The Ghost of You - Simon 'Ghost' Riley X Reader

ANSWER

Arrangements for a ceremonial burial had been made weeks after returning from the mission, bringing you to this rainy, cloudy day when springtime had just begun to seep through the winter. The slender, methodical fingers of Soap ran through your hair, brushing the strands up into a clump to pin back for you. Sitting in front of the vanity mirror in your shared barracks, you stared at the tired bags under your eyes from many sleepless nights. The last moments you had with Simon replayed in your head while you were awake and haunted you in your dreams. When you ate, when you showered, when you trained, the horror-stricken tone in Ghost's voice stuck to the front of your brain no matter what you did. Johnny stayed up most nights with you, his own grief keeping you company as he shared moments from missions that he went on with Ghost. Sometimes you envied that Soap had spent longer with Simon than you had. Oh, how'd you'd kill to just have another second in Simon's embrace. To hear his voice, to get to know him and for him to know you. But all of that was gone.

Tears formed in your eyes while you sat and let Soap help you with your hair, his hands delicately braiding and pinning back sections. He was dressed in a suit and tie, his mohawk slicked back and kept. The gray, once cheery eyes of the soldier that stood behind you were now dull with a void of a lost friend. A booming roar of thunder shook the ground beneath you, and you heard the sudden downpour of rain pattering against the tin roof of the base. This is the day you never thought would come, for someone you never thought you'd meet at such a deep level. Johnny noticed the tears welling in your eyes, and with the last clip snug in place against your scalp, his hands moved to your cheeks and wiped your waterline. "It's going to be okay, lassie. This will be closure for all of us." He uttered in a hushed tone. You looked up at him through the mirror and leaned into his touch, exhaling in despair. "I miss him, Johnny." Your voice was hoarse and rash, dehydration ravishing your throat for the past few weeks.

"I know..." Soap held your hand and guided you up from the chair in front of the vanity, standing you on your feet. You looked outside of the window and saw the dark clouds surrounding and crying out their own sorrows onto the earth. "...I miss him, too." A bittersweet smile crept across his face. "Let's get to the yard, they should be about ready to start." Soap encouraged, looking in the mirror to adjust his tie once more before extending his arm to you. You hesitantly intertwined your arm with him, letting him lead you while you walked by his side out of the barracks and into the dimly lit hallway of the base. The echoes of your dress shoes and his radiated down the hallway, and you couldn't bring yourself to look at the window of Ghost's room door. You knew the light would be off, you knew he was never coming home.

(Moonlight on the River -Mac DeMarco) You and Soap made it outside of the facility, and he guided you down the familiar path into the woods. The sudden downpour turned into a soft drizzle, passing over just as quickly as it came. You took notice of the scenery and how it had changed in just the short weeks from winter to spring. The once dead, snow covered trees were blooming with new life, and the mourning doves cried out their song. Flowers and bushes were flourishing with new buds, along with pollinating bees buzzing around the greenery. "Ghost loved you a lot, Y/N." Soap said, breaking the silence of your walk through the woods. You nodded, and kept your face aimed straight ahead of you. "He did?" Your voice broke a bit at your question, but you tried to keep yourself composed. "He did. He looked at you like you were his everything." Soap assured, smiling to himself. "He never said it, but I know he did." You responded, and you could see the clearing of the cemetery coming up. When you and Soap turned the corner, he let go of your elbow.

Price, Gaz, and another male with his back turned surrounded a white cross erected in the ground. You furrowed your brows a bit and walked up to the group. Upon hearing your footsteps against the gravely surface, the three men turned around to face you. Price had his hat off and pressed against his chest, his blue eyes red from tears. Gaz was holding himself together, but you could see the familiar bags under his eyes that you and Soap also carried. You panned to the last man, and your heart sank. "Nolan?" You questioned, your voice finally breaking. "Hey, sis." Nolan greeted with a smile, opening his arms to embrace you into a hug. You ran into his arms and sobbed, grasping him tightly. He held you back and rocked side to side, his chin resting on the top of your head as you cried into his shirt, soaking the fabric with your salty tears. Finally, you looked up to him and wiped your eyes. "How did you... Why did you come here?" You questioned, trying to calm down your heaving breaths. "I broke into General Hodge's office and got Price's number from the file on his computer after I heard what happened to the facility. I figured you had something to do with it, and I was worried. I called Price and told him I knew you, and he told me what happened. He told me you could use someone familiar, so I took the first flight here."