Finally finished/wrote up Soap's part for this collection of drabbles. However, for whatever reason, I was really struggling with getting something written up for him. So his part came out very short and kinda rushed and not as flushed out as the others. I hope y'all still like it tho.
It wasn’t supposed to become a thing. Honestly, Soap had no intentions for it to become what it has. The way it had spiralled, quick and without direction, and transformed into something more than what it was meant to be, seemed out of Soap’s hands.
When Soap had said it for the first time, leaning over into Gaz’s space to whisper a joking “Dibs” into his friend’s ear, when Soap had first seen you, it had meant nothing. It was the same the next time he said it too, calling dibs on you during closed combat training. And the next time in the cafeteria, when he had called dibs again on you, more specifically the seat next to you. Every time Soap had called out ‘dibs’ it wasn’t ever anything more than a joke to him. And maybe, it was his fault for carrying the joke on for too long. Dragging it out til it became second nature to call dibs for a space besides you. Because you started responding to it. Just barely perking up, attention drawn, and looking towards him when Soap would say the word ‘dibs’.
It was just a joke, Soap would tell himself. He didn’t look too hard into why he felt so bitter when you would gravitate to Gaz first rather than himself. Didn’t acknowledge the way his jaw would clench, and his hands would ball into fists, when Gaz was always your first person. It wasn’t anything but a joke. It didn’t mean anything, …until it did. It only lasted as long as Soap could play dumb with himself. Until he found himself venting to Ghost one night at the bar, and he found himself calling you ‘his’. It was then that he couldn’t play dumb any longer. Soap had to face the facts that he liked you. As more than just a teammate or pack mate. And that he was jealous of Gaz for being your first, when it should’ve been him. It should’ve been him. He did claim dibs from the very beginning, didn’t he? He wanted to be the one who you sit next to without a second thought. He wanted to be the one you follow around base like a secondary shadow. Soap wanted to be the one who was close with you like Gaz was. Soap wanted all of what you had given Gaz so naturally. It was also then that Soap realized that every time he had called dibs on you, what he really meant was that you were his. When he said ‘dibs’ he meant ‘mine’.
