But it was not your fault but mine, And it was your heart on the line.

Chapter 2 - You'll Never be what is in your heart.

Ghost locked the door to his room behind him as he stepped in, removing the balaclava that rest on his head. He cast it aside onto the desk across from his bed while he made his way to the closet. He grabbed a spare shirt and pair of shorts, changing before sitting at the desk.

Simon reviewed some papers he was assigned by Price, mostly research on enemy practices and bases. He did his best to focus, but the image of Soap kept popping into his mind. "Damn Scot..." he muttered, shaking the papers in his hand to re-focus himself. His eyes flicked to the clock occasionally, prompting him to sleep.

He stood from the desk, clicking off the lamp that sat atop of it before walking over to his bed and climbing under the thin sheet that covered it.

- - -

He woke up in a cold sweat, yet another night terror, only this one was different. It was centred around... losing Johnny? What the fuck. Why did he suddenly care so much about this guy? He could never have him, that broke so many rules and was so wrong. Ghost knew that, and it's not like he just, cares about everyone. Why Johnny specifically?

Simon slowly got up from the bed, looking at the clock. It read 0400. Great, barely any sleep. He slowly rubbed his eyes, the permanent dark circles a deep contrast from his pale skin. He grabbed a black tee, boxers, and some sweats before heading to his bathroom, which was incorporated into his room by special request for his privacy.

He turned the shower on before walking over to the sink to brush his teeth while waiting for the water to warm up. He looked in the mirror, his blonde hair still a mess from his sleep and his face still covered in scars, faint freckles peeking through the untouched skin. He wasn't ugly by any means, quite the opposite actually, he just found it easier to separate his private life and work life by remaining almost anonymous. It would also make retirement easier, if he ever got there; less risk of previous threats resurfacing and recognising him.

He took a last look at himself in the mirror before stepping into the shower, hastily washing his body before focusing on his face and hair, being rather gentle when dispersing their respective cleansers, and eventually conditioner on the hair. Simon was no 4-in-1 user, he put money into good products for his body; he could lose it at any time, there was no point in neglecting it while he had it (at least not on basic hygiene, anyway.)

When he had stepped out of the shower and finished drying his skin and hair, he carefully got dressed and proceeded to brush his hair. Nobody would see it, but he rather avoid matting if he could. As a last step, he sprayed a bit of cologne on himself before he stepped back into his room and grabbed his second mask, he always let them air out for at least a day after use and (usually) washed them monthly.

He slid it on over his head before making his bed as he had neglected to do earlier, before walking out into the hallway of the base and making his way to the mess hall for breakfast at 0500.

- - -

Ghost grabbed a tray and made his way to his office, his normal meal spot. He was surprised to find a familiar face waiting for him outside the door.

"Heya L.T., finished that paperwork. Could ye check it over before I turn it in to Price?" Soap looked at the man, spotting the tray in his hand. "It can wait! Go ahead and eat first."

"It's alright, Johnny. I can look it over while I eat." Ghost grasped the papers, stepping into his office, "You can join me if you'd like, that way you can make improvements to them quicker."

He opened the door and flicked on the light, making his way behind the desk and taking a seat, motioning for Johnny to sit across from him, glancing up at the closed door before lifting the bottom of the mask to the bridge of his nose so he could eat.

Soap sat down, his eyes rolling over Simon's exposed face, trying to take it all in. He was a little jarred by the man's face, not expecting all the scars. He had never seen it in good lighting, so he never had an idea of the sheer number of them. He was gorgeous, at least from what Soap had seen.

"Mm, you formatted this wrong." Ghost's voice cut through the silence, causing Soap to jump slightly and focus on the papers in his hands. "It's supposed to be name then date, and you forgot your rank here."

"Oh, I missed that, didn't I?" Soap nodded, watching Ghost's hand dart around the paper, noticing every flex of his fingers and the way they made the muscles in his arm move. He reached for the paper and a pen, fixing the formatting and adding his rank while Ghost took a break to eat a bit more of his breakfast. "There."

Ghost nodded in approval while he chewed, taking the papers back in his hands to look over the rest. He pointed out errors and allowed Johnny to fix them, each time watching the way the man's eyes followed his hand.

Eventually, Ghost finished his breakfast and left for a moment to return the tray to the cafeteria. While he was out, Soap remained in the office finishing the corrections. When Ghost returned, he looked over the papers for a final time before sending Johnny to turn them in.

Johnny was relieved to have it finally done, but he didn't look forward to recruit duty. It was never a bad job for Soap, he enjoyed it enough and the rookies were always kind, however he hated the way that the lieutenants surveyed his commands and discipline. The only way he would enjoy it was if--, no way. Ghost was his assigned supervisor for the week. Soap couldn't believe it, Ghost, watching his every move. Shit.

Ghost was indifferent to training weeks most of the time, the outdoors weren't quite his favourite. But this week would be different, he was assigned to one of HIS sergeants from HIS task force.  This would be a challenge, as he had to refrain from bias and focus on their ability to command right then and there, not what he knew they were capable of. What made it more difficult is that it was Johnny. He was already a distraction from Ghost's normal work, how the hell was he supposed to pull this off? What if he didn't do well and Ghost had to give him a poor score? It would ruin him.

- - - - -

A/N: Hi! Thanks for reading. Feel free to point out any grammar errors or give tips, so sorry this took so long. Self care Ghost my beloved. Midterms are coming up but I have a break before then so hopefully the next chapter won't take as long. Hope you all have a wonderful day/night! <3

Word Count: ~1136