"The points are now available for capture! MOVE!" The RED team braced themselves for the BLUs they knew would be arriving shortly. Pyro crouched below one of the hallways that ended in a ledge, Scout dancing nervously nearby, ready to distract anyone who came through. But even though he was on Point A, Pyro's thoughts were on Point B. He wondered if Engie had erased his markings. He wondered if he was being thought of.
"Yo, flame head, pay attention! Incoming!" Pyro was jarred from his thoughts and quickly set the soldier jumping down in front of him alight.
"Incomin'!" The hardhat shouted when the enemy's Heavy and Medic rushed down the corridor leading to the battlefield. He hoped Pyro was alright. He was not going to help the Texan that day and neither could he offer the firebug any health or ammo without his dispenser.
"Screaming eagleeeess!" The RED soldier shouted, rocketjumping high in the air and bombarding the BLU couple from above. Grabbing his Wrangler the Texan tried to aim for the Sniper who was lurking behind the corner. Damn coward. He heard a quiet little noise from behind his back, knowing it all too well. "Hey boys, it's-!" he started but the blade sinking into his back cut him short. He didn't even have any time to feel pain before he had already died, his beloved buildings being sapped as he traveled back to the respawn. What a promising start to the day.
It wasn't much better at the first point. Pyro was spending all of his ammo extinguishing his fellows, as they were lucky enough to be graced with his counterpart immediately following that Soldier. And it didn't help that he'd had backup. "Everyone, I am on fiaaah!" The last of Pyro's airblast went to extinguishing the burning Medic, and, suddenly finding himself holding only an shotgun was not properly prepared to fend off the grenade that struck him in the chest.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!" Engineer cursed repeatedly, leaving the spawn and trying to figure where he should have gone. Nothing was left of his sentry and dispenser and the BLUs had already started capping the points. Darn it, they were on fire that day. Without wasting another second the Texan headed for the tower where the last capture point was.
By the time Pyro made it back to his point, he was just in time to see Heavy explode defending atop it while the BLU pyro rushed Medic. Scout hopped in front of his hesitating teammate yelling, "Go! Go, go!" Seeing the two assault classes being joined by the soldier from before, armed with a shotgun, Pyro knew it was a lost cause. There was no fun to be had here, and he shook his head at Scout. He retreated just in time to hear, "Additional time has been awarded." and made straight for Point B, hoping he could be of use there.
Engie kept himself busy, building first the dispenser and then starting the sentry on point C. It was frustrating how there was no ammo in the tower and how he time after time had to run down and then back up to get things done. Now that Point A was lost, the whole BLU team was most likely rushing to the B point. The hardhat hoped his silly little friend was having a good time as always and that he wasn't afraid.
Pyro was embarrassed. Popping into spawn for his third death in a row to the same medic, he just had to put his head in his hand. Clearly the BLU team was sore that they lost yesterday; even their doctor was overly-aggressive. Medic didn't usually like to play tag. Still, he supposed active friends were better. He always felt bad that he couldn't see his BLU friends very often, so he made sure to kill them as much as he could; to make sure they knew he thought of them, of course. Because death was so pretty.
Pyro did manage to clear Point B when he got there, just in time to stop the full capture; alas, not another moment later he heard the shout, "I'm going to saw zhrough your bones!" Popping into spawn again, Pyro at least had to take solace in the fact that he'd found a new best friend.
The BLU team managed to cap the B point. The whole RED team seemed to be out of shape for some reason. Perhaps they had taken too much pride from the last day's victory. Now Engineer was worried. They would all come to his little nest next. Gritting his teeth and sweating slightly the Texan held on to his wrench, nervously glancing around him. At least his constructions were level three; he didn't have to worry about upgrading them anymore. He could hear the shouts and explosions getting closer already. Then, completely out of the blue the enemy Soldier flew up there. He most likely had rocketjumped. He startled the Texan but the man relaxed as his sentry blew off the threat again.
Feeling slightly pessimistic that they couldn't win this game with ten whole minutes on the clock, Pyro made his way to Point C anyway. He climbed the tower in case anyone was in need of pushing off and was pleasantly surprised to find Engineer up there already. "Hm!" he greeted with cheer.
"Hey there, pardner. Havin' a rough day?" was asked with a half-smile. This day was certainly not too glorious for any of the REDs. "Ah could use a hand here, they're comin' any minute." The man behind the goggles nodded at the sentry. He would need some protection now when he was everyone's target.
Pyro hesitated for half a second, thinking maybe he should patrol the corridors, but remembered in a glance who was asking and instead blew a little kiss-salute, much like yesterday. He could be just as helpful here, and it mattered to him more. Looking down off the tower to scope the situation, he spied his new medic friend battling Scout, his patient dead. "Huddaaaaah!" he waved to the enemy. Distracted by the call, Medic glanced up just long enough to get Baby-Face Blasted in the brain. Pyro winced, but chuckled over the funny expression and splatter Medic had made.
"At least you're havin' fun." Engineer grinned at his friend who seemed to be excited about the situation. The Texan wished he could have been as positive as Pyro was but they were pretty much doomed already. The BLU had plenty of time to capture the last point and if someone managed to blow the sentry up it would be the end of the game. "Pyro, incomin'!" Engie exclaimed when he saw Demoman approaching from the right. He grabbed his shotgun quickly and started shooting the sticky bombs that were now flying all over the place.
At first Pyro thought he was being told the other Pyro was coming, and reacted a bit late. But seeing the two stickies not reached in time burst, he quickly understood, and seeing the next round of them launch upwards was able to blast them before they actually hit the tower. Another funny face was made by the Demo as he realized he'd set them to detonate too soon. Kablooie indeed.
"Thanks, pardner," Engineer smiled widely after their job well done. Unfortunately their break was a short one since from the other direction it suddenly started raining rockets. "Holy mother of-Aaahhh!" The power of the explosion was strong enough to make him lose his balance. He stumbled backwards and suddenly felt the ground disappearing under his right foot. His stomach turned upside down when he felt himself falling. Since it was all he could do he desperately grabbed the edge of the wooden floor, holding it tightly with both hands. "Heeeeelp!" he shouted, trying to lift himself up but failing miserably.
Dropping everything else, Pyro rushed to where Engie had fallen. Dropping his flamethrower and reaching down, he grabbed a fistful of the man's collar and hoisted him before grabbing under one armpit with the other arm and pulling him sideways onto solid floor. Unfortunately for Pyro and his sudden lack of attention, having his back to the point's entrance passage would mean another death. The last thing he heard before whiting out was someone who'd failed to notice the sentry muttering, "Oh, merde..."
"Pyro!" Engineer cried out when the firebug's body fell down instead of him. He would have wanted to shove his wrench up the Frenchman's ass, but before he even made a single move the spy had already exploded into small pieces, blood and organs spilling all around them. "Darn it!" the Texan hissed, trying to locate his tools to fix the damage the rockets had caused. He picked his wrench up and started hammering the buildings furiously.
"Sentry ahead! Ahnd a bloody Pyro!" The Demoman was back, and now deciding to warn the rest of his team since he hadn't managed to take the defense out himself. The BLU soldier, having the medic on him to heal from his own failed attempt to take it down, concurred with an "Affirmative!" and took this as a cue to pogo with his Direct Hit. The plan to build über and push was clear. Meanwhile Pyro was having trouble getting out of spawn. BLU Heavy was being mean, and so was the counterpart pyro. Since he couldn't burn, the other pyro was blocking up front, Heavy covering anyone who made it past and sharing his sandwich on occasion. Ominously an announcement rang out, "Five minutes left in the mission. FIVE minutes!"
…
"Fess!"
"Stupid stupid stupid!"
"That was a right bloody rootin'...to us!"
Team RED was not happy. Understandable, as getting practically steamrolled was never a pleasant thing. On the plus side, an early match end meant the rest of the day off. Each merc went about their business, some branching off into pairs, others going to forget the loss alone. With his free roam of the field, Pyro came to where Engie's nest had fallen and rubbed the back of his neck apologetically.
"That was pretty terrible, wasn't it?" The Texan had followed the firebug, now staring at the big pile of scrap metal on the floor. "Ah'm sorry. About your death, Ah mean...ya shouldn't have pulled me up; that cost you way more than it should have." His tone was apologetic as well. If Pyro had kept his ground the situation might have been completely different.
Pyro waved his hands and made negative sounds. It wasn't Engie's fault! It was his job to protect! If he'd only handled it more reasonably...he sighed and squatted, prodding a useless bit of scrap with one finger.
"We'll do better t'morrow, Ah'm sure. We just gotta stay sharp." He tried to cheer the other man up, even though his own voice didn't sound too positive either. It had been a humiliating loss and the whole team was certainly down. Engineer didn't even want to think about the next day.
Pyro's spirits did seem to lift with the words of encouragement. When he looked up to the other, he could have been smiling. With a sigh, he wrapped himself around Engie's nearest leg, just happy to be there now. In a brief discussion with himself, he resolved to do better next time.
The Texan listened the firebug mumbling to himself. He couldn't tell what he was saying but it didn't matter. Gently he placed his other hand on Pyro's head and ran it slowly across his mask. What was the color of Pyro's hair? Was he smiling? Were his eyes open or closed? He didn't know and he knew he wasn't going to find out. The more time he spent with his mumbling teammate, the more he wished he knew about him. "Wanna do some plannin' for tomorrow, too?" he asked with a weak laugh. They had pretty much just seen planning didn't always help.
The grip on Engie's leg tightened when Pyro felt that hand brush him. There was a rush of familiar but unexpected warm, fuzzy fire from inside his belly. He knew he was blushing madly and reveled in it. Hearing the question posed, he looked up again and hoped Engie understood when he told him that anything they did together would be special kitten rainbows.
"C'mon, let's go." The Texan helped him up and so they headed back to the base. They hardly met anyone on their way to the workshop; only Demoman was drinking his liver out in the corridor, mumbling something to no one before silencing himself once more with the bottle. "Ah dunno how that guy is still alive," Engie murmured. He didn't know anyone else who'd drink as much as the Scot did.
A light shrug from Pyro. He gave a small tut of laughter while throwing a thumb Demo's way as they passed, just to mention he personally thought Demo was silly. His eyes never left Engie's face, though, and as they walked back he couldn't help but let his fingers find their way to lacing with his walking partner's. Quite honestly he was just filled with a rush of emotion for the man.
Engineer turned his head slightly to Pyro's direction. It was for nothing since the other one still wore his mask and so the Texan couldn't tell if he was embarrassed, happy or something else. Engie didn't dare to say anything so they were both quiet until they had reached Engineer's workshop. "Pyro..?" he asked carefully, still holding the man's hand in his own.
"Hrm?" The sound was light and casual.
"Uhhm..." The Texan lowered his gaze to their hands. He really didn't know what Pyro had meant with the gesture and that's what bothered him so.
Pyro looked down as well. Then back to Engie, noting his confusion. What? Wasn't it obvious? Perhaps not. He decided he'd better clear it. Clutching the hand in both of his now, he leaned forward and touched the base of his mask to Engie's cheek. Pulling back he mumbled, "Mm hmuv huu."
"Pyro, Ah..." The other man started, but couldn't make a sound after that. Surely the firebug didn't just say he loved him, did he? No, he must have misunderstood. That didn't stop his cheeks from getting red, though.
Seeing doubt in the other's face, Pyro's head tilted. Was it so hard to believe? It seemed only natural that he should love this man. The kindest one, the one that liked him around the most, the one who never feared. Determined to prove his point he brought the hand between his up to chin level and insisted, "Mm rmmuh, rmmuh hmuv huu."
"B-But...Ah don't even know your name. Do you know mine?" Engie was still confused out of his mind. This was just too weird. How could Pyro love him, he hardly knew anything about him. "Don't get me wrong, pardner, Ah like your company very much. It's nice ta have someone you can trust, but..." He stopped for a moment, searching for words. "Are you really, really sure?" he ended up asking. He didn't even know if the masked man was really a man to begin with.
Pyro paused, not sure what he could do to convince the other. What was there to convince? Pyro never questioned his emotions; why should he? Emotions were truth. Becoming nervous that Engie would begin reacting badly, Pyro did a sort of increasingly fretful dance until he seemed to recall something suddenly. He reached a hand down the collar of the left side of his suit and produced a folded piece of paper, which he proceeded to open and turn to face Engie. On it was a crude, almost child-like drawing of Engie standing with his wrench casually over his shoulder, a pile of burning corpses behind him and the sentry firing off the page. It was festooned with hearts and smiley faces, and above Engie was a purple star-bordered banner reading 'Delly-Bell'. Then Pyro indicated to the bottom right corner, where he had signed it in his uneven handwriting. As Pyro. To him, that was his name. It felt too right.
"Delly-Bell?" Engie blinked behind his goggles. That was certainly the strangest thing he had ever seen during his time at the Fortress and that alone said pretty much. He took the drawing from the man in the flame suit and took a closer look. Those same little hearts Pyro had drawn on the map last night were now surrounding the little Engie who was smiling happily in the picture. The Texan found himself smiling back at it. "Can Ah keep this?" he asked then, looking up at the other.
"Mh..." Pyro reacted a bit nervously to giving up the picture. He'd never really meant Engie to even see it, and was embarrassed enough his secret nickname was out, but he'd had no other way of sharing he knew the other's name at that moment, and if that had helped then maybe giving the whole picture up... "Yuh; kuph uh." Pyro gently pushed the page toward Engie, bashfully looking away.
"Thanks, pardner. Ah appreciate it," the Texan said honestly. Maybe the firebug really was serious. Why else had he sacrificed his free time drawing Engineer and adding all the hearts around him? It wasn't anything like Mona Lisa but he was certain Pyro had given his best shot drawing it. "Ya wanna grab somethin' ta drink again?" he suggested, gesturing the other one to follow him.
"Uhh...mmph." Though a bit nervous about letting his prized picture go, Pyro still opted that more time with Engie was good no matter what. Drinks it was.
"Maybe mah teddy wasn't quite as lucky as Ah thought it was. Perhaps it would bring more luck to you." Engie turned to glance at the other man before reaching for the small toy he kept with him. Since he just received something from Pyro it was only fair to give him something in return.
Pyro was surprised by the offer of the plush object, but the emotion quickly made way for excitement as he snatched it up and spun with it in the air. "Mmmmm! Uhmm-muuuh!" He looked around himself for somewhere he could put it, but was reminded that he had no pockets or bags big enough, and a teddy wasn't something you could hold by your heart so easily as mere paper.
"What's wrong? Lookin' for somethin'?" the Texan asked as the other man turned his head back and forth like he had lost something. At least Engie was glad Pyro appreciated the humble gift. It was rather old and it looked like an engineer but he thought the masked man would like it better.
Pyro demonstrated his problem by trying to put the bear in an imaginary holster to mirror Engie's. But he shrugged off the issue and showed he was just glad to have it by moving to give the thing a mighty cuddle.
"Oh, yeah, ya don't really have a place for it..." The stout man scratched his chin with a thoughtful look on his face. That was quite a problem indeed. "How about attaching it to your clip belt? Ah have safety pins over here." He turned around and went through a couple of lockers before showing one to the firebug.
A knuckle went to Pyro's air filter as he considered. Thumbing one of the flares on his bandolier, a better idea hit him. Quickly, he asked Engie if he had a needle and thread, illustrating by making a circle with one hand and repeatedly plunging the other hand's index finger through the gap.
"U-Uuhhh..?" The Texan's face turned deep red as he stared at Pyro and his fingers. Surely he wasn't..? No, that just couldn't be! "Pyro..? A-Ah dunno...Ah mean, what're you tryin' ta say?" he asked, even though the gesture was rather obvious.
Pyro paused. Engie was all red. "Whuh?" he asked with honest confusion.
"W-Well, ya know..." He made some gestures with his hands; none of them made any sense. "Ah mean, Ah like you an' all, but ain't this goin' a little too fast?" he asked, feeling the room getting hotter around him. Or maybe it was just him.
"Fuhs..?" Pyro looked to his hands and suddenly it clicked. An explosion went off in his brain. Immediately he leapt back and waved wildly that that wasn't what he meant at all, taking a moment to mutter to himself with harsh embarrassment. His gestures were now all over the place: apologetic, explaining, pleading. He held up the bear and pointed to the stitching before making the plunge gesture again in hopes that its innocence became clear. Then he just hid behind the teddy in his hands, not wanting to make eye contact despite his whole face being hidden anyway. Quiet mumbles continued to emanate from the self-berating hands, even more muffled than usual.
"Oohhh, so ya wanna do some sewing?" The Texan couldn't help a relieved laughter when he finally understood what the firebug had been meaning to say. For a moment he had thought Pyro had wanted sex. God, what a silly idea! He didn't even know what the other man looked like under his suit. His cheeks were still warm when he told the other one to wait for a minute when he went through some boxes in the corner. Sex, yeah right! Why would Pyro want to have sex with him to begin with? He wasn't anything special. Then again, if the firebug really liked him..? The Texan shook his head. What was he thinking. "There ya go, pardner." He gave the other man the equipment he wanted.
"Thmmp yuh." With an embarrassed but grateful nod, Pyro took up the thread and made his way to the nearest stool at the work bench. Gosh, had Engie really just thought he meant that? But that meant Engie had thought of him...that way. Ugh, why was it so embarrassing? It's not like he hadn't thought about this and that with the other man...but no, now wasn't the time to be distracted. He had a project to focus on. Nearby tools already perfect for the first step, so he took pliers and tweezers and one of his flares to begin the operation. With care not to set off the explosive, Pyro flawlessly used everything to properly remove the flare's clip. After this was done he took up the needle, threaded it with barely a glance, and proceeded with phase two: implanting the clip into the teddy's back.
The Texan peeked over the other man's shoulder to see what he was up to. "Well, that's always an idea...just make sure ta be careful, okay?" he reminded the firebug. There were plenty of things in his workshop that couldn't take fire, like blueprints, fuel, oil and so on. Even though Pyro was an expert when it came to flammable things Engie couldn't help feeling just a little bit nervous.
With a flourish, the implant was completed and Pyro placed his new decoration proudly on the bandolier. As for the flare remains, the harmlessness was demonstrated by picking it up and flicking it casually into a trash can. Now playing with the teddy bear's arms, Pyro stole a glance Engie's way. "Huy..." He asked a somewhat bashful question as he indicated between the two of them and then hesitantly made a small hole thrusting motion again. He had to know; would Engie really consider such a thing with him?
"What's that? Ya wanna sew some more?" Engineer asked, once again missing the point by a mile. Of course he assumed Pyro meant sewing again, just like last time he had made that gesture. "Go ahead. Ah think it's fine the way it is," he replied with a care-free smile. He wondered what the firebug was going to do next.
A bit dismayed at how he was continually misinterpreted, and because half the things he said to Engie were so hard to get out anyway, Pyro slumped in his seat. His eyes then met with the scattered paper littered about the Engineer's desk and figured the topic was important enough. With this man, he wanted to be clear. He took one of the many markers and a blank blueprint, taking care not to ruin it by using the back, and scrawled to the man, "No. Wood yoo reely..?" Then as he showed Engie looked shyly away again as he copied the minute hand motion of before.
"Would Ah really..?" The Texan read the stuff written on the paper before turning to the firebug who was now making himself crystal clear to the Texan. His cheeks turned crimson and for a moment he just tried to stutter something to say. "Ya mean, would Ah..? Ah mean, you would..? Would we..?" He made some gestures of his own, once again not making any sense whatsoever. Oh God. "Ahem...ya wouldn't really happen to mean...actual sexual intercourse, would you..?" he asked, feeling his face burning as if it was on fire.
Now that he'd openly said at least half of it, it was getting easier to reiterate. Pyro still wanted his answer, too. With a breath, he stood, pointed to himself, pointed to Engie and made an exaggerated pelvic thrust or two. Then he opened his hands wide as if to say he couldn't make it any more obvious.
"Wow. Ah mean...wow..." Engie started pacing a small little circle, obviously showing how nervous he was. "Gosh, this was pretty sudden...Ah've never even seen your face and...for that, you'd have t'get your suit off," he pointed out. He had never seen Pyro removing a single glove; would he really be willing to push his uniform aside enough to have real sex?
Going back to the paper, Pyro wrote out in his uneven style, "I don't meen rite this second. Engie's nervuss. But not saying no. Wood he? Wood he reely? I luv Engie. I wood reely." He seemed to radiate a growing air of nervous hope.
"W-Well..." The Texan was thankful of his goggles, although they still couldn't hide his embarrassed blush. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think of a way to say it best. "Ah...Ah think I would..? Maybe?" he then mumbled, his words hardly audible. What was he supposed to answer? He was a man, and men had their physical needs. It was quite a while since his last time; ladies didn't really appreciate his shortness.
Pyro couldn't believe what he'd just heard. He had to process it for a few seconds before dropping the blueprint he'd scribbled on. Then he squeed. Clutched hands, slight bouncing, the whole deal. A squee. It was all he could do to express the joy, relief, and million other emotions swirling around. After the squee he just had to give Engie a hug, almost 100% out of relief that he wasn't now hated.
"S-So, ummh..." Engineer tried to speak but the firebug squeezed him extremely tightly. Once the Texan was free he cleared his throat. "W-Well, when d'ya wanna do it? A-And how?" he asked. By the way Pyro was expressing his enthusiasm Engie could have sworn he was a female, after all.
Pyro was surprised. So easy? He had to vocalize the question. He couldn't believe Engie was just ok setting a time like it was a lunch meeting. And that made him doubt it meant the same to the Texan. Maybe his reaction was out of pity, or just plain shock. Thrilled as he was that the man could think of him that way, he took marker back to paper and answered simply, "Wen yoo luv me." Then he patted Engie on the shoulder, touched his air filter to the man's cheek again and decided it was actually lunchtime, so he went to go join the other mercs now gathering in the mess hall.
"When you...love me..?" Engineer read the words slowly to himself when Pyro had left him alone. The firebug wanted him to love him back? But that was almost impossible; they had never even talked for real, he didn't know what Pyro looked like and...well, there wasn't any need to go on; the Texan had to admit he didn't love Pyro the way he apparently loved him. Was it even love to begin with? Maybe the guy behind the mask was mixing it with some other feeling, like friendship, admiration or just about anything positive. The firebug was trustworthy, that was for sure, but it didn't equal love. With a sigh the Texan rubbed his temples. It seemed he wasn't going to get laid so easily, after all. Then again, he had never been a guy to enjoy one night stands. Their Spy seemed like that kind of fellow, but Engie was far from that guy. He wanted to have more than just a meaningless fuck, but forming a bond was going to be difficult if his partner never even said a word to him. With another sigh the stout man put the paper down and followed the firebug to the dining hall.
Engineer would arrive to find Pyro defending his new keepsake from the rest of the team's chiding. "Y'know, that thing reminds me of Engie...what, did you steal it from him? Ballsy, but it don't make it look less stupid," Scout was saying as he leaned sideways into Pyro for a better look.
Across the table, Sniper seemed to concur. "True on that. Toys ahre fer eight year old girls."
Scout retorted with, "Pff! Says the guy with a voodoo dolly of the other team's Spy. Yeah, dat's right, I know." He gave a smug smirk when Sniper flushed and sputtered indignantly.
On Pyro's other side, Heavy poked the little toy. "Heavy does not get it. Leetle toy helps in battle somehow? Does not seem practical." Pyro moved to protect the thing from further pokes and just cuddled it in response.
"Hey hey hey, what's the ruckus?" The Texan stepped in and let his gaze wander around the big room. Pyro was clutching on the small teddy like a lifeline and others seemed to be awfully interested in it.
"Did this maggot steal your mascot, private?!" Soldier asked, pointing at the firebug who pretty much looked like a cornered animal.
Engie lifted his hands in the air. "What? No! I gave it to him!" he exclaimed. He couldn't believe the others would even suggest anything of the sort. Pyro wasn't a thief!
"Yo, ease up there, Hardhat," Scout raised his own hands defensively, "We're just teasin'. Ain't you ever been hazed? Heck, I'll nevah be done pesterin' someone about their little Medic toy..!" His sing-song was directed Heavy's way, causing the big Russian to blanch before glowering, "Different! Is good luck! Keeps Heavy healthy!"
"Anyway, Ah don't want ya ta think ill of your own teammate. He ain't a thief; Ah gave the teddy ta him 'cause he seemed ta like it so much." Engineer walked over to the firebug and patted his shoulder gently to show everything was okay again.
Scout threw his hands up and backed down, though he clearly thought Engie was overreacting. Instead he focused on how Soldier and Heavy seemed to be noticing they both owned little doctors. Medic was trying not to make eye contact as he ate with silent innocence at the table's end. Pyro was grateful to Engie and gave word of thanks, but so long as no one touched it they could say what they liked. He knew it wasn't meant cruelly. He placed the teddy back on his bandolier and scooched over to invite Engie to sit.
With a slight grin the Texan joined Pyro in the table. He was glad the firebug hadn't taken it personally; sometimes the team's jokes were a little weird. As long as Pyro kept himself happy and cheerful nothing else really mattered. Nobody wanted to see the mysterious person angry; that wouldn't end well. Now the Texan was grateful the team had other things to think about when the attention was on the three Medics in the room, two of them being pocket size.
Unfortunately, only a few more minutes of lunch went by for the two peacefully. Pyro had just piled up his plate when a giant fist sent Soldier flying backwards. Soldier retaliated with a battle cry and launched himself at Heavy's throat, meaning everyone had to lift their plates and move if they wanted to keep their meal as the table was destroyed. Pyro lifted his plate but stayed seated, laughing as mayhem ensued. He loved eating with these guys; this sort of silliness cropped up a lot.
"Holy cow!" Engie exclaimed, saving his plate just in time before the two started fighting. Spy was not quite as lucky, even though his reflexes were usually fast. Now his precious suit was ruined and he was wailing over it. His eyes narrowed and like a jaguar he jumped into the mix, knife in his hand to sink it into one of their backs. He didn't care which one. "Crikey!" Sniper shouted and dashed after him. Demoman, Scout and finally Engie jumping into the wrestling ball of mercs. "Goddammit! Pyro, do something!" the Texan called his friend. He didn't know what the firebug would be able to do, though.
"Woo!" Scout was laughing, but more so over how he had technically started this, and over the excitement of fighting as he rode Heavy's shoulders like a mechanical bull, swinging at anyone who came near.
Pyro barely seemed to register Engie's bark over the brawl and his own hysterical laughter as he sat on the bench with his plate. He wasn't sure what he could do either, but why would he want to stop this? It was like watching Punch and Judy to him. A shrug was sent to Engie, and a wave to Medic as the doctor tried to sneak unnoticed out the door.
While Sniper and Engineer tried to make Spy let go of his knife, Scout was doing nothing to help the situation by yelling like a cowboy. He was only making it worse. Demoman was trying to keep Soldier still so he wouldn't bite Heavy's arm. Engie was sure at least a few of them were going to return via respawn; three of them were furious and the ones trying to help didn't seem to get anything done. The Texan was praying for an interruption...anything. Fire, water, wind, electric shocks, it was all good for him.
"Uh-oh." Scout's face finally fell as he was seized round the scruff by his ride's meaty hand and hurled screaming across the room. Pyro's head turned with interest as Scout whizzed by and into the opposite wall. Within the following seconds, Scout popped back into existence and returned to the hall to find his own corpse, and with a dazed shake inspected his body's head embedded into the wall. "Oh yeah! New riding record and a piss-off record!" He gave himself double thumbs up.
Because of Pyro, across the room Heavy had noticed Medic's departure and was swift to turn his attention to following. Luckily or unluckily, depending on who you were, this did at least stop his third of the fight.
"Come back, you pink fairy pony!" Soldier yelled after the Russian, running after him out of the dining hall. Spy was about to follow but the four arms holding him still prevented him from dashing away. He wanted his revenge but apparently his teammates were uncivilized enough not to realize how badly his suit had been sullied. It should have been a crime, to say the least. Once everyone was somewhat calm again Engie let go of the Frenchman, leaving him to Sniper's care. With a sigh the Texan sat back down. "Man, what's with those two?" he asked, running his hand down his face.
The remnants of his laughter making way for disappointment that the show was over, Pyro looked to his addresser. "Mm?" He didn't understand anything was odd about the behavior they'd just witnessed and could offer only a shrug. He then looked to Scout, who was reminding him of an adorable chipmunk as he pretended to not be picking up some rolls scattered over the floor and jamming one in his mouth.
"Ah was hopin' we could get one whole week without fightin' at the dinner table. Looks like God ain't gonna answer my prayers anytime soon," Engineer continued and after making sure the coast was clear he took a careful bite of his meal. Who knew who was going to fly over the table next?
Pyro noticed that Engie hadn't gotten a chance to grab as much as he had. He indicated to his plate and made another questioning sound. He'd love to share; it might be a good opportunity to convince Engie he meant what he'd written earlier. Trying to make sure Engie got that this was a bonding chance, he also motioned between them both and made a talky motion with his hand.
"What? Ya mean Ah can have some? But it's your food, ya should eat it if you want." The Texan smiled at his mumbling partner. "But, of course, if you insist..." he then shrugged, showing he wasn't completely against the idea.
"Someone could share wizh me eef zhey want. My suit ate most of my lunch." The Frenchman snorted next to them. At least Engie still had some food left on his plate, unlike him.
Pyro was torn now. He looked between the rare opportunity to do something for another teammate, or improve himself in Engie's eyes. Both were valued rather highly. Luckily, while he was deciding, Scout strolled by Spy and as he passed said, "Here ya go, Frenchy." The suited man then found his mouth crammed unceremoniously with only the finest floor roll Teufort had to offer.
The agent couldn't have looked more shocked. It was a face they hardly ever saw on him but it was definitely pure terror. The Frenchman spat it out as soon as his body was able to function again. His lips and tongue had just touched something that had been on the floor a second ago! It was beyond disgusting! Spy wiped his mouth and spat like he had just swallowed poison. He was about to attack the rabbit but before he got the chance Demoman had already pulled the youngster down to sit. "Well, ya can't always win, pardner." Engineer couldn't help grinning at Spy but the smile faded very quickly when the Frenchman turned his murderous eyes to him.
Now the firestarter was just feeling sorry for Spy. It wasn't nice to be so upset, or to not have anything to share. He looked at his plate and figured he had plenty, so he walked over to the angry gentleman and placed into his empty hands a sloppy joe, a chicken wing, and a roll that hadn't been anywhere near Scout. They oozed lightly over Spy's gloves, but Pyro still didn't register the man's obsession with cleanliness. He instead gave the man a hearty thumb up and held a hopeful pose. It would be great if his friend praised him for once!
"Oh God..." The Texan muttered to himself when Pyro decided to put his food into Spy's hands instead of his plate. The Frenchman stared at his now-filled hands in silent terror. His eyes were open wide but his mouth couldn't utter a single word. What was the matter with everyone?! Was this some kind of 'let's annoy the hell out of Spy' day? He forced himself to stay calm and took a deep breath through his nose. "Many thanks," he finally said, lifting his gaze to the firebug with a smile so fake it couldn't fool anyone in the room. Still, the Frenchman knew better than making Pyro angry with himself. He knew better than anyone how it felt to have a man in a flame suit after him. He placed his meal onto his plate, hoping it was going to stay there for a change.
A bubbly chortle came from Pyro as he was thanked. He'd helped! Eager to help further, and maybe even gain more compliments, he shoved half a sandwich at Sniper, a potato at Demoman, and another roll at Scout since he clearly enjoyed them.
"Woah, woah..! Aren't ya gonna eat anythin'?" Engineer tried to calm the firebug down when he started sharing his food with everyone. In no time his own plate would be empty! Their teammates shot crooked smiles of gratitude at the man in the flame suit.
After reveling in the smiles of his teammates, Pyro skipped back to the engineer and showed him reassuringly that he still had plenty to share between them, though he might not see it from where he stood. He had piled his plate high, after all, and only given away a few pieces. Then he leaned his head on Engie's and seemed to finalize the point by taking a wing and holding it before the other's mouth. He was just feeling so accepted and giddy right now; he didn't care if the shorter man might not love him yet; his love was bubbling over and the positivity could only be directed Engie's way.
The stout man blushed when Pyro suddenly started being so clingy. He glanced at the others nervously but not to upset the firebug he accepted the wing offered to him. The others stared without a word. "Ummmhh...thanks, pardner." The Texan gave the other man an awkward smile and patted Pyro's shoulder approvingly. He wouldn't have minded so much if they'd been alone, but unfortunately they were not. Half of the team was following them curiously and Scout seemed like he was about to burst with whatever stupid things his lips sealed. "Ah'm good now," Engineer convinced and gently tapped the firebug's gloved hand.
Pyro glanced to the gaping mercs. Was there something wrong with being happy in front of others? Engie seemed bothered by their presence. Well, whatever. A purr-like sound was made as Pyro tugged lightly at Engie's hand. Maybe if they weren't in plain view?
"Yeah, you're right. Enough drama in my opinion. C'mon, we can eat in my workshop if ya want," he suggested, hoping he had translated the weak tug correctly. The food was already getting cool anyway; the Texan wanted to warm it again in the microwave he had in his own little working room.
Back again already? Engie's workshop was fast becoming Pyro's most frequented place. He gave a nod and affirmative sound, throwing a wave to the bystanders before entwining his fingers with the Texan's gloved ones, much like earlier. It seemed Pyro was getting bolder.
"What d'ya make of it, lads? Has he tamed the beast?" No one seemed to have answer the Scot's question.
The Texan led the way without a sound. He swore, if he heard Scout saying anything stupid behind them he was going to dig the rabbit's tongue out of his mouth. The youngster said nothing. Nobody said anything until they were out of the sight. That Engie considered as something serious. Was it really that odd?
Spy snorted once the laborer and his new pet had left the dining hall. "Oh, please...you mean you have not noticed? Eet 'as been all over zhe laborer's face for a while now. I can recognize sexual frustration when I see eet." His sharp eyes met Sniper's face and the taller male turned his gaze automatically elsewhere.
"Wait, what?! Ya sayin' those two are shaggin' each other?!" Scout's jaw dropped.
"Non. Not yet," the agent replied and dug himself a cigarette.
"Och! Ah've only got one eye! Ya can't expect me to notice much of anything noo cahn ya?" Demo was first offended before he was disgusted. "But do ya really think? Uck. Who'd want ta...with thaht thing...it's not healtheh. And that's comin' froom a monsteh." Still, he shrugged it off. What business was it of his? At the very least there'd be less of the crazed demon spawn for himself.
Scout was suspiciously silent as he nodded to himself and digested the information.
"Ya wanna warm it up again?" Engineer asked, indicating Pyro's plate and nodding at the microwave. Since the man under the mask liked fire games so much he reckoned the firebug wouldn't mind eating his food warm, too. Now that they were alone again the Texan dared to speak more freely once more.
Pyro clapped and jumped at the prospect of putting something in the entertainingly futuristic device. With childish excitement his plate was jammed inside, and with help the dial set. The firestarter pressed his face and hands to the window as he watched his food rotate inside; sighs of awe escaped him.
"Funny, isn't it? Made it mahself. Well, at least partly." The Texan chuckled, watching Pyro being completely mesmerized by the spinning plate. "Where're ya from, pardner? Ah know where the rest of the team's comin' from, but Ah've never heard what your home country is." Engie sat into his chair to wait for his turn to use the microwave.
Pyro had to tear his gaze from the warmly humming machine. He appeared to have one of those inward discussions with himself while looking around the shop. Eventually the sought object was found and he draped the snatched world map over Engie's lap, pointing to Mexico.
"Mexico?" Engie arched his eyebrows behind his goggles. "Ah always imagined you'd be from overseas. Well, seems like I was mistaken." He shrugged lightly. Didn't really matter to him in the long run. "At least ya didn't have ta move here from far, unlike Sniper, Heavy and so on," he added.
A tilt of the head and a shrug from the other. It didn't matter to Pyro where he was as long as he could play with fire. He was about to say so when a sudden sharp noise made him jump a mile. Whirling to the source, that being the microwave, he fell on his butt as he pulled out his flare gun defensively. Luckily it didn't go off.
"Hey hey hey, easy there!" Engineer exclaimed, afraid his precious workshop would soon be just a pile of dust. He grabbed Pyro's arm firmly but softly enough not to startle the other man more. "It's okay, it's okay...calm down. That means your food is ready." The stout man spoke quietly and lowered the firebug's arm so he wouldn't destroy anything with his flare gun.
There was a moment of panting before Pyro allowed himself to be helped up, and then he muttered amusedly to himself out of embarrassment. How could he do something that graceless in front of Engie? The flare gun went away. Pyro was handed his lunch and his embarrassment made way for further fascination. He poked the other half of the sandwich he'd split with Sniper, marveling over the heat he could feel even through his glove. Heat was something Pyro was very sensitive to, but he certainly never found that to be a negative trait. In fact he would consider it a gift. At the moment, however, he was considering ingesting the glowing curiosity before him.
"It's okay, there's no need ta be ashamed. Sometimes that darn thing scares me, too," Engineer tried cheering him up. He didn't really startle at the machine, he just didn't want Pyro to feel uncomfortable. They all did silly things sometimes; the firebug didn't have to feel embarrassed around the Texan. Engie put his own plate into the microwave and turned it on to get himself a warm meal, too. "Reckon ya already know where Ah come from...after Ah got my title Ah moved to my old man's workshop. Just cars, mostly, nothin' very challenging. Ah always liked ta reach a little higher so Ah quit and started searchin' for a new job. And here Ah am." He gestured at himself and pretty much all around him. Such a boring backstory but at least Pyro now knew his life in a nutshell.
Rapt attention was paid by Pyro between munches of his lunch stolen under the lip of his mask as he ducked his head. He loved it when Engie told stories, no matter the subject. And a personal story was a rare treat. He wished he could return the favor. Then inspiration hit him, and, mouth extra muffled as it was full of food, mimed scribing while asking for something to write on. A chalkboard would be ideal.
"What now? Ya want to draw?" the other man asked and tilted his head. He turned and went through a couple of lockers before grabbing his notebook. It was big enough, a small one would have never been enough for the Texan when he got an inspiration to plan new machines or write down complicated codes. He handed the book to the firebug and gave him a pen.
In his standard sloppy scrawl Pyro wrote, "Now I can tell Delly-" He scribbled the last part out and re-wrote, "Engie storees. He sez we don't talk. We can talk lots this way! At leest until he understands." He decorated the area below with flowers and hearts to show how good the idea was.
Engie couldn't help smiling at the name Delly. What an odd name to call him. "So, pardner. Do you have family in Texas? Why'd ya decide ta come here?" he asked. Now when he finally had a chance to have an actual conversation with the firebug he was going to make the most of it.
Pyro did not have family in Texas so far as he knew. He'd been asked to come here. After answering the first of many sets of questions, he would next write replies and ask questions of his own over the course of the next several hours. So engrossing was the conversation to him that the more and more he wrote, the less he censored himself, and eventually even used the nickname 'Delly-Bell' freely. Once or twice a comment about a 'Mayor Balloonicorn' slipped in. His consciousness truly flowed, meaning that Engie would learn many if not all of the things Pyro had been thinking or meaning to tell him over the last few days, and before either party realized, they had missed dinner.
Engineer hadn't even realized how much time had passed before accidentally turning to the clock on the wall. It was almost half past ten in the evening. He had learnt so much about Pyro and his way of thinking. One thing he hadn't asked about, though. Pyro's face. He was not going to pressure the firebug into anything and if the other man felt safer in the flame suit, so be it. "Christ...time sure flies," he murmured, stretching his arms with a groan. He was feeling quite tense after sitting still for so long. "Ah...Ah had a great evening. We better get some sleep before the mornin', wouldn't ya say?" He smiled at the other man in his old, friendly way. He truly enjoyed the firebug's company and caught himself wishing the evening wouldn't be over just yet.
A look at the clock prompted a sad groan from Pyro, but he had to admit his hand was a bit cramped. In the midst of flexing it he looked glowingly back to the shorter man. Everything he'd learned this evening had only cemented if not increased his passion for said engineer. He agreed that sleep would be necessary, but with a much happier sigh he also came forward and took Engie's hips in his hands. "Uh rmmuh duh hmuv yuu." Warningless, he quickly stole a kiss, if you could call it that, from the mouth below him. Immediately following, he was giggling like a schoolchild, hands over the filter that had done the deed.
"Pyro..." The Texan bit his lower lip, trying to decide whether to do it or not. He knew that because of the firebug's mask he couldn't kiss him on the lips so he would need to be satisfied with the second best option. He placed his hand carefully onto Pyro's cheek and closed the distance between them. He wondered if the other man even felt his lips on the mask. Did it really matter? He just wanted to show his affection somehow and that was the best way he could think of. He pulled himself back again soon, hoping the taller one didn't think he was rude.
Honestly, Pyro was stunned. All this time he'd been the one driving any affection between them. Engie's kiss was the last thing he expected, so much that he pulled back a little as the man rushed him. The hand helped stay him, however, and as he felt that indent of pressure from the force of those lips, a wave of euphoria washed over the firestarter. Engie...Engie had just...a slow squeal got increasingly high-pitched and fast as curled knuckles hit Pyro's chin. Not knowing what to do he simply bobbed in place, a light sniffling all that betrayed the tears of elation escaping his eyes. Was it possible to be more in love?
"Uhhh...h-hey..? Are you okay? Ah'm sorry, Ah didn't want ta upset you or anythin'." Engineer rubbed the back of his head with an unsure look on his face. Was Pyro crying? He hadn't meant to confuse or scare him, or whatever he was feeling right now under that mask. The Texan took a step back, hoping the firebug wasn't completely out of his mind. He had thought Pyro would like an innocent little kiss.
Pyro's attention snapped to the awkward-looking man. No, not another misunderstanding! Not after all Engie had learned about him. Determined his happiness be properly received, Pyro just threw his arms around the Texan in the warmest hug he knew how to give. His head nestled over Engie's shoulder and rubbed, a contented coo coming from his mask, followed by a happy sniff. "Hmuv yuu...phoh, phoh mumph..."
Engineer blinked a couple of times, staring at the man hugging him. With a soft hem he also wrapped his arms around him, holding the firebug back. He stroked Pyro's shoulders tenderly with a smile. He was relieved he had misunderstood. Perhaps Pyro was suffering from tears of joy. That's the only explanation the Texan could think of. "Say no more, pardner," he mumbled with a soft smile playing on his lips. He wasn't ready to say the same aloud but he hoped Pyro understood he was starting to feel the same.