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sleepyconfusedpotato · 2 years

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Wildflower

What should Ghost give during Valentine's Day to Jade when she's an actual florist who sees flowers literally every day?

Pairing : Simon “Ghost” Riley x Charlotte “Jade” Le Jardin (OC) Word Count : ~ 6.4k words Warning : Full on fluff-fest, a slight angst, and the good o'l cursings.

Title and story inspired by the song 'Wildflower' by Clay Finnesand and 'La Vie en Rose' by Louis Armstrong.

February 14th.

Fucking Valentine’s day - a day full of love, they said.

He never really celebrated or cared about any of those kinds of days where people commemorate shit like love. For him, it's just like any other day. He woke up today and did his workout before he went on jogging.

However, that day is different as he saw countless red and pink decorations in every store in his apartment neighbourhood, offering Valentine's day discount for couples. He swore he saw more couples walking down the street than usual, that he even saw a man propose to his girlfriend when he was jogging.

Looking at them, Ghost remembered,

He already confessed to Jade during the New Years.

Yep. He did.

Across the London Eye, when the fireworks painted the infinite black, the chimes of Big Ben rang throughout the Thames River, he said it to her,

‘I think I’m falling in love with you.’

Only to disappoint her again by saying, ‘But I don’t think I’m ready yet.’

Had he been a coward for not being ready to commit yet? Jade was a shining light in his life. She knew of his struggles, and she treated him with kindness and fondness no woman ever did to him. All his life he never thought to fall in love with someone, yet here he was.

He wanted to be in a relationship with her. Fuck, he wanted to. But she deserved the world. She deserved certainty and stability while his job was nothing but that. He could get deployed out of the blue anytime – die anytime. He had a lot of things to sort out first.

He saw tears in her green eyes despite the smile. She only hugged him in response, saying,

‘I love you, so I’ll stay right here.’ Jade muttered shakily while pressing her body to his in a tight hug, her fingers grasping the back of Ghost’s jacket.

‘When you’re ready, I’ll be here.’

‘Let’s be friends, yeah?’ She had added, to which he answered with a smile. “Yeah. We'll always be friends.”

That was New Years.

It'd been two months since then. Ghost and Jade had been texting each other regularly all the while continuing their lives. They met occasionally for a food tour as Ghost was a food enthusiast. Their chat was full of ‘Let’s try the new Korean BBQ around the street’, ‘You ever tried a fried ice cream?’, ‘There’s a new movie about a lady becoming a superhero across multiple universes’, and more casual stuff like those. Meanwhile Jade would take him to physical activities such as take him to a zoo, hiking, and even go to arcades.

Johnny had been such a tease on it. He’d been bothering Ghost the whole time in the base as the Lieutenant looked at his phone and typing away on it more frequently than ever. ‘Yer’ lookin’ very happy these days, Sir.’ , ‘How’s Jade doin’?’, ‘Another ‘meet-up’ with Jade?’,

‘Yer’ so full of rubbish. That’s called a date.’ Soap had said.

'Shut your gob. We’re just friends, Johnny.’

‘Friends who go on dates together.’

Soap ran away before Ghost could smack the shit out of him.

But was it really? Ghost and Jade frequently walk together, as friends, Eating at places together, as friends. Watch movies together, as friends.

But seeing that one guy propose to his girlfriend lit up a spark in him.

That's when Ghost texted her for a meet-up somewhere, Jade replied back with,

‘I would LOVE to if it's not the busiest time of the year T_T and every Valentines we'd open from early morning to midnight, so I'm really sorry. We have all our employees working, but it doesn't seem to make any difference.’

He forgot that Valentine’s day is literally the most important day for a florist. Fucking idiot.

Ghost sighed as he looked up from his phone, right in front of the Le Jardin floristry. He wore a black hoodie and a face mask, the black face paint absent from around his eyes as he was on leave, a rare occurrence from his line of work. Inside the garden was an organised chaos, to say the least. Ghost saw at least 6 customers inside the garden, around 4 employees going around the shop to accompany them. Even as one person went out after buying a flower, two people would enter the shop to replace them. The place was positively crowded.

He looked far and wide for Jade inside among the sea of people, until a woman with ginger hair came out of a room with a big rose bouquet, giving it to a man in an expensive suit that was tailored to perfection for his figure. The man paid for the humongous flowers and left the shop with a nervous face, meanwhile Jade instantly attended to another customer. He could tell that she's a leader based on how she commanded her employees with such confidence and authority, yet still had that kindness and gentleness in her way of talking. Her legs brought her around the shop with utmost speed and precision, not a single step was wasted on her feet.

He could only smile proudly beneath the mask.

For about 15 minutes he observed the shop, until a truck pulled up in front of an alleyway right beside the floristry. Didn't have to wait long to understand that the vehicle was meant to pick up flower decorations for a wedding as an old man came out from the alleyway (presumably connected to the backdoor of the shop) brought out a very big, white bouquet in his arms, which size was so big it concealed his head - surely he couldn't see where he was stepping. Ghost noticed that he was struggling to lift the giant decoration onto the truck, his knees looked like it was about to tumble, until his prediction turned into reality.

The old man's knees failed him, and the big white flower decoration would turn into a mess on the ground, if not for Ghost, who quickly leaped in and held the flowers from falling. Ghost huffed in relief that he jumped just in time.

The man leaned to the side of the decoration to see who had just saved him, and saw a big, tall man dressed in a black hoodie and jeans, whose face was concealed by another black face mask.

Regardless, the elder smiled wide, "Oh good heavens! Thank you so much for the assist! My knees aren't as strong as they used to." The old man said as they both put the white decorations into the truck box. "Ah~ being young is so much easier innit?"

Ghost only nodded, avoiding eye contact to hide his identity. Why'd he help him? probably just from reflex, but then again, how could he just leave an old man stumbling to his fall?

"I'm really sorry for the trouble. I wish I could repay you." The old man's expression was so kind it's almost blinding. He wasn't that short or frail for a man with entirely white hair, probably a 5'9". Judging by his quite muscular arms from his rolled sleeves, he could tell that he's not weak, his knees just betrayed him at a bad time.

Ghost didn't say anything to the man as he was about to walk away to avoid more interaction, before a familiar feminine voice called.

"Papa! Are you okay!? I saw you trip!"

Both men turned their attention to the shop, where a woman with braided red hair and dark blue apron was talking from the main doorway.

"Don't worry, Lottie Dear. I got it, but only thanks to this young lad right here." He gestured to Ghost, where he stood right on the elder's left. "If not for him, we'd have to replace all the flowers."

Fuck.

The old man is her father.

It's Mister Le Jardin.

Her green eyes caught the sight of a man whose built and sense of fashion she would recognize from a mile away. "Wait... Ghost??" Jade exclaimed, her face filled with surprise, "What are you doin' here??"

The SAS lieutenant looked up to her with a tinge of panic on his concealed face, while Mr. Le Jardin observed him up and down. "Oh? You know him?"

Jade nodded slowly, still shocked, "Yes... he's uh… he's a friend from work."

He never intended to be noticed by Jade, afraid of disturbing her work, let alone meet her father out of all people.

The father noticed that word. 'From work'.

"Really now? What's your name, young man?" Mr. Le Jardin asked, his voice went higher in delight.

He lowered his head to bow a little, before answering, "Simon... Sir."

"Ah. Nice to meet you, Simon! I'm Eli, owner of Le Jardin along with my wife Gracie – she's inside dealing with the clients." He introduced himself with a handshake, which Ghost reluctantly accepted.

"Sir! Where're the rest of the flowers?!" The truck driver shouted as he got off his vehicle, prompting Eli to walk to the back door through the alleyway, leaving Ghost and Jade at the front of the shop, her face still painted with shock. A lady walked in front of Jade to enter the shop, so she made some way for her and approached Ghost.

"Hey Ghost." The red-head started, happiness filling her voice.

"Hey."

"So… What brings you here?" She surely knew that he wasn't there just because he 'happened to be in the area', so he deleted that reply in his mind.

"I wanted to see you."

Jade's eyes widened, surprised at his straight-forward answer. "Oh."

"Your old man lost his balance loading this decoration into the truck, so I helped him."

"Oh." Still with the same answer, Jade couldn't tell him how fast her heartbeat was, as her father just came in contact with Ghost, the man she fell in love with.

He looked inside the shop, observing the clients and employees walking around. "Busy day innit?"

"Yeah, it is. To be honest we've been busy since the last 3 days. Had to pick up tons of fresh flowers from our fields back in Norfolk, then arrange them for this day. Today's the busiest day, so it's an all-hands-on-deck situation. Also a big wedding is coming up tonight, and we have to transport these humongous flowers to a hotel ballroom for decorations. Biiig money. This is the third truck." Jade explained as her father and the truck driver walked out with two exact copies of the same white flower decor, lifting them up into the truck before immediately running back in. Third truck? The client must've had too much money on their wallets.

Seeing the scene that's happening in front of him, Ghost took a deep breath and blew it out.

"Seems like your Da can use an extra pair of arms and younger knees." His deep voice suggested, making Jade's eyebrow rise.

"Oh? Are you willing to help us out?"

A nod was all she needed as a confirmation. "Got nothin' else to do or to be."

A wide grin fell on her lips as she grabbed Ghost's right hand and pulled him into the alleyway and to the back door of the shop, where a vast storage room was packed full of flower decorations similar to the ones that were being lifted to the truck. There were only flowers where the eye could see, save for the door that led to the front shop. There were huge boxes and boxes of flowers that had big 'Ian & Gia 14/02's written on them.

Ghost turned to the woman beside her. "Big money, eh?"

"Suuuuper big. Businessman and a big shot pianist. Wanted all the jasmines of blue white and red, and we gotta lift them all to the truck." She explained smiling to him, "Think you're up for this?"

"Won't even break a sweat." Ghost began stepping into the storage room, lifting three big boxes at once in his arms. Jade was left impressed by his show of strength as he ran to the truck at an impressive speed, before coming back and picking up more boxes like a machine, his hoodie still up and his mask still on.

Jade scoffed at his feat, as her father came to pat her shoulder from behind, "A soldier huh?"

"...Yeah."

"It's basically written on his whole figure and posture. Is he any special in his regiment?"

The daughter could only let out a light laugh, "Very, very much so."

"Get out of here." His father looked at her in disbelief, "SAS?"

"Yep. One of the strongest, and I'm not even exaggerating."

His loud laugh filled the alleyway as Ghost ran back and forth lifting the flower boxes without a second wasted and tiredness showing. Jade smiled before heading into the shop to aid her mother and her co-workers with the regular customers.

------

“Chacha, the pink wrapping paper and white 2.5 is out! We need more from the storage, please!” shouted Fiona, her co-worker and best friend of southeast asian descent, who mainly works in the front counter, preparing the flowers right in front of the visitors (which worked as an added value to attract more people). Her wrapping skills were second to none in the shop, even to Gracie, Jade’s mother, who sat right beside her counting the incoming revenues and accepting orders by call.

“One minute!” Jade shouted back from the studio room, which was right behind the wall of the main display room while her hands also swiftly moved to arrange roses inside a heart-shaped box. The order had come in pretty fast; she had to make three of them at a time, and now she had to go up to the second floor to get the items Fiona requested.

“Let me get it.” A deep voice came from behind her, making Jade flinch and look back to the source of the voice, where Ghost stood.

“A-Are you done with the loading?” Jade asked him with a start, as it was not even 20 minutes since he started to help her father lift all the flowers inside the truck.

“Just finished. Truck left just now with your dad to arrange the decorations in the ballroom.”

“Oh.” Jade leaned back to take a glimpse of the back storage room, and true to his words, it was empty. “Wow.”

“Where are these… pink wrappings and the ‘white 2.5’s’?” Asked Ghost with a tone of confusion in his words. Jade could only giggle as she never thought she’d hear the word ‘pink’ out of his mouth.

“Okay, so go to the second floor. On your 3, duck down and the pink wrapping is on the 3rd shelf from the bottom - take 4 rolls of ‘em. ‘White 2.5’s’ means the white-coloured satin ribbon with a 2.5 centimetres width. Don’t mistake them for the rest as there are the .5, 1.2, 4, and 5 centimetres as well. From the shelf go to your left and there should be a high rack and you can find the thingy there. Take two rolls. Don’t forget to close the door before you go down.”

Ghost stood in silence as he processed the information.

Before Jade could ask him if he remembered all that, he answered: “Affirmative.”

The man walked to the side stairs and stepped over 2 stairs, disappearing from her sight to the upper floor. Jade scoffed at the sight before going back to her handiwork. When else can you command an SAS officer like this?

----------

“Chachaaa~ Where're the pink wrappings and white 2.5s?! I need ‘em no–” Fiona noticed the new pink wrappings and white ribbons on the table as she worked. That was fast.

She then looked up, expecting to find her red-headed best friend who was shorter than her, only to find a big, tall man dressed in a black hoodie and a face mask instead, who exudes danger in the way he stands. Fiona, Gracie, and the clients looked him up and down with mouths agape, as they never saw this giant man around, ever. The scene looked too damn comical for his liking.

“...Is this correct?” Ghost started with a voice lower than the depths of hell, which surprised the whole room. Fuck. Being looked at by people was the one thing he wanted to avoid, but here he was.

“Lottie dear, Who’s this?” the old lady beside Fiona asked Jade with a quite high volume, who was still inside the studio arranging the heart-shaped roses.

Judging by the nickname and those braids in her gray hair similar to Jade's, this lady could only be Gracie, her mother.

Mrs. Le Jardin.

“H-He’s a friend from work! I called him up here to lend a hand!” Jade shouted back from the studio. Even with the answer, all the people were still staring at him, especially Jade’s mum, and it felt like having ten laser sights aiming at him.

He swore he saw a smirk from Gracie.

So before he attracted more attention, Ghost repeated, “Is this correct?”

“Y—yeah.” Fiona answered nervously, meanwhile her mother was still eyeballing him like she found a leprechaun. Upon hearing that confirmation, Ghost left the items in the counters and fast-walked back to the studio where Jade was, disappearing from sight.

-----------

“Chacha, are you serious? ‘A friend from work’?” Fiona asked her best friend as she threw a piece of french fries into her mouth. The Le Jardin floristry was currently having a lunch break, and most of the employees went out to get their own meals, while the two stayed inside to talk about the man who was currently sweeping the floor of the studio alone, silently.

Fiona stared at his back from where they were eating at a counter, chewing at her fries. “Are you saying that you have a friend built like that with a voice like that working as a volunteer in the orphanage dealing with kids???”

“Nooo no no, that’s not it–!” That was where Jade messed up. She forgot that neither her best friend, nor any one of their employees know that the Le Jardins used to be MI6 black agents, except the fact that Jade was adopted. They both started to become friends when Fiona applied for the job 3 years ago, right when Jade just retired from MI6. All that she knew was the fact that Jade only had two jobs: Floristry on weekdays and in the orphanage for weekends. She never mentioned the other work that she did for the last two decades of her life. “I didn’t mean from work, I mean I met him when I was at work.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah.”

“When and how did you meet him? Heck what is his name?” Shit. She needed to make up stories about him at this point. But what?! Jade hated lying. Sure it’s super easy to manipulate people by changing reality, but she didn’t want to lie to her best friend! Fiona’s the one who’s been helping her adjust to the life of being a florist and a normal life for the last three years (after saying that she’d been living abroad).

However, how can Jade just say, ‘oh so actually I was an MI6 agent. Both of your bosses were too, actually. Not only agents – we were black agents who were trained since we were not old enough to make our own decisions to do the illegal stuff! I retired three years ago and that's when I met you, but they called me back again, and that’s when I met that guy who happened to be an officer of one the most elite task forces in the world!'

That’s just absurd!

How did she meet him? How did she meet him?!

"Ja– I mean Midg– I mean Lottie, where do I put these–"

The two women turned their heads to Ghost, who came out of the studio with the broom and dustpan in his hands. Looking at the two women's expression, he knew he fucked up. He didn't know what to call her outside of work. Her call sign 'Jade' was directly tied to her work as an MI6 and he couldn't know for sure if Fiona knew about that name. 'Midget' was the name he called her regularly, but he thought it was too harsh in front of her best friend, while 'Lottie' was…

"Why did you call her that?" Fiona asked him while chewing her fries, suspicion painting het face, while Jade sucked her lips and widened her eyes in shock.

Fuck. He thought right. It's a pet name used exclusively by her parents.

"Wait. No way." She turned to Jade and Ghost back and forth before standing up abruptly, startling Jade, meanwhile Ghost stood calmly, still holding the cleaning tools in his hands.

"Chacha… is he your secret boyfriend?!?"

That sentence shocked both of them as Jade quickly denied in panic, "No! No, he's not!! Just– sit down will you?"

"That name is exclusively used by the bosses, ya know." She started walking towards Ghost slowly.

Jade followed her from behind, trying to hold her friend back. "Fiona, he isn't! I swear!"

"No, seriously. How did you meet her? When?" She started closing in on Ghost excitedly, looking up at him. "What’s your name, by the way?"

“Simon.” Ghost answered deadpanly, as the last question was literally the only question he can answer casually. As long as he didn’t give out his last name, it’d be fine. “Name’s Simon.”

"Ooooooh so he's the reason why you've been going out a lot after closin' up! You've been on dates!!"

"NO!! We haven't–"

"Yes."

Ghost's deep voice interrupted the two girls' argument, making them look at the man.

"We've been on dates."

Jade's face turned as red as her hair, and her heart beat so fast and so hard she swore Fiona and Ghost could hear it. Why was he suddenly doing this??? All the while, Fiona's jaw dropped to the floor, eyes glaring at her best friend in shock.

Jade glanced at Ghost, but that damned hoodie and face mask did not help her at all. "I KNEW IT!!! I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU'VE BEEN DATING BEHIND MY BACK??? I mean– I am happy for you, Chacha, but WHY ARE YOU HIDING IT FROM ME???" Fiona excitingly chimed to her best friend, grabbing Jade's shoulders before shaking them like she's a ragdoll.

"Wait– Fiona I can explain–"

"Okay! Explain then! Tell me everything! And don't you dare try to hide anything from me." That's right. She deserved to know. Fiona had been with her for the past three years. She's her first best friend ever. Jade knew she could trust her.

Jade relented with a big sigh and glanced at Ghost with a questioning look. He caught her cue before he himself took a deep breath. "As long as she can keep her mouth shut."

Fiona turned to Ghost, "Wh-what? What is this about?"

"Fiona. My dear best friend. My very beautiful friend that I trust. I love you, so, so much, so I will tell you the truth." Jade started before Ghost cut her again.

"Jade where do I put the broom and the dustpan."

"Owh just put it on the side there yeah. Thanks."

"Who's Jade?"

—------------

"Okay. So let me get this straight." Fiona clapped her hands together in front of Ghost and Jade, who were sitting on the chairs behind the counter together while Fiona was standing up. Jade sat like she was being interrogated, while Ghost folded his arms in front of his chest.

"You, Chacha, had been working as an MI6 black agent for the last twenty years, since you were a wee kid, and then retired three years ago." Jade nodded.

"But two years ago, they called you back to this city called… Verdansk, and that's where you meet… Simon." She gestured to Ghost, who nodded.

"You only met briefly, until last October, you got called back from retirement again, and that's when you met him for the second time. But this one was special, as you guys started to develop feelings for each other, am I right?" Both of them nodded.

"GOD this sounds like a Wattpad type of shite!!" Fiona grasped her hair from frustration, "And you're an MI6 BLACK AGENT??? REALLY???"

"Was. Papa and Mama were, too, actually."

"Oh my Dear Lord in Heavens. THE BOSSES WERE BLACK AGENTS TOO?????" Jade nodded again. Clearly she didn't have any single clue of the burden that came with the words 'MI6', 'agent', especially with the added word 'black' in front of it.

"And you, Simon. So you're a soldier. Which one are you from? Navy? Is it the Royal Artillery? Or is it Life Guards like James Blunt?" Fiona asked with her very limited military knowledge.

"You promised to keep your mouth shut so keep your promise." That voice came out harsher than he intended it to be, prompting Fiona to be taken aback.

"SAS."

The black-haired woman gasped so hard, covering her mouth in shock. "...like Bear Grylls?"

Jade couldn't help the giggle, as Ghost was utterly flabbergasted at her reaction as that was the first thing that came to her mind from the revelation. "...Yeah. Like Bear Grylls. And no I don't know him."

"Wow. Okay. So why the face mask? Does this have anything to do with secrecy and stuff?" Fiona asked him again as Ghost still had the hoodie up and face mask. She hadn't seen his face at all. "Am I not allowed to see his face? Wait Chacha you have seen his face right?"

"Of course I have! What do you mean by that!?" Jade countered, clearly overwhelmed by the barrage of questions. "Ghost. it's up to you."

Ghost huffed, lifting up one hand to the upper hem of his face mask. Fiona observed as Ghost pulled down the mask for a good 3 seconds, catching a glimpse of his strong jaw, his light brown stubble, the faint scars on his face, before putting the face mask back into place again. "Happy now?"

"Oh. Wow. Okay. I am happy." Fiona confirmed with start, turning to look at Jade again, "Chacha you hit a jackpot on this one – so you guys are a couple, right?"

The man and woman looked at each other for a long time, Jade bit her lower lip as her expression fell. Ghost could only close his eyes in regret.

"Wait, no way you guys aren't a thing already. Whaaaatttt?" Fiona expressed her confusion because, for the last two months, Jade had started to buy more makeup and clothes, and the sudden interest in her looks had made Fiona suspicious. She really thought her best friend was dating a man secretly, but now that he's right here, both of them could not say that they're in a relationship?

"Look, Fiona… it's complicated, okay? We're just taking things slow right now. Our… jobs have their own risks, and we're just trying to enjoy things as they are now." Jade tried to explain with a bit of a sad tone to her voice.

"So… you guys are friends, who happen to go on dates occasionally?" Fuckin' hell. Ghost thought. How could she say the exact same thing as Soap? Was it really weird? For two friends to just go together doing whatever they liked?

After both of them nodded for the hundredth time that day, Fiona sighed in acceptance. "Chacha, Luv, I might not understand what you guys are going through right now, but Simon," she turned to Ghost, who lifted his head to see her clearly. "You better not make her cry."

The man glanced to his side, where Jade silently sat on the chair. He knew she'd already hurt her feelings by saying he wasn't ready for a relationship yet, but if he wanted to be honest with himself, was ‘scared’ and ‘afraid’ the right word for it? As Soap and Fiona said, they’re literally doing what couples do.

He’s just afraid to put a name on it.

“I’ll try.”

—------------

Jade had texted him earlier that during Valentine’s, Le Jardin’s floristry would open until midnight. Ghost wondered why as it had been a while since the employees had gone home, including Fiona (who told her that they were going to have a long chat on the phone) who had to go home and have dinner with her family. The sun had long drowned, replaced by the moon that accompanied the cold winter of London. Warm lights from the shops and a few street lights were the only thing lighting up the streets - one of them coming from the floristry.

The sales peaked around 6 PM to 9 PM when people finished their work to be with their loved ones. Ghost had absolutely no skills in flower arranging or wrapping, so he did all he could to help the other employees to pick tools or items from high shelves, and even change the lightbulb when one of them died. Ghost didn’t mind it one bit as he found simple domestic things like this relaxing compared to what he did in the military - full of pressure, stress, and blood.

Meanwhile, the utmost form of stress in Le Jardin’s (at least what he saw today), was a customer who kept changing the flowers that he wanted, and then lashing out at Fiona when his bouquet wasn’t tied the way he wanted to. Ghost almost wanted to step in, drag him out of the store, and throw him out to the streets, but Jade stepped in and calmly asked the customer for references, dealing with the situation one at a time, and finally, the man stomped out. Ghost knew that there were more variety of problems in retail, but at least he got to experience one today. To be honest that was probably the least angry person in London.

That was 3 hours ago. Now, there’s only the Le Jardins and Ghost; the father had come home at around 4 PM after finishing the decorations. He took a photo of the ballroom and showed it to his family and Ghost, who was quite amazed at the old man’s sense of composition and aesthetic.

The four of them were all in the front room, Gracie counting the revenues, Jade tidying up the display flowers, Eli wiping the windows, and Ghost sweeping the floors (again). The clock showed 00.23, the shop was empty, and even the cafe opposite them was already closed. As Ghost finished his chore, he put the cleaning tools to the side before approaching Jade.

“Are you not closin’? It’s past midnight.” He muttered to her, who was tidying up the edelweiss display.

Jade smiled, “We usually extend about an hour.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see.”

Just as he was about to question it, the phone rang besides Gracie, who picked up the call immediately,

“Le Jardin Floristry. Yes, we are still open. You might be our last client, Sir. We do have tulips available. What colour? Red and pink, got it. The bouquet will be here when you arrive. Yes. We’ll be here, Sir, don’t worry. Thank you!” After confirming the order, Gracie smiled towards Ghost as she put the phone back. “That’s why, Simon Dear.”

About twenty minutes later, a man entered the shop in a hurry, dressed in a dirty fire brigade jacket. He clearly just finished his work and then drove to the floristry immediately after he extinguished whatever fire broke out somewhere. The moustached man approached the counter, where Jade had his order ready. “I’m here for my tulips?” He muttered, clearly tired from the way he panted.

“Here it is, Sir. That’ll be 18 pounds.”

“Thank you so much. You guys were the only shop open at this time. I’m forever grateful. I already told my wife and children that I’ll be late, but I truly felt bad.” He pulled out his wallet before putting a 20-pound note on the counter.

“A pleasure for us, Sir. Have a good night!” Gracie chimed as he took the tulips in his hands, exited the shop and finally drove off. With that, Eli flipped the ‘Open’ tag to the ‘Closed’ tag.

“Delightful! Now.” Mr. Le Jardin put his hands on his hips, “Let’s have dinner.” Once Ghost heard that, he immediately planned his escape from the floristry like he needed to escape an enemy’s vicinity.

“Simon Dear, you’re joining us, aren’t you?” But after hearing the gentle yet commanding tone coming out of Gracie, he decided against it, as what he heard in his ear was, ‘We’re going to have a conversation about you and my daughter’.

—-------

“So, Simon Dear.” Gracie's voice startled Ghost as he was cutting the carrots for the chicken soup they're making, all the while Gracie was stirring the ladle on the pot. His hood was still up on his head, but he's taken off his mask to smell the chicken broth in front of him. He figured that if there's a civilian he'd let see his face, it's an ex-MI6 whose daughter he loved.

It was only the two of them in the kitchen on the third floor as Eli and his daughter were still tidying up the first floor. “Are you Lottie’s boyfriend?”

Fuck. There’s the question. “No, Ma’am." He replied slowly, "Not yet."

Ghost expected a questioning look followed by a 'why', but instead she gave him a light nod. “She’s very fond of you, I think you should know." That one caught Ghost's attention, briefly slowing down his slices. Did Jade talk to her mother about him?

"The way she talks about you, I know how deeply she really cared for you. She saw her future with no man, at all, until she met you. Had to do with 'understanding one another' she said." Gracie put in more black pepper into the pot.

“May I know, what stopped you from committing to her?”

More questions to answer, but this one, he didn't know how to answer.

“...I don’t know, Ma'am."

Not long, Gracie muttered with a tone he almost forgot. Motherly. “...Are you afraid?”

And that's when he found himself so vulnerable, so open. And the weird thing was, he only felt like this when he's with Jade. He thought Gracie's her adoptive mother, but this magical familial trait where people could instantly open up to them was almost scary.

Was it a yes? No, he's not afraid. He just thought that if they started dating, she might be wasting her time with him. Well, he's afraid that all this love that he's feeling and all these moments with be for naught if he's just dead after a deployment gone wrong. He can't promise anything to her. Ghost knew how serious Jade was about a relationship. She wanted a long-lasting one.

Ghost didn't mutter a word out of his mouth. Only continuing his work. He could feel her gaze on him, but he still chose to stay silent.

He expected judgement, but what came was a light smile. “You remind me of Eli and me, back when we were still with MI6."

"He was afraid of the life we’ll lead. Constantly running, followed by death everywhere we go. Stability and domesticity was a dream impossible to achieve.” As Ghost listened and wondered how the fuck did she read his mind, he lifted the cutting board and poured the cube-cut carrot into the pot.

“However, I can tell him anything, he can tell me anything.” Gracie continued, looking up at him. Her gaze was as soft as Jade's, grey eyes softly gazing into his soul. “Eli had his own problems, I had my own, but what mattered was the fact that we both tried to be better, for my own sake, and for his sake.”

“He was my best friend, and I was his. It was a leap of faith to be together.” She said as her palm tapped his shoulder firmly.

“I’m saying this as her mother. If you love her, then go all in. She deserves all of you.”

---

Dinner was eventful, to say the least. The Le Jardins, plus Ghost, ate their dinner together in their house on the third floor. Chicken and vegetable soup accompanied by warm cups of tea was enough to fill their stomachs. Ghost, of course, had to take his hood down and took off his face mask to eat with the three of them.

It felt odd.

When was the last time he had a family dinner like this? Eating a delicious meal without having to find a place where there's no other people? A place where he could freely show his face to others, the warmth of a family?

It didn't take long for Eli to finish his meal, as he stood up and put on 'La Vie en Rose' by Louis Armstrong on the classic gramophone. Gracie scoffed loudly, stood up, and took Eli's hand in hers.

"Heeeere we go." Jade rolled her eyes, seeming like she had to watch this for the thousandth time.

As Louis Armstrong started to sing, the two old couple put out an amazing slow dancing show in front of Ghost and Jade. Seeing them so unashamedly happy, and the fact that both of their eyes only stared at each other with so much love, Ghost unconsciously smiled.

And when he turned to look at Jade, there was she, two hands holding her phone horizontally, taking a video of her parents, grinning ear to ear while her eyes gleamed with joy.

It's such a warm scene to witness.

He only hoped it was him and her in place of Eli and Gracie.

—------------

The time showed 02.13. Ghost and Jade were standing in front of the shop, a long scarf wrapped around Ghost's neck as the cold was harsh that time of the day. Jade insisted that he wore them, or she said he would catch a cold.

"Thank you, Ghost. For today. My dad had been having regular trouble with his knee, so thank you so so much." Jade started, cheeks blushing that was certainly not because of the February winter.

"Well, I doubt that, considering how well he danced with your mum." Ghost replied, making Jade laugh. Her smile was a sight he'd never get tired of seeing. “Are you going anywhere tomorrow?”

That question quite surprised her. “Well… Tomorrow my shift starts at 3 PM. So I'm free in the morning. Why?"

“I want to make do for today. We haven’t had a proper… date. Yet. I honestly had wanted to bring you flowers, but I remembered you're a florist. So I felt like a prat.”

Her face turned as red as tulips at that. “Honestly, you helping out in the shop was more romantic than anything you could ever give."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah! So… what are you thinkin’ for tomorrow? What do you wanna do, Ghost?”

“What do you wanna do?” He asked back.

“Oh? W-well… Hmmm." Jade contemplated, pouting her lips, glancing at the moon high in the sky. "Ice skating. And then Korean barbecue after.”

“I-Ice skating?” Ghost stuttered, not expecting that answer.

“Yeah. What, you afraid you’re gonna fall?”

“I have no clue what you’re talkin’ about.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll hold you if you do.”

He wanted to say something along the lines of 'fuck-off' or 'sod you'. But he deleted that reply before it came out of his mouth, instead saying, "Please do."

Jade grinned ear-to-ear at that response. She was anticipating a clap back from him, but it was such an unusually warm reply that she couldn't help the blush in her cheeks.

No matter how much she wanted him to stay close to her, he had to go, and Jade said her goodbye. "Thank you for today. See you tomorrow, Simon."

Still standing still, Ghost muttered, "It was fun."

She thought he was going to start walking away towards his apartment, but instead, a glimmer of light reflected on his brown irises, still gazing at hers with such hopeful and wistful eyes.

And before she knew it, Ghost leaned in closer to her face, and placed a soft peck on her cheek.

As he stood back, Jade saw that his face burnt red, seeming like what he just did took great courage and resolution. His face still so close to hers, Ghost left her speechless.

And before she could say anything, he said his last words to her that night,

"See you tomorrow, Lottie."

----------------------

Hope you like it! (❁´◡`❁)

#WHEEEEEEEWWWW #if I can draw more scenes I would #but I'm just so PACKED #might draw more and add them to this post in the future #call of duty #call of duty modern warfare #cod mw #cod #simon ghost riley #charlotte jade le jardin #cod mw22 #call of duty modern warfare 2022 #art #ghost x oc #ghost x jade #valentine fic #valentines day fic #eli garnet le jardin #gracie ruby le jardin

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cowboydisaster · 1 year

Note

reader dying in Simon's arms... med evac being too late... Simon in denial?

i like to cause pain 🫡

nonny... you are a little torturer, but I'm here for it. I actually wrote this a bit ago, but tweaked it b/c it was very similar to this prompt. Anyhow, enjoy you little angst-lover!

Fine Line

pairing: Simon "Ghost" Riley x fem!reader word count: 1.7k a/n: reader goes by callsign: Red. Also, this is like-- super angsty. I'm SORRY. I'll make it up to you later I promise. xx warnings: death, reader death, blood, gore? i think thats the word im looking for, denial, trauma, hurt/no comfort. masterlist

It doesn’t look good.

You hold your palm over your torso, pulling it away to look down at the ruby colored liquid that is coating your hands. It’s sort of beautiful, you think, oddly. Like rose petal after rose petal spilling out from your wounds, coating your being in its own life sustaining substance. It hurts, an unrelenting burn radiating throughout your body, causing you to tremor uncontrollably. You’ve seen death plenty. You’ve been the hand of it, and now you’re the victim. Funny how things come full circle like that.

Bodies lie around the room you occupy, already having suffered the same fate that you’re about to. You’d succeeded in clearing the room. Ah, but the closet. You’d missed it. A simple mistake, and it would cost you your life. You managed to take out the enemy, but not before he pressed his damning shotgun against your stomach, not before he’d pulled the trigger.

Your breathing is shallow, the puffs of air are visible in the cool air, and they shrink smaller as an overwhelming cold begins to creep around your lungs. Ice wraps around your frame like an old friend, like a lover.

“Red, how copy?”

You glance down at your radio, a bittersweet smile gracing your lips at the familiar voice. Simon. Oh, how you love him.

“Fuck, sergeant. How copy? I heard shots.” Simon says again, this time harsher. You’ll miss his voice, his touch, his eyes. You hope that in some way, after you’re gone, he’ll be with you.

His voice soothes you, your heart skipping a beat even as it slowly gives up, unable to carry the burden of keeping you alive for much longer. Blood trickles down your body like vines, wrapping around your arms and holding you heavy to the ground. You hope they’ll plant roses on your grave.

Slippery fingers press down on the comms button, trembling and soaked with crimson.

“I’m here, Ghost… I’m here.” You say into your comms. Your voice is barely a whisper, nothing more than a wisp. You used to be so bubbly, the loudest in the room. Your voice is foreign in your ears as the soft, comforting hands of death steal your air away from you, unwilling to compromise. Not this time.

“I'm coming, Red. Fuck, I’m on my way, love. I’ll be right there. Just hang on.” Simon pleads. You can hear his heavy breathing through the comms, swallowed by the panic in his voice. He sounds scared, terrified. It contrasts how you feel. Death has never been peaceful. Not when you watched teammates die on the field, not even when you killed. But this, being on the fine line of life and death? It’s peaceful. Death is quiet, it’s numb. Living. That’s the hard part. Fighting. Surviving.

Your eyes flicker to the door as Simon kicks it clean in. Your love enters the room quickly. You hate seeing him so worried, you’d take it away if you could. You’d carry the burden to ease the weight on his shoulders.

“Red!” Simon yells, running towards you and sliding to his knees on the ground beside you. His eyes scan over your wound, refusing to acknowledge the warm, red liquid that pools around you. He’s had a lot of blood on his hands, but never yours. Never.

Big hands push against your torso, attempting to stop the inevitable seeping of blood from your broken and battered body. It’s no use. Your time is up. The blood that Simon so desperately tries to stop from flowing has already been used to sign your life away.

“Price. I need a medevac, now!” Simon screams into his radio, the desperation is thick in his voice. His hands on your body hurt you, pushing against wounds that you know will never be sealed again. You groan uncomfortably as he attempts to force the life back into you.

“You’ll be just fine, baby. Just fine. Hang on for me, yeah? I’ll get you out of here.” Simon rambles.

“Simon, stop.” You whisper, hand weakly covering his. He shakes his head, unbelieving that this is happening. It can’t be. He’s lost everything. He can’t lose you too. Anything, anyone but you. He’s not strong enough. His skeleton gloves are painted red, like the rose petals, the blood, seeping from your mouth and your body. He pushes harder, noises of anguish escaping from his throat. A tear slips down your cheek, the liquid mixing in with the blood.

“Simon, stop.” You plead. He shakes his head.

“I won’t let you die out here.” He says, frantic, hands putting pressure on your wounds.

“It’s too late and you know it. Please. It hurts, Simon.” You whisper, head lolling back against the wall, “Just hold me… please.”

Simon hesitates. Everything in his being is screaming at him to fix you, to make a futile attempt to heal your wounds. But how can he deny you? He doesn’t move, but your hand squeezes his and he gives in to the weak gesture. His back slumps against the wall beside you, and he scoops you into his warm arms.

You were wrong. Death isn’t peace, his arms are. You smile weakly, curling into his chest as the life seeps out from your very pores.

“I can’t lose you, Red. Not you. Medevac’s almost here. You’ve got to hang on for just a bit, yeah?” Simon says, eyes darting around the room before they land on you again. There’s so much blood, too much blood. It covers you and him. He knows that no matter how hard he scrubs, it won’t ever come out. It’s etched into his very being, stained forever.

He’ll have to burn his clothes.

For his sake, you nod, though you know it’s a lie.

“They’ll get here in time. They will.” Simon nods to himself, attempting to convince himself that you’ll be okay.

He rocks you lightly, tears slipping down his cheeks and wetting his balaclava. His brown eyes are stained red from tears. The pain in your torso begins to dissipate, a searing burn turning to a dull ache. An overwhelming numbness begins to spread from the tips of your fingertips, spreading through you like clover. It covers you, a peaceful escape from the constant pain. You realize that time is slipping through your fingers, and no matter how much you try, it will continue to fall.

“I love you, Simon.” You whisper, voice barely a puff of air. You need him to hear it, just one last time. You don’t ever want him to forget. Simon shakes his head.

“You’re gonna be okay. Don’t– don’t say that. You’ll be just fine, love. You can tell me how much you love me when you’re safe at the base.” He stumbles over his words, begging to wake up from this nightmare and be in bed next to you.

“Say it back or you’ll regret it.” You whisper, knowing he’ll beat himself up for the rest of his life if he doesn’t repeat those familiar words to you just one last time.

“I’ll tell you when we get home. You’re not going to die out here.” His resolve is strong. Denial. A cold, bloody hand comes up to rest on his cheek, leaving a bloody handprint as you cup his masked face.

“I want to–” You gasp for breath, a wheeze that Simon won’t ever unhear for the rest of his life– “I want to hear it one last time.” You smile weakly, eyes locked onto his large brown irises. They are brimming with tears that you’ve never seen fall from his eyes.

“I love you.” He whispers, shakily. “Love you so much, my Red.”

“Thank you, Simon.” You whisper, “For everything.”

Your eyes are tired, and they slip shut to unburden themselves from staying open. Simon rocks you as his warm tears drip down onto your hair. A kiss is pressed to your hair, your forehead, your cheek. A sound of anguish, of raw pain shreds through the room. You can’t bring yourself to react.

It’s like falling asleep, lulled into a blissful slumber by the man you love. It’s peaceful. Simon’s warmth fades away from you, replaced by a cold that wraps around your heart and your lungs. The icy compression squeezes the last ounce of life from your being, and the rose petals stop falling.

–

Captain Price rushes into the room, Gaz and Soap on his six. His feet stop once he lays eyes on the scene in front of him. Ghost rocks you gently, eyes frantic, full of a pain and fear that Price has never seen in the stone-cold man’s eyes.

“Where’s the heli? You’ve got to help her!” Simon yells angrily at the three men. Soap backs up slightly, a few tears brimming in his eyes.

“Price!” Simon screams, his voice raw. He doesn't understand why no one is reacting, why no one is helping. He stands up from the floor, cradling you in his arms tightly. Your head is lulled back unnaturally, your hair cascading towards the floor.

"Simon…" Price whispers, taking a few steps towards you both.

"You've got to help her! Fucking hell, Price! Please!" Simon roars. His arms are trembling. His eyes are stained red with tears.

"Simon… she isn't breathing." Price whispers, his own tears coming to the surface as he looks over your lifeless body. You're unmoving, forever still and cold in Simon's arms.

“She’s alive–” Simon shakes his head, refusing to face the truth, “She’s alive, we just have to get her into the heli!”

“Simon…” Price whispers again, “She’s already gone.”

“You have to help her, Price. Fucking hell, please– Soap, Gaz, anybody please. Fuck!”

Death had already passed through, carried you away as red dripped down from the very being of your soul.

You're grateful to not be able to hear Simon's screams.

#simon riley x reader #simon ghost riley x female reader #simon ghost riley x reader #simon riley #cod mw x reader #cod fanfic #simon ghost riley #cod #ghost call of duty #call of duty modern warfare #call of duty modern warfare 2

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pixeechix21 · 10 months

Text

Gentle loving

It’s that time of the month when the mania of ovulation has passed and you just need a hug. This is v. self-indulgent but it's so sweet and gentle.

How Simon, Konig, and soap would show their gentle loving:

Simon Ghost Riley seems hard and tough on the outside but there’s something about him, says that he melts at your gentleness. Like he might give you messages- not necessarily in a sexual way but like in a gentle loving way- as you're laying in the bath. You between his legs, sitting on his dick so that you act like a cock warmer grinding slowly at your leisure. The lights are dimmed and sweet smelling candles are lit so that you can read aloud the book you've reading. Ghost is just sitting there, relaxing bathing in the warmth of the water and your love for him.

Konig would be so sweet in making you your favorite dinner. Setting up your dining table with a rose in a small vase, and a candle lit in a wine bottle, that he DIYed earlier. You enter the apartment and he just comes out of the kitchen wearing your strawberry floral apron, welcoming you with a bear hug before you’re even able to take off your shoes, he gets on his knees to take off your shoes. Then after dinner, he puts on your favorite movie and you’re burritoed between blankets and his huge body just encasing you warmly, whispering how lucky he is to have you, and that you look gorgeous, maybe his hand slips down to palm you gently so that you purr into his ears.

Jonny Soap Mactavish loves seeing you laugh, your smile is his favorite thing in the world so he’d try to do whatever he can to cheer you up. Like earlier he saw an ad for a spin-off of Romeo and Juliet, your favorite play, and bought tickets to go see it. Then he’d take you to the best ice cream place on the way home. On the way home he stops at the most beautiful spot in front of the ocean, and you watch the sunset on the back of his truck. Wearing his oversized jacket he adores the look of you. And you end up making out under the stars as the radio plays old 80s love songs.

I'll add the others but you gotta give me a minute I have no thoughts going through my brain as it isxox

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roseshot · 1 year

Text

@localwebslingers for the plotted thing <3

Riley's been doing a lot of undercover jobs for S.H.I.E.L.D. ever since joining, but he'll have to admit, getting into university is a first. Which is kind of exciting really. It's a part of normal life he had always looked forward to but never got to experience.

He knocks on the door before entering the dorm room. "Hey." He speaks with a smile, tossing his guitar and his bag onto the free bed. "You must be my roommate. Sweet. Always seemed like the most exciting part of college." Honestly wasn't having a fun roommate a big part of how much you'd enjoy your college time? Hopefully they'd get along. Sure, Riley isn't really there to just make friends, but it wouldn't hurt to have some fun while he's here.

When he's set his things down he walks over to where Peter is on his own bed, holding a hand out. "Nice to meet you. Name's Ryan. Ryan Desrosiers. Exotic, I know. I'm part French. How about you? What's your name?"

#ic. | riley rose #starter.

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lolahauri · 8 months

Text

✎ Introduction ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Requests are always open, and you can send as many as you want, as detailed as you want! I just get to them whenever i can/feel like it.

Anon's: 🌹-🕯️-🍁-❤️-

Other Accounts: @lolas-favfics @lolamultifandom @lolahaurisfw

AO3: Here

-> MASTERLIST <-

-> EVENT MASTERLIST <-

DNI: MAP, ZOO, Pro-Para, Pro-Ana, TERF, Zionist, Bigots, Minors!!!, Discourse Blogs. ❤️🖤🤍💚

Things I Won't Write:

Sex Crimes of ANY KIND, Super Violent/Xtreme Kinks, Inflation, Feederism, Abuse, Puke, Shit, DDLG, Age Play, Raceplay, Wound Fucking, Gore, Vore, Misgendering, Lesbian x Male, Gay Man x Female, Stepcest etc... no exceptions!

Fluff, Angst, Platonic. (Go to my other fanfic blog for that.)

Things I Will Write:

Genderbent Characters, Mild Yandere, Daddy/Mommy Kink, Cheating, Mild BDSM, CNC, Dubcon, Monsters, Hybrids, Sex Pollen, Legal Age Gap, Power Imbalance (Prof/Student, Boss/Employee), Feet, Armpits, Piss, Breeding, Mild Bloodplay & Knifeplay, Cock Warming, Dry Humping, Voyeur, Public Sex, Orgy, 3somes, Sex Toys, Overstim, Edging, etc... etc... :P

Trans Reader, Chubby/Tall/Short/Curvy/Fat/Buff Reader, Other Specific Characteristics.✔️

*if you aren't sure, just ask!* :)

HC's, One Shots, Multi-Chapter, Drabbles, F/O Imagines.

Canon-friendly, AU's, Canon Divergence, Out of Character.

Ch x Ch / Ch x Reader / Ch x OC / OC x Reader / Poly Ships of any kind.

F/F, M/M, F/M, GN/F, GN/M, Poly Ships of any kind.

Now that that's out of the way, here's the list of fandoms and characters i'm familiar with and will happily take requests on! (you can request other characters from these fandoms, but it might take me longer!)

Adventure Time/Fiona & Cake: PB, Marceline, Marshall Lee, Winter King, Candy Queen, Simon, Ice King, Fiona.

Attack On Titan: Armin, Eren, Mikasa, Sasha, Levi, Hanji, Annie, Historia, Reiner, Erwin, Ymir.

Avatar: Jake, Neytiri.

Batman Begins Triology: Batman, Catwoman, Bane, Joker, Scarecrow.

Bee & Puppycat: Bee, Deckard, Cass, Toast.

BigBang Theory: Raj, Leonard, Penny, Amy.

Black Dynamite: Honeybee, Black Dynamite.

BNA: Michiru, Shirou.

Bob’s Burgers: Bob, Linda.

Breaking Bad: Jesse, Skylar.

Call of Duty: Konig, Ghost, Mace, Keegan, Krueger, Valeria, Farah.

Creepypasta: Jeff, Jane, Ben, Toby, EJ, LJ, Slenderman, Splendorman, Clockwork, Kate, Masky, Hoodie,

Desperate Housewives: Bree, Gabi, Edie, Lynette, Carlos, John.

Dirty Dancing: Johnny, Baby.

Earth Girls Are Easy: Mac, Zeebo, Wiploc, Valerie.

Elemental: Wade, Ember.

Encanto: Isabela, Bruno, Dolores, Julieta.

FNAF Movie: Vanessa, Mike, William/Steve.

Frozen: Elsa, Anna, Kristoff.

Futurama: Leela, Fry, Amy, Bender.

Gravity Falls: Ford, Stan, Soos, Melody, Giffany, Bill.

Jane The Virgin: Jane, Michael, Petra, Luisa, Rose, Rogelio, Xiomara.

Jurassic Park (1993): Ian Malcolm, Ellie Sattler.

Jujutsu Kaisen: Gojo, Choso, Nanami, Sukuna.

King of the Hill: Hank, Peggy, Luane, Nancy, Dale, Khan, Min, John Redcorn.

Lisa Frankenstein: Lisa, Creature, Taffy.

Little Mermaid (2022): Ariel, Eric.

MHA: Dabi, Hawks, Aizawa.

Moon Knight: Moon System, Layla, Khonshu.

National Treasure: Benjamin, Riley.

Nintendo: Link, Zelda, Peach, Daisy, Rosalina, Luigi, Bowser, Waluigi.

Norbit: Rasputia, Norbit.

Princess & The Frog: Tiana, Lottie, Naveen, Shadow Man.

Ratatouille: Colette, Linguini.

Regular Show: Mordecai, Margret, Eileen, CJ, Benson.

Resident Evil: Karl Heisenberg, Carlos Oiliveria, Lady Dimitrescu.

Rick and Morty: Rick, Jerry, Beth, Doofus Rick.

Riverdale: FP Jones, Hiram.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: Kim, Ramona, Gideon, Wallace.

Serial Mom: Chip, Beverly.

Silverado: Slick, Rae, Mal, Paden.

Shallow Hal: Rosemary, Hal.

Shameless: Lip, Fiona, Kev, V.

SheRa (2018): All Adults.

Sherlock (2010): Sherlock, John Watson.

Slashers & DBD: Brahms, Ghostface, Michael Myers, Jason Vorhees, Pyramid Head, The Spirit, Huntress, Trapper, Wraith, Trickster, Pearl, Jennifer Check, Stu Matcher, Billy Loomis, Tiffany Valentine, Patrick Batmeman, Thomas Hewitt, Vincent Sinclair, Eric Draven, The Artist, Amanda Young.

Spiderverse: Miguel, Jessica Drew.

Spongebob: Dennis, Man Ray.

Squid Games: Gi-Hun, Sae-Byeok, Ali, Sang Woo.

Steven Universe: Garnet, Amethyst, Peridot, Lapis, Jasper, Blue Diamond, Rose, Greg.

Stranger Things: Robin, Billy Eddie, Chrissy, Hopper.

Supernatural: Sam, Dean, Castiel.

Super Store: Amy, Jonah, Dina, Garrett, Cheyenne.

Tangled: Flynn, Rapunzel, Mother Gothell.

The Batman (2022): Batman, Riddler.

The Breakfast Club: John Bender, Allison Reynolds.

The Nanny: C.C, Fran, Maxwell.

Total Drama Island: S1 Contestants, Chris, Chef, Blainley.

Triple Frontier: Frankie, Santiago.

Turning Red: Ming Lee, Jin Lee.

Twilight: Edward, Carlisle, Alice, Charlie.

WWE: Rhea Ripley, Roman Reigns.

YOU: Beck, Joe, Peach, Love.

Young Sheldon: Mary, Connie.

Abel Morales (A Most Violent Year)

Astarion (Baulder’s Gate 3)

Babbo Natale (Violent Night)

Barbie (Barbie 2023)

Basil Stitt (Lightning Face)

Beverly Goldberg (The Goldbergs)

Bruce (Beyond Therapy)

Charles Ingalls (Little House on the Praire)

Charlie Dompler (Smiling Friends)

Chel (Road to El Dorado)

Dale Kobble (Longlegs)

Dan Conner (Rosanne)

David Levinson (Independence Day)

Din Djarin (The Mandalorian)

Doug Remer (Baseketball)

Duke Leto Atreides (Dune)

Fezzik (Princess Bride)

Francine (American Dad)

Fujimoto (Ponyo)

Georgia Miller (Ginny & Georgia)

Jack Harrison (Translyvania 6-5000)

Jackson Rippner (Red Eye)

Jon Arbuckle (Garfield 2024)

John Doe (John Doe Game)

Jonathan Levy (Scenes from a Marriage)

John Wick (John Wick 4)

King Baldwin (Kingdom of Heaven)

Kitten (Breakfast on Pluto)

Laurent LeClaire (In Secret)

Linda Gunderson (Rio)

Llewyn Davis (Inside Lleywn Davis)

Master Chief (Halo)

Mike (5lbs of Pressure)

Moe Doodle (Doodle Bops)

Nani Palekai (Lilo & Stitch)

Nathan Bateman (Ex Machina)

Outcome-3 (The Bourne Legacy)

Orestes (Agora)

Paul Blart (Paul Blart: Mall Cop)

Paul Cable (Last Stand at Saber River)

Peggy Bundy (Married With Children)

Peter Mitchell (3 Men & A Baby)

Poe Dameron (Star Wars)

Prince John (Robin Hood 2010)

Robert ‘Bob’ Floyd (Top Gun: Maverick)

Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)

Shiv (Pu-239)

Stanley Ipkiss (The Mask)

Star-Lord (Gaurdians of the Galaxy)

Tate Langdon (AHS: Murder House)

The Janitor (Willy’s Wonderland)

Thomas Magnum (Magnum, P.I 1980)

William Tell (The Card Counter)

#x reader #self ship #shipping #ao3 writer #fandom #minors dni #intro post #pinned post

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thronesaccido · 15 days

Text

Beneath The Snow

Pairing: Simon "Ghost" Riley x Fem!reader T/W: Angst, hurt/ no comfort. mdni. (kinda rushed)

The icy wind howled as it tore across the barren tundra, stinging every inch of exposed skin like knives. the endless expanse of snow-covered land stretched out in all directions, blending with the overcast sky. A storm was brewing and deep in the heart of Russia's frozen wasteland, two soldiers advanced silently, Simon (Ghost). led the way with his trademark skull mask hidden beneath layers of tactical gear. Behind him, You followed, Your footsteps heavy and purposeful with the biting cold.

Simon had argued against you coming on this mission from the start.

"This terrain is unforgiving" he had told you back at base, his voice low and stern. "This isn't the mission for you"

But you, relentless and sharp as ever, insisted. You weren't one to sit out of any operation, especially not one like this. You had trained for this moment, for this exact kind of pressure and you weren't about to let Simon side-line you.

"They need me out there, Simon" You had said, locking eyes with him in defiance. "You might not want me here, but you know I'm right"

Now, here you were, trekking through the harshest environment you'd ever faced, with Simon's misgivings hanging in the freezing air between you.

The terrain had been manageable at first, but now, the snow was getting deeper, the ground beneath you growing more treacherous, Ice cracked underfoot, and the biting wind made every step feel like dragging a weight behind you.

"Stay sharp" Simon muttered, scanning the horizon through his frosted goggles. the mission was simple on paper: extract valuable intel from a downed satellite somewhere in the tundra. But the terrain wasn't their only enemy.

A sharp crack echoed through the valley. a bullet whizzing past.

"Down!" Simon barked, diving into the show, Pulling you down beside him.

Stray gunfire erupted from a ridge to their left, automatic weapons lighting up the white landscape like angry fireflies. Simon cursed under his breath. it had been too quiet for too long. Now, they were pinned and retreat was becoming their only option.

"Commands ordering us to pull back!" Simon shouted over the crackle of gunfire, his voice muffled by the gusts of the wind.

You gritted your teeth. "Not a chance. We're too close!"

You rose to fire, but Simon grabbed your arm, yanking you back down.

"I'm not losing you out here, Love!" he snapped, his grip tight. "We move now. or we don't move at all."

But there was no time for arguments. The bullets were coming faster now, zipping through the air. Simon signalled the retreat, covering you as you scrambled for better cover. He could hear the orders from command in his ear, fall back, regroup but it was chaos all around them.

You, fighting your way to the nearest cover, was suddenly backed into a narrow crevice in the rock face. The ground beneath you gave away with a sickening crack and in the blink of an eye, you disappeared. One second, you were there, readying your weapon for another round of fire. The next, the earth collapsed beneath you, swallowing you whole.

Simon shouted, his heart freezing over faster than the tundra around him. He scrambled toward the spot where you had vanished, but the ground was unstable, Threatening to cave in under his weight.

Gunfire continued to rain down on them as Simon crawled toward the edge, his mind racing. He peered over into the dark chasm where you had fallen. Nothing. No movement. His breath came in ragged gasps as he called your name again.

Silence

The ground was still. The gunfire had slowed, but Simon's pulse was thundering in his ears. He threw caution aside, shouting into the coms.

"Command, this is Ghost. She's down! She’s gone underground!" His voice was thick with urgency, a desperation rarely heard from him.

"Ghost, we need you back at exfil. We’ve got what we came for. There’s no time," the cold reply came through, static-laced and distant.

Simon clenched his fists, his knuckles white through his gloves. He couldn’t just leave you. Not you

Hours passed as he searched frantically. His team covered the area as best they could, but with the storm intensifying, visibility was dropping by the minute. His heart sank further with each fruitless call of your name.

By the time the next day arrived, the tundra was swallowing them whole too. The blizzard was closing in, reducing the world to nothing more than a white abyss.

"We need to move, Simon," one of his teammates said, gripping his shoulder tightly. "We’ve got the intel. We can’t stay out here any longer."

But Simon wasn’t ready to give up. Not yet.

"She’s still out there. I know it," he growled, eyes fixed on the spot where she had disappeared. "I’m not leaving her."

"We’ve searched the area twice over, mate. If she’s still alive… there’s no way we’re finding her in this storm."

Simon’s throat tightened as the bitter truth settled in. His team was right. The mission was already completed; they had the intel they needed. But at what cost?

"Simon" his teammate pressed, "We can’t lose anyone else. We need you with us."

For a long moment, Simon stood there, staring into the empty white void. The snow had already started to cover the crevice where you had fallen. His fists tightened at his sides. He could feel the anger, the helplessness, gnawing at him. But there was nothing left to do.

With a final, agonizing breath, Simon gave the order.

"Let’s move."

The team turned and trudged back toward the exfil point, but Simon cast one last glance back over his shoulder, the emptiness of the tundra mocking him.

You were gone.

And Simon Riley would never forgive himself.

a/n: i thought about this one night and i just had to write it.

#call of duty #cod modern warfare #cod mw2 #cod mwii #simon ghost riley #ghost riley #simon riley x you #simon riley x reader #simon ghost x reader #simon ghost x you #hurt/no comfort #ghost cod #cod x reader #modern warefare ii #angst #ghost

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chaosbarelycontained · 5 months

Text

I’m The Pain You Tasted

North Country Boy Chapter 3

Pairing: Simon “Ghost” Riley x AFAB!OC

TW: Swearing, blood, angst

Words: 3.6k

Synopsis: Jules and the Lt go head to head.

“Nervous?” Soap asked as he sat down in front of her, smoothing his hand through his short, dark mohawk.

Jules simply raised her eyebrow at him and took another bite of her bacon sandwich, managing to swipe away an errant drip of brown sauce before it ran down her chin. She maintained eye contact with him long enough for it to become awkward, chewing slowly but then swallowed to allow a huff of laughter to escape at the increasingly nervous expression that grew on his face.

“Fine, fine,” he said, holding his hands up, “I get tha picture. Nothin’ t’be worried about anyway. Ah’ll go easy on ye fer sure.”

“Go easy on me?” she asked, suspicious of the pseudo-innocent expression he held.

“Aye. Who’d ye think ye were sparrin’ with fer the physical? Price?” Soap let out a guffaw at the thought of Jules and the Captain going up against each other.

Jules smirked as she finished the last bite of her sandwich, casting her eyes over Soap in a deliberately slow appraisal. Humming, she drained her brew and smacked her lips together in appreciation. She reached across the table and patted his hand, her voice taking on a sickly sweet, patronising tone.

“Don’t worry baby boy, I promise I won’t hurt you too much.’

Laughing at his confounded expression she rose and took her breakfast things over to the hatch.

“Marry me, Jules!” she heard Soap call as she left the room, blowing him a kiss over her shoulder as she went.

Rounding the corner, still chuckling, she walked head first into a brick wall - at least that’s what it felt like - until her brain caught up with her and she realised she’d walked slap-bang into the Lieutenant. Her face immediately shut down, her blood searing like ice in her veins.

“Great observation skills, Sergeant,” he rumbled and Jules cursed the fact that she had to raise her head to meet his eye.

“Sorry, Sir.” she replied, her voice toneless and cold.

Jules stepped back a pace, crossing her arms behind her as she stood at ease.

“Hope you’re gonna do better than that later,” Ghost pressed, seemingly intent on carrying on the awkward interaction.

“Of course, Sir.” Once again she gave him nothing, which left him on the back foot a little.

“Jules…Jules?” he tried but she stared blankly ahead, unresponsive to the almost plaintive note as he spoke her name. “Sergeant?”

“Sir?” she finally acknowledged him and it was then he understood where she’d drawn her line.

“Firing range, 0900 hrs,” he huffed. “You’d better be as good as Price thinks you are.”

He turned and stalked away, leaving Jules fuming in the corridor. It wasn’t until he’d entered the mess that she reacted, tucking her tongue behind her bottom lip and giving him a vicious one-fingered salute with both hands.

Returning to her room, she finished getting ready for the day, brushing her teeth, doubly-securing the neat bun at the back of her neck, and replacing her trainers with her boots. As it was a training exercise, she was allowed to forego the camo smock that was usually worn so she remained in her khaki t-shirt. Taking a breath to calm herself, Jules pulled her beret from the pocket of her pants and situated it on her head, eyeing herself critically in the mirror to make sure that it sat perfectly. After almost ten years she could do it blindfolded but today she needed the mirror’s reassurance.

It was only a short jog over to the main part of the barracks where the firing ranges were located. Jules was early, of course, and so she was made to wait outside whilst they finished setting up whatever test they needed her to perform. She’d taken part in a few skills assessments during her time in the SRR, both as observer and participant, and she had a good idea of what to expect.

When the gate opened again Jules was invited inside. There, an array of weapons was laid out, ranging from the compact Glock 19 to an HK417. Ghost stood off to the side, his arms folded across his chest as he nodded his head towards the display.

“Load, fire three rounds or a two second burst, unload. Make sure you at least hit the target,” he commanded, his last words dripping with sarcasm.

“Yes, Sir,” Jules managed through gritted teeth, barely able to hold back the fierce response she wanted to give.

Stepping towards the bench, Jules picked up the ear defenders that lay before her, noting from the corner of her eye that the Lieutenant did the same before returning to his previous nonchalant pose. A green light flashed on to the left of her vision indicating that she was safe to begin. Picking up the Glock she loaded it swiftly, aimed, fired her three rounds and then unloaded before moving on to the next weapon, and the next. It wasn’t the best shooting she’d ever done, she couldn’t help but be distracted by the looming phantom in the corner of her vision, but it was definitely up to standard and she impressed even herself with the accuracy of her shots with the L96, a weapon she’d always preferred.

When she’d completed her task and unloaded the final gun, Jules removed her ear defenders and stepped away from the bench, standing at ease before the Lieutenant. She didn’t know what she was expecting but Ghost said absolutely nothing, merely casting his eyes over her and raising his eyebrow so that it disappeared beneath the edge of his balaclava.

“Gymnasium two,” Ghost said curtly before striding away, leaving Jules to have to scurry to catch up to him.

If she could have walked there on her own she would have but protocol dictated that they travel together. He was deliberately lengthening his strides so that Jules had to almost trot to keep pace alongside him and she grew more pissed off with every step.

By the time they reached the gymnasium she was practically biting her tongue to refrain from chewing out her senior officer. She wasn’t afraid to argue back at those in command when the situation warranted it but this wasn’t the time or the place. If she had an outburst now she could be up on charges. Again.

“There y’are,” Soap grinned as they entered the large space, pushing himself off the wall where he’d been leaning and heading over to them. “Ye ready for this?”

He cracked his knuckles and cricked his neck dramatically before shadow-boxing the air before her, making little huffs and grunts. Jules laughed despite herself. She was grateful for the comic relief; it drew her out of her head and back into the moment.

“Are you?” she countered, rolling up her non-existent sleeves and bouncing on her feet with her fists up.

The action had drawn Soap’s eye’s to the green colour on Jules’ forearm that he’d not noticed before. When she saw the direction of his gaze she stopped and held out her arm.

“Is tha’ the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles?” He asked, grabbing her arm and running his thumb over the tattoo.

“Yeah,” she confirmed, a little of the excitement draining out of her voice. “It’s for my brother. He loved ‘em.”

The past tense she’d used didn’t pass Soap by and he winced in sympathy.

“Ach, ahm sorry, Jules,” he said.

“Don’t worry about it, it was a long time ago. He-”

“Enough gossipin’, let’s get this show on the road,” Ghost interrupted harshly, regretting the way his words made Jules stiffen and retreat within herself once more.

Soap rolled his eyes and grinned at Jules as they made their way into the centre of the room, shaking out their hands and rolling their shoulders more seriously this time.

“Don’t break her, Johnny. I don’t fancy fillin’ in all that extra paperwork,” Ghost grumbled, taking Soap’s place against the wall.

He heard Jules’ barely muttered curse that was surely aimed at him and the corner of his lip twitched upwards as he smirked beneath his face covering. He was itching to get some sort of reaction from her, even if it were rage. Anything would be better than the icy blankness that she afforded him at the moment. He watched them spar, quietly impressed with how she held her own against Soap’s obvious height and weight advantage. What he didn’t notice, as he leaned with his arms folded across his chest, was the way his thumb idly rubbed over a single patch of skin on the edge of his bicep. If he ever let anyone get close enough to see the detail inked there they’d find four Ninja Turtles, drawn in black and grey, hidden amongst other, more violent, designs.

The next time Soap caught his eye Ghost nodded and then indicated towards the edge of the room with his chin. Breaking off the fight, Soap gripped Jules’ forearm in a handshake and they parted, grinning at each other with heaving chests.

“Ye did good, Newbie. Gave me a right crack or two,” he chuckled, rubbing his jaw.

“Likewise,” Jules replied, leaning over and resting her hands on her knees. “Are we done, Sir?” She asked Ghost, who had taken a few steps towards them, an unfathomable look in his eyes.

He didn’t reply but simply uncrossed one arm and gestured at Jules, beckoning her towards him with two fingers before planting his feet solidly on the mats and tilting his head in challenge.

“Lt, you’re jokin’ no?” Soap interjected on Jules’ behalf, showing no small concern for her welfare.

Ghost shook his head slowly and beckoned Jules once more and his arrogant aura pierced through her exhaustion.

“How long?” she asked sharply, her breathing slowly returning to normal.

“‘Till you tap out,” he rumbled, flexing his shoulders back and stretching out his neck.

Unnoticed by the two teammates currently stalking around each other on the training mats, Soap recovered his phone from the pile of his belongings and sent a text to Gaz and the Captain before returning his attention to the pair. He watched with interest as his Lieutenant quietly let the newbie get under his skin. Soap had known him long enough to recognise his tells and he knew that Ghost was going to let something slip.

Jules went on the offensive, knowing that was her best tactic. She wasn’t short by any means but the Lieutenant still dwarfed her by a considerable amount and not just with his height. He was fast, really bloody fast, but then, so was she. Using her smaller stature to her advantage she ducked underneath his guard and managed to land a few hits, although they weren’t nearly as effective as she’d hoped they’d be.

She knew she wasn’t showcasing the best of her skillset in a scenario like this. She was better in covert ops. Jules wasn’t phased by a sneak attack, creeping up on hostiles and taking them out from the shadows with her knife or a wire, but this pure display of force she knew was designed to highlight her flaws and she would be the first to admit she was struggling.

It only took that one moment of mental distraction for the Lieutenant to catch her with an elbow across the jaw. She almost went down but managed to recover herself, scuttling backwards a few paces to give herself room to shake off the dizziness that clouded her brain. Feeling her mouth fill with the thick, copper taste of blood she spat on the floor and then swiped the back of her hand across her mouth, seeing the trail of pink-stained spittle she left behind.

Jules took a few gasping breaths, her only consolation being that Ghost looked almost as winded as he adjusted the balaclava that covered his face.

“You ready to tap out yet, Princess?” he taunted.

Jules froze.

She’d not heard that name in over ten years, and never with the tone he dressed it with now. Rage bubbled within her chest, a volcanic eruption that was ready to explode. If she could’ve seen beneath his mask she would have known he’d realised his mistake, but she couldn’t. Jules couldn’t believe his audacity. He’d disappeared from her life so completely for so long and yet now could throw those names at her as if they meant nothing?

With a growl of fury emanating from deep in her throat Jules hurled herself across the floor towards Ghost. The vehemence of her offensive caused even Soap to let out an expletive as he watched their new recruit launch one of the most vicious attacks he’d ever seen outside of a mission.

For once Ghost found himself on the defensive from the start. She was so fast it seemed she was everywhere, fists, elbows, knees… He tried to block them all but more hits than he cared to admit managed to work their way past his defences. It took her no time at all to regroup after an offensive manoeuvre and then she would be on him again, searching out all the spots that would cause him the most pain.

Ghost could’ve sworn she’d cursed him out as a “twat-faced bastard” and he relished in the emotions she projected at him, finally receiving a reaction, albeit anger. He just about managed to raise his knee in time to block a particularly nasty assault aimed at his bollocks but that left him open for her next attack.

Gripping the front of his shirt tightly between her fingers, Jules used it as a lever to manoeuvre herself upward and plant the corner of her forehead onto the bridge of his nose. A loud crack sounded and the blow made even the usually stoic Ghost grunt in pain. Jules almost crowed in triumph as white skull on the front of his balaclava began to suffuse with red.

“That all you got?” Ghost taunted, his words thick and a little slurred from the swelling in his nose.

“I didn't know dead men could bleed,” Jules spat, launching herself towards him again but a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and stopped her attack.

She struggled against the arms that restrained her, but the Scottish voice that rumbled in her ear finally began to filter through the red mist in her mind and she began to calm.

“Easy Tiger, take a wee breather aye?” Soap gentled, timing his breaths to match hers before beginning to slow them down.

It worked. Jules felt the tension in her body start to release and her shoulders sagged.

“Had enough now, have we?” Price’s commanding voice cut through the tension like a knife.

“Yes, Sir!” Jules called, immediately snapping to attention.

“You,” he pointed at Ghost, “clean up and meet me in my office.”

“Sir,” the Lieutenant nodded his acknowledgement.

“Tiger, you’re coming with me,” Price indicated towards the doorway and Jules stepped to follow, passing by Ghost as if he didn’t even exist to her.

Ghost watched her leave, his heart still pounding with adrenaline even as his breathing returned to normal. His balaclava stuck uncomfortably to his face, the fabric wet and cold with blood, but he’d have to wait until later to sort it out.

“Ha’ ye no got anythin’ to say fer yersel’ Lt?” Soap admonished, as Gaz nodded, backing him up.

“Yeah, actually,” Ghost replied, eyeing the pair of them disdainfully. “I think you’ll find they’re called Ninja Turtles, not Hero Turtles, ya fuckin’ rookie.”

* * * * *

With Rob away at camp and her Mum working the bacon and egg shift at the cafe on Gorton market, Jules went to college on her own. The bus ride was one of the most uncomfortable she’d ever taken. Her left knee jiggled with agitation, earning her a black look from the old battleaxe in the seat next to her. Jules offered her a tight, apologetic smile and adjusted her headphones on her head. She slipped her hand into her pocket and turned up the volume on her Walkman, trying to drown out the anxiety in her brain by blasting out one of the mixtapes her brother had sent her. A faint chuckle left her lips as the song that was playing finished and the DJ began to speak.

“You’re listening to long wave radio Atlantic 252-”

The sound cut out as the next song began and Jules could just imagine Rob, sitting on the floor of his barracks and swearing up a storm as he fumbled to pause the recording until the music began again. The thought warmed her heart but made her miss him all the more, especially on a day like today.

College was bustling with Year 13s, all ready to collect the slips of paper that would decide their futures. Jules scanned the handwritten signs that were taped to the front of a row of desks in the hallway, each representing a set of surnames grouped alphabetically. A-C, D-F, G-I…there it was, J-L She grimaced at the member of staff behind the desk and then focussed on the stack of envelopes on the table before her.

“What’s your name, love?” the woman asked kindly.

“Kelsall. Juliette Kelsall,” she croaked, holding her breath as the woman flipped through the stack before finally pulling out an envelope with a satisfied hum.

“There you go Juliette, love. Good luck!”

Jules retrieved the envelope from the woman with trembling fingers, mumbled a quick “thanks” and then made her way outside. She smoothed across the thick white paper with her fingers, turned it over and over in her hands, and tapped the edge of the envelope against her lips, trying to drum up the courage to actually open it. After a few deep breaths she finally managed to slide her finger under the poorly-glued flap, ripping the envelope open and then pulling out the single sheet of paper it contained. Her eyes welled with tears as she raised a shaking hand to her mouth and then her lips parted in a triumphant grin.

On the bus ride back home Jules was filled with even more nervous energy than before but this time it was for an entirely different reason. Hopping off a couple of stops before she usually would, she almost ran to the small shopping precinct and into the butcher’s shop.

“Hi Mr Summerscales, is he in the back?” she asked the owner but his ruddy face, smiling in anticipation of a new customer, fell into a concerned frown.

“No love, sorry. He called in sick this morning.”

“Oh,” Jules responded in surprise. “Thanks.”

Despite the butcher’s words she still craned her neck a little, as if she’d catch sight of Simon dressed in the white coat that hung almost comically short on his tall frame but of course he wasn’t there.

With a shrug and a small smile at Mr Summerscales, she left the shop and began the short walk home. The mid-August sunshine blazed down on her and by the time she arrived at Simon’s house she was pink-cheeked and the paper she still clutched in her hand was damp with perspiration. Jules knew something was off as she approached the front door, she could sense the tension in the air, but she still raised her hand and knocked.

It took a while but eventually the door opened a crack and Simon’s mum peered through. Old makeup was smeared under bleary eyes, her over-bleached hair piled into a crispy knot on the top of her head. Pursing her wrinkled lips, she took a drag from the cigarette that dangled from her trembling fingers.

“S’not a good time, Jules,” she croaked, her ears deaf to the raised voices from deeper in the house but even the numb Sharon Riley winced at the sound of a fist hitting flesh.

Jules stepped towards the doorway without a thought but Sharon had already closed the door in her face. With a heart turned heavy with concern there was nothing else Jules could do but go home.

It was hours later, after her Mum had returned from her second job cleaning the local high school and had settled down to watch Coronation Street, that Jules heard the distinctive sharp whistle from outside. Slipping out of the house she smiled when she saw the familiar shape of Simon perched on the front garden wall.

“Alright?” he dipped his head towards her with a lop-sided smile but couldn’t quite look her in the eyes.

“I’m fine, are you?” she asked, unable to mask her worry.

“I’ll be ‘right,” he mumbled but he flushed, which only served to highlight the bruise that had bloomed painfully across his cheek. “Really, don’t worry about it,” he insisted, leaning away from the hand she’d lifted as if to stroke his face.

“Sorry,” Jules muttered, her eyes downcast.

Simon felt an immediate flood of regret and shuffled closer to her on the wall.

“Tell us then, swot? How’d ye get on?” he probed, knowing how important today had been for her.

A broad smile crept across Jules’ face and it was her turn to blush but with excitement and not shame.

“Two As and a B,” she squeaked.

“You got in!” Simon exclaimed, grabbing her and pulling her against him, ignoring the dull ache in his ribs.

“I got in!” she confirmed excitedly, her voice muffled by his chest and Simon couldn’t help himself.

Cupping her face in his hands he tilted her face upwards and leaned in, pressing his lips against hers. Jules could feel him smiling against her as she returned his kiss. It was different this time, a far cry from the other times they’d sloppily given in to the tension between them when they were drunk, or stoned, or both.

“What was that for?” Jules asked breathlessly, her eyes shining in the twilight haze.

“M’proud of you, Princess,” he murmured in response, pulling her towards him again.

Taglist: @aykxz98

#simon ghost riley #ghost x oc #john price #cod mw2 #call of duty #simon riley #john soap mactavish #soap cod #cod mwii #ghost cod #kyle gaz garrick #141 #task force 141

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battyaboutbooksreviews · 10 months

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Queer Books November 2023

🌈 Good afternoon, my bookish bats! Struggling to keep up with all the amazing queer books coming out this month? Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Remember to #readqueerallyear! Happy reading!

❤️ The Pirate and the Porcelain Girl by Emily Riesbeck 🧡 Heading North by Holly M. Wendt 💛 The Wisdom of Bug by Alyson Root 💚 Trick Shot by Kayla Grosse 💙 A Holly Jolly Christmas by Emily Wright 💜 Outdrawn by Deanna Grey ❤️ Yours Celestially by Al Hess 🧡 The Christmas Memory by Barbara Winkes 💛 Violet Moon by Mel E. Lemon 💙 The Santa Pageant by Lillian Barry 💜 Only for the Holidays by Shannon O’Connor 🌈 Homestead for the Holidays by Wren Taylor

❤️ You Can Count on Me by Fae Quin 🧡 No One Left But You by Tash McAdam 💛 The Worst Thing of All is the Light by José Luis Serrano, Lawrence Schimel 💚 Today Tonight Forever by Madeline Kay Sneed 💙 Wren Martin Ruins It All by Amanda DeWitt 💜 Emmett by L. C. Rosen ❤️ Finding My Elf by David Valdes 🧡 Tonight, I Burn by Katharine J. Adams 💛 Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng 💙 Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree 💜 A Power Unbound by Freya Marske 🌈 We Are the Crisis by Cadwell Turnbull

❤️ The Manor House Governess by C.A. Castle 🧡 You Owe Me One, Universe by Chad Lucas 💛 Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James 💚 Skip!: A Graphic Novel by Rebecca Burgess 💙 Something About Her by Clementine Taylor 💜 Touching the Art by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore ❤️ A Nearby Country Called Love by Salar Abdoh 🧡 Normporn: Queer Viewers and the TV That Soothes Us by Karen Tongson 💛 Sir Callie and the Dragon’s Roost by Esme Symes-Smith 💙 The Order of the Banshee by Robyn Singer 💜 Once Upon My Dads’ Divorce by Seamus Kirst, Noémie Gionet Landry 🌈 Forsooth by Jimmy Matejek-Morris

❤️ A Common Bond by T.M. Kuta 🧡 Risk the Fall by Riley Hart 💛 Just a Little Snack by Yah-Yah Scholfield 💚 Home for the Holidays by Erin Zak 💙 NeurodiVeRse by MJ James 💜 Dark Heir (Dark Rise #2) by C.S. Pacat ❤️ sub/Dom by Rab Green 🧡 Bitten by the Bond by Elaine White 💛 Heir to Frost and Storm by Ben Alderson 💙 The Sea of Stars by Gwenhyver 💜 Bad Beat by L.M. Bennett 🌈 Idol Moves by K.T. Salvo

❤️ Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa 🧡 In the Pines by Mariah Stillbrook 💛 The Crimson Fortress (The Ivory Key #2) by Akshaya Raman 💚 Only She Came Back by Margot Harrison 💙 Megumi & Tsugumi, Vol. 4 by Mitsuru Si 💜 Pritty by Keith F. Miller Jr. ❤️ Just Lizzie by Karen Wilfrid 🧡 An Atlas to Forever by Krystina Rivers 💛 Come Find Me in the Midnight Sun by Bailey Bridgewater 💙 Bait and Witch by Clifford Mae Henderson 💜 Shadow Baron by Davinia Evans 🌈 Day by Michael Cunningham

❤️ Livingston Girls by Briana Morgan 🧡 Delay of the Game by Ari Baran 💛 The Nanny with the Nice List by K. Sterling 💚 A Talent Ignited by Suzanne Lenoir 💙 A Kiss of the Siren’s Song by E.A.M. Trofimenkoff 💜 Rivals for Love by Ali Vali ❤️ Whiskey & Wine by Kelly Fireside, Tana Fireside 🧡 Buried Secrets by Sheri Lewis Wohl 💛 Ride with Me by Jenna Jarvis 💙 Living for You by Jenny Frame 💜 Death on the Water by CJ Birch 🌈 Merciless Waters by Rae Knowles

❤️ Vicarious by Chloe Spencer 🧡 Sapling’s Depths by Spencer Rose 💛 That French Summer by Sienna Waters 💚 System Overload by Saxon James 💙 King of Death by Lily Mayne 💜 Warts and All by Ashley Bennett ❤️ Principle Decisions by Thea Belmont 🧡 The Best Mistake by Emily O’Beirne 💛 Sugar and Ice by Eule Grey 💙 Until The Blood Runs Dry by MC Johnson 💜 Splinter : A Diverse Sleepy Hollow Retelling by Jasper Hyde 🌈 The Mischievous Letters of the Marquise de Q by Felicia Davin

❤️ The Queer Girl is Going to be Okay by Dale Walls 🧡 Til Death Do Us Bard by Rose Black 💛 Leverage by E.J. Noyes 💚 Alice Sadie Celine by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright 💙 Godly Heathens by H.E. Edgmon 💜 Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher ❤️ To Kill a Shadow by Katherine Quinn 🧡 Warrior of the Wind by Suyi Davies Okungbowa 💛 For Never & Always by Helena Greer 💙 A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sally Hawley 💜 Heaven Official’s Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu Vol. 8 by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù 🌈 A Carol for Karol by Ann Roberts

#book release #queer fiction #queer romance #queer books #queer #books #books to read #queer book recs #book recs #batty about books #battyaboutbooks

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credince--writes · 2 years

Text

The Box

Drabble for a Simon 'Ghost' Riley x Reader Fic

Oh, and Roach is your brother.

Total cliffhanger lol, this is a setup for angst.

A/N: I needed a break from homework. I am starting this at 10pm PST. When this playlist I'm listening to ends, the drabble ends.

....

Roach crowded into the table to sit next to Ghost and Soap, pushing the boring tray of his lunch forward as he moved to sit.

It was funny in a way, making him feel like he was in middle school again. Down to the little carton of milk he wasn't sure he'd actually drink. Maybe he would, the lady in line had pushed the cold little box into his hands. The condensation collected on his palm as he felt some kind of responsibility to finish it now- at least for the 'lunch lady'.

"Supposed to go in and see Price later." Soap comments, shoving a forkful of whatever strange combination he had ended up mashing together on his tray.

Ghost makes a noise in acknowledgment, eating methodically-

Everything the man fucking did was methodical. Roach would put money on it every time Ghost sat down to shit he had a plan set in place- bet he was a weird fucker that would tear off two squares exactly, fold over, rinse, and repeat.

Why was he thinking about this?

Maybe he should just drink his milk.

Gaz groaned from behind him, striding up and slithering into their space as he kicked a leg over to join the Sargeants- and Lieutenant in eating. "I think this is one of the stupidest batches of rookies I've seen." He exclaims, before leaning down to inhale his food.

"Don't know their dick from their toes." Soap agrees.

Roach's eyes narrowed on his tray, watching as steam rose from it. The light feeling of its heat against his face as he stared down at it.

A poking to his side broke him from his thoughts, glancing over to see Soap jabbing his arm with a fork before poking at one of his side trays and asking 'you going tae' eat that?'

He sighed, pushed his tray over to him, and watched as the scott scarfed down his food.

.....

You set your laptop down on the coffee table, rising from your seat on the couch to stretch- groan much to loud at the feeling of your muscles stretching pleasantly after slaving against numbers in spreadsheets for what felt like much to long to not be human rights violation.

What were human rights again?

Something about water, maybe.

Probably not about remote work hellscapes.

Rocking back and forth- feeling your weight collect on your toes as you pushed forward up onto the tips of your toes and feeling your ankles pop and crack respectively.

Glancing down at the laptop, then to the doorway, back down to the table, and then stepping forward to leave the room for a moment to grab a glass of anything. Soda- Cherry Pepsi, stick a straw in the glass and watch it swirl in circles with the ice as your hand reached forward, clasping around it and feeling the condensation on your palm.

From your position in the kitchen, you could see what looked like a brown and red box sitting in front of your doorstep. The two windows framing your door blur with colors you couldn't remember being there.

Setting the glass down on the kitchen counter, padding forward, and gingerly pulling the door open to glance out onto the small concrete front porch.

It was a box-

Maybe her neighbor had dropped it off?

Eggs?

No. They couldn't get in the gate-

The gate.

There's a gate.

How did the box get here?

You dropped down into a squat, eyeballing the box until your eyes fell upon a sticker slapped onto the side of the box. Eyes following, reading the typed-out font on the side.

'TO:

GARY'R'SANDERSON

FROM:

You blinked, the feeling of something tense in the back of your throat that screamed something was wrong.

If someone had been here, your doorbell camera would've gone off-

Normally it would be the stray raccoon, maybe even a deer walking a yard triggering it. But why wouldn't it of gone off now? How the hell did this get here?

You stepped back, eyes never leaving the box.

The bottom left corner, on the opposite side of the sticker seemingly had a leak- the cardboard darkened around the red tape haphazardly wrapped around the box multiple times.

You know you shouldn't call him- he's working.

He could get in trouble if you called.

He probably wouldn't even pick up after your argument with him.

No.

This was wrong. Even if it was some stupid fucking prank.

Reaching back, grabbing your phone, and pressing the dial button to call your brother you waited before hanging up and calling again. It would go to voicemail the first time- his phone was on do not disturb unless called twice.

Roach leaned back in his seat, eyes scanning over the paper in the manila file reading over the most recent intel on finding his whereabouts.

Price continued to speak on the matter, elaborating on some intentionally vague points in the paperwork where favors for intel had been called in.

Unofficial details.

Then the unmistakable sound of his phone ringing stunned the room into silence. Price stopped and raised an eyebrow at him.

Roach's eyes widened, hands slapping against his pants until he pulled the phone out, not bothering to glance down and read who was calling before muting it.

"Something important, Sargeant?" Price asked, a semi-amused twinkle in his eyes at the calm- but ever-frantic look in Roach's body language as the phone started ringing.

"Must've been a wrong number." He replies.

Price nods, starting back on his readings.

It starts ringing again.

"Shit." Roach hisses, pulling his phone out and standing. Glancing down to see your name displayed on the screen. His eyes narrow, silently cursing your name. Accepting the call as he continued to work his way to the door, trying to squeeze back Soap who wasn't intentionally making it easy for him to leave the room with his chair slid back.

"Hello?" He asked into the mic of the phone.

"Gary, this isn't funny." Your voice- seemingly shaken voice chastised him.

He continued walking. "What? What's funny? I'm at work- you can't call unless it is an emergency-"

"Gary." Your voice stopped him.

Roach stopped, slowly turning and staring at Price. Who's eyes latched to his-

The color must've drained from his face. Something must've screamed the red flag he was feeling in your voice.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"How did this box get here?"

"I need more than that, what is happening?"

"Gary there is a box on the front porch addressed to you."

He's rushing back forward, putting his phone on speaker and planting both of his hands on the table staring that the phone screen.

"Don't take it inside- you didn't take it inside did you? Explain it more- I need more details." He starts working in overdrive- thinking of all of the things that it could mean- a bomb? Could there be a fucking bomb on her porch?

"I- I didn't take it inside. I'm inside now. It's big- it's leaking."

If his grip was any tighter he'd break the table. The whites of his knuckles were whiter than snow.

"It's addressed to me?" He asks.

"To 'GaryRSanderson-" You started "Your middle name isn't R, Gary-, is this a prank?"

"You need to get out of the house- now."

"Hey- this is John." Price steps forward, and his voice is collected, even. "Sweetheart, I need you to tell me who it was from- did the postman drop it off?"

The sound of you running through the house, the jingling of your keys.

"My camera didn't see anyone- the postman can't get in through the gate. I thought this was some prank. What's going on?"

"Do you remember how to get to the base?" John asks.

"Yea, I can get there."

"I need you to go there, we will sort it out from there. Keep talking, was there any more information on the package?"

Roach is frozen in place, the start of panic seeping into his flesh and bones. His muscles were completely tense as he stared down at the phone.

"It- All it said was 'From M'." You started.

It felt like the room dropped ten degrees.

#Simon Riley x Reader #simon 'ghost' riley #Simon 'ghost' riley x reader #john price #john soap mactavish #gaz garrick #gary roach sanderson #Roach

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