Quiet Mornings And Loud Nights(Ghost Simon Riley)

28-Loved

The base was silent in the following days of Soap's injury. Simon began to change as a whole and it hurt Aspen as he watched the love of his life fall apart. Simon would smoke more often and drink to make the pain go away. Every night he would lie awake and get no sleep because his fear was dragging his mind around like a sack of garbage. Everything Aspen tried to do just bounced off him like a brick wall. There was no suffering equivalent to how bad Simon felt; his guilt, fear, and sorrow tore him apart piece by piece.

Soap was asleep in his hospital bed for days without moving. The only signs of life was his chest rising and falling rhythmically. Price visited him every day while Simon avoided the room at all costs. He couldn't face Soap and the pain he caused. The weight of grief pressing on top of him like a pile of bricks never lifted. The only relief he felt was when he had one too many drinks or smoked alone for hours. An unhealthy habit to have but the only true freedom from the burdens of life.

One particular day after the accident, Simon had a bit too much alcohol and lay alone in his bed. His mind was spinning and he felt his body become warm and fuzzy, as his brain began to function less. He wanted to forget. As he descended into his alcohol filled madness, his last thoughts in his normal mind was Aspen. He dragged his feet to Aspen's room and opened the door without knocking. Aspen looked happy and contempt as he slept, which Simon wished for every night.

Pulling his shoes off, Simon walked to Aspen's bed and climbed on behind him. His back rose and fell with every soft breath. Simon tapped Aspen's bare back and tried to wake him up carefully. His brain may have been completely gone but he would never hurt Aspen even if he was beyond drunk. Aspen turned over and looked at Simon's masked face with a perplexed expression. His fluffy hair covered his eyes a bit and Simon pushed it away with his cold hand.

"Simon what are you doing here? It's the middle of the night." Aspen grumbled looking into Simon's eyes which were darting all over the room.

"I- I wanted to s-see you." Simon replied slurring his words. He tried to focus but his vision began to blur and he felt a warm fuzzy sensation cover his body. He fell onto his side and closed his eyes as he hit Aspen's pillow. It was so soft and smelled like the sweet shampoo Aspen used.

"Simon what the hell. Are you drunk?" Aspen questioned softly.

Groaning Simon opened his eyes and admired Aspen's face. He was tired but so pretty nonetheless. Cupping Aspen's cheek with his hand, Simon relaxed a bit and found a way to ground himself. Aspen was being kind to him when he didn't even know what day it was. But why?

"I'm j-just a bit tipsy love," Simon told him as he chuckled a little. "Mind if I stay with you?"

"I guess so, just don't do anything weird." Aspen responded looking into Simon's eyes. They were definitely not the eyes of the man he loved. It was someone else looking at him.

Simon struggled with his mask a bit and pulled it off to expose his tired face. Aspen was in disbelief when he saw how exhausted Simon looked. The room was dark but a little light seeped in from the moon outside. Aspen shifted out of Simon's hand and instead held Simon's face with a gentle touch.

"Simon I'm so sorry about what happened. Have you been sleeping at all since the accident?" Aspen asked quietly.

Simon shook his head and looked down in disappointment. Aspen pulled him into a hug and said nothing for a while. Simon nestled his head into Aspen's chest and closed his eyes. The little metal dog tags on Aspen's chest were resting near Simon's face and he looked at them. The little shiny appearance made them interesting for Simon's fuzzy brain. He held them in his hand softly feeling the engraved letters and numbers.

Leaning into Aspen's chest Simon pressed his lips against it softly. The feeling sent shivers down Aspen's spine and he felt his heart flutter. Instead of stopping Simon moved up Aspen's neck and near his jawline. The bruises that he had were fading now and Simon thought a few more couldn't hurt. He wasn't paying much attention to what was going on until Aspen cried out. The sound terrified Simon and he felt his mind shift into a half sober state.