She's Bad News- Simon Riley x reader

Forty

__________
{y/n}

I stare at the screen in utter disbelief, my mouth gaping open like a fish out of water. My eyes remain glued to the screen as I take in Simon's face. It was if I was caught between two opposing realities, my senses completely confused as I struggle to make heads or tails from the image in front of me. He seems as real as the air I'm breathing, as if he might be able to step right out of the TV screen and come take me away forever as his image stares down at me with those deep, soulful eyes.

My phone rang, but I ignored it. The lump in my throat was not going away anytime soon. The caller stopped trying to get through after three rings.

His face so familiar, yet so different in the months that have passed since this was recorded. But despite the changes in his appearance, it's still Simon. The lines of his face are more defined now, and his hair is much shorter. His beard is clean shaven, revealing his strong jaw and cheekbones that seemed to stand out just a little bit more. It's like time has stood still, and I'm staring at his face from months in the past, a face I hadn't completely seen until much later. Like a breath-taking sunrise over a serene landscape, I am transfixed by the sight of him, both drawn to him and wanting to hold onto every memory. Even as his appearance has changed over the months since this video was recorded, the sight of him takes me right back to that moment we first met.

Simon faces the camera with a nervous smile, his eyes darting from side to side as he tries to decide where to look. He appears tense and uncomfortable as he sits on the bed, his knee bouncing up and down. His body language betrays the tension he feels at leaving a message like this.

My hands tremble as I reach for the remote, the anticipation growing as I hover my finger over the play button to resume. As I push the play, the noise of the video fills the room and I am suddenly taken back to that place where it all began.

.
.
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Hey Y/n...

Look ah, I never understood why people make this sort of thing. Making a video like this feels fucking stupid if I'm being honest but, Caleb said it helps to let what you feel inside out...I can't talk to this about anyone, not yet but maybe saying it in front of this camera might help.

I've never had to do this for anyone before. I never had anyone that meant anything to me...uh. Until now that is.

I know you're in the infirmary right now, blissfully asleep. You have no idea of the impact you've had on us all. Price reads the paper to you every morning, even though you can't respond. Gaz talks you up about his missions, knowing you would have been the first to volunteer. And Soap has drawn hundreds of portraits of you, trying to capture every angle of your face.

Witnessing you in that state, it was difficult...I won't deny that. As I looked at you, lying there, helpless and wounded, a cascade of memories washed over me. I was transported back to the moment when I lost my family and the profound impact it had on me. In that moment, I was faced with a stark reminder of the fragility of life. How easily one can lose someone they care about. And for the first time, I understood truly on a deeper level how mortal we all are.

Your life hanging in the balance, time ground to a halt as the only thought in my head was you and the repercussions if I lost you. I felt like I was losing my mind out there...like everything we were fighting for had become meaningless and pointless. But seeing you there as you fought to stay alive, my priorities were instantly clarified. I realized what really mattered, and I would fight with everything I had to protect it.

Y'know, as a boy my mother always told me that when you believe in something, you should never let it go. You fight for it. Hold onto it like your life depends on it. I was young then, too young to truly understand the weight of those words. But they stayed with me. And now, here I am. Fighting for what I believe in. What I care about.