Chapter Text
The 141 doesn’t typically get a whole lot of days off. When they do, it unfortunately ends up with a bunch of large, restless men who are used to a certain amount of adrenaline to get them through the day. Typically they’ll go to the gym, spar, work, or practice on the range. Every once in a while though, all of those options have been taken out by other plans or nothing to work on. So that leads them to playing cards in the rec room. Six different decks are scattered across the table, including uno, cards against humanity, regular playing cards and some others. Despite Soap loudly advocating for cards against humanity, claiming that it’d be the most fun, they end up playing Uno. Ghost decides not to play, instead choosing to work on a puzzle by himself. They’d gotten a few new ones and he rather enjoyed them. They calmed him.
The other three set up the game, drawing their seven cards, flipping the first card up to determine the color to start. Gaz goes first, playing a yellow two. Then Soap, with a red two. Price smiles and plays another plain card. Gaz plays, Soap draws until he can play. Price plays a plus four. Gaz groans, Soap tries to cheat, Ghost is watching them now from the corner of his eyes. Price smiles again, playing another card. Within six turns the other two are absolutely fucked with cards and Price has uno. Ghost snorts when they get to Price's turn and he sees that his final card is a wild card. Price plays. The other two throw their cards down.
They change games after a few more rounds of Price winning. They play a few rounds of old maid. Price wins all of them. Ghost hasn’t stopped watching, having even stopped his puzzle half way through. He’s watching Price. Price is internally laughing. They switch to poker, with snacks as the betting pot, Gaz refusing to bet real money based on the past rounds. Price wins every granola bar in the shared cabinet. They keep playing. Every once in a while Price will let one of them win. The two men get so excited when one of them wins, Price laughs at their antics.
This continues for the better part of 3 hours. Ghost tilts his head at Price, who catches the look. He smiles and holds a finger to his lips in a “shh” motion. He signals for 30 more minutes to the man on the couch. Ghost just chuckles and finally continues his puzzle, the pieces getting reorganized now that Ghost has accidentally messed them up.
It’s closer to another hour because Ghost got focused on the puzzle, finishing it much quicker than he’d like. Ghost hears another groan. “C’mon Price! How the hell is your luck so good!?” Gaz whines. “It ain’t luck son.” Price smirks. “Then what the hell is it, ye bastard?” Soap cries. “He’s been hustling you the whole time. He can count cards.” Ghost says, deep rumble breaking through the complaining. Gaz and Soap’s heads whip to Ghost and back to Price who grins and breaks out laughing. “I’m honestly surprised it took Ghost that long to notice. You gettin’ slow in your old age lieutenant?”
“Still younger than you old man.”
“Good, stay that way.”
“Why didn’t ye say something sooner! I lost all my good snacks!” Soap’s face collides with the table. “I’ll give ‘em back sergeant, don’t worry.” Price pats the man’s shoulder. “Okay…” Soap sighs. “I’m never playing cards with you again, Captain.” Gaz crosses his arms. Soap pops up. “Wait, that doesn’t explain how ye won Uno!” He stands, hands bracing against the table. “Yeah it does. I taught myself how to count Uno.” Price shrugs. “Ye WHAT!?” Price snorts and howls with laughter. “Why would you even teach yourself that!?” Gaz shrieks. “You two really like Uno.” Price smiles and winks, standing from the table and stretching as he leaves the room. “See you boys later!” The door shuts. “Ghost?”
“Yeah?”
“Yer awful.”
“Thanks Johnny, I know.”