Silver-Lining (Ghost Riley x Reader)

Chapter four

The moonlight seeped through the open crack of the curtains. I toss and turn, eventually ending up on my back. I looked up at the ceiling and let out a sigh. "What the fuck?" I mumbled, realizing I was going to get a sleepless night.

This sleepless night was different, however. Thoughts didn't pool into my mind like a tidal wave. My brain was calm, like a blank canvas. Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I looked up at the popcorn ceiling. Tracing every bump and line with my eyes.

I pushed myself forward, sitting upright. The air felt cold against my skin as I threw my hoodie on. I could go down to the training room and punch the punching bag. The training was my melatonin. Releasing every thought and every ounce of energy I had. I decided against it as I decided to make a cup of tea instead.

I stood up from my bed and walked to my door. The silver doorknob felt cold against my palm. I swung my door open, the creaking sound of the door filling my ears. As I stepped out into the hall, everything was pitch black.

All the bedroom doors were closed and the only thing you could hear was complete and utter silence.

I closed the door slightly behind me and walked down the hall. I stepped into the kitchen, grabbing the things needed to make tea.

The cup of hot tea felt warm against my hands. The darkness surrounded me, adding more to the calm effect of the still night. Once I finished my cup of tea, I washed the mug and headed back to my room.

As I walked past Ghost's room, I could hear muffled noises coming from his room. A part of me told me to keep walking and leave it alone. But another feeling overcame me that wouldn't allow me to do so. I knocked lightly and still received no answer.

I pushed the door open silently, the room pitch black. Ghost was lying on his bed, fast asleep. He tossed and turned as noises slipped from his parted lips. He sounded like he was in pain or scared, murmuring the word "no," from time to time.

I had seen enough soldiers deal with this so I knew better than to just wake him out of his sleep. I recognized this to be a night terror.

"Ghost," I spoke calmly, keeping my distance. He took me as a man who slept with weapons under his pillows. "Ghost it's me, y/n." For some reason, I decided to use my actual name rather than my call sign. "It is only a nightmare Ghost, it's not real," I spoke in a soothing manner.

His breaths evened out and weren't as uneven and quick as they were previously before.

Once he was calmer I gently placed a hand on him. He reacted normally for a person who's been through shit because I now had a knife to my throat. I was able to look at his silhouette more closely now. Although I couldn't see his face due to the dark, I could see an outline of his head.

"It's just me," I told him. He quickly lowered his knife as he reached for his mask, putting it on. "Don't worry, I didn't see your face."

Ghost sat up and I could feel his eyes burning into me. "What are you doing in my room?" He questioned. "You had a night terror." For some reason, I felt a slight awkwardness wash over me as I took a few steps back. "Look, you hate my guts and I get that. But if you ever want to talk, I'm a really good listener."

"Thanks, but I don't need a therapy session from you." His tone was harsh. "Well, you need some form of therapy," I grumbled as I turned to walk away. His hand wrapped tightly around my wrist as he pulled me back towards him. "And you think you're any better?" It was clear that he was just looking for a fight at this point. "I know I'm not. But I can at least admit it but you never set your pride aside and admit that you're not okay mentally." I didn't bother raising my voice, nor did I bother to get upset.

Ghost's grip loosened as he finally let me go. "Just get out." He said. "Don't gotta tell me twice," I grumbled as I walked out of his room and into mine.

I turned on the small lamp. The dim lamp flickered weakly, casting flickering shadows around the room. The light it provided was barely enough to illuminate the space, but it was better than nothing. The dull illumination was just enough to see the walls and furniture around. Despite its weakness, the lamp was providing a sense of warmth and coziness to the room, like a gentle embrace in the darkness.

I grabbed my journal and began writing. I didn't realize that what I wrote was about Ghost. My thoughts about Ghost were complex and convoluted, like a tangled mess of emotions. A part of me wanted to be angry about his little outburst, but another part of me understood where he was coming from. I couldn't help but feel a mix of sympathy and anger. Despite all of this, I still wanted to be there for him. I wanted to be a good comrade to him, regardless of the barriers between us.

I had slowly fallen asleep, the dim lighting still illuminating the darkness around me. The sound of my door being swung open caused my eyelids to immediately open.

"It's time to wake up!" Soap spoke loudly as he shook me. "What time is it?" I rubbed my eyes, hoping that it'd make me feel somewhat more energized. "It's nine am." He told me. "You're gonna miss breakfast if you don't get up."

I shooed him out of my room and got ready. I met the trio out in the kitchen. As I made my plate, I didn't bother looking at Ghost but I could feel his eyes burning through the back of my head. The sound of the front door being swung open caught our attention.

Price entered the kitchen, his eyes immediately landing on me. "Knives, come with me."

I hated when he did this. When he would just call me to him without explaining anything. "What's going on?" I asked, setting my coffee mug down on the counter. "Galina requested to speak to you privately, follow me."

I wasted no time in following Price out to the car outside. Once we loaded into it, we drove down to where I would be speaking to her.

I walked down the long corridor, finding the interrogation room where she would be held. I swung the door open, my eyes immediately connecting to the two-way mirror. Galina sat on the other side, patiently waiting for my arrival.

She was cuffed to the metal table which remained bolted to the cement flooring. I swung the second door open, stepping inside the room. Her lips curled into a grin as her piercing green eyes looked into mine. "Hello." She spoke innocently as she looked up at me.

I sat down in the seat in front of her, leaning back. "I wanted to talk to you." She told me. "I'm flattered." I spoke sarcastically. She let out a sigh as she leaned forward. "Andrei planned on buying missiles from one of our allying countries... China."

I raised an eyebrow, wondering why she bothered telling me any of this. "I will give you the whereabouts of those missiles on one condition."

I leaned forward, pressing my elbows against the metal table. "And what condition might that be?" I asked, curiosity glaring through my eyes. "Andrei's safety. Even if you were to catch him, he must be alive." She spoke firmly.

"I'm going to have to discuss this with my boss." I stood up from my seat and left the room, leaving Gelina behind me. I found Price in another room. Soap, Gaz, and Ghost must have came a soon as possible, because there they were, surrounding Price's desk.

"What did she say?" Price was the first one to speak. I felt all of their eyes on me.

"Andrei is buying missiles from China. Gelina here is willing to give us the whereabouts." I told them. "Under what conditions?" Ghost asked, his eyes burning into me. "Keep her boyfriend alive." I told them.

They all scoffed, knowing that if it came down to it, we probably would have to kill Andrei. "Just lie. Say okay and if we are able to keep Andrei alive, we will. But if we can't..."

We all knew what would happen if we had to kill Andrei. Nodding my head, I went back to the interrogation room.

Gelina sat patiently as she waited for me once more. I didn't wait to take a seat to start talking. "Deal," I told her. A grin formed on her face as she leaned back in her chair. "Looks like you just made a deal with a terrorist."