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Catch My Breath
The first kiss.
Set in Christmas Eve 2022, after the events of Call of Duty Modern Warfare II.
Pairing : Simon âGhostâ Riley x Charlotte âJadeâ Le Jardin (OC), Kyle "Gaz" Garrick x Eleanor "Ladybug" Graham (OC)
Characters : Simon "Ghost" Riley, Charlotte "Jade" Le Jardin (OC), Captain John Price, Johnny "Soap" MacTavish, Kyle "Gaz" Garrick Eleanor "Ladybug" Graham (OC), Alejandro Vargas
Word Count : ~ 9600
Warning : Fluff with a slight bit of angst, a touch of hurt/comfort, and good olâ cursings.
âDont forget to come to cpt prices house today.â
âOf course not. Iâm still at the orphanage for christmas gifts exchange. As soon as I'm done I'll be there :)â
âGoodâ
âGaz is making some bangin biscuits and sconesâ
Jade smiled at her phone as she chatted with Soap. Her mouth already watering from imagining the taste of Gazâs cooking on her tongue. According to Soapâs and Ladybugâs testimony, his chocolate biscuits were second to none.
âWouldn't miss it even if I die.â She typed.
âAlright. See ya.â
She bit her lip. There's one more question she wanted to ask though. She contemplated asking Soap this or not.Â
Her thumbs moved across the screen slowly.Â
âIs Ghost coming?â
When Soap had invited her to the dinner five days prior, all Jade could think about was whether or not Ghost would be joining. Their one week together in Las Almas made her feel⌠something. Something really, really good. Something she hadnât felt in what felt like an eternity. He earned a friend in Alejandro, Rudy, Soap, and Ghost, especially, whom sheâd thought of as a real piece of work back in Verdansk. Oh, how foolish she was.Â
He was the best part about Las Almas.Â
Dammit. What was she thinking?!
By the end of Chicago, after they eliminated Hassan, Ghost and Jade had traded phone numbers. Jade had his numbers and named it âđđ˘ Beanpole đđ˘â, after the nickname she gave to him before they knew each otherâs name. They havenât texted at all. Ghost wasnât the kind to text first, that much was clear to everyone who knew him. And neither was Jade. In fact, she didnât know what to text him first. A âhiâ? AâŚÂ
What else?Â
What do people text each other when theyâre trying to get to know each other? She had no goddamn clue. Well, she knew what to text when she wanted to get intel from an unassuming target, but she didnât want intel from Ghost.Â
She just wanted to know if he was okay, if he was fine, if the gash on his shoulder was healing well. Because of course, in her 29 years of life, a serious romance wasnât a luxury that she could afford in her line of work in MI6. She took that lesson from her parents who literally had to âdieâ first in order to even start. The point is, none of them texted first. Theyâre just another series of numbers in their contact list.Â
An animation of dots showed up, indicating that Soap was typing.Â
Heâd typed for a few seconds before the animation stopped for a moment, and then started typing again. He must be changing his response.Â
âIf there's food he should be there.â
Oh? â... should be thereâ. That meant Ghost was not with Soap at the moment, and he didnât know for sure whether or not Ghost would be coming along. A week in Las Almas was enough for Jade to know that Ghost had grown closer to Soap as a friend-brother figure. The fact that Soap mightâve not known about his whereabouts was not a surprise, though. Heâs the Ghost after all.Â
But she couldnât help but think, where was he?Â
What did Soap type?
âChacha! Can you help me a bit here? We're about to start the event!âÂ
Jade looked up from her phone, her ginger hair falling on her shoulders as she tucked her phone back in her pocket, swiftly walking over to one of her co-workers, Esther, an elderly soft-looking lady who volunteered for the orphanage - her former orphanage. This place held a lot of bittersweet memories, and it made her who she was.Â
Her legs brought her to one of the high ladders leaning onto one of the walls of the dining hall. She took many mistletoes from the decoration boxes and swiftly climbed the ladder, hanging the vegetation one by one with ease.Â
âDo we need this many mistletoes?â Jade asked while her hands worked. âAt this point weâre gonna kiss someone by accident.â
âOf course not, what are you talkinâ about?!â Estherâs loud laugh almost broke Jadeâs ears. âItâs Christmas, Chacha. The church had an overflow of mistletoes from the donations. If there's a day where we can add as many mistletoes as we can, itâs now. Let's call the kids over.âÂ
âAlright. Let's start this shall we?âÂ
â
The sound of Jadeâs boots rang throughout the pavement as she hurried over to Priceâs house. She travelled by public transportation from Surrey as she didn't have a car with her (plus sheâs not much for driving safely - fake driving licence and⌠all that). She looked down at her watch to see 7 PM as the cold night finally settled. Each of her breaths turned to clouds in the air, shivering as she didn't have her outer jacket with her right now. Sheâs never one to be unprepared, but after one of the kids got too excited about getting a Lego toy and spilt a whole glass of apple juice onto her jacket, Jade had to fight through the cold with her trusty turtleneck and only one layer of thin knitted jacket as an outer, clutching the soaked coat close to her chest.
Finally, after what felt like an hour of walking, Jade reached the front of Price's house, immediately knocking on the wooden door three times. She looked up at the massive three-story building made out of bricks, that had a good space in the front yard. The building looked old like a family heirloom, but she could tell that it was pretty much taken care of. Thereâs a pair of trees that had shed all their leaves for the winter and had a decent amount of vegetation on either side of the doors. Â
Jade looked back at the front yard. There were three cars parked in front, and she assumed that one of them belonged to Price, the other two should belong to either Gazâs, Soapâs, or Ghostâs.Â
The wooden door opened. She expected Price as the owner of the house to welcome her, instead, it was Eleanor, Gazâs very own Ladybug who immediately screeched on top of her head. âJAAAADEEE!!! Youâve finally arrived!â The medic bursted out of the door hugging her figure so tight Jade mightâve folded. A beautiful burgundy sweater around a tan shirt wrapped her figure perfectly, and of course, with her wavy dirty blonde hair tied on the back with the ribbon Gaz gave her, worn out as it could be.
âHey Lady! I miss you so much!!â The ginger greeted warmly all the while trying her best to stay balanced on her feet or else sheâd fall five steps down to the ground on her back. As Lady pulled away, she gave room for Jade to step inside the warm house, taking a glance at Jadeâs look.Â
âWhoa. You only wear two layers? Youâre shivering!âÂ
âYeah. Apple juice all over my jacket, but donât mind it.â She chuckled as she took off her jacket and coat to hang them on a standing coat hanger on the side of the door, âHave the others arrived?â
âYouâre the last one. I came early with Kyle to bake the cookies and help Price with the food. Soap came second bringing sacks of snacks and drinks, and Ghost had just arrived before you, about 45 minutes ago.â
That caught Jadeâs attention, her heart beat a little faster just at the mention of his name. âJust? Isnât the Captainâs invitation at 5 PM?âÂ
 âYeah. It looked like he was coming back from somewhere though.âÂ
Somewhere?
Ladyâs eyes half blinked, looking at her teasingly. â...Am I sensing something here?â
âWhat? No. No. It's just that heâs um⌠usually an on-time kind of man.â Jade tried her best to act indifferent, looking away from her to observe the doorway decorations.
âOh really? I see, I see.â Ladybug nodded, âBecause I might have heard some stuff from Kyle~âÂ
Jadeâs eyes opened wide at the statement, her mind already racing at the thought of what Gaz had said to his girlfriend. âWhat did he saââ
 âThereâs me trusty Ginger!â
A voice which she could identify from a mile away as Soapâs, called to her. Donning the green military-issued sweater above his uniform, which he rolled to the elbow, he walked in both womenâs directions with a chocolate biscuit in hand.Â
âWell hello there, Ocean Eyes.â Jade softly hugged Soapâs ever-bulky body while he patted her back several times. âHow's your arm? Healing well?â She remembered how Soap got shot by Graves in Las Almas and how both of them, along with Ghost, had to survive the Shadowâs manhunt in the city. Even in Chicago he had to force through it.Â
âYouâre one to talk. How's your side?â Soap pointed at her left side while munching through his biscuit.
âYou got hit?! Where?!â Ladybug, whoâd been in Urzikstan to help Farah and Alex for nearly a year after Barkovâs demise, hadn't been updated much about Las Almas. Looked like Gaz left that tiny little detail.Â
âShe did get hit.âÂ
âNo! No no. I didn't get hit per se. We were⌠breaking into the Las Almas prison to free Alejandro and the Vaqueros - a little bullet missed my hip, but it did leave a teeny tiny graze.â Jade made a little gesture with her thumb and index fingers.
âIt wasn't.â Soap retorted, which made Ladybug look even more concerned. âYou almost fell from the prison walls during our escape and LT had to catch you and carry yoââ
âANYWAY.â Jade tried to dismiss the conversation away from Ladybugâs growing unease. âIt was quite literally us four against a thousand. So we had our own hits. It was a month ago, right? I literally walked my way here! See? Now. Where's the man of the house?â
âThought you want to camp in that doorway.â Price's gravelly voice called from the living room, his head peaking out from one of the walls. âCome in and close that damned door will ya? The forecast said itâs going to rain snow unless you muppets want to shovel the snow.âÂ
With Jade closing the door, they all walked together towards the interior of the house, where the warmth from the fireplace radiated throughout the room cozily. And holy shit. The word âfamily heirloomâ could perfectly describe the house. Some of the furniture looked like it was carved specifically for the house, soft carpets covered some parts of the wooden floor, and portraits of whom she assumed as the former Prices hung on the walls. The exterior of the house didnât do the property justice at all. Soap had said that this was the Captainâs own house which heâd left mostly abandoned since he resided in Herefordshire. She wouldnât lie, if Price turned out to be a secret old money she wouldnât be surprised.Â
Jadeâs eyes found Gaz at the kitchen island wearing the same exact outfit as Soap and Price, but with an apron around his waist while he pulled out another batch of chocolate cookies from the oven. Gaz noticed her presence when Ladybug approached him and pointed her way. âOh, Jade! Come here and eat the salmon. Youâre not allergic to fish arenât you?â This sight of Gaz was pretty surprising for her. He seemed more cheerful and open around Ladybug, contrasting to his serious demeanour in the field. It was refreshing, to say the least.
Jade put down her bag on one of the sofas where Price sat on the edge of it, shuffling a deck of cards in his hands skilfully. âNope, no allergies. Have all of you eaten yet? Sorry Iâm late.âÂ
âWe have, and apparently my Ladybug over here is a vacuum cleaner of food.â Gaz was replied with an elbow to the rib by his partner.Â
Taking her own plate of baked salmon, Jade watched from just enough distance as Price, Gaz, Soap, and Ladybug played a game of poker on the desk. The atmosphere was tense from the rivalry but hearty at the same time, their laughs filled the room as Price caught Soap hiding a card on his sleeves, which resulted in a 50 push-up penalty for the Scot. Apart from the chaos, Jade couldnât help but find herself trying to find that one particular big man.Â
The memories of sharing sleepless nights together on the rooftops of Fuerzas Especiales base rushed down her mind. Those moments made up the few moments of peace that they could muster up from the chaos of Las Almas. Just the both of them, the night sky, two cups of tea, and the lights from the city of souls. All those times they spent together completely with his mask on. Only when he decided to take off his mask in front of the 141 and Vaqueros did she ever see his face.Â
Sheâs good with faces. Thatâs an absolute requirement for her job. That image of his face was ingrained in her brain. How the black paints surrounded his surprisingly soft eyes, how the sun reflected his whiskey brown eyes and light eyelashes, the scars on his cheeks from wearing the mask, and his strong jaw.Â
Jade only wished she could enjoy the actual sight of it once more.Â
The former MI6 turned her head a number of times, making up blueprints of Priceâs residency inside her mind. This house didnât have a rooftop, and from the looks of it, all the bedrooms are located on the upper floors. Ghost likes looking out at the scenery, so he mightâve gone upstairs, broke into one of the many bedrooms and looked out on of the balconies as he sipped on a cup of tea. Considering how Ghost was, heâd break into his captainâs house without anyone knowing about it just fine.Â
All the while the others were playing, Jade finished her plate of grilled salmon and found her way towards the kitchen sink to wash the dishes. She came the latest, the least she could do was helping cleaning the kitchen area. That task came to a halt when her phone vibrated. She was confused at first, but when her eyes read âCol. Vargas đ¤ â on the screen, Jade immediately accepted the video call.Â
âHola, Coronel! Como estas?â
âHola, Compa! Muy bien, muy bien.â Alejandro's gravelly voice greeted her excitedly as his video showed on Jadeâs screen. She could tell that the sun was still up in Mexico judging by the light on his face. He looks like heâs standing just outside his familyâs house. Quite rare to see the colonel in other attire than his military ones, but as Jade saw his blue shirt tucked inside his blue jeans, she couldnât help the snicker that came out of her mouth. She remembered that Alejandro had revealed to her privately that he had two beautiful daughters who lived in Mexico City with their maternal grandparents. âIâm in Mexico City with my family to celebrate Christmas. Weâre about to head to church for the Christmas Eve sermon.â Alejandro continued in Spanish, but something caught his eye. âWait, Jade. Where are you? Is that Soap?â
Jade lifted the phone above her head to help him see the place clearly, âYes, thatâs Soap, Captain Price, Gaz, and thatâs Eleanor, Gazâs girlfriend.â She said in his language. Her fingers pointed at each soldier as they slammed their cards on the table, chaos ensuing in the middle of them. âThis is Captain Price's house in London. He invited us all for dinner, and now that itâs done, theyâre playing poker, aggressively.â
Now itâs Alejandroâs turn to laugh. âIâm assuming theyâre on their second bottle of whatever alcohol theyâre consuming.â
âYep. Looks like Captain Price is richer than he lets on. He has 4 bottles of wine from the 1800s! Can you believe it?!âÂ
Jade and Alejandro continued their video call, sitting in her former position on the sofa. Despite Soapâs slight dislike that they were conversing in Spanish as he couldnât understand what they were talking about, Jade kept on going. Jade learned that Rudy stayed in Las Almas to rebuild and restore the city after the Shadows wreaked havoc, encouraging Alejandro to leave the city and unite with his family.Â
âSo. Onto the most important topicâŚâ Alejandroâs voice sounded deeper and his eyebrows lifted. Jade had learned after a thrilling week working together that those were a sign that he was onto something cheeky. âWhereâs the Ghost?âÂ
Again, Jadeâs heart beat faster at the mention of his name, and her stomach grew warmer. Damn it. âUm, I donât know where he is. He is here somewhere in Priceâs house, but⌠I havenât seen him yet.â
âHeâs there? Have you tried the rooftops?â
âThis house doesnât have a rooftop. It does have a lot of rooms with balconies, though. But I didnât see any open window from the outside.â Her head started to look side to side, â I donât know if this house has a back or side entrance, he might be somewhâ Alejandro!!â Jade stopped when she realized that Alejandro was laughing his belly off.Â
âYouâre looking for him too, donât you?â The colonel guffawed. âAaah, You shouldâve seen your face when you were explaining where he is to me.â
âThatâsââÂ
âLook. I wished you luck with him back in Las Almas. Itâs only natural that I asked for âupdatesâ!â
âKeep fighting the good fight, hermano.âÂ
âTo the bitter end, my brother.â
Soap handshook the Mexican colonel and sergeant as they were about to leave Las Almas. He then turned around and tapped Ghostâs shoulders twice, heading towards the rear end of the aircraft to unite with Price and Gaz. The lieutenant though, stood still on the tarmac a few steps behind Jade.Â
âGood luck amigos y amiga.â Jade hugged Rudy warmly, tapping her back a few times before holding out her hand to handshake Alejandro.
Instead of a handshake, Jade saw a wide grin on Alejandroâs face and opened his arms wide, indicating that he was waiting for a hug as well. âCome here, Hermana!â Jade chuckled, expecting that a handshake wouldnât be enough for the Mexican. She obliged by stepping forward and warped her arms around Alejandroâs figure.Â
What Jade didnât see though, was how Ghostâs body tensed slightly behind her. Alejandro sneakily observed the manâs movement, looking visibly uncomfortable. No matter how skilled Ghost was at appearing as still as he could, Alejandro could see that this skill of his just disappeared when he was in Jadeâs presence.
Before Alejandro let go, he lowered his voice and spoke to Jadeâs ear. âQue te vaya bien con el fantasma.â
âGood luck with the Ghost.â
Jade blushed profusely when she translated that sentence in her mind, stepping away from the hug to punch his shoulder lightly âey!!â She looked over to his side, finding that Rodolfo was also grinning ear to ear.Â
âI mean it, Jade.â Alejandro spoke in Spanish, tilting his head as a sign that he was serious.
Jadeâs head nodded in surrender a few times. As much as they wanted to converse more, her job wasnât over yet. Her legs started to walk backwards, âGracias, Alejandro, Rudy. Cuidate.â
Â
Alejandro observed as she turned around, finding Ghostâs waiting figure right in front of her. She then tapped his chest plate once, jogging her way towards Price, Gaz, and Soap on the aircraft. That sight made the colonel scoff, glancing at Rudy, who looked as amused as he was.
Just as Ghost was about to turn around as well to join his teammates, Alejandro called to his name. âGhost!âÂ
The lieutenant turned around.Â
âNo te pierdas carnal!â
âA huevo!â
âThe both of you have forced me and Rudy to watch a telenovela the entire time! Please tell me that youâve at least done something together after Chicago.â
âWe traded numbersâŚâ She said nervously.
âAnd then? Did he text first?â
Jade grimaced, expecting that Alejandro wouldnât react well to her next response. âWe⌠havenât texted at all.â
âNO MAMEEESSS!!â Ale facepalmed on the video call like he just watched the Mexican national football team fail to score a goal in a World Cup match. âGhost⌠I swear⌠you need to do better.âÂ
Jade stood up and walked over to the kitchen aisle yet again and put her phone on a leaning position on the wall, hoping that Alejandroâs shout of despair didnât reach the other soldiers. âWellâ what if he doesnât want to continue this⌠whateverâs going on between us?â she grabbed a white mug and a cocoa mix, putting in 3 spoons of the choco powder inside. âYouâve seen how he is. I donât want to hope too much.â Jade confessed to the colonel, pouring hot water on the mug and stirring the contents with a spoon until the sweet aroma hit her nose.
âOh you donât know that yet, right?â Ale replied, âDo you want to have a relationship with him?â
A relationship with Ghost?Â
That sounded crazy to say, but if she's being honest with herself, yes. Yes, she did.Â
âYeahâŚâ She started to walk towards the hallway on the side of the kitchen with the warm mug. The walkway looked narrow and led to the rear side of the house. She guessed that if this conversation was prolonged, they were going to need a place where Soap wasnât shouting his lungs off. Her green eyes looked to the end of the room, where a wooden door similar to the front door was present in front of her. A back door perhaps?
âOkay. Now one of you needs to start. Ghost clearly isnât starting because heâs a stupid, bad man. But maybe you can convince him that youâre worth his time.â
Worth his time? âHow?âÂ
âStart by finding him.â
The former MI6 walked towards the back door and glanced over the glass parts where the outer side of the house was visible. Just then, she registered a man with a large frame, sitting on the stairs of the back porch. He wore the same attire as the rest of the SAS members - their military uniform covered with a military-issued sweater, and layered further with a familiar black jacket that sheâd seen before in Chicago. The man had a mask over his head, but she could see that it was currently lifted up as he took a sip of what she assumed was bourbon.Â
Thatâs definitely Ghost.
âJade? What happened?â Alejandro asked curiously as she stopped speaking earlier.
âI found him.â She muttered.
Alejandroâs lips curved, slowly forming a smile.Â
âThe floor is yours, Jade.â
â
*5 hours earlier*
LT. Youâre coming, right?
Ghost looked down at his phone, staring at the message that Johnny had sent him, not planning to text anything back.Â
He hated Christmas. No, he didnât hate decors, the bright lights, the red, green, and white that coloured the streets and buildings around him. No, heâs not petty like that. Heâs indifferent to it.Â
What he hated was how the month of December always reminded him of the darkest part of his life.Â
He lowered his phone and tucked it inside his pocket, going back to the sight of his familyâs gravestones right in front of him. His mother, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew.Â
Ghost remembered the blood; the foul stench hitting his nose as he stood frozen, witnessing the lifeless bodies of his family â all surrounded by the colourful lights of red, green, and blue from the Christmas tree that they were decorating. If only he realized sooner that his enemies wouldnât settle with torturing him. If only he wasnât so naive and thought that his battles were done as soon as he was home. How wrong he was.Â
How fucking wrong he was.Â
Ghostâs tears had dried out a long time ago. Every Christmas Eve he always visited their graves. Heâd cry for the first three years, but now heâd settle with staring at the stones, not a word coming out of his mouth. Just him, alone with that memory.
His phone vibrated again. Johnnyâs still messaging him about the dinner at Priceâs house. Ghost closed his eyes in annoyance and sighed, taking his phone and turning it on to find a few messages.
âCaptain said not to disturb you during Christmas weekâ
âIdk what youâre doing nowâ
âbut I hope youâre enjoying yourselfâ
Ghost moved his thumb on the keyboard screen, wanting to text Johnny that he was not coming and to stop messaging him.Â
âAlsoâ
âJadeâs comingâ
His thumb paused right above the send key.Â
Fuck.Â
Why did his heart beat faster suddenly? What was this warmth in his stomach? His memories of his familyâs death disappeared, and suddenly all the moments with Jade came down rushing through his mind.Â
The moment when they met â where they shot at each other in Verdansk, leaving a permanent mark on his left ear â The sleepless nights in Las Almas, the meaningless conversations, their moments in battle together. How beautiful she was when she kept her calm during pressing and stressful situations, the grace in her movementsâŚ
Fuck.Â
Fucking hell.
Ghost had read Priceâs invitation two weeks before in their group chat. He already made up his mind from the beginning that he wasnât coming. He never really enjoyed parties or any form of gathering at all. Thatâs how heâd been living for three decades of his life. Why did that one mention of her name from Johnny instantly change his resolve just like that?Â
He didnât reply to Johnny at all, only leaving the two blue check marks indicating that heâd read Johnnyâs messages.Â
And that⌠was how Ghost ended up sitting on Priceâs back porch. The crescent moon was high in the sky. Little bits of snow started to fall down alongside the windy weather. For the first time of the day, he had his skull-painted balaclava up to his nose in order to take a sip from his glass of bourbon.Â
When he had arrived at Priceâs front yard with his sedan, Ghost saw the amused surprise in Price, Gaz, and Ladyâs faces, but he also took a glimpse of Johnnyâs smirk on his lips. The sergeant now knew the way to his heart, and it infuriated him. God damn him.
The sun was already long gone by that time, and he could see that the others were already in the midst of eating their dinner.Â
Heâd sneakily taken a glance around Priceâs luxurious house.
No Jade yet.Â
Ghost had conversed for a while with Price, took his own plate of baked salmon, poured himself a glass of bourbon, and excused himself to the back door. For an hour and a half, he sat right there, slowly sipping on his alcohol. Just as he thought that she wasnât coming and that Johnny had lied to him, the wooden door behind his back opened.
He turned around and found the woman herself.
Jade.Â
Her ginger hair was braided like usual, but stopped on the back of her head, letting the long hair run freely down her back and shoulders. The deep red turtleneck which usually looked out of place in warm weather such as Las Almas currently fitted perfectly on her figure. A green pair of wide pants hung from her hip, letting the fabric run freely downwards instead of wrapping around her legs like the jeans heâs used to seeing her wearing during their mission together.
Ghost caught her green eyes, reflected by the moonlight, and he could easily tell that she wore some sort of makeup. What the name was he couldnât bother to remember, but she looked⌠beautiful.
His heart was already beating pretty fast from the alcohol, but now itâs going even faster, and donât even start about the butterflies that were flying rampant inside his stomach right now.Â
She only stared at him, her breaths turning to cloud along with the vapour from the cocoa mug she was holding. For a few seconds, they stayed like that, until Jade finally started.
âWhy aren't you inside? It's cold.â
Can you miss someoneâs voice? Apparently you can, judging by the unexplainable sense of relief that washed over him after he heard her voice. The last time he heard her voice was back in Chicago, a month ago. He then turned around again, facing Price's plain backyard to try hiding any signs from his exposed mouth that she might read. The former MI6 had this scary skill to read every body language of any person. Sure, he had a mask up to his nose, but he wouldnât take any chances.
âI don't like parties.â He replied.
âIt's cold.âÂ
âBetter than whatever's going inside. And I have my friend right here to keep me warm.â He slightly lifted the bourbon glass, shaking it slightly to make the content swirl.
Jade hummed. She observed his glass and noticed the alcohol. For all their nights in Las Almas, Ghost always drank tea, never alcohol. Of course, they were in active duty, so drinking liquor could cost them so much, but he'd said himself that he pretty rarely drinks, since Ghost had confessed that he liked being in control of what he did. She wondered why he was drinking, but she let it go. Instead, Jade stepped two stairs down, and sat beside Ghostâs left, drinking her own cup of hot chocolate.
âWhy are you here?â Now it's Ghostâs turn to start.Â
She wondered how to answer that. If she's being honest, the answer would be âto be with youâ, but she deleted that response in her mind. âI⌠don't really like parties.â
ââŚYou don't look the type.â
She raised an eyebrow. âWhatâs âmyâ type?â
Ghost took another sip from the glass, âLikes being around people. Gets your energy from a communal space.â
The former MI6 scoffed. âFooled you right there. Maybe itâs just me, but being around people automatically sets me in observation mode. Donât get me wrong, I like people. Itâs just tiring.â
âHm.â
Another few seconds of silence, before she continued. âWhat about you? Why are you here?â
âGets noisy inside, especially if Johnny's starting to lose his grip on reality.â Ghost immediately answered, almost like he expected Jade to ask him that. âHeâs a screamer.â
âHey how's your graze wound? It's healing well right?
Jade suddenly asked, which surprised Ghost. He glanced at Jade, finding the woman herself looking straight into his brown eyes. He should admit, her face so close to his caught him off-guard, releasing a breath he didnât know he was holding, creating a cloud in the air. Ghost then took a sip from his glass again before answering. âYeah. I changed the dressing every once in a while. It's just a scab now. â To be honest, he kind of forgot about the wound on his right shoulder. It was disgustingly painful during their time in Las Almas and Chicago considering how he must carry the chestplate and his gears on that shoulder. The memory of Jade tending to that wound of his at the safehouse came rushing down his brain.
âOkay, that's a relief then. Just make sure you don't scratch it or it'll open again.â
âI know the drill, Midget, Iâm not a kid. This isn't my first rodeo. What about you?â
âWh-what about me?â
âYour hip.â
The former MI6 sucked both of her lips between her teeth. âItâs fine.â
âFine how?â
Jade now looked at Ghostâs brown eyes, intensely gazing at her own. He wasnât taking âItâs fineâ as an answer. He was always an intense person. She suddenly remembered the feeling of being safe in his hands when he carried her towards the van, arms under her shoulder and knees when she couldnât bear the pain in her hip any longer.Â
How Ghost had slept the whole night, in a sitting position on a chair beside her bed in the safehouse with his mask on, staying right by her side.
âOi. Midget. Iâm asking you.â
That snapped her out of her thoughts. âHuh? Yeah! Itâs a bit itchy at times, but I can manage. Itâs healing well.â
That answer seemed to finally satisfy him. âHm.â
Jade went back to her hot chocolate, but Ghost didnât leave her. He could see her shivering a little bit in the cold. The tip of her nose and ears had turned rosy.
âYou cold?â
âHm? No! No, not at all. Why?"
âYou're shivering. And where's your jacket? A single layer of sweater won't help with this fucking weather.â
âWellâ About that. I was at the orphanage for Christmas gift trading earlier before coming here. One of the kids got⌠too excited and spilt apple juice all over my jacket, so I had to take it off.â She admitted.Â
âWhat, you're gonna freeze yourself to death here? It's 1 degree out.â
âI don't want to be insiiiide.â Jade whined, almost childish. A sight Ghost would never admit he found cute.
âYour survival instincts are out of the damn window. I thought you were a seasoned MI6 black agent.â Somehow he found more ways to ridicule her.
The ginger scowled, pouting her lips before standing up ââŚWhatever, I'm going insideâ
âFuckinâ hellâ stay. Stay here. Sit back down.â Ghostâs swift hand grabbed her forearm a bit too harshly, prompting her to balance her hand as a drop of her hot chocolate spilt out to the white snow below.Â
âWhy? You want me to freeze to death?â Regardless, she sat back down, closer to his body now.
âYou're the only company I've got that isn't annoying. So stay here.â Ghost unexpectedly moved his arms to take off his black jacket, revealing his green sweater underneath, and much to Jadeâs surprise, his arms loomed over her and rested the dark clothing around her shoulders. Her bewilderment failed to hide itself when his hand patted her shoulder a couple of times to set it in place. âThere. Better?â
Wow. Itâs⌠warm. And most importantly, Itâs his warmth.Â
One of her hands left the warm mug, softly tracing her fingers along the hem of the jacket to tuck it closer to her chest. â...Better.â
Shit. Ghost didnât know the sight of Jade beneath his jacket would create more butterflies to fly like bees inside his stomach. In an attempt to suppress it, he sighed, leaning back and closed his eyes to take a deep breath.Â
âŚbefore he opened his eyes, finding a mistletoe hanging right above them, placed neatly. And purposefully. Itâs like a damned grenade trap. ââŚFuckinâ hellâŚâ
âSTOP SWEARING!!â Jade exclaimed, annoyed at his shortage of vocabulary. âYou've said those words twice in the same miâ What are you looking atâŚ?â Jade looked at Ghost, who was leaning back while his head hung backwards on his neck.Â
She looked up as well, finding the mistletoe that made him swear. ââŚoh, blimey.â There was not a single Christmas decoration on the back side of the house but this one. Price was a person who had a high attention to detail, but Christmas decoration was not one of them. Heck, he barely decorated the house at all. That thing was hung far too strategically.
Both Ghost and Jade were thinking of the same thing.
Soap.Â
Ghost sighed, âJust ignore it.âÂ
âBut it's bad luck though.â Jade thoughtlessly said.
âYou don't really believe that, do you.â
âWell I don't! It's hanging vegetation. Still, I'm saying it could be true.â Her hands gestured at the mistletoe above her.
âWhat, you want a kiss?â
The woman gasped, almost offendedly. âHUH? KISS YOU??â
âWho else is underneath this fucking mistletoe?âÂ
She joked, trying desperately to hide her panic at the thought of kissing him. âA ghost.â
âFucking funny. Also what's with you? It's just one kiss.â
Jade stopped speaking. Her eyes widened as she pursed her lips. âUmâŚ. I just don'tâŚâ
Confusion fell down Ghostâs half-masked expression, quickly reading her reaction, until he got to the conclusion. â...Don't fucking tell me you haven't had your first kiss yet.âÂ
When he saw how Jade couldnât respond anymore, Ghost pinched his forehead.âBloody hell... Then why did you say you want it?!â
âI NEVER SAID I WANT IT??? I just said that the bad luck thingy could be true!â
âWell fuck us for five hundred years then!âÂ
âDAMMITâ OKAY!! KISS ME!â
Those words perplexed him, not realizing that he was practically glaring at her that his eyes might come out of its socket. The ever-present black paint around his eyes didnât help to ease the tension either. Jade herself didnât know which thunder slapped her that she said those words. She wasnât the kind of person to just spout things without thinking of the consequences first.Â
Ghost observed Jadeâs face, trying to read her expression, to see whether or not she was joking or serious. Because in the deepest part of his heart, heâd hoped that she was joking. But even deeper, he hoped that she wasnât. ââŚyou don't mean that.â
Jade wondered if her mouth had disconnected from her brain. What she was saying came out literally the opposite of what her instincts were. âYou heard me. You can kiss me. Just a peck though.â What was she thinking? This was NOT what she wanted to say. Or was it? âHow many women have you kissed?â Aaand now sheâs prying onto his past? Great job, Jade.Â
He used to be young, thatâs for sure. Despite his father and brother mocking him and his mother for it, he used to go to school and met a few women during his learning days. Only two of them, though, and that was all before he got into military. He didnât know what commitment was back in the day, and his âgirlfriendsâ didnât know that either. â...a few.âÂ
âWere they experienced?â
âProbably so.âÂ
Okay, so he had some experience. That somehow made her feel easy. âWell⌠I have zero experience on the act. So⌠be gentle, okay?â
ââŚFine.â Ghost breathed as he put down his almost-empty glass on the stone staircase behind him, finding Jade doing the same.Â
The coldness of the wind prickled her skin, making her realize that this was not a dream. Heâs about to kiss her, and itâs from a mistletoe. Out of nowhere, she remembered the overflow of mistletoe that the orphanage received earlier. Could that be a sign? Either way, she snapped back to her current state, where Ghost was visibly looking at her lips, and that sight made her heart drum twice the speed. At this point, she might explode. âOkay. So⌠what do I do? Do I tilt my head a little, or do I open my lips just a little bit? Should I lean in to kiss you too? Or likeââ
âJust. Stay. Still.â Ghost shut her up before she could blabber more.
âOkay okay okayâ.Â
Jade watched Ghost secure his mask up to his nose, revealing his mouth. When she glanced at his lips, Jade could see a tinge of red on his cheek, but she could dismiss that as a reaction to the cold or from the alcohol he was drinking. When he leaned in slowly, Jade could see him so close, the closest he's ever been to her. His eyelashes were longer than she's ever realised, fluttering against his skin, the little healed scars on his faceâ
Jade sucked her lips into her teeth, "WAIT WAIT WAIT." Making the man flinch and pull away in confusion.
 "What?! Do you wanna do this or not?!" Ghost exclaimed.
"I do, I do! It's my first time! Justââ
âI said all you need to do is stay. Still.â
âI've never done this before, literally! I'm 29 and I've never kissed someone!â
Ghost fell silent as Jade hid her face on her palm.
ââŚI have never fallen for anyone before.â She confessed. âI wanted my first kiss to be with the one and only, and now⌠â Her hands wildly gestured to the mistletoe above them, âsomeone happened to put a mistletoe right above us.â
Jade was a lot of things. A formidable fighter, a dependable ally, a brave operator whoâd jump from a cliff with you, a spawn of the devil herself when she does her thing. However, at that moment, Ghost didnât see any of those at all. All she saw was a vulnerable woman, curled up in a ball because she couldnât fathom the concept of a single kiss. Â
After a few moments of him letting her collect her thoughts, Ghost muttered, ââŚJade, if you're not ready, then we can just pretend that it doesn't exist. You don't have to.â
âYou know what?â She tapped both of her knees with a considerable force, like she just made up her mind about something. âI gotta start somewhere right? Besides, when I finally kiss my man, I need to work on my kissing game.â
Ghost couldnât help the scoff out his mouth. And⌠âher manâ, huh? That could be a dream. â'Kissing game'?â
âYes! GottaâŚknow what it feels like, at least?â
Ghost observed her expressions yet again. The woman in front of her was looking at him like sheâs about to surrender her life to his hands. What, was he about to shoot an apple above her head? To him this was just a kiss after all.
Or was it?
Jade wasnât his girlfriends during his younger days. Sheâs an extraordinary woman like no other.Â
ââŚOkay. Look. We're gonna do this slowly. I will do all the work while you can just stay there. Does that work with you?â Ghost started, looking at Jade in the eyes.
She put on the bravest face she could muster up and proceeded with a nod.
âSay it.â The deep timbre of his voice sent shivers down her spine, because of course, it wasnât enough for him.Â
âOkay, Ghost.â
âGood. Close your eyes, Jade. Just calm down. Trust me.
As she closed her eyes, she breathed the cold winter air deeply before letting them out. Now that her vision was no more, her other senses had heightened. The sharp cold air stabbing her skin, the faint sounds of Alejandro's guitar playing from inside of the house, the smell of hot cocoa on her hands, the faint scent of something that could only come from Ghost's jacket wrapped around her shoulders.Â
For a good amount of time, she didn't feel anything other than her surroundings. Jade was expecting something on her lips. Anything from the man that was sitting right in front of her, but none came. She was about to open her eyes and call his name, until something touched her chin, lightly lifting her head to face upwards. And just then, Jade finally felt a soft, tender kiss on her forehead. His lips stayed there only for a second before they parted with her skin, yet it felt like she longed for it for more than eternity. No one has ever laid their lips on her skin before. No one.Â
What she was expecting was something on her lips, not her forehead, so when Jade was about to open her eyelids, again, he stopped her by putting his fingers on her left cheek, tenderly sliding them from her rosy cheek to the back of her ear, taking the stray strands of her red hair with them. The hands that killed, that murdered many so more could live, were gingerly touching her face with an unexpected amount of softness. She didnât know his hands were capable of doing such delicate movements, and neither did he.Â
Before she could register what was happening, she felt him getting close again, and for the second time, her expectation betrayed her when Ghost kissed her cheek, just right under her eye. The kiss lasted longer than the one on her forehead, yet Jade couldnât find any reason to complain. If anything, she wanted his lips to stay on her cheek longer than that. To feel him closer, to feel him more.Â
Ghostâs fingers moved on backwards from behind her ear, going through the wilds of her undone hair and finding its place on the back of her head. Heart racing, Jade was expecting another kiss that was not in the designated place. However, when his deep, raspy voice softly said to her, âIâm going to kiss you now.â, she found herself giddy with her eyes closed. Part of her wanted to open her eyes and see what was going on right in front of her, but the other part stood strong against it, not wanting to ruin the moment.Â
So when she felt him closing in, Jade gave all control over to him. She relaxed herself, letting Ghost gently pull her head closer to his, to at last, close the distance between their lips.
 It was the softest, slowest kiss possible, filled with unsureness on her part, yet with a sense of certainty and confidence from him, and because of that, Jade let him do his part, leading the kiss to the point that it was enjoyable and⌠lovely.Â
The kiss lasted for only a mere 5 seconds at most, but it felt like hours. Ghost reluctantly pulled back and saw that Jade had already opened her green eyes. Her face was painted with shyness and shock, a pleasant one, as she saw that Ghost had removed his mask entirely, his face right in front of hers, his brown hair still a bit dishevelled from removing his balaclava.
Jade was a heavily trained warrior and an exceptionally skilled individual who stayed calm in times of distress and emergency on the battlefield, a force to be reckoned with, and could be an absolute menace when she wanted to be. Now, seeing the same woman like this â dazed, wide-eyed, a blushing mess, and taken aback by a simple kiss â The sight made him smile softly.Â
If only she'd known how long he'd wanted to do that to her.
Palm still resting on the side of her neck, he asked her, âHow was that for a first time?â
Jade looked like a robot losing its ability to function. There were no words in her brain to respond to his question. Scratch that. It looked like she didnât even register what his question was.Â
Seeing her so flabbergasted made him let out a deep chuckle. âMidget. Iâm talking to you.â
That bastardized nickname snapped her out of her thoughts, making her blink rapidly, seemingly trying to sort her jumbled brain. Jade looked at the man who just claimed her first kiss right in his dark, brown eyes.Â
Heâs still right in front of her, face looking at her delightfully with a sweet smile, not like the usual dark, ready-to-kill gaze. Itâs almost like looking at a different person entirely.Â
âUh⌠Ummââ Jade couldnât form words.
Another chuckle, âYou okay?â
"...this is a weird request, but" A pause, "Can you⌠do that again?"
Never in a thousand lifetimes, he would ever expect that answer from her. "...You want me to kiss you again?"
"Yeah. Can you do that?" She spoke with a low voice. "Please?"
His eyes opened wide at her request. Confused, but amazed at the same time. Did that request mean she liked it? Her expressions said that she did, though. Or did she just want to make sure? Nevertheless, Ghost decided to oblige and leaned in again to kiss her.Â
Jade closed her eyes again and felt his lips against hers for the second time that night. His kiss was as soft and as tender as the first time. This one, though, she decided to take in the feeling of his rough lips, the way he tilted his head to fit hers, the way his large hand lightly pulled her in and softly kissed her. All the sensations she felt from his actions became ecstasy.
Her hands lifted their way up to find Ghost's cheeks. Jade could swear she heard a small gasp from the man. Fingers gliding along the side of his face, she could feel his stubbles grazing her skin. It was such a surreal sensation, to think that this is the face of the man who got branded as a ghost, a myth, who wears the mask to hide who he is. Right now, she's having her palm on the skin of his face, and he allowed her to.Â
No one had touched the skin on his face in years. No one ever managed to get their hands on his face save for enemies who sought to kill him and punched his mask before meeting their demise with his knife. The only form of touch he remembered was of his father, who was all but loving.
With the tip of her thumb, Jade traced the scars on his face. Her warm hands instantly built a gentle fire on his skin. The feeling of such a tender touch was almost like meeting a stranger to him. But if it's a stranger, why did he find himself missing it so much? Why did he yearn for it so? Her touch ignited a warmth that he never knew he needed.Â
At that time, the woman he was kissing felt more like home than anything and anyone ever did. He felt like he could just melt right there and then. Here Ghost thought that he was the one kissing her, but now it was like she was the one casting some sort of magic spell on him.Â
Soon, their hands moved, Jadeâs hands left his cheeks and found his wrist who was holding the back of her head. He almost forgot the feeling of someoneâs hand on his own, but before he knew it, he felt her other hand grasping his sweater, right above his heart, crumpling the cloth. As they went on, he couldnât just stay still anymore. Ghostâs other hand also found its way to her back, lightly pressing on her. He wanted her closer, he needed her close.
Ghost snapped himself out of his thoughts and pulled back, catching Jade off guard.Â
The both of them looked into each other's eyes as they caught their breaths, not noticing that they'd been kissing for the last minute. Faces extremely red from racing hearts and rushing blood, clouds of cold air escaping their mouth from the cold, for a moment they thought they knew this was just because of a single mistletoe, yet deep down, they knew this was something more.Â
Not hearing anything from one another, Ghost took his hand back from her neck and waist as Jade parted her hands from him to her lips with her hands.Â
The man spoke first, "You need more?"
"Yesâ I meanâ No! That was enough." Words stumbled their way out of her mouth. "Uh⌠So⌠that happened. I just had my first kiss."
Ghost couldn't help the smile, "I just stole your first kiss."
"No. You didn't steal it." She denied, "If anything, I'm glad you are my first kiss."
Hearing those words, Ghost could feel his heart racing again, the world suddenly felt warmer.Â
"I'm sorry you have to kiss me, though. You've always hated me." Jade continued with a laugh.
"Who says I hate you?"Â
That made her look at him, and what she saw was the most gentle face she'd ever seen him. Again, she didn't know he was capable of that expression. "If I hated you, I wouldn't ask you to stay, wouldn't I?"Â
That's a true statement. "You're right. So we're past the "stay away from me" phase now?"Â
"Our first meeting was in Verdansk. Situation was out of control and we were off to a bad start." He explained, "And we just kissed. We're way past that now."
Smiling, Jade pursed her lips before saying, "So⌠are we still friends?"Â
"Friends?" He glanced at her.
"Yep."
"Friends then." Confirmed Ghost.Â
"Who just kissed each other."
"Because someone hung a fucking mistletoe on the back porch." He retorted while gesturing to the decoration above them.Â
The woman laughed out loud before looking at the man, who was also having a chuckle of his own.Â
That's the first time she heard him â saw him â this happy. Had he always been this⌠handsome? She'd only looked at his face once before, which was when he revealed himself to the team in the Los Vaqueros safehouse in Las Almas, and then, never again.
But if this was what Jade could see beneath the mask â his happy face, the crows feet on the corners of his eyes, the corners of his lips turning upwards, and the fact that she just learned that he had shallow dimples when smiling â then she wished the mask could just disappear. Forever.
Because after this⌠he would put on that mask again.Â
This might be the last time she saw him without the mask.
When would she see him without it again?
Out of nowhere, some unexplainable force of will inside her made Jade lean in and left a peck on Ghost's cheek.Â
The SAS lieutenant instantly looked at the woman, flabbergasted.Â
Jade herself gasped loudly, covering her face in disbelief of her own action. She couldn't see it, but in his eyes, her face was as red as her hair.
Why did she do that? What made her do that?!
They swore it was the most deafening silence in their lives. Both of them stayed like that for a good 10 seconds, seemingly trying to make sense of what the fuck just happened.
"Oh my God⌠OH MY GOD. IâM SORRY. IâM SORRY!â Jade uttered in absolute panic.
Ghost stayed still in silence, his eyes wide open glaring at hers.Â
Oh shit. Shit shit shit. Heâs mad. HEâS MAD.Â
âItâ It's freezing! I'm going inside!" Jade scrambled to stand up, taking the cocoa mug with her and went to the doorway, before remembering that she still had Ghost's jacket on her shoulder.Â
"Ja- Lottie! Waitâ" He was about to stand up to follow her, but his words got cut by his jacket flying straight to his face. When he removed the clothing, she'd already disappeared into the merry party inside.Â
Touching the part where Jade kissed him, Ghost slowly stared back at the falling snow in front of the porch. He hadn't worn his jacket yet, and somehow he didn't feel cold at all.
It's so hot.Â
It's too hot.Â
He buried his face in his palms, before running them through his brown hair. She didn't have to do that, didn't she? There was a mistletoe, they kissed because of it, and that was it, right?Â
Then what was that peck for? There wasn't any obligation involved that required her to kiss him again.Â
Ghost could feel his heart pumping blood faster than it ever did, faster than when he was on the battlefield, faster than when he ran laps every day. Butterflies were rushing deep inside his stomach, flying all around his insides like it just wanted to break out of his body.
He didn't know why, but if the kiss and her touch were a gentle fire that built slowly, that little peck felt like he just got struck by a damn thunder.Â
Violently.
And yet, he was so happy about that little peck - weirdly more so than the kiss - Too fucking happy.Â
Ghost grasped the sweater right above his heart before muttering to himself,Â
"Fuckinâ hellâŚ"Â
Jade didn't melt his cold heart.Â
She set it on fire.Â
â
Price couldnât believe the situation he was in.
His sergeants, Kyle and Soap, along with Ladybug, leaning on the back door of his house, looking at Ghost and Jade kissing at his back porch. Fucking spectacular.
âSee, Gaz?! I told youââ
âSHUT UP Mate theyâre gonna hear your loud arse.â Gaz nudged the drunken Scotâs rib to silence him.Â
Nevertheless, the plan worked. Gaz and Ladybug was the provider of the decorations since Price didnât have any Christmas Decorations in this house in London. When Soap arrived with a mischievous look on his face and told the couple about âOperation Red Skullâ, they were automatically IN on it.Â
And who wouldâve fucking guessed? They made his house a home ground for matchmaking, and they succeeded. They werenât his best subordinates for nothing after all.
Suddenly, Price heard a loud gasp from the three in front of him. His captain persona suddenly kicked in and stepped forward, shoving both of his sergeants to see the situation clearly. There they saw Jade and Ghost, looking at each other, with Jadeâs face looking like she was absolutely shocked.Â
âOh my God⌠did she just sneak another kiss to him?!â Ladybug exclaimed with a whispering voice.
âFUCK! I didnât have a clear visual.â Gaz followed.
âI think it was just a peck to his cheek??â Soap added.
âEveryone fall back!â Price commanded, and just like muscle memory, they all scrambled back to the living room, taking their respective deck of poker cards and sat around the messy table to pretend like they were still playing.
Soon after, Jade herself opened the back door with a face that none of them had ever seen before â a combination of shock and embarrassment.
âJade? You okay?â Ladybug twisted her body to see Jade. She was actually concerned about Jadeâs feeling at the moment.Â
The former MI6 nodded uncontrollably like a shaking head doll. âHuh? Yeah. Yeah yeah, Iâm okay.â
Gaz and Soap were covering their mouths with their deck of cards, unable to hide their smiles. It looked like they were about to break into a massive laughter.
What broke it was Captain Price, who suddenly asked Jade,
âReally? Whatâs that black spot on your nose, then?â
---
YEEEHHEHEEHEHHHEHE. Sorry for the long wait! Thank you for reading! Hope y'all enjoyed it! (â´âĄ`â)
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