Chasing a Ghost

Chapter Two

Quiet breaths filled the dimly lit room. It was an odd feeling for Simon, having a young woman laid in his bed and sleeping soundly. He wasn't really sure how he felt about it. Deep down, he thought it was wildly inappropriate for a Lieutenant to have one of his subordinates, more notably a female one, laid in his bed and sleeping soundly. But then again, it would also feel wrong to leave her stranded outside, cold and drunk, until their unit members returned from the bar.

He gazed quietly at the back of her head, his mind filled with random thoughts. She faced towards the wall, her hair strewn out all over his pillow. It made him feel full, somehow. He tried to ignore the way the blanket curved from her shoulders, dipped at the waist, and raised again at the hips. She was only a coworker to him, but as a man who spent most nights alone, it was hard not to notice.

He took another sip of whiskey, the effects of it finally loosening him up. Simon didn't consider himself to be a DD for the night, he just didn't like lowering his inhibitions surrounded by so many people. Inebriation was a state he only ever achieved with few trusted companions.

His thoughts continued wafting around, this way and that, when finally his phone dinged in his pocket. He pulled it out and read the text on the screen from Soap: I jsut relized i still have Y/N's keys do yuo know if she made it homem????

Soap's concern was evident through the text, so Ghost responded promptly. Yes. I'll wake her up. Come get her and take her back to the room.

Soap's response: ...why she in your room LT?

Simon: Because someone let her leave the bar wasted without her keys.

Simon didn't wait for a response after that. He turned to his bed, wondering what might be the best way to wake the sleeping girl. He'd been warned that she wakes up terribly grumpy and that fact would likely be exacerbated by her drunkenness. She'd only gotten to sleep for about an hour. He stood and moved over to the bed. He started by whispering her name quietly so as not to cause her to startle. But that did not work against the sleeping woman. He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder, shaking her lightly and saying her name. But she didn't respond at all.

More forcefully now, he shook her harder. "Y/N!" He kept shaking until finally she began waking up.

"Hmm-mmmm?" She turned over, her eyelids raising and he paused for a moment, caught in her drowsy eyes. She looked kind of... cute, all sleepy like that.

He quickly pushed the thought away. "Soap made it back. Time to go home."

She blinked at him, once, twice. As if she hadn't heard him. "Come on," Simon said gruffly, growing a bit impatient. "Get out of my bed. I have to sleep too."
"I don't want to."

She saw some emotion flicker between his eyes before he responded. "Sorry, soldier. Now get your arse out of my bed before I get physical."

Then she fucking winked at him. Smiled sleepily. Closed her eyes, and tugged the blanket up to her chin once again.

"...You silly cunt," He muttered under his breath. He grabbed the blanket and tugged it down and off her, tossing it to the floor and leaning into her more closely. He stared her straight in the eyes like a predator eyeing its prey. It kind of scared her this time, but she knew he wouldn't hurt her.

"Mind yourself, Y/N. Don't start something you can't finish."

Her bottom lip poked out in a pout. Her eyes were red and glossy - she still looked drunk. "Sim-oooonnnn," she whined. "Why won't you just let me sleep in here?"

Exasperated, Ghost's head fell and he looked like an annoyed father struggling to wake a child up for school. "Did you not hear what I said?" His Manchester accent came out strong. "I have to sleep too."

"Just sleep with me!"

There was a moment's pause as Simon's eyebrows raised beneath the mask, but she could see the surprise written across his face. She congratulated herself internally for finally being able to stop the man in his tracks. But that didn't last long. The next thing she knew, his strong hands came down and around her, pulling her up by her shoulders. It wasn't enough to deter her, though, as she fell limp in his hands and pretended to be dead, her head rolling back as she left all her weight on him, not budging at all.

"Y/N, you silly brat, I'm going to fire your ass tomorrow." The end of his sentence was spoken with somewhat of a grunt as he wrapped his arms around her fully, pulling her into his chest and not-so-nicely yanking her to her feet. She was truly putting on a spectacle, not even trying to hold herself up when he finally got her out of the bed, still deadweight in his arms. But he looked down at her, head rolling against his chest, and he saw a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

She thought it was funny.

"Stand up before I drop you on the floor!" When she didn't respond, Ghost heaved a heavy sigh and halfway picked her up, halfway dragged her to the door, still supporting her under his left arm and using the right one to yank it open.

And there Soap stood, his expression taking in the sight that was before him. A drunken Y/N, held up only by the Lieutenant's arms, her head rolling around on his chest as he wore one of the most annoyed expressions Johnny had seen in a while.

Then she cracked her eye open, saw Soap, and everything was normal again. She stood up straight finally, expression turning from dazed and sleepy to excited and happy the moment she saw her friend.

"Soap!" she exclaimed, quickly stumbling over to him and grabbing his arms so as not to fall. She threw a look over her shoulder, giving Ghost the evil eye. "Ghost was mean to me," she pouted.

Soap was amused, but Ghost was not. Once Y/N had passed the threshold of his room, he shut the door on them both, wanting to slap that shit-eating grin off of Johnny's smug face. She was his problem now.

He turned to his room, picking the blanket up off the floor and tossing it on the bed. God, what a mess that girl is, he thought to himself before taking off his shirt and climbing into bed.

He laid there for a few moments, staring up at the ceiling. The spot was still slightly warm from where Y/N laid moments ago. He thought back on her behavior, knowing she was only acting that way because she'd drank so much at the bar. If it were almost anyone else, he would have followed through with his "I'll fire you tomorrow" comment. But she was truly a good member of the team. A bit silly, but very talented with weapons. Very smart, with a good approach to most situations. Small and stealthy when times called for it.

He leaned over and flicked off the light, bathing himself in darkness once again. His thoughts drifted quietly to the shape of the girl who slept so placidly in his bed for the last hour. Thought once again about the way his blankets hugged her curves. The way she'd blinked at him silently after he woke her up. The way she whined at him.

That godforsaken fucking wink.

He took a deep breath... mind filled with thoughts that stressed him the hell out. Then with a heavy, almost begrudging sigh, he pulled the blankets up to his face. Took in a deep breath. Seeing if she had left behind any remnants of her scent.