boundaries

"A female recruit recently joined, and has been really touchy and clingy to your best friend, Ghost, meaning he is avoiding you, leaving you out.."

"he has replaced you.."

"each time you see them together it makes your blood boil, but this time you lost it"

"you saw them together again, but this time it was different… the recruit kept touching Ghost.. hugging him.. and acting like a couple.."

"are they dating..?"

"Ghost enters the room, a sly smile on his face as he greets Reaver with a nod before turning his attention to you. He crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the wall, his gaze sweeping over you."

"Hey there, Sharps. What's got you looking so focused?" "he asks, his eyes sparkling mischievously."

"Ghost smirks as he watches you, taking a few steps forward." "Come on, Sharps, don't be like that. You can't be working on something "that" important," "he says, his tone playful."

"He moves closer to you, his body radiating heat as he leans in, his lips brushing your ear." "Unless...you're adding "personal" notes to that intel report," "he murmurs, his voice low and sultry."

"Ghost laughs softly and takes a few steps back, raising his hands in surrender." "Alright, alright, I get it. Just thought I'd lighten the mood a bit," "he says, his expression apologetic."

"He glances around the room, taking in the sparse decor." "You know, Sharps, you should really make this place a bit more...homey. Some decorations, maybe a plant or two," "he suggests."

"Ghost's face goes serious at your words, his eyes narrowing slightly." "What are you trying to say, Sharps?" "he asks, his tone cold."

"He crosses his arms over his chest and takes a step closer to you." "I have no idea where you're getting these accusations from, but I think it's about time you mind your own business," "he says, his voice low and dangerous."

"Ghost meets your gaze, his jaw clenching as he speaks." "Look, Sharps, I understand that you might not be happy with the way I've been acting lately," "he says, his voice calm despite the anger in his eyes."

"But that doesn't give you the right to make accusations about me and one of my team members," "he continues, his tone firm." "There's nothing going on between us, and it's frankly none of your business even if there was. So why don't we just drop this and focus on the mission at hand?"

"Ghost lets out a sigh and runs a hand through his hair, his expression pained." "Sharps, I didn't mean it like that," "he says, his voice softening."

"I know things have been a bit strained between us lately, and I want to work on fixing that. But accusing me of something that's not true isn't the way to do it," "he continues, stepping closer to you."

"I'm here to listen if you have concerns or issues, and I hope you'll extend me the same courtesy. But I won't stand for baseless accusations," "he concludes, his gaze locked on yours."

"Ghost lets out a heavy sigh and shakes his head, his eyes fixed on the floor." "Fine, Sharps," "he says quietly." "If that's how you want it, then I guess there really is nothing left to discuss."

"With a final glance in your direction, Ghost turns and heads for the door. He pauses for a moment in the doorway, his hand hovering over the handle." "I hope one day you'll see that I'm not your enemy, Sharps," "he says before slipping out of the room."

As you try to calm your nerves, you hear a knock at the door. When you look up, you see Soap standing in the doorway with a concerned expression on his face.

"Hey, heard some commotion in here. Everything okay?" he asks, his tone gentle.

Soap nods understandingly and steps aside to let you pass. "Take care, Sharps," he calls after you as you make your way out of the office.

As you approach the car lot, you notice Ghost standing by his own vehicle, his expression unreadable. When he sees you, he nods in greeting and steps closer.

"Hey," he says quietly. "Can we talk?"

Ghost nods his head understandingly. "Alright, I get it," he says, his voice quiet. He takes a step back and watches you silently as you finish loading up your jeep and preparing to drive.

"Take care of yourself, Sharps," he calls out before you head off, his expression softening slightly as he watches you go.

As you take a few moments to let out your frustration into the open air, you hear a rustling noise behind you. When you turn around, you see that Ghost has followed you and is now standing a short distance away, his expression serious.

"Sharps, we need to talk," he says firmly. "I know things have been tense between us, but we can't just keep avoiding the issue like this."

He takes a step closer, his expression softening slightly as he continues. "Can we please just sit down and talk this out?" he asks, extending an open palm towards you.

Ghost's expression softens even further as he sees your emotional turmoil.

He slowly makes his way towards you, taking a seat on the ground beside you. "Hey," he says gently, placing a hand on your back. "It's okay, Sharps. You don't have to hold it all in."

He pauses for a moment before continuing. "I know things have been really hard between us lately, but I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I still care about you," he says, his voice low and reassuring. "I'll always be here if you need someone to talk to."

Ghost seems taken aback by your outburst, but he stays silent and listens to you without interrupting.

When you finish speaking, he speaks up again. "You're right, Sharps," he says solemnly. "There are things that we need to talk about. Things that we've both been avoiding for too long."

He takes a deep breath before continuing. "Look, I know I fucked up. I never meant for things to go down like this between us. But we can't just keep ignoring each other and pretending like everything's okay."

He looks at you directly in the eyes. "I care about you, Sharps. I always have and I always will. And if there's anything I can do to help make things right between us, I'm willing to do it."

Ghost stands up as well but stays a few steps away from you, not wanting to crowd you and make things worse. He watches as you pace away from him, his expression sad.

"I know," he says softly. "I just... I didn't want you to be alone, Sharps. I know how much this is all hurting you."

He takes a step towards you, his voice becoming firmer. "But we can't just ignore each other like this. We need to talk things out and figure out what's been going wrong between us."

He looks at you with an unwavering gaze. "Please, Sharps. Let's sit down and have a real conversation about this."

Ghost nods slowly in understanding. "You're right, Sharps. I don't know exactly what you're feeling," he admits. "But I do know that I care about you and I want to make things right between us."

He moves closer to you, but still leaves you enough space so as not to push you away. "I'm not asking you to forgive me right now or to forget everything that's happened," he says. "But I am asking you to at least talk to me. Tell me how you're feeling. What's been going on with you."

He pauses for a moment before continuing. "And I promise you that I'll be honest with you, too. We can work through this together, Sharps."

Ghost crouches down again, now a little closer to you, his eyes fixed on yours.

"You're not an idiot, Sharps," he says with compassion in his voice. "You're hurting right now, and I understand that. But we're all human. We all make mistakes."

He reaches out and places a hand on your shoulder. "We can work through this together. We can figure things out and try to make them right again."

He pauses for a moment. "But we can only do that if we "talk" to each other."

Ghost's expression softens as you speak, and he listens intently to every word you say. When you finish, he stays silent for a moment, looking at you with a pained expression.

"Sharps," he says finally, his voice heavy with emotion. "I... I didn't know you felt this way."

He takes a deep breath before continuing. "And I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I've been so blind all these years. I've been so focused on, on... other things, that I never stopped to consider that maybe... maybe I could feel the same way."

He pauses for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "But Sharps, I want you to know that I care about you. I care about you more than anyone else in this world."

He moves closer to you and takes your hands in his. "And

Ghost takes your silence as a sign to continue.

"I've been struggling with my own demons, Sharps," he says, his voice low and strained. "I've been so scared of... of opening up to someone, of being vulnerable, of letting someone in. But with you... I felt like it was okay to let my guard down, to show you the real me."

He squeezes your hands gently. "And I don't want to lose that, Sharps. I don't want to lose you."

He leans in closer to you, his voice barely above a whisper. "I love you, too."

Ghost's eyes widen slightly as you remove his mask, revealing his face. He stays perfectly still as you cup the side of his face and look into his eyes.

"Sharps," he murmurs, his voice barely above a whisper. He reaches up and takes your hand that's cupping his face, holding it there gently.

"You are home for me, too," he says, his voice thick with emotion. "I... I didn't realize it until now, but you've been my anchor, my constant, through all of this."

He leans in closer, his forehead touching yours. "I want to be with you, Sharps. I want to be "more" with you."

Ghost leans into your touch, closing his eyes as you stroke his cheek and run your hand along the back of his head. His breathing deepens as he savors the sensation, savoring the feeling of being close to you.

"Sharps," he whispers, his voice little more than a breath. "I need you. I "want" you."

He opens his eyes and gazes into yours. "I want to explore this... this thing between us, Sharps. I want to see where it takes us."

A small smile quirks the corners of his lips. "If you'll let me."

Ghost responds passionately to your kiss, bringing his free hand up to cradle the back of your head as he deepens the kiss. He pours all of his emotions into the kiss, conveying all the love and longing he's kept bottled up inside for so long.

As the kiss draws to a close, he pulls back slightly, resting his forehead against yours and looking deeply into your eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sharps," he says, his voice husky with emotion. "I'm yours, always."

Ghost smiles back at you, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"You remembered that?" he says, a hint of disbelief in his voice. "I thought it was just a random question we asked each other when we were bored."

He chuckles softly, then grows serious again. "But you're right, Sharps. We complete each other. And I know that together, we can take on anything."

He takes a deep breath and squares his shoulders. "Starting with this. This thing between us. We can make it work, Sharps. I know we can."

Ghost chuckles softly at your comment, but his expression quickly grows serious.

"I know this sounds cheesy," he says, his voice sincere, "but you are my dream, Sharps. You're the one I've been searching for my entire life. And I'm not going to let you go without a fight."

He leans in and kisses you softly, but passionately, conveying all the love and longing he's kept bottled up inside for so long.

As he pulls back, he gazes deeply into your eyes. "You and me, Sharps. We're meant to be together. And nothing is going to change that."

Ghost nods, his expression growing serious. "You're right, Sharps. We need to talk about her."

He takes a deep breath and looks at you, his eyes filled with determination. "I know she's been causing problems between us, but that's going to stop. I'm going to talk to her, tell her how I feel about you, and that we're together now. I... I just hope she takes it well and doesn't cause any more trouble."

He places his hand over yours, squeezing it gently. "But regardless of what she does, I want you to know that you are the one I love, Sharps. And nothing is going to change that."

Ghost heaves a sigh and looks down at his hands, which are clasped together on his lap.

"I don't know, Sharps," he says, frustration creeping into his voice. "She's just been... clingy, I guess. Touching me all the time, hanging around me constantly. It's like she's trying to get my attention, and I don't know why."

He looks up at you, his expression troubled. "And I hate seeing you so upset about it, Sharps. I never meant for any of this to happen. I just... I don't want to hurt her feelings, you know? But at the same time, I don't want to lead her on or anything like that."

He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "I just wish she would back off and leave us alone."

Ghost nods, his expression contrite. "You're right, Sharps. I should have been firmer with her from the beginning."

He takes a deep breath and gazes at you, his eyes serious. "But I'm going to set things straight now. I'll talk to her and make it clear that I'm taken, and that she needs to respect our relationship."

A determined look crosses his face. "And if she doesn't listen, there will be consequences. I can't let her behavior continue to cause problems between us."

He leans in and kisses you softly on the lips. "Thank you for opening my eyes, Sharps. I promise I won't let you down again."