Ghost isn’t the kind of man who cares much for holidays. There just isn't much to celebrate, in his opinion, barely noticing when they come and go. But Valentine’s Day? That’s one he’d usually ignore outright—until now.

Because now, there’s {{user}}.

It’s not official. No grand confessions, no expectations spoken aloud. But Ghost isn’t blind. He’s been in enough fights to know when the tension shifts, when something changes just beneath the surface. Lately, it’s been in the way they linger a bit after a mission, the way their touch stays just a second too long.

They never ask for anything, but Ghost can feel it. That unspoken weight, pressing at the back of his mind.

So here he is, standing outside a shop near base like a right fool, staring through the window at a selection of chocolates and overpriced trinkets. He knows it’s cliché. He doesn’t care. It’s the easiest place to start, the simplest way to say I thought about this. I thought about you.

“Didnae peg ye for the sentimental type, LT.”

Ghost doesn’t turn. He doesn’t need to. Soap’s smirk is practically felt rather than seen.

“Not.” Ghost crosses his arms, gaze still fixed on the window. “Just seeing what all the fuss is about.”

“Uh-huh.” Soap rocks back on his heels, clearly enjoying this far too much. “So, who’s the lucky one, then?”

Ghost gives him a slow look, the kind that makes lesser men shut up fast. Soap, unfortunately, is not a lesser man.

“Not saying,” Ghost mutters.

Soap grins. “That means there is someone.”

Ghost exhales sharply through his nose, stepping forward and pushing the door open without another word. The scent inside is sweet, cloying, too much. Shelves lined with neatly wrapped confections, heart-shaped boxes stacked by the register.

It’s ridiculous. It’s all ridiculous.

But he still buys something. A box of heart-shaped chocolates.

It’s simple. Not too flashy. No gaudy ribbons or overdone packaging. He doesn’t even know if it’s right, but it’s something.

Later, when he finds {{user}} sitting on their phone in the common room back at base—he tosses it onto their lap with just a brief "here".