In Hindsight…
A TF2 Fanfic
Chapter 1: Scout
Crack! The butt of the shotgun slammed into Scout's shoulder painfully, but still a crooked grin spread across his face. Recoil hurt, but the blast had finished off the RED Demoman guarding the capture point. With a wordless howl of triumph, he dashed forward to stand on the point. He grinned insanely as the BLU Heavy ran past, followed by the Medic. They'd hold off the advancing REDs, at least for a while. The capture was nearly finished. Suddenly, a flicker of motion caught Scout's attention. His eyes widened. "Oh, sh—" he started, but never got to finish.
"Headshot." the RED Sniper said, reloading with a smirk.
…...
In the end, the RED team was victorious. Now they all sat eating a celebratory dinner—Engineer's attempt at fried chicken. It wouldn't be too bad, but the breading was extremely spicy. Scout, as a prank, had dumped a bunch of powdered cayenne pepper in the mix. The joke seemed to be on him now, though; Scout was coughing and his eyes watered.
"Whatcha cryin' about?" Engineer teased, tapping Scout's shoulder. "Too spicy?"
"No." Scout said defensively, coughing a bit more. "Somethin'… in my throat…" The rest of the team was trying not to laugh outright, but a few hid giggles behind napkins or hands. Engie leaned forward, smiling.
"Yer sure?" he asked. Scout stood hurriedly, red-faced, and walked swiftly out of the room. "Aww." Engineer said. Medic frowned.
"You shouldn't tease him so." Medic said gently. "He's seemed a bit on-edge lately." Soldier shrugged, about to say something, but Pyro started tapping a fork against a glass mirthfully. Sniper glanced over quizzically, watching in fascination as the noise grew louder and louder until, suddenly, the glass shattered. Pyro clapped its hands happily.
"Resonant frequency!" Engineer shouted, standing and jogging off. Heavy shrugged, eating more chicken. He was the only one that seemed unfazed by the spice. Eventually, the team members excused themselves and left until only Spy remained. He lit a cigarette and stared at his food, which he hadn't touched. Silently he picked up his plate and left, glancing around furtively as he went.
….
Scout had gone up to his room, flopped down on the bed, and turned on the radio, just in time to catch the end of a baseball game. The white noise of the crowd filled his ears, and he could almost imagine being there in the stands—no, being on the field. His wishful thinking was interrupted, though, by a knock on the door.
"Scout? You in there?" Engineer asked quietly.
"Get outta here, Dell. I don't wanna talk." Scout replied irritably.
"I just wanted to apologize. Shouldn't have made fun of you like that, 'specially not in front of everyone. It was just friendly teasing, you now." Engineer said.
"I said I don't wanna talk!" Scout shouted. "Wish you'd all stop treatin' me like a child. I may be the youngest, but I ain't no child!" He turned up the radio, folding his arms. Honestly, he was feeling homesick, and he was really tired of dying. Engineer shrugged and left. He believed in choosing his battles, and this one wasn't worth the fighting. Scout hadn't been himself lately, and he didn't want to push him.
As he walked, he noticed Spy come in from outside, holding an empty plate and wearing a weary frown. It was certainly odd behavior, but the spook was far from normal, and Engineer only shrugged and walked back to his workshop.