Admissions

Chapter 4

For the past two days Ghost had been holed up in his room following his little moment on the rooftop and couldn't be cajoled into leaving.

Gaz tried.

Price tried.

Soap tried. Twice. And very narrowly avoided having a short-tempered lieutenant rip his head off the second time.

The others around base seemed to take their cue from Soap's experience and avoided the area around Ghost's door.

Mostly.

"Really not a good idea!" a familiar Scottish accent hollered from down the corridor, earning a cocked eyebrow from the masked lieutenant. He focused his hearing... must be about 10 meters or so down the hall from the sound of it. Footsteps were rapidly approaching; small ones at first followed by heavier ones running to catch up.

Soap's evidently, judging by the continuous shouted warnings. Fucking hell. Ghost felt his irritation rising at the notion of yet another intrusion into his space. Whoever was about to interrupt his alone time had better be on fire or something. That was about the only circumstance in which he could see himself being understanding.

Someone opened his door without knocking and caused the lieutenant to squint as light flooded his darkened room. But once he focused on the small figure in his room, clad in a dark hoodie and leggings, all annoyance faded into nervousness.

His heart began to race in his chest at her approach. Ohhh shit. Simon was not ready to face her yet after his rooftop fantasy... and here she was in his fucking room. Ghost tensed, braced for an intense ass-chewing as her little steps quickly brought her closer to him.

Without making eye contact or saying a single word, Sereza marched over to where the skull sat on his bed, plopped down next to him, kicked off her shoes, and leaned back against the wall just as he was.

Simon's eyebrows furrowed in a mix of amused bewilderment.

"...come in." he quipped.

Sereza didn't say a word or look his way. Her hand wriggled inside her pocket for a moment before a bottle of water was practically shoved in his face. Two days in this drab, sunless den of his without coming out even to eat was enough, and she had come to pry him out of his brooding spot no matter the cost. Gently, of course. If her theories about the lieutenant and what went on in that masked head were correct, then this called for a delicate approach.

"Hm," the skull grumbled, taking the water from her lest she shove it through his eye socket next.

Only once she produced her own bottle and cracked it open did he reluctantly do the same. Thanks Love. Ghost bit the inside of his cheek in exasperation at his inability to say such a simple little phrase aloud. But the ever-present voice of his father screaming at him and mocking him wouldn't let Simon utter a sound. Something about him being pitiful and a sorry excuse for a kid or whatever it was.

Ghost tramped it back down, refusing to let the memories of his father ruin a moment with Sereza.

The next few minutes ticked by, and Ghost found his mood gradually improving. He stole another sideways glance over at the black hoodie at his side. "You're in my room," he grumbled half-heartedly. A small attempt to start a conversation.