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Ghost woke with a start, hands gripping at the sheets, sweat running down his forehead. It was too often he woke up like this, especially around Christmas. The memories it unearthed proved too much sometimes and Ghost found himself in a state.
The bed beside him was empty and Ghost sighed, rubbing a hand across his face. Johnny had invited him to stay in his room so they could wake up together on Christmas morning, but Ghost turned him down, a little harshly.
”C’mon Lt, come and stay in my room tonight!” Johnny babbled excitedly, he’d been bouncing off the walls all day like an excitable child. You wouldn’t think this man was pushing thirty.
“Johnny, we’ve talked about this, I’m not coming to sleep in your room and stay up with you to wait for Santa!” Ghost said it in a mocking tone, busying himself with paperwork as Johnny’s cheery expression faltered.
“But you have no problem with sleeping together normally, Si is there, something other than the obvious, bothering you?” Ghost shivered at the use of his real name, the soft way in which Johnny said it, always unravelled him.
“No! I’m just busy Johnny, and I would like to sleep in peace!” He snapped, his voice gruff. His eyes cast towards Johnny, who looked like a kicked puppy, Ghost immediately regretted his tone of voice.
“Ah, alright Lt, guess I…yeah. See ya.” Johnny left his office without another word.
“Fucking hell Johnny, what are you doing to be?” Ghost sighed as he sank into his office chair. He wanted to follow after Johnny, say ‘yes I’ll sleep in your room’, but he didn’t, he stayed glued to the chair. Letting his hand flick through the paperwork, watching as the paper rippled.
God he’d have to say sorry to Johnny.
Merry fucking Christmas.
Ghost pulled himself up into a seated position, hands scrambling in the dark for his phone.
The bright screen blinded him, but he managed to make out the time, 3:48. Fuck
Ghost knew he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep and because it’s Christmas the training rooms are shut, so he can’t even distract himself with weights.
He lets his head fall back against the headboard, the wooden board creaking. The picture on his bedside table caught his attention and he glanced at it, his heart swelling as he remembered that day. The picture was of him and Johnny, dressed up all nicely, limbs tangled with each others. Happiness oozing from the both of them.
Ghost pinched the bridge of his nose, he felt bad. Jesus, Johnny really messed with his head sometimes and he could be a little annoying, but Johnny’s the only person who lets Ghost be Simon. Johnny sits and listens for hours when Simon wakes up in the night, he runs baths to help with the panic attacks, he cooks whatever, he’ll go to the shops in the middle of the night if Simon needs anything, he holds Simon’s hand through everything.
And Johnny never walked away, not even when Simon explained why he hated Christmas.
He was learning to love Christmas again with Johnny, but this year he felt like he was being buried alive by missions and all the paperwork that came with them.
Before Simon’s brain could catch up he was pulling his balaclava over his head and pulling back his duvet covers.
He wanted to see Johnny, to hold Johnny, for Johnny to hold him.
He just wanted Johnny.
Ghost slid out of bed, grabbing the small wrapped box and shoving that into his hoodie pocket, making sure to also grab the keys to Soap’s room. Knowing him, he’d forgotten to even lock the door before he went to bed. Ghost found himself smiling.
He was stupidly in love with Johnny. He’d never felt like this with anyone before. Johnny set him on fire and Ghost never wanted to step out of the flames.
Ghost quickly left his room, triple checking he locked the door before padding down the corridor to Johnny’s room.
He fumbled with the keys, eventually jamming it in the lock and twisting. The door pushed open and Ghost slipped in without another thought, carefully shutting and locking the door once he was in.
Ghost held his breath as he caught a glimpse of Johnny, snuggled up in bed with his Christmas pyjamas. Ghost could feel his heart melting. He knew he’d fallen in love with a good one.
The bed dipped as Ghost carefully climbed in, Johnny’s bed felt warm and cozy. A whole world away from his cold and lonely bed.
The Scot unsurprising sat up, eyes scanning the room for any signs of danger. To which Simon knew Johnny kept a gun on his beside table and he didn’t want to eat a bullet tonight. So he gently put a hand on Johnny’s back.
“It’s just me Johnny.” He instantly relaxed, letting his body melt back into the warm space.
“Thought you didn’t want to stay up with me to wait for Santa.” Ghost rolled his eyes, sinking down into the mattress alongside Johnny.
“Changed my mind.” Ghost shrugged, his tone completely unconvincing.
“What happened?” Johnny sat up slightly, clicking on the lamp on his bedside table. “Take it off.” Johnny’s hand reached forward, fingers pulling at the balaclava. He let the Scot pull it off, with no protest at all. He’d only really put it on to walk across the corridor.
There was a pause, Simon could feel Johnny’s eyes all over him.
“What’s the matter?” Johnny asked, blinking at Simon tiredly.
“It was just another nightmare…” Simon whispered, hoping for the most part that Johnny wouldn’t hear him. But when he felt the Scot grab his hand and give it a tight squeeze, he knew he had.
“The same one?” Simon had been having this reoccurring dream where someone broke into the base, tore their way through the crew and then made Simon watch as they gutted Johnny. Johnny shivered at the thought, when Simon first told him he was sobbing in the middle of the night.
Johnny felt his chest tighten when Simon nodded. Simon couldn’t catch a break.
Johnny grabbed the bigger man’s arm, shifting his own body weight to rest between Simon’s legs, the weighty arm holding him in place.
Simon quirked an eyebrow at him in confusion, to which Johnny just smiled sleepily.
“This way you know, I’m right in your arms, safe and sound.” Simon thought his heart might burst as he pressed a kiss to Johnny’s slightly overgrown Mohawk. He loved this man an incomprehensible amount.
Simon tightened his arm around Johnny’s body, his hand resting on his heart. It soothed Ghost a lot to feel Johnny’s heartbeat right beneath his hand.
He could feel himself giving into the sleep already.
“Merry Christmas.” He whispered into Johnny’s ear, he was sure the Sergeant was already sleeping.
He received a very sleepy, “Merry Christmas…” in return.
Simon hung onto his consciousness until Johnny’s breathing evened out, before he completely gave in, letting sleep wash over him, with Johnny warm and alive in his arms.
-
Johnny woke up and he could still feel Simon’s arm wrapped protectively around his body. He glanced at the clock, 9:30, that was reasonable enough to wake up Simon.
He gently squeezed Simon’s arm, feeling the broader man shift underneath him.
“G’morning.” Ghost grumbled, his voice gruff.
“Morning and merry Christmas again.” He felt Ghost shifting his weight underneath him. Johnny lifted his body up, rotating himself until he was straddling Simon, in a completely innocent way.
The Brit smiled at him, pink blush blooming in his cheeks. Johnny loved the sight, he’d take pictures of it if Simon only let him.
Simon placed his hands in the dip of Johnny’s back, pulling him closer, to press a warm kiss to his lips. Johnny melted into it straight away, his hands coming up to cup Simon’s jaw, his fingers absentmindedly tracing the scars.
“I got you something.” Johnny managed between kisses. Simon raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s nothing big, it’s just I saw it and I thought it was something you’d like, but you might hate it and if you do I still have the receipt, so I can take it back~” Simon shifted his hands to cup Johnny’s face, a thumb swiping over his wet lips and silencing Johnny immediately.
“I’m sure I’ll love it.” Johnny smiled, before reaching across to his sock draw, opening it and pulling out a small wrapped gift. He handed it to Simon gently.
Simon smiled up at Johnny, quickly ripping the wrapping paper off. He opened the small box in his hands, he saw the necklace and it took a couple of seconds for the penny to drop, that it was actually a locket. Johnny watched in anticipation as Simon opened the locket, a bright smile taking over his face the second he managed to get it open.
On one side of the locket it had a picture of the 141 and on the other it had a picture of just the two of them, one Simon didn’t even know existed until right now. They’re on a couch, Simon’s got his arm wrapped around Soap, who’s nestled himself between Ghost and the sofa. He smiled down at the locket, he present suddenly burning a hole in his pocket.
“Do you like it?” Simon looked up at Johnny, his only response was a kiss, a kiss he couldn’t stop smiling into.
“I, uh, actually got you something too.” Johnny raised an eyebrow, Simon had been the one so assertive on not having presents for each other.
Simon rummaged around in his pocket before producing a similarly sized wrapped box. Simon watched as Johnny’s eyes lit up as he took the small wrapped box.
He tore the wrapping paper off and opened the small box, Simon held his breath.
“Si?” Johnny looked up at him, eyes teary. Inside the box sat a gold ring, a proper gold ring. Simon had scribbled in his best hand writing ’Marry me?’
Simon made eye contact with him, feeling his heart hammering in his chest.
“Well don’t leave a man hanging.” Simon joked, watching as a bright smile plastered itself onto Johnny’s face.
“Yes, a thousand times yes.” Johnny finally answered, his hands slightly shaking. He couldn’t believe Simon asked him to marry him, he never thought it would be today. Johnny felt his heart stop when he read the words ‘Marry me?’, he didn’t even have to think about it. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Simon.
The Brit frowned for a second, hesitation on his face before he opened his mouth, opening his heart up for Johnny to look into too, “I’m sorry I can be a bit complicated sometimes, and I snap and be harsh, rude, sometimes just generally unpleasant. But I love you, and for some reason you love me too, so I really want to do this properly with you. I really want to give my life a proper go with you.” The Scot smiled so brightly it hurt, but he never wanted to stop smiling.
He’d get to spend the rest of his life with Simon, all the good and the bad. Everything, with Simon. A part of Johnny just wanted to get married tomorrow. That’s how much he loved Simon.
“Si, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and not just the good bits of you, I want to spend the rest of my life with all of you. The good and the bad stuff. I love you so much you fool, and I wouldn’t change anything about you for the world. You’re perfect Si.” Johnny pressed a thousand kisses onto Simon’s forehead, he couldn’t explain the euphoric feeling pumping through his chest, but he knew Simon loved him and that was enough of an explanation.
“How much time do you reckon we have before Price comes to get us?” Simon asked, they’d all said they’d have Christmas breakfast and exchange gifts.
“An hour probably.” Simon smirked, placing a proper kiss onto Johnny’s lips.
“Good.” He smiled, taking the ring box from Johnny’s hand. “Can I do the honours?” Johnny nodded, placing his hand out, so that Simon could place his engagement ring on.
“I love you so much you know.” Simon placed the box to one side, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks from Johnny’s comment.
“I do, and I love you so much too.” Simon placed another warm, loving kiss to Johnny’s lips, savouring the way Johnny’s lips chased after his own as he broke away.
Fuck, he was really going to marry this man.
Simon felt like a page had turned, a chapter had started. Him and Johnny. Their life, their story.
And he couldn’t stop himself from smiling like an idiot.
“What?” Johnny asked, smiling back just as brightly.
“I can’t wait to marry you.” Simon said in a smile, watching as Johnny’s smile grew somehow wider.
“Me neither Lt.” Simon squeezed Johnny’s hips, enjoying the blush that flushed in his cheeks.
“Can’t believe you said yes.” Simon really couldn’t. Johnny was the only person he ever knew to enter a battlefield as bloody and traumatic as they got, and still walk out, knife clean and bright smile. Johnny is an enigma and Simon feels like the luckiest man on earth.
“Me neither!” Johnny replied jokingly, earning a playful shove from Simon.
For once Simon looked forward to the New Year, because next year would be his and Johnny’s.
Their life, their book, their story.
And Simon honestly couldn’t wait to start writing it.