COD Oneshots / shorts

Night Watch (ghost / reader)

Summary - Ghost and y/n are put on night watch. The night is particularly slow and peaceful, leading to them having a long conversation.

Possible warnings - emotional conversation, ptsd, mentions of violence, substance use

You always hated night watch. There was no real reasoning to your hatred, you just didn't like it. It was boring. After you complained to Price about this, he decided to put you with Ghost, maybe you could find something to talk about.

Ghost sat silently next to a window on the other end of the watch tower. His eyes were continually scanning the horizon, despite him knowing no one was approaching. Ghost always seemed to be on high alert.

He reached into a pocket on his vest and pulled on a cigarette and his lighter. He looked up at you before lighting it, "You smoke?" He asked.

You looked over a him, slightly startled by the broken silence. "No, sorry." You replied dryly. "I stopped years ago."

Ghost nodded, flicking the lighter to light his cigarette. He took a long drag. "What made you stop?" He asked while letting the smoke roll from his mouth.

You thought carefully about your answer. "It was fucking up my lungs. I gotta be able to keep up with you guys in the field, can't do that if I can't breathe." You laughed slightly at the end of your sentence. "When'd you start?" You asked.

He took another drag. "High school. I don't even remember why, just know I can't stop." His response fell smoothly on your ears.

The returning silence seemed to make him uncomfortable, strange. You always took him as the type to enjoy silence.

"You don't seem to have any issue keeping up. Not that I noticed anyway." He kept looking at the horizon. "Not that I'm paying attention to your speed." Was he trying to make an excuse for keeping an eye on you?

You sighed lightly, looking over at him. "I don't mind you paying attention to me in the field, Lt." You took after Ghost, beginning to scan the world around you again. "You keep up pretty well too," you laughed, "not that I was paying attention."

You hoped that you coaxed a smile from him. His eyes squinted a bit.

"You can call me Ghost, kid. I don't mind it if we're alone." His tone had shifted slightly. You couldn't put your finger on the difference. "Just don't let Price hear you."

Frequently, you forgot that Ghost was a lot older than you. At least 14 years older. Him calling you "kid" confused you for a moment. You shifted slightly, moving to be fully leaning on the wall. You hoped he wouldn't notice your discomfort.

Somewhere in the distance you and Ghost heard a gunshot. A single shot, strange. The sniper's attention was immediately trained on the tree line, searching for any movement. "Eyes on the other side of the tower, keep low, weapon drawn." The commanding tone in his voice felt more natural.

You had your rifle ready, using your binoculars to scan the surrounding area. There was nothing. The wind wasn't even blowing.

You heard Ghost's radio chatter to life. "Single gunshot heard from the West of base. Unknown origin, no sign of hostiles yet." He leaned back, no longer in a defensive stance.

"Got it, keep watch. Keep me updated, Lt." Price responded over the radio.

"Stay over there, kid. Ease up, but keep your eyes out." His tone was back to a smooth and nonchalant demeanor, yet somehow it still felt commanding.

You felt your heartbeat quicken. Your hands were shaking. You couldn't pinpoint what was wrong.

Typically, while on night watch, nothing would happen. You would spend six hours staring at nothing, just waiting for time to pass so you could go to bed. Hearing something in the distance put you on edge.