Chapter Text
Soap’s keys jingled as he pushed them back into his pocket. He pushed open the door and was greeted with… nothing. Hm. That was strange. He walked towards his room, needing to get changed for tonight, but went without a sign of Princess. His bed was empty, and there was still food in his dish. Something’s definitely wrong. He seemed normal this morning, if not tired.
Soap found the poor guy in his closet, in the bundle of blankets he used to hide from storms. He chirped weakly as Soap approached, and he reached out a hand to pet him. He checked his phone, noting the time. A bit late. He sighed and called Gaz.
“Soap, what’s up?”
“‘M not gonna make it tonight. Princess is sick, I think.”
“Aw, is he okay?” Gaz said, using his baby voice despite the phone not being on speaker.
“I dunno yet. Gonna take him to the walk-in.”
“Alright mate, we’ll make do without you.”
“We cancelled on Sunday too.” Soap sighs. “This sucks.”
“You curse us all with your bad luck.”
“Last week was actually Roach, if you remember.”
“Was probably still your fault.”
“Alright, piss off. I have to go now.”
“Text me an update!” Gaz says before he hangs up.
Soap sighs, pushing up from his crouched position. He felt like an old-ass man when his knees cracked.
“Alright, big lad, let’s get you ready.” He says, scratching Princess’s head.
“What is that?” Gaz asks, pointing to the crying box Soap is carrying
“A cat!” Soap says.
“I could tell that much. I mean, why is it here?”
“What, you don’t want a cat?” Soap asks, opening the crate and letting the cat onto the counter. “My grandma can’t take care of him anymore, so… he’s ours now.”
The cat was big, orange, and very bumbling. It looked like his limbs were too big for his body, despite being fully grown.
“What’s his name?” Gaz asks, lifting a reluctant hand for it to sniff. It does so and immediately nuzzles into it.
“Princess.”
Gaz’s eyes narrow and his brow furrows.
“Princess,” He states, asking the obvious.
“Named him when he was a kitten. Too late to change it once they found out he was a boy.”
Gaz hummed, petting the cat, who was cosying up to him.
“And the other option was your parents?”
Soap frowned.
“No. He woulda gone to a shelter.”
“Damn, they can’t even take care of a cat?”
“They could barely take care of a kid, so a cat is probably also off the table,” Soap said, stretching side to side. “I’ve gotta get the rest of his shit from the car, so make sure there’s no food out?”
Gaz sent him a thumbs up and a hum, obviously paying more attention to the cat than his words.
Simon looked over at the clock, noting it was 8 already. He had spent all day hyping himself up. After their set, he was gonna talk to Soap, for real. Maybe try flirting with him? It didn’t matter, but he was gonna do it today.
He looked around for a second, waiting to see Dipaolo for his shift before he ran off. When he spotted him coming out of the bathroom towards the bar, he put down the cup he was drying and went into the back room to change. He swapped his medical mask for his skull-patterned one and put on his sunglasses and hoodie. Price liked to say he looked like a robber, but that just meant robbers are very comfortable.
He walks back out past Dipaolo, who gives him a thumbs up from where he was pouring a drink and goes to sit at a table near the small stage.
He notes Gaz and Roach plugging in their guitars, and… someone else sitting at the drums. He doesn’t recognize them. It’s not Soap, that’s for sure. He twists his head, trying to see a little backstage, even though he knows he can’t from where he’s sitting. What he does see is a full view of the new guy. He looks maybe similar to Soap, but actually not really at all. He’s taller, longer, and has normal, light brown hair instead of an endearingly ratty mohawk.
Well, maybe if he can’t talk to Soap, he can talk to Gaz.
And ask where Soap is.
He grimaces and rubs his eyes, pushing his glasses up his forehead. God, he’s so predictable.
He feels incredibly bored as they start playing, and he feels a bit bad about that. Does he really just spend the whole time just looking at Soap? They are good at their instruments, and the new guy is good at the drums. Definitely not his main instrument, if Simon had to guess. He didn’t have quite the same energy that Soap has. Although he could be totally wrong. He’s never picked up an instrument in his life.
They finished up seemingly early, packing up as the bar started to clear out.
Simon took one last deep breath before going up to the stage.
“Hey, Gaz, Right?” He started. Badly. Of fucking course his name was Gaz. He had talked to him at the bar before.
The man in question jumped around, eyes going wide. His mouth opened slightly, but he didn’t say anything yet, instead turning around to Roach, who made a gesture with his hands. Ah shit. Simon didn’t know BSL.
“Uh, yeah, sorry, Ghost,” He said and then paled.
Simon raised an eyebrow. Ghost was not his name.
“Ghost?”
“Er, sorry. That’s what we call you. Since you, ya know, disappear whenever we finish up,” Gaz said, rubbing the back of his neck.
Simon wanted to laugh. He also wanted to run away immediately. Did Soap also call him Ghost? They knew his name was Simon, so.
“So, what’s up?” Gaz asks.
“I was just wondering where Soap was.” His voice gave away none of his hesitance.
“Ah, his cat was sick, so… Speaking of, I gotta check my phone,” Gaz said, walking off rather quickly.
Well, that was… Strange. Gaz had seemed pretty normal the few times he had talked with him before. Maybe he was just in a rush?
When he looked back, he saw Roach glancing at him, then signing excitedly to the new guy, who seemed like he was struggling to keep up. Gaz came out from behind the stage with his phone and joined in the conversation.
The door to their flat opened to more than one voice, and Soap turned around from his journal at the table. Gaz, Roach, and Alex were there.
“Hey Soap!” Alex called, waving.
“Hey man! You my replacement tonight?”
“Temporarily. Could never live up to the original,” He smiled.
“Finally, someone who respects me.”
“Soap, literally shut up. You need to hear this,” Gaz interrupts, sitting at the table across from him. “Ghost talked to us today.”
Soap’s jaw practically drops.
“You’re takin’ the piss.”
“‘M not. We were finishing up, and he came up and talked to us. Think I fumbled the bag a bit.”
In the background, Alex and Roach were eating the cold pizza he had ordered two hours ago.
“What’d he say?”
“Well, first of all, you are the luckiest bastard I’ll ever meet because he sounded hot as well,” Gaz said, narrowing his eyes.
“I’m lucky? I didnae even get to talk to him!”
“Yeah, but he asked about you! Asked where you were.”
“Yer fuckin’ jokin’.”
“Mate, no prank of mine would go so far. I swear on Princess I'm tellin’ the truth,” Gaz pauses, looking around. “Speaking of, is he good?”
Soap is still visibly recovering, the perfect image of a loading icon. Gaz snaps in front of his face.
“Earth to Soap. How’s Princess?”
“Uh, he’s good. Just a bug going around. Ghost asked about me. Seriously?”
“I know, crazy, right? Roach is right there!” He turns around to see Roach scarfing down a piece of pizza and winces. “Hm. Well. Also! We talked to Alex, and we figured he could be our singer.”
Soap shook his head, clearing his current thoughts to focus on what was being said to him. He was obviously not gonna have any time now to think about this, so he’d have to shelve it for later tonight.
“Can Alex sing?”
“I can!” Alex cut in.
“Yeah, otherwise I wouldn’t have offered,” Gaz said.
“Rude,” Alex says.
“I mean, if he fits, I don’t mind,” Soap says, leaning back in his chair. “I was more worried about having to find some random git who could actually sing.”
Roach sat down with them, leaning over to look in the sketchbook as Soap drags it closer to himself, before signing.
‘I’ve heard him before. He’s pretty good. He would sound good with our style of songs, too.’
“And you’ve never brought it up before?” Gaz asked, looking offended.
Roach just shrugs, grabbing Soap’s book out of his hand.
“Ey! Damn bug,” Soap sighs, knowing he won’t get it back.
“Are we talking about my skills?” Alex asks, sitting down and filling the last chair at the table.
“No.” Gaz and Soap both say at the same time.