Chapter Text
The next few days were a bliss. Sure, Clay almost escaped Soap‘s room twice and one time hid, making them believe that the kitten got out, which was stressful, to say the least. But this small kitten, which grew taller every day, made up for it with its cuteness. The sergeant spent every free minute with Clay and Ghost often joined them.
Currently, the Scot was lying on his bed, playing with the cat. He wiggled around with the toy and smiled whenever the little kitty pounced on it. “You’re gonna be a great hunter someday, Clay.” He said in an affectionate tone. The thought of Clay having to go soon broke his heart, but it also led to him enjoying every moment he had with the kitten even more.
Suddenly the door opened. Normally his first instinct would be to hide Clay, but he thought it was Ghost, since the soldier said he’d be back any minute now. Only problem? It wasn’t Ghost. It was Gaz, who came to return some things Soap lent him. Fuck.
“Uh…it’s not what it looks like?” Johnny said with an awkward smile. “How could you…” Gaz responded in an accusing tone. Shit. His thoughts started to race. Would his fellow sergeant tell their Captain? How was he supposed to get out of this? What should he do? “Look Gaz, I-“ he started but Gaz interrupted him.
“How could you hide this adorable cat from me!” Gaz said with a…pout. Maybe Soap wouldn’t get in trouble after all. He let out a sigh of relief. “Kyle, meet Clay. Clay, this is Kyle. We call him Gaz.” He introduced them and watched fondly as the curious kitten walked towards Gaz, jumping down from the bed. Gaz was surprisingly good with Clay, petting it gently. Just like Soap was, he was completely whipped by the cat.
That was close- Suddenly his door opened again. This time it was Ghost. The Lieutenant’s eyes widened as he saw Gaz, Soap, and Clay. He quickly cleared his throat and acted as if he had nothing to do with it. “Johnny. Cats or pets of any kind aren’t allowed on base. You know that. I can’t fathom how disappointed I am in you.” He said in a stern voice as if he wasn’t holding cat food right now. It was a funny sight, to be honest.
Soap raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a glance that said ‘Are you serious right now?’ “Nice excuse Si, but you’re literally holding cat food right now. Besides, Gaz won’t tell, right?” He said, turning to look at his friend who responded with a nod. All three of them knew, that if Price found out, Clay would have to leave. And neither of them wanted that. So they all worked together to keep Clay happy and more importantly, a secret.
The next day arrived and the new challenge appeared: Getting Clay to the vet. Sounds easy enough for three trained soldiers, doesn't it? Wrong! They spent at least half an hour chasing the kitten around in Soap’s room. It was a hilarious sight to see the grown-ass men trying to catch such a small cat and failing miserably. “Clay, I swear to god, get your ass inside that bloody box! You’re going to the vet whether you want it or not!” Ghost cursed in his British accent. It was as if Clay knew where they were going to bring him to. Or he was just doing it to piss them off, he was a cat after all.
Finally, they managed to corner Clay and get him inside the animal carrier and Soap took him to the vet. He found out that not only was Clay a healthy kitty, she was a female too. That meant that Gaz owed him five bucks, nice!
——
Clay was many things. Adorable, cheeky, and very energetic. But she also somehow was the perfect wingman, or rather ‘wingcat’. She brought Soap and Ghost closer together, just like this one morning on their day off. Simon was reading a book and had his arm put around John, who rested his head against Ghost’s chest. They’ve been in this position for a while now, just enjoying each other’s presence. Soap gently petted the cat, who napped on Ghost’s legs. They didn’t talk, but they didn’t need to anyway. It was a comfortable silence.
Suddenly Simon tightened his grip around Soap, making the other look up in confusion. “Just got interesting.” Ghost muttered a bit embarrassed but luckily his mask hid away the faint blush. He loosened his grip again but didn’t let go. “How long you think we’re gonna be here? I could use some tea” He added, after he cleared his throat.
“Most important rule when it comes to cats. If you got one on ye, you stay till it leaves on its own. So I’m afraid we’re gonna be here for a while.” The sergeant said amused as he continued petting the sleepy cat. She purred quietly and nuzzled closer to Soap’s hand.
“She’s not on you. You could get me some tea.” Ghost teasingly pointed out, still reading and not looking up from his book. It was true, technically the rule didn’t apply to Johnny in that case.
“Yeah, I could. But I won’t. You’re comfy, deal with it.” Soap muttered with a soft yawn and a faint blush on his cheeks. Ghost let out a playful sigh. He should have expected that. Seems like he was stuck for a while. Not that he complained, of course. A cup of tea wasn’t worth getting up right now anyway.
Soon he felt Soap fall asleep on him. The Scottish sergeant looked quite peaceful like this. Ghost couldn’t help but put his book away and brush some of Johnny’s hair out of his face. He didn’t notice the smile that formed on his lips. Soon he too, drifted off into a peaceful slumber. They slept undisturbed, enjoying their day off with a lazy morning and cuddles.
——
Soap started to stir after a few hours. He huddled closer to Ghost, not wanting to wake up. After a few minutes, he let out a frustrated sigh. He couldn’t sleep anymore. Simon on the other hand seemed still fast asleep. He carefully got out of his arms, trying to not wake the other man up. To his luck, his lieutenant simply grunted once and then turned around.
With a quiet yawn, Soap stood up. He quickly rubbed over his eyes and let out a sleepy sigh. He slowly trotted over to Clay’s food bowl and filled it up. Huh? That was strange. Normally that cat would run over the moment she heard her bowl being refilled. Only then did Soap spot the slightly opened door to his room. “Oh no! Fuck!” He cursed quietly and quickly went over to wake up Ghost.
“Johnny? What the fuck is going on…” the other man groaned tiredly and opened his eyes. “Clay’s gone and the door’s open!” The sergeant informed him of the situation. That was enough to make the Lieutenant basically jump out of bed. Together they searched every single corner of the room, but it was to no avail. Shit, if someone spotted the cat, they’d be screwed! “Call Gaz. Now!” Ghost demanded, running a hand through his blonde hair. How could they be so careless?
Soap called Gaz and informed him of the information. The other Sergeant came rushing by and they quickly came up with an elaborate plan. They split up and Operation ‘Find and Catch Clay’ was a go. They searched everywhere, even in the unlikeliest places. But there was no trace of the sneaky little kitten. They hardly could ask anyone else for help so they could just search the base by themselves. Still nothing. They regrouped when they were called into Price’s office. That’s when it dawned on the three men. Their dear captain's office was the only place they didn’t check! Fuck.
So they entered his office, looking like elementary schoolers who got caught after pranking their teacher. And sure enough, there sat the little kitten. Right on Price’s lap. Clay looked at them with her innocent eyes and even had the audacity to purr…
“Can any of you muppets explain why there is a kitten on my lap?” Price said with an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. Clay seemed to finally realize the situation and jumped down from his lap. She walked over to Soap and nuzzled against his leg.
“I had nothing to do with it. I don’t even know who Clay is, sir.” Ghost immediately said, but realized his mistake only a few moments later. Not to mention that this trick didn’t even work on Gaz, so why would it work on Price? “Fine…maybe I was involved.” He sighed and looked down.
“We can explain.” Soap chimed in with a sweet smile as if that was going to help him now. They were royally fucked. But he had to try his best to get the other two out of this. “I was the one who brought Clay here. She was all alone and it was raining…I just couldn’t bring myself to leave her behind. It was my idea.” The sergeant owned up for his actions, although he didn’t regret them in the slightest. He loved the times he got to spend with the small cat and wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world.
“Don’t take all the blame. We’re in this together.” Gaz sighed and looked at Price. “We’re really sorry but we just wanted to make sure she gets a good home.” Ghost added to Soap’s explanation.
“I…I don’t have any words for this. You’re soldiers, not children. You can’t bring pets on base. You know that. Even if you feel sorry for them. Clay was her name, right? Well
Clay can’t stay.” Price said in a firm voice, looking at the three soldiers in front of him.
Soap and Gaz simultaneously let out a gasp. They knew this was how this was going to end. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt them. They grew fond of Clay. They got used to Clay. They adored Clay. Having to send the kitten off just felt wrong.
Ghost remained silent for a while before he suddenly picked Clay up in a gentle movement. She immediately began to purr again. He held it in front of Price, just like Soap did to him in the beginning. He figured maybe it would work on Price too. “Look at her. Look into her innocent eyes and tell me you would have left her outside.” He said in a gravelly voice. Price averted his gaze. This was their chance! Soap and Gaz immediately understood the assignment and joined Ghost. “Look at her!” They chanted, starting to grin as they watched their captain’s resolve crumble.
“Fine. Clay can stay. But I won’t take care of the cat. I want nothing to do with her. You will care for her and will get someone to watch her when you are away. Are we clear?” Price groaned in annoyance. Why did he always give in when it came to them? He didn’t know, but it was too late to take his words back.
“Understood.”
“Yes sir!”
“Crystal clear!”
They all grinned, even Ghost did, under his mask. And thus the task force 141 had a feline companion on base.
——
Even Price, when he thought nobody was watching, adored her. He spoiled her with treats and was affectionate towards her. So much for not wanting to have anything to do with Clay, eh?