Blessing in Disguise - Simon "Ghost" Riley

Unexpected Arrival

Natalie's POV:

As we all made our way inside the base, I could almost feel Ghost staring at me. I couldn't help but feel a bit self conscious whenever he looked at me. We gathered our things and made our way to our shared room, settling in for the night. 

"I'll take the bed," Ghost said, gesturing the only bed in the room. "You can have the couch."

"Oh wow, I've always wanted to sleep on a lumpy couch while my Lieutenant snores loudly on a comfortable bed. What a dream come true." I said in a monotone voice. 

Ghost lowered to my height and whispered, "Well, maybe you should've thought about that before you had sex with Keegan and basically yelled for the whole base to know." He teased.

"Shut up, Ghost. It's not like that." I replied, trying to defend myself. Ghost just shrugged and turned, facing away from me as he took a deep breath in.

"Whatever you say, Zero." He said, before sitting on the bed to clean his knives.

I grabbed my bag and went into the bathroom. I turned on the shower and stripped myself of my clothes to allow the water time to heat up. I stepped in and let the hot water pour over my body. I stood there for a few minutes, feeling the steam fill the small bathroom. I grabbed the shampoo and worked it into my hair, massaging my scalp with my fingertips. As I rinsed out the shampoo, I let out a sigh of relief. The tension in my body almost melted away with the heat of the water. I grabbed the soap, lathering it all over my body, feeling the dirt and grime from the mission wash away. After a few minutes, I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, feeling refreshed. 

As I reached into my bag for fresh clothes, my fingertips brushed against the soft fabric of Tristan's hoodie. My heart skipped a beat as memories of him flooded my mind. Soon after, anger and betrayal took over my body. I had trusted him, loved him, and he had betrayed me and my team, putting everyone in danger. I quickly grabbed a pair of shorts and the only other shirt I had, a plain black tank top. I quickly changed and left the bathroom, grabbing Tristan's hoodie. 

As I stepped out of the bathroom, the cold air hit me like a punch in the gut. Despite my best efforts to brace myself, I couldn't help but shiver involuntarily. I quickly stormed to the closest trash bin in the room and tossed it in the bin. I then made my way back to the bathroom, grabbing the hoodie I had borrowed from Ghost and putting it on. I felt a sense of comfort and security from the soft fabric. Grateful that I had something warm to wear, I went to the couch, trying to settle in and warm up more under the blanket.

As I snuggled deeper into the couch, I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of comfort in Ghost's hoodie. I closed my eyes, letting out a long, deep breath, and tried to clear my mind. It had been a long day, and I was exhausted both physically and mentally. I tried to find a comfortable spot on the couch, but it was just too small and uncomfortable. Ghost was already asleep on the bed, and I didn't want to bother him by joining him.

As the hours passed, I found myself tossing and turning on the couch, unable to find a comfortable position. I didn't want to wake Ghost up, but my restlessness must have been obvious because he suddenly spoke up.

"Zero, you're not going to get any sleep on that thing," he said. "Come sleep on the bed with me."

I hesitated for a moment, feeling guilty about taking up the entire bed. "No, it's fine. I don't want to bother you... Go back to bed." I replied.

Ghost wasn't having it, "I wasn't even asleep." He chuckled softly as he got up from the bed, scooped me up in his arms, and carried me to the bed. He settled me down on one side and then took his spot on the other side.