Hello readers, thanks for bothering to click on this story in the first place :)

I'm not the best at writing stories so if it's cringey or it feels weird reading my writing then I'm sorry but for the moment that's how I write, not much I can do about it if I don't continue writing.

Anyway this idea comes from Tribute, that old SFM video of a respawn failure concept, it was made by LoneWolfHBS and to this day is one of my favorite sfm vids. Highly recommend you go watch it if you haven't already, though of course I can't force you :P

Either way here's my idea, Hopefully it goes well? Who knows?

Location: Dustbowl - area 1

Control point 1 status: Under Blu control

Control point 2 status: Under siege

Battle timer: 5:49 remaining

The sound of explosions rung in everyone's ears, both teams Soldier and Demo were more aggressive today with each Soldier barking orders at their teams and both Demo's yelling nonsense while shooting stickies and pipes all over the place. For the Blu Heavy however he was trying his best to take cover behind the boxes that had been placed over the upper section of structure connected to the right tunnel coming from Blu spawn. He hated explosions they always too loud and flashy and they would occasionally blind him, if only for a second. He thought when he first arrived he'd get used to it quickly, but here he was five months into his contract and still rubbing his eyes during the battle. He had asked his Medic if this was common and while the German said he was just being a big baby even he was getting annoyed at how often the Heavy would be forced to drop his minigun to try and clear his sight.

The Russian sneered as he loaded the last shell into his shotgun and prepared himself to jump over the boxes, take some shots at the enemy and rush for the control point.

"All heavies ever do is use miniguns and eat sandwiches!" Came the stinging words of his teammates from his memories. Sure he loved mowing down his foes with the Gatling gun holstered on his back, but at times he needed quick bursts of damage while running, either to deter pursuers or to get that last bit of damage his mingun just couldn't seem to knock off the enemy. This heavy preferred his shotgun, using as equally as his minigun much to everyone's annoyance, even his own team. The only one who didn't seem to mind was Blu Pyro, though no one knew what they thought about.

Taking a deep breath he let out a cry and jumped the boxes, landing on the dirt below and quickly running across the open area while shooting at the enemy Sniper to throw off his aim. Once the Aussie had retreated to recover the Heavy turned his attention to the Red heavy on the point, his gun reved up and ready to shred the Blu. A flare flying overhead however caused the Red to cry out as he caught fire and panic, quickly receiving a blast to his head from his counters shotgun as the Blu yelled a thanks to his Pyro for the assist. Setting foot on the point he found himself distracted with thoughts on the firebug. The Blu Pyro was always trying to help the Heavy and was his best friend. From day one when he had come in to replace the last Heavy for violating his terms of contract the Pyro was the first to welcome him in. While everyone else was hesitant to even make eye contact with him the rubber clad psycho treated him like he was an over affectionate animal trying to make friends with anyone and everyone, even going so far as to take him out onto the field during ceasefire to show him where the points were and introduce him to the Red team's Pyro too.

Apparently they were the only two out of the two teams who didn't have a rivalry of some kind with their counters. Even the Engineers, as civil as they were, couldn't help but think the other's building placements were off and strange. The Heavy was told once there had to be a mid-fight ceasefire because the two were arguing over placements rather than fighting and the Administrator was tired of hearing them yelling at each other, but for whatever reason the two fireflies got along like soulmates and the battle around them was just daily life and chores.

The sound of the Red demo charging across the battlefield snapped him back to reality however and he looked up only to see one of the Demo's pills flying towards his face, and then darkness. He felt pain sear across his body and even though he wanted to scream nothing came out. His body felt frozen in this abyss, it felt like he had been forced out of the world he knew into one he couldn't possibly hope to understand.

But, just as suddenly as he was thrown into darkness he was flung back into the light and the large man fell to his knees back in the mining cave his team had started their assault in. His hand clamped over his mouth as he tried to keep down his breakfast from earlier but it was no use. A violent death, usually caused by the explosives he hated so much, always made him vomit and he turned so at the very least it wouldn't be in someone's way upon respawning themselves. The heavy felt a hand on his shoulder and the creak of rubber told him it was the Pyro.

"I-I am okay little Pyro... er, bad sandvich, heh heh..." even with that mask on he knew the Pyro would be frowning underneath. He felt the hand move to his back as Pyro kneeled on one knee next to him and rubbed his back in an attempt to comfort him. Heavy was grateful for the Pyro always being so kind to him, and he was grateful it was Pyro who had seen him like this and not the Scout. No doubt the annoying Boston would've ran around the battlefield telling everyone the the Heavy couldn't stomach fighting. Once or twice the Scout had been forced to apologize for his mockery but he never learnt.

"Victory! Get ready for the next round!"

The two blu's looked up slightly as the Administrator's voice echoed across the land and the heavy slowly got up, turning to his friend.

"Come, we need to go to next area before gates are put in place" Pyro chuckled and mumbled something, pulling the heavy up the stairs when he didn't understand and showing him the teleporter their Engie had built.

"Ah, Engineer knew we were still back here, this is what you try to tell me, yes?"

"mhm!"

Heavy let out a single laugh and stepped on the teleporter, vanishing within an instant and appearing outside the previous spawn for the Red team. Strangely the Red pyro was there waiting sat on top of a blu dispencer. The red gave a casual wave to the giant but ignored the return wave as his counter appeared and leapt off of the building and over the the blu Pyro. The two hugged each other mumbling in what might as well have been their own language before they high-fived each other the Red set off to his new respawn room.

"I swear, it ain't natural for you to get along with you're clone Pyro..." Scout half yelled at him from where he was leaning against the wall. The Pyro slowly strode up to him and swiftly punched him in the stomach before letting him fall to the floor. Heavy watched as he huffed and walked into the respawn room while the Scout tried to get his breath back. He sighed and went to join the rest of his team for the next part of the battle to begin.

A few hours later

The battle was fierce as both teams were bringing out their A-game today and it was putting stress on everyone and everything.

Heavy was standing on the last point of stage 3 for Dustbowl, why there was even a rocket there no one really knew anymore, alongside the Pyro who was airblasting much of the desperate fire from the soldier and demo. Eventually Pyro ran out of ammo for his flamethrower, being forced to resort to his shotgun which he had switched out to during the last battle, and the two were having to dodge the best they could. The Red Demo was pulled back as he was about to charge in again by the Red spy who angrily pointed at his stickybomb launcher and then the point where the two Blu's were. A wicked grin quickly grew on the scot's face as he started shooting out the spiky death balls onto the point cheering loudly as he detonated and blew up his bombs. The blast demolished the Heavy's body and flung the pyro's against the wall surrounding the point with a sickening crack. The Demo watched it slump over before leaping back onto the point to defend it not noticing the Red Pyro staring at his blu self.

Heavy endured the abyss once more, cursing himself silently for not being aware of the demo's bombs under his feet and when he was placed back in the room he quickly spun around and punched the wall, his breathing heavy and sweat dripping from his head. He stayed this way for about a minute before he turned around frowning. Something was off, usually by now the Pyro would've checked on him to make sure he was alright but he wasn't here. Heavy was sure that the blast from all eight stickies would have killed them both so why wasn't the Pyro here? Slowly he laughed and thought that the Pyro must've been a bit further away and survived only to be killed a few seconds later and he'd pop up any second now.

But, He himself had been in the room for about a minute and repsawning only takes a few seconds, 20-30 at most for the Red team to give the blu's a small advantage. He frowned and as he walked out the shutter doors and noticed that the sentry the engie had been building up to take through the teleporter was deactivated. The sentries could be remotely deactivated by the Administrator and spies, maybe the Soldier if he decided to use the strange space weapon he had in his locker, but there was no sapper and there was no announcement saying that a temporary ceasefire was in place.

Anxiety crept up Heavy's spine as he slowly made his way to the last point stopping when he heard a bird chirping. Usually this wouldn't be an odd thing to hear but it made him painfully aware that the sounds of battle had all but stopped. He looked up and watched as the bird chirped again before flying off. For something so peaceful it only worsened his anxiety and he quickly carried on walking towards the point, turning it into a sprint and as he rounded the corner he saw both teams stood around the last point. He pushed past them and his eyes widened at what he saw.

The Red pyro was cradling his dead counters body and holding his hand tightly against his own chest while mournful mumbles escaped from his mask, shaking his head as he rocked back and forth on his knees, The Heavy frozen on the spot.

This was why the Pyro hadn't appeared behind him.

This was why there hadn't been a rubber gloved hand patting him on the back.

This was why the battle had stopped.

Respawn failure, an extremely rare assurance with the machines that allowed the mercenaries to defy death and carry on fighting. These machines were a scientific and engineering masterpiece worthy of most prizes around the world. However not everything is perfect in life and so to goes for these machines. Sometimes, for reasons unknown, the machines fail to bring someone back to life. All engineers ever employed by both teams have looked over the schematics endlessly and can find no rhyme or reason to this odd behavior of letting a person die. Some have hypothesized that it happens when the machines are put under intense strain. Other say that it's akin to a gun jamming no matter how well looked after it is and that it's bound to happen regardless of precautions taken. However you looked at it the simple fact was that once in a blue moon someone was going to die and not appear back home.

For the Heavy however, it couldn't have happened to anyone else. Blinking rapidly to fight back tears he spun round to the teams medic, the German's face telling him he had already accepted the fact the arsonist wasn't coming back.

"M-Medic! Help Pyro!" The Russian grabbed him by his medi-pack's straps and lifted him off the ground. "Bring him back! Bring him back right now!"

"Heavy..." The frenchman stepped over and gently took his hands off of the Medic, the Spy's eyes showing he too had given up hope. Heavy backed up slightly shaking his head as tears began to fall freely down his face. He quickly turned and in desperation looked to the Red medic only now noticing the other German had been crouched next to the two Pyros and had been attempting to heal the blu, as both Medic's medi-guns had a switch to turn it into a universal healing device and giving the beams of life a grey color, but it was wasted energy.

He took a few shaky steps forward, tripping over on the metal of the control point, and grunting as he fell to the floor with his face becoming stained with tears. He looked up and crawled over to the body. He hesitantly placed a hand on the Pyro's chest, seeing if it was all just a cruel joke, but his body was unnaturally cold to touch. The heavy felt his jaw trembling and knots caught in his throat, chest, and stomach. He bit his lip and closed his eyes tightly as he hunched over before letting out a pained scream to the sky above. The other mercenaries lowered their heads, turned away, or took off helmets and hats to show respect.

The Pyro would simply just never respawn.

Im gunno end it here and make this into an at least 2-part story.

I hope I managed to get my writing good enough to tug on some heart strings here and there :P

but in all seriousness I do hope you enjoyed this chapter, I definitely want to write up the second part but it'll take some time.

with that all said I hope to see you around again