure I reeked, but I know nobody would get close enough to smell. Thank the shower gods for blessing me on this fine day. ★★★

I felt comfortable now. I was fresh out of the shower with my hair washed and dried with a fresh balaclava that had my signature animal skull on it, walking into the main room from the bathroom.

“Ghost?” I called out when seeing him flip through my boxes of files, sitting like a mom waiting for her out-of-control kid to come back at 12 AM.

“Annette Verdano, age 28, Captain at 25. Has two parents in Bendigo, Australia n’ two brothers servin’ the Mexican military in Las Almas, notably part of Los Vaqueros. So you immigrated to Australia, n’ then joined the military for a green card?” Wow. He liked to talk a lot. I lean against the bathroom door frame and stare him down. “Yeeep," I drew out obnoxiously. "Ended up havin’ more fun than I thought I would, been parta the military since I was 16. Over 12 years in service, y’know?” I laughed a bit before walking over to him sitting on my bed. “Put my files down, Ghost. Is there a reason why yous lookin’ through my sheet?”

“You’re three years younger than me ‘n a captain, you don’t think that’s suspicious?” He tried to taunt me by waving my own file in front of me, then standing and putting it out of my reach. Damn, my height.

He was amused by my struggle too. I can see it behind his eye black when he raised it up and over his head, still hella out of my reach. “No. I don’t. I worked damn hard for my position ‘n I fuckin’ deserved it. You can shove my insignia up your ass if you have a problem with it, Lieutenant.” I used my authoritative voice, hands on my hips and that angry captain stare.

Ghost tilted his head, his eyes narrowing back at me like he was trying to square me up. From what I read from his body language in the meeting, I definitely somehow pissed him off. Maybe he’s salty about how he isn’t a captain and I am.

“I ain’ gonna say it again, Lieutenant. You better drop that file before I teach you how to respect your authority again .” With a bite in my voice, he yielded. Dropping the file on my bed and going to his side of the room to collect a few things and disappear into the bathroom.

I sat on my bed with a hard sigh before grabbing the file he was looking over– mine– and reading it. What did they put on my file?

It was a few pages. The first page with my full name, basic details, when I got promotions, and my time at the military academies. Then the second with my qualifications, missions, etcetera, etcetera. Then my health pages, detailing my hospitalizations and mental health shit. I couldn’t help but notice the three sticky notes added to my file at the bottom in John’s recognizable shitty cursive writing.

Allowed to wear their mask! Helps their mental health coping, don’t ask to take off was the first one. It made me smile knowing how long ago John wrote this, he was the one I went to for help to allow the army to let me wear a mask. 

Next note, Emotional support dog (the big ass Doberman) is registered as Axel Rose. All his documents are put in his own file which should be at the back of this one. D’aww. He even got all of Axel’s documents put together for me. I can tell this one is newer, the ink is still dark and nearly untouched.

Last note… Do not mention Simon Riley. At all. Or Xiomara Garcia (their late wife) only other squad members she led are allowed to speak about her. 

. . .

That last note kind of made me feel something in my chest. Hurt. I grabbed onto the dog tags hung around my neck, Xiomara, Simon, and my own dog tags. 

I miss them both. I miss them so much. I miss Simon making me feel safe and assured, watching my six and being my cover fire when I needed him to be while I reloaded my rifle before taking the final shot to save the both of us. And then I miss Xiomara making me feel self-assured, confident. I miss seeing her smile and how she’d cheer everybody up with her encouragement, then kiss me every time some random person asked her out at a bar or in the mess hall.

Fuck. Not even a mask like the one I wear is something to keep me from my past, especially not when fucking John is the one writing them.

To be fair, I did go to him a lot about it. I vented to him, he vented to me. Since both of us are Captains, there is a silent understanding between the both of us about the things we’re forced to witness. Choices we’re forced to make, just to keep everything fucking running.

Yet somehow, all of the emotions in me flowed out the second Axel perked up and jumped onto my bed to curl into me. He laid his heavy head on my lap and closed his eyes with calm breathing. My boy really did know me so well, his ears lowered while showing me unconditional love and care. Well, I guess John really does care about me too if he’s putting these notes in my files for others. As far back as a few years ago, even.

I changed files, flipping through MacTavish's, then Garrick’s, then Sanderson’s. Finally reading Ghost’s files, right in front of his dumbass on his bed lounging. He was glaring at me past his balaclava when I put up his file to block my face. I was s kimming through the information, and I finally actually looked at his name.

Simon Riley.

. . . This day just keeps getting more and more fucked. Every single minute, I get assaulted with something else. I pulled up Simon’s dog tag around my neck and compared the service numbers on the document and Si’s dog tag. But as I expected, it was completely mismatched. Fuck. I hate when I meet other Simon Rileys– it’s happened a few times, but this one was easily the most hurtful since I can’t actually compare faces.  I hold his tags tight in my hand to the point I got white knuckles, doing my best to keep it all in after my heart skipped that fucking much. Then I looked at his tags and read them over again, and stared at the picture of him I had added to a silicone dog-tag-shaped picture frame.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Shit, am I having an attack? I can't tell. My breath won’t steady, my eyes won’t clear, the feeling of a knot in between my stomach and throat. I want to puke, bile running up from my gullet to wedge itself in my throat. My mind hurts, it hurts so much. If Simon had seen me like this he would hug me, Xio would hold me, and I would be taken care of. If they were here, they would make it all better. They would make sure every ounce of pain was gone, every single ounce. They would take every bit of hurt in me away if they were just here.

But neither of them is here. Axel alerts me the second he could and puts his big paw on my hand. I put the file down slowly and took deep breaths. In through my nose, hold, exhale for as long as I can. It took a few moments but with Axel's gentle snout-prodding, my breathing tactics, and clearing my head to think of simple things like mushroom spores... the panic fades slowly from my body. The adrenaline goes down, and I'm left without much breath but much nicer thoughts.

Ghost could see me panicking I’m pretty sure. But he didn’t seem to care, and that’s how I like it. I closed the files after having done a tiny bit of my research on everybody in the group and I decided to pick up on it before I start one-on-one training with the squad tomorrow.

He stared at me with dark eyes like he could see through me but I didn’t care. I just put the boxes next to my bed and lay on my back, content with falling asleep just like that.

While I can. ★★★

I woke up bright and early at 0430, the sun peeking out by the time I was ready and out of the room. I had a quick smoke before going to John’s office after having a protein bar just to keep me somewhat full. “I read up on ev’ryone. ‘N thanks for tha lil’ notes on my file, John. It was real sweet o’ you.” 

John shook his head while sipping his coffee, nearly black just as I remembered. He only adds a spoonful of sugar and that’s it. “No worries, Anne. Y’know I need to make sure the generals can take care of ya!” He belly laughed a bit while leaning back in his chair. “You remind me of a siblin', Anne. I want you to be just fine– even if I know you can watch yourself.”

With a brow raised, I slightly laugh. “Fair dinkum, John?” I asked with a curious tone in my voice while I tilt my head.

“Fair dinkum, Anne. Whatever the bloody hell that means.” He laughed again, just as giggly as I remembered. But he calmed himself down quicker than before to show that old smile I was familiar with. “You’re just like-a sista to me. N’ may God n’ the Queen strike me down to say otherwise.” Ah, he’s even more of a British cunt than the last time I saw him too.

But either way, the expression was sweet. It brought an unprecedented smile to my face behind my mask, only being outwardly expressed when I raised my goggles over my cap. “Ah crikey, John. Guess you’re like my damn oldah brother then, aye? Just my third n’ ‘bout hundred years older than me, viejo .” By the way his mustache moved when he squinted his eyes like he was trying to understand and made me laugh. “Oh wait, forgot! You tea drinkers don’t know Spanish. Guess I gotta teach you someday,” I said with a taunting tone. John’s face scrunched with embarrassment, slightly reddening from what I caught.

“Oh, don’t be makin’ me take the piss now, Annes!” He groaned while shaking his head out of frustration. I will forever call him viejito and he will never understand. 

“Viejito blanquito. There. If you surprise me with how whipped into shape these boys are, maybe I’ll consider tellin’ you what that means. But so far with that puto Ghost you mixed me with, I ain’ too impressed,” I explained with a slight huff at the mention of Ghost. “N’ no warnin’ ‘bout his name either, John?” I feign offendedness with an exaggerated tone and a gloved hand dramatically pressed to my chest. “How dare you, you drongo!”

Luckily John had picked up on my humor over the years. He knew I wasn’t actually pissed, but he also knew I wasn’t necessarily positive about it either. “Well, he came about durin’ a good time. It’s just unfortunate the names are exactly to Simon– God bless his heart. I didn’t want to scare you away from this because of it.” He looked at me with sincerity in his eyes and bulky arms folded over his chest. “You know I would’ve told you if it weren’t for that.”

With a heavy sigh, I understood what John was getting at. “A’igh, a’igh. I understand you, mate.” I sat on the chair across from him past his desk, scratching the back of my head. “Still, did you have to put me in the same room as him?”

He noticeably bit his inner cheek while averting his eyes like he was thinking. “I know you don’ like curtain twitchers, ‘n I trust Siii… Ghost. I trust Ghost to not be like that with you, ‘n I know you wouldn’t be like that with him either.” 

“But why not fucken uh… I ‘unno, Garrick? Or MacTavish? Even Sanderson? They all seem like fine lads to share rooms with, y’know?” I bitch and moan about this but with decent reasoning, throwing my head back dramatically.

Price leaned forward. “As much as I love ‘em, Johnny pokes at Ghost ‘bout his mask here and there. In his sleep he even tried gettin’ a peek ‘n the Lieutenant nearly killed him.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a frustrated sigh when recalling the incident. “But Kyle ain’ as bad as Johnny, I’ll give that bloke that, but he still asks about it from time to time. I bet he’d ask Johnny to do the dirty work for him too, as much as I love ‘im.”

Then his head popped up after his shoulder hunched a bit. “N’ Gary? He ain’ too bad, but I know you like your sleep. He’ll be up at night wakin’ you up with him screamen at kids online, that’s why he has his own room. Nobody wants to bunk with Gary.”

With a defeated sigh, I groan like a teenager and lean the chair back, dangerously teetering on the edge. “Fine. Fine. Youuu win, you fucken boga–” The door opening suddenly made me and the chair fall right down from how unexpected it was.

Now I was at the feet of the biggest cunt I’ve ever met after embarrassing myself by falling back in a chair like a high schooler. Just like in high school. Staring down at me like I was a peasant was the almighty– hella tall too– Ghost. Or Simon Riley as I’ve learned to my own dismay. I quickly got up from my place on the floor to see John barely holding it together, stifling his laughter while his face flushed red. I swear, he was about to start banging on the damn table too.

I rolled my eyes at John and held all the embarrassment I had building in my chest, pushing in my chair and pushing past Ghost. “I’m gettin’ brekkie. N’ I ain’ savin’ you a bite either, Jonathan.”

He shut his trap real quick after I used his full name and shut the door on my way out. Then I went back to the barracks real quick to grab Axel– assuming he was even awake by now. Sometimes that dog will sleep well into the morning if I let him. Gotta love him.

After I grabbed him and was making my way to the mess hall with him by my side, Ghost was watching me in the shadows again. Intimidation, hm? Might work for rookies but not me. I might make him give me 50 push-ups just for trying, pull rank on him for all I care. But oh well, I was eventually distracted by the special banana nut muffins they laid out for us under a heat lamp. I grabbed one, some fluffy eggs, and a mug of coffee before going and sitting at a table in the corner. Of course with a plate of eggs and raw meat, they graciously provided for Axel with me, watching him tear that food up.

But my peaceful eating was disturbed. By Ghost, again. Of all things. He had the gall to grab a mug of coffee, a banana nut muffin, and a random newspaper (that I didn’t even know we had access to) just to sit in front of me at my table.

Well, I’m not giving him a response. Instead, I just finished my food and waited on Axel, giving him little scratches on the top of his head. Then we wash up, Ghost washing up right after we leave, and then we go on a run around the perimeter of the base. ★★★

Was he really fucking stalking me now? I’m running around the base and he’s about 3 meters away, so I fall back a bit within earshot of him while he was acting oblivious that he was following me. “Aye, L.t. You keep followin’ me n’ I might hafta assume you have a crush on your new captain!” I shouted out.

“I'm shadowen you, Captain Verdano.” Oh. This was definitely John’s doing.

I roll my eyes and fall back further, Axel at my side while we jogged. “Well, I dismiss you from shadowen me. Y’know he only wants you to shadow so we can bond. ‘N even then, it ain’ gonna work all that well.”

The tension between us was palpable as we jogged, both of us barely breaking a sweat with our heads forward.

“Any stories ‘bout your time as captain?” Ghost finally asked, somewhat breaking the stupid tension between us and making me breathe a sigh of relief.

I had to think… hm. I got one. 

“Mission in Siberia. We were workin’ with a PMC called Kortac. My squad n’ these few contractors were penetratin’ this base ‘n attaching explosives all around it to just wipe it all off. This one massive hulkin’ mass named König was helpin’ us out. He taught me a few things about how bottled-up emotions can really make someone into the deadliest weapon imaginable.” I explained, tone heavy. “We all got in pretty fast, I was usin’ the vents to my advantage to get the drop ‘n snipe them off to just help my crew out. My wife Xio was fucken shit up too! She came in from the side doors, the fastest sweeping I’ve seen, thas beau o’ a lady. Her callsigns Treat, ‘n we always tease her for it.”

“What happened to her? Are you two still married?”

I was so enveloped in talking about her that it felt like she was still here. As if I’d go to the barracks to see her in bed with a book. The sinking pit in my stomach got deeper and Axel prodded me again with his snout to alert me. I felt a slight panic build up again and I’m reminded. Reminded too fucking much of the nights I spent next to her in the hospital bed.

“She passed away a bit ago.” I clenched my fist, deep breathing like my therapist said, while we slowed from a jog to a walk. “This is my first squad since she passed. They got another captain f’r the last one, just so I could take a bit of a break.” Why am I being so open? Eugh.

I shake my head. “Anyhow, that’s outta the way.”

He narrows his eyes at me and I can swear he raises an eyebrow behind his balaclava. “You miss her much?”

With a light feigning smile behind my mask, I go back to stoicism as usual. “With all my life. I miss her ev’ry day I don’t see her, but I know she’d want me to continue my career. She was one helluva Lieutenant, Riley. I hope you live up to her.” I gave him a light nod before going back on my jog.

As much as I love Xio, I have to be a captain. I can cry over her when it’s appropriate but right now? I had some research to do on the boys. ★★★★★★★★★ thank you so much for reading!! and please send in some asksss! i beg of youuu! will post next chapter after some editing tomorrow <3

[vellichor-of-the-solivagant]

How to Plant Snapdragons | 5

Task Force 141, Keegan, & Konig x Female Criminal!Reader

Previous Chapter / Masterlist

CONTENT WARNING: Strong Language and Violence, Bullying Soap (don't take it seriously) WORD COUNT: 2.8k

“So, you fucked with him?” Soap questioned in a low voice, mouth next to your ear as you both took a seat in the plane. Gaz who was over his side leaned in the conversation as well, while Price sighed and Ghost simply stayed quiet beside you.

You pulled down the headset to your neck and raised a brow. “Who?”

Soap pulled a face and mouthed, "Graves."

You guffawed, throwing your head back that you slammed into the metal wall, but that didn't stop you. You repeatedly slapped your thigh, wheezing to the point you coughed and felt like vomiting.

The shadows on the opposite side of the plane stared at you with frowns underneath their goggles. They had worked and lived with you under the same roof, but they had never gotten used to how you laughed.

You hated Graves’ guts, but you could acknowledge a fine man who knew how things work. You had seen him in the gym during your time in the Shadow Company. Topless, and sweaty, his veins bulging every time his muscles flexed, and you couldn’t help but steal a glance and draw what you could remember when you were alone (which you sold to one of his shadows—you didn’t know if the guy was into Graves or his fans or maybe both). But that was it—he had done many things that you hated, and you had equally given him things that he loathed.

You calmed yourself down and smiled at Soap, who also stared at you in confusion. "I'd cut my vagina if ever I had his penis in me."

Soap and Gaz's mouths flew open.

Ghost grunted. "Fuckin’ Hell, have ya got no filter?"

"Watch the language, young lady," Price ordered, shaking his head.

You frowned, waving a hand. "What? It's the scientific term for the reproductive organs of females and males." You crossed your arms and huffed. "Is it because you guys don't actually know the right terms for women and your genitals? The outside of the pussy is called the vulva where you men are supposed to do your best to please—" The next words never left your mouth as Soap clamped his large hand on your face.

"I don't want to have SexEd in an airplane, please," Soap said, glancing at the Shadows across the 141. Was this what they experienced during your stay in the Shadow Company? Did they get it worse or did you mind your own business before? He doubted it would be the latter.

Johnny pulled his hand from you as you all felt the plane running and you quickly strapped your seatbelt on you to secure your position. It didn’t take long till the transport was airborne, the loud engines echoing through your headset, and it felt like something heavy was on you. You all kept silent until everything seemed to steady and Captain Price removed his seatbelt, rising to his feet and walking over to a table. He placed a laptop on top of it and pushed it open.

Graves followed suit, stopping on the other side of the table. “Shadows, gather around.”

The Task Force rose from their positions and crowded around the table, while you stood between Graves and Price, making them both look at you for a second before shifting their attention back to the device. Once again, both the leaders talked over the key points of the mission, starting from going to Graves facility in Salvador to travel by chopper instead, the raid in the favelas to capture the target, subduing the militia, and the exfiltration with Nikolai and the Shadow Company, before going back to the Shadows' facility.

“What if he refuses to speak English?” Gaz questioned, grabbing onto his vest. “We’ve dealt with people who wouldn’t speak even after torture.”

“So have I,” Graves claimed, making you silently scoff before he turned to you. “That’s why we have her.”

Heads snapped towards your way, and Ghost asked, “You know Portuguese?”

You raised a finger and opened your mouth to answer, but the CEO was faster. “Seen her teach one of my men before.”

You knew Portuguese, alright, but you didn’t teach one of his shadows Portuguese. It was Arabic numerals. Yet you also didn’t feel like correcting him and let Graves assume things. It was better for him to think that you only knew Portuguese and English.

You put your hand down. "What he said, but I'm not that fluent."

"Better than nothing," Price declared and he put a hand on the table. "Let's end it here for now. We still have some time later on."

One simple nod from Graves, the Shadow scattered, and he patted the Captain's shoulder before stepping away, going in the direction of the pilot.

As the Task Force 141 walked back to their seats, you patted Ghost's arm. He looked down at you with a questioning gaze and you asked, "Do you have any spare mask and war paint?"

"Why?" He inquired, reaching into one of the pockets of his vest.

You raised a brow. "If I want to get back safely in Rio again, I'll have to hide my face from the locals, no?"

He scoffed and pulled out a mask, handing it down to you. It was a black balaclava with a white skull design. Very Ghost fashion, but it was something similar to what you used to see every day before. "Ya know how to put on camo?"

"Yeah." You nodded, tracing your finger on the soft fabric—thankful that it didn’t actually smell of dirt, sweat, and blood. You weren't a fan of camo face paints as they were hard to remove, and you had someone put it on you instead because you couldn't paint camo on without poking your eye or putting some paint on your eye, said the person. That was a lie. That person just wanted to keep holding your face, running their thumb over your lips, or say there wasn't any mirror when in fact, they keep mirrors all the time as part of the tactic not to expose their head when peeking out a corner.

"Alright." Ghost gave you a can of paint and a mirror.

You both sat down and you began to paint the upper half part of your face since the balaclava would cover the rest. You put the paint down on your lap and pulled the mirror away, angling your head from right to left. Then, you slipped the mask on, adjusted the hole around your sight, and tucked the hem under the collar of your jacket. “How do I look?” you inquired, handing back the camo and mirror to Ghost.

“Ready to kick some arse,” Soap fired immediately.

“A she-ghost,” Gaz said.

“Ghost’s sibling,” the Captain commented.

You, Soap, and Ghost turned the other two. Soap pursed his lips to stop himself from smiling, while Ghost glared at them. You, on the other hand, had a grimace underneath the mask. “Agreeing with your favorite, Captain?”

A gasp escaped Kyle’s lips, facing the Price with bright, expecting eyes. “I’m your favorite?”

Johnny’s brows furrowed. “He’s your favorite?”

Simon couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Since when do we have favorites?”

Price pulled a face, shaking his head. “I don’t have favorites,” he proclaimed, but that wasn’t enough to convince both the Sergeants. You and Ghost merely listened to their debate and some friendly hits between the Sergeants, really starting to act like siblings fighting for some candies.

It was wonderful to witness, that even though these men weren’t connected by blood, they could be as close as a family who went through heaven and hell, stood in front of death’s door, but would always have one another’s back.

It was admirable—beautiful, that a desire to protect them bloomed in you. If they get dirty, so the world would stay clean, you’d get dirty, so they could continue what they needed to do.

You closed your eyes, feeling it become heavy due to the lack of sleep the past couple of days, and leaned back, a small smile painting on your lips.

Now, you felt like laughing.

Did Task Force 141 remind you of your old friends to feel this way? They’d probably laugh at you and say you’d leave the 141 as well, like what you did to them, or would they laugh because you wouldn’t be able to leave this time with a shackle on?

Oh, how you wish you’d know, no matter how hurtful the truth would be.

Ghost slightly stiffened at the sudden heaviness on his arm and he shifted down his head, finding you sound asleep, cheek squished against him. You looked peaceful with your mouth shut, not moving an inch unlike when you were awake and hyper as though you were on crack. Vulnerable, feeling safe enough to let yourself fall asleep on him in front of all these people who could snap your neck like a twig. But most of all, you looked like a normal person despite the disguise you had put on, simply sleeping because of the lack of. 

It irked him to hear Shepherd refer to you as a tool—a weapon to be used and disposed of. It reminded him of the times before he met Price—before the said man made him feel like a human. Not as Ghost, but Simon. And maybe, if the Captain had done it to him before, perhaps Price can also do it to you.

“Soap,” he called, making Johnny halt from smacking Gaz, his elbow almost hitting you.

Johnny turned to face him with one brow raised, only for both his brows to arch upon seeing you asleep. “Didn’t know she could look quiet.”

“Anyone would look peaceful in their sleep except you,” Price said, crossed his arms, and leaned back, pulling his hat down to cover his eyes as he closed them.

Soap snapped his head at his way. “Captain!”

Gaz painted a smug smirk on his lips, lifting his chin proud. “And that’s why I am his favorite.”

“Ya goddamn—”

"Keep up, lass," Price's deep voice echoed on your headset as you jogged after him and Gaz in the dark—the Sergeant glancing over his shoulder to make sure you were following them and not planning to run away.

Not that you could.

You had a frown on your face, hidden by the night vision you had on, frustrated that you couldn’t get the chance to see the statue of Christ the Redeemer with all the houses (if you could call this cluster of shacks, houses) covering your sight. But there was no time for being hot-headed as you were already in the lion's den.

"Up the roof!" Gaz shouted, firing at the man on the rooftop above you three.

"Engaging enemies on the lower favelas," Price declared, running towards a corner of a house.

You slid for cover behind a crate, before aiming up the roof, shooting a man who had emerged from their covers. Blood splattered at each hit, painting the roof and the ground as he fell.

You quickly averted your attention from the sight and announced, "They're using assault rifles."

"Copy," replied the Captain and Gaz.

“Enemies on sight,” Ghost claimed in a rough voice.

There was a crackle on your headset. "Shadow 0-1 to Bravo 0-6 and Bravo 0-7, Shadows are ready for some takedown," Graves responded.

You pumped your fist in the air where someone would have been whenever you fought, a smile appearing on your lips. "Showtime."

You ran towards a corner and fired at the man crouching behind a window, shattering the glass, before aiming from left to right. With no man in sight, you proceed down to another alley.

A gunshot echoed in the air and you whipped around to where it came from. You pulled the trigger, and hid behind a wall, grabbing a grenade. You peeked out and threw it through an open window, then aimed at the house as it exploded. You sprinted towards it, slowly entering the shattered door, finding three men burned and unconscious.

You noticed a phone lit up in one of their pockets. You grinned, bending out and snatching it. You slipped it into one of the compartments of your vest and gazed up the stairs. "Found a way up the roofs."

"Good, do what you must," Price ordered, making you chuckle as you climbed up the stairs. It could only mean one thing, considering he had tested you in the range before. Show him what you could do.

"Wishing our lady death, Captain?" Kyle's soft voice resounded, making you smile.

"Why don't you save me like a good knight in vest you are, Sergeant?” you questioned, humming as you climbed up the stairs. You glanced from left to right and found a window.

A soft laughter echoed in your headset. “Alright, call for my name when you need me later.”

“How ‘bout I call ya, Gaz?” Soap questioned in a mocking voice.

“He’d kill ya instead,” Ghost said, there was a hint of amusement in his tone.

“I’d tell the militia they could take Soap home,” Gaz responded.

You cackled at the top of your lungs and jumped out of the window, blasting the heads of a couple of men you alerted with your laughter. “Perhaps you could learn Portuguese, Soap.”

“I’ll gie ye guys a skelpit lug,” Johnny barked out.

“Speak English,” the three of you remarked simultaneously, making the poor handwash groan and curse at you three.

“American English, perhaps,” Graves piped in, making you and Kyle howl in laughter.

“Not ye too, Graves!” Johnny yelled, making you flinch at the sudden loud volume, which quickly died down.

“You guys are bullying Soap too much,” Price said in a calm voice.

“Tell them, Captain. Tell them!” Soap exclaimed, and you could imagine him stomping and throwing his hands around like a kid.

Then, Price added, “Do it again, kids.”

“Fuck you!”

You ran, dashing behind walls that went higher than some roofs as bullets whistled past you, and slid, shooting multiple rounds.

A series of gunshots and explosions from all directions could be heard. It seemed that the Shadows had risen from the dark, and now the Task Force could focus on the target.

You launched yourself from one roof to another, landing with a thud and rolling. You got up to your feet and put bullets through a door from below. The door broke down and one man fell out. You proceeded forward, climbing up a higher shack due to the slope of the hill.

Just as you got inside, a curse in Portuguese shot to your covered ears. You slipped forward as the man aimed his handgun and you unsheated your knife, slashing his thigh. He fell with a stifled scream and you drive the blade to his neck. You pulled it off in a swoop and blood gushed out, splatting on your clothes.

You were thankful you couldn’t feel the warmth of it, but you could feel your skin slick with sweat. You looked down at the man next to your feet, blood pooling underneath, and sighed, averting your gaze away.

You marched toward a terrace on the side and noticed a light on top of a mountain from far away. You gasped. “Guys, I see him!”

“Fabricio?!” Price yelled over the comms.

“No, sir! Christ the Redeemer!” You leaped out of the terrace, grinning wide, although you couldn’t see it. You stowed behind a wall as you noticed several men jogging above a makeshift metal bridge to cross roofs. “Can we go later there? I want to see it up close!”

A silence answered you before Price responded in a low voice. “I can’t guarantee that, kid.”

You peeked from the corner and struck them down swiftly. “I know that, sir. I’m just messing with you.”

You heard another sigh from him that got blocked over by Ghost’s loud voice. “I spotted Fabricio! He’s headed down your way, Soap!”

“I see him!” Soap shouted back. “Ah, shite—Captain, he’s going your way!”

“Copy!” The Captain replied in a serious voice. “What the—he’s down yours, Gaz!”

Upon hearing his words, you ran and jumped to another roof, where the militia was headed earlier. Considering the direction where they supposedly proceed and where Gaz should be chasing down the man now, you would be able to see him from a bird’s eye view.

“Bloody man, can’t he settle in one way?!” Kyle commented, clearly frustrated by how annoying the changes in the route of the target were, which was expected as he was on his home ground. “Shit, he’s gonna get away!”

You turned to the right, jumped to another roof, and there the scurrying rat was. You leaped and everything seemed to be in slow motion as you went down and landed on Fabricio, bringing him down on the ground. He grunted in pain and you quickly aimed a gun on his head as you moved more comfortably on the man’s back, completely sitting down on him.

You looked in all directions and smiled under your mask at the Task Force emerging from the shadows one by one. “I better get a good dinner tonight for this.”

Next Chapter / Archive of Our Own

Taglist: @yyiikes, @the-faceless-bride, @sae1kie, @sarahedwards16, @kenma-izhu, @kkaaaagt

[itsa-me-lily]

It's time for the Chaos Twins

Goggles is a menace and I won't apologize for it

Sudsy

[yesterdanereviews]

Return of Mr. Superman (1960)

Film review #558

Director: Sabir Manmohan

SYNOPSIS: A baby from the doomed planet Krypton is sent to Earth as the last of their kind, and lands in rural India.  A farmer finds the ship and the child inside, and takes them back to his wife, where they raise the child themselves. They realise that the child possesses super powers, but keep it a secret. As an adult, he moves to Bombay to work as a newspaper reporter, and also stopping criminals in his secret identity as Superman. However, when an imposter starts committing crimes dressed as the Superhero, Superman becomes wanted by the law, and must fight to clear his name...

THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Return of Mr. Superman is a 1960 Indian film and an unlicensed adaptation of the Superman character. The film starts out like every version of the Superman origin story, with Superman as a child being loaded onto a spaceship on the doomed planet Krypton, and sent to Earth to escape the planet’s inevitable destruction. The ship lands in rural India, where a farmer discovers the child and takes him back to his wife, and the two agree to raise him together. They learn that the child possesses extraordinary powers, including beating other children at wrestling, and finding a buried treasure (presumably via his x-ray vision or something). When the boy, now named Jairaj, grows up, he moves to Bombay to work at a newspaper, and starts to lead a double life; fighting criminals as “Superman,” and alerting the police to criminal activity. The story in this respect follows the origin story of Superman reasonably accurately (apart from the ship landing in rural India instead of the rural U.S.), and it has everything it needs to be a Superman story, even if it is unlicensed.

The main plot of the film revolves around a criminal smuggling gang hatching a plan to get revenge on Superman by having an imposter commit crimes dressed as him to turn the police against him. It’s really not an original plot, and one definitely not suited for Superman: how do you imitate someone with superpowers? The plot is a little all over the place, and doesn’t really go anywhere beyond where you would expect it to. The characters are all pretty bland, including the Lois Lane replacement, the comic relief of Johnny (probably meant to be the Jimmy Olsen character), and the criminal gang who serve as the villains not really having much to do with anything. Superman barely even does anything anyway: he usually just calls up the police inspector to report crimes. I don’t know if there is a limit to how much a film at the time could show someone being a vigilante rather than just calling the authorities (The U.S. film serials abandoned the “vigilante” role as someone who works outside the law around the time of the second world war), but either way, it makes the film really boring when you’re expecting Superman to do something and he picks up a telephone.

Speaking of Superman, the most notable thing about this film is probably his costume: forget everything you think you know about Superman’s iconic outfit, this one is clearly cobbled together with whatever the filmmakers could find lying around: driving goggles and leather helmet, complimented by a towel wrapped around his neck to serve as a cape of sorts. It looks like there was no thought given to the costume’s design, but thankfully you don’t see it very often. The film has the typical musical numbers you expect in Indian cinema, but the first one doesn’t show up until over thirty minutes in the film, but then they become constant. The songs also lack the usual dancing and choreography, so they’re not very interesting. This is the third Indian Superman film I’ve watched (the others were released in 1980 and 1987), and it’s easily the worst, although the others aren’t exactly great. The plot is all over the place and fails to provide anything unique or interesting. The costumes and production lack any kind of consideration, and the characters are barely established, leading to a dull and incomprehensible mess.

[duty-calls-for-booty]

The 141 and their Splatoon playing S/O

This can be read as either Monogamous!141 x GN!Reader OR Poly!141 x GN!Reader

Simon “Ghost” Riley:

This man is a consummate backseat gamer. He might pretend that he’s not interested in what you’re playing, but he is lying. He is absolutely going to come watch you play, and he might start out silent, but it’s not gonna last long.

I am firmly subscribed to the headcanon that this man’s special interest is weapons and he just retains information like a sponge. For this reason, he has memorized all of the weapon load-outs, yes all of them. “Watch out for the Z+F Splat Charger, that Triple Inkstrike is mean.”

For you, he’s the helpful kind of backseat gamer. (Although that may not keep you from getting irritated at him if you start getting frustrated. Seriously, fuck Bloblobbers.) 

“Watch your six, the Tri-Stringer’s flanking.”

“Tentamissile incoming.”

“Drop your Wave Breaker”

But he’s not just telling you what to do, he’s also commiserating with you and yelling at your opponents/teammates too. “That was bullshite, you had him!”, “Wish this guy would Ink Base for fuck’s sake!”

He’s helpful, but he might bully your clothing choices a little if you’re the type to choose form over function (or if you’re like me and don’t understand half of the game’s functions…): 

Ghost: “What’re you using that hat for?” 

Reader: “Uh, it’s cute?” 

Ghost: “Those abilities are garbage, you need to scrub your slots.”

Reader: “Cool…how do I do that?”

Or if you’re the kind of player who gets really into customizing your Gear Abilities, Ghost is absolutely discussing the pros and cons of things like Ink Saver Up vs. Ink Recovery Up with you. 

He’s also going to suggest changes to your load-out based on your playstyle, or vice versa. 

“If you’re gonna keep rushing mid like that, love, you might want to try the…”

“If you’re gonna play Octobrush you’re gonna have to actually get in the action to get any kills.”

Conversely, Johnny and Gaz are getting relentlessly bullied:

“He was 3 feet in front of you, ye muppet!”

“I can’t believe you got caught by a slow-ass Dynamo Roller.”

“Wasted that special, Twit.”

If you can ever convince him to play, he’ll end up Hyperfixating on the game and just going to town. This man is playing Ranked Battles and he’s making children cry. 

Loadout: I can see him playing the Aerospray RG (Sprinkler+Booyah Bomb), Forge Splattershot Pro (Suction Bomb+Booyah Bomb) or maybe the N-ZAP ‘85 (Suction Bomb+Tacticooler). 

Abilities: He feels kind of like a Quick Super Jump, Quick Respawn, Ninja Squid kinda guy to me. If he’s feeling particularly mean, he might bust out the Respawn Punisher and Haunt.

Outfit: This man is absolutely torn between wearing the Skull Bandana and the Stealth Goggles. For his top, I feel like he’s a Black Inky Rider or a Hero Jacket Replica. He’s definitely wearing the Punk Nights, but an argument can be made for the Punk Cherries.

Ghost has completed the Story Mode and he has beaten the Secret Kettle Stage, but he refuses to wear the bear ears, no matter how much you, Soap or Gaz beg him to.

Once you convince Ghost to play, the four of you become unstoppable.

P.S. He is unironically delighted by the many many puns.

Johnny "Soap" MacTavish & Kyle “Gaz” Garrick:

(This is not necessarily intended to be Poly!Soap x Gaz x Reader, but can absolutely read that way!)

Soap and Gaz have always felt like the kind of guys to play video games to me, especially when they were teenagers. 

These boys are showing their younger siblings/niblings/cousins how it’s done! 

It would probably be more convenient to have a handheld device to take from base to base than an XBOX or Playstation, so…

Soap has a Switch. He probably still has his 3DS XL in a footlocker somewhere. (If it's held together with duct tape and paperclips, that's nobody's business but his.) The Switch isn't quite as discreetly portable as the 3DS was, but it fits better in his big hands and he can hook it up to any screen with a HDMI port to play with Gaz, so it's a decent tradeoff. 

Gaz is probably still rocking his 3DS. Who cares if he’s beaten these games a hundred times already, or if the device is obsolete, it fits in his pocket and he enjoys a good comfort replay.

Soap’s got a customized Pro-Controller. He’s also bought one for Gaz as a birthday/Christmas present. If you don’t already have one yourself? Guess what you’re getting for your birthday! If Ghost finally gets convinced to play, Soap’s getting him one too!

When it comes to you playing Splatoon with the boys, it goes one of several ways: 

Either they are super excited to learn that you also enjoy playing Splatoon and can’t wait to get you to join their team,

or when you introduce it to them they’re very excited to try something that you enjoy. In this case, you may walk them through getting started, but as soon as they get the hang of it, they’re off like a shot.

Or maybe you guys discover it together. Depending on how long you’ve known each other you very well could have been playing together since Splatoon 1.

Either way, these are your hype men! When you win they’re celebrating with you, and when you lose they’re not letting morale fall. “It’s alright, we’ll get em’ in the next match!”

Many a giggle has been had, playing Hide and Seek in Private matches.

Johnny plays Splatoon more than Gaz, I feel like he enjoys fast-paced online/co-op games, especially if there’s voice chat. Johnny has not finished the Story Mode or even unlocked the Secret Kettle stage.

Gaz probably plays single-player games on his 3DS more and prefers to play Splatoon when he’s playing with you and/or Johnny. Gaz has completed the Story Mode and found all of the collectibles. He is weeping over the Secret Kettle stage.

Johnny’s Loadout: He feels like a man who changes mains often and gets really good at them. Chargers, Tenta Brellas, Buckets, you never know what he’s going to use next, but rest assured he will use it with brutal efficiency.

Johnny's Abilities: When it comes to games, he wants to get places fast, so Soap’s rocking things like Opening Gambit, Ink Resistance Up, Run/Swim Speed Up, etc.

Johnny's Outfit: Johnny “Soap” MacTavish is wearing the Chaos Set from the Smallfry Amiibo, I do not make the rules. Alternately he might bust out the Party Hard Hat, Annaki Polpo-Pic Tank, and the Skipjack Work Boots. 

Gaz’s Loadout: I can see Gaz playing support. He’s the guy that’s inking base, setting down Tacticoolers and Big Bubblers. But he’s also the Roller who gets tired of his team rushing mid just be killed over and over and decides to show them how it’s done. You ever seen a Roller get a wipeout? The disrespect is abundant and the satisfaction is immeasurable.

Gaz’s Abilities: Special Charge Up, Special Power Up, Ink Saver/Ink Recovery Up.

Gaz’s Outfit: My man is either strutting in his matching Dustcloud Set or he’s working the Lightweight Cap, Baseball Jersey, and Red Work Boots. In fact, I fully believe Gaz has a bit of Fashionista in him, his outfits are always on point.

With Johnny being the wildcard, and Gaz on support you have a lot of options in how you play your game. If you’re a mid-rusher, Johnny can take long-range. If you’re more of a support class, Gaz can come in with a heavy hitter. Any combination of the 2 or 3 of you is fairly flexible team, and once you reach your stride you’re a force to be reckoned with.

P.S. You, Johnny, and Gaz giggled about Humpback Pump Track for days. 

Captain John Price:

He may not be interested in playing the game with you, or even watching you play, but that doesn’t mean he’s not involved in your interest. The two of you are engaging in Parallel Play!

He’s in his chair, cigar in hand, glass full of amber liquid on the side table, reading a book or a mission report. Or he’s leaning against the arm of the couch with you between his legs while you play in handheld mode. If he’s got a lot of paperwork he might take it to the dinner table. No matter what though, he’s in the same room as you, enjoying the noise and life that you bring into his space. 

He cares about what you care about. When you talk about how excited you are for the new season, and the maps that are being added, he is listening and asking thoughtful questions. 

If you record a clip of yourself getting a 4-kill/Wipeout, he is suitably proud of you. “Give em’ hell, sweetheart.”

That being said, sometimes the sentences that come out of your mouth when you and the boys are talking about Splatoon throw him for a loop. I mean come on, with words like Bloblobber, Squiffer, Squelcher, Sploosh-o-matic, and Glooga? The first time he heard Ghost say Bamboozler out loud he nearly swallowed his cigar. He will be compelled to make faces, he may even choke on a laugh or two.

P.S. He was very happy when you and the boys finally stopped saying Humpback Pump Track every five minutes. 

Congratulations on your new Sugar Daddy by the way!:

When he hears you fawn over Soap’s custom pro controller, there’s one coming in the mail within the week in your favorite colors. 

If Splatoon is your favorite Switch game, congrats, you’re the new owner of a Splatoon 3 Edition OLED Switch. (BTW I have this Switch, it glows under Black/UV light, it’s so cool, 10/10, highly recommend.) 

Are you excited about the DLC coming out, but you’ve got to wait for your paycheck to come in to pre-order it? Say no more, he’s got it covered. 

Amiibos give you special in-game outfits and you’re missing a few? Not anymore you’re not.

If you’re in voice chat with Soap and Gaz, you also get to wield Price to your advantage:

Reader: “John, can you please tell your subordinates to quit rushing mid when I’m literally fighting for my life in base?” 

Price: “Boys…”

Soap & Gaz: “...yes sir…”

Also, fear not! Just because John doesn’t play the game, doesn’t mean you and the boys haven’t picked out his hypothetical outfits! Safari Hat, Khaki Ranger Vest, Tan Work Boots, or maybe the Short Beanie, the Annaki Flannel Hoodie, and the Hunting Boots/Trail Boots. Other Hat options include: Special Forces Beret, Jungle Hat, Wharfside Cap, Treasure Hunter, and Classic Bowler.

BONUS Mario Kart:

Soap and Gaz absolutely play Mario Kart, and they have no compunctions about wrecking your shit. You will be bullied. You might cry. You can absolutely leverage this to get Ghost or Price to smack them in the back of the head.

Ghost is no longer allowed to talk while the sergeants are playing Mario Kart. He’s not just a bully: “Why would you pick Rainbow Road if you can’t even stay on the fuckin’ track?”  He’s also stirring the pot: “You gonna let Gaz disrespect you with a Green Shell like that, Johnny?” Price has 100% had to step in to keep things from coming to blows.

This is relevant to exactly 2 people...here's to Me and You, Anon!

this might be a long shot but..simon or cod men with a s/o who is a huge splatoon fan

(definitely not a splatoon fan myself)

i'm really sorry anon but i have nae knowledge on the game and actually had to look up what i was. so i can't write anything about it, im so sorry (ㅠ﹏ㅠ)

[johnny-coxville]

Johnny smut after he wins against sami zayn and he's really cocky about it?

For some reason, Tumblr on PC gives me a ton of issues. Hopefully will have a phone sooner or later. For the time being, my writing formatting might look a little goofy.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Johnny Knoxville x fem!reader nsfw

♡

Go Johhny!

In your hotel room the night before, as your boyfriend showered for his big day, you made him a silly surprise. You had bought some supplies to cheer him on for his wrestling match. You both had taken a long flight from California all the way to the ring in New York.

As he entered the shower, you took it upon yourself to get some poster paper, glitter, and whatever you wanted to make a silly poster. Finishing it before he even finished showering, it was covered with glitter and positive words like a fan cheering on their favorite wrestler. 

You hid it in the back of the car, heading back into the hotel room. Coming out of the bathroom he dried his hair with a towel. A goofy smile plastered on his face. He was beyond excited, and frankly so were you.

The next night was incredible. You were in the front stands watching your boyfriend beat the crap out of Sami Zayn. The smile on his face was prominent throughout the night. Whenever he would turn to you. He flashed his eyes over to your massive sign “I love you Johhny Knoxville! Kick his ass! <3” It read. You swung it around like a madman. Screaming like a little fangirl.

The fight ended with Johnny as the champion. His silver hair was drenched, his goggles hanging around his neck. Hyping the crowd up like a goofball. When he was exiting the ring, you followed him. Exiting the stands and heading into the back. Seeing him standing around scanning the room, you ran and hugged him. His embrace tightening around your back.

You pulled back from his embrace with a massive smile. “Johnny I’m a huge fan! Could I could get an autograph?” You joked. He grinned. “I can give you something more than an autograph sweetie.” He chuckled. 

You cocked an eyebrow. “Oh reaaallyy?” You cooed with a grin. “Oh yeahh. I’ll take you to my car.” He said grabbing your two hands and pulling them to his chest. A few people peaking you two’s way. You didn't mind much.

“Are you sure Johnny? What if you get caught.” You dramatically said with a frown. He tried to hold back a laugh. “As long as your quiet.” He whispered to you. Letting go of your hands and starting to lead you to the parking garage. Sometimes you both would mess around. Pretend your his pretty little fan. A fun way to praise him.

You two didn’t roleplay often, but when you did, it was usually odd. As you two walked hand in hand to the parking garage, you were full of anticipation. Egging Johnny on with your fan babble. “You really beat him. It was really hot.” You said rubbing his hand with your thumb.

He let out a small huffed laugh. “Well of course. Sami could never stand to the likes of me.” He said swinging your arm back and forth. Entering the parking garage he stopped. He scanned the garage for the elevator to the higher floor. Making his way to the elevator with you he fixed his hair and adjusted his outfit.

In the short time, you had made your way out of the crowded stands, he had already changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Stepping into the elevator with him, he hit the 40th floor. You were on the base floor. The elevator ride would be a good five minutes.

Johnny wouldn’t waste a single second in this five-minute ride. Standing next to you he turned and shoved you against the elevator wall. Pushing his hands into your hips he kissed you. You rutted your hips forward. Pressing into his jeans. Pulling back from the kiss, he questioned you.

“So. Do I get to know the name of the beautiful girl I’m about to fuck? Or is it a mystery?” He said with a toothy grin. You shook your head no. He would probably slip up and say your name. His favorite thing to do was cooing it in your ear when he was ready to release. 

“Mmm. That’s a shame.” He said stepping a few steps back. It wasn't a very big elevator but enough to hold just about three people. You shuffled forward. Palming his jeans with your rather small hands compared to his build. He huffed. “I never expected I would have the chance to touch such a strong man.” You said rubbing your thumb down his trapped package.

“Oh yeah?” He let out shakily. The elevator doors could open at any moment. Revealing some poor person just trying to find their car. “Mhmmm..” You said unbuttoning his jeans. Sliding down the golden zipper. His cock hard against his thigh.

“I’m surprised there aren't more girls coming your way Johhny. You looked so good out there.” You said running your fingers up his length. He was backed against the wall, breathing anything but steady. You cocked your head, you two were only two floors away.

You adjusted his bulge and close his pants with a pleasant smile. “Oh, baby. I’m going to have it out for you.” He said as the elevator doors slid open. You both stepped out of the elevator, he buzzed his car. Making his way towards its spot in the garage. The garage was fairly empty in the first place. Only about 30-40 cars. Cars of the team members that worked there. 

You both were practically running towards the car, speed-walking to indulge in one another. He popped open the hatch of his car. A large flat bedded trunk. He opened the back seat door and grabbed a blanket. Laying it down on the flat bedded trunk. Puffing the upper half into a makeshift pillow. “Johnny? Are you sure we should do this? What if someone sees us?” You said pretending to be shy.

He didn't answer. Removing the blanket from the trunk. It would be too difficult to position. Opening the back door and laying the blanket down. Fluffing the top once more to make for a decent pillow. “That’s the thrill baby. Someone catching you getting fucked by THE Johnny Knoxville?” He said coming back around to the trunk. He shut the hatch and grabbed your hand.

“Is this your first time ever having sex in public?” He said assisting you into the backseat. You two had, had sex countless times in public. “Yeah.. I’m a little nervous.” You replied. He nodded his head. “Don’t be nervous baby. I’ll make you feel reallyyy good. I promise.” He said unbuttoning his jeans for the second time that night. You sighed shakily.

“Do you want me to take my pants off?” You softly questioned. Hoping he would ask you to just drop the act. Wanting to be aggressively fucked. He nodded his head as he unzipped his fly. You kicked your shoes off, and lifted yourself up, and pulled down your jeans. Easy to take off considering how loose they were around your waist.

 You began to lift your shirt off, though he stopped you. “I got it, baby.” He said pulling your shirt off over your head and arms. Lifting your back up to unclip your bra. Once that was removed, you were left in nothing but your thin underwear. He traced his fingers around your torso, leading up to your breasts.

His fingers brushed against your nipples. One hand squeezing your bud, as he leaned down and softly suckled your other. Leaning inside of the car, his left knee planted between your legs. You softly moaned, wrapping your fingers into his silver hair. Still slightly damp with sweat. He swapped places, softly pinching the opposite nipple and sucking the other. He moved off of your nipples, leaving soft kisses on your breasts.

He kissed down your chest and to your torso. Kissing your sides and down to your waist. He climbed off of you, backing up a step. He pulled your legs forward, hanging them further out of the car. He shuffled his unbuttoned jeans off and tugged off his shirt. Anyone could walk out and watch you two feel each other. It sparked a thrill in you.

Staring at his shaved chest, he was quite built. He had been working out extra for the match. Making him extra toned and defined. He eventually approached you again completely naked. 

Grabbing your thighs, he got down to his knees. Leaving his skin on the cold cement. He pulled you as close as he could. His hot breath on your crotch.

Hooking a finger under your panties, he slipped his tongue against you. Painfully slow, he glided his tongue against you. Enjoying every second. One hand on your thigh, the other still holding your panties. He picked up his pace, keeping you unable to be still. 

He groaned a bit as he suckled your clit. Sloppy noises coming from below you, you held a hand over your mouth as he worked away at you. He pulled his head up, tugging your panties off. Getting off his knees, with no other warning, he entered you. 

Pulling your legs onto his hips, he fucked you fast. Catching you so off guard you nearly screamed. An immediate shift of pleasure. Intense and hot. He leaned his face down to yours, slipping his tongue in your mouth. You eagerly kissed him back, sliding your fingers through his silver hair. 

He filled you almost perfectly. Hitting every spot that could make you scream. He pulled his head back panting. “I don’t have a condom. I want to watch you finish with your fingers. I want to see you squirm to the thought of your biggest hero, Johnny Knoxville, watch you make a mess of yourself.” He said slightly slowing his pace. 

He seemed to get off using his ego sometimes, but you enjoyed it. You loved his cocky presence. You nodded your head and removed the hand from your mouth. He pulled himself out of you, as you shot your right hand down to your clit. Your fingers circle the small bit.

His eyes didn't break contact with your fingers, his hand vigorously pumping at himself. Looking up, you were met with his eyes. The both of you intensely touch yourselves. The eye contact alone drove you both mad. A fast pace shared between you both.

“You’re so fucking sexy. I can’t wait to watch you cum all over.” He said sliding his thumb over his dribbling tip. You began to pant. Feeling yourself coming closer. Hitting the perfect spot, you arched back. Your fingers assist the wet sounds you two both made.

“Fuck! I’m going to fucking cum all over you baby.” He yelled stepping forward. Blowing his load onto your stomach and legs as you continued to work at yourself. His hand still kneading. You finished and made a massive mess of yourself. 

Warm cum spread across your body. Your fingers are soaked from the ordeal. He squeezed the last bit of cum he had left, letting out a long sigh. You laid a moment catching your breath. “Man. That was the best experience I’ve ever had with a fan.” He said gathering his clothes. “Oh stop it PJ.” You rolled your eyes over his silly roleplay.

You lifted yourself off the leather seat, peeling off your sweaty body. Your crotch feeling entirely numb by this point. “Sh! My name is Johnny. Not PJ..” He said sliding his boxers back on, looking for his discarded shoes. You rolled your eyes once more, satisfied with the intense pleasure you experience.

“You should really attend more wrestling matches. I could get used to this.” 

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

[thegettingbyp2]

Hi! How are you? It's been a while since last time I request something! I was thinking about something for Johnny knoxville of course ❤ What about a Johnny x Reader in which they are filming Forever and she gets injured pretty bad in the bit with the big fans? Like she tried after poopies (who sould have a crush on her even in this one ahahah it was too funny) and things get bad because there is too much air energy and she is too light for this kind of bit? Have a nice day ♡♡♡

I Want a Go

Sometimes you really questioned how Johnny got some of his ideas for stunts. Some of his ideas, you would be able to see the cogs moving in his head as he would sit and watch cartoons but other times, you would just be sitting together in the car or on the sofa and he would just come up with something; which is how this stunt came about.

‘How hard do you think it’ll be to get a hold of a load of really big fans?’ Johnny asked, almost to himself, as you were both lying in bed one night after a day of filming.

‘What the fuck are you talking about?’ You replied, used to his random ideas by now.

‘Don’t you think it would be a good idea to get a massive slip and slide, an inflatable chair and a fuck ton of those huge fans you can get, point them all in the same direction, put someone in the chair and just watch them go,’ he said, turning onto his side to fully face you.

‘An inflatable chair? How come not an umbrella? That’s what you usually see in the cartoons with anything wind-related.’ You regretted your words as soon as they left your mouth, seeing Johnny’s mouth fall open at your suggestion. ‘No, PJ, stick to the chair, it’ll be safer.’

---

That’s how you ended up turning up to set a couple of weeks later and being greeted with the sight of a giant slip and slide surrounded by fans that were a lot bigger than you had expected. You heard Johnny’s laugh next to you as he took in the sight in front of him, clearly getting excited.

After Jeff and Johnny had stood in front of everyone and explained how the stunt was going to work, you headed over to where the two men were standing, sliding underneath Johnny’s arm.

‘So, who’s actually going to be doing this?’

 ‘Why? You want a go, (Y/N)?’ Jeff asked, laughing lightly, knowing your answer.

‘Absolutely not,’ you replied, feeling Johnny’s hand flex on your waist as he chuckled underneath his breath.

‘Poopies is gonna do it, doll,’ Johnny answered for you.

‘I thought you would have done it, it was your idea.’

‘That’s exactly why I’m not doing it. You realise how fast that things going to go?! Anyway, Poopies volunteered straight away.’

About half an hour later, you were standing next to Johnny to the side of the fans, watching as the chair was being blown up. ‘I’ll be back in a minute, I’m going to go and wish him good luck,’ you said to Johnny, nodding your head towards Poopies. Johnny nodded and kissed your head, waiting until you were out of reach to take his hands off of you.

‘Hey,’ you said as you approached Poopies who was currently putting a pair of goggles over his eyes. You held in a laugh as he started slightly and turned around to fully face you. You could feel Johnny’s eyes on you, not completely trusting Poopies around you since he pretty much asked you on a date while you were dating Johnny; not that he knew that at the time, you thought it was pretty cute.

‘(Y/N), hi! Everything okay?’

‘Yeah! I just wanted to say good luck before you start, if this goes well, it’s going to look incredible!’

‘Thanks! Take it you and Knoxville are watching?’

‘Obviously! You think he wouldn’t stick around and watch something like this?!’ You laughed before Jeff called out that they were about to start filming so you quickly wished Poopies luck again before rushing back over to Johnny.

As you were watching the stunt, you hadn’t realised how much fun it looked and a part of you couldn’t help but want to have a go. When Jeff called ‘cut’, you headed over to Jeff, knowing that you had more of a chance of him agreeing to letting you have a go than Johnny. After talking to him quickly and getting him to agree, you headed back over to Johnny to tell him the plan.

‘Sweetheart, are you sure you want to do that?’ he asked, sounding unconvinced. ‘You saw the hit Poopies just took to the face, right?’

‘I know but I looks fun and I never join in with anything you do on set.’

‘No one expects you too sweetheart. Do you want me to come with you?’

‘No, I want to do it on my own, thank you though,’ you said, leaning up to land a quick kiss on his lips.

‘Fine, but I’m coming with you, need to make sure you don’t hurt that pretty face.’

As you and Johnny headed over to the set-up, you didn’t see Ehren trip over, hand landing on the on-button to stop himself from falling. The next thing you knew, you were being hit in the face with a gust of wind that sent you crashing right into Johnny’s chest who was a couple of paces behind you. Johnny’s arms wrapped around your body instinctively, trying to hold you in place despite being hit with the gust of wind as well. The both of you hit the floor, you landing on top of Johnny’s body, him having cheated your bodies in mid-air so he would take the worst of the hit. As you both lay catching your breath, your body moving on top of Johnny’s as he laughed, you realised that your ankle was absolutely killing you after having landed on it funny.

Johnny stood first and leant down to help you up to your feet, his face dropping as soon as he saw you wince when you tried to put pressure on your ankle.

‘What happened? What’s wrong?’ he said, moving instantly to wrap one arm around your waist, letting you lean into him for support.

‘Nothing, I’m fine. I think I just landed weird on my ankle, I just need to walk it off,’ you brushed his worry off, making to step forward and falling back against his body, his arms already waiting to catch you. ‘Yeah, I might need to get this looked at.’

‘Let’s get you to the hospital, sweetheart. It’ll be a surprise when they find out we’re there for you instead of me this time,’ he said, trying to make light of the situation.

‘Not yet!’ you said, pressing backwards against his chest, ‘I still want to try the chair out.’

Johnny looked at you as if you had grown another head. ‘Baby, you don’t need to prove anything by going on the chair. Please let me take you to the hospital.’ He said, taking a hold of your hand.

‘Now you know how she feels whenever you almost kill yourself doing stunts,’ Chris called out only to be silenced by one look from Johnny.

‘Please,’ you begging, giving Johnny your best puppy eyes.

‘You really want to have a go,’ Johnny asked dubiously and you already knew that he had given in. ‘Fine. But I’m going on it with you.’

‘Johnny, you don’t have to, plus, it’s only a small chair, there isn’t enough room for the both of us.’

With a smirk, Johnny scooped you up until he was carrying you in his arms bridal-style and started walking towards the chair. ‘You really thought you were going to sit next to me, sweetheart? ‘ he said, as he sat down in the chair, pulling you to sit on his lap and wrapping his arms tightly around your body, acting as a seatbelt.

‘Thank you,’ you said quietly in his ear, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

‘As soon as this is over, we’re going to the hospital,’ he said just before Jeff turned the fans back on and off you went.

[oreomonsterhunter]

“I’m not wearing my sexy underwear tonight”

Pairing: Johnny x reader (or OC)

Word Count: 3988

Genre: fluff, not smut but they both really wanna toe the line

Warnings: language, some sexy kisses (cover your eyes kids)

Summary: Johnny takes his best friend on their first date

A/N: this has absolutely morphed into a long term couple, because apparently Princess has taken the reins 😂 if you like this, check out the rest of their story so far on my masterlist!

You were nervous.  Friends with Johnny since diapers, and somehow you were nervous to meet him in five minutes.  You glanced at the time—make that four minutes.

Pacing back and forth in front of the door, you smoothed down your dress again.  All Johnny had told you was to dress up.  He might be a fashion king, but he wasn’t exactly the best at sharing details.  You’d teetered between twenty different outfits before finally settling on a happy medium.  Couldn’t show up to a museum in an evening gown.  Well, you supposed you could, if you even owned one.  So the little black dress at the back of your closet was the final choice.  Safe enough for just about every venue, since Johnny hadn’t told you where your date would be.

You sucked in a breath, fighting against the nerves tight in your stomach.  Your first date, oh my gosh.  How were you supposed to date Johnny?  You’d done practically everything together already, what made this different from going to the movies together last week?  Aside from the obvious—last week, you didn’t know what Johnny’s lips felt like on yours.

Then you groaned at your sudden realization.  Jeez, you couldn’t do anything right in this relationship with Johnny.  You were about to have your first date but you’d already had a hot and heavy makeout session at an unmentionable hour of the morning.  So much for “will I kiss him afterwards?”  Dating for five seconds, and everything was already out of order.  You wanted to scream, but before your thoughts could really start spiraling, you heard a knock at the door.

You were sweating, oh gosh.  Did you need to reapply deodorant?  You froze, staring at nothing.  Until another knock sounded, this time accompanied by Johnny’s familiar voice, “Yo, are you ready to go?”

You sagged in relief.  Nothing else would have snapped you out of the nervous cycle better than Johnny being….well, Johnny.  And when you finally convinced yourself to open the door, the sight of his easy smile was enough for yours to appear, too.

“Well, uh, hi,” he stuttered, making you giggle.

You slipped on your shoes, grabbed a small purse, and locked the door behind you.  Then you linked arms with Johnny, “Alright, where to, mystery man?  You haven’t told me anything.”

“That’s mostly because I didn’t figure anything out until today.”

Biting your lip to hold back a giggle, you tugged him down the hallway.  “No wonder you didn’t share much detail.  I should’ve known.”

Johnny tightened his grip on you when you stepped out of the elevator, leading you to the car.  He didn’t say much, which was a bit out of character.  Frowning up at him, you tried to meet his gaze.  He finally looked down at you when he opened the passenger door for you to get in.  “You, uh, you look really nice tonight.”

A small smile bloomed, “Not looking so bad yourself, hot stuff.”

* * * * *

Apparently Johnny had picked out a restaurant for dinner.  A fancy restaurant.  You read through the list of entrees with a barely-concealed grimace.  “Do you know what any of these words mean?” you asked him.

Johnny beamed at you, “Nope, that’s half the fun.”

A waiter walked by with a tray destined for another table, and you both gaped at the miniscule portion sizes.  “Those look like appetizers,” Johnny said, goggling at the tiny salad. “Maybe I can order several steaks. I’d need about five of them.” He started eyeing the menu again.

“As long as you’re picking up the tab,” you joked.

“Oh, I thought you were,” he said, all wide eyed innocence.  You smacked his arm with your menu, fighting a grin at his usual antics.  The couple at the next table shot you a look, and you hunched back in your seat.

“Don’t worry, I’m paying.  Order whatever you’d like,” Johnny said, still puzzling over the ridiculous dinner options.

You frowned, reaching for your water.  But shoot, it probably cost five bucks for tap, you thought with no small amount of horror.  You set it back down before you drained more of Johnny’s wallet.

After a few more minutes of torturous silence, trying not to fidget too much, you leaned forward.  “Do we even have a waiter?”

Johnny jerked upright, looking over his shoulder at the man in question.  “I don’t know?”

“I’ve been trying to make eye contact with the staff for five minutes and they’re all ignoring me.”

Johnny blinked at you.  “Wait, are you ready to order?”

“No, I wanna ask if they charge for water.”

“No one charges for water,” he chortled.

“I bet it’s five bucks a glass,” you said, crossing your arms.

Now Johnny was really laughing, and half the restaurant was staring at your table.  “Only if it’s imported from the crystal springs of Iceland,” he said, grinning.

“Wait, really?”

“Hell if I know,” Johnny said, making you snort some of your water.  You shrunk down in your chair, hiding your red face while he kept laughing.

“I don’t know this man,” you said to the people at the next table. They stared at you, whispering among themselves.  Pouting, you turned back to Johnny.  “I can’t believe you booked a table here,” you cocked an eyebrow at him.  “I thought we were burger joint people, not escargot snobs.”

“Do you really not wanna eat here?” he asked, propping his elbows on the table.

You opened your mouth to respond, but your waiter finally showed up to take your order.  “Good evening, can I interest you in anything else to drink?”

“Any Icelandic sparkling water?”  Now Johnny was the one snorting inelegantly.

The waiter laughed, despite not knowing the joke.  “Can I interest you in a bottle of red?  You seem like a red wine woman.”

You smiled politely, reaching for the wine list when he offered it to you.  “Sure, I’ll take a look.”

The waiter smirked, eyes landing on you.  “I’ll have to card you, miss.”

Your brows raised, but you complied, digging out your wallet.  Across the table, Johnny cleared his throat, “Do I look like a red wine guy?”  But the waiter barely glanced at him before his eyes were back on you.

“Your photo doesn’t do you justice,” the waiter commented, handing your ID back.

“No one looks good in those pictures,” you chuckled.

“I beg to differ,” he said, then nodded at the wine list.  “What can I get you?”

You glanced over at Johnny, who was fidgeting enough to shake the table.  Curious.  “What do you recommend?” you asked, twirling a strand of hair around one finger.

“You might be interested in one of our finer vintages,” he began, leaning over your shoulder to point out a few wines on the list.  You heard a subtle sound, and out of the corner of your eye, saw Johnny’s fingers rapping the table at a rapidly increasing pace.  You bit your lip, focusing on the wines again, but not before adding a little more fuel to the fire.  Time to test your theory.  You crossed your legs, brushing one foot up Johnny’s calf in the process.  The man jumped as if electrocuted, his knees banging into the underside of the table.

“How about this one?” you asked innocently, looking up at the waiter again.

“A lovely choice, though it is on the higher range, so I’m not sure—”

“We’ll take it,” Johnny announced, plucking the wine list from your fingers and shoving it at the waiter.

You raised an eyebrow, but the waiter simply smiled at you, apparently unbothered by growly Johnny.  “I’ll bring that right out for you,” he said, taking the wine menu and leaving you to suffer over dinner options.

Johnny cleared his throat, leaning towards you again.  “That waiter’s a bit weird, huh?” he asked, watching the man walk away.  “He didn’t even ask what I wanted.”

You donned your best sparkly-eyed expression, “But he’s being so friendly!  He really deserves a nice tip, he had some helpful suggestions.”

Johnny frowned, “He’s obviously flirting with you.”

“No way,” you laughed, waving him off.

Johnny rolled his eyes, “Trust me.  He’s flirting with you more than I am, and I’m the one taking you on a date.”

You leaned forward, resting your elbows on the table.  “Maybe you should start flirting with me some more, then.”

Johnny sent you an indecipherable look.  You wondered if your teasing had worked.  But Johnny seemed to have calmed down some, now that the helpful waiter was out of sight.  

You shrugged, sitting back in your chair.  You changed the subject, giving the man a break.  “Seriously, we don’t need to spend this much on dinner.  I feel bad.”

“I thought you’d like this place,” Johnny said, brows furrowing.

“I will literally go anywhere with you, it doesn’t matter, I just….I dunno, I feel like I don’t fit in here.”  You weren’t quite sure how to express your fear that people would call you a gold-digger or something, only dating Johnny now that he’d achieved success.  Even if the two of you knew better, it still made your stomach twist.  And not in the nice way it did while watching Johnny’s hands playing with his water glass.  Shoot, shoot, shoot, now his fingers were wet from the condensation.  You really didn’t need to know what that looked like.  Had his hands always been that large?  You shifted in your seat.

Johnny’s mouth twisted in a wry smile, “I don’t know if either of us really fit in with the rich old person vibe, but I heard the food is good.”

I’d rather have a bite of you, you thought to yourself, twisting the napkin in your lap.  You’d never seen him in a suit before.  Or at least, not in person.

Johnny coughed suddenly, staring at you with wide eyes.  “What?”

Oh shit, did you say that out loud?  Your cheeks burned.  “Um, I’d be, uh,” you stuttered, trying to cover your mistake, all confidence extinguished.  “We could get burgers, or something.”

Johnny sat back in his chair, eyes on yours.  He smirked, and you wanted to disappear into a hole in the ground.  Oh no, he definitely heard you.

“As long as I get to keep watching you,” Johnny said, voice low.  “You really are beautiful, not just tonight.  Every night.”

You opened your mouth, not sure what to say, but knowing that you wanted Johnny to keep looking at you like that.  Like you were the main course.  “Johnny, I—”

“Your wine, miss,” the waiter had returned.  You bit back a frown, knowing he was just doing his job.  But he seriously couldn’t have waited another minute?

“Thank you,” you murmured, sampling the first sip before allowing the waiter to pour both glasses.

“Can I interest you in any appetizers?” he asked, pouring Johnny’s wine.

You blinked, having forgotten the menu entirely.  Across the table, Johnny pulled out the menu, but before he could point anything out, the waiter was hovering over your shoulder.  “Might I recommend the cheese board?  It will pair beautifully with this bottle.”

“Might I tell you my order?” Johnny said.  His smile was sharper than before.  You might have teased him some more, but you got a bit distracted by Johnny’s jawline as he turned to speak to the waiter.  Honestly, you were having trouble tearing your eyes away from him all night.  It felt like seeing him for the first time, and in a way, you supposed you were.  You’d always known Johnny was attractive, since the time all boys started to look cute.  You’d just never let yourself think about it too much.  Best friend mental boundaries and all that.

Maybe if Johnny hadn’t said anything on that night, you wouldn’t have ever seen him like this.  You wouldn’t have allowed yourself to admire the column of his neck, or his long fingers as they unbuttoned the top of his shirt.  It would’ve been you and your stupid butterflies trapped in the friend zone forever.

Thoroughly distracted now, you bit your lip as you wondered what Johnny’s neck would look like with some new decorations.

“You realize they sell food here, right?  You don’t have to look at me like I’m an appetizer,” Johnny whispered across the table dramatically.  You startled, looking around, but the waiter had left at some point during your daydream.  Oh gosh, did you drool?  You pressed the back of your hand to your face discreetly, relieved to find nothing of the sort.

Then your brain caught up to Johnny, and you looked up at him with a smirk, “You’re too big to be an appetizer.”

Johnny choked on a laugh, covering his mouth to hide his smile when the other diners looked your way.  When he appeared to have himself under control again, he eyed you from head to toe—or at least what he could see from across the table.  He shot you a grin, “You’ll find out soon enough, won’t you?”

You watched him through your lashes, not quite sure what to make of him anymore.  You’d had your fair share of fun with other guys, but never in a million years had you imagined flirting with Johnny so blatantly.  Let alone in a fancy five star restaurant like this.

A sudden presence at your side startled you, and you jumped a little when the waiter reached over your shoulder to set a dish down.  “Sorry for startling you,” he murmured, moving away slightly, but not before brushing your shoulder in apology.  “Should I leave you with this for now, or are you ready to order?”

Johnny’s eyes flashed, and you bit back a curse at the waiter’s truly stellar ability to interrupt.  “We’re fine, thank you,” you said, unable to stop watching Johnny.  Or his hand, slowly tightening into a fist on top of the table.

“Would you like to hear the specials tonight?”

You donned a polite smile, nodding at the waiter to continue.  While he read down the list of fancy-sounding entrées, you turned your smile on Johnny, who was vibrating in his seat again.  You could’ve sworn your water glasses were shaking, and you held back a giggle.  You uncrossed and recrossed your legs, extra slowly to make sure he got the message when you “accidentally” brushed his knee this time.  The vibrations stopped, and his eyes burned into you.

“Thank you, we’ll keep looking over the menu,” Johnny interrupted the waiter, his voice deeper than before.  Your smile only grew.

Once the waiter was out of earshot, you leaned in.  “Can we leave?  I can’t even kiss you here.”

“Yep, yes, absolutely,” Johnny said, standing up the second the words were out of your mouth.  He nearly upended the table, making you snort.  “Right now,” he nodded, striding for the exit.

You scrambled out of your chair, rushing after him.  “Johnny,” you hissed, grabbing his sleeve.  “We didn’t pay yet.”

He came to a halt in the hallway, and you nearly ran into his back.  Then Johnny turned around, and you became very aware of the semi-secluded location as he moved closer.  You squeaked out a panicked, “Not here!”  You backed away until he finally reached out, one hand circling your waist to reel you in.

Johnny’s eyes moved over your shoulder, then back to yours.  He smirked, leaning in close enough for you to feel his lips brushing your cheek as he murmured, “Tell the valet to get the car.  I’ll grab the wine.”

You could’ve sworn you felt his hand brush down your back, lower.  Your cheeks burned hotter.  But when you turned, Johnny’s broad shoulders were disappearing around the corner, and the waiter was hurrying in the opposite direction.

* * * * *

You ended up ditching the car and walking around the neighborhood.  You only looked slightly out of place with your high heels and makeup when you ended up at a tteokbokki joint.  You’d played rock paper scissors between that and burgers, and Johnny won, as usual.

After dinner, you were reasonably close to your apartment, so Johnny offered to walk you home. It felt like another one of your late-night adventures, except you were usually in sneakers. When your feet got tired, you stopped in the middle of the block to take off the killer heels, sighing in relief.  You slung the straps over your wrist, prepared to keep trudging along, when Johnny swooped in.  One second, you were on the ground, the next, you were admiring the top view of Johnny’s ass from where you were dangling over his shoulder.

“Johnny, what the fuck,” you asked breathlessly, dying of laughter.  And from his shoulder digging into your diaphragm.

“Are you crazy?  You could cut your feet open,” he scolded you.

“At least there’s a nice view,” you sighed, reaching down to pat his butt.

Johnny put a little bounce in his next step, and you grunted at the impact.  You could practically feel his smug little grin.  “Hands off the merchandise.”

“How is that fair?  You totally copped a feel back at the restaurant.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Bull,” you said.  “You went all ‘alpha male’ with that nice waiter.”

Johnny huffed, “I wasn’t jealous.”

You grinned in victory.  “I never said you were, mister offering-up-information.  Now put me down, you caveman.”

Johnny’s grip on your thighs loosened, and his hands slid up to your waist, holding you tightly as he helped you back down.  You froze for a second when your feet hit the ground, not expecting to be face-to-face with him so suddenly.  “Wait right there,” Johnny said firmly, finally releasing your waist.

You blinked at him in confusion, watching as he slid his suit jacket off.  Your eyes widened when he reached for you, but it was only to wrap the jacket around your waist, tying the sleeves into a knot to hold it in place.

“There,” Johnny said, nodding at his handiwork.  Then he turned, crouching down slightly.  “Alright, princess, hop on.”

You beamed at him, not that he could see it.  It wouldn’t be a walk with Johnny if he didn’t end up carrying you at the end of the night, you chuckled to yourself.  You were fiercely grateful to Johnny for thinking of his jacket—you weren’t quite sure how long your skirt was, now that you were wrapped around him like a koala.

“Thanks, Johnny,” you mumbled, burying your face in his neck.  “You’re the bestest.”  You left a smacking kiss on his cheek, and he laughed, tightening his hold on your legs.

Finally, you arrived at your apartment building.  You slid your heels back on, balancing with one hand on Johnny’s arm.  “I’ll walk you up,” he said once you straightened.

But when you got to your door, you hesitated, unsure what to say.  Was this the part where you kissed him goodnight?  You were torn, so at odds with the way the night resembled your old friend dates, only now things were different.  What were you supposed to do?

“So,” Johnny drawled, leaning against the wall.  “Where’s my tip?”

You stared at him, incredulous.  “Your tip?” you repeated.

“Johnny’s chauffeur service isn’t free,” he said.  “And if I remember correctly, you still owe me for last time.”

You cocked a hip, smirking slightly.  “Any preferred payment methods?”

Johnny blew you an air kiss, and you made a show of catching it.  “I take cash or card,” he informed you.

“What a shame,” you murmured, dropping your purse in front of the door.  “I seem to have lost my wallet.”

He watched you carefully, barely blinking as you approached him, one slow step at a time.  “Apps?”

You stopped mere inches away, “Not a single one.”

He swallowed, and your eyes tracked the movement.  Your daydream from before came back with a vengeance—you bit your lip at the thought of marking him up.  Then you leaned in, resting one hand on his chest.  His heart pounded through the thin dress shirt.

“Will this do?” you asked, lips just barely brushing his.  Nothing else touched, aside from your fingertips on his sternum, but you could’ve sworn you felt him shiver.

Oh so slowly, Johnny reached out, hands ghosting over your hips.  You smiled against him, then melded your lips to his, bypassing whatever hesitations were holding you back.  What was the worst that could happen?

You felt Johnny teasing at the seam of your lips and gratefully opened for him.  He inhaled sharply when you inched forward, your chest brushing his.  You couldn’t hear anything but your heart racing.  And when his fingers dug into your hips, you fell into the kiss.  He pulled you in like a magnet until every part of you aligned with him.  Your limbs felt molten, burning at the contact.

Johnny pulled away, but not for long.  You gasped for air as his lips traced over your jawline, making their way to the delicate skin beneath your ear.  He pressed hot kisses there until your neck arched back obediently.  And when he nipped at your throat, you whimpered.  Thoughtlessly, your hips rocked forward.  Johnny gave voice to a deep groan, so you did it again.

Growling lightly, Johnny curled an arm around your waist to pull you harder against him.  All of the breath left your body at the feel of his growing hardness against your belly.  You fisted your hands in his collar, tugging him away from your neck.  You caught a glimpse of his kiss-swollen lips and blown out pupils, then dove back in for more.

While your mouth danced with his, your hands dragged southward.  Your fingernails caught on a button or two as you traced the muscle beneath.  Now Johnny’s hips were bucking into yours.  You grinned savagely into the kiss.  You’d just reached his belt when Johnny ripped his mouth away from yours.  “Woah, woah,” he gasped.  “Slow down, there.”

You panted for air, “What’s wrong?”

Both of you were breathing hard, and you were having a hard time ignoring the elephant in the room.  Er, hallway.  “You’re not trying to take advantage of me on the first date, are you?” Johnny asked with a breathy chuckle.

You laughed softly, tilting your chin back to get a good look at him.  “Is it really taking advantage if you want it, too?”  You smirked at him, rolling your hips forward to emphasize your point.

He watched you through half-lidded eyes, and you could’ve sworn you felt him throb.  But Johnny, ever the gentleman, smoothed his hand down your back, resting his head back against the wall rather than picking up where you left off.  “Cut me some slack, I’m not wearing my sexy underwear tonight,” he said with a crooked smile.

Oh no, now you had heart eyes for the man.  You pecked his chin to hide your cheesy grin.  “You let me know when you are, hmm?” you hummed, placing another kiss to the base of his throat.

“Princess, I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for you.”

You giggled, leaning back in his arms.  “Am I so scary?”

Johnny sobered, meeting your gaze.  “I just don’t want to mess anything up.  Not with you.”

“I don’t think that’s possible,” you smiled at him.  “I trust you too much.”

“Oh yeah?  You still haven’t told me what you wished for on your fourteenth birthday,” Johnny taunted.

You tilted your head, thinking back.  “I didn’t tell you because I was hopelessly in love with you at the time,” you confessed.  “Now that’s out in the open, I guess you can know.”

Johnny blinked, taken aback.  “Even then?”

“Johnny, I think I’ve loved you forever,” you said, staring up at him.  “So of course I wished for the same thing every year.”

“What was it?”

Your smile widened, “Well, it already came true.  You said it, too.”

* * * * *

Masterlist

[sehunniepotwrites]

TAKE THE LEAP | JH.S | TEASER

written for @notnctu​‘s BEGINNINGS collab “This summer is going to be different. This is the summer we face our fears. Together.”

SYNOPSIS. Johnny Suh has always had a fear of heights and falling from high places. He’d rather keep his feet planted to the ground at all times. But once, just this once, he thinks he’s ready to plummet from the skies because he’s falling all in you.

GENRE. childhood friends!au, friends-to-lovers!au, summer vacation!au, camping!au, fluff, smut (minors: do not interact!) PAIRING. Johnny Suh x (f) Reader  TEASER WORD COUNT. 2k  TOTAL WORD COUNT. 14k

RELEASE DATE. September 3rd, 2021

WARNINGS. language, cliff diving, sexual tension, mentions of food and alcohol consumption, sexual themes (soft dom!Johnny, car sex, oral: female receiving, fingering, penetration, praise kink, exhibition kink, multiple orgasms)

PLAYLIST. just friends - jonas brothers | the way i feel inside - the zombies | something more - aly & aj | i don’t want to miss a thing - aerosmith | even if it kills me - jason mraz | you belong with me - taylor swift | paper rings - taylor swift | off my face - justin bieber | share your address - ben platt 

You had promised Johnny that you wouldn’t fall asleep during the drive but promises were meant to be broken anyway. An hour and a half into the drive, your voice faded to silence. The only sounds the driver heard were your Spotify queue playing in the background and the calm, steady breaths you took while you slept. 

As his sight flickered between mirrors to constantly check the open road, Johnny’s brown eyes always found their way back to you. Head leaning against his window, strands of hair messily swept across your face, and lips parted slightly, you looked completely at peace—something Johnny hadn’t seen for a long time.

Seeing you so relaxed reminded him of how you looked when you first met: not at all at peace but scared out of your wits at seven years old. A memory so dear to him, it was a day he would never forget.

Johnny had met you at the age of eight one summer at your neighborhood’s community pool. He didn’t have a lot of friends in the area during that time, having just moved to the next city at the beginning of summer. His parents reunited with their college best friends, your own parents, and decided to meet up for a fun day lounging by the waterside. Sun blaring above during the short introductions, the hot weather drove young Johnny straight to the diving board so he could spring himself into the pool. But before he could do so, he saw the girl he was just introduced to tightly clinging onto the railing and struggling to step onto the board. 

“Hey, you okay?”

“Does it look like I’m okay to you?” your snippy reply came, fingers still tightly wound along the metal railing belonging to the low diving board. It was barely a foot high and if you jumped on it, the spring would just barely graze the water but you were still scared of the shakiness. You tried to move forward but the instability was too much for you to handle. A squeak escaped you as you clutched tighter, not wanting to let go. 

“Hey,” Johnny called your name softly and you looked up at him with trembling eyes. Recalling that moment, he remembered how cute you looked in your bright one piece and matching goggles resting on top of your head. “Want me to show you how to do it? I was scared at first too!”

Your parents watched from the side with curiosity and amusement as he extended his hand towards you. You nodded shyly and took his hand with a feeling that this gentle boy was to be trusted and the young Johnny helped you off the springboard. 

“Just watch me, ��kay?”

“M’kay,” you replied from the side as Johnny confidently stepped onto the board. 

He grinned back at you as he stood on the edge before jumping once, twice, and then diving straight into the pool. A big splash surfaced from where he landed and he sprung up quickly with a big smile. Paddling over to the edge of the pool where you waited, he said, “See? Not so bad, right?”

“S-Sure,” you stuttered back. 

“Still scared?”

“Why? Are you going to make fun of me?” Even back then, your snark was out of this world. 

Laughing, Johnny shook his head. “No, I want to help you. Trust me, it’s fun!”

A bit skeptical of the boy you just met, you narrowed your eyes at him. “Why should I trust you?”

Still paddling to keep himself afloat, Johnny paused to think. He didn’t really have a good reason for you to trust him, especially since you had just met, but he genuinely wanted to help you get over your fear and hesitation. Helping people was something he loved to do. “Our parents are best friends? I don’t really know,” he shrugged, “but seriously, it’s not as bad as you think!”

Johnny almost shrunk at how your glare never faltered. Eyes flickering to your parents, they nodded encouragingly at you, your mom motioning you with her manicured hands. The approval from them was all you needed. Slowly and carefully, you grabbed onto the railing again and stepped onto the board. It shook under your weight and your knees trembled, causing you to shut your eyes. 

“Don’t close your eyes, you’ll be okay! Just walk slowly towards me!” Johnny’s voice came from the end of the board. His hands were holding the end to steady it as you inched forward towards his calls. He enthusiastically encouraged you as you made your way to the end, voice never faltering even as you did.

When you reached the end, you stretched your arms out to balance yourself, eyes still shut tightly and hands curled into little fists. You heard Johnny from below you, “I’m going to let go of the board now and you’re gonna jump, okay?”

“Wait, no! John, I’m scared!”

“Johnny!” he shouted back, causing you to open one eye.

“What?”

He chuckled again. “Call me Johnny. That’s what my mom calls me.”

“Okay...Johnny,” you said, testing the way the nickname rolled off your tongue. He grinned widely at you, nose scrunching with delight.

“On the count of three, I’m gonna let go and you’re gonna jump.”

You shook your head slightly, afraid of how the movement would jerk the springboard. “Johnny, I don’t think I can do it!”

“No, don’t think. Just jump, alright?”

“O-Okay.”

As Johnny counted down slowly, you braced yourself, bringing your arms to your chest. Eyes clamped shut, you bent your knees as he let go of the board. You hopped once, twice on the board and on the third jump, you went a little further and dived into the pool. The cooling sensation of the water tingled and you smiled underwater before kicking your way back up to the surface. Johnny was there right by the pool’s edge, grinning proudly at you, and you swam your way to him. 

Tackling the boy you barely knew into a hug, you wrapped your wet arms around his shoulders, “I did it!”

“Told ya you could do it. It wasn’t so bad, wasn’t it?” young Johnny laughed, coiling an arm around your waist. You floated together, laughing at how silly the situation was, and one of your parents—you never knew who—snapped a picture of the two of you in the water. 

Fourteen years later,  it was twenty-two year-old Johnny’s favorite photo of you both, one that he kept in his wallet right behind his ID and your graduation picture. He stared at both photos when he was away in Korea, missing your company, and now he was glad to be back at your side.

“Mhmm, Johnny?” you muttered sleepily from the passenger’s side.

“You finally awake over there, Sleeping Beauty?” A hand comes in contact with your bare thigh and the palms traced circles into your skin. The contact was hot and in your half-dazed state, you first thought his touch was nothing but a dream. 

“Sorry for falling asleep, goob,” you said, trying not to think about how his hand remained on your upper leg. 

“You’re always asleep, Snips.” The jab at your sharp cuts didn’t phase you, having grown used to the nickname over the years.

“Dude, shut up,” you countered, slapping his arm.

He groaned loudly, clutching the spot where you hit him with one hand on the wheel, “I’ve been hit.”

“Stop being dramatic, you weirdo.”

“But I’m your weirdo, always and forever, right?” Your heart skipped a beat at his flirtatious tone. Johnny was always like this, always the flirty one between the two of you, it was in his nature. But you couldn’t help but fall for it every single time, knowing that he didn’t feel the same for you. 

“Forever and always.”

The conversation halted there, no words exchanged after that. Songs played to fill the comfortable silence and you looked out the window to see the lush green of the trees and the bright blue hue of the lake up ahead. Sitting up straight, excitement flowed through your veins. You were almost at the lake and your summer was about to begin.

“Hey.”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Are you going to finally go cliff diving with me this year?” 

Cliff diving was a tradition your parents started when they visited the lake during their college years and it was something you wanted to continue with your own best friend.

Going rigid for just a second, the driver hesitated. “Yeah about that…”

It was funny how back then, you were the one afraid of a small height and how he helped you through it, because now the roles were switched. You were the fearless one, always jumping into danger without a worry, while he stood back and questioned everything. Although he stood tall at over six feet, Johnny was deathly afraid of heights and falling ever since an incident that happened years ago at a theme park. A roller coaster’s restraints were too loose on him, causing him to slip ever so slightly as the ride went down it’s first drop. Ever since that scare, Johnny shied away from anything to do with thrills and heights.

“Don’t go back on your promise now, John!”

“It was a drunken promise made over the phone, you brat!” he hissed back. 

You had called him one night and he answered as he always did, except that this time, he was drunk at a party. He slurred his promise to cliff jump with you and you held it against him ever since.

“Still a promise,” you sang as you dived into your bag of chips, feeding him one before eating some yourself. His lips brushed against your fingertips as he took a bite.

“Promises were meant to be broken.”

“Bull-fucking-shit.” He laughed at your language. 

“C’mon, Johnny,” you pushed him just a little bit, voice going high in the way you knew he couldn’t stand. He cringed at the sound and tried to ignore you as he pulled into the campground, searching for your family’s reserved spot. Your voice only grew louder as he parked next to his dad’s car, your spot already set up for the most part—all that was left was to set up your shared tent and the roof tent for his Wrangler for when you wanted to go stargazing. 

“Maybe, Princess. We’ll see,” Johnny finally said as he slipped out of the driver’s seat, wanting to say anything to shut you up. The other nickname he had for you rolled off his tongue so naturally, his voice as smooth as velvet, and you despised how much it affected you. Even if other men called you by that name, the effect it had on you never compared to how Johnny’s voice had you wrapped around his finger. 

Smiling brightly at him, you followed after him as he emptied the trunk. Hugging his arm, you leaned against him and said, “This summer’s going to be different. This is the summer we face our fears. Together.”

Looking down at you, Johnny asked, “I’m going to cliff dive and you’re going to talk to men?”

His heart lurched in his chest at the two ideas. He wasn’t keen to either of them but at least one of them involved him making you happy, even though it scared him to death.

“I’m gonna try,” you replied before tugging the coolers out the back. 

You left him behind, heading straight towards your parents with the food. Johnny watched you walk away, his stare aimed right at your back as you greeted everyone enthusiastically. His mother embraced you, welcoming you in with open arms, and clutched your cheeks to talk about how much you had grown since she had seen you over winter break. You melted into her motherly touch, fully accepting the love she was giving you, and Johnny couldn’t help but smile at sight.

“I guess I’ll try too,” he said to nobody in particular. 

Wrapping his head around cliff diving was hard but he would still play around the idea for you. But his other fear—the fear of losing you to someone else—was far greater than the other fears that lingered in his head. Johnny had loved you too long to lose you now, when he was barking up the confidence to finally confess during this two week camping trip.

So like you said, this summer was going to be different. This was the summer Johnny Suh was finally going to face his fear.

PARK RANGER BOARD. Surprise, everybody, and welcome to the Lake! Another Johnny fic is coming right at you. More specifically, a soft Johnny smut ohoho. I hope you enjoy this preview and my Johnny brainrot that will never seem to die. A big thank you to my friends who supported me through this brainrot, y’all know who you are! 

If you like what you have read so far, please don’t be afraid to like, reblog, and tell me what you think! I’m also trying something new, if you would like to be added to the taglist, please fill out this Google Form. If you don’t want to do that, a reblog, ask, or reply would suffice.

© sehunniepotwrites, 2021