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Soap and Gaz stared at the white mug, decorated with a Man City logo that wasn’t quite printed on straight and sat on the island countertop that separated their Task Force 141 reck room from their poor excuse for a kitchen.
Soap sighed from beside Gaz. “I’m gonna wash it.”
“Your funeral.” Gaz mumbled, taking a bite of his sandwich but not moving his eyes away from the mug.
“He’s left it unguarded.” Soap turned to him to argue. “He’s basically begging me to do it!”
“Fine, do whatever.” Gaz huffed. “But I’m not above saying I told you so to a dead man. That thing was disgusting when I joined, I’m telling you it hasn’t been washed once.”
Soap looked back at the mug. Rings of tea stains layered along the inside and coated the mug brown, stray drops that had ran down the outside of the mug through the years making it look like the stain was overflowing and spilling down the edges.
The old-fashioned Man City logo had lost two of its stars to the staining which was only highlighted by the white handle.
The mug was a vile, disgusting thing that had haunted Task Force 141 for all its existence and burdened it’s owner’s previous teams before that.
The mug was rumoured to have been fired in the depths of hell and survived more than any man could ever hope to.
The mug was, in all its germ ridden glory, a metaphor for the dirtied past and stained life of its owner.
The mug belonged to Ghost.
“We both know this needs to happen.” Soap told Gaz as he moved towards the mug and chose to seal his fate.
“Mate, I’m not saying it doesn’t.” Gaz reassured. “I’m saying I’m smart enough to know it doesn’t need to be me and I thought you were too.”
Soap hesitated and turned to him. “You calling me a bampot?”
Gaz shrugged and spoke through another bite of sandwich. “Probably.”
“I’m not stupid Gaz, I’m brave.” Soap declared, taking the mug and raising it in the air like a flag. “I’m taking one for the team; making a sacrifice for the benefit of our beloved Lieutenant!”
“I knew you were in love with him.” Gaz smirked and watched a light red flush across Soap’s cheeks, as it did every time he teased his friend about the crush he had on their Lieutenant.
He only did it when they were alone, of course. If there had been others hanging around in the reck room he would have let the opportunity pass.
The Sargent just scowled at him. “I am not!”
Gaz laughed and let it drop. “Is this why they called you Soap? Did you just go around forcefully cleaning people’s stuff?”
“No!” Soap scoffed, then hesitated. “Well maybe the story involves cleaning but this is completely different!”
“Go on then.” Gaz urged, gesturing to the sink with his sandwich. “If you’re so determined to get six feet under.”
Soap walked around the island, set the mug down on the counter and began filling the sink with bubbly water. “Today is a monumental day in history!”
“Why?” A deep, rough voice came from the entrance to the room and Gaz chuckled at the way Soap actually jumped.
“Ghost!” He cried. “I thought you were in a meeting with Price and Laswell?”
“I am.” He growled. “I came to get a cuppa tea.”
“Oh…” Soap went for casual and tried to lean against the counter, hiding the mug from view. “That so?”
“Yeah, so where’s my mug?” Ghost asked, suspicion lacing his voice.
Soap grinned with only a slight hint of terror. “I’m sure it’s around here somewhere.”
“He’s tryna wash it, Ghost.” Gaz, ever the instigator, informed their Lieutenant with a smile.
Dark eyes snapped to Soap, who’s own filled with panic and betrayal. “That so, Johnny?”
Ghost took a step forward but Soap moved quicker, grabbing the mug and holding it over the now full sink. “One more step and I’ll drop it.”
“Think about this.” Ghost warned.
“Oh I have.” Soap answered. “And this is for your own good sir.”
He made to drop the mug and Ghost lunged forward, crossing the distance to Soap far quicker than he should have been able too and tackling his Sargent to the floor.
“Damn!” Gaz exclaimed as he sat down at one of the stools at the island and watched as Ghost and Soap rolled around on the floor, fighting for the mug.
“Fuck!” Soap cried as Ghost managed to pry it out of his hands and stand up. He got to his feet and reached for it again, only for Ghost to move away.
“Don’t you dare!”
“You need to wash it, Ghost!” Soap insisted. “It’s gross! Everyone thinks it’s gross, Gaz thinks it’s gross!”
“I think it’s perfectly reasonable not to wash a mug for multiple years, sir.” Gaz said, smiling sweetly at Ghost, who rolled his eyes.
“It makes it taste better!” Ghost claimed. “Google says it’s fine-”
“You cannae trust Google, LT!” Soap cried, moving to grab the mug. Ghost held it above his head like a child and Gaz rolled his eyes as Soap jumped up for it. “Just let me wash it!”
“Is this how you got your name then? Just going around washing things that don’t need to be washed?” Ghost accused.
“Gaz already made that joke, bastard.” Soap snapped.
Ghost huffed and moved the mug higher as Soap almost reached it. “Well, I didn’t know that, bastard.”
Soap grumbled as he finally realised he couldn’t reach the mug, before diving into Ghost, presumably trying to tackle him like the Lieutenant had done a moment ago.
Only, Ghost didn’t budge.
Gaz burst out laughing as Soap just hit a wall of Ghost, who also let out a laugh at the Sargent’s expense. He moved to clutch his stomach as Soap flushed with embarrassment.
That meant the mug was within Soap’s range once more and he grabbed for it, managing to catch Ghost off guard as he laughed.
He made it all the way to the sink before Ghost could compose himself. “Soap, please.”
“This is tough love LT.” He announced before dramatically dropping the mug into the soapy water.
There was a beat of awkward silence as all three men just looked at the Man City logo descending to the bottom of the sink.
Gaz cleared his throat and tried to tell a joke to relieve the tension. “So, finally admitting you’re in love with him?”
It was the wrong joke. He knew the second it left his mouth and panicked eyes turned to him, silently screaming ‘that was in front of Ghost!’.
The Lieutenant only let out a humourless laugh. “If he loved me, he wouldn’t have washed my favourite mug!”
Gaz sighed in relief as Ghost went along with the joke only for Soap to take offence and yell. “That’s exactly what I’d do if I loved you! Because love isn’t about constantly appeasing your partner, it’s about making the right decisions for them even if it hurts!”
Ghost blinked. “Are you saying you’re in love with me?”
He sounded baffled and suspicious and Soap flushed bright red. “No, I said If I loved you.”
Gaz wanted to face palm. “You said if you loved him you’d wash his mug-”
That seemed to remind Ghost of the situation. “And you washed my mug, you little shit!”
“Ghost!” Price appeared in the door, looking annoyed. “Why’s it taking you so long to make a cuppa tea?”
“Because Soap’s fucking in love with me!” Ghost yelled, Soap let out a pained noice and Price blinked.
Their captain squinted his eyes. “What?”
“Well I’ll tell you one thing,” Ghost continued, moving towards a terrified Soap and grabbing him by the fabric of his shirt with both hands. “Soap may be in love with me but I’m in love with him too.”
“What is going on?” Price asked as Gaz let out a gasp and Soap just stared uselessly up at Ghost.
“And you know what that means?” The Lieutenant asked.
“What?” Soap managed to get out.
Ghost smirked. “I’m throwing your tartan trousers in the bin!”
“No!” Soap cried.
“Oh good!” Gaz said. “Those things are falling apart.”
Soap’s tartan trousers were just his pyjama bottoms but they were so warn down that the material was riddled with holes and ripping away from the waistband.
Price hummed. “They are indecent, son.”
Ghost released Soap and took a step back, throwing his hands up in challenge. “Tough love, init Soap?”
Soap looked devastated. “But they’re my jammies!”
“And that was my mug!” Ghost shot back. “It was my dad’s and his dad’s before that, you’ve just destroyed years of Riley family history.”
Gaz gagged. “I’m gonna be sick.”
That was three generations of unwashed tea.
“You need to break the generational cycle!” Soap argued.
Price leaned against the doorframe of the room. “You didn’t even like your dad.”
“Yeah, I might of made that up.” Ghost admitted.
“Oh, thank god.” Gaz breathed.
“But what I didn’t make up is the fact I’m going to go to you’re room,” he pointed angrily at soap. “And rip your trousers into shreds.”
“No! You can’t because you don’t love me!” Soap cackled. “Tough love, requires love Ghost and you can lie all you want but you don’t love me!”
“I do!” Ghost insisted.
“What is my life?” Price mumbled to himself.
“Prove it!” Soap challenged.
The Captain threw his hands in the air. “What is my life?”
But Ghost ignored him, moving towards Soap and yanking his balaclava off, letting dark fiery red hair fall across his face.
One second Gaz was planning his eulogy for Soap’s funeral and the next he was watching in horror as Ghost pulled the man into a kiss. “Oh my god!”
And it wasn’t a light peck or anything, Ghost had gone in heavy and Soap just… went with it. Gaz turned a startled look to Price. “Are you just going to let them snog in the middle of the kitchen?”
The captain didn’t respond, instead watching in shock as his Lieutenant lifted his Sargent onto the countertop and made out with him within an inch of his life.
It’s liked they’d forgotten that they have witnesses.
“BOYS!” An angry voice snapped Ghost and Soap apart as Laswell came storming into the room. “Why are you all watching John and Simon kiss?!”
“Kate!” Price exclaimed. “We were just coming back to the meeting.”
“Oh yes, I can see that.” She said sarcastically. “Both of you, with me now.”
Ghost huffed and pulled away from a dazzled looking Soap. He looked back at the Sargent as he left. “You’ve got your proof. When I get back I’m going to rip your trousers to pieces.”
“Simon!” Laswell scolded, slapping him on the arm.
As the three left, Gaz could hear Price give a quick. “He didn’t mean it like that!”
Silence donned the reck room as Soap panted and calmed himself down and Gaz finished off his sandwich.
“Hey Soap?” He said after a minute and Soap looked at him. “If you’re washing that mug can you do my plate too?”
Soap nodded blankly then called, “hey Gaz?”
“Yeah, mate?”
“Ghost kissed me.” The Sargent said with an embarrassing amount of wonder.
Gaz huffed. “He did more than that.”
“I’m so in love.”
“Ew.”