Star-Crossed Lovers

Intertwined

One night, Simon sat up with a gasp. He was sweating profusely. He looked around the room and rubbed the sweat off his face. He grabbed his blanket and pushed it off him as he stood.

He walked into the bathroom. He dropped his boxers and started to pee. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves.

When he was done, he pulled his shorts up and walked to the sink. He looked in the mirror, saw his scars, and immediately looked down at his hands. He turned the water off, dried his hands, and went back to his bed. He covered himself with his blanket and stared up at the ceiling.

Then there was a knock at the door. "Ghost, ye doin' okay?" *It's just Soap.* "I'm fine, Johnny." "I heard ye talkin' in yer sleep. J'st wanted to see how you were doin'. I'll just be headin' back to my room then."

"Actually, Johnny, could you maybe... stay for a little bit?" "What's this I hear? Big, scary Ghost is afraid of the dark?" "I never said that." "I'm jokin', Ghost." "I know." Simon didn't move.

"Do you want me to put the mask on?" "Yes, please." "Alright, now get out of the doorway, you creep." Ghost said as he pulled a mask over his face. "Yessir." Soap walked to Ghost's bed and sat down at his feet.

Ghost closed his eyes and nudged closer to him. He wrapped his arms around Soap's waist. "You have a skinny waist, Sergeant." Soap started to sweat a little. "Yeah, I know. Ye like it?" "A little, why?" "I dinnae ken, you j'st seem comfortable." "Mmm..."

After a moment, Ghost slowly fell asleep, showing full vulnerability. "Si, what're you—" Then it hit Soap like a ton of bricks. "Oh..." He looked down at the sleeping soldier, whose arms were lightly wrapped around his waist still. "G'night, Simon, sweet dreams."

"Hey, Ghost, what's wrong?" Kyle said one day, as he noticed Ghost zoning out with a threatening gaze. The Lieutenant blinked and looked down at the Sergeant. "What, oh, nothing. Must've zoned out." He cleared his throat. "What do you need, Sergeant?" "Nothing, sir, you're just glaring daggers at Soap." "I am?" "Yes, sir. He thinks you're mad at him."

Ghost looked over at Soap, who was sitting across the room from him. Sure enough, he looked upset and slightly uncomfortable. "Thank you for telling me, Kyle. I'll take care of this."

And with that, he walked towards John, but the Scotsman just headed towards his room. "Soap, I need to have a word with you." Soap didn't listen; he just kept walking. "Sergeant, come back here." Ghost picked up the pace. No response.

"Goddammit, MacTavish, listen to me!" He quickly walked up behind Soap and grabbed his shoulder. He spun John around till they were face-to-face. "For fuck sake, Soap. Why are you ignoring me?"

"Why are ye glarin' at me? Did I do somethin' wrong?" Soap furrowed his eyebrows as he looked back at his superior. "No, you didn't do anything wrong." "Then why were ye glarin' at me?" "I was getting to that... I just zoned out, and I didn't realize I was glaring at you. You have to believe me." Silence.

"I believe you, Si. But we need t' have a talk aboot yer behavior." Soap put his hands on his hips. "What do you mean, my behavior?" "Yer constant zonin' out. The fact that ye get easily excited when it comes to mythology, weapons, etcetera. Yer pickiness with fabrics 'n' things of that nature." "I get it, I get it. Jeezus, is it really that noticeable?" Ghost asked, slightly concerned. "It's not very noticeable, no." "Then how do you—" "My ADHD 'n' autism." Silence.

"You have autism, too?" Ghosts eyes went wide. "Yeah, I have it... Wait, what did ye mean by that? Do ye have autism?" Soap raised an eyebrow with an excited expression. Ghost looked away. "So what if I do? Are you just gonna spread it around like a joke?" If the mask was off, John would see him blushing. "Of course not, Si. I'm th' last person here that'd make fun of ye fer havin' the 'tism."

"The what?" Simon looked back at Soap. "The 'tism, aka, autism. Have you never heard it called that before?" "No, because I used to be the only person here with autism. And I don't like that name; it sounds weird." "Oh, alright. I won't call it that when I'm around you." Soap could've sworn he saw Ghost's eyes crease with a smile, behind the mask.

"Seriously, I'm fine! Tis but a scratch! OW!" Soap was being rushed to the infirmary. He had got shot in the shoulder. "Don't move so much, Soap!" After a deeper look, they found out it wasn't too serious. "See, I'm fine!" Price huffed a sigh. "You're in shock, son."

"Should we put him under? The bullet didn't go all the way through." "You'd better; I don't think he'll be able to take it without anesthesia." "Wait! Where's Ghost? Can I see 'im b'forehand?" Price looked at the nurse; she nodded.

Price pressed a button on his radio. "Ghost, how copy." He waited a few seconds. "Yessir." He responded. "How fast can you get to the infirmary?" "What's the problem, sir?" "Soap's been shot. He needs anesthesia so we can get the bullet out, but he wanted to see you before he went under." "I'll be there right away, sir." "Copy." Price looked at Soap. "Ghost's on his way." "Okay."

A few minutes later, Ghost ran up to Soap. "Fuckin' hell, Soap." "Hey, Ghost. Dinnae worry, it isnae fatal." Soap's voice sounded giddy. Simon looked at Price. "He's in shock. He's been actin' like that since we brought him here." Ghost nodded.

"Hold my hand, LT." Soap smiled with teeth. "If we wait any longer, it'll become infected." Ghost gripped John's hand. "Thank you, sir." And with that, he was under. Ghost held his hand the entire time.

A few hours later, Soap awoke. "Ach! What's the craic?" "You're alive; that's good... I guess." "Sir, s'that you?" "Who else?" "Mmm." Simon walked up to Soap, who was still laying down. Ghost stood right above his head. "You really gave the nurse a hard time, love." *What did he just say~?!*

Soap smiled. "Where'd that come from?" "I guess you made me nervous." "I scared you." "I didn't say that." "Ye didnae have to. I can tell. You wouldnae be talkin' t' me like this if it weren't true."

"You talk too much." Simon bent down to kiss Soap, but a surge of pain shot through John's body. "Fuck!" He squinted his eyes shut and clenched his teeth. "Take it easy, Sergeant." "It really fuckin' hurts." "It's gonna. You just need to let it heal."

"Away 'n' bile yer heid!" "Why don't you?" "Quit teasin, ya dafty!" Simon gently pulled on Soap's mohawk and leaned close to his right ear. "Make me," he whispered. "I fuckin' cannae! Not like this!" "Hmph. Guess we'll have to wait."

Ghost let go of Johnny's hair and stood up straight. "I'll check in later, before they dismiss you." "I'm leavin'?!" "Not like that! You're going back to your room! I guess the anesthetic hasn't fully worn off. Either that, or it's just you being stupid." "Could be both." "You're not helping yourself, Johnny." "Oh... Sorry."

"See ya later... Unless you die." "I DINNAE WANNA DIE!" "You're not going to die, MacTavish! God, you're fuckin' dumb." Simon walked away. "I love ya, Si." "I know, Johnny."