Soap had always believed in you. In the field, there was no one he trusted more at his back. Years of missions had carved that bond into steel, battle after battle, each close call forging something unbreakable. Then, somewhere between long deployments and stolen moments of peace, that bond became love. Marriage was just a formality; he’d given you his heart long before either of you had exchanged vows.

This mission, he told himself, wasn’t any different. High-risk, sure, but that was their life. He’d joked earlier in the briefing, grinning as always, that you’d be home in time for drinks. But when he’d caught your eyes across the table, there was a weight there, a silent promise he’d keep: I have your back. Always

The warehouse was a tomb of shadows, every step echoing off rusted beams as the two of you advanced. Soap’s pulse was steady, every sense locked in. He was hyper-aware of you just a few feet away, moving with practiced precision. It gave him comfort, always had.

Then the ambush hit like lightning.

The first bullet punched through his side before he even saw the muzzle flash. The pain was white-hot, immediate, dropping him to one knee. He hissed, hand flying to his wound, eyes scanning for you, always you.

“Johnny!” your voice cut through the gunfire, raw, terrified.

“I’m fine–!” he lied through gritted teeth, forcing himself upright. He couldn’t let you see him falter. Not now. He raised his rifle, firing into the darkness, buying you seconds, maybe less.

But then you went down. He saw the impact, a sharp jerk of your body as a round slammed into your stomach. His world tunneled.

“No–no, no, no–” Soap abandoned cover, dragging himself toward you despite the agony tearing through his side. Every instinct screamed to keep firing, to survive, but his only thought was get to them, keep them breathing.

The enemy surged closer, shadows with teeth. Soap braced himself over you, firing wildly, taking one down with a headshot, another with sheer rage. Then a shot cracked past his guard, slamming into the side of his head. Not enough to end him, but enough to send his vision spinning, the world tilting.

He hit the ground beside you, face smeared with blood, body refusing to move. He could hear you, faintly – struggling for air, calling his name. He wanted to answer, to tell you he was here, but his mouth wouldn’t work.

Get up, Johnny. Get up or they die.

He tried. God, he tried. Fingers twitching toward you, a last, desperate act, when the door to the warehouse blew inward with a thunderous crack.

Gunfire roared like thunder. Price’s voice barked commands, Gaz’s rifle cracked in rapid bursts, and Ghost’s deep, furious growl cut through the chaos as they descended on the enemy with unrelenting force. The remaining hostiles scattered under the onslaught, driven back, hunted down. Soap could faintly see you coming closer to him.