Tall Grass | GHOST X SOAP

Soap got hit on the head, twice

"Alright. You guys are a tough crowd, huh?"

Soap was standing in front of the Marines that was sitting on the dirty ground. He's been trying to boost the team's morale, but it seemed like he needed to try harder.

Usually, when Ghost is in command and Soap stands as his second in command, Soap would try to balance out the pressure that Ghost put by being the more lax one. Bringing just the right amount of fun for the soldiers to have a breather after being pissed on, fried, and smoked by Ghost.

But this time around, there was something different. Ghost has been snapping on almost everyone in the unit ever since they got to the outpost. It wasn't like Soap wouldn't let him do so, but there's a difference between being strict and unlawfully infuriated.

Something was definitely wrong.

After having to spend so long being partnered up with Ghost, Soap could read him better both as a person and as a soldier. He had to tread carefully every time, sure, but each of his incessant efforts in getting himself familiar with Ghost had granted him the ability to deescalate a situation whenever Ghost is unable to remain cool. If there was a general list of people that understood Ghost, he would be confident to claim that he had to be at least among the top three, if not the first on the list.

But alas, right now, he ran out of ideas as to why Ghost was acting so restless.

Soap undeniably has insurmountable respect for Ghost as a commanding officer, but he had to be honest with himself. He knew the man could act so unpredictable sometimes. Although, this part of him seldom appears on missions, but when something is truly bothering Ghost, and he would retort back to his anger outbursts to cope, that meant Soap should have a good reason to be worried about. Now, mind him, he didn't give a damn for the poor sods on the receiving end of these outbursts, but he did give a damn about his L.t.

Because for the man that he was right now, it would take a lot for one to drive him back to that edge. So whatever shit was bothering him, it bothered Soap too. The most frustrating part was, Soap couldn't figure out exactly what it was, and this has put him on edge too.

And when nervous, Soap would do a trick. It's what he could do best effortlessly, efficiently, and most importantly, require less brain work: rambling.

He tried to strike some jokes with the soldiers, but to his displeasure, none of them gave him the reactions that he wanted, which only frustrated him and motivated him to try harder. But the harder he tried, the more he rambled, and all the more he was spouting nonsense. The fact that his thick scot accent would always slip out whenever he was nervous didn't help, either. From then on, no one stood a chance in understanding him. It was as if suddenly, he stopped speaking english at some point.

The poor soldiers had to listen to everything, with no one daring to interrupt the Sergeant. There was a forced laugh every now and then, and everyone was secretly praying to the man above to strike them down, if it meant Soap could shut the fuck up. But where they were right now was a hell hole placed on earth. It was scorching hot. How much more miserable could they be?

Normally, though, everyone would dig Soap's nonsense talks. More often than not, the crowd would just put fuel to the fire, and turn it into a marathon of awful jokes. Moments like these would make everyone feel more relaxed and united. It's when one could share camaraderies in the calmness before the storm, before going straight towards the intermittent dangers that's waiting for them in every mission. They deserved at least that much of peace of mind. But what made it different now? Why was the crowd so unwilling to engage with Soap?

It was Ghost.

He's been standing a couple of meters away behind Soap, arms crossed in front of his chest, eyes sharp and looking straight at the crowd, as if daring them to make some noise. The soldiers were having cold sweats running down their body, not sure whether to ease up and humour Soap, or to stay still so the Lieutenant won't have anything to yell about.