Simon "Ghost" Riley x Reader

Forty-One

Wrapped in silence, you squatted against the wall, your finger on the trigger, ready to shoot someone at any moment.

Your gaze was fixed on the tips of your black boots.
Alejandro had his back pressed against the wall on the other side. He too was waiting, albeit with less patience.

Ghost kept his place next to you.

You could feel his eyes roaming over your face.

It irritated your already strained nerves.

With one eyebrow raised, you tilted your head slightly, just enough to return his gaze, and pursed your lips.

"What?", your voice sounded more tense than you had intended.

He just stared at you. Then a deep breath escaped his broad chest.

It could almost have been a sigh. But only almost.

"It amazes me how different you and your brother are.", he explained in a calm way, as if he had to think for himself what he wanted to say next. "And yet one knows immediately that you are MacTavish's."

Slightly irritated and yet offended by his words, you frowned.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?", you asked, coming menacingly close to him.

But Ghost wouldn't have been Ghost if he had let himself be intimidated by something so banal.

Unmoved, he shrugged his shoulders.

"You argue like two wolves. Always at each others throat. But the reports say that you work together successfully. Without question."

A mocking sound escaped you. You almost had to laugh.

"We only get along occasionally."

"And yet you stick together. You are not a good team. But you are a good team."

"That doesn't make sense."

"Neither does your relationship with your brother."

Now he had reached the point where you were ready to feel attacked

With your eyebrows drawn together, you looked at his mask for a moment before grabbing his shoulder and giving it a warning squeeze.

"My problems with my brother are none of your concern.", you reminded him, making it clear that the subject was closed.

He hummed in agreement. But it didn't seem as if he was particularly interested in how this conversation ended anyways.

"You two should talk things out.", Alejandro said suddenly.

Annoyed that he had to throw in his two cents as well, you rolled your eyes.

"I asked for no one's opinion, thank you very much.", you glanced at him out of the corner of your eye. "Besides, we've always been like this."

A small smirk appeared on his bearded face.

"I don't know if that is supposed to be a good thing."

You clenched your teeth.

"Not your business."

His eyes met yours.

"The success of this mission is my business in particular.", he reminded you, leaning forward to deepen the eye contact. "And I won't let some sibling rivalry risk it. I've waited too long for this moment."

You pressed your lips into a thin line.

You had no intention of sabotaging his goal.

But just as you allowed Alejandro to finish the mission his way, you also expected him to let you solve your problems.

It didn't matter if you and your brother had a good relationship. All you wanted was recognition.

And in the best case, Johnny would finally understand that you were no longer the small, scared child who hid from the world behind his back.

Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath and held it until your lungs began to burn.

Then you breathed out again.

Newfound calm spread through your body. Tension disappeared.

"Soap, how far have you got?", you asked over the radio.

You were already expecting a biting answer.

"Almost done.", he simply replied.

There was no defiance in his voice. Not even the will for a little teasing.

Probably he also slowly lost the will.

After all these years of quarrelling and wanting you to leave the army, he too probably had no strength left to maintain the tension between the two of you.

Instead, there was indifference in his voice.

It hurt to hear him like that, so calm and without sarcasm.
He no longer sounded like your brother.

Instead, he had become a stranger.

Or maybe you had become a stranger too.

At least you two were no longer the children your mother had terrorised for years.

You were adults now. Tired, worn out adults who were tired of being held down by the past.

Something tightened in your chest at the thought.

"Fucking hell...", you whispered to yourself and signalled Alejandro to get ready. "Soap, we're going in. I want you and Gaz to split up and take sides. No matter what happens, don't take the main entrance."

"Roger that, 100.", Gaz answered.

Two shadows appeared in the distance.

The two of them were not that far away anymore.

That meant you and the other two had only a small lead. In the event of a disaster, it would still be possible to call for help in time.

You quickly exchanged a glance with Ghost for reassurance.

He nodded.

"Captain, we're going in.", you informed Price.

"Affirmative, 100.", the Brit allowed. "We'll hold outside. Send a signal when you have El Sin Nombre."

Alejandro placed a hand on the open door.

You raised your gun.

Some kind of tension chased through your body. Your breathing flattened and out of reflex you held your breath.

Suddenly everything around you went silent.

All you could focus on was the gap that grew wider with every little movement.

Light cut through the dark.

The corridor was empty. No one was waiting.

Why would they keep a way illuminated, if nobody used it?

That almost felt like an invite.

As if somebody expected visitors. Unwanted visitors.

As a breeze swept through the corridor you could feel a strange coldness.

Why did the house feel deserted?

"Amigo.", Alejandro stopped you from coming forward. "No matter what, I want her alive."

A slight twitch ran through your face.

"I can't guarantee anything.", you said.

The expression in his eyes darkened.

"Then I want to pull the trigger."