the little things (simon "ghost" riley x reader)

our little secret

Soap has been in his fair share of safe houses.

He knows what to expect when he hears the words: a sparsely furnished studio stocked with the bare essentials. It's not a problem for him. Safe houses aren't meant to feel like houses; they're there to do their job– to keep their inhabitants safe.

So his confusion is valid when Ghost mumbles something about a "safe house" nearby, only to lead him through the dense woods of the mountains they're stuck in to the coziest-looking cottage Soap has ever seen.

Soap's frozen, unable to stop staring at the two-story stone house with dark ivy creeping up the grey stonework and an actual babbling brook winding around the right side of the house where it runs into a small pond in the front yard. He doesn't know where Ghost, of all people, found the one safe house to come straight out of a fairytale.

"Fuckin' hell Johnny, stop staring like you've never seen a house before." Ghost's hand harshly shoves into Soap's shoulder, and Soap stumbles forward, turning back swiftly to glare at Ghost.

The Lieutenant had been particularly testy for this mission, seeming almost reluctant to take part in any aspect of it; regret had oozed out of every inch of Ghost from the moment he and Soap had touched down here, and Soap can't figure out, for the life of him, why. It wasn't like they were forced to be here; Soap was in the room when Price asked for volunteers for this mission. He remembers with exceptional clarity how Ghost perked up– as much a man like him could– and how the masked man was on his feet the second Price asked for volunteers.

If he was so eager for this mission, why did he seem so resistant to everything about it?

Tired and impatient with Soap's lack of action, Ghost starts up the dirt path toward the cottage. It's not hard to notice how he drags his steps, leaving small trails behind his boots. Soap follows hesitantly, keeping his head on a swivel as they approach the front door. Ghost tries the doorknob only to find it locked; his eyes slide shut, hand tightening around the doorknob before he lets his hand slide from the brass.

"Maybe we can–" Soap doesn't get to finish as Ghost steps back to turn his gaze to the black iron sconce hanging next to the door. He pops one of the glass panes out with practiced ease, reaching in where Soap's only now noticing there's no lightbulb to grab a small golden key. He pops the glass back into place, sliding the key into the lock and turning.

The door swings open, allowing them into the pitch black of the house. For such a quaint-looking home, the endless void that greets Soap when he walks in is something lifted from a horror movie. Ghost shuts the door behind him, leaving Soap standing in the entryway that's illuminated only by the misty grey of what little of the sun's setting light is able to reach through the thick cover of the towering pines and low, looming clouds outside to shine through the small squares of glass on the front door.

"Take your shoes off," Ghost mutters behind him.

"What?" Soap turns around– ready to ask why he should bother with etiquette for a safe house– but finds Ghost already hunched over, one hand on the wall beside him for balance as he unlaces his boots.

Soap copies him, unsure and so so confused. Ghost is as unbothered as ever, disappearing into the darkness of the house while Soap toes out of his boots. He places them next to Ghost's, standing up right as the house illuminates in a soft amber glow.

It's just as cozy inside as it is outside, and Soap is stupefied. His mind can't comprehend the shadowy figure of death and destruction that is his Lieutenant among the picturesque interior of wooden countertops and decorative plants.