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

The End.

"Enemy on the front lines! Get your asses out there and fight!" The booming words of your superior rang in your ears, barely audible over the consistent gunfire and explosions of war.

Months after you'd been flown back to the US, you'd been drafted into a war overseas. When the news was broken to you, the first thing you did was go to Nolan and express your worries. "Wow! You're on the front lines? I told you you'd be the best one they'd pick!" Nolan congratulated you, and even let you take a bite of his sandwich, which was a very rare occurrence with the food-driven soldier. "Yeah... I'm a little worried though. I don't know why, but I just don't feel ready yet. Not after everything that happened. I keep finding myself zoning out and thinking of Ghost." You explained to Nolan, who looked down at his plate with a somber expression and a mouth full of food. He swallowed the remainder of hit bite and cleared his throat. "I think you'll be fine once the adrenaline hits. Ghost would want you to keep doing what you do best. I know it's been hard for you, and I wish I could take some of the pain away. But right now, the country needs you, Y/N." He assured.

You thanked him, and left the lunch table that day on an empty stomach. Just days later, you were brought to the armory, fitted for updated gear, and thrown onto a passenger helicopter to be deployed on the front lines in the war. Everything happened so fast, but so slow at the same time. All of the pep talks, mission briefs, and orders from your superior just seemed to be fake. Nothing appeared real to you anymore, and part of you didn't want it to be. It was hard to go on without your soulmate, without Ghost. Doing missions with a bunch of strangers, or by yourself didn't feel like the right thing to do anymore. Either way, this was your job, and you still had years of your contract to fight out. The loud swirling blades of the helicopter allowed for you to zone out, that's until the roaring winds began to fill the cabin as the latch opened to allow for the soldiers to file out. The dusty plains of the terrain were illuminated by the red blaring lights mounted on the helicopter, and the dead shrubbery near the helicopter was flung to its side by the rushing winds.

You stood up from the bench of the vehicle, followed by your teammates who were stuffed so tightly into the cabin that you couldn't turn to your side. The masses of you filed out into the sandy terrain of the unfamiliar country, prepped with helmets and a singular weapon. When the helicopter arose from its landing, the loud, resounding noises of gunfire and explosions filled your senses. The adrenaline did in fact shake you from your zoning state of mind, and fling you into survival mode. You drew your weapon, and at the hand signal of your superior, the team rushes forward into battle. Just ahead stood an abandoned city with crumbling architecture and burning homes. The closer you got to the city, the louder the gunfire seemed to get. The members of your team broke away, leaving you to rush in by yourself. You strategically looked around corners, your time in training really showing itself in the field. You took down multiple threats, reacting quicker and quicker each time.

Just when you thought the area was clear, the building that you leaned against for protection erupted into an explosion, sending you forward against the foundation of another home. "Fuck!" You cried out, feeling your head knock against the brick wall of the structure. Your ears began to ring, and your skull pounded as the smoke cleared. You staggered to your feet, the heat of the flames broiling in front of you causing you to push aside any injuries you may have gotten from the impact and move to a safer location. You gripped your gun in your hand, stumbling through the sandy terrain and past flipped cars until you spotted another house to take refuge in. You pushed the door open of the home, slamming it back behind you. Your whole body ached, and you leaned your back up against the door and slid to the ground. "I just need to rest here for a few minutes... and then I can get back to the fight." You whispered to yourself, closing your eyes tightly.

In front of you, you heard the safety of a firearm click and your sweat went cold underneath your gear. You opened your eyes and saw the masked, geared apparition of the enemy standing directly in front of you with his weapon drawn and aimed to your chest. "No!-" Before you could move to draw yours, the enemy pulled his trigger without a word and fired a bullet directly into your chest. You cried out in pain, and the assailant knelt in front of you and took your weapon, breaking the window beside the door open with the butt-end of the firearm and escaping to go assist the enemy in the fight. You felt the blood pour out of your chest, and every ache that you previously had doubled in pain. The room around you began to go hazy, and with every blink it felt like an eternity went by. Not like this. You thought to yourself, your vision finally fading away as your lashes fluttered closed.

The sounds of gunfire were not to be heard when you slowly began to open your eyes, and the aches that once riddled your body were no longer there. When you opened your eyes, you were in the barracks of the 141's base. The sun was shining through your bedside window, the mourning doves were singing their song. You sat up in the bed, looking around at the barracks that were in a hazy, clean condition. You swung your legs over the side of the bed and stood up, walking cautiously to the window to look outside. When you pulled the blinds back, the entirety of the outside was a bright, plain white. "What's going on?" You whispered to yourself, turning back and looking to Soap's side of the room. All of his posters, and every decoration that made his side 'Soap's side', wasn't there. You furrowed your brows in confusion, and your eyes landed on the door that led to the hallway. You walked over to the door, your hand reaching up to hover above the knob. You took a deep breath and swung the door open.

The hallway was all too familiar, the two-toned walls bringing you back to the months you spent at 141's facility. One thing stuck out, though. The windows shone the bright white light just like the one in your barracks. You made your way down the hallway, feeling a bit weirded out and confused at the situation. You looked at the empty name plates down the hallway, the lights in the small windows dark. One room down the hall stuck out to you, and you walked closer to the light coming from the window. Your eyes scanned over the nameplate and widened in shock. The engraving in the silver plate read 'Simon Riley'. "Ghost!" You called out, breaking into a sprint down the hallway. "Ghost!!" You turned the corner, seeing the lounge doors propped open. You bolted down the hallway and turned into the room. There, sitting at the banquet table in front of the giant stained-glass windows, was Ghost. He was gazing out into the white abyss; a longing look on his face. He didn't wear his mask, his features on display for you to see.

"Simon." You called out to him, standing in the middle of the lounge room. Ghost whipped his head around to you, his eyes widening. "Y/N!" He exclaimed, jumping from his seat and running up to you. He swept you off of your feet and into his arms, hugging you close to him with all of his strength. You held him back with equal force, taking in his scent that you'd almost forgotten. "I'm so glad to be able to see you again..." Simon whispered, letting you go. You looked up to him and smiled from ear to ear. "You have no idea... I've missed you so much." Your voice broke as you looked up to the face of your lover, relishing in the moment. Simon's hand went to grasp under your chin, and turned your face to meet his as he leaned in closer. "I've missed you, too. It's been so lonely without you." He pressed his lips onto yours, savoring the long awaited kiss. You turned your head to deepen the kiss and wrapped your arms around his neck.

Simon broke away, leaving a smaller peck on your lips afterwards. "How did you die?" He asked, looking around the lounge. You tilted your head up to him in confusion. "I died...?" You muttered out loud, and suddenly the visions of war flooded your memory. "I died." You stated, looking Simon in his worried eyes. "I was drafted into war, and I got shot..." You explained, still coming to terms with your own death. "This is heaven?" You asked. Simon shrugged his shoulders, biting his lip. "It's something. I don't know what it is, all I know is that I'm glad you're here with me." He assured you, smiling tenderly. "Let's leave all of the pain behind us. Now. How about a game of cards?" He suggested, turning on his heel and looking at the banquet table. You smiled and skipped over to the table. "I thought I'd never hear that proposition again." You took your seat in front of him and waited for him to deal the cards.

Simon shuffled the deck, dealing out the board and then the hands. You snuck a card away from the deck, and Ghost eyed you cautiously. "What are you doing with that?" He asked, seeing you pick up the pen on the tableside. You smirked to yourself and blocked him from seeing what you wrote. He tried peeking, but you shielded your work. Finally, you came up from writing and tossed the pen on the table. You slid him the card, and Simon cautiously took it and turned it over. A bittersweet grin spread across his face, and he reached for the pen to write his message back. He scribbled for a minute, and then returned the pen back to its original location. He slid it back to you, and you rolled your eyes playfully. "Liar." You giggled, making Simon laugh back in return. "Let's play some cards." He suggested, and you put the card to the side which read the following:

You: "I love you more."

Ghost: "I love you most."

A/N: I really hope you enjoyed the story, I'm sorry for making so many of you cry! Thanks for reading and being with me along the way as I wrote this. You're amazing! <3 PS: Soap x Ghost otw? 👀