Chapter Text
Meow.
A cat? Soap spun around. Yes, he was one of those people who had to pet every cat they met. And he was proud to be such a person. He couldn’t spot the cat right away, so the famous "pspspsp" technique was put to good use. He softly made the noise, looking around. Suddenly, a small kitten came out from behind a container. It was gray with some patterns over it. The fluffy kitty meowed. It was such a sweet sound that it made Soap squeak in delight. You couldn’t blame him, it was simply too adorable!
"What’s a small cat like you doing out here? Do you live here?" Soap slowly knelt down carefully, extending his hand to greet the kitten. He didn’t want to scare it after all. Soon loud purrs were to be heard, and the cat let him pet it. Soap looked at its fur, and it was very dirty and matted. It seems like it didn’t have any owners. "Let’s see if Mommy Cat is nearby." He muttered to himself and checked the surroundings, but he found nothing. He sighed. He couldn’t just take it back with him to the base. Pets weren’t allowed, even if it were just for a few days. So he tries to leave.
The small kitten hurries after him, meowing. It broke his heart. "Don’t look at me like that. You can’t come with me…" Johnny sighed and tried to walk away again.
It was all alone. No other kittens or a possible mother cat in sight. It was dirty and seemed hungry. And it also started to rain. Soap might be a hardened soldier, but he just couldn’t bring himself to leave the kitten there. Not after it followed him. He sighed and carefully picked it up, which made the small kitty purr again.
He put it gently in the pocket of his oversized hoodie to shield it from the rain. Soap made a stop at the nearest pet store to buy some necessities for a few days until he could figure out what to do with the cat. He carefully hid the things under the groceries so that if somebody peeked into the bag, they wouldn’t spot the cat food. Johnny made his way back to base but stopped outside. He took the small kitty out and held it carefully in his hands. It was so small and adorable. He didn’t want to give it a name; he didn’t want to become too attached. But he probably already was. Nonetheless, he had no time to think of a name right now.
"Alright kitty, you've gotta be quiet, alright? They can’t know you’re there, or we’re both in trouble. No meows, no purrs, got it?" He said this as he looked at the cat he held up. The kitten just looked at him with its huge and innocent eyes. Soap took that as a yes. He carefully put it in his pocket again. The Scottish sergeant took his bags and slowly made his way into the base. Miraculously, the kitten actually made no sound. So far, so good.
Everything went well. Too well. So, of course, Soap had to run into Ghost. He was a bad liar anyway, but he especially couldn’t hide anything from that man. "Ah, there you are. We’re planning to go to the bar tonight, you coming?" Ghost said calmly, in that British accent of his.
"Nah, I’ll pass tonight. Not feeling up to it. But you guys have fun." Soap said, feeling the kitty stir in his pocket. He couldn’t join them tonight, he had a little kitten to look after. The sergeant prayed to whatever god was up there that it wouldn’t make a sound. Of course, he was disappointed.
Meow.
"Was that a meow?" His Lieutenant said in confusion as he looked him up and down before looking around. But he couldn’t spot a cat.
"No?" Johnny smiled innocently. Another meow. Shit. He was doomed.
"Soap, why is your hoodie meowing?" Ghost said, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
"Uh…that’s my stomach?" Soap smiled awkwardly. It sounded more like a question than an actual answer. In that moment, the small kitten decided to meow again.
"Johnny…" Simon's voice was dangerously low as he looked at him with an intense gaze.
Fuck.
"Well, it was nice talking to you, Lt. Gotta go." Soap chuckled nervously, and he started making his escape. He couldn’t run, though, he didn’t want to injure the cat.
"MacTavish, stop right there." Ghost's deep voice sounded, making Johnny stop in his tracks. Fuck it, he was screwed anyway. He suddenly grabbed Ghost’s arm and dragged him into his room. The sergeant closed the door and sighed as he saw Simon cross his arms.
"You can’t just bring a cat on base. Pets aren’t allowed, Johnny." Ghost said and sighed. He wouldn’t budge on this, or so he told himself. He had to stay firm. But he forgot how persuasive Soap could be.
John carefully took the kitten out of the pocket of his hoodie. He held it right in front of Ghost’s face. "Look at it. Look into its innocent eyes and tell me you would leave it out in the rain where you found it." Johnny demanded and looked at him.
Simon looked away, because while he might act all tough, even he couldn’t resist a cute kitty. So he looked away to avoid seeing the little fur ball and Soap’s adorable pout. He had to stay firm he had to-
"Look. At. It." Soap demanded again and held it right in Ghost’s field of view. He saw his Lieutenant’s resolve crumble right before his eyes.
"Fine." Ghost growled. "But when Price finds out about the damn cat, I won’t protect you, and I never had anything to do with it. Are we clear?" Simon huffed, embarrassed that he gave in so easily. His mask, luckily, hid all other emotions.
Johnny beamed at him and grinned happily. "Crystal clear, Lt!" He exclaimed, and he could see how Ghost rolled his eyes. But he knew that even the tough Ghost couldn’t resist a sweet kitten and Soap’s charm.
"Did you at least get the kitten some necessities?" Simon let out an exasperated sigh and checked Johnny's bag. He took out the food, bowls, toys, and more. It should be enough for a few days. It was kind of a funny sight to see two wide, trained soldiers like Ghost and Soap handle such a small kitten. But they did a good job at it. While Simon set up the things, Johnny gave the kitty a gentle bath to remove the dirt and clay that got stuck in its fur. He made sure to go slow and be very careful not to scare the cat.
Soon they were done, and the kitten was clean, dry, and fast asleep. Both of them watched it sleep, and even Ghost couldn’t help but smile. "So what’s its name going to be? We can’t just call it kitty." The Lieutenant sighed as he looked at Soap.
"I was thinking about naming it Clay. It got clay all over it when I found it after all, so it fits." Johnny suggested.
Ghost remained silent before he suddenly began speaking again. "Hey Johnny, what do you call a good poem about clay?" He asked, and Soap just knew he was grinning under that mask of his.
"Oh god…" He groaned but had to smile. "What?"
"True pottery." Ghost said, and he had to snicker. Soap snorted in amusement. "That was so bad…" He huffed and shook his head. That man and his terrible jokes, but he wasn’t any better.
"Newborn babies are like a lump of unmolded clay. They even make the same sound when you drop them." Soap joked, and Ghost snickered again.
"Dark. I like it." He smirked, amused. "So how long do you plan to keep Clay? As much as the little guy has grown on me, he can’t stay here." Simon sighed.
"I know." Johnny said with a sad look in his eyes. "I’ll get her to a vet, and then I’ll find her a new home. She’s not going to be here for long, but I’m gonna make sure she’ll find a good home with decent owners." He said calmly and sighed. Ghost hummed in agreement. However neither of the two expected how much trouble that little kitten would stir up in the end…