𝒫𝒶𝒾𝓇𝒾𝓃ℊ: Simon “Ghost” Riley x Fem!Reader
𝒮𝓊𝓂𝓂𝒶𝓇𝓎: You were supposed to be enjoying a night out with your friend. You had no idea that your world would flip upside down but end so nicely.
𝒞𝒲: Reader is assumed to be a girl but not really specified, kidnapping, slight pining, violence, drinks are roofied(reader gets drugged), guns, wounds, death, cursing, kissing, friends to lovers, implied sex, Simon being Simon, Soap mentioned, if I missed any let me know!
𝒜/𝓃: This is so long lmao
♥︎♥︎𝒞𝒽ℯ𝒸𝓀 ℴ𝓊𝓉 𝓂𝓎 𝓅𝒾𝓃𝓃ℯ𝒹 𝓅ℴ𝓈𝓉 𝒻ℴ𝓇 𝓂𝒶𝓈𝓉ℯ𝓇𝓁𝒾𝓈𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒹𝒾𝓋𝒾𝒹ℯ𝓇 𝒸𝓇ℯ𝒹𝒾𝓉! 𝒜𝓈𝓀 𝒾𝓈 ℴ𝓅ℯ𝓃!
Tonight was supposed to be relaxing. It was Friday, and you had gotten out of work a few hours ago. Your best friend, Aria, even dragged you to a local bar to wind down for a rare three-day weekend. But you had a nagging feeling that you should've stayed home. If you told Aria that, she'd say that you always say that, and you needed to live a little. Which, yeah, sure. But this felt different, yet you couldn't figure out why.
Your mind was elsewhere, staring at your drink while the music blurred in the background. The condensation rolling down the side of your glass held you in a trance.
"There are so many here tonight." Aria's voice pulled you from your thoughts.
You blinked and raised a brow at her. "Huh?" The music was fading back in, and you were starting to hate how loud it was.
She shot you a look that held faint irritation for you not paying attention. "Military." It came out flat before she sighed. "I've never seen this many in here."
You weren't really understanding her point. Our hometown was located near a base, and it wasn't uncommon for soldiers to frequent the area on their time off. You cast a glance along the bar, but nothing stood out. You didn't want to be obvious. It also wasn't that big of a bar. It was considered a hole-in-the-wall place. You take a sip of your drink, almost instantly regretting letting Aria choose something strong.
"I don't think I'm seeing what you're seeing." You give a little shrug and look at her.
She huffed and leaned in a little closer. "It's obvious that they're undercover. I've seen too many true crime docs to not notice." Her eyes dart behind me before quickly returning to mine. "There's also an absolute unit of a man with a balaclava and a hoodie in the farthest corner."
Your heart jumps, and you blink at her. There's no way. Nope. I couldn't be---
"Whoa, chill. I wasn't trying to freak you out. I'm sure it's fine." Aria noticed the look on your face and instantly rushed to comfort you.
Except you weren't necessarily freaked out. No. He could never freak you out. It was the fact that your other secret Best Friend was wearing a mask in public. In your hometown. And Aria spotted others undercover. That nagging feeling was coming back a little sharper.
You've known Simon since you were fifteen and he was sixteen. You knew him before he enlisted. And this wasn't about distance or a long-lost friend showing up. You and Simon kept in contact. And both of you kept it a secret and kept it even more of a secret when he rose in ranks. Safety reasons that you both mutually agreed on after he told you what kind of missions he was doing, and after he told you the reason he was called Ghost on duty.
So to conclude these scattered thoughts, Simon was on duty, and he was undercover among others at this very bar. The bar you're sitting at with your friend. The same friend who has no idea about Simon. Which meant there was someone here that they were watching or even waiting for. And to top it off, you were ninety-nine percent sure he knew you were here. Probably spotted you as soon as he walked in and settled into a shadow.
"Do you think you'd go for a military man?" Aria's voice drew you back in, which also made you sputter when the words computed correctly through your brain.
"W-what?" You could feel heat crawl up your neck at the thought.
She gave a teasing look at your reaction, which meant she was definitely going to dissect that later. "He's looked at you at least three times in the past..." She glanced at the time on her phone. "Ten minutes?"
That definitely didn't help the splotchy heat on your cheeks. You loose a breath and take a long sip from your drink, a desperate attempt to calm your nerves. "I'm sure he's just doing his job." You insisted, shifting more comfortably in your seat.
She rolled her eyes. "He looks like he wants to eat you, and not in a menacing way."
You sucked in a sharp breath, pushing those thoughts away, and stepped down from the barstool. "And on that note, I'm going to the restroom." Sarcasm dripped from the words. "Watch my drink?"
She laughed with a nod and waved me away.
You had to weave through people on the way to the bathroom, silently cursing how crowded it had gotten since you first arrived. When you took the sharp turn down the mini hall, a man clipped your shoulder. You stumbled, your shoulder bumping the wall as you shot a glare at the passing man. He looked you up and down with a scowl. Your brows twitched together before he turned and kept walking. You could've sworn he looked like he recognized you. You certainly didn't recognize him. You did notice a scar along his cheek, which settled uneasily in your stomach. A drunk creep, you concluded as you pushed through the door to the stalls.
You were only in the bathroom for a few minutes, not wanting to leave Aria to her lonesome for too long. She was still in her spot when you returned, talking to the bartender. You settled back into the stool next to her and took a tip of your drink. It tasted a little fizzier than you remembered.
"Did you get me a different drink?" I questioned Aria.
She nodded and used her straw to stir her drink. "Yeah, your ice was all melted, and Jessie said some guy wanted to buy our next round anyway."
Your brows furrow. "Who?"
She shrugged. "No idea. Jessie didn't say."
You scoff at her nonchalant attitude. "You're a sucker for free shit. The poor guy probably thinks he has a shot now."
She laughed at that. "Hey, I'm just trying to enjoy my night."
You waved her off as you both took another few sips. The music had switched to something a little more lively, making Aria wiggle in her seat.
"C'mon, let's go dance." Her voice slightly slurred as she stood and pulled you from your seat by the hand. You roll your eyes and let her drag you towards the packed dance floor.
About halfway towards the dance floor, the edges of your vision blurred. You try to blink it away, ultimately failing.
When Aria pulled you further into the crowd, your vision became shuttered. Everything felt like a fast-paced slideshow. It made you nauseated, but you didn't have the will to care about it. You just followed Aria's moves and danced mindlessly to the music, occasionally bumping bodies with the people that swarmed around you. You had half a thought about how your drink must've been too strong. You could hear Aria's laugh as you did a little spin, but when you turned back around, she wasn't there. Your head swam with every glance in each direction to spot her.
"Aria?" You tried calling out, but your voice came out smaller than you had intended. Something wasn't right. How could you lose her that fast? That nagging feeling pulled at your throat this time. There were too many people around. How did the bar get this crowded?
Something blunt and cold jabbed into your lower back, and a body loomed over your shoulder. "Keep that pretty mouth shut and start walking." A man's voice growled in your ear, making you tense. Your heart thundered in your chest, and you willed your feet to move further into the crowd. The object against your back, nudging you in a particular direction. The man was leading you to the back exit that opened to the side alley. When you got a particular sharp jab in the back, you pushed the door open. The cool night air was sobering.
With a shaky breath, you looked down the alley and saw Aria sitting against the brick wall. Her hands were duct-taped along with her mouth.
Your gasp was quickly cut off by the man slapping a hand over your mouth. "I told you to shut it." He snapped.
Another man approached from a black van, yanking Aria up by her arm, making her stumble. Her cries were muffled by the tape. The man behind you spun you around to face him. You quickly recognized him as the man who bumped into you on the way to the bathroom. "Hold your hands out." He hissed, flashing his gun at you. Your shoulders tense as you quickly lift your hands between you. "Don't try anything stupid or you'll have to say goodbye to your friend." He threatened as he shoved his gun into the waistline of his pants and roughly wrapped your wrists in duct tape.
Once he deemed them bound enough, he pulled his gun back out and gripped your arm and tugged you towards the van. You notice the van door already slid open with Aria seated inside.
The man shoved you inside and stepped in after you, settling on the bench while you and Aria were on the floor. Your chest heaved as you pressed your back against the wall of the van. You could feel Aria shaking against your shoulder, but all you could focus on was the man seated across from you. Your mind spun at the thought of any logical answers. This had to be the man that Simon was looking for. It had to be.
The man leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees as the gun dangled from one hand. He had a smug smirk on his face. It made your stomach twist. Suddenly wishing you had stayed home and forced Aria to have another sleepover with cheap wine and awful rom coms.
"You were a hard one to find." The scarred man spoke in amusement. "Ghost kept you quite hidden." His gaze hardened.
You felt Aria stilling. You could feel her eyes boring into the side of your face. You inhale deeply, trying to calm your racing heart. "She has nothing to do with this. Let her go." You responded. Which was true. Aria had no idea about Simon.
The man barked a laugh. "Too late for bargaining. I think this is more fun." That awful smirk was back on his face. Like a predator toying with its prey.
You glare at him. "You honestly believe this will work? That you'll make it out alive?"
You knew why Simon was called Ghost. And he had always been fierce when it came to protecting you. Even as teenagers. He'd punch before thinking. And now? You knew he'd kill before anything else.
He chuckled. "How do you think I got this, hmm?" He pointed a finger at the nasty scar on his cheek. "He couldn't get me the last time. He won't get me this time."
You swallowed hard. He's gone against Simon before. It felt like you got drenched in ice-cold water. If he wasn't scared, he was definitely suicidal. And obviously a ridiculous ego. You wholeheartedly believed that he got away by a pure miracle.
You clenched your jaw and opted to stay silent. You knew it'd only be a matter of time before Simon noticed you were missing and before him and his squad would catch up.
The van rumbled down dark, empty back roads. No streetlights, no signs of life. Just open country side, swallowing the vehicle whole.
Minutes passed in suffocating silence. The only sounds were the engine's growl and the scarred man occasionally shifting in his seat as he watched you like a hawk.
You kept you held high and your gaze unfaltering. You refused to give the man anything to use against you. The van hit a pothole, jostling hard enough that your shoulder slammed into the metal wall. The pain shot through you, but you didn't flinch or blink. You could see the annoyance on his face at your refusal to show fear or even discomfort.
After what felt like hours, the van came to a skidding halt. The jolt shoved you into Aria, both of you landing on your sides with a grunt.
The driver rushed out of the vehicle and yanked the side door open. Scarface man stood, yanking you up by the arm while the other grabbed Aria. Her muffled yelling made your head swim all over again.
Everything was happening fast. One moment, the men are pulling the two of you out of the van, the next is Aria being dragged to the far side of this run-down cabin, while you are being brought to another room.
The scarred man made quick work of tying you in a chair. Your chest heaving from him letting you resist, which made you sicker.
"I'm Shawn, by the way. Figured you should know who's going to end your life." He said proudly, crouching in front of you. "Now, you're gonna talk, or this will end very badly. Got it?" He didn't give you time to answer before he stood and started circling you. "I think it's interesting that even the task force Ghost is a part of doesn't even know about you. You must be pretty important." He kept circling. You stayed silent with uneven breaths. "Are you family?" He asked curiously, not completely directed for you to answer. "No, you must be the wife then"
Your brows furrow long enough for him to catch. "Ah, so not the wife, then." He grinned. He stopped and leaned down to eye level with you. "Girlfriend?" You stared back at him with a hard swallow. He raised a brow at your reaction. "I see now...worse. Childhood friend, I presume."
He barked a laugh and straightened. "Oh, this is good."
You stared a the floor, hating how accurately he was dissecting this. You so badly wanted this to be different. Wishing that you were stronger than this, like in those fantasy books. You knew he had it figured out. You were the childhood friend who couldn't cross that specific line because it didn't make sense. And because of shit like this---getting caught and used against him. It was pathetic, really.
"What is Ghost's real name?" His question made you tense. You knew you couldn't give away that information. You'd rather die. And you had a feeling that he knew that.
Suddenly, your head was yanked back, his hand pulling at the roots. You whine at the strain in your neck. "What. Is. It?" He snarled.
"Fuck. You." You spat. He let go of your hair and swung his hand, colliding with your cheek. Your head snapped to the right from the impact, feeling the split on your cheekbone and the warmth spilling down your cheek. There was a ringing in your ears for a minute before hearing a distant door splinter open and yelling. When you lifted your head, Scarface had already rushed behind you and had the barrel pressed against the back of your head.
You took slow, deep breaths as you listened to the chaos bounce along the walls outside the door. It felt like time was slowed. Each sound made you flinch, thinking it was your last.
Glass shattered, followed by a loud thump behind you. You trembled as you looked beside you to see the scarred man, lifeless on the floor. You could feel the bile rise in your throat at the sight. A sniper, you concluded a little too fast.
The door swung open a moment later, making your gaze snap to it in preparation for something worse. But it never came. A man in tactical gear rushed up to you, making quick work of unbounding you. "S'alright, lass. I got you. Lt is coming for you." Your shoulders relax with a sigh, not realizing you were holding your breath. You felt your hands drop to your side, and the man circled around to help you stand. The mohawk threw you off. It was the last thing you should be worried about right now, but it was certainly an interesting choice. He cradled your face, inspecting the split at the top of your cheek. "Ah, Ghost isn't gonna be happy about that." He huffed before letting your face go, glancing around for any other injuries.
"M'okay." You managed to speak. "Aria...my friend..."
He gave a quick nod. "She's alright. We found her first."
You nod in relief before he coaxes you out of the room. As your shoes meet dirt, you glance around. "Where is she?" You croaked. He gestured in the direction, your eyes taking in the sigh of Aria leaning against one of the unmarked vehicles with a blanket around her shoulder. You forget about the mohawk man and rush over to Aria, pulling her into a tight hug.
She hugged back just as tight. "Oh my god, you're okay!" She exclaimed, tears already streaming back down her face when you pulled back.
You nod, looking her over. "Are you okay?"
She nodded. "I'm okay. I mean, I'm not okay, but I'm alive."
You huff a laugh at that. "Good. Alive is good."
She glanced around at all the soldiers before looking back at you. "I have so many questions."
You frown softly with a nod. "I know, and I promise to answer all of them." You reassured, but your eyes weren't on her. You were looking over the soldiers, trying to spot Simon.
"He's the one who was wearing the mask at the bar, wasn't he?" Aria questioned, but her tone was gentle.
You sigh and look at her. "Yeah..."
"Did he find you inside?"
You shake your head. "No, I haven't seen him."
"He's coming. He was the one who sent me to the room you were in." You turn to the voice that sounded beside you. The mohawk guy. "I'm Soap. But you can call me Johnny." He smiled. You could feel Aria ogling the man.
"Thank you...I assume you already know my name.." You smiled kind of awkwardly.
He chuckled. "Yeah, Ghost filled me in on a lot."
You gave a tight-lipped smile, knowing that everything wasn't so secret anymore. And it didn't bother you one bit. You were glad to have the openness now.
Johnny lifted a finger to press against the earpiece he had. He gave a short nod. "Copy." He glanced between you and Aria. "If it's alright with you, lass, I was asked to escort Aria home safely."
You glance at Aria, seeing her nod almost too eagerly. "I'll be okay. You should see him."
You sigh and pull her into another hug. "Call me if you need anything, okay?" She nodded before you pulled away and watched her slowly follow after Johnny. You watch them get into a vehicle and drive off.
When you turn around, you see Simon walking towards you with purpose. You didn't even have time to walk up to him because he was already in front of you, pulling you into a near bone-crushing hug. You relax into the hug, feeling safer than you had all night.
"M'taking you home." His voice grumbled against your hair. You nod, squeezing him a little tighter. You honestly didn't care where he took you, as long as he didn't let go. There were too many emotions resurfacing, and you didn't think you'd be able to last much longer until they all boiled over.
When you made it past the threshold of your home, you inhaled deeply at the familiar sight. You could hear Simon closing and locking the door behind you.
You turn towards him, seeing him yank off the balaclava, and suddenly his lips are on yours. You sucked in a sharp breath at the sudden contact, soon melting into it. His arms were around your middle like a lifeline as your hands cradled his face.
The world faded around you. It was just the two of you now, pouring everything unsaid into the kiss. And when you finally pull back, he presses his forehead to yours. "Should've shot the bastard twice for touching you."
Your eyes flicker between his. He was the sniper. You should've known that. You had known he'd do it. "I should've spit in his face when I had the chance."
He smiled at that. That rare genuine smile that only you got to see. "Fuck, I love you."
It was your turn to smile widely. "I love you too, Si."
He swiftly lifted you, your legs wrapping around his waist on instinct. "Gonna make it up to you for all the times I didn't say it before."
Heat rushed through you as he walked towards your bedroom with dark eyes.
It was safe to say that Simon was no longer just your best friend. And you knew you'd have to spill everything to Aria and hear her shake you senseless for not doing this way sooner. But for now, you were going to enjoy every second of Simon making it up to you.
