Dead Man's Deed (Ghost x reader x Soap)

No.4 Systematic Error

You woke up with a headache, taking deep breaths as you recollected the events of the previous night. You simply looked to the ceiling and sighed while replaying yesterday like a tape recording.

The sights, the sounds, the smells, everything felt like it was one long dream.

"L/n!" You heard, and you looked to the doorframe to see Soap out of uniform. He wore a black t-shirt and jeans as he walked towards you and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Glad to see you awake, I was coming to update you on the whole situation with the American missiles." He spoke, causing you to frown lightly and look back to the ceiling.

"Hey, you okay?" Soap asked, and you stayed silent for a moment before finally saying something.

"I failed the mission..." you whispered out, being met with silence as Soap didn't know what to say to you. "All the time, effort, and preparation was all for nothing since Hassan got away in the end."

Soap sat beside you on the bed, looking down at his lap at first before turning fully to you.

"Y/n, we almost lost you out there. The rule of bein' in the military is that if you survive, you'll feel like shit for it. You can watch dozens— hundreds of men die right in front of you, and when the dust settles, that's when you'll think: why not me?" Soap gently lectured as he maintained eye contact.

His grey eyes were warm, like he knew exactly what you were feeling. Contrary to his determination during missions, he was quite the compassionate person when being himself.

"Any wrong move can cost a man his life. But only the right decisions are what lead a man to survive. You, Lieutenant L/n..." He stopped and trailed his hand to your shoulder and squeezed ever so lightly.

"You made every right decision. So don't beat yourself up over it, alright?"

His words made you feel slightly better, more than you'd expected. You sat up carefully as the jacket you were wearing from the previous night slipped off your shoulders.

You thought about his words: Any wrong move can cost a man his life. It caused you to sigh deeply in recognition of their hidden meaning.

"John, I miss him... so much." You whispered out as you looked down at your lap and allowed loose pieces of hair to fall beside your face. You felt weak enough to cry, but you didn't want to, not in front of your comrade.

He brought his hand to your back and pulled you towards him. Your head collided gently with his chest, and he gave a few reassuring pats as you looked up at him with blurry vision.

"I know, I miss him too sometimes." Soap replied at a low volume. Even at the slightly awkward positioning, you still felt safe as you bit your bottom lip.

"It's alright, lass. Let it all loose, let yourself shred to pieces. I'll be here to patch it up for you." He insisted, causing you to finally break and sob into his shirt from remembering the times with the man you missed so desperately.

"I promised him I'd take care of you, and I will." Soap whispered as he rubbed up and down your back. A deep headache erupted in your temples, and a guttural sob came from your throat.

"Soap, how's—" You heard from the doorway, and you looked up to see Ghost about to knock on the doorframe. However, seeing your red scleras and pink cheeks caused his eyes to widen at the unexpected sight.

"I'll be out in a moment, L.t.. Just give me a second." Soap requested, earning a brief head nod from the Lieutenant as he left from sight.

You took a few shaky breaths as you wiped your eyes and face. The worst of it was over, now you only had your drenched cheeks to worry about as you sniffled and let out a deep sigh.