Silver-Lining (Ghost Riley x Reader)

Chapter Thirty-Three

A/n: You guys are welcome for this chapter🤭

Memories. They all pool into my mind as I reminisce about the sweet, sweet memories. Memories with Task 141. After I killed Graves everyone besides Ghost went out for drinks to celebrate. He claimed he was, "too tired." We all knew that meant he just wanted to be alone. And so he did. That entire night I couldn't shake off this weird feeling. The same feeling is buried so deep inside my gut even as I'm sitting here, looking around the neat room. Looking at the duffle bag that sat neatly packed on the end of my bed.

It was home-sickness. This place was my home. Task 141 was me home. I let out a sigh, holding the dog tags in my hands. I looked down to see Ace's name printed out in letters embedded in metal. "What do I do?" I questioned myself silently. I was never religious. Even in the worst times when I was on the brink of death, each jagged breath getting further from my lips and into my lungs, I never prayed.

But for some reason, I found myself praying. For a sign. A sign of whether I should stay or go. I looked at my door, hoping Ghost would walk in. Only Alejandro, Soap, and Gaz shared small moments with me, knowing I would leave today.

I hoped to share something with Ghost before we parted. He had stayed in his room all day which was unlike him. The sadness dwelled on us, sprinkling over us all as it became one with the morning air. The reminiscent memories became more like ghosts as it all slowly slipped away from me, my grasp weakening as I held onto it by my fingertips.

I stood up from the bed, feeling the sadness swarm around me. Pieces of me felt as if they were being chipped away as I reached for my bag. I looked at the notepad that sat neatly on my desk, a black pen placed neatly on top of it. I walked over to it, yanking the cap off of the pen before writing on the notepad. I had already said my goodbyes to everyone except Ghost. I knew he wanted to be alone, so instead, I wrote a letter. My hand began to cramp up but I still continued writing until I felt the note explained everything.

The sound of the paper tearing from the spine of the notebook filled my ears. I reached down, grabbing my duffel bag, and slung it over my shoulder. The weight of the duffle bag made me realize that all of this was real. It was happening. I was really leaving. Was this the wrong thing to do?

I walked closer to my door, the sound of my footsteps slowly getting quieter as it echoed into my mind. My door creaked as I opened it slowly, looking directly at Ghost's door. I folded the paper in my hands and walked closer. I crouched down, slipping the paper under his door before turning around and walking away.

I walked out of the front door, the heavy door slamming shut behind me. Soap and Gaz waited by the Jeep, insisting they escort me to the chopper.

"We're really gonna miss you, y/n." Gaz was the first one to speak up. Tears glistened over his brown eyes, the tears not falling just yet. "It's sad to see ya go." Soap chimed in. I wrapped my arms around the duo, pulling them in close to me as I hugged them tightly. Slow tears trailed down my cheeks as my heart completely shattered into pieces. I quickly wiped the tears once I pulled away, hoping they didn't see.

"Let's get going before this turns into an ultimate chick-flick moment," I told them, earning a few chuckles.

~Ghost's pov~

I sat on the edge of the bed, hunched over with my elbows pressed against my knees. My mask sat neatly beside me. My eyes were trained on the wall and I wanted so desperately to pull myself from my thoughts. Today, y/n would be leaving. I was hurt and I wanted to turn the hurt into anger. But even then, I knew I could never be angry with her.

I could hear small footsteps outside my door. I looked over to see a white sheet of paper that had been folded neatly slide under my door. When the footsteps retreated down the hall I finally got up to retrieve it.

I reached for the paper, picking it up from the floor. I opened it to see black ink etched perfectly into cursive words. It was y/n's handwriting. I read over the words, feeling the sadness and joy consume me all at once.

Dear Simon,

I never wanted to part like this. I never wanted to go. And everything about me leaving sucks.

But one last silver-lining.

The silver-lining is ever getting to meet you. To share memories and conversations with one another that we couldn't share with anyone else. Feeling your lips against mine... feeling loved. And being in love. I never thought I would've been able to experience that.

But the biggest silver-lining of all... falling in love with you. The way you murmur softly in your sleep, the way the sun melted into your eyes, the way you let out breathy chuckles or even threw your head back in laughter. From your scars to your heart, I fell in love with it all. I fell in love with you, Simon. And the golden moments are the moments I shared with you.

Hopefully, someday you'll find the silver-lining in life and you'll be at peace because you deserve it,  Simon. I love you.

- y/n

My heart ached as I finished reading the letter. My breathing hitched as that feeling I hadn't felt in so long washed over me. Heartbreak. And it hurt pretty damn bad. I knew I couldn't let her leave. Even if she wanted to leave, I couldn't let her go without knowing how much I loved her. This felt like some cheesy romance movie, like the ones Knives forced me to watch with her to "educate" me. Even when I hated watching those movies I still did because I loved spending time with her. I loved her.

I grabbed my mask and  pulled it over my head, and covered my face. The cloth slid against my skin, that familiar feeling leaving a trail of warmth against my flesh. I pocketed the letter and rushed out of the room. I grabbed the car keys that belonged to the Jeep as I rushed toward it. I was determined to reach her. I had to.

~Your pov~

Soap opened my door for me as I hopped out of the car. "Here ya go," Gaz said as he handed me the duffle bag he carried for me. "Thank you." I kindly thanked him as I took the bag from him. My eyes landed on the pilot as he stood in front of the chopper. The sun reflected off of his sunglasses that shielded his eyes. He stood straight, his hands folded neatly in front of him. He didn't speak a word and his face was set in stone.

"You will always be a part of Task Force 141," Gaz told me as he pulled me in for a hug. Soap wrapped his arms around me also, creating a small group hug. "We'll never forget you." His Scottish accent sounded heartwarming and as friendly as it did the first day I arrived. "I'll never forget you two idiots either." I smiled, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill.

As soon as they pulled away, I wanted to beg them not to let go. I stepped toward the chopper, walking closer. The mechanical whir of the rotor blades poured into my ears as I stepped closer. The pilot gave me a head nod before getting in the front seat to steer the chopper.

I put on my headset as I got inside, strapping the seatbelt over me. As soon as the headset came in contact with my ears, the whirring sounds instantly died down. The chopper slowly began lifting from the air as the pilot looked at his surroundings.

"I think you have one more visitor." The pilot told me. I poled my head out, watching as Ghost ran toward the chopper. "Lower the helicopter!" I told him. He nodded his head as he lowered the chopper. I unbuckled my seatbelt as I jumped out of the chopper. Ghost didn't stop running. He ripped his mask off as soon as he got close enough, crashing his body into mine. His arms wrapped tightly around me and I could feel my feet get lifted from the ground.

His lips crashed against mine, capturing me in a kiss. My head began to spin as every thought I had before trickled away. Our lips moved passionately in sync as my arms wrapped tightly around him. "Don't... leave..." He spoke between each perfect kiss he continued to press against my lips.

When we pulled away, our forebears were pressed against each other as we tried catching our breath. "Don't leave y/n. I love you." He confessed.

My eyes looked into his softly as I pressed my lips against his once more. Even though this kiss shared the convoluted emotions and feelings we felt toward one another, it was more gentle and softer than the last one. I kissed him tenderly before pulling away, my eyes looking into his. "I love you too.