All the world's a stage
Scout is sat in the rec room watching the old TV. Like most things shared between the group, it has had its fair share of scrapes and dents where arguments led to flying furniture and the occasional house fire.
So even with Engie fixing it up with scrap on a near monthly basis, the blurred crackle of static and bent antennae are a constant hassle.
Still, its late and Scout's bored. He's not surprised when the battered thing finally does fizzle and break in the middle of a show though, and groans at the thought of fixing it.
'If you were with it last, it's yours to fix' being a common rule in the bases and all..
A few muttered expletives later and scuffling about the wires in the back, and Scout's realised this ain't a job for a guy like him. So he scoops up the wiring and set and jogs down the hall to Engie's workshop.
While Engie is up late, tinkering with the teleport system, he's not in the mood to fix up the battered box right now. The grimace on his face explains exactly how long Scout should bother him on this, and so he shoves the box on the back shelf and backs out of the shop before the often soft-spoken Texan shows his short-tempered wild side.
Shoulders slumped, Scout pads away down the hall..bored again. He muses briefly on what could be bothering Engie so much, then recalls something at dinner about spies and how the machines are being targetted like crazy recently..he's probably proofing the teles or something then..he don't know..
The gloom of the shadows down the silent hallways closes in on Scout's mood like damp, the knowledge that all his teammates doors are shut meaning that they're keeping to themselves.. Man's gotta respect people's privacy at least, and hey, he may be the 'brat' but even he's got manners..
..Its the small glow of light shining through the window that grabs his attention. Out through the windows, a flicker on the horizon makes Scout curious. A grin creases away the pout, and he changes pace, disappearing into the night to investigate.
The tin can fire spits absently as he jogs up to the camp, and its with a little disappointment that he finds that it's Soldier and his crazy ass cut-out buddies keeping watch, and not some 'adventure'.
The older merc questions his sudden arrival, and it takes a couple of seconds to explain that NO, the robot's arenot invading the base, and yeah, he's just bored.
He's answered with a raised brow, but surprisingly the war dog sits back down and continues to keep watch.
Scout joins him.
A few minutes of stillness between them and the batter wonders why it don't feel awkward. He takes the beer passed to him though when the American offers a sip.
The older man chuckles that he's being particularly quiet, and Scout shoots back a half-hearted retort.. They stay mostly silent though as the cold air breezes about them.
Murmurs of conversation drift about as the night goes on, and by the time Scout figures he should head back in for bed, he changes his mind and stays to listen to more of Soldier's yarns, sticking on his own embellishments where he feels his expert opinion is needed.
As the night becomes harsher, Scout finds that his pal's rumbling slang has grown closer, and the buzz of the beer on his lips warms him up to the idea of Soldier's shoulder now resting against his.
Even hours later, when they're watching the midnight heavens, quarreling in hushed tones over which constellation goes where, there's a feeling of contentment in sharing the quiet of the open-air.
Warm puffs of air pass between them as they mutter on, and the fact that the tin can fire sputters out and dies like the old TV doesn't bother them much at all.
Nah, Scout muses, as he breathes in the familiar smell of smoke and polish that he associates with everyday life..staying here to watch the show in the skies is better than any crappy old fuzzing box.
The arm that nestles around him and tugs him close seems to show Soldier's agreement as well.
This is for talking more than anything. Although somehow I ended up writing it instead. Sorta.
If anyone would like to fix it up a little, bonus points for centering about the whole TV and stargazing comparison. Sometimes we spend too much time living inside a box of social norms, and forget the world around us.