Chapter Text
Soap being transgender had never screwed him over too much. Sure the dysphoria was a bitch before the testosterone shots and top surgery, and he'd had to try harder to pass, but no one other than his superior officers had ever been officially informed. He was sure that his brothers and sisters-in-arms had known at times, but they'd never brought it up, mainly because Soap was too good of a soldier to pass up over a sex change.
Price was more than supportive when he read over John's file and made him a promise to take his side if things ever went south. It was nice to have someone in his corner. Then when Gaz, the utter bastard, had walked into his room sans knocking right as he was giving himself a testosterone shot. After a very long and embarrassing explanation that; no he was not using steroids or drugs, it was just hormone treatment, Gaz immediately promised the same as Price had.
Hookups were also still a frequent thing, which had surprised John initially. When he had first joined up he'd imagined that his days of one-night stands were over before they had even begun. Two years later his fellow officer would prove him very wrong, taking him to bed for what would be his first time. Alasdair had been gentle and kind to him, making him feel like a man the whole night, never once making him feel as though he was a woman. He was reminded of this when Rudy and Alejandro had invited him to spend the night with them before the 141 left Las Almas.
It had never screwed Soap over, not before his introduction to Simon "Ghost" fucking Riley. He had been friendly toward Ghost, wanting a good relationship with the Lieutenant. This had backfired on him remarkably.. well. It went well in the sense that they'd become good friends in a short time. They were close and trusted one another, the respect Ghost showed not only as a fellow soldier but as a man was.. different.
In the few years they had known each other they had grown to be closer than brothers. Soap learned to distinguish Ghost's walking pattern no matter if he was alone or with a group of people, he could tell you Ghost's sleeping habits and when it was evident he would have a nightmare. Ghost, for his part, knew obscure and seemingly meaningless facts about the sergeant. He knew what shampoo he used, he knew that Johnny liked Sweet Williams and Thistles, and he knew that the younger man had a sweet tooth so saccharine to the point where Ghost began sneaking him the sugar packets he'd gotten for his coffee to Soap so he would enjoy his cup more. Ghost liked the sergeant enough to let him comfort him after bad dreams or take him to any local pub they could find to wash away the filth of their missions.
After a few months of knowing each other, they were sent to help another regiment train for a mission in the Amazon. It was a batch of new recruits who were getting ready for their first surveillance mission. The higher-ups who had ordered the operation had decided it best to have the recruits trained in explosives and hand-to-hand combat, just as a precaution. Some colonel who was buddies with Price had suggested using Soap and Ghost seeing as they worked well together and were both professionals in their respective categories.
So they were offered and they accepted. Despite only being there to train the recruits the general consensus was that they would accompany them anyway just to make absolutely certain it went off without too much of a hitch.
The intel had been mostly cack but was given through a very reliable source, so it wasn't as though they could refuse. So Ghost and Soap boarded the plane and were off.