Howl [COD Simon Ghost Riley & John Soap Mactavish AU]

The Ropes Have Been Unbound

Simon gave up arguing, and for Soap, the euphoria began some time before the bite marred his skin. The Lieutenant's face was serious, and blank. Soap imagined he must have to retreat, hide somewhere, to bring himself to do this. That was the only negative thought he had, that he wished it wasn't so hard on him. Not when Soap was so willing.

Simon was over him, in total control and it was mysteriously familiar. Laying beneath him, given up completely. Caught lazily in the gravity of the man kneeling over him. It felt natural. Freeing. He didn't know what the bite would do to him, but he couldn't imagine it would feel sweeter than those few seconds in which they both gave in.

He was wrong.

Simon turned off his mind but he couldn't turn off his eyes. He avoided Soap's gaze even though he could feel his blue eyes boring holes through him. Not looking at his arm where he was about to be scarred, but looking at Simon. At his face. He knew the trust he would see there and an inability to lie. Which meant that he truly felt he wasn't afraid, but he couldn't be right, fear was inherent in things like this. Bloody, unnatural things. Simon could still see the rise and fall of his chest and the skin of his arm. How small and human he was.

Better to get it over with.

He sat back on his heels and bent, bringing Soap's arm up to his mouth. Instinctually, he pressed his tongue flat against his skin. Soap closed his eyes and pulled a long breath in as Simon's lips replaced his tongue, gentle like a kiss, feverishly warm. And then teeth. It didn't hurt like he expected, it didn't feel like a bite.

Simon's unnaturally sharp canines sunk into his flesh and it felt like someone had hit him in the back of the head. He saw stars. Beautiful, life changing, and not painful in the slightest. Quite the opposite.

Simon stayed still, letting the blood run out on its own and against his tongue. He wanted to finish it quickly, but he didn't want to cause Soap any pain. However, it didn't take long before he had no choice. His own instincts took over, his incredible thirst, and he took a pull from Soap's life force like it was a top shelf bottle.

It tasted sweet and warm, unlike anything he had ever tasted in his life. He felt tears choke him again. The bitterness he knew, the fear he was dreading simply wasn't there, and Soap felt relaxed and tender beneath him. And buzzing.

The feeling of the bite on his body was nothing compared to what it was doing to his mind. He was prepared, he knew he was going to feel something unexpected, but he hadn't known it would feel like complete, untethered reverent devotion. Suddenly Simon didn't just look like a large, capable man. He looked like a god. He was utterly flawless, what he was doing was a gift that Soap didn't deserve. Tears ran out of his eyes at the emotion brought on by the honor it held. He hoped it killed him. He hoped Simon drank every last drop if it meant his lips would never leave his skin.

He almost laughed at the thought, knowing it was stupid. He chided himself for thinking it, his mind flip flopping and rapidly turning corners into new, unguarded territory. He never wanted to die. He never wanted to stop this. He never wanted to stop laying at Simon's mercy.

Simon saw Soap reach for him out of the corner of his eye, his free hand rising to touch Simon's arm or hair or neck. He reached for it with his own free hand, gripping Soap's wrist and pinning it against the floor. Affection shown now, in this stupor, it wasn't real. It was more to add to the shame that followed the realization that you hadn't died from the bite.

Unexpectedly, he had to remind himself of that too, as his awareness pinpointed on his hand around Soap's arm, the steady pulse he could feel there even as he drank from the other.

He slowed. It wouldn't take much to make Soap weaker, to make it hard for him to recover. And he didn't need much to survive.

Relief washed over him in a warm wave and he realized, gripping Soap tighter, that he would do anything for his Sergeant, to repay this kindness. He would offer him every comfort and every sacrifice that he could afford, he would show him what this meant to him. Another life debt to repay.