Starting this the day after Chapter 9 was posted...
Let's see how long this takes, shall we?
Any bets?! Place yer bets here, bets taken!
One writer! One chapter! High School and college and working on actually getting a job are against him!
How long will it take him? 10-1 odds say one month, 5-1 say two, and one person has even bet on him not even completing said chapter!
Exciting, isn't it?!
Kenta... why...
Easy money, friend.
When do you care about money, of all things?
Dude, in this economy? Money is all that keeps me doing my hobby nowadays.
But... I mean... You're taking bets! Isn't gambling illegal in our state?!
...Fine then; only people who live in gambling-legalized states can bet.
You can't run the betting station here, is my point.
...Shit!
Anyways... Enjoy!
dellsighed as he stared at the calender.
It fell on a cease-fire day, this year, which was rather lucky for him, since he didn't have to deal with the Administrator's anger.
His only problem this year was explaining everything to-"Hey DAD!"
Naruto.
"Dad! Look! I built a tiny little mouse!" He opened his hand to dell to reveal a small, metal mouse, skeleton and gears visible for the world to see. On its back, there was a little wind-up key. "When you wind it up like this..." here, he demonstrated before placing the toy on the floor, "...it moves on its own!" The little mouse whirled around their feet, giving tiny little squeaks as it went.
Even with that day looming in front of him, dell couldn't help but crack a small grin.
"Ya did good, Naru. Hell, ya might even take mah job from me someday!" Naruto giggled at the absurd thought and picked up the mechanical mouse before re-pocketing it.
"Anyways, what you up to today?" dell internally winced at the question.
"O-oh, just, um, takin' care of some extra work, y'know?! I-I might be gone fer a bit t'day, though... or longer than that." Naruto's grin shrank a bit.
"Oh... okay..." dell sighed, before ruffling his son's hair.
"Ah promise, we'll spend th' entire day together on another cease-fire day; just not this one, 'kay?" Naruto's smile returned in full, and he nodded excitedly before running off with a, "'Kay! See you later, then!" The moment he was out of sight, Dell let out a sigh. He turned around to head to the garage...
...and nearly fell over after crashing into a stranger in a black, hooded jacket.
"Ow! What the- who the hell are-"
"Jeez, Engie! It's only me!" dell blinked in shock.
"...Pyro?!" The hooded man grinned sheepishly. They quickly stood up and brushed themselves off, giving dell a chance to look at what his new outfit was.
He was wearing the jacket (duh), over a pair of dark navy jeans along with a pair of black board shoes. The hood of the jacket nearly covered his entire head, but Pyro had also put on a pair of aviators to cover up even more. It almost looked like he was trying to cover up as much skin as possible, what with the dark gloves completely hiding his hands. Pretty much the only skin showing was his mouth, and even that was barely visible due to the hood shadowing his face.
"Ummm... tryin' out a new look?" Pyro glanced down at his clothes, and looked back up with a grimace.
"W-well, Naruto said I should try to, um, expose myself a little more... That, you know, you guys can't actually understand me with my mask on..."
"Well, it ain't like we don' understand ya; it's just close t' impossible t' do so." Pyro's face fell, and dell nearly face-palmed after he re-ran that sentence through his head. "OH! Nononononono-that's... that came out wrong..." He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
"I-It's f-fine, Engie..."
They stood there, awkwardly, in silence for a few seconds.
"Oh!" Pyro's head snapped up. "I almost forgot to ask! Do you mind if I borrow your tool shed for a bit?" dell tilted his head to the side in confusion.
"What do ya need my shed for? If ya need somethin' fixed, Ah can do it for ya m'self."
"Well, I usually take care of my flamethrowers myself, so-"
"Wait, what d'ya mean?"
"I built all my flamethrowers from scratch; it's only natural I take care of them myself."
"You build yer weapons?!" Pyro seemed rather surprised at Dell's shock.
"You didn't know?" Dell shook his head. "Oh... Well, yeah, I mean, all of the flamethrowers you see me use on the battlefield were built by yours truly!"
"But then... why d'ya need mah shed?"
"Well... First off, the head's getting melted from all the heat. Then the hoses are slightly corroding from all the gas coming through. I need to refuel my tanks, and maybe check over them as well, and I need to fix the pilot light; it's been slightly lower than usual lately, and I've nearly screwed up multiple times because of it. Add the fact that my trigger is getting stiff, and I have a lot of maintenance to catch up on..."
"Ya might as well just build another flamethrower; save you time 'n energy!"
"Well, then, I'll definitely need that toolshed!" They both burst into laughter at their playful banter.
"Well, just make sure ya don't burn it down if yer gonna test it! It'd be a pretty god-awful birthday gift from you if-" Shit, he wasn't supposed to say that. Maybe if he just pretended he didn't say anything-"IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY?!"
...Shit.
"Oh my gosh, why didn't you tell us?!" Dell grimaced.
"Look, um, Py-" Dell swore he heard the sound of footsteps further down the hall... but the thought slipped from his mind with Pyro's incessant rambling.
"Jeez, we'll have to get decorations, and presents, and a cake, and-"
"Pyro..."
"-and I know a couple party games that are pretty fun, if I could just remember the rules-"
"Pyro! Please, I don't want a party!" Pyro seemed a bit taken aback.
"Oh. Any reason?" Dell grimaced.
"...don't want to talk about it." He turned on his heel and continued to the garage. "You can use mah shed; just don't burn it down." Pyro watched him as he walked away, before glancing back further into the base then back at Dell again.
Dell had finally reached his truck, and was about to climb inside before a gloved hand slammed the door shut in front of him. He whirled around in outrage, and came face-to-face with Pyro, who had his hand out expectantly.
"Keys," was all he said.
"Pyro, wha-"
"Keys."
"What on earth are ya-"
"You're planning on going to a bar later today, aren't you?" Dell's mouth hung open in surprise.
"Um, yes... Yes I was..."
"Then it is my responsibility, as your co-worker and friend, to make sure you don't drive home after drinking as much as I suspect you'll be." Dell grew angry again, his face turning a nice shade of red.
"I have private things to be doin' today, Py! Ah ain't takin' ya with me!"
"There's nothing wrong with me waiting in the car while you do your 'private things', now is there?" Dell opened his mouth to argue, finger raised in preparation, but he was struck dumb by the offer, and gently settled down.
"No... Ah reckon there ain't..." Pyro nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. Now, keys." Dell regrettably handed over the keys to his truck, before climbing into the passenger side. Pyro hopped into the driver's seat himself, before pushing the key into the ignition, starting the engine, and pulling out of the garage to head onto the road into Teufort.
"So! Where are we going?" Pyro asked excitedly.
"Texas."
"...what."
...
...
Naruto was running about the base excitedly, looking to find somebody, anybody, that he could share the news with.
His father's birthday was today?!
Jeez, he was the worst son in history if he couldn't figure that out in time.
Either way, he knew now, and he knew it was his responsibility to make sure his father had the best. Birthday. Ever!
By the time lunch rolled around, the entire team had learned of his father's birthday (except for Pyro, who was mysteriously absent from the base), and all of them, sans Spy, were willing to help him in his endeavors. Naruto even ran over to get his BLU uncle to help out, who, after the Respawn Incident, was accepted a little more readily.
And with that, RED (and Jeb) set to work.
...
..
.
"Can't believe he made me drive all the way out to Texas..." Pyro grumbled as he sat in the car. As though he knew what was being said, Dell turned around as he walked off and shot Pyro a deadly look. Pyro raised his hands in surrender, and slumped back down as he continued to wait.
Dell forced Pyro to stop on the other side of a tall, hedge wall while he continued on to the inside. Obviously, he didn't want anyone to know what he was doing.
Pyro, unfortunately, was never very adept at picking up on the little things like that.
After ten minutes of waiting for Dell to return, Pyro nearly screamed in annoyance, before getting out of the car and walked right up to the hedge. He checked the area for any potential onlookers before taking a deep breath and stepping inside the bush. He crept forward through the greenery until he made it far enough in that he could see, and he poked his head out before looking around.
When he spotted Dell, and finally noticed where they were and what he was doing, Pyro blanched and quickly retreated back to the truck. He shook himself clean of any leaves, and hopped back inside the car. He closed the door just as Dell rounded the corner, tears streaking his face.
Dell jumped inside without a word and slammed the door.
They sat in silence for several seconds, before Dell glanced over and picked a stray leaf off of Pyro's hood. He glared pointedly at the fire-lover for a few seconds before sighing.
"So... do you want to-"
"I do not want to talk, Pyro; just take me to a bar and lemme get wasted, 'kay?" Dell interrupted. "Don' care if it's here or in Teufort; just get me to a bar." Pyro sighed in surrender before turning the ignition and driving off.
"How far is it to Teufort from Bee Cave anyhow?"
...
..
.
"Alright, so, we've got all the decorations set up?"
"AFFIRMATIVE!"
"Non-America themed decorations?"
"...Negatory."
"*sigh*... alright, whatever. Not a big deal. Demo! Did you get the cake finished?"
"Aye, laddie! Cooked up an' ready!"
"Did you keep explosives out of the cake?"
"...yes?"
"So, if I went over there and cut out a slice-"
"AH! I wouldn' do tha'..."
"How about this: are they 'prank' explosive, or are they 'dangerous-enough-to-blow-the-roof-off-the-building' explosive?"
"Not big enough to blow tha roof off th' place... but they ain't fun fer a prank neither."
"Oookay then... Uncle Jeb, did you get the presents for Dad?"
"...I got mine."
"B-But you were supposed to get everyone's gift for him!"
"Well, I got yer's as well, but no one actually told me what to get. They didn't give me any money neither, 'nd I ain't spending anythin' without knowin' what to get."
"Damn it... Anyone who doesn't have a present needs to go shopping, now!"
"Can't! Settin' up-"
"I don't care! Go! NOW!" Several pairs of feet ran out of the building towards the garage. "...Scout! Did you get the food?"
"Wait, I thought you wanted me t' get th' booze!"
"Yes, and the food!"
"That was Heavy's job!"
"No, his was to set up the party games!"
"Heavy did that, just so leetle племянник knows."
"Thank you, oji-san. So, yeah, did you get food, Scout?"
"No!"
"Then what are we supposed to eat?!"
"The cake!"
"It's rigged with explosives!"
...
...
"Sooo... d'you wanna talk about it?" Dell finished gulping down the last of the mug, before slamming it on the counter harshly. He sighed tiredly, massaging his face with his free hand.
"...y'know 'bout mah wife, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Well..." Dell cleared his throat awkwardly. "...you know 'bout the night she died as well, right?"
"Yeah. You were driving home at night and some idiot hit your car." Dell grimaced at the bluntness, but he nodded.
"Thing is... t'night's the anniversary of her death." Pyro's eyes widened in realization.
"Oh... oh my god... Engie-"
"I don't need yer pity!" he snapped back. "I get it every year, on this day, from friends 'n family, and Ah'm sick of it! Tha's why I don't wanna talk 'bout it... I can't stand th' pity..."
"Well, why don't we just... talk?" Dell raised an eyebrow.
"What d'ya mean?"
"I mean it's not good to just bottle up all your emotions. Sometimes people need to just talk about things; it helps sort out all your thoughts and it lets you get things off your chest. So, just... I dunno, talk about Naruto or something."
"Why on earth would I do that? Ya live with th' kid, and he's practically claimed you as his best friend!"
"Yeah, I know about him, but I don't know how you're dealing with having a son!" Dell blinked in surprise, not having anticipated this turn of the conversation. "You know what's weird? In all the years we've worked together, the only things I know about you is that your name is Dell Conagher, you have eleven science Ph.D's, and you're from Bee Cave, Texas. That's it. And, in all honesty, I'd like to get to know you as more than just 'The Engineer'-"
"'Scuse me, did y'all say 'Dell Conagher'?" Both men turned around to see a greasy man who smelled of beer (and had the gut to match) standing behind them. When he saw Dell's face, he smiled wide. "Well, lookee here, folks! Ol' Dell's come back to lil' old Bee Cave!" Dell grinned weakly as the entire bar paused their conversations to look at him.
"H-Hey Duncan... Long time n-no see..." Duncan laughed loud and clapped Dell on the back.
"Yer tellin' me, bud! Haven't seen ya 'round these parts fer years!" He turned to the rest of the bar and waved them off. "Don't y'all worry, folks; I'll take care of him!" He plopped onto the empty stool on the other side of Dell, and signaled the bartender for another round of drinks. Once the beers were delivered, Duncan quickly engaged Dell in conversation. Well, it was more along the lines of Duncan talking about himself and Dell nodded along like he actually gave two shits.
Riley wasn't an idiot, though. He knew Dell had a problem with the guy; he figured he himself would have problems with anybody looking like that. But he had seen the table Duncan got up from, and he didn't like the look of the rest of his buddies as they sat there and stared at the three of them like hawks.
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his lucky Zippo lighter... just in case.
Finally, Duncan took one last swig of his beer, plopped it down and wiped his face with the back of his hand. "So! 'Nough 'bout me, Dell; what've you been up to lately?" Dell choked on his own beer, surprised at the change of conversation.
"W-well, I'm, uh, I'm workin' in engineering..." Duncan snorted a laugh.
"Why am I not surprised? Ya always were a nerd, Delly-boy!" Riley, sick of the redneck's attitude, finally decided to speak up.
"He works at Mann Co. as an Engineer. Some of their best inventions came from him... or his cousin." Dell blushed a beet red and whirled on Pyro.
"Py! Ya can't just blurt that out!" Pyro blinked lazily.
"Why not? He asked what you've been doing; I answered him honestly."
"Well, lucky Dell t' land such a job, am I right?" Both REDs turned their attention back onto Duncan, who had rotated around to lean back against the bar. He stared forward, almost refusing to look at them. "And people said I was 'Most Likely to Succeed' in High School." Dell's eyes narrowed suddenly.
"Well, I guess playin' around both on and off th' field doesn't exactly help yer case." Duncan's head snapped to face Dell, and the two stared at each other intently.
"Says the kid who ended up locked in their locker or hung up by yer undies in th' bathroom somewhere."
"Says the jerk who put me there."
"You were always a know-it-all, and ya never hesitated t' prove it!"
"How else am I s'posed to prove myself when you bullied me no matter what I did?!"
"Nerd."
"Jock."
"Know-it-all."
"Gym rat."
"Punching bag!"
"Drug addict!"
"Fat-ass!"
"Walnut brain!"
"Okay, now! I think that's enough insulting banter for the day!" Pyro suddenly broke in between the two, attempting to push them apart before something happened.
"By th' way, how's th' wife, Dell?"
Everything in the bar stopped.
Duncan grinned wide at the look on Dell's face. "Yeah, Sarah was a nice girl, wasn't she?"
"Stop..." It was barely a whisper, but Duncan heard it loud and clear.
"'Stop?' Why would ya want that, Dell? Ya used ta love talkin' 'bout yer girl!"
"Stop."
"Ya'd tell us all 'bout how beautiful she was, 'n how you were so lucky t' have 'er!"
"I said stop!"
"Not t' mention! 'Fore ya left, ya practically yapped everyones' head off 'bout how she was havin' twins!"
"YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Dell screamed, tackling Duncan to the ground. Pyro nearly jumped in to pull Dell off (help him beat up Duncan), but movement from the table Duncan came from caught his attention and, instead, he went after the group of three approaching them.
Dell and Duncan were on the floor, wrestling like schoolboys, but there was nothing innocent to their fight. Dell caught Duncan on his eyebrow, and Duncan reciprocated with a nasty bruise to the cheek. Duncan hadn't expected this level of ferocity and strength from a little man like Dell, but he quickly got over his shock when Dell boxed his ear.
"Yer gonna pay fer that, ya shit!" he spat, backhanding Dell across the face and sending the smaller man to the floor. He didn't stay down long though, and got right back up before Duncan could take advantage of him, staring straight at the former football star.
"Ah'm gonna pay?" Dell asked dangerously quiet, eyes glinting evilly. Before anyone could react, he had grabbed a stray, glass mug and smashed it directly into Duncan's head, who went down hard. Before he could get up, a vice-like grip squeezed his throat, and he felt himself being lifted up in the air. He nearly pissed his pants when he realized it was Dell lifting him. "Boy, you ain't got a clue as t' what ah'm gonna do with ya..." He threw Duncan against a wooden pillar, and there was a cracking sound. Whether it was from the beam or bones in Duncan's body was uncertain.
"Ah coulda taken yer shit anyday, bucko," Dell said calmly as he stalked closer and closer to his target. A slightly smoking body nearly crashed into him, but had sailed right past his back without even a flinch from the engineer. "Ah never really held a grudge against ya, even with th' hell ya put me through." He knelt right down next to Duncan and whispered right into his ear, "But when you brought Sarah 'n mah children into this?" He moved his head until they were almost touching noses. "I hate t' say it, son, but yer gonna meet Satan t'night."
...
..
.
Naruto paced around the common area, worried that his father might be in some sort of trouble.
"Why is he late?! He never stays out this late! Ever!" Naruto mused with concern. Scout waved at him nonchalantly over by his place on the sofa.
"Don't worry 'bout it, squirt. Yer pop's, like, one of tha smartest guys out there!...'sides me, of course."
"Of course." Naruto mimicked sarcastically. Scout scowled for a moment, then continued on.
"Trust me, he ain't ever get in no trouble he can't get himself out of!" Naruto blinked in surprise.
"Wow, Scout... That's the first time I ever heard you praise someone other than yourself!" Scout pouted and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"No need ta be such a brat..." Lights suddenly swan across the wall adjacent to the window. Naruto darted over to it to look through, and squeaked slightly when he saw his dad's truck pull into the garage.
"HE'S HERE!" Naruto shouted. The entire team immediately got into their positions (Spy grumbling about it the entire time but he was overruled), and Medic switched off the lights. There was thumping as the two climbed the stairs from the garage to the kitchen, and Jeb suddenly gasped from his position.
"Shit..." he breathed. "I forgot about-!" he was cut off as the door swung wide open.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" the team (sans Spy and Jeb) shouted, Medic flicking on the lights.
...
...
There were many things Naruto expected from his surprise party for his dad.
One of them was that his dad would laugh and shrug off the surprise, with a, "Y'all shouldn't have!" or something.
He also expected genuine shock at the gesture, and would have been very happy, still.
Even worst-case scenario consisted of his dad getting a little mad, but then just going with it because Naruto planned it.
Or something like that!
But, of course, his father had to go ahead and be completely unpredictable.
So, when Medic turned the lights on, Naruto nearly screamed after his brain processed what his eyes saw.
Dell was, in a word, a mess. His face had several bruises on it, his lip was split, he had trails of blood running down the front of his shirt (his best shirt, mind you), and his Wrangler was missing two fingers.
Pyro, who was with him, didn't look much better either. While no one could see his face, he had just as much blood, and maybe even a broken wrist.
Obviously not a pretty sight.
And then his father immediately turned to go right back out, Jeb running after him immediately, tripping down the stairs as he did so. And he passed out in a puddle of his own vomit at the bottom.
There were many things Naruto planned for when it came to this party.
Not.
This.
...
..
.
Medic sighed as he walked out of the Infirmary.
"How is he?!" Naruto asked, as he got up out of his seat. Jeb looked up from his place next to his nephew, worry in his eyes.
"Honestly? He vas just drunk."
"...seriously?"
"Vell, he also vas in a fight or something... He has multiple bruises on his body, und his nose is broken. Zhe Pyro also suffered from injuries, zhough not as severe. Vhat he did when zhey valked through zhe door, zhough... I haff no explanation..." Jeb sighed.
"That's... that's more t' do with his history..."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.
"He tell ya 'bout his girl, Sarah?" Naruto nodded. "...tonight's th' night of her death." Naruto's eyes went wide and he paled.
"Oh... oh, shit..."
"Language," Jeb chided. "But yeah, that's th' problem. He went to a surprise birthday party that night, too, which probably brought up some bad memories fer him."
"Und you did not tell us vhy?!" Medic asked harshly. Jeb raised his hands defensively.
"It happened years ago, Med! I forgot 'bout it... right up until he was walkin' up those stairs..." He sank his head into his hands. "It was... awful, that night... I mean, what do ya do when ya get a call, not two hours after your brother walks out th' door, saying that there's been an accident?!"
"So... he doesn't like birthday parties?" Naruto asked. Jeb gave a small smile.
"No, lil' nephew... he don't like parties that much just yet... Dell's past aside, is yer Pyro awake? I wanna know what those two were up to."
"He is sleeping for now, but I can vake him-"
"It's fine, I jus' wanted ta know." He stood up and left the infirmary. "I'll head back to mah base, now. If he gets worse, give me a call. If not, I'll see ya on the field tomorrow."
"Of course." Medic turned back to Naruto. "Normally, I vouldn't ask zhis, but vould you like to stay here for zhe night?"
"Yes please!" Naruto answered anxiously. Medic nodded with a smile, and led the blonde into the Infirmary.
"I vill ask zhat you keep un eye on your vater for me. Zwei Köpfe sind besser als einer, no?" Naruto nodded, having heard the expression used by the German before. "You can use one of zhe spare cots to sleep, but try und stay alert if you do fall asleep. Respawn gets locked up overnight, und I'd razher spare your vater zhe pain of several hours vorth in zhere." Naruto promptly jumped up onto the cot directly next to his dad, reaching out a hand to lay on Dell's cot. Medic sighed and moved Naruto's cot as close to Dell's as the equipment surrounding the injured would allow.
"Thank you, Medic." Naruto whispered. The doctor nodded, and departed. Naruto sighed and moved his head back to look at his father's sleeping face. "Well... I guess this birthday was a bust, huh?"
"Can' say ah haven' had better..." he heard in reply.
"You sneak... you were probably waiting for Medic to leave, weren't you?" Naruto accused sarcastically.
"O' course! Can' have nas'y doctors interruptin' mah time with mah son!" Naruto giggled and attempted to snuggle in closer to his dad's chest, though he quickly recoiled hearing Dell's grunt of pain.
"Oh, did I hurt you?"
"Naw, jus' a bruise from... nev'r mind..."
"...you do realize you're gonna have to answer to Medic as soon as he realizes your awake, right?"
"Yeah... but tha' don't mean I can't put it off fer a bit..."
...
..
.
Jeegus... I'm seriously putting off my work as of late...
I really had most of this done several weeks ago, but I never really finished it up...
Anyways, this is the second-to-last chapter before the time-skip!... I hope...
A.N. Time!:
(1):...
Wait, I don't really have any notes this time, do I?
Oh, well that makes my job easier!
Until next time!
~Kage Musha