COD Oneshots

Si (Ghost)

The first time Y/N called him "Si," Ghost was convinced he hadn't heard her right.

They had been out on a mission, the sun setting behind the ruins they were using as cover. Everything felt routine—until she tossed him a casual, "You good, Si?"

He blinked, his brain taking a second longer than it should have to process. Si? She had never called him that before. Most people barely knew his real name, let alone used it. Simon Riley wasn't a name that got thrown around often, and "Ghost" suited him just fine.

He chalked it up to exhaustion, a slip of the tongue, maybe even some battlefield camaraderie they had developed over the months. Y/N always had a way with people, always warmer and more personable than he'd ever be. He figured she probably used nicknames with everyone.

But the second time she said it, something shifted.

They were back at the base, some downtime between briefings. Y/N was sitting across from him in the mess hall, talking about something he wasn't fully paying attention to—until she said it again.

"Hey, Si, you listening?"

It was like his heart skipped a beat, the familiar rhythm suddenly stumbling over itself. He locked eyes with her, searching for any sign that she was joking, but her expression was as casual as ever. She didn't seem to realize what that name did to him.

"Si."

It was so... familiar. Intimate, even. He wasn't used to that. Ghost—that was who he was. Ghost didn't get close to people. Ghost kept walls around himself, impenetrable, cold. But Simon... Simon had feelings, buried deep under layers of self-preservation and trauma. And when Y/N said his name like that, it cracked something inside him.

Suddenly, he found himself liking it.

It became their thing. No one else dared to call him that, not without a glare from him that could freeze anyone in their tracks. But Y/N? She had a free pass. He didn't mind when she said it; in fact, he waited for it. Every time the nickname slipped from her lips, it felt like a secret they shared, something special just between them. It felt like an acknowledgment that she saw him—not just Ghost, the relentless soldier, but Simon, the man underneath.

But it also stirred something else in him.

He'd always respected Y/N. She was a damn good soldier, smart and capable, someone he could trust with his life. But somewhere along the way, that respect had morphed into something more. At first, he didn't realize it. He told himself it was just normal camaraderie, the bond between teammates who had been through hell together.

Then she called him "Si," and everything became... complicated.

He started noticing little things about her. The way her smile lit up her face, the way she never backed down from a challenge, the way she always had his back. And suddenly, he wasn't sure when it happened, but he found himself wanting more than just a professional relationship. He wanted to know her outside of missions, outside of the base. He wanted to be the reason she smiled, the person she called when she wasn't just a teammate but something more.

But the doubt always crept in. Who was he to think someone like her could want someone like him? He was Ghost, the man who hid behind a mask, the man who didn't let anyone in. She deserved better, someone who wasn't broken.

And yet, when she called him "Si," all those doubts seemed to vanish, if only for a moment. Maybe she did see him—really see him. Maybe that name, that simple nickname, meant something more.

He wrestled with it for days, weeks even. Should he say something? Should he tell her how he felt? He wasn't good at this—he didn't know how to open up, didn't know how to be vulnerable. But with Y/N, he felt like maybe... maybe he could.

One evening, as they sat together, the tension between them simmering just below the surface, she looked over at him and smiled.

"You okay, Si?" she asked, her voice soft, caring.

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, that familiar rush of warmth spreading through him. He swallowed hard, his usual composure slipping just a bit.

"Y/N," he began, the words sticking in his throat. "Why... why do you call me that?"

She tilted her head, her brow furrowing in confusion. "What? Si?"

He nodded, trying to keep his voice steady. "Yeah. Why?"

Her eyes softened, and she leaned back in her chair, as if considering her words carefully. "I guess... I just feel like 'Simon' suits you more than Ghost, at least to me. Ghost is who you are out there," she gestured vaguely to the world beyond the base, "but here? You're Simon. To me, anyway."

His chest tightened, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say. She saw him—really saw him. It was everything he'd been afraid of, and yet everything he'd wanted.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to take the leap. "What if... What if I wanted to be more than just 'Si' to you?"

Her eyes widened slightly, and for a split second, he regretted saying anything. But then her expression softened into a smile, and she reached out, placing a hand on his arm.

"Simon," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "you already are."

In that moment, the walls he had built around himself, the ones that had kept him safe for so long, began to crumble. Maybe it was time to let someone in—time to stop being just Ghost, and start being Simon. Her Simon.

And maybe, just maybe, it was time to take that leap.