Ghost x Male!OC
••After nearly losing Evgeny, Ghost has conflicting feelings about how he should move forward.

Ghost's eyes fluttered open. His vision was unfocused and hazy, taking a few blinks to return to normal. The ceiling above him was white with cracks—he was in his room. As he drew in a slow breath, he noticed he was wearing an oxygen mask.

Evgeny.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, he was stripping off the oxygen mask and forcing himself to sit up in his bed despite his body's protests. On the nightstand laid a clean balaclava, as well as his skull mask.

He took the balaclava and pulled it over his head, feeling the sense of security return once his face had been covered. He left the skull mask, too occupied with finding Evgeny to bother putting it on.

"Welcome back to the world of the livin', Lt."

"Fuck off." Ghost muttered, cursing under his breath when he swayed a little upon standing from his bed.

"Wow, I save your life and don't even get a thank you?" Soap scoffed as he watched Ghost struggle with a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "I suggest you sit back down, unless you feel like hittin' your head on the floor."

Ghost staggered towards the door, groaning as his insides churned in a nauseating manner. "You didn't do shit."

Soap pushed off the wall and took Ghost by the shoulder before he could reach the door.

Ghost paused, then slowly turned his head to glare at Soap. His breaths came in heavy and hard.

"MacTavish." Ghost's tone was cold—dangerous. "Move."

"I can't do that, sir." Soap said, his gaze soft upon him.

Next thing he knew, he was flat on his back with blood gushing from his nose and Ghost was gone. Releasing a groan, he reached up and pressed a finger to his earpiece.

"Price, I couldn't hold 'im. He's headed your way now."

"Copy that. At least you tried."

Meanwhile, Ghost stormed through the halls on his way to the infirmary, one hand pressed against the wall to keep him upright. His head was swimming and he was constantly fighting back the bile that threatened to rise in his throat.

To make matters worse, trying to breathe heavily to combat the nausea was actually hurting more than it was helping. By the time he reached the infirmary, he was wheezing again and short of breath.

"Hang on..." Price murmured as he moved to hold Ghost steady. He'd been waiting by the infirmary entrance and was surprised Ghost had even made it that far.

"Nine...  where.." Ghost slurred his words, trying to push past Price.

"He just got out of surgery, Simon. They're still evaluating his condition." Price spoke calmly, holding Ghost in a firm grip even as he began to struggle.

"No...!" Ghost keened, the word long and drawn out with a mournful rasp to it. He pressed against Price, gripping his shirt. "I need to... I need to see him.. Let me fucking see him!"

"I don't think that's a good idea."

Ghost tightened his grip. "I swear to fucking god, if you don't let me—" His sentence was cut short as he doubled over, hoarse coughs wracking his frame.

"You're overexerting yourself." Price murmured gently, holding Ghost while he trembled. "You need oxygen, Simon. Let me help you. We can talk about seeing Evgeny, okay?"

Ghost couldn't catch his breath. Every breath he took in was a strangled wheeze that squeezed his lungs and triggered another coughing fit. Price didn't wait for an answer, already guiding him into the infirmary and barking orders at the nearest medics.

•
•
•

Ghost sat on the edge of the cot, listening to his own breathing as he drew in air from the oxygen mask. He'd been left alone for the most part. A medic would occasionally stop in to check his oxygen levels.

He passed the time anxiously listening to see if he could hear someone talking about Evgeny. It had been an hour since Price dragged him in and there had been no talk of the sniper, which could be a good thing... or a bad thing. Not knowing what the hell was going on drove him nuts and made the pit in his stomach grow larger.

The curtain surrounding the cot pulled aside to reveal Price. Ghost sat up straight, chomping at the bit to hear what news he had—if any.

"He's stable, if you'd like to see him." Price spoke quietly. "Just be advised that they've got him on the good meds."

Ghost gave a slight nod, still absorbing that information as he removed the oxygen mask and pulled up his balaclava.

Price led him into another room, where a bed and several machines sat in the center of it. The soft beeps from the monitors filled the silence as Ghost stepped into the room, his gaze drawn to Evgeny's still form.

The majority of his arms had been wrapped up in bandages. His torso had been wrapped as well and there were a few crimson spots seeping through the white bandages. His face, although soot-stained, was mainly untouched. He didn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort based on his expression, which brought Ghost some comfort.

Ghost approached a chair that had been left by the bed and eased himself into it. He rested his arms on his legs, allowing his gaze to slowly wander down Evgeny's body before returning to his face.

Part of him felt guilty for allowing this to happen. Had he been quicker, he might've been able to save Evgeny from more pain and suffering.

Perhaps he wouldn't have come so close to death.

His mind grew dark with these thoughts. With nothing to distract him, he only sunk deeper, criticizing everything in mind-numbing detail. He began to dissociate, retracting from reality as his thoughts suffocated him.

"...Ghost?"

A soft voice snapped him out of it.

Ghost leaned forward in the chair, feeling it creak under his weight. Evgeny's eyes were just barely open and he was looking at him.

"I'm here." Ghost murmured, gazing softly upon Evgeny. "How're you feelin'?"

Evgeny shifted a little in the bed, seemingly testing his range of movement. "...Weird.." He mumbled, his words slightly slurred.

"Yeah, they've got you wrapped up like a mummy, haven't they?" Ghost attempted to joke, unsure how to feel.

A dumb smile crossed Evgeny's face and he chuckled. "Mhm... a mummy and a ghost.. heh..."

"That's right." Ghost felt himself smile a little, though it soon faded as his thoughts drifted back to that dark place. "Listen..."

Evgeny turned his head, his expression shifting to that of slight perplexion.

Ghost swallowed thickly, trying to organize his thoughts. "I'm... I'm sorry for what happened at the tower. I should've gotten there quicker. I thought—" His voice cracked as tears began to rise in his eyes. He furiously blinked them away. "I thought I lost you and I just... panicked. I didn't know what to do—"

He abruptly stopped when he felt Evgeny's hand brush over his. A shaky breath escaped him as Evgeny traced his fingers across his pale skin, over every callous and scar.

"Your hand is so.. soft..." Evgeny whispered, his eyes glimmering.

Ghost couldn't move. His breath hitched in his throat as Evgeny threaded his fingers between his own and held his hand with the utmost care.

"Evgeny.." Ghost croaked, his voice dying in his throat.

"Shh... come closer.."

"Evgeny, I-I can't—"

"Please?"

The way Evgeny said that singular word so desperately melted Ghost, leaving him unable to resist. He leaned in closer, quivering in anticipation. He didn't stop Evgeny when he reached over with his other hand and slowly pulled down the balaclava, revealing his face.

The smile on Evgeny's face returned, bigger and brighter than ever. He looked genuinely happy—almost overjoyed.

"I didn't know ghosts could be so beautiful..." Evgeny mumbled dreamily. He leaned forward, his face inches away from Ghost's.

Ghost's eyes flicked down to Evgeny's lips, intoxicated just by the sight of them. He felt his body moving on its own to close the distance between them, pressing their lips together in an ever so gentle kiss. The rush of exhilaration that followed was incredible, filling him to the brim and awakening something deep within.

If everything felt so right... why did he feel wrong?

The exhilaration soon died in Ghost's chest as he forced himself to pull away from Evgeny. He swiped his tongue across his lips, still craving more but pushing down the urge. His heart ached, longing for the contact that it had been denied countless times in the past.

Ghost couldn't give himself to Evgeny.

Not now. Not when there were so many questions left unanswered and problems left unresolved.

He withdrew his hand and clenched it into a fist, his heart filling with sorrow.

Evgeny was on heavy pain meds, he wouldn't remember any of this. Ghost, however, would have to forcibly remove it from memory before it became the only thing he thought about.

"Get some rest." Ghost muttered, unable to meet Evgeny's gaze as he rose from the chair and pulled his balaclava back up. He silently left the room, trying not to dwell on what just happened.