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Every Sad Face

Summary:

Accidental Child Acquisiton:

Soap insists on saving a young kid while on a mission. Ghost is taunted by a future he cannot have, and sees too much of himself in a stranger.

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Slightly depressive one shot, some implied sexual assault but nothing explicit.
No real established relationship between Ghost and Soap, but it's hinted that Ghost wants something there.

Work Text:

“Soap… fucking hell is that a kid?” Ghost snapped, motioning for the surrounding men to prepare for exfil. It had been a messy day, most of the surrounding buildings lay in rubble or would soon have to be demolished. International interests sticking their noses in terrorist business usually had such results, and the estimated casualties already weighed heavy on their minds - not just the deaths of their own, but people caught in the crossfire. 

It’s why their taskforce got sent. For the really dirty, ugly shit that’d have the world up in arms if word got out. Go in, be quick, be thorough. Men who wouldn’t be missed. You keep your mouth shut about who was there, and we keep our mouths shut about what we’ve seen you really do.

The unspoken deal between the dark underbellies of both sides.

“Ay, pulled her from one of the houses. Didn’t look like she had folks around, and the only other people I’ve seen are getting… cold.” Hefting the little girl on his hip, christ she was a skinny thing, Soap gave him a weary smile. “Couldn’t leave her.”

“Get in the chopper. You keep her in sight of the group, no one touches her. Copy?”

“Yes sir.”

Soap held the girl close to his chest as they took off, the safety restraints being too large for her malnourished frame. She stayed quiet, a practised silence that must have kept her alive a worrying amount of times before. Dark eyes darted between them, waiting for a move that would confirm her suspicions.

Men were men, no matter the side they were on they were to be feared. Masked men with guns took what they wanted, and no matter their intentions their current group would be lumped in with the others. Ghost chewed the inside of his lip, and avoided eye contact with the little girl.

“She holding on?” Ghost eventually asked as they cleared hostile territory.

“Looking a bit green, but she’s alert,” Soap confirmed, giving the child a tight lipped smile. “Is… is there a protocol for sh- stuff like this?”

“When we get to base we’ll send her with our local contacts, they’ll drop her off at an orphanage or their equivalent.”

“With an escort.” Soap smiled thinly. “Some of our lads.”

“If we can spare them.” Reluctantly Ghost met the little girl’s eyes, god knows what they’d seen.  “I’ll speak with Price.”

“Ghost.”

“You can’t save every sad face, Johnny.” He shouldn’t have looked at the kid. He’d seen too many eyes like that. He’d seen them in his own reflection.

“Ay, but I can save this one,” Soap smiled broadly. 

***

Breathe in. Ghost focused on the heat of the smoke in his lungs as Johnny said a tearful goodbye to a kid who probably wouldn’t remember him. Not with the shit that typically went down in these parts. Still, it was admirable how the overexcitable sergeant managed to coax a smile from her dreary face, and helped wrap blankets around her shoulders in a way that made them seem like plush woollen ones instead of threadbare scraps.

The orphanage was on neutral territory, tucked beside a religious building which would hopefully shield it from mortar and gunfire if not demonic powers. Their local informants had been of the good sort, for once, and had been greeted warmly by the matron.

Breathe out. Johnny gave a parting hug like he was sending his daughter away on her first day of school -

Some excitable young kid. Little girl with pigtails and those same intense blue eyes. A gap in her front teeth and speaking a million miles a minute. Picked up easily by Johnny, he’d make a good dad, who would swing her up onto his shoulders.

A wife, some blurry indistinct figure. Bright laugh, someone happy and hopeful. The little girl would reach those arms out towards her. Reach her arms out towards Simon. Both of them smiling at - 

Breathe in, deeply, burn and scar your lungs. Ghost spat something foul onto the concrete as Soap began walking back over to him. His face was too happy to exist in a world like this.

“Ach don’t look like such a grump Lt.,” Soap grinned, punching his shoulder. “Not the worst end to a day.”

“Get your arse in the vehicle sergeant.” Glancing back towards the orphanage, Ghost watched the girl slowly turn away and huddle into the matron’s dress. “You did good.”

“Course we did. We’re the heroes right?” Cackling, Soap pulled himself into the vehicle. 

“Yeah.” Ghost glanced towards the orphanage. If it got blown to bits in a few months they’d never know. “Sure we are.”

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