COD Oneshots

Dreams (Ghost)

Ghost sat in the dimly lit corner of his small, sparsely furnished living room, the silence of the night wrapping around him like a suffocating blanket. The mask, which had become a second skin to him, rested on the table in front of him, a stark reminder of the person he had been—or perhaps still was. Simon Riley, the man behind Ghost, had lived a life marred by loss, violence, and a darkness that seemed to cling to his very soul.

But then Y/N had walked into his life like a ray of sunlight piercing through the thick fog that had surrounded him for so long. He hadn't expected to meet someone like her, someone who could see through the layers of armor he had built around himself. He wore his mask to keep the world at bay, to keep people at a distance. It was easier that way—no attachments, no pain. But Y/N had been different from the start.

She didn't flinch when she first saw him with his mask on. Instead, she met his gaze with a quiet strength that unnerved him more than he cared to admit. And when he tried to push her away with excuses—canceling dates, avoiding her calls—she called him out on his bullshit. She didn't let him hide behind his excuses or his mask. She wanted the real Simon Riley, not the ghost he had become.

At first, he didn't know what to do with that. How could someone like her want someone like him? He was damaged, haunted by memories that wouldn't let him rest, by nightmares that replayed the worst moments of his life on a loop every night. He had lost too many people he cared about, and the thought of losing Y/N too terrified him more than he was willing to admit. So he kept his distance, tried to protect her from the darkness that followed him wherever he went.

But Y/N was relentless. She saw the man he was beneath the mask, the man who wanted to be close to her more than anything but was too afraid to let himself have that. And slowly, he began to let her in, though it terrified him. He let himself feel something other than the cold, numbing emptiness that had been his constant companion for so long.

The first night they spent together was a turning point. He had expected the same restless tossing and turning, the same nightmares that had haunted him for over a decade. But instead, he slept. For the first time in what felt like forever, he slept deeply and peacefully, without the usual terror chasing him through his dreams.

And when he dreamed, it wasn't of death or loss. It was of Y/N, of her smile, of the warmth of her presence beside him. He dreamed of a life where he wasn't haunted by his past, where he could be happy with her. He even dreamed of his late family, not the painful memories of their deaths, but of the good times, the love they had shared. It was a dream so vivid, so full of life, that when he woke up, he could hardly believe it had been just that—a dream.

As he sat there in the quiet of his house, thinking about the last few months, Ghost realized just how much Y/N had changed him. She had seen through the mask, through the walls he had built around himself, and she had loved him anyway. She had given him something he hadn't felt in a long time—hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe, he could have a life beyond the ghosts of his past, that he could be more than the man who wore the mask.

And in that moment, Simon Riley knew that he didn't want to lose her. He was still afraid, still haunted by the fear that something would happen to take her away from him. But he also knew that he couldn't go back to the way things were before her. She had become a part of him, a light in the darkness, and he wasn't going to let that go.

For the first time in a long time, Simon felt something like peace settle over him. He reached for the mask on the table, running his fingers over the familiar material. But this time, when he put it back on, it didn't feel as heavy as it usually did. Because now, he wasn't just Ghost. He was also Simon Riley, and he had someone worth fighting for, someone worth living for.

And that made all the difference.

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Y/N walked into the room, her presence filling the air with warmth and a softness that contrasted sharply with the shadows surrounding Ghost. She gave him a look filled with love, one that seemed to dissolve the tension that had settled in his chest. With a gentle smile, she moved to sit on his lap, her arms wrapping around his shoulders, grounding him in the moment.

As she settled against him, her fingers slid over the cool surface of his mask, tracing the edges with a tenderness that made his heart race. Her touch was delicate, almost reverent, and it sent shivers down his spine. She knew the stories hidden behind the mask, the pain and scars that came with it, yet she saw beyond that—saw him, Simon.

With a playful glint in her eye, she slid her fingers along the bottom of the mask, brushing against the skin of his neck. He felt the warmth of her fingertips as they traced soft patterns on his skin, and for a moment, all his worries faded away. It was just the two of them, cocooned in their little world, away from the chaos of his life. She moved his mask up and over his head to see his face.

But the reality of the situation loomed over them like a dark cloud. She knew he would have to leave soon, another mission on the horizon. It was a familiar pain, one they had both grown used to, but that didn't make it any easier. Y/N was determined to cherish this moment with him, to hold onto every second they had left before he had to go.

"Promise me," she said softly, her voice almost a whisper, "when you come back, we'll finally go on that hiking trip we talked about. Just you and me, no masks, no missions—just us."

Ghost felt a flicker of hope at her words, the thought of a future together sparking something warm inside him. "I promise," he replied, his voice low and steady. "We'll do everything we've talked about and more."

She smiled at him, her eyes shining with a mix of love and determination, but he could see the hint of sadness lurking just beneath the surface. "Just come back to me, okay? You know I can't stand the thought of losing you," she said, a hint of vulnerability creeping into her voice.

His heart ached at her words. He wanted to reassure her, to tell her that he would always come back, but the truth was complicated. The fear of losing her was a weight he carried, one he couldn't shake off entirely. Instead, he reached up and gently cupped her face in his hand, tilting her chin up to meet his gaze.

"I don't want to leave," he admitted, the honesty spilling out between them like an unbreakable bond. The truth hung in the air, heavy yet liberating.

Y/N's eyes widened slightly, and he could see the flicker of hope there as well. She leaned in closer, their foreheads almost touching, and in that moment, the world around them faded completely. There were no missions, no masks, just the two of them sharing an intimate moment that felt suspended in time.

With a gentle sigh, she closed the distance between them, her lips brushing against his with a tenderness that sent sparks flying. He deepened the kiss, pouring all the emotions he had bottled up into that one connection—love, fear, longing. It felt electric, grounding him in the here and now, reminding him of everything worth fighting for.

As they finally broke apart, both of them breathless, he couldn't help but rest his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling in the quiet of the room. He knew he would carry this moment with him into the darkness of the missions ahead, a beacon of hope to guide him through the shadows.

"Stay safe," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, as if saying it too loudly would break the spell of their moment.

"Always," he replied, his heart full as he promised her yet again. "And I'll be back before you know it. Just wait for me."

With one last lingering kiss, they held onto each other a moment longer before the reality of his departure loomed once more. He could feel the weight of his mission pressing down on him, but as he looked into her eyes, he felt a flicker of determination ignite within him.

As he prepared to leave, Simon Riley knew he would return to her—back to the light she had brought into his life, back to a future that now felt possible. And in that certainty, he found the strength to face whatever awaited him, knowing that Y/N would be there, waiting for him with open arms.