beneath the mask ✩ chapter 12
⬅ch.11
➠𝐌𝐃𝐍𝐈; 𝟏𝟖+ 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓; 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓
➠SIMON "GHOST" RILEY X AFAB!READER
➠CHAPTER TAGS | wc 3.5k
➠AUTHOR'S NOTE | i am sooooooooo sorry if this seems ooc for ghost. i wanted to write him acting more empathetic while also maintaining his cold demeanor. i think some people tend to write him one way or the other and so i tried to balance it a bit more to be realistic. but if this felt ooc for ghost im so sorry!! feedback is appreciated so i can improve upcoming chapters! <3
𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ✩ 𝐜𝐨𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ✩ 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭
the startling realization that you were sleeping in simon’s room is what woke you up that following morning. you sat up in his bed, the covers falling away from your chest, and you noticed he was gone. it was strange how this was the second time you shared a bed—completely platonically—with him and he was m.i.a. come morning.
you tried not to think too deeply about it, not wanting to get your feelings hurt even more than they already were. you were able to put what had happened between the two of you in the back of your mind yesterday, squishing down his words that hurt you so badly.
you looked good in your dress. that’s all. m’sorry.
but that was yesterday. that was when he was the first face you saw after thinking you were about to be tortured. the face that rescued you. that was when he carried you back to base, his arms around you like a safety blanket. when he was the sense of security you desperately needed. when you felt like you needed him.
this morning, your mind was far clearer. you even realized how stupid you were to let simon be that person for you when johnny was right there.
you scurried from his room, still draped in his shirt, and made it back to your own. you told yourself you would visit the infirmary today, not for work, but to get yourself checked out. you weren’t hurt too badly, nothing that couldn’t heal with a little time. but still, you should really get checked over. and you were sure laswell or price would want to have a word with you about everything that happened.
before you even managed to shift through your thoughts, johnny was at your door.
“how’re ya feelin’?”
you grabbed your toiletries bag and spun to face to scot. “i’m okay.”
he gave you a once over. “are you sure?” he said a bit softer.
you gave him a gentle smile. “don’t worry, i’m just going to shower. then straight to the infirmary to get checked out.” you gave him a mock salute.
johnny shook his head as he followed you out your door and down the hall towards the showers. “no, not that.” you glanced at him. “well, no, of course i wanted to make sure you were gonna be seen by a medic, but i was referring to the… psychological side of things.”
you laughed at his phrasing. “i’ll be okay, johnny. seriously. i mean, i know what happened terrified me and hasn’t left my thoughts since, but i could be a lot worse.” you were trying to make light of the situation. and while johnny understood that all too well, he still wasn’t convinced you were truly back to normal just a day after your kidnapping.
you were taken a bit back. for once, soap didn’t seem to appreciate your humor. “and with ghost?”
you almost dropped your bag, stumbling in your steps. “w-what about him?”
“i saw him carrying you into base. the way ya clung to him. i just want t’make sure you’re okay.” his eyes trailed the shirt you were wearing—'swimming in' was more accurate—knowing it wasn't yours, but ghost's.
you sighed before spinning to face him. you wanted to make this very clear to soap: “he was the first person i saw. he was the one i saw close on my tail when i was trapped in that truck. he was the face who barged into that room after slaughtering men, pulling me out of that hole. i think i was just overwhelmed and felt like i needed him . y’know… a safety thing. but that has passed. i’m fine. fine .” soap raised a brow, not quite believing you. “nothing happened,” you said a bit bashful, noticing the way soap was staring at you like he thought more had gone down last night, and wearing ghost's shirt sure wasn't helping. “he just kept me company so i could fall asleep without thinking about…” your words trailed off. “point is, i appreciate you looking out for me, but i’m okay. i won’t let him…” a beat of silence passed as you looked for the words. “i won’t read things wrong again.” the sentence was a struggle to get out; like ash on your tongue.
you could see the concern on johnny’s face, so before he could protest and pry more, you slipped into the women’s showers so he couldn’t follow.
after showering and visiting the infirmary—-yes, you have been cleared—-you were making your way to price’s office. you assumed laswell would be there as well.
you adjusted your black shirt as you strolled the halls, careful to not move in any way that would hurt your sore ribs. you walked past the gym, peeking in to see if you could spot gaz, surprised he hadn’t come to see you yet, and you almost choked on your spit.
you spotted simon—- ghost—- across the room in workout gear, addressing a new recruit. you hadn’t recognized her but you knew there were new recruits coming in this week so you assumed her to be one of them.
you tried to pull your eyes away, but they were latched on to the tall brute and the shorter woman beside him. ghost hunched over slightly as he spoke to her and you saw her smile. her hand reached out and touched his arm softly and you felt your fists clench.
ghost wasn’t yours .
he was barely even your friend. he could flirt with whoever he wanted. it shouldn’t matter to you. and you knew you were overreacting. who's to say they were flirting? you hadn’t known ghost to be the best charmer, so why would he all of a sudden be cozying up to a woman he only just met?
soap’s words popped into your head: come to think of it. i don’t think i’ve known ghost to have hooked up with anyone since i’ve met the bastard.
all these rational thoughts and yet you ignored them. all you felt was a pang in your gut as you watched him instruct her, testing her skills, his hand lingering on her hip a bit too long. his eyes locked on hers.
you didn’t feel any tears welling—so that was an improvement—all you felt was disappointment. ghost was emotionally unavailable. he also explicitly said he didn’t want you. this fantasy you had of him in your head was purely that: a fantasy.
you had thought maybe he felt differently with the way his eyes traced your curves last night in the light of the bathroom. that maybe him letting you see him with his mask off was him letting you in. that he wanted to form some sort of relationship with you even if it was foreign to him.
but all of those thoughts went out the door. there were so many reasons why it would never work between the two of you. seeing him with that woman wasn’t what made you feel that way. all it did was remind you of the reality of your situation.
you sulked into price’s office, the smell of cigars filling your nose.
price’s warm greeting, his gentle smile, and his all-over fatherly presence set you back at ease.
when laswell entered, her soothing hand on your shoulder reminded you that you could live so fucking easily without ghost. you had a family here. and while you had hoped to let ghost become one of those people to you, it wasn’t the end of the world by any means if he didn’t.
a week had passed and you had resorted to pretending like anything private that ever happened between you and ghost had never occurred. you weren’t going to sulk over him any longer. you thought he was attractive. that was it. you hooked up once and it didn’t work out. you were an adult, you could move on.
you laughed animatedly at soap, grabbing his arm in your fit. ghost spotted you across the training room, your laughter floating over into his space, pissing him off.
he expected you to have wanted to talk to him after that night in his room. but you never did. you never sought him out. never came by to let him know everything at the infirmary checked out okay. granted, he never came after you either.
he got up when he saw you leaving and followed you out the door.
“iaso,” he called.
you stopped and spun to face him, smiling. “what’s up, lt.?”
ghost was a bit taken aback by your friendly demeanor. not that you weren’t a friendly person, but you were acting oddly like nothing ever happened. like ghost hadn’t pulled you into his arms a week ago, his chest pounding and his arms shaking as he held you.
“jus’ wanted to see if you were okay,” he said dumbly.
“all good. don’t worry, i’ve been cleared to be back to work.” you smiled then turned and walked away.
ghost had never been left so dumbfounded before. he cracked his knuckles in annoyance.
you seemed to be ignoring him.
whenever ghost entered a room you were in, you’d leave. he saw you linking arms with soap as you walked the halls, never meeting ghost’s eyes. he knew soap was visiting you in the infirmary on your breaks and he always seemed awkward when it came up between them. you even managed to get out of a poker session where ghost was present. you had stood up the second he walked into that room, calling it a night and tossing your cards in the middle of the table.
“she’s ignoring me,” ghost huffed as he shuffled through the dossiers on his desk. he was acting like he had any claim over you. like he had a right to your friendship.
“who?” soap asked. ghost looked up and glared at his friend. “i think you give yourself too much credit. she’s not ignoring you, lt. she’s just accepted your rejection and moved on with her life.”
“i didn’t reject her.”
soap rolled his eyes. “you really wanna go down that road?”
ghost mumbled in annoyance as he stared at the words on the paper before him.
“didn’t think you’d care, if i’m being honest.”
ghost glared at soap, waiting for him to elaborate since he clearly wanted to further this conversation.
“ her opinion of you ,” soap clarified. “you made it pretty clear you wanted nothing from her, so i just assumed that meant you wouldn’t be bothered by her ignoring you n’all.”
ghost tapped his pen on his desk. “so she is ignoring me, then.”
“i didn’t say that.”
ghost knew he couldn’t fight logistics with soap, with soap being… soap and all. “we have actual shit t’go over. important intel before we depart friday.”
soap slipped into the chair in front of ghost’s desk. “you started it.”
“i didn’t—- bloody hell ,” he grumbled rubbing his hand over his face. soap tried to hold back his smirk.
“y’know she’s coming with us,” soap said, referencing the mission soon to happen in the coming days based on the information the men had acquired from valeria.
“well aware,” ghost said flatly.
the idea of you being forced to be in ghost’s proximity tomorrow, knowing you couldn’t avoid it like you had been, made his chest swell slightly. he didn’t want to admit this to himself, but he wanted you to want him. desperately . and hearing soap talk about you, always seeing the two of you together, ghost felt like he was pushing you straight into his friend’s arms.
he should have been okay with that. whether he found you attractive or not, he shouldn’t have felt jealous when he saw you with soap. he’s found plenty of women attractive, and plenty of them were involved with someone else. that usually didn’t bother ghost at all. he was fine admiring pretty ladies knowing they would never be his. he didn’t want them to be his. so this resentment he was feeling towards soap was new to him.
he unclenched his fist.
“jus’ wanna make sure you’re gonna behave yourself,” soap chimed.
“christ, johnny. i’m not—”
soap cut him off. “i’m serious, lt. i know i don’t have this kind of authority, but she doesn’t deserve whatever it is that's going on inside your twisted head.” soap gestured widely at ghost, implying he was all sorts of messed up. “i’d die protecting her. and if it means i’d have to die in your clutches, then so be it.”
ghost refrained from rolling his eyes and soap’s dramatics. though, he did admire soap’s loyalty.
shifting the conversation away from you, ghost debriefed soap on prep for the coming mission, letting him know— almost —everything planned.
it was late when ghost spotted you. you didn’t see him as he stalked you around the bend of the hallway.
finally, you were alone. not linking arms with soap or laughing with gaz. you were alone as you walked through the halls of the barracks. if you had known ghost would have spotted you, you would have likely stayed in your room. but you had no idea the masked man was trailing behind you.
ghost hadn't been planning on talking to you, irate by the way you’ve been ignoring him, but when he saw you, his feet moved on their own accord. the hall lights flickered, creating an ominous glow. he surmised you were heading back to the infirmary even though he knew your shift was already over. maybe you forgot something?
and then one of ghost’s steps was a tad too loud because you looked over your shoulder and he watched as your eyes widened momentarily. you scrunched up your nose and faced forward, your pace increasing. “are you following me?”
“this is my quarters jus’ as much as it is yours,” he grunted.
you rolled your eyes. “well… it's plenty big enough. you could always go a different way.”
“still not talkin’ to me, then?”
you could sense him catching up and it made the hackles on your neck rise. “what’re you—”
“i know you’ve been ignoring me. don’t try t’lie your way outta this.”
you turned around and began to walk backward so you could face him when you spoke. “i’m not really in the mood to have this conversation right now.” you crossed your arms over your chest.
“well, good thing i wasn’t askin’.”
your mouth parted in surprise at his bluntness. you quickly spun on your heels, not wanting the emotions you had been shoving down for the past week to come back up. if you could just avoid him a little longer, you’d be able to move on. if he would only just—
in your nerves, you reached a dead end of one of the many barren halls. you were going to turn and scurry past him, not even wanting to grab your bag you left in the infirmary any longer, you just wanted to get away from him. but before you had the chance, ghost’s arms were on either side of your head, hands flat against the wall, caging you into his chest. your back was to him and your only view was the blank drywall. the corner he had you trapped in was dark and you figured even if you did spin to face the beast behind you, you wouldn’t be able to make much of him out. you hated that a swirl of arousal filled your stomach remembering him being this close to you in that tiny closet he shoved the two of you into all those weeks ago.
“ghost, i don’t wanna—”
“ simon ,” he said a little aggressively.
you gulped, his words grazing the edge of your neck as he spoke. you were quiet as you waited for him to say more. “you sure you’re ready to go back out on location?” he asked, referring to the upcoming mission you were going to be a part of.
“is that it? you’re worried i’m broken or some shit like that?” your words screamed irritation, but your voice sounded more hurt than angry. “that i don’t know my own limits and can’t decide when i’m good to be back? that i’ll slow you down? i told you i was cleared!” you knew you were inferring a lot from his one little sentence, but you wanted to be mad. to be angry at him.
“i didn’t say that.”
“no. but it’s what you meant.”
you heard ghost sigh and his hands dropped down to his side. you felt the warmth of his chest still behind you so you didn’t dare move to look at him.
“i know what it’s like t’lose everyone you love,” he started.
“what does that have to do with any—-?”
“would you jus’ shut up for one second n’ listen for once?”
you swallowed hard and nodded your head. he let out a breath. he knew he had snapped at you, but this was difficult for him. he wanted to get this out before he second-guessed himself and let you walk away forever.
“i lost my entire family to men a lot more evil than me. did everythin’ in my power to get revenge. so i know what it’s like to love and t’lose.”
“did it help?” you asked softly. “revenge?”
you could hear the tension in ghost’s words as he mumbled them behind you. the only reason he was able to answer this question was due to the fact that you were turned away from him. if you two had been looking into each other’s eyes… he didn’t think he’d have to ability to open up. “depends how ya look at it. that kind’a dedication to death—never stoppin’ till you feel blood on your hands—takes a toll on ya. i think it’s what made me so… unbearable. but the general doesn’t seem t’think so. made me a stronger soldier in shepherd’s eyes.”
you felt your breath waver as you listened.
“i wouldn’t have jus’ killed for them, i woulda died. it was years ago now that i was captured on duty. was tortured. buried alive. locked up. abused.” simon cleared his throat. “think it made me unwillin’ to let people in , as you would word it. i don’t know if i could survive another loss like that, like when i lost my mother and brother. s’not a feelin’ i ever plan on livin’ through again.”
“simon…”
“and you, ” he said a bit more potently. “you have been messin’ everythin’ up. when you n’ laswell were taken… it felt like when i saw my brother and his wife dead on their living room floor. the only thing i saw was red. i woulda done anything t’get you back. i couldn’t let this happen again. i couldn’t fail the people i cared about again.”
it pained you to know that simon placed all the blame on anything bad happening to those around him on himself. “laswell, too?” you said, but more as a question. you were purposefully trying to avoid the romantic ideation behind his words.
“no,” he said immediately, without a second thought. “course i wanted her back. but it didn’t feel the same as the way i wanted you.”
i wanted you . those words made your chest tighten.
“why are you telling me all this?” you finally asked after a lull.
“i jus’ wanted you t’know that i don’t mean t’hurt you. that maybe i needa try harder. and that… i’m sorry.”
you felt a single tear escape and slide down your cheek. you took a moment to steady your breathing, trying to reel in all of simon’s words.
when you spun to face him, unsure of what you’d find in his expression, you gasped. he was gone. you didn’t even hear him as he took off down the hall with your back still to him.
eventually, walking alone back to your room, you let the tears fall freely. you cried for simon’s past. for his losses. for your own losses. for the strange sense of love you felt radiating off of him as he told you he’d move the world just to get you back safely. for the stupid feelings you had brewing in your chest. for the way you couldn’t decide if you wanted him to wrap his arms around you or if you wanted to hold him as he told you more.
simon felt like he couldn’t let someone else in. that he wouldn’t survive it. but you wouldn’t leave him if he did. and you needed to tell him that. you needed to show him that he might be a bit broken, lost from his path, but you’d help him find the light again, as cheesy as that sounded. you would show him how beautiful it was to love even after losing so much. that it was possible. he deserved to be loved. he deserved to be happy. he wasn’t some emotionless robot, no matter what the army thought of him. and you wanted to help him realize that.
chapter 13 ➡
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Astrology observations pt22🚬
Disclaimer: all these observations are based on my personal observations ❤️
DO NOT PLAGIARISE 🚫 MY 🚫 WORK 🚫 IF YOU WISH TO REPOST IT GIVE ME THE CREDITS 💌
YALLLLL I HAVE A FEW PERSONAL STORY TIME MOMENTS RN I CANNOT -💀
💪okayyyyyyyyyy story time,
Sooo i recently started going to clg and i started liking this guy. Were gonna call him spikeyhairman. Ik. Bear with me 🥲😂
It was like i started liking him at the very first sight. Idk how to explain it, it was like i felt so drawn to him and got a little obsessed with him. So i just checked his chart out of curiosity👁️👁️ and found out he had Leo sun and Aries ascendant with Scorpio mars. Yes. Ik. That mars also had y'all👁️👁️💧😫 and then i saw my chart and i have Leo in 12th and mars in 8/Aries.
It was like we know we like eachother but aren't making any moves. I'm not cause i dotn wanna get rejected and ik he's not cause he doesn't either.
When i tell you, I've NEVER gone out of ym way to see a guy, I MEAN IT. he just brings out something in me, like i want his attention i want him i dress up for my self but a part of me also wants him to notice me. Y'know what i mean????
AND GUESSS WHATTTTTTT 😫😫😫😫😫
ok sooooooooo 🕵️♀️🕵️♀️🕵️♀️🕵️♀️🕵️♀️
I didn't meet him for 2 days. Like i didn't take the usual route to the other block of my uni and guess what? He started cmg around on my floor and came around to see me, not once but 6 times. Ik. Ik. Some shit out of Wattpad ik. Let that sink in.
Since I'm still an amateur, I'm trying to figure out this type of astrological side. So bear with me and if any other person who has exp, feel free to engage ☺️💗
My point is, the planet/sign in your 8 house can bring out sides in you that you may never have thought and you may attract that theme into your love life or relationships in gen.
Like im my case, i have mars in 8 house which traditionally rules Scorpio and Aries.
Aries is alot abt passion, quick attraction, chase and guess what? It s all there. I didn't even know his name for like 1 month but i still fell for him cause of his piercing. It was on site attraction.
Scorpio is abt passion, intensity, secrets and being guarded too. And once again, guess what??? I want to see him all the time but when i do get to see him, i look away cause ik he knows i like him but neither of us have verbally said it. It's like you feel it. It's intense.
So pay attention to your 8 house and 12th house too cause it is the house of hidden. You may secretly feel attracted towards those themes or may attract people with those themes.💗💗🕵️♀️
💪 you may attract alot of people with he same rising signs as yours. Like i have Libra rising and i have attracted quite alot of libras in my life atp.
💪 i Never believed that venus risings could be charming as fuck but GOD DAMMMNNNNNN the way my Libra rising ass gets compliments and somewhat misinterpreted as flirty just because I say thankyou or speak to them in a warm and sweet manner😂😂. It genuinely confuses me cause i have my eyes on one guy but i don't even speak to him 👁️👁️💧
💪 pisces men don't let go of arguments easily. More specifically sun, moon and Mars. Sometimes even mercury. Ik it. Cause my dads. One.🥲🙏
also babies sorry for the long break, all this uni shit had me 👁️👁️💧
Love you guys🤍❤️
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