treasurecitymoonchild

[treasurecitymoonchild]

dad!Ghost

[treasurecitymoonchild]

Chapter 4 - The Death of Me

story: The Lieutenant's Shadow - Simon 'Ghost' Riley x Reader

cw: fem!reader, guns, explosions, angst, a bit of fluff? ig, teasing, mentions of sexual activities but no smut (not yet ;))

word count: 3,532

chapter summary: Your mind wanders to places it shouldn't as your first mission takes an unexpected turn.

read this chapter on ao3

It's been a week since the unusual first meeting with your Lieutenant.

You didn't expect your first time talking to Ghost to be like that. You didn't expect him to be like that. He acted like a complete asshole towards you that night, not giving a shit about his soon-to-be partner standing in front of him. It wasn't particularly a first meeting for in the books.

And yet, you hadn't been able to stop thinking about him.

Something awakened in you that day, something unfamiliar. It was a feeling you had tried to stop from nestling in your mind and heart for years. A feeling you had forced yourself to ban from your personal list of feelings. Because of self-protection and professionalism, but mostly because you weren't ready for anything related to love. Not after what happened last time.

It, therefore, came as a complete surprise to you that the little devil on your shoulder decided to say fuck it to that long-cherished way of thinking and make you more than just a little interested in a man whose face you haven't even seen.

The only thing of him you'd seen were his eyes. They had you in awe from the moment they met yours. Their brown colour reminded you of the dried-out swarthy soil in your childhood backyard that you used to draw figures in with your hands when you were younger. The remnants of soil used to be stuck underneath your fingernails, just like he was currently stuck inside your mind.

Since your first meeting a week ago, you hadn't spoken to Ghost the way you had that night. In fact, you hadn't spoken directly to him at all. You joined in on conversations where he was present, and you listened to his orders, but you didn't dare talk to him or answer one of his questions.

You tried not looking at him too much either, even though that failed massively. You'd already caught yourself staring at him multiple times. Your eyes shot towards him to catch a glimpse of his presence every time he passed by and they were unable to retrieve from their subject of interest.

Sometimes, you could feel eyes on you as well. Your back would get warm at the feeling, as if two laser beams were pointed at you. When you turned to look at what or who it was, you were never successful to catch someone staring at you or see a head quickly turning the other way. Except for one time.

You were outside having a smoke on your fourth day, right before dinner. You had walked up to one of the SUVs on the terrain, admiring it. You had placed your cigarette in your mouth, both hands tracing the spare tire on the back of the car, checking it for any rips or signs it might need to be replaced.

Suddenly, you got the feeling that you weren't alone out there. Your senses had become relatively well-developed over the years, so you knew exactly when another presence was around you.

You turned around with caution, your right hand hovering over the knife in the cover clinging to your belt. You tensed when your eyes landed on Ghost, who was leaning against the wall of the safehouse.

He was standing in the exact same spot as when the two of you first met. Instead of it being dark, it was still light out, making it clearly visible that he was staring at you. 

Hard.

He didn't care to look away, his eyes taking in every part of your presence in front of him. His evasive behaviour of the past four days was non-existent. It didn't take you long until you returned the same energy, blatantly staring back at him while crossing your arms. Your cigarette was almost burned to the filter, the ashes threatening to lose their battle with gravity.

After a couple of long seconds, the smoke started irritating your eyes, causing you to blink erratically. You rubbed them with the back of your hands to make the burning feeling go away, which made you temporarily lose your vision of the man in front of you. When you opened your eyes again, he was gone.

That specific moment had caused you to think. You could've sworn you started alone out there, and that he had either spawned out of nowhere or followed you outside. The latter seemed more logical. But if he did, then why did he follow you? Did he want to talk to you? He didn't look like he was about to speak up, he just stood there.

Staring at you.

You started thinking about the way he was looking at you. His eyes were filled with so many emotions, yet you couldn't place them at all when they met yours. Was it anger, curiosity, or perhaps... lust?

You hated yourself for even thinking of the last option. Yes, you were attracted to him, but you couldn't think of your lieutenant like that. The army isn't a place for love and lust, so you tried shaking off that feeling, no matter how badly you didn't want to. You secretly really wanted to get to know the mysterious man underneath the skull mask.

You couldn't help but wonder if he felt something similar, but cursed at yourself for even thinking another thing that was so stupid. He probably didn't give a damn about you. Like a good lieutenant, he was focused on the mission. He wouldn't let his mind wander off to some girl who just joined his Task Force.

You tried your absolute best to ignore your feelings, as far as that was possible. But whenever your eyes landed on him, your heart started beating faster. It was like a schoolgirl having her first crush on the handsome boy in her class. Except, this boy was a man, who was also years older than you. You also didn't know if he was handsome, but with his beautiful brown eyes and tall muscular body, you couldn't imagine the rest of him being ugly.

You were currently out on your first mission as a member of the Task Force. It was a scoping mission, intended to explore the surroundings of Al Mazrah and take out any enemies that were surrounding the perimeter of Hassan's possible hideout.

You were joined by Soap and Ghost. The three of you were currently sweeping through all of the apartments of an abandoned flat. Soap was walking up front, keeping his silenced assault rifle steadily aimed while slowly tip-toeing through the hallway. You were really glad about Soap being there. You would've dreaded being alone with your lieutenant right now. Although, the idea also kind of excited you.

What also excited you, was the fact that Ghost was walking behind you. Any normal person wouldn't have thought anything about that, but not you. You internally hoped, no, begged that he was looking at your ass. You couldn't help but force your ass back a little bit further whenever you squatted down.

Soap puts his fist up, signalling for you and Ghost to stop walking. He uses the barrel of his gun to slightly push a door open that led to one of the apartments. You stop dead in your tracks, with Ghost doing the same, but only a second later. That gave him the perfect opportunity to scoot a bit closer to you. Did he just do that on purpose?

The action made your breath hitch in your throat, but you tried silencing the sound that came with it just as fast. You try to focus on Soap, who was hiding behind the door scanning the room to see if it was safe, but the presence of your lieutenant so close behind you makes you internally scream.

"Clear," Soap says. He opens the door all the way, walking in while lowering his rifle to his side. You do the same, the warmth of Ghost's presence behind you disappearing.

Ghost makes sure to close the door behind him, in case there were any other enemies inside the building. You look around the room, your eyes landing on what looks like a children's play corner. The toys were spread across the floor, some already covered in a thin layer of dust.

You make your way over to the corner. An unfinished drawing lay on the floor, crayons scattered around it. You squat down to examine it. The child had been drawing a beach scene, the blue crayon they had used to fill in the sea had hastily been dropped on top of the artwork. You trace your finger across the pigmented wax, the blue colour staining your finger.

"What happened to you?" you ask just above a whisper to no one in particular.

The sound of your lieutenant's voice surprises you.

"Probably taken by AQ. If they were healthy, AQ would use the boys as child soldiers and the girls as slaves. If not,"

He kept quiet.

His comment makes you turn your head towards him. Because of his sudden decision to actually talk to you, but mostly because of what he just said. It made you feel an incredible amount of heartbreak, guilt and sadness at the same time.

Ghost is standing a few feet away from you, just far enough to be able to look over your shoulder at the drawing. Your eyes meet for a brief moment, and you could've sworn that you saw his eyes soften. Without thinking too much about it, you turn your head back towards the artwork. You want to take it, and cherish it, but you don't. You stand up again, leaving the drawing in its original spot.

Praying to God that the child may ever come home to finish it.

"Guys! Come check this out," Soap yells from the other room, a little too loud for Ghost's liking.

"Quiet, Soap! There might still be others around," he sternly tells the sergeant, giving him an annoyed look.

Soap peeks his head through the door, shooting his lieutenant an apologetic look.

"Sorry, Lt. But you gotta see this," he says while beaming at you and Ghost.

You furrow your eyebrows, glancing over towards Ghost. He returns the action, side-eyeing you while being unsure of what to do. You shrug, making your way towards the room that Soap was in. Ghost follows you without saying another word.

As you step inside, you are met with Soap rummaging through a cabinet. Intrigued, you walk closer to him, only for him to turn his head towards you and Ghost with a big smile.

"It's a CD collection!" Soap says while proudly holding up two CDs of an Arabic singer.

Ghost sighs. The corners of your mouth curl up in a small smile.

"As if you can even understand anything he's singing about," you say while chuckling. Soap shoots you an unamused look.

"That's not the point, Viper. Do you have any idea how long it's been since we've listened to some good ol' tunes?"

You shake your head.

"Weeks, months! And besides, music is not just about what someone's singing about," Soap says slightly but sarcastically agitated, turning his head back towards the collection in the cabinet.

A pile of about thirty CDs, mostly Arabic, are stacked inside. Soap flips through them, trying to find anything he recognizes.

"It's what you call good old tunes," Ghost mutters under his breath, glancing towards the CDs in front of Soap.

His comment makes you chuckle, and you can feel Ghost turning his head towards you. You keep looking at the situation in front of you, anxious to meet Ghost's eyes and see the look on his face. After a couple of seconds, you notice his gaze shifting elsewhere in the corner of your eye, which makes you relax a bit.

"Aha!" Soap exclaims. He holds up a CD of Lady Gaga's The Fame.

Soap stares at you and Ghost, patiently awaiting a reaction from the both of you.

You put a hand up to your mouth to muffle any laughs that are threatening to come out. Ghost just stares at his sergeant without any emotion on his face.

Soap slowly lowers the CD and rolls his eyes.

"I don't care what you guys say, this album's a masterpiece. I'm taking it," he says while taking his backpack off his shoulders. The sergeant zips open his backpack and throws the CD in it without any care.

"Careful there, I know there's a song on there called I Like It Rough but you don't have to act on that now," you manage to say in a semi-serious tone, before breaking out in laughter.

Soap lifts his head and stares at you, trying to keep his composure. The corners of his mouth slowly curl up into a smile, and soon he's laughing along with you.

"That was a good one, lass," Soap says in between laughs while patting you on the back.

You hear Ghost sigh loudly behind you. It makes you turn towards him, a big smile still on your face. It falters when you see the annoyed look he's giving you and Soap.

"Enough joking around, we have a mission to do. Let's go," he says through gritted teeth.

"Ah come on, Lt. A bit of jokin' around never harmed anyone," Soap says while placing his backpack on his shoulders. Ghost doesn't respond to that as he's already walked to the other room. You look at Soap. He shrugs.

"Guess he doesn't like Lady Gaga," Soap says. You tightly press your lips together, suppressing a loud snort from being heard by your lieutenant. Soap notices your expression and chuckles before walking over to Ghost. You walk out not long after, your face going back to its usual seriousness.

"I'm upfront. Soap, you'll check out the room opposite this one. Viper, you watch my six."

Your heart skips a beat when he says your codename. It rolls off his tongue with such ease and grace. You start to wonder how your real name will sound when he says it.

Yells it.

Moans it.

You shake yourself out of your thoughts. They almost make you forget that you're in a warzone and that the two men have already started moving.

You put your rifle in a ready-to-fire position close to your face, aiming down the red dot sight attached to it. You quicken your step to catch up with Ghost while Soap disappears into the room on the opposite side of the hallway.

It's silent between the two of you. Besides both of your footsteps, nothing can be heard. He's extremely focused when it comes to his task, moving around with stealth like a lion hunting its prey.

The silence heightens all of your senses. You hear his controlled, almost hypnotising breaths when he stands still. You smell the hints of cedarwood and oak in his aftershave and the gunpowder on his clothes. You see how he seems to almost be protecting you with his huge body. You feel him when he stops just a second too late for you to notice, making you almost bump into him repeatedly.

Oh, the things you'd do to taste him.

You keep a close eye on your left and right sides and occasionally glance behind you to make sure that you two are in for no surprises. Ghost puts his fist up, making you stop dead in your tracks. You're close to him, extremely close. Your armoured vest is almost touching his back. The two vests slightly touch one another whenever he breathes in.

Ghost slowly steps forward, inching closer towards the door of another apartment. The door is closed, and he gently opens the door just enough to stick the barrel of his gun through it. He slowly opens the door, using his gun to do so. You watch him intently as you wait for what's being revealed to you in a couple of seconds.

While you check your surroundings once more, your eyes shoot downward when a glimmer catches your attention. A thin piece of wire is attached to the door and the right side of the doorframe. Every inch that Ghost opens the door, the wire gets tighter and tighter. A switch flips inside of you when you see Ghost leaning forward to walk in.

"Tripwire!" you yell.

Without any hesitation, you grab Ghost's arm and yank him back as hard as you can. You struggle a bit, seeing the man is almost twice your size, but you succeed. He stumbles backwards and loses his balance in the process. He falls half on top of you, causing you to be squeezed between his buff body, the floor and the wall.

Wow, didn't know I was that strong.

A chuckle that sounds more like a suffocated huff leaves your lips. Ghost stands up as quickly as possible. He grabs his gun from the floor and sighs.

"You could've told me that in a different way than completely ripping me out of my concentration," Ghost grunts while extending his hand to you to help you off the floor, clearly annoyed.

Now you let out a real huff as you look at him in disbelief.

"Excuse me? I just saved your life, a normal response to that is 'thank you'," you tell him sternly while grabbing his hand.

He pulls you up with a little too much strength, causing you to end up only inches away from his covered face. You try to move away from him, but he holds you in place by your wrist. You squint your eyes as you look up at him.

"What?" you ask him in a surprised but slightly teasing way.

He doesn't answer, his gaze not leaving your face once. You can feel his hot breath on your skin through his mask.

"Saved my life? Sergeant, you'll be the death of me someday."

He completely took away your ability to speak with that one sentence. You furrow your eyebrows as you look him in his eyes. Those beautiful brown eyes. They have shifted from anger to surprise to lust in a matter of seconds, but it doesn't take long for them to return to their neutral state when he hears the sound of Soap's voice.

"All clear, my dudes! Got one AQ member who was asleep in one of the rooms. Safe to say that the sleeping beauty won't wake up anytime soon," Soap says a little too cheerfully while approaching the two of you. Ghost shoots you one last look before quickly letting go of you. You stand there unsure of what to do or say, completely bewildered by what just happened.

You'll be the death of me someday? The fuck did he mean by that?

You have little time to think about that as Ghost has already moved inside the room in front of him. He's carefully removing the trip wire from the door. You are frozen, staring at his focused face. The face that was just inches away from your own.

"You alright there, lass?"

Soap's comment shakes you out of your thoughts. You look over at him and give him a small smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just didn't expect to almost get boobytrapped," you say while pointing towards the tripwire, knowing damn well that that's not the reason. 

"Ah, it's part o' the job. AQ has quite the reputation for boobytrapping a place," he says. "Most of the time they're so bad that they'll blow up without someone triggering them."

Great.

You hear a low grunt coming from below you, causing you and Soap to simultaneously look down. Ghost holds what looks like a makeshift C4 bomb in his hands. It's crafted really badly, the black tape that has been used to keep it together falling off at all sides.

"I hope you defused that," Soap says while taking a step back as a precaution.

Ghost glares at him, giving him an 'are you serious' look. Soap huffs.

"O'course you did," Soap examines the bomb from a safe distance. "My four-year-old nephew could craft a better bomb than most of AQ."

"It might be in bad shape, but these fuckers are the reason we lose our legs," Ghost says while standing back up. He walks over towards the middle of the room, carefully placing the C4 on the carpet. Ghost walks back to the hallway where Soap and you are waiting for his next move. He closes the door almost entirely, but he leaves a little opening for him to stick his gun through, just like he did before.

"Might want to cover your ears for this one," he says, glancing back towards you and Soap. You do as told, covering both of your ears with your hands. Soap doesn't, making you frown at him.

"I'm already half deaf," he casually says, making you frown even more while slowly nodding your head. You turn to face Ghost, who is now staring down his sight. Your eyes land on his covered finger hovering over the trigger. He takes one deep breath in and before you know it, a loud explosion can be heard. The walls shake, and your head automatically yanks itself to the side. It takes you a couple of seconds to regain your composure, your head feeling dizzy from the detonation.

"Good find, Lt." Soap says to Ghost as he turns around to face the two sergeants.

"I didn't find it, Johnny," he tells Soap, causing the man to frown. Ghost motions his head towards you without once landing his eyes on you.

"She did."

~

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

a/n: I'm back :D It took a while for me to upload. I wish I had a good reason but I simply did not have the time to write the past few weeks. I am trying to write bits and pieces between working on my graduation project and my job, so the time between chapters is a little longer than expected. Thanks everyone for sticking around <3 taglist: @beezerbug @sweetybuzz25 @liueski @pasta-m1lk @desert-fern @carlyi @msecho19

#simon ghost riley x reader #simon ghost riley #ghost x reader #cod mw2 #mw2 x reader #ghost x y/n #ghost x you #simon riley #simon riley x reader #cod fanfic #ghost fanfiction #cod soap #cod price #cod gaz #cod ghost #john soap mactavish #captain price #kyle gaz garrick

[treasurecitymoonchild]

currently writing chapter 4 of the lieutenant's shadow whoooop

[treasurecitymoonchild]

Masterlist - The Lieutenant's Shadow

A fanfiction about Simon 'Ghost' Riley.

Summary

A female Shadow, codename Viper, is transferred to Task Force 141 to assassinate the leader of a terrorist organization. She catches the eye of her seemingly insensitive Lieutenant, and he catches hers. They get off on the wrong foot at first, trying to ignore their feelings for one another. But what happens when Viper is able to break through her Lieutenant's tough façade? Will their admiration for one another remain when Viper turns out to have another objective? The Lieutenant's Shadow is a story about tough love, heartbreak, trust and betrayal.

Chapter index

Chapter 1 - New beginnings

After months of being undeployed, you're ordered by your commander Phillip Graves to join Task Force 141 for an important assignment.

Chapter 2 - A (not so) warm welcome

Your first day and night at the safehouse is one you won't forget anytime soon.

Chapter 3 - Starstruck

Ghost's mind has been unable to think of something else since you've arrived at the safehouse.

Chapter 4 - The Death of Me

Your mind wanders to places it shouldn't as your first mission takes an unexpected turn.

Additional tags

Violence. Blood. Injury. Gun violence. Masks. Fluff and smut. Hurt/Comfort. Angst. Guns. Gunshot wounds. Implied/Referenced Self-Harm. Scars. Major Character Injury. Character Death. Trust Issues. Betrayal. Implied/Referenced Torture. Physical Trauma. Mental Trauma. Childhood Trauma. Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism. Smoking. Enemies to Lovers. Partners to Lovers. Eventual Romance. Past Abuse. Possessive Behavior. Foul Language. Feelings Realization. Obsessive Behavior. Character Development. Eventual Smut. Size Kink. Sex. Voice Kink. Degrading. Masturbation. Praise Kink. Choking. Other Additional Tags to Be Added. I'll update them with the story.

A/N

This series uses y/n and the reader has a codename, 'Viper'. There are no mentions of physical features. Liking, reblogging and commenting are always appreciated. Have fun reading my loves.

This story is also available on ao3. You can find it here.

#simon riley x reader #simon ghost riley #ghost x reader #cod mw2 #mw2 x reader #ghost x y/n #ghost x you #simon riley #cod fanfic #ghost fanfiction #cod soap #cod price #cod gaz #cod ghost #john soap mactavish #captain price #kyle gaz garrick #masterlist

[treasurecitymoonchild]

the tumblr algorithm is so shit rn 😫 I feel like my posts don't reach my target audience and it's annoyinggg. thinking about posting The Lieutenant's Shadow on AO3 as well, what would you guys prefer?

[treasurecitymoonchild]

A guide to commenting on fics on Tumblr & AO3

Mod's note: All credit goes to the lovely anon who sent this in. All I did was edit it. Hopefully this helps people with commenting and maybe encourages people who don't comment to give feedback as well. This is a great idea, anon. Thank you for sending it in!

Note: I’m not trying to convince people to reblog; this is for those who already acknowledge that you should reblog the fics you like, but just don’t know what to say or feel like you don’t have anything to contribute. This isn’t a be all or anything guide, if you approach comments in a different way, great! This is just a little guide for those who don’t usually comment but want to. 

If fic reblogs don’t really fit your blog, or you don’t want people to see what fics you’re reading, or you’re just anxious about reblogging in general, don’t worry! You can make a side blog and keep it separate from your main blog and no one will know. I’ve seen a few blogs solely dedicated to fic reblogs and they are honestly some of my favorites. I know if no one else got me I know [fic reblog blogs] got me. 

Alternatively, if you don’t want to make a side blog, sending a comment directly to the writer can be just as encouraging to them (tho there’s no extra exposure for the fic). Don’t forget that there is an anonymous function that you can take advantage of for this too! /Log out of your AO3 account to leave a comment as a guest (some authors have this turned off tho). 

Now for the meat of this guide: 

You just finished reading a fic. You liked it/left kudos. But now what? (I’m not saying do all of these things! You can stop at keeping it simple, or go into as much detail as you want!) 

Keep it simple! 

“I like this!” “I love this!” “I really liked this!” 

If you’re on tumblr, you can even add a gif. 

If you’re on tumblr, you can add extras in the tags: “cute!” “[emoji]” “fic rec”  

A little more detailed:

“I like [X]!” Where X is what you liked about the fic.

“I like how funny/cute/soft/etc. this is!” “I like how you wrote this character!” “I like the plot!” 

You can expand a little more; say you like the plot: “The plot is so intriguing! I can’t wait to see what happens!” or “I like the plot! Is Y gonna happen?? Are they going to Z? I can’t wait!” 

Emotions: How did it make you feel?

“I could really feel how anxious the character was!” “You actually made me cry when X happened!” 

Make the author’s day:

“I really loved this! I made me feel X! I like how you wrote Y! [Detail/s] that really stood out to you/that you like/etc.” + (then add your favorite things about the fic) “Copy and paste quote from fic” - (your reaction) Ex: “THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!!/YESSSS!!!!!”  “Copy and paste quote from fic” - [insert appropriate emoji/s]  “Copy and paste quote from fic” - This line really resonates with me bc of [Reason]  “Copy and paste quote from fic” - This character would totally say/do this! I love that you included it!!  “Copy and paste quote from fic” - I just really like this line! 

[treasurecitymoonchild]

Chapter 3 - Starstruck

story: The Lieutenant's Shadow - Simon 'Ghost' Riley x Reader

cw: fem!reader, ghost's pov, violence, fighting, blood, mentions of scars, mentions of death, cursing

word count: 5,412

chapter summary: Ghost's mind has been unable to think of something else since you've arrived at the safehouse.

read this chapter on ao3

Ghost's most important duty at that moment was trying to get you off his mind.

You had his attention from the moment you stepped out of the helicopter. An unfamiliar feeling came over him when he had first laid his eyes on you outside of the safehouse this afternoon, and it hadn't left him since. He couldn't quite place it, but he knew that he didn't like it. It was distracting him. 

Ghost had noticed you staring at him for a while when Soap was showing you around the outside. You were wearing a mask, just like him. That caught his attention. You were hiding something, what could it be? What were you withholding from the world to see?

He scolded himself for his curiosity. Ghost never cared about a new recruit assisting the Task Force since it was always temporary, always just for one mission. He's had female teammates in the past, but he never let the thought cross his mind of making the relationship with them more than platonic. Besides, Ghost didn't give a shit if someone had a cock or a vagina. Take their gender away, and everyone is the same. Most of them will only care about themselves anyway.

Ghost tried ignoring your presence, but his eyes were glued to you from the start. When he caught his blatant staring at you again this afternoon, he got up from the army crate and left the armoury to try and get his mind occupied on other things. 

Why did he feel like this? Hell, he didn't even know what he was feeling. Ghost didn't feel, not like this. All he knew was that he really didn't want anyone to mess with his feelings when one of the most important missions of his life waited around the corner. 

Ghost had spent the rest of the day planning a scoping mission in a separate room of the safehouse. While trying to mark specific points of interest on the map of Al Mazrah he had spread out in front of him, his mind kept crawling back to you and he had no idea why. He hadn't even talked to you or seen your face, all he had seen was your body from a distance. Was this his dick talking?

It wasn't the fact that he hadn't seen a woman in a while. It was the fact that he knew he had to partner up with you. Ghost didn't need a partner in the first place, he always worked better alone. Price insisted on hiring one for killing Hassan. When his captain told him that he would be partnering up with a Shadow, Ghost felt insulted. He couldn't understand why Price felt the need to partner him up with a Tier One soldier. As if he wasn't good enough. He had made sure to let Price know that he wasn't pleased when the captain told him his plans a couple of days ago.

"Do you think I can't do it?" Ghost asks his captain.

Price gives him a look that screams 'are you shitting me?'.

"I'm sure you can blow the bloke's face off from miles away. But so can she, Simon."

Ghost slightly freezes for a second. She? He always thought the Shadow Company was an all-male faction.

"You need another pair of eyes and ears for this. We can't risk Hassan getting away. The man screams danger, and we can only guarantee safety when he is looking up at the grass. This mission can't fail."

"I never fail," Ghost tells Price, staring at him while slightly irritated. "My eyes and ears have always come from the privates we hire for missions, so I don't see your point here."

Price rubs his sideburns before grabbing a cigar from the tin box that was situated on the planning table. He lights it and takes a big hit.

"They aren't specifically trained with a sniper rifle. They can assist you on the ground, sure, but once it comes down to taking out Hassan, it'll be just you who can do the job. AQ is too dangerous for that, they'll do anything for their leader. You've seen what they did to the children in Taraq village. They have no mercy. I can't have you dead, Simon." 

Ghost stares at his captain for a while, before ever so slightly nodding his head. He knows that arguing about this is pointless. Once Price has made a decision, there is no chance of changing his mind.

"Fine. But I'm not babysitting her."

Price huffs out a laugh.

"Trust me, Simon. She doesn't need to be."

Ghost recalled the conversation of a couple of days ago when he was talking to Soap in the common room later that day. Soap had asked him if he was looking forward to working together with you, 'the new girl', as he called you. There was no need for Soap to call you that since Ghost already had made sure to study your file intently before you joined, but that he didn't say. He knew who you were. He knew your skills. He just didn't know what you looked like. Just like with his file, there was no picture attached to yours. He thought that was odd at first, but when he saw you wearing a mask on arrival, it all fell into place. You liked your anonymity, and so did he. 

Therefore, it came as a big surprise to see you walk into the common room without your mask. Ghost was about to answer Soap when his eyes shot in your direction, immediately taking in your uncovered features. His mouth slightly fell open under his mask: you were absolutely beautiful.

Soap noticed the frozen state of his lieutenant and turned around with a frown. When he noticed you, he immediately walked towards you, grabbing two MREs on the way. Ghost was left by himself, still looking at you in awe. When he caught himself staring again, he quickly turned around, his back facing your way.

He fumbled with his water bottle as he tried visualizing your face in his head, going over every single detail he had observed when you came in. He had noticed your striking eyes before, but little did he know that that wasn't the only beautiful thing about you. Your cheeks were tinted with a crimson colour, probably from the nervousness of walking into a room full of unknown men. Your hair looked rough, which wasn't surprising given the mask you had worn before. He was all too familiar with that. It still looked good somehow, your (h/c) locks framing your face gracefully. 

Ghost's eyebrows furrowed as he remembered seeing something across your face. Not sure what it was, he glances over at you to get one more look at it. He tries doing so as quickly and subtly as possible. When his eyes land on your face for a brief moment, they widen. 

A big light-pink scar marked your face. It looked like something had slashed across it. Ghost started wondering how you gained it. Was it in battle? Was it something that happened before the army? It made you look incredibly badass, yet so fragile at the same time. His thoughts went over the placement of the scar again. It started above your right eyebrow and stopped just above the corner of your lip. He couldn't help but notice how plump- 

Ghost shook his head. Get a fucking grip, Simon.

"Assassinating targets to 2500 feet away with one bullet to the head."

Ghost's ears perk up at your comment as your voice shakes him out of his dazed state. 2500 feet? Impressive. 

He glances to his left to see that some men are looking towards the conversation happening in the middle of the room, which makes his head turn around almost simultaneously as well. There you are, seated at a table with Soap, Gaz and another private. 

"Yeah right, and I can stop a bullet with my bare hands." The sound of Henderson's degrading voice makes Ghost's ears hurt. Ghost hadn't been able to see eye to eye with the man for a while. Henderson always thought he knew better than everyone else, even though he was just a stupid private that had nothing on him. He notices Henderson's intimidating look towards you, making Ghost fully aware of the altercation happening a few feet away from him.

"Wow, good for you," you tell Henderson, sarcasm lingering in your voice. Ghost suppresses a pleased grin underneath his mask. However, that grin soon disappears when Henderson decides to open his mouth again.

"Is that how you got that thing on your face? Guess you missed one of those so-called far-away targets?" The remark made Ghost's fist clench around the water bottle, the plastic making a crackling sound as he does so. 

"Man, shut up," he hears Soap say. Ghost watches you slowly putting down your fork as you try to keep calm. He is quite surprised at how you're handling this, he would've ripped the man's head off his torso if it was him. Your calm state doesn't last long, as Ghost hears you let out a loud huff before yerking her head towards Henderson, a furious look on your face.

"Listen here, you little shi-"

Ghost leans away from the counter to step in, but refrains from doing so when he sees Captain Price walk in. He towers over Henderson from behind before speaking up.

"Viper doesn't miss far-away targets, Henderson. That's why she's been hired to kill Hassan, and not you." 

Tell him, Captain.

Ghost watches Henderson's expression change into an annoyed one. The private glares at you before he gets up to walk away. Ghost's eyes followed Henderson as he walked out, frustration building up inside him. He feels incredibly agitated, and it didn't even happen to him. Henderson should have tried acting like that towards him: he wouldn't be able to tell the tale. An unusual thought creeps into Ghost's mind. 

Should he go after him and teach him a lesson?

Ghost glances over at you. As if you could feel his gaze on you, you turn your head almost immediately, accidentally staring straight into his eyes. There is a brief moment of eye contact, causing a burning feeling to erupt in Ghost's chest. You look away from him just as quickly as you met his gaze, leaving Ghost to reminisce his previous thought. He's been wanting to put this asshole in place for a long time, he just never had a valid reason to rightfully do so. 

Until now.

A fist collides with Henderson's ribs. He yelps in pain, causing Ghost to put his gloved hand over his mouth to muffle the sounds coming from the helpless man slumped in front of him.

Ghost had caught Henderson when he was smoking a cigarette outside, a couple of hours after the altercation with you in the common room. He knew that Henderson liked to light one up just before he went to hit the sack. He had to find the right time to confront him without anyone noticing, so he decided to strike when most of the team was already sleeping. 

Ghost at first had resolved to confront the man only with words. However, Henderson didn't show remorse for his earlier remarks against you. He instead loudly laughed in Ghost's face, asking him why he cared so much anyway. When he had stepped closer towards Henderson, the guy pushed hard against his shoulder, sending Ghost over the edge. 

His first punch made contact with Henderson's cheek, causing his head to jolt back. Before the man could realise what just happened, Ghost had already pushed the man against the wall of the safehouse. Henderson didn't budge, a nasty smile spreading across his face. That was probably the concussion talking because there was no way in hell that someone would laugh like that after one of Ghost's punches. Ghost grew more and more irritated by the man's demeanour, making his fist collide with his face once more. Henderson slumped against the wall.

He tried refraining from punching the man in the face too much so that it wouldn't be too obvious that Henderson had taken a beating. Obviously, that failed. The first punch had already left quite a discolouration on his cheek. Besides, Henderson had a face that just begged to be punched.

Ghost was now towering over the man, his breathing unsteady from anger. Anyone in his right mind would try not to challenge Ghost in this state, but not Henderson. Instead, the beat-up soldier gargled and seconds later, spat in his superiors' face. 

Ghost stood there for a couple of seconds, trying to hold himself back from twisting the guy's neck on the spot. Alternatively, he took a deep breath before punching his sternum with full force. Henderson slouched forward on the ground, gasping for air. Ghost could've sworn that he felt something crack underneath his knuckles, but he didn't care. He deserved it.

It felt so good to mutilate the man that's been getting on his nerves for weeks. Ghost had a lot of anger issues, but almost never took them out on other people. Someone really had to enrage him to push him into this current state. Henderson had been doing a great job at annoying him for weeks, but tonight's altercation between him and you had sent Ghost over the edge. He had no right to talk to you like that.

 "Get the fuck up off the floor," Ghost said through gritted teeth. He yanked Henderson off the ground by his arm, making the man shriek in pain. He pushed him against the wall again, putting his hand around the man's throat to keep him in place.

"In my team, you treat everyone with the utmost respect. You are nothing more than an incompetent, selfish piece of shit who will never reach our level. Don't think for a second that you can strike that tone against my people again, understand?"

Henderson didn't answer, his injured state making him incapable to do so. Ghost grabbed his chin with force, causing the private to look up at him with droopy eyes. 

"I said, do you understand?"

The man quickly nodded, giving Ghost the satisfaction he wanted. He dropped his hand from Henderson's neck, causing him to stumble forwards and put his hands on his knees. Ghost recognized that stance from when Henderson was challenging you in the common room. The man now didn't look so confident about his actions as he did before. How the tables have turned. 

Ghost raised his finger in front of Henderson's face. The man's eyes widened as he slowly looked up at his lieutenant. His breathing wheezed after each inhalation, making him sound like an exhausted dog. Ghost gave him a death stare.

"If I hear you talking to anyone about this I will fuck you up so badly that you will have to shit in a bag for the rest of your life. If you even are alive, that is. Now, fuck off."

An hour after he beat the shit out of Henderson, Ghost had gone inside the safehouse with the plan of trying to get some shut-eye. However, the moment he entered the sleeping area, a wave of restlessness washed over him. He felt on guard, uneasy even. He had no reason to since everyone was asleep and there were no direct threats around him. Not anymore at least. He glanced over towards Henderson's bed, finding him sound asleep. The beating he took probably knocked him out quite literally.

Ghost reached his bed quickly since it was the closest to the door. He stood next to it, staring at the neatly folded covers. He wasn't tired, but he wasn't anywhere near energized either. His left hand began pulling at the fingers of his right-hand glove, preparing to take it off. He stopped when he noticed blood splattered across the white skeleton print. Even though his hand was hurting, the blood on his glove wasn't his. Ghost smirked when he recalled his fist colliding with Henderson's face. Still got it.

He took off his gloves while looking up to oversee the room. That's when something, or rather someone, caught his attention. The light from the corridor that peeked through the crack in the door illuminated your beautiful shiny hair that spread across your pillow. Your back was turned towards him, your head almost disappearing from how deep it was buried in your pillow. Your breathing was so slow and steady that it started to ease his restless state.

Ghost stood there blatantly staring at you, for the umpteenth time today. He wasn't scared to get caught at this hour, since everyone was fast asleep, including you. It almost made him forget how creepy he must've been looking if anyone were to wake up right now. But he didn't care. He felt something when looking at you, something that made his eyes glued to you. 

But what did he feel? Why did he even feel anything? He didn't know. For the first time in years, Ghost genuinely didn't know what he was feeling. He always knew what he felt because there were so few feelings to acknowledge. He had felt so little these past months, years even, but now it was like a bomb full of feelings had gone off inside of him. 

Ghost shook his head, throwing his gloves on his pillow. He needed to get these thoughts out of his head. He couldn't do that if he was in the same room as you. Ghost turned around and made his way back outside, where he would finally be able to take off his mask and feel some fresh air on his now-flushed skin. 

Ghost had been outside for almost two and a half hours. He was alone most of the time, with only a private instructed to change watch with his colleague coming outside. The guy didn't expect to see his lieutenant there, and he most definitely didn't expect his superior to tell him that he himself would take watch for the rest of the night. When the private tried explaining that he really didn't mind, Ghost kindly told him to fuck off.

He was caught up in his thoughts most of the time. Overthinking came easy to him when he was by himself. Ghost had learned to live with it, but normally his thoughts were either army-related or about his past. With your arrival, a woman suddenly took over his mind. A woman who he didn't know and hadn't even spoken to. It was your first day here for Christ's sake. You could be a massive bitch for all he knew. How is he supposed to work together with you if he couldn't even think straight? 

And why did he feel such a need to beat up someone who talked shit about you? Okay, Henderson did deserve a beating anyway, but still. Ghost felt like he just couldn't let the fucker go unpunished. But why now? Why with you? People had talked shit about his teammates in the past, and then he didn't so much as verbally abuse them. Why did he feel the need to protect you?

Ghost sighed as he rested his head against the wall. He tried clearing his mind by focusing on the cool desert wind blowing against his face. It was a nice feeling after having his face covered by his mask all day. He closed his eyes for a while, breathing in deeply. He liked the nocturnal silence. At this time of night, no one would bother him or ask him any questions. Or so he thought.

His seemingly everlasting alone time was soon interrupted by the sound of a door creaking open. Ghost quickly put his mask back on, adjusting it just as fast to look towards the source of the sound to his right. He squinted his eyes a little, trying to get a detailed picture of the person pushing open the door. He was stunned when he saw you walking out. 

You were completely oblivious to Ghost hiding in the darkness a few feet away from you. Ghost looked at you, unsure of what to do. You had closed your eyes for a brief moment, just like he had seconds ago, to take in the cool gusts of wind that blew your hair out of your face. His eyes travelled towards your hand resting on the door, for the first noticing time how small it actually was. He couldn't imagine how small hands like that could handle a heavy sniper rifle with such ease and grace as everyone was saying. The thought of what other things your small hands could do started to come up, but he quickly stopped that thought from getting too nestled in his brain. 

Ghost turned his head back and continued to stare into the distance in front of him. Without further thinking, he decided to announce his presence by speaking up.

"You shouldn't be out here."

He immediately regretted saying that. He was kind of glad you were out here, with him. He just didn't want your first time speaking to one another to be at four in the morning, just hours after he beat the crap out of the guy who spoke shit about you.

You had jumped at the sudden sound of his voice. In the corner of his eye, he saw you frantically looking around in the dark. When your eyes finally landed on him, he could hear your breath hitch in your throat.

"Lieutenant, you almost gave me a heart attack." Your soft voice spoke. The sound of it rang in his ears like a siren's song. Hearing you speak directly to him for the first time made his heart flutter, but it also suddenly made him incredibly aware of the situation. Here he was, alone with the sergeant that he couldn't get out of his head since this afternoon. All his senses were on edge, but he couldn't make you aware of that. Instead, he returned to his trusted impassive demeanour.

"At least it'll be a natural cause and not a bullet to your head."

He could almost hear your face scrunch up as you thought over that comment.

"What?" Your angelic voice spoke again every so slightly.

"As I said, you shouldn't be out here. Especially by yourself."

Ghost didn't want to act like a prick towards you, but he felt like he had to in order to keep his feelings from getting the better of him. He saw your mood change in the corner of his eye.

"Well, I am not by myself now, am I?"

Your comment made him turn his head towards you. He took in your appearance. You were wearing nothing more than a white long sleeved shirt and joggers, with no tactical gear or guns on you, making you look incredibly vulnerable yet so simply beautiful.

Ghost wasn't used to people talking back to him, especially not in a sassy way. The fact that that feisty remark came from you surprised him, but also ever so slightly turned him on. Your hard nipples shining through your shirt really didn't help. When he felt his pants tighten around his crotch, he tried switching off all emotions, despite really not wanting to. He simply couldn't feel this for his subordinate.

A small moment of silence passed before you spoke up again.

"I don't think I've properly introduced myself yet. I'm Viper," you tell Ghost, extending your hand.

As if he didn't know who you were. You didn't need an introduction. You had been stuck in his head all day.

Ghost wanted to take your small hand in his, shake it as gently as possible, and feel how soft it was. But he'd get hard. He was already so close to getting hard. Even though you wouldn't have seen it in the dark, he refused to let his dick take over his mind. Instead, he just looked at your extended hand and refused to shake it.

"I know who you are." He simply tells you while returning his gaze forward. Ghost tried so hard to keep himself composed, to not let his interest in you show through in any way. Your presence so close to him made it incredibly difficult to do so. It annoyed him that you were influencing his mind so easily. He had years of practice with switching off his thoughts, but here he was, unable to switch them off at all.

Ghost sees you dropping your hand in the corner of his eye. You didn't look too pleased with his behaviour.

"Alright then. And you are?" you ask him, clearly annoyed.

Should he answer as a normal person would? You're just being nice for Christ's sake. Instead, Ghost again opted for his most trusted way of speaking. With no emotion and zero fucks.

"You just called me your lieutenant, so I think you are very much aware of that."

"Well, if it's not safe to be out here then why are you here?"

"That's classified."

Ghost hears an odd sound coming from your direction, one that makes his head turn towards you. Did you just snort? If anything, the last thing he tried to be is funny.

"Well, if you say so. Don't you need sleep?"

Why are you being so nice? He doesn't want you to be nice. Despite his behaviour, you still want to talk to him. He just wants you to leave him alone, for his own sake. On the other hand, he also really doesn't want you to go anywhere. Your presence calms him for some stupid reason, yet his heart is racing like a horse. Then what the fuck do you want, Simon?

"I don't sleep."

"Then how are you alive?"

"I barely am."

Ghost's comment made you silent. Your eyebrows furrowed as you thought of what to say to that. What he said wasn't true, but it also wasn't completely false either. He was alive, but he didn't feel alive. He hadn't felt alive for years. He was damn good at his job, but it also made him a cold-hearted son of a bitch. Killing came as easy to him as brushing his teeth. It made him emotionless, but now he was feeling a thousand emotions at once.

You were silent for a hot minute, making him think that you finally had enough of him. When you opened your mouth to speak again, Ghost closed his eyes in defeat.

"What is your-"

"Why are you asking me so many bloody questions?"

Again, he regretted saying that. He secretly enjoyed your interest in him. There was no need for him to be so rude, but it was the only way he could get you to despise him so you wouldn't come too close. Self-protection was one of the first things he thought of in situations like this.

"Why are you being so rude?"

Because I can't fucking feel this for you, Ghost thinks. He pushes himself off the wall, slowly making his way over to you. With every step he takes, he can feel his heartbeat accelerate. He breathes out heavily, trying to suppress the roaring feeling in his chest.

Ghost stops a few feet away from you, his physique towering over you. He is completely engulfing your small body with his shadow, making you invisible to anyone behind him. You look up at him with big eyes, unsure of what he's going to do. Your beautiful eyes amaze him the second he stares into them, making him hold his breath for a couple of seconds before speaking up.

"I'm straight to the point, not rude. Get used to it."

You give Ghost a challenging look while crossing your arms in front of your chest. You're not showing any sign of fear, which is something he's used to when he towers over people. You look confident, staring at him like this. It makes him feel less like an authority.

"Any other things I need to get used to?"

Your sudden comment snaps him out of his fixed gaze on you.

"Sorry?"

"Oh, don't apologize. As your new partner, are there any other things I should be aware of while working with you? Or is that classified too?"

Jesus Christ.

You're sarcastic too. Could you possibly get any better? Or could it possibly get any worse for him? A small smirk appears under his mask, one you can't see. He tries to shake off the slight amusement your comment gave him.

"I didn't need a partner in the first place."

"Yeah, me neither. But it seems like we're stuck with each other until Hassan has a bullet in his skull. Then I can fuck off back to America and you can continue your harsh ways as you please."

Ghost's face softens when he hears those words fall from your mouth. He knows that the new soldiers joining the Task Force won't be around forever, but for some reason, he feels a slight dismay at the thought of you leaving when the mission is completed. How am I supposed to get to know you in such a short amount of time?

Ghost instantly tells the little besotted devil on his shoulder to shut the fuck up for the millionth time today. 

"So, grumpy because working together with me. Noted." 

You're still talking to him. The fact that you're doing so without any signs of fear or shakiness in your voice makes him feel some type of way. He's not used to having normal conversations with new people without them stuttering or looking away from him. But no, not you. You are staring right back at him, challenging him even. Making him feel like he isn't the one in charge here.

"Listen, just follow orders and don't annoy me. Right now, you're starting to do a pretty good job at the latter already." 

That wasn't entirely true, and he knew that all too well. You didn't annoy him at all. Ghost liked your attention, your interest in him. What annoyed him was how his once self-contained mind was betraying him. He had been able to completely ignore all the feelings of affection for years. Years. And here he was, losing all of this ability in a matter of hours.

He turns around and takes his stance back against the wall, lifting his right foot to rest on it while crossing his arms. You huffed, letting out an irritated laugh.

"Christ, ever heard of sarcasm?"

I know it's sarcasm dear, but I can't give in to it.

"Sarcasm or not, it's still annoying. It's interrupting my duties."

He didn't have any duties at this hour. Not any physical ones at least. The moment of confused silence after he said that indicated that you noticed that too. 

"Well, good thing you don't have any right now then."

"Who says I don't? Just because you don't see them doesn't mean I don't have them."

That was a stupid thing to say. Someone who thinks twice about that comment can easily detect what he means by that. Ghost is slightly relieved when you don't question him about it further, giving him the perfect opportunity to end the conversation. As much as he doesn't want to stop talking to you, he has to. To protect his own arse.

"You're playing with your own safety by being out here. Go back inside. That's an order."

Ghost refrained from looking at you while he said that, afraid that he wouldn't be able to keep his eyes off of you. He continued to stare ahead, silently praying that you just would just walk away without saying another word. But of course, that's not who you are. Instead, Ghost sees you positioning your hand against your temple in the corner of his eye. Seconds later, you salute him, a bitter smirk on your face.

"Aye, aye, captain, I mean, lieutenant."

His eyes slightly widen as he turns his head towards you again. You've finally turned around to walk away, giving him the perfect opportunity to comprehend what just happened. 

You weren't scared to talk to him. You didn't have any fear in your eyes when you looked at him. You challenged him. You even mocked him. But most importantly, you were interested in him. Why the hell were you interested in him? 

He simultaneously loved and hated everything about that conversation. About you. The way your voice sounded. The way your mouth moved. The way you spoke back to him. The way his rank fell so gracefully from your lips. The way your eyes hinted at him as if you begged to be-

The loud slamming of the door snapped him out of his thoughts. It wasn't until that moment that he felt that the incredibly tight sensation in his pants had returned. He looked at his crotch. He was hard. Rock hard.

Fucking hell, Simon. Pull yourself together.

~

PREVIOUS CHAPTER - NEXT CHAPTER

a/n: Another chapter, it's been a while! This is also a bit of a filler chapter, but I really wanted to write how Ghost experienced his first meeting with Viper so that his feelings are more clear :) Sorry for the long wait in between chapters guys, my schedule's hectic and I was dealing with a bit of writer's block for the past week :/ It is gone now (I think lol), so I hope to be able to write and upload more chapters soon! Thanks so much for reading, I really appreciate it <3taglist: @beezerbug @sweetybuzz25 @liueskii @pasta-m1lk

#simon ghost riley x reader #simon ghost riley #ghost x reader #cod mw2 #mw2 x reader #ghost x y/n #ghost x you #simon riley #simon riley x reader #cod fanfic #ghost fanfiction #cod soap #cod price #cod gaz #cod ghost #john soap mactavish #captain price #kyle gaz garrick

[treasurecitymoonchild]

idk if this is a young fan thing or new fandom culture but some of yall think fics are abandoned way too quickly. a few months or a year or two is not unusual to go without a fic update. sometimes fics take longer to write, other times writers have rl events, or maybe there's multiple fics and one gets more priority. there are tons of reasons for fics not to be updated every week or every month. it also isn't uncommon for people to come back and update fics after a number of years—ive read updates that took five, or ten years. people's lives change, but they still want to tell their stories. personally, i never consider a fic abandoned unless the author has said so; though if it's been a few years i manage my expectations. but a last update being a year ago is... generally not a sign that a writer has abandoned their fic

[treasurecitymoonchild]

MODERN WARFARE II   ►   LT. SIMON ’GHOST’ RILEY

“Be careful who you trust, Sergeant.  People you know can hurt you the most.”

[treasurecitymoonchild]

Chapter 2 - A (not so) warm welcome

story: The Lieutenant's Shadow - Simon 'Ghost' Riley x Reader

cw: fem!reader, angst, foul language, mentions of scars, mentions of violence

word count: 5,853

chapter summary: Your first day and night at the safehouse is one you won't forget anytime soon.

read this chapter on ao3

The safehouse was designed by men, for men.

It wasn't long into Soap's tour of the interior when he realised that the place lacked a lot of basic comforts. He knew it wasn't rare for a safehouse to have the simplest of simple interiors, but now that he was showing the place to you, a female, it started to sink in how little to no facilities there actually were. 

The only bathroom missed a door and had no hot water or shower curtain. There was no kitchen, they were surviving on MREs and bottled water. And to top it all off, the toilet couldn't flush, to which he spared you the details.

You repeatedly kept telling him that you really didn't mind and that you were used to these kinds of living conditions, but you could tell he started to feel bad. Every room you entered seemed to get progressively worse in his eyes, you on the other hand thought it was rather funny. An irritated sigh left his lips once you two entered the room that was assigned to be the sleeping area.

"So uhm, this is where we all sleep," Soap exaggeratedly placed his hands on his hips while scanning the room. He looked dismayed at the bunk beds, slightly shaking his head. "As you can see, also not quite comfortable. I'm sorry y/n, I feel like a shite host," he groaned. You softly laughed before deciding to speak up.

"Soap, it's fine. I've had worse in the past. I'm glad to have a bed," you reassured him. He furrowed his brows.

"Yer telling me you didn't have one at the Shadow Company's base? I always imagined that to be one hell of an HQ," he questioned. You chuckled, the pain in your back almost returning as you remembered your last bed.

"I did have a bed silly, but if you'd told me I was sleeping on a bed of nails there I would've believed you. I'm excited to try a new one for a change," Soap's shoulders slightly relaxed at your comment.

"Well, you might find it to be better here, but don't expect that you'll be sleepin' like a baby. The guys can snore like bears."

"I bet you're the loudest," you joke, turning your head towards Soap. He acts offended, but is quick with an answer.

"Not with snoring, no. I can make quite some noise with other things tho."

Your eyes playfully glare at him through your mask as you let out a huff of laughter. His eyes widen again.

"With guns o'course! Jeez, I really need to mind how I say something," Soap scratches the back of his head before laughing along with you. After he stops laughing, he looks around the room for the empty bunk bed that is assigned to you. Spotting it, he walks towards it, still carrying your duffel bag around his shoulders. You follow suit, glancing around the room yourself while taking in your new bedroom for the next couple of weeks. You notice five bunks in the room, making for ten beds in total. They are all occupied by the looks of it, meaning that there must be at least seven other people stationed in this safehouse, seeing that you've already met Captain Price and seen the mysterious guy they call Ghost from afar. The room is empty now, making you wonder where everyone is.

"Your boushty, madam," Soap says while stopping in front of a bunk bed. He drops your duffel bag on the lower bed, which you are secretly really happy with. You've always preferred the lower bed since you fell out of the top one multiple times in college.

"I assume that means bed?"

"Yer a fast learner, although understanding it is easier than pronouncing it. Try it," he tells you, giving you a challenging look. You squint your eyes, debating whether or not you should try.

"I think I'll pass on that one for now." Soap smiles a little while nodding his head.

"Fair enough. You did say for now tho, so I'm expecting to hear your attempt one day!" he points at you. 

"One day, Soap. One day," you tell him, a small chuckle leaving your lips.

"Call me Johnny. Soap sounds so serious, I usually-" a burst of your laughter cuts him off. "What're you laughing for?"

"Soap doesn't sound quite serious to me," you tell him while still laughing. The corners of Soap's mouth curl up in a smile before playfully rolling his eyes.

"You didn't let me finish! It sounds serious cuz I mainly use it in the field. I prefer people calling me by my real name in less serious situations. But you know what, I give you the privilege to call me whatever you want, lass. Soap, Johnny, MacTavish, hawk... I don't mind really," he tells you, making you laugh even harder at the final nickname he gave himself.

"I might have to go with hawk then, can't pass on that opportunity." Soap glares at you, already regretting the fact that he even gave you that option. You try to calm down from your laughing fit, but the unamused look on his face that makes him look like an angry mohawked bear makes it hard for you to stop laughing.

You've laughed more with Soap already than you ever have during your time at the Shadow Company. You've already taken quite a liking to him, he made you feel welcome here and most definitely excited to meet the others. Captain Price seemed nice as well, a bit more serious as far as you could tell from the first communication you've had with him, but definitely nice. You can't say the same yet about your partner for this mission. Ghost stared you down like he wanted to scare you off, like you didn't belong here.

But you don't intimidate me that easily, Lieutenant.

Soap looks at you for a couple of seconds after his laughter has died down. You can tell he's thinking of something to say. He hesitates before deciding to speak up anyway.

"Aren't you bloody hot in that thing?" he says, referring to your mask. "You know you can take it off in here, the fact that Ghost wears one all day doesn't mean you need to."

You honestly weren't realising that you were still wearing it, as it has become such a habit to wear it all the time around new people. It wasn't until Soap pointed out that you still had the black balaclava on your head that you suddenly started to feel the heat.

You hated drawing unnecessary attention to your scar by only taking off your mask when someone 'asked' you to. Of course, Soap is curious to see what the female sergeant he just met looks like underneath the mask. How could he not be? But taking it off in front of him right now felt too forced in your opinion, like you were satisfying his expectations. Even though Soap has made you feel quite comfortable already, you decide to wait.

"Thanks, Johnny. I'll think about it."

Soap nods before looking around the room, going back into his thinking mode. He is contemplating if he has shown you every part of the safehouse, soon realising that you've seen everything already.

"Well, I don't have anything else to show you, the safehouse's not that big. I hope you liked the tour tho?" he says in a questioning manner. You make sure he can see the smile in your eyes.

"It was great, thanks hawk." 

Soap glares at you again, playfully pushing your shoulder. 

"I knew I shouldn't have said that."

You snicker while shooting a glance at your bed and duffel bag for a second. Soap notices and speaks up.

"Right, so, I've demanded yer attention for far too long, I bet you want to rest for a bit. I'll leave you to it now," Soap starts, glancing at his watch before looking back at you. "If you're hungry, most of us usually eat dinner around seven. And by dinner, I mean opening up the umpteenth MRE and hoping that there will be another person in the common room who's hungry at the same time. I'll definitely be there tho, so you won't be alone. I never turn down food."

You smile before nodding your head. "Sounds good. I'll be there." 

"Class, see you in around an hour then. And again," he says while giving you a fist bump, "welcome to Task Force 141."

You had spent the past forty-five minutes unpacking your bag, putting your personal items away in a locker and under your bed. There wasn't much to unpack, but it took you so long because you kept taking a ten-minute break after putting away one thing. The entire trip and the heat from today have made you quite tired. You weren't used to this heat yet, seeing that you've spent the last eight months in the colder climate of the United States.

You were currently seated on your bed, flipping through your journal in search of an empty page. You had made a habit out of journaling a while ago when overthinking and procrastinating were threatening to become your normal state of mind. Putting your thoughts on paper and out of your head calmed you down, even though it was only temporary. Nowadays you also used your journal as a diary, jotting down the things you had done during the day and important stuff you really shouldn't forget. You decided to dedicate a separate section to this new chapter in your military career, titling it A fresh start.

You decide to leave the actual writing of a diary entry for later. You get up from your bed, making your way towards what was supposed to be serving as the bathroom. The only thing in there was a broken mirror, a sink and a shower, the latter being right in the middle of the room. Your gaze alternated between the shower and the door frame behind you, quickly noticing that since there was no door, the shower was visible from every corner of the sleeping area. And with no shower curtain, everyone was going to be able to see your naked body from the comfort of their own bed.

Great.

Deciding to leave the shower for later, you make your way towards the sink. You glance at yourself in the mirror, noticing your mask is dirty from the dusty air outside. You still hadn't taken your mask off, even though you had been alone after Soap left you. You also hadn't seen anyone else, making you wonder if there were actually any other people besides Soap, Price and Ghost. The thought of someone you hadn't met walking in and seeing your face - and scar in particular - refrained you from exposing your face. 

But you couldn't keep it on forever. You didn't want to keep it on forever. You wanted these people to see the real you. You didn't want to be known as 'that one masked sniper from the Shadow Company'. You had felt like just another number at the Shadow Company for eight months, you were ready for people to actually care about the person behind the concealment. Actually taking off your mask would be a good start, and since Soap had already given you a small glimmer of hope, you decided to just say fuck it. 

You pull your mask off your head, the mild air of the safehouse immediately cooling your face. Your cheeks were flushed from the previous humid heat inside your mask. Sweaty strands of hair were sticking to your forehead and the sides of your face. Your rough appearance made you look like you'd just run a marathon.

You turn on the tap of the sink, splashing lukewarm water on your face. You were rubbing the sweat and dirt out of your pores, feeling fresher by the minute. There was no towel, so you used the hem of your shirt to dry your face. You try to style your hair a bit by wetting your fingers and running them through your hair. It is a useless attempt, seeing that your hair is completely flat and static from your mask. You try to make it look somewhat messy by flipping your head upside down and rummaging your fingers through the roots. Flipping your head back up, you leave it like that, accepting that you're not going to be able to fix the mess on your head without showering anyway.

You stare at your exposed face once more, eyes glancing over towards your scar. You run your finger along the thick straight line that starts above your left eyebrow and ends underneath your right eye. You sigh. It brings back memories from the past anytime you look at it for too long, so you turn away from the mirror and walk out of the bathroom. You silently pray to God that the people here will spare you on your first day, not immediately bombarding you with looks or questions about how you got that massive scar on your face. That's a story for another time.

You were walking down a corridor that led to the common area. Your heart started pumping faster once you heard the muffled sounds of talking soldiers getting louder. For some reason, you were quite nervous to meet your new team. Normally you wouldn't give a shit, but you felt more vulnerable without your mask. It was the first time you decided to keep it off while meeting new people, making you feel both proud and nervous at the same time.

The doors to the common area were wide open, waiting for you to make your way inside. You take one last deep breath before you walk in. The sound of your heavy boots against the floor makes the people inside turn their heads towards the doorway. The room fell completely silent. A forced smile appeared on your face as an attempt to break through the awkward atmosphere that you just created. You were happy to the familiar man with the mohawk in the corner of the room. He had his back turned towards you as he was talking to Ghost, who stopped talking the moment he laid his eyes on you. It caused Soap to turn his head around to look at what caused the sudden silence. A sudden call of your codename surprises you.

"Viper!"

Soap walks away from Ghost, quickly grabbing something from a crate before walking over to you. The small smile on your face turns into a genuine one as you notice that he's holding two MREs. 

"I didn't think you were still coming, I honestly thought you fell asleep," he smiled, handing one MRE over to you. You thank him before speaking up.

"I almost did, but then I remembered your offer. I also never turn down food." Soap smiles at your remembrance of his comment.

"A woman to my heart. Don't expect a five-star meal tho, but it's filling," he tells you while ripping open his MRE. You try to focus on opening yours, but you can feel multiple pairs of eyes on you. You quickly glance up to look around the room, noticing that some men have returned to eating while some are still looking at you like you're a circus animal. A sudden idea pops into your head. You mockingly stare back at the ones that are still looking at you, making them quickly turn their heads away from you in embarrassment. Your eyes naturally glance over to the masked man who's still standing where Soap once stood. He's the only one not paying any attention to you. A huff escapes your lips, causing Soap to look at you before looking around the room himself.

"They're not used to seeing a woman here. Don't worry, they won't try anything. I bet you can scare 'em off with your skills anyway," he starts. "The guys are not too bad if you get to know 'em. In fact, I haven't even introduced you yet. Come on," he tells you while turning around to make his way towards a table with four men. You follow him, taking your recently unpacked MRE with you.

Soap sits down in between two men, ushering one of them away to make space for you. You hesitantly sit down, squeezing yourself on the tight bench next to Soap. Three men are seated in front of you, all occupied with their food. He clears his throat, demanding attention from the guys at the table. 

"Guys! Meet Viper, our newest addition to the team."

You share a look with the other men, who nod their heads towards you in acknowledgement. You return the action, a soft 'hello' leaving your lips. You take a bite from your beef stew, which to your surprise is actually quite okay.

"Are you the Shadow they sent?" A guy with a cap opposite you asks suddenly, making you look up towards him. His expression turns into a slightly embarrassed one when he realises how abrupt that sounded. "Sorry, that was a bit rude. I'm Gaz," the guy says while extending his hand for you to shake it, which you kindly accept.

"Viper, but I think you already knew that," you joke, making him smile. You put your fork down before continuing. "I am indeed part of the Shadow Company. Served at their base for six months before being sent here. I was, well, am a sniper, but my expertise was more needed here than in the United States," you say, intentionally leaving out the part of you being a backup sniper for most of those months.

Suddenly, a loud scoff is heard coming from another table.

"Oh yeah? And what exactly is your expertise, my lady?" A guy at the end of the other table asks you in a derogatory way.

Your head snaps towards him. Soap and Gaz are staring daggers at the man who just made that comment. As a woman in the army, you were used to degrading talk from men all the time. They always thought they knew better than you and sometimes went as far as refusing to take orders from you. And here you find yet another great example to add to your endless list of annoying encounters with men.

You decide to stay calm, not feeling like throwing a fit on your first day. Instead, you opt for the safer option: giving him an honest, compelling answer to his question.

"Assassinating targets to 2500 feet away with one bullet to the head."

"Yeah right, and I can stop a bullet with my bare hands," the man laughs, causing some other guys at his table to laugh as well. You take another bite of your beef stew, giving him a fake surprised look.

"Wow, good for you," you tell him sarcastically while chewing. The guy's smile faded when he realised you couldn't care less about him. He was now starting to get annoyed, scooting closer towards you. He put his hands on his knees as he tried to give you an intimidating look. With the emphasis on tried, because he looked all but intimidating.

"Is that how you got that thing on your face? Guess you missed one of those so-called far-away targets?"

"Man, shut up," Soap told the guy sternly. 

You slowly put down your fork as frustration started to build up inside you. You took a deep breath while staring in front of you, trying your best not to explode with anger. A loud huff escapes your lips as you can't contain your annoyance any longer. 

"Listen here, you little shi-"

"Viper doesn't miss far-away targets, Henderson. That's why she's been hired to kill Hassan, and not you." 

You hadn't realised that Captain Price had come into the room, towering over the foul-mouthed private from behind. You look up at him, noticing that he's giving you a side-eye, one that tells you to keep calm. The man who you now know is named Henderson turns around and gives Price an annoyed look. He opens his mouth to say something, but he's quick to understand not to talk back to his superior. Instead, he turns back to you, staring daggers at you before getting up and walking away. He mutters something under his breath, something you can't hear. Price's eyes follow him until he's left the room, before turning to face you.

"Sorry about that, kid. Some men can't handle the fact that a female has a better shot than them."

You shrug. "It's fine. I'm used to it anyway."

"Well, forget him. He'll probably kick himself in the nuts when he finds out you can actually do what you say," Price tells you. You let out a slight chuckle while looking up at him. 

"Thanks, Captain."

Price pats your shoulder before turning around and walking towards the crate with the MREs. You notice Ghost is still standing in the same spot, but he has now focused his full attention on you. Your eyes meet for a brief moment before you look away, that weird feeling in your gut returning again.

"I fuckin' hate that bloke Henderson man, I swear to god," Soap suddenly says, making you turn your head towards him. "He always thinks he's better than everyone. I don't hate people fast, but if I do they have to be really fuckin' annoying."

"We need to put him in place sometime," Gaz suggests.

"Agreed. Throw a flash grenade at him during practice or something," Soap says while nodding his head.

You are slightly amused by this hatred towards the guy who just tried to bring you down. You've just met these people and they're already standing up for you. 

"Guys, just leave it. It'll happen again anyway," you shrug. Soap and Gaz shoot their heads towards you, giving you a confused look.

"Oh no, no, no... not on my watch," Gaz states. Soap agrees.

"He'll have to go past me first. Let's see if he can stop my fist with his bare hands." You chuckle while taking another bite of your beef stew. Soap shoots you an offended look.

"Hey, I'm being serious here!"

"You guys are sounding like my two older brothers. If I had them, that is. Thank you, but I can stand up for myself, you know," you tell them with a small smile.

"Yeah, yeah, you're probably right," Soap says, stuffing his mouth with a spoonful of the chocolate pudding that was included in his MRE.

"But you kept sitting down, tho," Gaz suddenly says, suppressing a laugh. You give him a confused look.

"What?"

"You just said you can stand up for yourself. But you kept sitting down," he explains, his lips in a thin line from trying not to crack a smile. It's Soap who starts choking on his chocolate pudding that makes Gaz burst into laughter.

You glare at both of them, trying to give them an annoyed look but their laughter is making you crack up as well. The three of you just sit there, laughing over a stupid joke.

"Is this how it's going to be during my time here? Puns and dad jokes at the most random times?" you ask through laughter. Soap and Gaz nod simultaneously before Soap speaks up.

"Trust me, you haven't heard anything yet."

Soap was not joking when he said the guys can snore like bears.

You had been trying to fall asleep for the past three and a half hours, occasionally succeeding but getting awoken by the loudest snores coming from all sides of the room. 

You were currently staring up at the bed above you, counting the number of slats of the slatted base over and over again. You noticed how the bed slightly dipped in the middle from the weight of the soldier sleeping above you. A loud sigh escaped your lips as you pulled the cover over your shoulders.

Your first day at the safehouse was surprising, to say the least. The warm welcome from Price, Soap and Gaz made you feel accepted here almost immediately. They were being so nice to you, showing you around and standing up for you. That dickhead of a Henderson didn't ruin your day completely, although he made you feel a bit shitty when he mentioned your scar. Or well, he referred to it as that thing. You weren't proud of it either, but it deserved a bit more respect than that. You deserved more respect than that.

You also couldn't seem to get your mind off of Ghost for some reason. The way he stared you down when you first arrived made you feel unwanted and wanted at the same time. He had this look in his eyes that you couldn't quite place. His eyes spoke when you caught a glimpse of them in the common room during dinner, yet they said so little. He intrigued you, even though you hadn't said a word to him yet. 

You didn't understand why you felt this way. Was it the mask? Was it his mysterious look? You've always had a thing for mysterious men, somehow getting drawn to them and their secretive and inexplicable manners. But that wasn't always a good thing either, so you learned the hard way.

The thought of Ghost made you look around the room. You furrowed your eyebrows as you remembered that you hadn't seen him come in or get ready to go to sleep. In fact, you hadn't seen him at all after he caught your eye after the altercation with Henderson. You propped yourself on your elbows to look around to room. You squinted your eyes as you tried to see in the dark. You were surprised to find one empty lower bunk bed, all the way at the end of the room. The sheets were still neatly tucked into the sides and end of the bed as if they hadn't been touched all day.  The skeleton gloves on the pillow made you assume that the bed belonged to Ghost. You stare at the empty bed for a while, before being rudely ripped out of your thoughts by a deafening snore coming from Soap's direction. You roll your eyes and let out an irritated sigh before resting your head back on your pillow.

You push the sides of your pillow against your ears to muffle the sounds of snoring. The first thing you were going to do tomorrow was asking Price for a pair of earplugs. You had hoped to be knocked out the moment your body touched the bed, seeing you were quite tired this afternoon. Accepting your fate of not getting a good night's sleep right now, you decide to get up. 

You scoot towards the edge of your bed, your feet hitting the cold concrete of the ground. You hesitate to get out for a second, but you know from experience that a short walk can do so many wonders when you're not able to sleep.

You look at your tactical boots underneath your bed, a bit hesitant to put them on. You were only wearing a long sleved shirt and thin joggers, putting on the tactical boots was going to make you look like a clown. But who cares, it's not like someone was awake to judge you.

You put them on, not caring to tie the laces. You slowly rise from your bed, careful not to make any noise. The sound of your combat boots on the concrete floor is a bit too loud for your liking, but you'd be surprised if these guys were even able to wake up if there was a fire.

You almost tip-toe towards the corridor, relaxing your step once you turn the corner. You have no idea where you're going, you just wanted to get out of your bed for a bit.

Looking straight ahead, you notice that the steel door that leads towards the outside is ajar. You furrow your eyebrows, not sure if that's supposed to be open like that. Your curiosity drives your legs towards the door, the tiniest breath of fresh air hitting your face as you approach the small opening.

You slightly push against the door to peek outside. It's pitch black, since - for safety reasons - there is no light illuminating the front of the safehouse. You slip through the crack, keeping your hand on the door to not lose sight of the entrance.

The air outside is nice, much better than the scorching dry heat from during the day. The occasional gust of wind cools your skin, making you close your eyes for a moment as you enjoy the feeling of the wind through your hair.

The sudden sound of a deep voice jerks you out of your peaceful moment.

"You shouldn't be out here."

You jump as the sudden voice scares the shit out of you. You frantically look around, trying to find the source in the dark but failing. A glimmer of white to your left catches your eye. You squint at it, your eyes slowly adjusting as a broad figure leaning against the wall comes into sight. He's staring straight ahead. Your breath hitches in your throat as you realise who it is.

"Lieutenant, you almost gave me a heart attack," you tell Ghost, trying to catch your breath from the scare.

"At least it'll be a natural cause and not a bullet to your head," he suddenly says. You look at him confused.

"What?"

"As I said, you shouldn't be out here. Especially by yourself."

"Well I'm not by myself now, am I?"

You notice him turning his head towards you, taking in your appearance. You stand there awkwardly, covering yourself with your arms. The wind has made your nipples see through your shirt, for which you pray to God your lieutenant doesn't notice.

The light from inside the safehouse illuminates his eyes just enough for you the see them behind the mask. He gives you another look that you can't quite place and stays dead silent. You decide to speak up.

"I don't think I've properly introduced myself yet. I'm Viper," you tell him, extending your hand. For some reason it's slightly shaking, making you curse at yourself for looking so foolish. Your make-shift pyjamas, the combat boots, your uncombed hair... you weren't particularly looking your best right now.

Ghost looks at your hand, but he refuses to shake it.

"I know who you are."

He returns his gaze forward. You slowly drop your hand, getting a bit annoyed at his rudeness.

"Alright then. And you are?" you ask him, even though you clearly know that already.

"You just called me your lieutenant, so I think you are very much aware of that."

A huff escapes your lips. Your first time talking to your lieutenant and new partner, and he's already acting like a dick? Tell me something new about men.

"Well, if it's not safe to be out here then why are you here?" you ask him, trying to make conversation despite your annoyance.

"That's classified."

You snort, causing him to look your way again. Your eyes meet for a second, immediately shutting you up when you notice that he's not joking. He turns his head again to focus his gaze on the black abyss in front of him.

"If you say so. Don't you need sleep?"

"I don't sleep."

"Then how are you alive?"

"I barely am."

You couldn't tell if he was joking or not, the monotone sound of his voice not containing any emotion. You decide to leave it, opening your mouth to speak again.

"What is your-"

"Why are you asking me so many bloody questions?" Ghost rudely cuts you off, letting out an irritated sigh. You scoff, not letting this man think for a second that he can talk to you like that.

"Why are you being so rude?" you mock him, to which he turns his head towards you. He stares at you, not breaking eye contact once. He pushes himself off the wall, slowly making his way over to you. He stops a few feet away from you, his physique towering over you. The shadow from his tall and broad body covers you, making you look up at him.

"I'm straight to the point, not rude. Get used to it."

Oh, the number of times you've heard men say they're 'straight to the point' as an excuse to talk down on you. You raise an eyebrow and cross your arms in front of your chest while giving Ghost a challenging look.

"Any other things I need to get used to?"

His eyes squint.

"Sorry?"

"Oh, don't apologize. As your new partner, are there any other things I should be aware of while working with you? Or is that classified too?"

The sarcastic tone with which those words flew off your tongue made you quite proud of yourself. You've learned to never let a man talk down on you, so regenerating a quick response got easier over the years. You swore you could see a hint of amusement in Ghost's eyes, but it faded just as fast.

"I didn't need a partner in the first place."

"Yeah, me neither. But it seems like we're stuck with each other until Hassan has a bullet in his skull. Then I can fuck off back to America and you can continue your harsh ways as you please."

Ghost stares at you intently, like he's trying to find something behind those (e/c) eyes of yours. You, not being intimidated by his piercing brown eyes staring into your own, put a hand on your hip and speak up again.

"So, grumpy because working together with me. Noted." you say, making a ticking-the-box motion in the air. Ghost scoffs ever so slightly, making you confused as to whether that was a laugh or a real scoff. His mask covered any signs of amusement on his face, so you suppose it's the latter.

"Listen, just follow orders and don't annoy me. Right now, you're starting to do a pretty good job at the latter already," Ghost tells you, turning around to make his way back to where he was standing.

"Christ, ever heard of sarcasm?"

"Sarcasm or not, it's still annoying. It's interrupting my duties."

You look around, confused as to what duties he is talking about at this hour. The sound of his tactical gear brushing against brick rings in your ears as he takes his stance back against the wall.

"Well, good thing you don't have any right now then."

"Who says I don't? Just because you don't see them doesn't mean I don't have them."

You nod, deciding not to argue with him about that since you knew he was probably right. You stand there in awkward silence for a couple of seconds, neither of you speaking up. You look down towards your boots who have been sprinkled with a light beige by the dust of the desert. Ghost's voice catches your attention.

"You're playing with your own safety by being out here. Go back inside. That's an order."

He didn't look at you while he said that, as he continued to stare ahead. You look at him, for some reason hoping that he'd take one last glance at you. He doesn't, causing you to look around the perimeter one last time. You take a deep breath of the chilly nightly desert air, as you position your hand against your head, sarcastically saluting your lieutenant.

"Aye, aye, captain, I mean, lieutenant."

You turn your back towards him, making your way inside. You grab the door handle, slamming the door closed a little too loud for the hour.

This is going to be one hell of a ride.

~

PREVIOUS CHAPTER - NEXT CHAPTER

a/n: This chapter was so hard to write lol. I kept rewriting the bit where Viper and Ghost meet cuz I wasn't too sure about it. I hope you guys liked it anyway. In the next chapter, we will learn more about the thoughts and feelings of the mysterious masked man himself ieieieie

#simon ghost riley x reader #simon ghost riley #ghost x reader #cod mw2 #mw2 x reader #ghost x y/n #simon riley #ghost x you #simon riley x reader #cod fanfic #ghost fanfiction #cod soap #cod price #cod gaz #cod ghost #john soap mactavish #captain price #kyle gaz garrick

[treasurecitymoonchild]

Chapter 1 - New beginnings

story: The Lieutenant's Shadow - Simon 'Ghost' Riley x Reader

cw: fem!reader, mentions of violence, mentions of scars, slight foul language

word count: 4,475

chapter summary: After months of being undeployed, you're ordered by your commander Phillip Graves to join Task Force 141 for an important assignment.

read this chapter on ao3

The bed you were lying in could be compared to a torture device.

You just wanted to get some rest after the exhaustive sniper training you had today, but the metal springs of the thin mattress were poking into every inch of your body. You tried shifting in different positions to make yourself comfortable - starting on your back, then turning to your left side, turning to the right with a bit more annoyance, and eventually landing on your stomach with a big sigh - but despite those efforts, you still felt all of the springs sticking out of the mattress.

You press your face into your pillow and let out a loud groan. You lay face down for a couple of minutes, almost suffocating from the lack of oxygen. Sleep wasn't going to hit you any time soon, so after trying for the past thirty minutes, you decide to get up and make yourself a coffee. 

Walking out of your room, the cold air of the military base hit your warm body like a brick. Just seconds ago, you were engulfed in your warm blanket and you desperately needed something to heat you up. 

You walk into the common room where some of your team members were sitting. Some of them acknowledged you, giving you a slight nod of the head, but most just kept to themselves as if you didn't exist. 

The Shadow Company wasn't a close-knit community of friends. You all just did your jobs, not looking for too much companionship. You could see eye to eye with most of the soldiers, some of them being a bit closer than the rest. But it was just as easy for them to turn their backs on you if worst came to worst.

You approach the coffee machine and press the button. You quickly grab a mug from the cabinet above your head and put it underneath the portafilter. The machine made a rumbling noise before warm brown goodness seeped out of the pipes. You close your eyes for a second and take a deep breath, the aromas of freshly brewed coffee filling your nose.

Through the loud sounds of the coffee machine, you could make out some rustling noises behind you. The sound of rushed footsteps grew softer, indicating that people were leaving the room. You open your eyes in confusion and take a look over your shoulder, where you to your surprise find your team members gone.

Your eyebrows furrow in confusion as you turn your attention back toward your coffee. Why are they in such a hurry all of a sudden?

You pick up your mug, deciding to not pay any attention to it further. You are lost in your own thoughts again while turning around to walk away when you almost bump into the sudden appearance of your commander.

"Jesus Christ, Graves!" you shriek, the hot contents in your mug almost flying over the edge.

"Sergeant Viper. Still awake?" he asks, your eyes almost rolling at the dumb question.

"Yeah," you say. Obviously. "I couldn't sleep."

"You know coffee isn't gonna help you fall asleep any faster," he states while pointing at your mug with a small grin on his face. You return a forced smile while looking down at the hot coffee in your hands.

Your commander and CEO of the Shadow Company, Phillip Graves, was standing in front of you with his hands resting on his tactical belt. You notice he is holding a file in his left hand. He makes his way towards the coffee machine, also brewing a fresh cup for himself. You stand there awkwardly, realizing that his presence in the room was why your team members left in such a hurry. 

"So how's your back?" he asks while leaning his hip against the counter, throwing the file on there. You are slightly caught off guard by the sudden interest of your commander. He usually never approaches his people so abruptly, especially at this hour, so he must have a good reason for that. 

"Killing me. Was part of the reason I got up and came here actually." You tell him while side-eyeing the file. Graves nods while taking a sip of his coffee. 

"Tell me, sergeant, how long have you been on this base for?" he suddenly asks. You look up towards the ceiling as your eyes squint while you think.

"Uhm, I think around... six months? Something like that?" you answer while looking back at him. Graves stirs his spoon around his mug while speaking up again.

"And how many of those six months have you been our backup sniper?" 

Your neutral expression falters as you look down.

"Around four months," you bluntly reply.

"Do you enjoy being our backup sniper?" he suddenly asks. 

You look away from him. You were assigned the role of backup sniper after your third mission as a primary sniper went horribly wrong. You had never missed a target until that day, and it wasn't even your fault. Despite a lot of resistance from you, Graves decided to 'temporarily' remove you out of the field. Temporarily turned into a month, two months, three, with it now being four months and counting. 'Backup' sniper basically meant that you weren't getting deployed until one of the two other snipers got killed, and obviously, that hasn't happened. You want to tell Graves that you absolutely despised being one, that you dreaded all those weeks of hoping around for deployment. You were regularly thinking of just leaving and going AWOL, but there was always that little sparkle of hope of actually getting out on the field soon.

You shrug while placing your mug on the countertop. "It's okay, I guess. I'm learning to handle my rifle better. Can't say that the advanced training and hours of practice were completely useless." You told him, putting emphasis on hours. 

"I would be surprised if you'd ever miss a target again," he states while straightening his stance. His comment made you a bit annoyed. It wasn't your fault.

You bring your mug to your lips and take another big sip of your coffee when Graves speaks up again.

"What would you say if you could go back into the field?"

You almost choke on your coffee when he says those words. Your eyes widen as you look at your commander. 

"You serious?" The corner of your mouth creeps up in a small smile. He nods.

"Dead. You are one of the best snipers we've got, kid. You're shot is as steady as a rock," Graves states, praising you, which surprises you even more. Graves never compliments anyone like this since he rarely pays real attention to his soldiers. "And I assume you've learned from your mistakes."

The smile that was appearing on your face disappeared just as quickly. You want to shove the words 'it wasn't my fault' down his throat, but assuming that wasn't going to be in your favour right now, you decide to just think it and give him an annoyed look instead. 

"However," he starts, "there is one problem." Of course.

"As you know, we already have two snipers. And Lerch and Roze aren't dying anytime soon." He pauses for a second. "Hopefully. This makes it impossible for you to become one of the primary snipers of the Shadow Company."

Confusion takes over your expression. "So... then how will I go back into the field exactly?" 

A small smirk appears on Graves' face. He grabs the file from the countertop and slides it in front of you. It has CLASSIFIED INFORMATION in big, red letters written on the cover. You scan the file with your eyes before Graves reaches over to open it. 

A lot of the information on the first page has been concealed by the ink of a black permanent marker, making it almost unreadable. He flips two more pages before putting his finger down on a picture of a logo.

"You will be joining Task Force 141, led by captain John Price. They are planning an operation to assassinate Major Hassan Zyani, the lifeline of the terrorist organization Al-Qatala. Hassan has launched a campaign in retaliation against the United States, following the assassination of his commander, General Ghorbani. The one we killed with a missile strike in July, rings any bells?" Graves stops for a second to look at you.

You remember it like it was yesterday. You were told by none other than the man standing in front of you right now that you were assigned to go on that mission, making it your first big one since you joined as a member of the Shadow Company in June. One day before you were supposed to leave for the mission, Graves decided not to take you with him. He didn't think you were ready for such a big task yet. Instead, he opted for a 'more experienced' lieutenant to do the job, someone he knew wouldn't mess it up. You were outraged. You once again felt pushed aside by yet another man who thought he could do better than you. This mission meant that you could put yourself on the map as a reliable soldier who wouldn't budge for anything. You were supposed to confirm Ghorbrani as the target for the missile that blew him up, not some male lieutenant. 

And yet all of the trust Graves had in your abilities as a sniper got fucked up anyway a month later during that dreadful third mission.

"How could I forget?" You glared at him, irritation radiating from your face. Graves takes a deep breath as he remembers, his lips forming a thin line. He rubs his temples before speaking up.

"I know you're still fed up about that."

"You're damn right I am," you tell him sternly, crossing your arms in front of your chest. Graves places his hands on the kitchen counter. He looks you dead in the eye, his face getting more serious.

"Then this is your chance to prove yourself. Your chance to go to Al Mazrah. Forget your backup position, forget Ghorbrani," he flips the page and points at a blurry picture of the Quds Force Major. You look at the bald man portrayed, taking in every detail of his face.

"Hassan's planning something. Knowing Al-Qatala, it is probably something of unprecedented magnitude. Hassan is in charge of the organization now that Ghorbrani's dead, those so-called soldiers will do anything for him. Together with the task force, it is your job to find him and put his ass six feet under."

He looks at you for a couple of seconds, your gaze not leaving the page in front of you once. There are a million thoughts going through your mind already. You haven't been deployed for months and now he suddenly trusts you enough to assign you to such an important task? You look at Graves and decide to speak up.

"You want me to assassinate the leader of a terrorist organization?"

"You could definitely be the one who pulls the trigger. But the task is much bigger than just killing a man. Areas need to be scoped out, guards eliminated. That's where you come in." You blink a couple of times, processing his words.

"But, you're not alone, of course. You will be joining the 141 as one of the primary snipers. You will be working very closely together with the other one," Graves tells you. You raise your brows before speaking up.

"I don't need a babysitter, thank you."

"He's not your babysitter, Viper. He's going to be your right hand, the extra pair of eyes in the back of your head you're going to need for this mission. And trust me, Lieutenant Ghost is not one to be a babysitter." You furrow your eyebrows at the codename.

"Lieutanant Ghost, huh?"

Graves points towards one of the pages in front of you. You look down towards some sort of military resume, but only his codename, rank, function, and military history are presented. You immediately notice that there is no picture attached to the page, unlike the ones from the other members.

"What's with the blank picture and only going by his codename?" you ask Graves. 

"Man's keen on hiding his identity. Supposedly also wears a mask all day to avoid having people know what he looks like," he tells you. You slowly nod.

"Kinda like you when you first came here, remember?" he suddenly says. You squint at him, trying to read what his point was exactly. But he wasn't wrong. 

You used to wear a balaclava all the time when you first arrived at this base, not quite ready to show people the massive scar you had on your face. You weren't ashamed of it, but you weren't very proud of it either. You didn't like people asking about how you got the scar. They didn't need to know your past.

Roze, one of the Shadow Company's primary snipers, got you to take off the balaclava more often. She accidentally caught you one night while you were smoking a cigarette in the courtyard. You didn't have your mask on, it was almost four a.m. after all. You weren't expecting company.

The sudden clicking noise of the door handle was much louder at this time. It startled you, causing you to almost drop your cigarette. Out of the door walked Roze, looking rough as if she hadn't slept all night. Which was probably why she came out here, just like you. 

She didn't see you at first, until light puffs of smoke caught her attention. She squinted her eyes trying to look at you in the dark, the only light coming from a lamppost in the middle of the courtyard just enough to illuminate your slim figure. She relaxed once she realized it was the only other girl on the team who was sitting on the bench.

"Y/n?" She asked just above a whisper, walking closer to you.

You acknowledged her while taking a long drag of your cigarette.

"Hi Roze," you turned to look at her, exhaling the smoke away in the other direction to where she was standing. "Couldn't sleep?"

She shakes her head slowly, not taking her eyes off your face for a second. You noticed that she was staring at you, her mouth slightly parted as if she'd just seen a ghost. You turned your head back and looked straight ahead, avoiding her gaze. 

You offered her one of your cigarettes, which she gladly accepted. She reached down in her pocket to grab a lighter, but you were faster and held out your sparked lighter in front of her. She leaned in, igniting the cigarette with the little flame.

"Thanks," she said. "Can I sit next to you?"

"Of course," you said, moving to the side, "Rest your ass."

She softly laughed at your comment while sitting down. You both sat next to each other, finishing your cigarettes. You threw the bud on the ground, feeling a pair of eyes staring into your soul again.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," you said while picking at your nails. You ripped a bit of skin off your cuticle, making you wince.

"If only I could. It's a shame I don't have my phone with me right now," Roze continued to examine your face. "You look badass without your mask."

You turned to look at her, the light from the lamppost illuminating your face, making your scar more visible. You raised an eyebrow.

"You're saying I don't look badass while wearing it?" you joked, making her nudge your shoulder.

"Yes, you do! I'm just saying, you shouldn't hide your face. It's too beautiful to be under a mask all day."

You shoot her a small smile. She didn't ask about your scar, she didn't pressure you into telling how you've gotten it. She just sees you.

"You know, you don't have to hide your face from us forever. Everyone here has scars, visible and hidden, external and internal. If there is one place where people won't judge you for something like that, it's this military base. Hell, they're guys, they probably too dumb to even notice." 

You both started laughing at her comment. Perhaps she was right. Maybe you should try to embrace it more.

And so you did. You started to phase out wearing your mask, only wearing it during training and when you were feeling like shit. Your team members noticed but really didn't give a damn. They would sometimes look at you a bit longer while talking to you, but no one ever dared to ask how you've gotten it or show any interest in it. As mentioned, the people of the Shadow Company weren't there to become friends.

"I remember," you mumble. 

"Well at least you'll have something in common then," Graves starts, before standing up straight. "Joining a new task force will also mean having a new commander. I won't be there to hold your hand, but I'm sure you'll have no problems with that." 

"With all due respect Sir, I think I can manage."

"Just try to blend in, be a chameleon. Learn their ways, their work ethic, their jokes... I'm sure you'll be one of them in no time," he tells you.

"I believe in you, y/n," you look at Graves, slightly confused that he actually knows your real name. "I believe that with your help we can find Hassan and stop him from attacking our nation. So," a small smirk appears on his face.

"What do you think?"

You stare at Graves for a hot minute, trying to process everything he just said. Changing military units, joining a new squad, hunting and possibly killing the leader of a terrorist organization. Your hands start to itch at the thought of going on this mission. You're finally getting a chance to prove yourself again. You can't wait to hold your rifle and aim it at a real enemy instead of a mannequin. Hell, maybe your new squad members are actually willing to get to know you. You were getting sick and tired of all those months of training and being stuck on this base, so you didn't even have to think about your answer. You absolutely loved it.

You take the final sip of your coffee before placing your mug down, slightly smirking at your commander.

"When do I leave?"

The dry, arid landscape of the Urzikstan desert had been your view for the past thirty minutes. Your pilot took a bit of a detour because flying over the city centre of Al Mazrah was considered too dangerous. You had been staring out of the helicopter's window, taking in the new environment when you noticed a change of scenery. Instead of the sandy hills from the last half hour, this part of Urzikstan was filled with bombed-out houses and broken roads. Improvised tent camps with civilians were scattered in between the rubble. Women and children were chasing safety here, far away from the now battlegrounds they once called home. You watched a group of children playing with the debris of a house before they disappeared out of sight.

"What a mess," you mumbled to yourself. 

The helicopter started descending not much later. A small safehouse came into your view, located between huge mountains making it only visible from above. It was a good spot for a foreign army unit to get stationed, without having the fear of getting blown up by one of the enemy's RPGs.  

The helicopter got closer to the ground, the rotating propellers kicking up the dust. The landing skid hit the ground, the pilot giving you a nod that you were clear to open the door. You wasted no time and jerked the door open, a wave of Urzikstan's desert heat and dust hitting your face. You're already regretting the fact that you've put on your mask before, as the black fabric immediately attracts the sun, basically cooking your face inside. You decide to keep it on, for now. They don't have to see your face just yet.

You notice two figures in front of you, who seem to be in deep conversation with one another. You hop out of the helicopter, throwing your duffel bag over your shoulder. The sound of your heavy combat boots hitting the ground grabbed their attention as they turn their heads toward you.

A man with a fishing hat and cigar in his mouth slowly makes his way forward, the other guy following suit. You notice the second guy has a mohawk, which makes you wonder when the last time you actually saw someone with that hairstyle was.

"Sergeant Viper," the cigar-smoking man says while approaching you, "I heard a lot of good things about you." He extends his hand for you to shake, which you do without hesitation.

"I'm Captain Price. Welcome to Al Mazrah." You thank him as he takes a hit from his cigar, turning towards his companion next to him. 

"This is Sergeant MacTavish." The man with the mohawk shoots you a big smile, as he also extends his hand, waiting for you to shake it.

"Call me Soap. M'pleasure," he tells you while you shake his hand. "Good to finally have some female company here." 

"Thanks, I guess?" you respond, unsure of what to say. His eyes widen as he realizes how bad that must've sounded.

"Oh.. no, I didn't mean it like tha-" Soap tries to explain, but Price cuts him off.

"Enough, Sergeant. Take her bag and show her around will ya? We're bloody melting here."

Soap's face changes into a defeated expression before shooting you an apologetic look. He walks towards you and helps your heavy bag off your shoulder. He throws it around his shoulders with ease before gesturing towards the safehouse with his head.

"Ready for the tour, miss?"

"Ready as I can be," you tell him, turning to Price to give him a quick nod. He returns one, taking another drag of his cigar.

"Nice to meet you again, Sergeant Viper. And don't let him get to your head," he says while pointing toward Soap. "If he says something misogynistic again I'll put him in place."

"Got that, captain. Likewise," you say with a hint of amusement, turning around to meet up with Soap.

You follow Soap as he makes his way toward the entrance of the safehouse. You're taking in your surroundings when he suddenly speaks up.

"Sorry for that comment I jus' made, came off wrong," Soap tells you, turning to face you. "I promise I'm not a perv."

He looks at you for any sign of forgiveness. A small chuckle escapes from your covered lips. Soap notices the smile in your eyes and calms down.

"You're all good. I agree with you, though. Too many balls in one place is never a good idea."

He starts to laugh at your comment, so loud that some privates on our right are starting to stare at you two. You didn't think it was that funny, but his laugh made you give in and laugh as well. He speaks up after he has calmed down from his laughing fit.

"Couldn't agree more, Viper. Is that yer real name if I may ask?" he said, genuinely curious. You hesitated for a moment, but you decided to give him your first name after all.

"My real name is y/n. You can call me both, I don't mind," you told him. He shot you a small smile.

"I think they're both badass names, I'll alternate between the two," he started. "Anyway, I've always looked up to the Shadow Company, so it's cool to have you among us. Maybe we can finally kill Hassan now, takin' way too fuckin' long," Soap says. 

You knew that the Shadow Company had quite a name and was highly viewed by others, but you never looked at yourself that way. Especially not since you hadn't been deployed for months until now, so you didn't feel much pride about your previous position.

"Well, you know what they say about Shadows. We get the job done," you tell him, cringing at the slogan Graves once gave to the company. He used it during almost every briefing or when he gave you and your team one of those annoying pep talks. 

A smile appears on Soap's face. "I like you already," he tells you while clearing his throat. "So," he claps his hands once, signalling for you to pay attention.

"The tour. Promise I won't keep you out 'ere in the heat too long, I'm drookit already."

You squint your eyes, not sure if what he just said was gibberish or an actual word. He takes notice of your confused state and chuckles.

"Scottisch for soaking wet. Sorry, force o' habit." 

"Thought so," you say, patiently waiting for him to start the tour. 

"Right, so, uhh... the outside is quite simple. You can either have a smoke or get a coughing fit from the dust, that's about it. Speaks for itself, really," he looks around the perimeter for more important features, before landing his eyes on something a couple of meters from the safehouse. 

"Ah! There is one important thing to your left," Soap points towards a small brick shed with a steel door. "That is our armoury. We keep most of the guns in there, in case somethin' happens to the safehouse. We carry our pistols with us tho, just as a precaution."

You didn't see how it was safer to keep guns in a separate building, but you decide not to question Soap about it further. He continues on with his tour.

"When I was bored the other day, I made a shootin' range next to it. Or well, I lined up some cans an' bottles on a wooden pallet for us to shoot at. There's not much to it, but it's good for yer target practice. I doubt you'll be needing any of that tho, you can probably aim at Hassan from the other side of the Al Mazrah and still hit."

The thought of killing Hassan had slipped your mind for a second when he reminded you of it again. The make-shift shooting range looks appealing to you, although you've been on one far too many times during the last few months. You were ready to get out there.

Your eyes land on a tall figure sitting on one of the army crates in front of the armoury. He is cleaning his sniper rifle, carefully wiping off the grease and dirt from the detached barrel. He is wearing a mask with a painted skull on it, black paint covering the exposed skin around his eyes, making them stand out. You notice that he is looking in your direction, but you can't tell if he is looking at you or Soap from this distance. You decide to question your tour guide, turning your head towards Soap.

"Soap, who's that staring at us?"

"Oh, that's Ghost. Interesting bloke, he is. Still haven't been able to break through his thick skin, I don't think he likes people very much," he explains. "Hence the mask. Haven't seen his face once and I've been in this squad for a while. I bet ya he sleeps with that thing." 

So that's the lieutenant Graves was talking about. You turn your head back towards the mysterious man in the distance when you notice that he is indeed staring at you, not at Soap. The man who's supposed to become your new partner is staring you down like you've invaded his territory. He stands up, not breaking his eye contact with you once. You immediately notice how huge the man is, his broad physique making him look quite intimidating. 

He attaches the barrel to his gun with one swift movement, you can hear it click in place despite the distance. He looks at you without emotion for a couple of seconds, when he suddenly breaks eye contact and turns around to make his way inside. Your eyebrows furrow in confusion as he leaves you with a weird feeling in your gut, one that you can't quite place. Soap breaks the silence.

"That was weird. He tends to be a bit agitated towards newbies, but I've never seen him stare one down like he jus' did," he tells you while rubbing the back of his head. "Lass, I'm sure he'll loosen up if he gets to know you. Maybe he's just scared that you're becoming a better sniper than him," Soap smirks down at you. You turn your head towards him, an amused look on your face.

"Maybe I already am," you smirk back. Soap starts laughing at your comment.

"I like you already, lass." Soap gives you a pat on the back before readjusting your bag over his shoulder.

"Anyway," Soap takes a few steps towards the door of the base and proceeds to open it. 

"Let's get you out of this steamin' heat, aye? You comin'?"

~

NEXT CHAPTER

a/n: the first chapter of my ghost x reader fanfic is hereee! I am so excited to write this story, I have so many ideas. this man has been taking over my mind for months, so I figured it was time to write my own fic. this first chapter is more of an introduction chapter, it's gonna get a hell of a lot better ;)

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