Author's Notes
Epilogue! Longer than the final chapter, wth? Oh shut up and read it, you know you want to.
Am I going to write more of these for the other eight? The answer is, I plan to. If there's any specific trait or fact about any of the character's you've wondered about, please let me know. I need ideas. Seriously! Tell me what you want explained! I won't be able to write for all of them of course, but they will definitely help me out. (And don't say things like 'Demo's missing eye' or 'Who the hell was 'Irene?' I've already tossed these out.)
EDIT
I have made my solid decision on Heavy's, Medic's, and Sniper's stories, so there is no need to suggest anything more for them.
"Devushka Sasha and Leibe Natascha" — Why are Heavy's Miniguns named Sasha and Natascha? — Why did Medic, a sadistic and crazy doctor (i.e. the perfect candidate), not join with the Nazis?
"The Legend of Ol' Snaggletooth" — How did Sniper procure Darwin's Danger Shield, and its coupling hat, Ol' Snaggletooth? If all Australians are burly and moustache'd, then why is Sniper unusually lanky and clean cut?
All of these soon-to-be-answered questions are 100% canon, even if the answers aren't. If you believe otherwise, or have any questions, then you can PM me or email me at viennaohvienna gmail . com
/EDIT
Again, comment! I am a comment monster. I love comments. Comment so I can stay well-fed and able to write!
PS: I'll be re-writing this entire story! You will find version 2.0 on my Tumblr, (http:/www. lightninghasnoshadowyoumoron . tumblr . com) when I finish it! I will also post all sorts of little one-shots and story updates there! *coughformyTF2chanreaderscough*
Medic's baffled eyes lingered on the fire, full of pity. "I had no idea..."
"Mrh nrhthrr..." Pyro hissed/whispered, and his body language suggested that he was on the brink of bursting into tears.
"Did anybody knoo?" Demoman murmured.
Sniper shook his head, dumbstruck. "I don't think Scout told anyone 'fore tonight..."
Soldier's and Engineer's expressions were unreadable. They merely shook their heads at the ground.
"Leetle Scout lost family... Is... very bad thing to remember..." Heavy mused. It almost sounded like he understood and shared Scout's pain.
Spy's expression was one of mortified, guilt-ridden disbelief.
It all made sense.
As quickly as Scout had left, Spy departed from the group as well. He ignored his colleagues' startled cries, only one task rooted in his mind. Scout wouldn't want to talk to him, but Spy could not simply let this go. He needed to apologize. For more than just the insults, for everything.
Spy heard a distinct slam as he approached the barracks. It didn't hinder him. What he needed to say, he was going to say, and Scout was going to listen. He entered the building and made for Scout's room, but as he approached and his hand opened, Spy stopped just before grasping the handle. Perhaps it was his instincts, but he didn't make his presence known just yet. He had head something, so he listened.
Sheets rustling, and light, muffled gasps. Not the usual gasps one heard coming from Scout's room at this hour, either.
Spy shook his head. What had he done?
His leather-clad knuckles knocked lightly on the industrial wood. He heard scrambling on the other side.
"Fuck off!" Scout snarled.
Spy insisted, "Scout, please, I must speak to you—"
"Wh– Spy? Oh, no— you need t'get the hell outta here! I'm fuckin' done with you, ya snaily oil drum!"
Interesting choice of words. "Please, Scout, listen to me, I am sorry!"
A pause. Perhaps Scout would hear him out?
"Get the hell away from me."
Spy narrowed his eyes.
TeuFort was one of the oldest territories they'd been fighting for, and therefore had the oldest barracks. The doors themselves were almost rotted away. It was no wonder to any of them how the rusted locks had all broken off years ago.
Spy felt no inhibitions about opening the door.
Scout hastily wiped his face with the covers and shot Spy the most hateful glare he could.
"What the hell're you doin'!"
"I am trying to give you a proper apology. I sincerely had no idea—"
"Pssh, yeah right."
"How could I have known?"
"No, of course you didn't know, ya moron, I ain't told anyone. But now you know. So leave me the fuck alone about it, why don'cha."
"You need not worry. Starting tomorrow, I will inform my counterpart. My God, Scout... I'm sorry..."
Scout blinked at him. "Okay, cut that out."
"But I am! I did not know, I... I did not know..."
Scout blinked again and sniffed. He gave Spy a once-over. Spy wasn't the apologizing type, and here he was practically begging Scout for forgiveness. But he wasn't really... it might have been his slightly jittery hands, but Spy almost seemed like he was dancing around something. Perhaps he did understand what he'd done.
"Get in here an' close the door. I actually wanna talk t'ya about som'n."
Spy balked slightly, but he obliged. What was Scout up to?
The Bostonian shifted so he sat cross-legged on his bed. "Yeste'day... after they called ceasefire... I was out at the bridge when I ran into Blu-Fag. We didn't have no guns're nothin', so after we swore we wouldn't try anythin' if the othe' didn't, we kinda started talkin'. An' then he tells me about som'n weird that happened on the field yeste'day."
"... Go on..."
"He says yeste'day he was down in their base, right? He's passin' through the Lower Main Commons, an' he sees his Engie with his Level 3 all up an' beepin', an' his Engie asks him if he could do him a favor an' get him some more metal from those 'Authorized Personal Only' rooms, cuz the codes were glitchin' out all day yeste'day, remember? Respawn was bein' weird an' there wasn't any supplies poppin' up on the field, right?"
"... Yes, I... I remember zat..." Spy's tone was slightly suspicious.
"Right, so Blu-Fag says sure an' goes to get his Engie some, but as he's goin' through the boxes, he suddenly hears this huge ZAP! from outside, an' his Engie yells 'Sentry down!'. But he says before he can get to th' door, it flies open an' his Engie flops in front of him with a hole in his helmet. Then he looks up an' sees you with your gun pulled at him, an' then boom, he's down."
Spy nods. "Oui, zis 'appened. But I do not see what—"
"I'm not done yet, there's more.
"He says that when he respawns, it's quiet. Like, scary quiet. No gunshots, no explosions, nothin'. He dunno how long he's been out, but first thing he thinks t'do is check the Intel, make sure it's still safe, right? So Blu-Fag goes to check."
Spy suddenly felt ice on his back.
"He told me... that, when he got to his Intel room... he didn't see their Intel... but he did see his Soldier, his Heavy, and his Spy with his head blown off, dead on the ground, an' his Sniper dead, slumped over the desk. But what really caught his attention, was what he found scattered all over the floor."
Scout looked Spy dead in the eye. Spy hesitated, and looked away. He felt like the child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and it burned his ego like nothing else. That wasn't how he'd wanted Scout to find out.
"How long."
Spy looked up. Scout fixed him with a serious glare. Spy wasn't sure what he was asking at first.
"How. Long."
Then he knew. He had to dig deep through his memories, but he didn't have to dig long.
"A-bout five and a half years now."
Spy wasn't sure what he was expecting Scout to do — perhaps something violent, possibly involving bats or splintered wood — but whatever he thought would happen, it didn't. Scout's expression didn't change, but his eyes flicked down. His lips puckered, and he nodded slowly.
"M'kay..."
Like a father coming to terms with his disobedient son.
"An'..." Scout gestured with his hands, then let them drop. "You were never gonna tell me about this."
Spy didn't reply. Truth be told, he had very much wanted to tell Scout. Not to gloat, but because as one of her sons, Scout deserved to know. He simply hadn't known how to go about telling him. Considering how much Scout disliked him to begin with, Spy knew Scout wouldn't take the news well.
"I am, truly sorry, Scout..."
"It was your fault Ma started smokin', wasn't it."
A verbal punch to the stomach. He knew.
Spy's head fell into his hands with a defeated, miserable sigh. "I did not realize it would come to what it came to. Please, Scout, you must believe zat. I would have never let her near a cigarette if I had known she would—"
"You don't get it, Spy, do you?"
Spy looked up.
"You got my Ma smokin'. Smokin' gave Ma ulcers. Ulcers made us need t'buy medication."
Scout scrambled closer to Spy. "D'you know why Mikey was out so late that night! D'you know why Liberty found him instead'a me! Ma needed more pills 'cuz we was out, an' it was Mikey's turn to go the hour-long walk to the drug store! He forgets shit all the time, so he's always plannin' shit ahead'a time! He put all the drug money in his raincoat the night before so he wouldn't forget to bring it, but guess what! I grabbed his raincoat thinkin' it was mine! That's why it was fuckin' baggin' on me! Mikey prob'ly got to the drug store an' panicked when he didn't have the money, so he booked it back home! But guess what! He didn't get home!"
Scout was panting hard. "I can't... I can't blame you entirely for it... I still killed Nathan... but fuckin'... you almost killed my Ma with your fuckin' smokes! An' you're half the reason Mikey's dead!"
Spy was speechless. Scout just panted. It was silent for a very long time.
"An' y'know...? Blu-Fag prob'ly was goin' after you today. 'Cuz I fuckin' would be."
The night ended in silence. The campfire was extinguished, the plates were thrown away, and the instruments were stored for another day. Everyone was solemn as they turned in, even as covers were drawn and eyes slid shut. But even then, two minds did not let go.
One dreamt of his lover, bound in billowing smoke and bleeding from gaping holes in her midsection, crying, begging to know why he'd broken his promise to love her forever, to protect her.
The other dreamt of his brothers, grabbing at him in rage and dragging him out to his brother's dead body that bled rainbows, which came to life and stabbed him to death.
And their pain was real.
THE END
