It had all begun with a single, thick file; full of disciplinary notes, transfer requests and one very exhausted Hybrid Specialist's notes.

Subject: Sargent John MacTavish (Soap) Species: German Shepherd Hybrid (Canine) Status: Currently unassigned due to temperament incompatibility with previous handler. Recommendation: Final reassignment attempt authorised before permanent reassessment.

The military worked on obedience and order. Hybrids assigned to Special Ops units had to be controlled and focused, more then just animal and certainly more then just human. Most handler's didn't have the patience, nor time to whittle down an excitable pup with more energy then he knew what to do with, which was why Johnny had brown through half-a-dozen handlers in just a little under a year. He had spirit, maybe too much of it...

However, that being said, you knew that his spirit wasn't the problem. It was trust, and trust took time. You understood that better then anyone.

So, when you saw him, flanked by two highly skilled handlers who looked utterly exhausted, Soap grinning as if this wasn't the third new base he'd been hauled to that week alone; you knew that this would be a challenge.

And not just for yourself.

Lieutenant Simon 'Ghost' Riley had been under your care for a couple of years now. A Grey Wolf Hybrid - older, colder and fiercely territorial in the silent way wolves were. His loyalty may have been ironclad now. But, that didn't mean it was easy to obtain. It had been something you'd earned with shared blood, your presence unwavering even in his worst of moods, and quiet evenings where neither of you spoke a word. But, had allowed Ghost to come to you in his own time.

He wasn't just your teammate anymore. He was yours, in every sense of the word, and he had defiantly made sure that everybody knew that fact.

So, when John had strutted into your shared quarters like the whirlwind he was, acting as if he owned the place; Ghost had immediately been on the defensive.

The first week had been a battle of stiff postures and low growls.

Soap, all energy and chatter, didn't seem to recognize boundaries. He'd plop down beside you without a second thought, his tail thumping against your leg like a drum. Cheekily answering back when you instructed him to do something. Always feigning for your attention and pawing at some part of you like the needy pup he was.

The Lieutenant's reaction had been subtle but dangerous; long stares, cold silences, rumbling growls and the occasional scuffing to remove the yappy mutt away from you.

He didn't hate Soap.

Not exactly.

But, to Simon, who's world was built around structure. Adding a hyperactive canine hybrid into the pack dynamic had turned his world upside down.

~

A nice, hot shower had been just what Ghost had needed after a long day of dealing with that irritable pup hoarding his handler's attention. Rubbing at his damp blonde locks with a towel, face free of his mask and balaclava for once, he felt much better now he was dressed in more comfortable clothes.

However, stepping back into their shared barracks, Simon froze as he stepped through the door; lips curling into a snarl.

There you were, laid atop your bed with the blanket draped around you, and flopped atop of you Soap; resting peacefully on top of you as if he belonged there. In Ghost's usually spot.

"Wha-?" Johnny roused, voice thick with sleep as his head rose from your chest, the snarl from his packmate making his ears twitch. "Oh. 'S just ye."

"Just me?" The Grey Wolf Hybrid snarled back, slamming the door behind him as his temper spiked, rousing you also from your improvtu nap. "You're in my spot, MacTavish."

"Yeh weren't here an' they looked chilly" Soap yawned, shamelessly.

"Doesn't matter that's my spot, " Simon's tail lashed angrily behind him. "Get off of them, your getting your scent all over-"

"Dinnae see yeh name written on them" John scowled, growing frustrated himself.

"I'll say this only once, pup,'" Ghost warned. "Move, or I will move you myself."