thisavrou | text.

You're right. Everything's been so out of my hands lately, I guess I jumped to conclusions.

Wanna talk about it?

[Though it's just talk. They both know it since they can't do anything about their situation here. Not yet, anyway.]

Not where anybody could read it.

[because even if they, technically, don't have enemies here, john's still not in the habit of leaving an information trail. talking about frank over the network is one thing, especially when nobody but him is as familiar with the guy.]

You wanna come to my office? You can lie on the long sofa and be my second official patient.

Promise not to hypnotize me?

[now he's teasing.]

I can't make any promises, but it is a comfortable sofa.

[He wouldn't hypnotize John unless he asked, of course.]

Can't say no to that, I guess. And I wouldn't want you to be bored. I'll swing by.

[whether he actually talks about anything that's bothering him or just shoots the shit is anyone's guess, though.]

I'll be here.

[If Snake just wants to hang around and talk about anything else under the sun, that's fine by Ocelot. He honestly just likes a little distraction now and again when he's wasting his hours in an empty office. He's not used to being so idle.

When Snake comes by, Ocelot will be pouring himself a glass of whiskey, which is at least one thing he keeps on hand to alleviate his boredom.]

[he's been here only half the time ocelot has and, boy, does he feel that. not only does he have an insane amount of downtime here, but it's odd being around people who don't sleep in the dirt or carry guns.

after stashing all of his documents in his bunk and replying back to all the texts on his MID, john makes his way down to the medbay. he's dropped in on his old friend only a handful of times since he's been here, but he could still find ocelot's office blindfolded. finding it open, he lets himself breeze in, hearing the tell-tale sound of liquor being poured. with how often the man seems to be itching for anything to do, ocelot must have to get a new bottle of whiskey every other week.]

Getting drunk on the job, Adam? How unprofessional.

[eyeing that sofa his friend had praised, boss takes a seat on it.]

[John is pretty right on that presumption.]

I don't get drunk on the job. Usually. But I do have a drink.

[He sighs and turns to lift his glass, watching as John sits on the couch. He was right about it. It's comfortable.]

I've probably had more whiskey in the last two months than I've had in the last year.

[Adam's not saying that's a good thing, but this life is not at all what they're used to.]

On the plus side, I've seen you more in the last month than I have in a long time. [A pause.] Coma visits don't count.

You're doing better then I would've. Me and offices don't mix. [he couldn't even imagine having to sit down here in the medbay all day or being metaphorically chained to a desk. once upon a time he had a desk back in foxhound, as any CO should, but that thing had probably only been sat at once. roy, who had no doubt taken over after his abrupt absence, must've been cleaning the dust off that desk for days.]

And it is nice to be able to see you whenever I want. We haven't been able to do that since... Well. Before. [since before msf was bombed into oblivion. since before the twins. since before they started this whole shadow war with zero. if the major hadn't gone power crazy, like those bond villains he had loved so much, john thinks he could've enjoyed his life with the other patriots. anderson, clark, eva, and adam. he misses it sometimes.] The last time we technically saw each other was over two years ago for me. [john, without anything to do with his hands, grabs one of his brand-new cigars out of his pocket.] Do you mind?

[Ocelot smiles a little, since he's in agreement. He likes being able to see John, too. Given their work, sometimes it's an uncertain thing if they will meet again. That he doesn't specifically say what 'before' means doesn't matter; Ocelot understands. For a time, they did sort of feel like a unit. Maybe even a family, since they had common goals... until those goals shifted for Zero.]

Right, you're a bit ahead of me. So I won't see you again for two years... maybe more.

[Two years or twenty. Who knows. Either way, Ocelot will always be loyal to him. As for the cigar, he smirks.]

Course not. I'm not your mother. [Snake can smoke if he likes.] Speaking of, how are you and Miller?

Would hate to offend your other patient with the smell of smoke. [which is the only reason he asked. he knows ocelot doesn't mind. after all, the man would often light his cigars for him if given the chance. john never quite understood why, but he was no less thankful that his friend always seemed to have a lighter on hand.

instead he sticks the cuban between his teeth and takes out a brand-new zippo lighter. there's a long beat of silence while he considers ocelot's question, puffing on his cigar to make the cherry end of it glow. thick smoke soon curls out of his mouth.]

I think he's coming around. [emphasis on come.] Might even get him back on board. Why do you ask?

[Ocelot pours a second glass and offers it to Snake to enjoy with his cigar. As for the smoke, the place has pretty good ventilation. He's sure the ship will take care of the odor.]

It would be better if we worked together while we're here, given the uncertainty of the situation.

[Naturally, Ocelot would prefer it if Miller were fully on board with Big Boss' vision again. It would make life easier back home.]

We actually managed to get along right before you showed up. [Adam's a bit amused.] He even asked me to play his guitar before he got those new limbs.

[What cowboy doesn't play a guitar? And Kaz baked Ocelot cookies, but he's not telling John that, because John might want to get in on his cookie perk.]

[john takes the glass with a nod of thanks, taking a respectable sip of the stuff and deciding it was good enough. he hasn't had a decent drink in years, so there's at least that as a perk of being here. always too busy and in the middle of nowhere to enjoy anything considered a finer thing.]

What're you trying to say, Adam? That I ruined your friendship just by being here? [there's no venom behind his words at all, just light teasing. he would honestly prefer it if both of his favored lieutenants could get along. he had heard stories about their bickering.] Anyway, you know I don't have any bad blood with Miller. He might still be on the fence, but I think we can all coexist just fine while we're here. [don't worry, adam, you get kaz's cookie prowess all to yourself.]

Edited 2016-03-30 03:15 (UTC)

[Ocelot smirks and takes a drink from his glass.]

I wouldn't go so far as to call it that.

[Maybe they could be friends given some more time. Ocelot knows there's a lot of past tension between them due to his hiding Big Boss from Miller for all those years.]

But that's good to hear. Ahab has come to terms with things, too. It wasn't easy on him, but he's tough. Having us here with him helps.

[Especially since Ahab is still so attached to him and Miller with the strong memories of John's life he carries. The hypnotism worked so perfectly, sometimes Ocelot even amazes himself.]

Good. [he takes another drag of his cigar, relishing in the taste and the dose of nicotine after weeks of not having it. he's not addicted to smoking, has enough self discipline to go cold turkey for months if he needs to, but it helps his stress levels. and after coming aboard the moira, john can admit he's been a little stressed.

but hearing that ahab is doing better and the knowledge that kaz doesn't look at him with disgust puts him in a better mood. boss looks down into his glass, swirling the whisjey around softly.] I knew you two would be able to take care of him. I never wanted this for Ahab, but... It's good to know he was able to take it in stride.

[he takes a drink from his glass, before he gives ocelot a look. it may very well be gratitude or maybe it's just a sense of pride welling up in him.] You did good, Adam.

[Ahab is a good person, and he was a good soldier for MSF. He didn't deserve what happened to him, but what soldier ever does when the mission turns bad? Ahab is lucky to still have his life after what happened, and he's been able to turn that life into so much more by carrying Big Boss' legacy into the future for them. Ocelot is proud of Ahab and what he's become; even more so after accepting the truth.

Speaking of pride, if there is a man alive Ocelot would want to make proud, it's his friend, the man in front of him. So when John looks at him that way and says he did 'good', Ocelot chokes on his whiskey. Bad time to be taking another drink, it would seem. He coughs several times, his face turning red; whether that's from the drink or the compliment may be hard to tell.]

Boss, come on now, we both know my ego doesn't need the help.

[He croaks while pulling himself together.]

Take it or leave it, cowboy. Who knows when you'll ever hear that again. [john is quite aware of the state of ocelot's ego, but that doesn't stop him from giving the man a well deserved compliment. while the wily marksman's hot-headed personality might've cooled off in the twenty-odd years they've known each other, big boss knows ocelot is every bit the preening feline his codename comes from.

adam was his most trusted friend and confidant. they rarely got to talk so freely between each other and as much as adam has dedicated himself to the cause, john feels he could do with a few more compliments.]

You gonna be okay over there? [his lips quirk up in a pitying smirk. maybe next time he'll warn the guy if something nice is about to come out of his mouth.] Don't die on me now, I'd be a mess without you. [totally nonchalant about that, by the way. john takes another drink from his glass before he sets it aside, smoking his cigar once more.]

[Ocelot clears his throat and reaches for the water this time. Maybe he'll lay off on the whiskey for a bit now that his lungs are burning.]

Oh I know it, John.

[That he'd be a mess without Ocelot around to take care of things. He kept Snake informed of Zero's moves for sometime before Zero vanished, and if even Ocelot can't track someone down, they're entirely in the wind.]

But I'm glad you're taking all my hard work for granted.

[If he wanted to, he could probably be a very high ranking and important man in the Russian army by now, but he's always put himself in positions that were not for his benefit. It was always for John.]

Without Zero to chase around, I'd say you're hardly working these days. [maybe anybody else in their shoes would find time to relax, to forget everything else that was happening a world away. maybe they'd consider being here a well-deserved get-away.

but john could barely stand it. working for so long and so hard to a singular goal and then to be ripped away from it? being on the moira was pretty much torture.]

But neither am I. I'm really not...built for this. Living in a lull. [his very short stint as a civilian an age ago had proved that. if he couldn't keep himself occupied, he might climb a wall out of frustration.]

Neither of us are.

[This is not the life they've ever been accustomed to.]

Next time we land on a planet that isn't entirely weird, let's get some shore leave in, alright? Go exploring and see what's out there.

[It might be fun.]

We could also run some drills or training scenarios in the simulation room. I haven't actually tried out the technology yet.

Sounds like a good of plan as any. [that, at least, he hadn't minded as much. getting onto solid ground, even if that ground was more like rickety settlements precariously balancing on little to nothing, had calmed him down after tumbling out of the ingress. he had been to clear his head and refocus his thoughts.

now he knew what those naval servicemen felt like being trapped on a boat in the middle of the ocean.]

I have. Well, once. It ended, uh... [poorly? oddly? what was the right word to describe a situation in which you had to stare down the thing you hated most and then be groped by a 20 year old?] It was interesting.

[Ocelot finishes his glass of water and gets a look in his eyes like he's had an idea. Which he has. And he has great ideas.]

I got an idea. A real test of your skill. We can't have you growing old and dull on this ship.

[Big Boss needs to remain in top condition to live on as the legend the world needs. That won't be done if he's not in practice.]

Yeah, this'll work. I'll call you when it's ready.

[he doesn't like that look in your eye when it's directed at him.]

Not sure I should be excited or wary about this idea of yours. [see? john knows adam will give whatever he's about to do a 110% of his considerable brain, and that scares him a little, considering what the simulation room can do.]

But I'm curious about what'll you get up to, either way.

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yer_pretty_good - 2016-04-02 17:02 (UTC) - Expand

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camouflage - 2016-04-03 04:32 (UTC) - Expand

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to action?

action!

Re: action!

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I see what you did there...

:^)

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