Chapter Text
For as long as Ghost could remember, his nephew, Joseph, always had an enormous sweet tooth. Sure he’s a kid, that is to be expected– but it isn’t a normal sweet tooth. If Joseph didn’t have at least a candy on him, all hell would break loose. He would throw tantrums, destroy anything his little toddler hands could grab, often ending with toys thrown around every room, and little squiggly lines drawn on walls. Not to mention the amount of screams the Riley family had to endure.
Safe to say Joseph always had a small amount of candy on him. Not to worry though, his mother, Beth, would make sure to buy relatively healthy candies without the toddler’s knowledge. The little toddler wouldn’t always get his way though. To make up for the candy, his parents cooked every meal he would eat, instead of store bought food, and would give their son healthy stable options. (They weren’t looking down on families that do mostly eat store bought food, considering Simon and Tommy grew up with it themselves.)
Meaning Joseph was being forced to eat those horrid, saddening food, called “vegetables” . All vegetables are not up to par with Joseph’s standards, as they don’t taste sweet. Except for sweet potatoes, he can get by with that.
Anyway, he didn’t need to worry about all of that. It’s his birthday today! It’s not everyday that you turn four!
Today is the day where he could ask for anything he wants, he’ll definitely be using that wish for a big sugary cake. He knows that his parents are setting up for the family party, so he’ll have to go with Uncle Simon. Ever since he could remember, his family allowed him to choose his own cake on his birthday. (Which wasn’t much in hindsight because he is just turning four).
They normally choose a premade cake so the baker wasn’t stressed out, as well as for Joseph to not wait as long. He couldn’t help but be impatient, he was still learning how to regulate his emotions, sue him for barely being a toddler anymore.
He was more excited for the cake than his birthday presents, he couldn’t wait anymore.
— — — —
“Mama do I ‘ave to eat this?” Joseph whined like a small puppy. He held up a portion of his food with a fork, that nasty green vegetable called a “broccoli” at the other end of it. The mere sight of it makes him want to gag, and run away. He doesn’t know why his parents are forcing him to eat this, but he’ll have his revenge soon. A sigh from his mother echoed in his ears, forcing him to look up from his food.
“Joseph, we have told you many times it’s healthy for you,” Beth started her usual ramble whenever the four year old would ask her, it’s routine for them at this point. Joseph went to make his rebuttal of saying how he doesn’t like it, but to be cut off by his father.
“If you want your cake for your birthday today, you need to eat your broccoli.” Tommy said with a stern yet gentle voice, as he picked at his own portion of broccoli. “At least try some of the chicken and rice we made you,” His father got up from his own seat to help Joseph with cutting his chicken. Joseph whined once more, his face scrunched up in disgust and defiance. He turned his head up like he was a spoiled prince, with a distinguishable “hmph”.
“Joseph.” His mother spoke, a tone telling him he should listen to them, but a little fondness mixed with the way she said it. A pointed look from his mother, one eyebrow raised in questioning, and Joseph was reluctantly eating his food. He could hear his Uncle Simon silently laughing to the side of him, which earned him a glare from the four year old.
Why is he of all people laughing?!
Tommy was watching all of this unfold with a little smirk on his face. It was nice to see his older brother interacting with his son, feeling a sense of pride burning bright in his chest like a cozy campfire.
“Once you’re done with your food, you and uncle simon can go to the shops and pick a cake for you,” Beth got up with her plate, giving a light kiss to his forehead. Joseph giggled and leaned into the warmth of his mom. Her kiss made him feel all warm inside. Beth smiled, her heart felt so full of love for her little family. She shot a quick glance to her husband Tommy, seeing a loving smile directed to his son. After all they’ve been through, they deserved this moment, this life to live.
Basking in the warmth of his mom, a question popped into Joseph’s mind.
“Is grandma comin’ in time?” Joseph chewed his food slowly, trying to get used to the flavor of the chicken. He doesn’t really like chicken, but it'll get the job done for his hunger. It’s not that he didn’t want to eat it, but it’s more of a sensory thing. If it tasted too much like chicken, he gags and gets close to throwing it up. Texture also plays a big role as well, if it’s soft he gags more. Hence why he rarely eats chicken, unless it’s chicken nuggets that are extra crispy.
(Except for today because Joseph requested crispy chicken that Beth knows how to make, instead of buying it from a restaurant.)
“I’m sorry hun, but she’ll be back in a few weeks after your birthday, but she promised she’ll give you loads of presents!” Beth gave Joseph a gentle shoulder squeeze as she walked away from the table. A small little frown started to appear on the little boy’s face. “We could have a night out at a restaurant when she comes back!” Tommy reassured his son with a big cheeky smile on his face. Joseph couldn’t help the small smile defeating his frown. He gets presents and dinner at a restaurant? He couldn’t be more grateful for his family.
Joseph’s grandmother, Mary, was out on vacation right now sadly not making it in time for her son’s birthday. But she promised she’ll bring back many sweets Joseph possibly hasn’t tried yet, and of course, shiny rocks because for some reason Joseph loves those at the moment. They just look so cool to collect.
“Are you sure, I don’t wan’ you guys spending a lo’ of money on me..” Joseph murmured quietly, he felt guilty whenever his parents spent a lot of money on him, and considering that it’ll be a few weeks past his birthday.
“Don’t worry about that Jo, we love seeing you happy,” Beth shouted from the kitchen while putting the leftover food away. “I seconded that.” Tommy replied with a mouthful of food, in which Beth scolded him how he’s an adult and shouldn’t be doing that at his age. She doesn’t want Joseph copying his behavior.
(He’ll still end up doing it despite her reprimanding him for doing so.)
“You shouldn’t be worrying about money anyway, your job right now is to be a kid, and you’re supposed to enjoy it.” Ghost whispered to Joseph softly. The man didn’t get to enjoy his own childhood, so he wants to make sure his little nephew has the best childhood anyone can have or imagine. The whispering was ineffective in keeping that talk a secret, as Ghost could see both Beth and Tommy having mixed reactions. They both were staring in awe at Simon, as well as playfully smirking as they’re finally seeing him being a softy to their son. Who knew the big bad ghost could be so soft?
They knew how much of a hardass he was on base, ghost told them a few funny stories of new recruits messing up because of how scared they were of him.
“You almost done eating?” Ghost asked in questioning. His own plate was finished, not even a crumb in sight. He was getting uncomfortable from sitting down, and was ready to help Joseph pick out his cake. “Yeah I’m almost don’!” Joseph began to scarf down his food with no hesitation, even the broccoli. Beth watched with a small smirk, then yelled a quick “Slow down or else you’ll choke on your food!” to her son. He threw a quick “Thank you for the food mama!” as he finished his plate in record time.
(You would react the same if it was your birthday and you got to choose your own cake.)
Joseph got up quickly and practically threw his plate in the sink. The little gremlin then ran back to the table, grabbed his uncle’s hand, and dragged him out of the house without saying anything. Not before he could hear both of his parents yell out “Be safe!”. Ghost felt a bit hurt at that, he wasn’t in the special forces for nothing!
— — — —
Everytime it was Joseph’s birthday they went to new bakeries.
(Which was only for a few years now, the family still can’t believe little joseph is four today.)
No hate for the previous bakers, but he hasn’t found the one yet. It has to be perfect for him, from the smell of the bakery, the display, the ambience, and the actual taste of the cake. It has to be perfect for him to want to come back, as he is a loyal customer. It also matters if other pastries tasted as well, his parents let him buy a cake, including a small cookie.
The fact that Joseph still remembers this stuff from last year is astounding to Ghost. He barely remembers anything when he was four years old.
As he was rambling on about this, Ghost showed him a few options of bakeries in a fourty minute range. He scrolled past a couple of them, not really taking interest in any, or they were the ones he already went to. Joseph kept scrolling, utterly bored until he saw a flash of blue and white. Now Joseph is only just now starting school, but why the hell is there a Scottish flag doing there in Manchester? At least he hopes it's the Scottish flag, he assumed it was from his dad and Uncle Simon absolutely shitting on the country. The picture itself entices Joseph to click on the page, nearly missing the bakery’s name.
Soap’s Pastries
What kind of name is that? Joseph questioned. Just the name is interesting in itself, what does soap have to deal with food? Joseph still clicked on the website anyway, he was in desperate need of cake. The website pictures show the outside of the building. There’s a dainty little metal sign hanging from the side reading out the name, with a small little flag on top of the metal. In the front in big white letters reads out Soap’s Pastries.
The bakery looked like a fairytale, flowers were hanging from vines at the top, cascading down the sides and nicely trimmed in the front, so you could still see the sign. As well as big flower pots on the side with different kinds of flowers that match the color of the building. Brown batten strips are all around the bakery, with off-white wall coloring going with them. Joseph looked in awe of the sight, he definitely wanted to go there.
All the while Joseph is lost in the world of a beautiful bakery, Ghost was seated in the driver’s seat of the car, patiently waiting for Joseph to tell him a location. He supposes he could turn on music from the radio, but he doesn’t want his nephew to lose his train of thought, and because he himself doesn’t know his own music taste.
Ghost is not on leave that often, he doesn’t have time to figure those sorts of things out. His Captain, Price, let him on leave for a month to relax, as he knows Ghost hasn’t taken a leave that long for awhile, or any at all. He does take a couple days leave here and there for his family members' birthdays of course, but he doesn’t take any leave for himself.
Maybe this is a good opportunity to take time for myself, Ghost reasoned. He supposes he could have a little walk around town once the little family party is over, ghost could already feel the chill breeze of the wind on his skin, tinting it pink in color. Or go around the town checking out if there’s any new pubs with Tommy, if Beth allows them. Ghost thinks Tommy might have work tomorrow, but knowing his brother, he’ll accept his offer.
Ghost arrived in Manchester earlier in the week. And while he had time to catch up with his family, he didn’t have time to take a morning walk or nightly walk like he usually does, or go to the gym. Joseph was excited seeing his uncle again and that meant he was hogging all of the attention most of the time. There wasn’t a day where you wouldn’t see Joseph attached to his uncle, leading to Ghost having little to no time for himself. Ghost loves having his nephew around, who wouldn’t?.
Ghost sighed heavily, a little dramatic, still waiting on Joseph. He could hear the little boy tapping away on his phone, little murmurs and echos of interest fill the car. Ghost heard a little ‘Ah hah!’ And he knows that the decision is final.
“You found one Joseph?” The man questioned while turning his body around to face his nephew. Ghost watched as his little tongue stuck out in determination. A small smile crept up on his face.
“Yes!” Joseph declared. He clapped his hands excitedly, he couldn’t wait to enter the bakery. He gave the phone back to his uncle, ready for him to start driving to their destination. Ghost looked at the website and cursed under his breath.
“Fucking Scot’s.” He grumbled playfully.
“Wha’ was tha’?” Joseph hummed, his little lisp coming through his voice. Big innocent hazel eyes looking up into chocolate brown ones.
“Nothing.” Ghost chuckled. Joseph went back to playing with his fingers.
Ghost put in the directions for the location their headed towards, and off they went to complete the mission of finding cake for Joseph’s birthday.