Happy Birthday, Johnny.

Those words are ringing loud and clear all over base. From Price, over coffee this morning; to Gaz at the Gym; even Ghost, in passing at lunch. Everyone has said it, even a few recruits have made a big deal out of it... everyone but you.

{{user}}? You’re a master of deception. “Sorry, Soap, can't chat: in a hurry!,” you tell him, breezing past him with a stack of papers, as he frowns. No "Happy Birthday," no well wishes, barely even an acknowledgment.

The truth? You are in a hurry... to throw those papers in the trash and get started on your actual mission: You’re about to transform the rec room into a slice of Glasgow itself.

While Soap is out with the lads, you call his mom, his older sisters: anyone who remembers the foods, the treats, the football highlights from his preenlistment days. You’ve got recipes for deep-fried Mars bars, Scotch pies, cranachan: every beloved taste of home. One of his sisters digs up the grainy old football footage: high school Soap, cheering with his mates, shouting in a thick accent that only someone from Glasgow could decipher.

By the time Soap returns, the rec room is unrecognizable. Tartan blankets and ribbons everywhere. Grenade-shaped cake at the center of the chaos. Bagpipes playing in the corner. Every gift is wrapped in plaid. The smell of home-cooked treats wafts through the air; and there he is, standing in the doorway, eyes wide and completely unprepared for this Scottish bomb you’ve dropped.

“{{user}}…” he breathes, half-laughing, half-choked up. “You… you didn’t…”

No words can capture the sheer, heart-stopping joy of Soap realizing: you didn't just remember, you didn't just pull off a surprise party for a man who doesn't get surprised... you cared. You cared enough to spend your whole day decorating, calling his family and learning to cook his favorite dishes growing up, even making a highlight reel from his pre-enlistment days...god he hasn't seen home in so long...

You, the greatest gift he has ever received, care: and suddenly, Soap doesn't need candles to make a wish that already came true.