I Feel It In My Bones (Simon "Ghost" Riley x Reader)

Part I: Call of Duty

I'm cross-posting this to Wattpad after the love received on AO3 <3

Hello dears! This is going to be a long ride so buckle in and get comfy. Before you begin, here are a few of disclaimers:

This is written in second person / past tense and is a reader insert. There will be no use of (Y/N), however there is a callsign that will be used instead. The reader's character is female and uses she/her pronouns, and while I will try to make descriptions as generic as possible for immersion, there are a couple of details that should be noted: the reader is Scottish, and has a detailed backstory including an advanced degree. This will make for some fun interactions within the 141.

This work has an original plot and therefore diverges from canon, however, I am aiming to write as realistically as possible when it comes to the storyline, character personalities, and character interactions. There will be aspects of the plot that refer to or are pulled from canon, particularly pieces of dialogue, but the missions themselves will be original.

This is a fairly slow burn and will focus a lot on developing friendships with the members of the 141. Reader is heavily traumatised (same, girl). This work will very much have its roots in the found family trope.

This work is written in British English.

For Wattpad: I'll be going through each chapter and correcting any formatting errors. I've also received comments on AO3 about incorrect translations, which will be updated here once I've gone through them all. 

UPDATE 18/04: A grammar tool completely screwed me over while I was editing the first fifteen chapters, and now I'm having to re-do it all. Read the first few chapters with a grain of salt, I beg. I'm actively working on fixing it! I'm also adding dates, times and locations to each chapter, but this is a work in progress <3

If anyone prefers, I'm happy to be called Decaf!

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{ PART ONE }

The resilience of the human body and mind had always amazed you.

The fragility of the human body and mind had always terrified you.

Those two thoughts had followed you for years. They caressed your mind when you closed your eyes at night, weaved around your throat like a noose as you watched life after life slip away, echoed in the gentle clink of your dogtags as you worked.

But it wasn't until one dismal day in August that you began to associate those words with a person.

And it wasn't until your heart met his that you truly understood their meaning.

WEST COAST MILITARY BASE
SCOTLAND
03 AUGUST, 1100

Alone in one of the stockrooms of the medical bay, you clutched packages of gauze in one hand and a clipboard and paper in the other. The sound of your absent-minded humming sweetened the room as you deliberately took your time checking item after item, pack after pack. You scribbled down numbers and made notes of what needed to be ordered.

It was a simple task that was enough to distract your buzzing mind.

At least, until the door to the inventory flung open, the metal handle slamming into the wall behind.

You spun in place at the sudden sound, rolls of cotton falling to the floor as you prepare to swing the clipboard if need be.

But as you took in the sight before you, you were met with the flushed face of your only friend on base - your only friend anywhere. Sean "Sandman" Holloway.