COD Oneshots / shorts

Too loud. (Soap / reader)

Summary - y/n has sensory issues, and it's obvious. Everyone on 141 seemed to be aware, other than Soap. He was completely oblivious until he began asking questions.

Warnings - sensory issues, combat mention

As much as you enjoyed Soap being a dumbass, at some point it became tiring to drop hints at him.

Since you were a small child, you always had sensory issues. Noises and bright lights triggered some anxiety deep within your subconscious. For the most part, you were able to avoid your triggers; you always wore headphones or earplugs of some type, if you were outside you were wearing sunglasses.

You were surprised when Soap began questioning you about these things you'd been doing for so long.

"Y/n," he spoke in a teasing tone, "why are you always wearing headphones?" He was slumped over in a chair fiddling with a knife. "Tryina drown out my beautiful voice?" He batted his eyelashes.

You rolled your eyes at him. "Absolutely." You laughed. "And every other noise." You weren't lying, your sensitive ears heard damn near everything. "Why?"

Soap paused, wondering why he had asked. "Dunno, you're always wearin somethin" he grinned. "Those big headphones an the glasses."

A long sigh escaped you. "I have sensory issues, Soap. Everyone knows that, bud." You we're getting exhausted by the conversation.

Soap looked confused for a moment, folding the knife and sliding it into his pocket. "Ya do?" A genuine question.

Your eyes met his, you could see concern in his gaze. "You're telling me you couldn't tell?" You giggled. "Damn, you really are oblivious, huh?" You enjoyed teasing him.

"Ya never told me." He shrugged, not breaking eye contact. "Could you explain it?" Soap was really and genuinely paying attention. He wanted to learn.

You sank into a chair next to him. "Well, since I was little I've always been super sensitive to noise and lights." You began your explanation the way you would with a child. "I couldn't even go to a movie theater without losing my shit over the noise. Eventually, I started wearing headphones everywhere. Brown noise is in my ears constantly, no matter what."

Soap lowered his eyebrows. "Brown noise? What's that?" He asked.

"It's like white noise, just a different frequency." You explained. "Wanna hear it?" You asked, pointing at your headphones.

Soap smiled. The chance to wear your headphones was one he wouldn't pass up. They had to be comfortable if you always had them on. "Sure." He said.

You took the headphones off and put them over his ears. You saw him go through all the stages of amazement in a few seconds.

When he took them off he looked excited to ask more. "Can't hear shit with em on ya." His voice betrayed his excitement. "That's so cool. It's like the ones at the gun range." Despite having worn noise canceling headphones before, he seemed like it was completely new to him.

"They don't block noise completely," you spoke softly, "that's why I have the brown noise. It adds another layer of protection." He was still smiling, bouncing his leg. "Price won't let me wear completely noise canceling ones either way. Said I wouldn't be able to pay attention." You rolled your eyes at the memory. "As if any headphones could cancel out that fuckers voice."

Soap laughed loudly, making you wince. He immediately widened his eyes. "Shite, sorry. Sorry." He rushed to put the headphones back on you.

You smiled, this gesture was pure and kind. "No worries, Soap." You laughed. "The sunglasses are for UV light." You pulled the pair of glasses out from a pocket on your pants. "I have another pair for blue light when I'm inside."

As he put the pair of glasses on he nodded his head. They were, in the end, just normal cheap ass sunglasses. He took them off and inspected the frames. "These look nice on you, y/n." He said, "look even better on me though." Soap cracked a smile.

You playfully punched him in the shoulder. You returned the glasses to your pocket and pulled out the other pair. "These block out blue light. Like the light from screens or florescent lights." You handed them to him.

When he put them on he nodded again. "I like these better, I think." He was making an effort to talk softer. "Look cooler too, eh?"

You rolled your eyes again as he handed them back. You pocketed them. "I'm glad you like them." You smiled.

He kept looking at you, studying your face. Another question popped into his head. "How do ya keep the headphones on when you're fightin?" Curiosity seeped through his words.

"My helmet has a notch in it, I put my headphones on under it." You were beginning to enjoy explaining your accommodations. "Similar with the glasses, but those are easier to take off." You we're still smiling. "Next mission we go on together, I'll show you."

He seemed content with your response. "So... all those times you were tellin' me to hush up, I was just bein' too loud?" He questioned.

"Sometimes, yeah." You replied. "Sometimes you just need to shut the fuck up, though."

A fake offended look came over his face. "Damn, didn't know ya hated my voice that much." He wiped away imaginary tears, laughing to himself.