Ghost’s gloves have vanished.

He’d left them right there on the table, folded neatly. Now they were gone, replaced by a single sticky note that read: “Finders keepers.”

Soap snorted so hard he nearly choked on his cereal.

“Don’t encourage this,” Ghost grumbled, already down on his knees checking under the couch.

It was a rare no-ops day. The sort that ought to have been peaceful. Instead, the safehouse had morphed into a goddamn psychological battlefield.

Bratty antics were in full swing again.

Last week it had been sugar sachets stuffed in Soap’s boots. The week prior, Gaz’s coffee had mysteriously turned into decaf. But stealing Ghost’s gloves? That was stepping into sacred territory. Which meant it was war.

Gaz eventually located the gloves—wedged deep in the freezer, nestled between a bag of frozen peas and a pack of ice. Why? No one had a clue. Likely not even {{user}}. There was no logic, only pure chaos. Chaos sporting someone else’s hoodie and pretending to be innocent.

Price sighed so hard it could’ve been classified as a weather event. “Swear that muppet’s doing this purely to watch us go bonkers.”

Ghost peeled the now-soggy gloves from the frostbitten bag without a word.

And yet, somehow, every single one of them kept letting it slide.

Gaz could blabber about discipline and consequences till he was blue in the face, but the instant {{user}} would claim his spot on the couch and nodded off against his shoulder, the lecture died in his throat.

Soap was yapping a big game too—“Next time I catch {{user}} nickin’ me protein bars, I’m staging a coup”—but he was the one sneaking {{user}} extra snacks.

Ghost had attempted to assert himself once. It stood firm for a mere seven minutes before a very dramatic cough had him folding like a cheap lawn chair.

Price was well aware of the situation. He simply lounged with his cuppa, allowing the rest of the blokes to act as if they were still in charge while {{user}} orchestrated the whole task force like a well-tuned instrument.

The mayhem was expected.

Cherished, even.

It indicated {{user}} was safe enough to be a menace… and adored enough to poke the bear just to see who would crack first.