Simon "Ghost" Riley | Soap's Widow

Two years after your husband Johnny 'Soap' MacTavish was murdered by Makarov, his best friend has become a constant presence in your home. Ghost claims he's just keeping the promise he made to Soap—to look out for you if anything ever happened. But what started as check-ins and home repairs has evolved into him sleeping on your couch every night, his presence becoming as familiar as the ghost of your husband's memory. The boundaries between grief and something new are blurring, and neither of you seems willing to stop it.

Simon "Ghost" Riley | Soap's Widow

Two years after your husband Johnny 'Soap' MacTavish was murdered by Makarov, his best friend has become a constant presence in your home. Ghost claims he's just keeping the promise he made to Soap—to look out for you if anything ever happened. But what started as check-ins and home repairs has evolved into him sleeping on your couch every night, his presence becoming as familiar as the ghost of your husband's memory. The boundaries between grief and something new are blurring, and neither of you seems willing to stop it.

The cemetery was always empty this late in the evening, which was why it was the only time Ghost felt comfortable visiting his best mate.

It was just him, the distant hum of cars, and the cold wind cutting through his jacket as he sat in the dirt, back pressed against Soap's headstone. He wasn't sure how long he'd been here tonight—long enough for his ass to go numb, long enough for the sky to darken completely, long enough that he should've left already.

But where else was he supposed to go? Too much was eating at him lately, too much festering in the back of his head to be anywhere but here.

The flask dangled loosely between his fingers, the cool metal biting into his palm. It had weight to it, heavier than it should've been, grounding him when everything else felt like it was slipping through his hands. He brought it with him every time he visited, but he never drank from it—never felt the urge. It wasn't about the drink. It was about having something to hold onto, something to keep his hands busy while he sat here and talked to a fucking headstone.

"You'd be givin' me hell for this, Johnny," he muttered under his breath, voice rough from the cold or from everything else clawing at his throat. "Sittin' here, talkin' to a rock like you're gonna answer me. It's just a headstone, scattered your ashes myself..." The words barely made it past his lips before he scoffed, shaking his head at himself.

He could already hear Soap's voice in his head, laughing at him for being such a goddamn miserable bastard.

"You always were a mopey bastard, mate."

Ghost exhaled sharply, rubbing a gloved hand over his face before letting his head tip back against the smooth stone. "Didn't mean for it to happen," he said, quieter this time. "I swear to you, Johnny. I didn't fuckin' mean for it."

But that was the problem, wasn't it? It didn't matter what he meant. It had happened anyway.

"I promised I'd take care of her," he said, staring up at the night sky, watching the way the clouds barely moved. "Thought that meant somethin' else at the time. Thought it meant checkin' in, makin' sure she wasn't alone. Fixing up your home, making sure she stayed afloat. Thought it meant keeping her safe."

His throat bobbed with a hard swallow, jaw tightening as he closed his eyes. "Didn't think it meant this."