It had been quite a few days since Pyro'd first spent the afternoon with the hardhatted man, and the visits had turned consistent, the two never seeming to run out of things to say to each other with the help of writing making communication possible. This day was a long mission: the dreaded intelligence capture in the worst-laid part of Teufort. Over the better part of a morning the REDs and BLUs waged against each other with no briefcases touched. What there was was a lot of falling into sewer water, exhausted mercenaries and cussing.
"Bloodeh damn Hell, won't one of ya just stay dead!" Demoman thrust a disbelieving hand at the Heavy and Soldier parading over the field's bridge after his umpteenth sticky detonation. Pyro couldn't share his pessimism. He was having a blast! Each respawn he had to raise his flamethrower high before rushing in to fight. Demo sent him an equally disbelieving sideways glance as he repeated the motion now.
Engineer had built himself a nest in the intel room. There it was most needed, after all. He was nervous all by himself, knowing that if he failed with BLU Spy his beloved sentry would be history. He hated those backstabbers. Always sneaking around invisible with their knives and sappers. He wished Pyro was there with him. It would have made him feel so much safer. He heard all the explosions upstairs but didn't dare to leave his guns without protection.
Demo having been sniped into an impressively acrobatic backflip for pausing to stare at Pyro, the suited man could only make a questioning sound before realizing he should be moving. Quickly lighting the chargers on fire, he was also unfortunately popped into the air by a rocket, landing unwillingly with a splash off the bridge. Pyro didn't let it get him down one bit though, and decided he could take this opportunity to pay defense a visit. Walking on sunshine he entered the intel room and gave it a cheerful flame sweep before skipping to a halt in front of Engie and greeting, "Huddaaaaah!"
"Oh, hey there," the Texan greeted his visitor with a happy smile. "Ah was just thinkin' how great it would be ta have you here. Ya know, in case that French snake comes." He welcomed Pyro with him without a second thought. He was already feeling so much better with the firebug defending the nest with him. He glanced at the other man's arm. "You're bleedin'...found yerself some trouble, didn't ya?" He guided the taller man to the dispenser.
Pyro laughed off his injury, but thanked the builder for the replenishing his dispenser gave. He'd have loved to stay and work defense the whole mission, but these brief check-ins were all he could manage. And yes, just like usual, he barely got a few minutes of nest guarding before an interruption came along. This time it was in the form of a sweet-talking German, voice arriving before the man himself.
"Pyrooo...Pyroo...ah, zhere you are, my strange little friend. Would you care to help me make zhe push? Ja?" His eyebrows bounced as he held up his medigun enticingly.
"Make the push?" Engie repeated, turning to the firebug with questioning eyes. To him Medic gave creeps. One moment the German was soft as a kitten, next he was a murderous monster. He was not the kind Engie felt comfortable with. He couldn't relax around him. He wondered if Pyro ever got that feeling. Then again, it seemed like the man in the flame suit liked everyone.
Pyro shrugged to Engie. Medic regarded Engie a bit stiffly, as he wasn't the one being addressed, but answered nonetheless. "Well, ja," he explained, "I have had it only being able to run around und heal briefly. Zhe ozher team has a defense to match ours. It is time for zhe über! But I have not built a single one! I also can't charge zhe Demo or zhe Soldier because, vell, someone has svorn to tear zhem apart if I do so soon...dummkopf...und I can't charge zhe Heavy because we might not make it. His gun: so gute on people; just not right for zhe machines. Zhat leaves you, Herr Pyro. Anyone would run from your spray, and you are, shall ve say, a safe option. So come! I require your fire!" He revved his gun with a slightly crazed spark joining his eye for a moment.
"Okay then. Ah hope it'll go well." The Texan nodded, looking at the firebug. He sure did, otherwise their team was going to be trouble. He didn't know how things were out there but he certainly knew wasting an über wasn't exactly what they could afford to do constantly. The BLUs might get one any moment, too. "Good luck, pardner." He patted Pyro's shoulder a couple of times. Medic's plan was good, but not flawless.
"Hrrm..." Pyro was happy to be thought of, even as a last resort, but today he really did want to spend his time on defense. Unfortunately this mission didn't really allow for anyone but the laborer to stay in one place. He'd have to continue to let the butterflies that never let up thinking about the man keep him happy. With the thumbs up to Engie and a medibeam on him, Pyro exited and went to destroy the opposition.
It went well. Scout joined himself and Medic in the sewers, dancing about them and keeping an eye out for lurkers. Of course he still found time to be annoying, sometimes calling unnecessarily for heals or hitting the pair with his bat out of boredom. The group only met the other Scout on their way, gladly finished off with an Übersaw, and when they reached their destination were at full charge. It was popped promptly. Medic took point while Scout waited in the hall. With the body block in place Pyro could go straight for the Engineer. He felt a ping of sadness at destroying someone so close to his favorite person, and then had to question it. Death wasn't bad. What was that feeling for? As the sentry was taken down, he forgot the sadness and Scout came in to do his duty. Medic left Pyro with a brief thanks and an overheal as he rushed to fight his beam onto the darting runner.
Meanwhile across the board, Pyro was entering RED's defense. He entered with a dash of caution and looked to Engie, giving a quick thumb up before switching from shotgun to flamethrower.
"Hey there! Ah assume ya did a fine job?" The Texan greeted his dear friend with a smile. They already got one intelligence from the enemy base so he assumed Medic's plan had worked. The rabbit had panted like a race horse after he brought the blue briefcase into the room Engie was guarding. He knew Pyro wouldn't disappoint, he never did. The firebug always did his best.
"Come back here, you zippy little bird-rabbit! You are too fast!" Scout had barely stayed in Medic's beam through the damage he'd suffered. After dropping the briefcase home, the boy stood taunting and checking his pulse by Engie's dispenser, saying, "Hey, you can't keep up, dat's yer own fault. I'm an uncontrollable force a' nature! And besides, I got my heals right here. Plus ammo." Medic wasn't sure whether to glare at Scout or the dispenser, but another second later he didn't need to worry about either.
The easy kill too tempting, Pyro's arm suddenly lifted and plunged a knife into Scout's back before sapping the building cluster he'd slipped behind while attention was elsewhere. It might not have been the most professional, but Scout just seemed to draw murderous rage from everyone. Through the flurry of needles sent his way, the BLU Spy cloaked and darted for the exit Medic wasn't retreating towards.
"Spah creepin' around here!" Engineer shouted, watching the frog disappearing again and running off. The Texan wondered why the Frenchman hadn't grabbed the intelligence but he didn't have too much time to worry about that when he had his hands full of sappers. Otherwise he'd gone after the snake but he was busy trying to save his constructions. He managed to save the sentry in time but the dispenser shattered into pieces with a loud explosion. "Damn it!" the stout man hissed, covering his face. Pyro had been a spy all along? How did he not notice that? Was the firebug okay? If Spy had hurt him in any way..! Engie squeezed the wrench in his hand and gritted his teeth. Blinded by anger and worry the shorter man dashed after the damned backstabber. Nobody disguised into his Pyro without a punishment!
"Waaaaah!" The sentry was up just in time to stop the BLU scout and make him lose the freshly-plucked intelligence. Engie would pass Medic's corpse in the room behind the intel, having been killed by the now-dead runner, but would also be just in time to see a health pack being snatched up suspiciously by no one.
Pyro was just losing the last of his overheal as he entered RED's side of the map. He'd gotten the chance to sneak unnoticed behind three people and burn them unscathed. It made him chuckle, feeling very dramatic and much like Spy. Hmm. He wondered if Engie ever felt like another class.
The Texan's eyes widened behind his goggles. He was still there. The Frenchman must be using his Cloak and Dagger, meaning he was practically able to stay invisible as long as needed. Engie's mouth was dry as he tried to listen to his surroundings. Nothing. He hated spies; they moved like shadows whenever they didn't want to be discovered. He wasn't sure if he should have pretended to ignore the Frenchman and catch him when he least expected it or run after the French bastard. "Spah...Ah know you're there..." Engineer started walking towards the center of the room, his eyes gaze wandering around him restlessly.
Pyro came down the ramp to this room right as Spy was decloaking. He saw Engie backing unwittingly toward the hefted blade and a sting of panic rushed through him. "Unphuuuuh!" The yell was all in concern for the name it yelled as Pyro charged blindly for the backstabber. A scream from the fancy man told him it was time to pull out his secondary, and the voice was silenced with a critical flare. Pyro panted, only now understanding the sadness he had felt earlier. Death...even for a moment, even if it was pleasant as a party...had the power to take Engie from him. Take him irretrievably. And not for one of those moments did Pyro want to be separated from the man by such a distance. He looked up into the face of the life he'd saved, quite confused by this realization. Death...more than an inconvenience, an obstacle, a fun gesture?
"Pyro..!" Engineer stood still for a moment, staring at his savior without a word. He took a careful step forward, then another and soon he dashed to wrap his arms around his dear firebug. "Thank goodness you're okay..." he muttered, his voice filled with relief. He knew death was only temporary but just thinking of the spy stabbing Pyro's back and smirking after his dirty deed made him furious. He was happy to see the other man alright and unharmed once more. "Thank you. Ah knew Ah could always trust you," he praised, not loosening his hold for the slightest.
Silently, ten gloved fingers gripped the backs of the arms around the firestarter like a vice. Pyro hugged them to him and laid his head into the other protectively. Okay? He didn't feel okay. For the first time he could even remember, he felt...afraid.
"Hey, lovebugs." The casual greeting sliced through the moment. Scout had respawned and run to take the intelligence a second time while the getting was good. He ran past them now to drop it off.
"Boy...sometimes ya just don't need ta say a thing," the Texan scolded, but couldn't bring himself to sound angry or annoyed at the youngster's comment. His voice was tired, anemic even. All he could think of was Pyro in his arms, squeezing him back. "Ah'm sorry. The spah came here, Ah thought he was you...Ah was a careless idiot," he apologized quietly. He felt the need to do so; he was incredibly angry with himself for not even being able to see the difference between his own little firebug and a fake.
Scout re-entered after making his drop. "Not my fault you wanna boink Mumbles. Don't mean yer safe from me teasin' ya. By the way, yer dispenser's down. Might wanna get on that instead. Or, y'know, a teleporter might be nice." His sarcasm was topped off by double trigger fingers and a click of the tongue as he pranced away.
Pryo remained silent. He didn't seem to register Scout was even there. His world was flickering and it didn't feel good. He focused on the man in his arms, trying desperately to keep hold of the sunshine, but this notion of pain and fear...he was being eclipsed.
The Texan inhaled deeply through his nose. He hated to admit it but the kid was right. They couldn't just stand in the room doing nothing when the battle was still going on. "He's right. Ah gotta go and fix some stuff...wanna join me?" he asked with a weak smile, hoping the man in the flame suit would allow him the pleasure to enjoy his company a little longer. He didn't know how or why, but Pyro looked sad. Even through his gas mask he managed to look sad. "What's wrong?" he asked, lifting his partner's chin slightly.
Pyro didn't know how to respond. The space around Engie was fluxing randomly into darkness. Brimstone and rubble, flames so unlike the ones he knew: these red, angry and sharp. His hands jerked uselessly as he tried to find words through his panic. He couldn't think of a single one. This had never happened before. But Engie...Engie was still there. This was good. He clutched the hand before him and focused on the face near his. Slowly, his breath evened and the darkness ebbed. He swore then that he wouldn't leave the other's side for the rest of this match, no matter the distraction. And then maybe he could find a question to ask.
"It's okay, Ah'm here...whatever's scarin' you, it's gonna be okay. C'mon, help me get the dispenser up." He took Pyro's hand gently and led the taller man towards the pile of scrap metal. Just like the firebug, he also didn't want to be alone anymore. The feeling was completely new to him. He was worried about the other man, even though he knew by the end of the day everything was going to be just like always before. Was this love? He just couldn't stand seeing Pyro get hurt or even think about that possibility.
The remainder of the match didn't see the pair much action, but maybe that was for the better. On occasion someone would pop in to use the dispenser, but all were aggressively spychecked and herded on their way in confusion by Pyro. The man with the flamethrower seemed very on edge. It didn't help that their last capture took rather a while. The other engineer had managed to build his defense back up, and Medic too was chased away when he came to inform of this and ask assistance. Luckily, RED's own spy was eventually able to do what the BLU one had not. He captured the intelligence and was escorted back to secure it for the win. Excellent, if the Frenchman said so himself; just in time for dinner.
"Nice goin', pardner." The Texan grinned at the agent and gave him a thumbs up.
The Frenchman straightened his suit before glancing at the two guarding the sentry nest. "But of course." He shot the two a knowing smirk, as if seeing through the pair like they were a clear window.
Engie raised his eyebrow at the grin. Why was everyone acting so strange? It was like he and Pyro were...a couple? Scout calling them lovebugs and Spy grinning like he knew more than he should. Well, he didn't! "Will ya help me with these?" The Texan turned for his friend and nodded at the constructions that had to be taken down after the long day.
Still shaken, Pyro was hesitant before mumbling an affirmative and moving to help the other. He said nothing past this, and at the dinner table everyone gave him a wide berth on account of his actions during the last stretch of the mission. He hunched over his plate chewing the same hunk of beef for minutes.
Engineer was following the firebug's movements. He had gotten used to seeing Pyro happy and cheerful, like a child. Now, however, he was quiet and depressed like his world had suddenly collapsed. The Texan didn't know how right he was to the truth. He even tried to joke around to make the taller man feel better but all he got in reply was muffled sighs and weak shrugs. After dinner was over Engie took Pyro to his workshop again. "What's the matter? Why won't you tell me what bothers you?" he asked and offered the notebook so the other man could draw his answer again.
After weighing it in his mind all this time, Pyro thought he knew what to say. No doodles decorated the sentence he showed the man. "Do I...hurt peepul?"
Engie was speechless for a while. What kind of a question was that? Didn't Pyro know what he did every day? Didn't he feel pain himself? The Texan placed his heavy hand onto the firebug's shoulder. "We all do, pardner. You, I, everyone here. That's our job." He talked softly, as if he was talking to a small child.
A pained noise came from Pyro as he curled and squeezed the notebook. Hunching, he quickly explained, "Engie almost died today. It almost hurt. World is melting. Slow. The mayur is gone. Browns evrywhere. No cake. Do I make uthur peepul hurt? Take their preshus from them?" His head was between his knees when he held the writing in front of him.
"Hey, take it easy now...Ah don't like ta see you get hurt, either, but we have the respawn. No matter how much it hurts, we always come back in the end. See? Sure, it can be hard out there, but we'll be t'gether again when the battle is over." He gently laid his hand on the firebug's.
Pyro's head lifted a bit. "I'm not bad?"
"No, of course you're not. You're a great help on the field, ya did great t'day with our doc, remember?" Engineer offered the taller man a warm smile. It felt weird to hear such a question. They weren't exactly good, either. Eighteen men, killing each other each day and stealing what belonged to the other team...no, that was not good. The Texan couldn't think of it as bad or evil, either. It was their job; they got paid for that and no one ever died for real.
A bit of life seemed to stir inside Pyro. "So they don't mind. Deth is play. Even if I can't reech you."
"Well...yeah, Ah suppose you could say that," Engie agreed with a nod. It was a play they were all part of. "Ya feelin' any better now?" he asked then, hoping the answer to be affirmative.
Pyro wasn't quite sure yet. There was one more issue that could make or break his psyche right now, and he was hesitant to ask. "And Delly-Bell. Duz he mind? Duz deth...hurt?"
Engie hesitated for a second or two. "Sometimes...why d'ya need t'ask? Don't you feel pain when you get killed?" he asked back. Pyro should know death hurt; he had experienced it plenty of times, too.
Arms drooping, Pyro was somber again as he shook his head. Engie should have known from their talks how he'd felt about the matter. Well, before. The pen and notebook slipped from his hands. If...if death hurt...how could he be expected to kill? He thought he was being friendly. Playing. He didn't want to hurt. Standing, he swayed over to one of the few windows dotting the shop's walls and clutched his head as he leaned on the frame. His special brain was cracking trying to process this dilemma.
"Ah'm sorry. Ah really am." Engineer looked at the taller man's back as he walked to the window. He wondered what had made the firebug realize all this now and not earlier. It couldn't be the fact that he had almost seen the Texan getting stabbed to death, could it? Engie walked over to the heartbroken man and wrapped his arms carefully around the guy in the flame suit. "It ain't your fault, pardner. We all do that. We're paid ta do that." he muttered, wishing Pyro wouldn't look so desperate.
Pyro reacted oddly stiffly to being hugged. Affection...it was all he'd known, but based on what Engineer had told him it was a lie..! No, he couldn't be that bad. But thinking back on every person he'd lit, hit or otherwise, the images began to swirl. Each swing had hurt. Each moment someone's precious taken. No...NO...good...bad...but he was...he was..!
A snap somewhere in Pyro's subconscious as he was forced to conclude: BAD. His head tilted as a low chuckle started. He was bad. Always had been. And if he was bad, he'd better start acting it, right? And first thing to stop doing was this damned hugging. Pyro stood tall and moved his arms in a special motion, ending in a downward slam that sent a wave of flame around him in a ring. He'd never known why, but certain motions seemed to summon his fire friends. But these flames weren't like the others. They were the raw, fearsome ones he'd seen in the darkness while his world still fluxed. Well now there was only darkness! He saw another swirl as a new floating companion materialized: this one like a small round-headed ghost with demon horns and wings.
"Py... Pyro..!?" The Texan stepped back and raised his hands to protect his face from the infernal heat. "What're you doing?! Stop it!" he shouted, not understanding what it was all about. His workshop was on fire, he saw how some of the papers caught the flame. "Pyro, calm down! Don't do this!" He started to reach for the papers in order to save them but the fire was too hot. His hand would burn if he got any closer.
Excited by the torrid flames beginning to lick at the tabletops, a proper laugh escaped Pyro. This was what he did, right?! This was the way he was supposed to be! He turned his head and caught sight of a can of greasepaint. One of the many colors that seemed to float about the base. Eagerly he tore the lid off and thrust his hand inside. Then messily, he sloshed his hand over the biggest stretch of wall in immediate reach. When he was finished it read quite aggressively, "PYRO BAD". Lastly, he geared up for a more forwardly directional flame attack. His new mental companion, introducing himself as Demon Balloonilord, clapped him on and giggled with devilish glee.
"PYRO!" the Texan yelled, watching hopelessly how the man and the tiny demon terrorized his workshop. His precious blueprints. Months of hard work, all going to vanish. No, he couldn't allow that! He had to save the papers, no matter what. The heat was making it hard to breathe and the flames were making the small space unbearable. Still, Engineer couldn't let it all burn away. With a pained grunt he dashed forward to save what he could. He gathered his precious plans and drawings into his arms and was ready to dash out of the room when his overalls caught fire. "No..! No, no no no!" He squeezed the valuable papers into his chest, trying to put himself out but the flames were already eating his clothes and skin. He had plenty of chemicals in the small room and that mixed together with the smoke made his head dizzy. He couldn't breathe. He fell to his knees, gasping and coughing until he ended up on the floor without another sound.
Pyro didn't notice. He was noticing instead how his paint-slathered hand had caught alight during his fireball. This...looked very cool. Calmly, he exited the workshop, trailing his burning hand in little patterns against the wall as he went. He continued to do this when he closed the gap between the workshop and the outer walls of the main base. The base was cement so it wouldn't be engulfed, but that didn't stop the man from drawing in flame upon it. A skull. A dagger. A broken heart. Into the evening he walked, leaving a trail of eerie light behind him.
"What's goin' on-holy crap!" Scout shut his own mouth with his hands as he watched the man walk down the corridor with his hand on fire. Thank God he didn't notice the runner. He smelled smoke and soon skittered towards Engie's room. The door was open and when the youngster peeked in the workshop was in flames. Engineer was nowhere to be seen. "Fire, fire, fire!" he screamed, dashing down the corridor to alarm his fellow mercs.
In no time the team, at first grousing at being disturbed as they settled in, realized the gravity of the goings-on. The alarm was further raised, one to the other, and counteractive measurements were taken to extinguish the several flaming areas. Buckets were thrown and extinguishers were sprayed. Eventually Engie's workshop was saved, but the smoke hadn't cleared, and no one wanted to follow Pyro to clean up as he went. Scout's mouth was running in a panic now that he wasn't in the firestarter's sights. "I don't know what's happening here you guys! Has anybody seen Engie? Did that freak-o kill him? Did he respawn? Oh man, there's just...FIRE everywhere! I just-a gah-crapcrapcrapcrap!"
"Haven't seen him anywhere," Sniper replied, wiping his sweaty forehead after the scene was finally over. It was funny; he had always assumed Spy would be the one causing a fire with his never-stopping smoking. One night he was going to fall asleep with a cigarette still in his mouth.
"Ey, look at this, lads!" Demoman called his teammates and dragged Engie's burnt body out of the room. He coughed since the smoke hadn't vanished yet and dropped the Texan's body on his room's floor. They stared. So Pyro had killed him, after all.
"Does respawn work outside zhe battle?" Spy asked, his voice quieter than usual.
"I-It did for me last week," Scout reminded shakily, "At dinner, remembah? Heavy plowed my head through the wall. It just doesn't work if we leave base property...yeah? I mean friendly fire's on, but...yeah?" A murmur ran through the room as the general consensus was that that sounded about right.
A curious sound from Heavy as he noticed something scorched into the wall. "Hm? What's dis?" He smudged away some excess marks and put on his glasses from a pocket. "Pyro...bad?"
Scout flipped out again, arms contorting wildly before he confronted Engie's corpse with, "What did you DO?!"
"Ah didn't do a damn thing, boy!" came the Texan's overwrought voice from the doorway. When the men turned around they saw their faithful teammate looking back at them with a deep frown on his face. "Ah dunno what the hell's the matter with Pyro but Ah didn't do anythin'! He started askin' about killin' and pain and Ah gave him a goddamn answer! Now look what he did to my workshop!" He gestured at the ruined room that was not only burnt, but now wet as well. He was angry to no end and just one word from Scout and he'd kick the rabbit to respawn instead.
"Och!" The demolition expert couldn't believe his ears. "Ya don't go talkin' to that...thing aboot anything with real graviteh," he burst, "His head's a bloody minefield, somethin' Ah happen to be damned good at spottin', Ah might add."
"Still," Medic glanced a hand over one of the scorch marks thoughtfully, "It is quite fascinating. Such a delicate psyche. So like a child's sometimes. I vould not be surprised if you triggered somezhing while poking around in zhere." A wistful sigh. "Ah, you must have learned some extraordinary, terrible zhings..." A flash of sinister excitement came and went in his eye. The mercs closest to him took a wary step back.
"Well excuse me, but Ah'm an honest man! He asked and Ah answered! How was Ah supposed ta know he'd go rampagin' all around the base like that? Now, would you be so kind and get the hell outta mah room!" He snarled and glared at each of the men who passed him at the door. Once the last one had left he slammed the door closed. He walked to his window and opened it to let the smoke out. He didn't feel like suffocating again. How could Pyro do such a thing? He just didn't understand what had gone wrong. So what if he was child-like, you couldn't lie to a child about anything as serious as killing and hurting. The firebug had the right to know the truth instead of keep living in a lie. Now the man had disappeared into thin air.
Well, that part wasn't quite true. The rest of the team had only to look up the trail of slowly dying fire scribbles to the water tower a bit off in the distance. There upon emblazoned was the biggest sad face any of them had ever seen. "Th-that'll burn out eventually, right?" Scout's nervous question was met with unsure affirmatives. They still weren't sure any of them wanted to approach the only thing that scared them unanimously. Not in this state.
"Oi can snipe him down," the Aussie suggested. He wasn't serious, of course, but Spy caught the bait anyway. "Weezh your aim we all would drown," the Frenchman snorted and rolled his eyes. The bullet would only hit the water tower and cause a hole in it.
"I ain't gonna shoot him with a bloody rocket!" the gunman snapped back and in no time the two were in the middle of an argument. The rest of the team ignored them.
"Who should go?" Heavy asked, hoping nobody was going to suggest him. Just climbing all the way up there would definitely cause him a heart attack.
"Not me." Demo volunteered not to go.
Soldier looked at the tower quizzically with a hand to his chin, Sniper giving him ideas, but Medic gently lowered his thinking hand as he tutted no to the man.
Catching himself being one of the last left to deny going, Scout flustered, "Not me! Uh-uh, no DAMNED way in Hell!"
Medic now clucked in general, "You are all coward svine! Or idiots!" A special glare was tossed Soldier's way. "If no one else, zhen I shall subdue him!" The speech was half genuine irritation, half self-psyching. It wasn't his ideal outing, but he really wasn't fond of dithering around.
"Is too dangerous for Doktor! Scout go!" the Russian disagreed and pushed the boy to the ladder. No way was he going to let Medic go up there alone; Pyro was dangerous enough and now he was having a mental breakdown. Nope, the German was going to stay safe and sound on the ground while Scout risked his life. That sounded like a good plan.
"Aw jeez..." Scout clung to the ladder he was thrust onto. Looking down he could see the glowering Russian blocking both his descent and Medic from doing the opposite. Looking up he could see Pyro scribbling madly in the dull glow of his giant frowny face. Death either way. With a gulp, yet still maintaining his squirrel-like grace, Scout climbed fast and silently. Once the lip was reached he began a chant of his favorite curse, having no clue what he was going to do here. "Crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap..!"
Pyro turned sharply as he was approached. Scout froze. At least the freak looked unarmed. "Uh...hi there," he tried, "Um, we kinda noticed you goin' a little screw-loose, and...uh, were wonderin' if maybe you could stop? Please?" His darting fearful eyes snagged on some of the scorched scribbles Pyro had been working at. His distraction only lasted for the duration of a short debate Pyro appeared to be having with no one, however, before he found a flare gun right between his eyes. A second later he was backflipped right off the tower. He landed with a sickening crunch and laid a smoldering heap as his scream was cut short. With his last breath, a flaming finger pointed as he said, "Dude...we gotta get Engie up there..."
"I do not theenk he wants to see zhat zhing right now," the Frenchman notified. Pyro had destroyed his workshop and almost his whole room. The Texan was without a doubt upset with the firebug about the whole mess. With reason, too.
"Nonsense! Boy, get Engie here right now!" Soldier commanded and before anyone managed to say anything about it he shot the rabbit in the head with his shotgun. "There. Now we wait!" he informed and cleaned his hands by clapping them together. The kid would respawn again soon enough and then get Engineer out there with him.
"That fuckin' Soldier!" Scout kicked and punched the air after he regained consciousness, "I was already dead! Fuck fuck CRAP!" The last thing he'd expected was a gun blast exploding in his brain as he drifted off into Dead Land. Damn it, why did HE have to do everything?! Rubbing his arms in a mixture of irritation and nervousness, Scout made his way to Engie's workshop. Once there however, his bite seemed to drain. Again he had no idea what to do here.
"Uh...hey." He ended up using the same tactic he'd used on Pyro. "If you don't mind, we really kinda need you to go up the water tower...see there's these sribblies that kinda make me think no one else is gonna stand a chance tryin'..."
"Ah don't care, kid," was the cold answer from the ruined workshop. He was not interested in their problem, especially if it had anything to do with Pyro. He had tried to be nice, he had tried to show he cared. What had he gotten back? The guy had killed him and destroyed pretty much everything he cared about. So much for love or 'Delly-Bells'; the firebug was on his own now. "Ah'm busy here. Either you'll make yourself useful or get the heck out of here." He dismissed the boy.
Scout's lower eyelid twitched. His nose and mouth scrunched into the tightest sourpuss imaginable. Ok, that was it. No more pushing Scout around. He stormed at the man and took him roughly by the scruff. "Look, you!" he shouted, "Tonight has been TERRIFYING! I have been spooked, bullied, used as an errand boy, disregarded and killed TWICE! I am NOT about to let some lovesick mental deficient run rampant on my ass, just because you won't go read his fuckin' mental love letters!" He let go and hunched; panting, shaking. MAN he had not been that angry in a while!
"Well excuse me, boy! Ah was burnt ta dead, mah workshop is ruined and all of my blueprints and plans have disappeared into thin air! Whatever he's doin' it's none of my damn business!" Engineer growled back with a furious look in his eyes. What a crybaby Scout was. He had had one bad night and yet that was nothing compared to what the Texan had been through. He pushed the rabbit aside and stomped out of the room. "Ah don't want ta see him. He should know that too. Where is he?" he asked, apparently heading to find Pyro anyway. The sooner it was done the better. At least then nobody would disturb him.
Scout's hands were thrown up in indignation. "Unbelievable! You're the only one who even knows half of what that freak is thinking, and you're too busy cryin' over..." He was about to kick a pile of soppy blueprints when he caught Engie's question. "Huh?"
"Where is he? And lemme make this clear, you're NOT gonna let me hear one single complaint more or Ah'll send you back there alone." He crossed his arms onto his chest. He needed a beer. No, he needed five of them. After this was over with he would lock himself into his room and stay there 'til the next morning.
Scout appeared to cool down; a slight smirk was pulling at his lips anyway. "Take a guess, clueless." He walked over and thumbed in the direction of the water tower. The sad face burned less vividly but it was still there; in addition, trails of fire poured from the rail around the reservoir as Pyro clearly rained flares at the group below him. Some were retaliating. "Look, I don't care if you even look at the stupid smudges; just take some motivation from my expert negotiation skills and go save our asses, yeah?"
With a low grumble the Texan turned for the water tower. He swore that if the other one dared to harm him there would be Hell on the loose. He was not a fan of dying, especially by someone he had held so dear.
"Finally!" Demoman looked relieved when he noticed Engineer walking towards them. Without saying a single word the short Texan passed the group of cowards and started climbing up. He was done playing games. If Pyro wasn't going to come done with his first he wouldn't try again. He didn't even know why he bothered.
He would find the other man shaking his worthless flare gun as it ran out of ammo. The firestarter tossed the thing from him and jittered, beginning a terse pacing while talking to an unseen presence over his shoulder. The fun in this new way of acting had been somewhat short-lived, and now that it was clearing he wasn't quite sure what he was feeling. But this was right. Of course it was. Bad actions to reflect a bad person.
"Pyro," Engineer said dryly. He wasn't afraid of the creature, he was far too angry to feel anything else. "When will you stop this madness? Ah liked you more when you were happy and good." he started. The firebug was free to kill him whenever he wanted, what did he care? Just another reason not to have anything to do with the guy in the flame suit. "Come down, ya need some sleep." He nodded at the ladder leading back to the ground.
Pyro faced him with a gasp, pulling an axe from seemingly nowhere and holding it defensively, but as soon as he saw who it was he cringed backwards like a kicked dog. He looked anywhere but at the person in front of him as he shook his head and made pathetic mumbles. He gestured at one of the brief messages madly coating the tower's surface. "NOT GOOD". Smooshed so close to it they were impossible not to see as well were similar expressions of desperation and anguish. It was impossible to know where they started and stopped they ran into each other so haphazardly. To most the soot and grease would be quite unnerving, actually.
Engie barely glanced at the messages. In the state he was in it was impossible to feel sorry for anyone but himself. "It's okay. Ah'm here. Ah'm okay again. C'mon, let's go back down and everything's gonna be alright again." He tried to make his voice sound as friendly as he could. It wasn't an easy task but the sooner Pyro was on solid ground again the sooner he could return back to his room to sulk. The Texan reached his hand for the firebug.
Pyro cringed further back. He couldn't touch that hand. Not when he was clearly so horrible. Not when Engie was his polar opposite. Demon Ballonilord whispered into his ear. Now was his best chance..! The angel before him had no clue; summon the fire now and finish him! But somewhere inside him something squeaked that burning your teammates was the worst, and especially if you loved them. Between Pyro's automatic retreat and the couple of half-hearted swats he took at the invisible being beside him, he didn't notice when he got too close to the railing "Uh?" This was all he could get out before he fell over backwards and found himself awkwardly dangling by an arm and a leg. Cheers from below as this was regarded as some sort of partial victory.
The sight would have shocked Engineer two hours ago. Now, however, he calmly walked over to the taller man and knelt in front of him. "If Ah'll help you out, do you promise ta follow us back nicely? Or would ya rather have Sniper shootin' ya down and wakin' up in the respawn in a moment?" the Texan asked. He wasn't going to help if his help wasn't wanted.
"What the bloody hell's goin' on?" Demo tried to see the things happening as well as he could with just one eye.
Poor Pyro's mind just couldn't take this struggle. He didn't want either option. One he didn't deserve and the other he was afraid of! Just desperate for escape, he started crying. Crying and wiping at his glass eye covers with his free arm like that would have mattered. He was so lost...it should be easy. Pain equaled bad. Pyro equaled pain. So black and white, and yet here he was. And he had ended up hated.
"C'mon, Ah don't have all night..." Engie knelt down and pulled the other man up. He wasn't going to let the firebug fall. Once Pyro was safe again the Texan turned to return back to the ladder. "If you're gonna stay here for long, don't destroy anythin'. If you're already tired of this game, then follow me and we'll go back to the base." He listed the options and started walking towards the ladder, letting the taller man make his decision. He had done enough.
Continued desperation winning over, Pyro scrambled fast as he could to get out of there. He motored down the ladder and past the confused mercs at the bottom. He didn't stop fleeing until he reached his own room; there he promptly curled up on top of his bed and yanked the teddy bear from his bandolier. He stared at it for a moment before crushing it in his arms, drifting to sleep amidst his dissipating sniffs as Demon Balloonilord chastised.
"Was Pyro...crying?" Heavy pointed after the running defused threat. Soldier responded cheerfully, "You better believe it; that's the way to do it, private! Send 'em running in shame!" The adulation was directed at the descending victor.
Engineer kept his eyes in his feet. Not even an apology. He had gotten nothing from the firestarter. He shouldn't have been so shocked about it, what else had he expected? He was not going to get near the awful creature again. Who knew when he was going to have another breakdown? The Texan said nothing as they walked back to the base. He wasn't in the mood to talk. His room smelled of smoke when he finally reached it. He closed the door before anyone could even try to say anything to him. Not tonight. He didn't want to talk or see anyone tonight. He didn't even bother undressing before falling onto his bed with a tired groan.