Sniper tipped his head back and laughed. 'Surprised you know anything about penguins. But most animals that live in groups in a cold place stay together for warmth.' It seemed like Spy had started to say that sarcastically but his expression had fallen. Maybe he was afraid he actually would have to cuddle up close for the night.
Of course Spy knew things about penguins! They were fascinating birds. Everyone thought so, right? There was nothing wrong with a spy liking penguins. Everyone likes penguins.
'Ever seen penguins before?' Sniper tried to change the subject for Spy, to keep the any uncomfortable silences down to a minimum. He was used to being in silence, even with other people, but there was already some odd awkwardness between him and Spy. It'd be easier to keep things friendly if they could just talk, even about nothing.
'Well of course I've seen a penguin before!' Spy said. Admittedly though, only in zoos. And there was nothing wrong with a spy going for a day out at the zoo. Everyone likes zoos.
Spy pulled Sniper's shirt closer around his shoulders as a cold gust swept in through a gap in the window. He hadn't buttoned the shirt up, that felt too...presumptuous? Like he was accepting the shirt too easily and acting like it was natural for him to be wearing it.
His huddling up comment had been a joke, but when he took a moment to think about it, sharing body heat might be a necessity tonight. They might actually have to do their best penguin impersonations.
He wasn't going to be the first person to bring the suggestion back up again though. Hopefully.
'You didn't bring any water up with you, did you?' Spy asked. He wished he'd grabbed those glasses back in the workshop now, and brought that damn bandana with him. He was having to resort to scratching dry flakes of blood away.
'Nah, I wasn't sure I could climb a ladder carrying you and a cup of water,' Sniper sounded almost teasing. 'I can go get some now, if you want,' he offered, standing. He wished he'd brought a canteen he could have filled.
He had planned on telling Spy about the fairy penguins that you could see living wild on Australia's coast, but the Frenchman seemed embarrassed that he'd even brought up the birds.
Had that been a hint at a...sense of humour? Spy must still be more dehydrated than he realised; there was no way that the RED Sniper could have a sense of humour. That just wasn't right.
'That...would be appreciated,' Spy admitted when Sniper made the offer to fetch him some water. He would rather go himself but he suddenly had the image of himself getting halfway down the ladder before swooning dramatically (and pathetically) into the Sniper's arms. Spy was feeling a lot better now, but he would rather swallow his pride and accept a little more help from Sniper than try and prove that he was perfectly fine now thank you very much, and end up needing a lot more of it.
'Alright, stay quiet,' Sniper slid the ladder back down and climbed down to the main floor of the grainery. He had a momentary pause when he was at the base of the ladder, looking back up at the dark safety of their little hideout. It wouldn't be hard for Spy to pull the ladder back up and make it impossible for him to get back into the attic.
No. He had to trust that Spy would continue to be his ally. That was all he could do.
It didn't take Sniper long to get back to the sink and fill the cup they'd left there with water, wetting the bandana Spy had left behind. He drank his fill first, before refilling it, knowing it would be difficult to carry more than one cup and Spy ought to have a full glass if he could keep it down.
Hesitating for a moment, he listened for robots before heading back. They were still far enough away that he felt safe.
One minute and thirty seconds passed before Spy started worrying. This was it, wasn't it? The Sniper had upped and left him. Abandoned him. He'd grown tired of Spy's awful company and decided that he was just going to risk it and go back to his base. Leaving Spy alone. Up here in the dark. In the cold. All night.
Spy hated being left alone. He'd happily seek out solitude when he needed it- and with eight other rowdy mercs on his team, he needed it often-but he hated people abandoning him. It had happened to him so often.
'Stay here, kid, stay quiet.' A man's voice. His father? Things were too muddled back then, too many people coming or going for him to know for sure. Someone he thought loved him anyway. Someone he'd trusted.
That had been in an attic too, but in a house. He remembered the musty, dusty smell. The tattered, sun-bleached curtains with their repeating flower pattern. The trunk in the corner. The piles of newspapers. The cobwebs across the beams.
The man had never come back for him. No one had. How long had he stayed up there all alone, perfectly silent?
Hours?
Days?
He couldn't remember.
And now the Sniper had abandoned him too.
After another few minutes, Spy heard Sniper's boots on the floor, then the ladder. The man's hat appeared first, and then he put the awkward-to-hold full cup of water on the floor, getting off the ladder and pulling it up after himself.
He'd come back. The Sniper had come back. Of course. Of course he'd come back. He always was going to. Spy had known that. Hadn't he?
Spy looked paler than he had before, Sniper thought. Once the ladder was dealt with, he handed Spy the water and waited for him to finish, the wet bandana in his hands for Spy to be ready for it. Spy seemed like he ought to be better, he certainly wasn't bleeding anymore and he hadn't been moving about. Why did he look like he'd seen a ghost?
'Thank you,' Spy said gratefully, taking the cup. Only one. He was thirsty but made sure not to drain the whole thing. Sniper might want some too, or Spy might want it later. Better to be safe than sorry.
'Thought for a minute you weren't coming back,' Spy admitted. Again, he'd aimed for a jokey tone but he stumbled over the words, ruining the effect.
To cover up his slip he accepted the bandana with another, 'Thank you.'
He stared down at it in his hands, feeling at a loss.
Sniper had come back.
Despite all the awful things he'd said to the man. Despite all the awful things he'd done. Despite all the bad blood between them.
The RED Sniper had come back.
Sniper sank down against the wall and stretched out his long legs with a groan. Spy was just holding the bandana and staring at it. Was he in shock? That was new. He'd never expected this from someone who could backstab someone and laugh.
Gently, Sniper took the damp bandana and began to wipe away the dried brown flakes of blood wherever he saw them. Hopefully Spy wouldn't take offense at him being forward like this, but it had to be uncomfortable. It reminded Sniper of the first few battles with Scout. He'd talked a big game but had frozen up several times. Still, it was expected with someone like Scout; he was young and inexperienced. Spy was neither of those things.
Spy let the Sniper take the bandana off him, then froze, not moving, not breathing, while the Sniper ran it across his forehead and along his jaw. He hissed in a breath when it touched his neck, the sensation dragging him back to reality. With fumbling fingers he tugged the bandana out the Sniper's grip, ignoring the way his cold hand brushed against the Sniper's warm one.
'I'm fine,' he said. 'I can do this myself. I'm not some invalid.' Spy was trying to convince himself of that as much as the Sniper. The comment came out snappy and flustered and Spy hated it. He was a professional spy. He should be acting professionally. And that included being polite to the enemy. Even if that one hadn't always featured that highly on his list of priorities when it came to his interactions with the RED Sniper.
Not looking at the Sniper, he turned away and pulled the shirt free from his side to clean away the worst of what blood there was left. There was still some stuck to his leg, he could feel it, but he wasn't about to shove the Sniper's bandana down his trousers. That would just be taking liberties, that would.
'I know.' Sniper wasn't sure what else to say. He wasn't sure if he should apologize or not. Why was this so difficult?
He turned to keep watch out the window while Spy cleaned himself up. It seemed like the appropriate thing to do. It didn't help that Sniper felt like he had very little experience with people and Spy was, well, particular. At least, Sniper thought so. Most people had different standards to Sniper, but Spy seemed to be on the other end of the spectrum.
There was nothing to see out the window but Sniper kept up the illusion anyway. The sky was almost black now and it was quiet outside, quiet enough to hear coyotes in the distance. Thankfully the robots were not quiet, and in the dark their eyes would be a dead giveaway. He wasn't worried about their safety… at least not from the robots. He might have to keep an eye out for Spy.
It was getting late. Spy stifled a yawn. He was tired. He always seemed to be tired these days. 'Do you think we'll be fighting again tomorrow?' He couldn't tell if the other mercs had wiped out enough of the bots for them to need a few days to amass again, or if there was a carrier looming off in the horizon, waiting to pour out a new batch tomorrow morning.
That's what he hated about fighting the robots. You never knew if you were in for one wave, two, five, or none at all. It kept him and the BLUs on edge at all times. There were never guaranteed any downtime anymore. Spy wondered if it was the same for the REDs. Must be.
'Want me to keep watch while you sleep?' Sniper asked, voice soft. He wasn't sure Spy would be able to sleep with someone else there now that he was feeling a bit better, but he also had never expected to see the man's unmasked face either. Today was just full of surprises.
He was tired, but it was hard to want to sleep on a battleground. His feet ached, his head hurt where his sunglasses dug into the bridge of his nose and just behind his ears, his knuckles and palms were scraped and bloodied. The two bruises he carried most often -the rifle-kick bruise against his shoulder and the bruised thumbnail from his rifle's breech bolt had gone from a steady ache to a throb.
Taking off his sunglasses and tucking them onto the band of his hat, Sniper rubbed his eyes and temples briefly.
Sleep. That sounded nice. Spy was tempted to take the offer. It had better be a short shift though, considering that the Sniper didn't look much better. He hadn't even realised until now. Hadn't given the Sniper's current well-being a moment's thought.
This was one of the first times he'd ever seen the Sniper without his glasses. Spy had made a game of trying to knock them off his face in the past, just to annoy him really. Now he could see the shadows under the Sniper's eyes.
'You know, I think we can risk not having someone on watch. We already know no one is going to come looking for us, and the robots are gone. Even if they come back, we are well hidden and hard to get to. Besides, I'm a light sleeper. If there's any movement in the room below it's likely to wake me up.'
Sniper nodded, propping himself up against the wall by the window and putting his hat and rifle down on the floor next to himself. Leaning his head back against the wall, he closed his eyes. His skin prickled a bit with paranoia -closing his eyes around a Spy was certainly new- but he was exhausted. He knew he could sleep.
Spy looked around the attic. For some of reason it didn't come with a nice, convenient bed. Just hard, dusty wooden boards. He leant back against the same wall as the Sniper but a little further along. He pulled the Sniper's shirt closer around himself. It really was cold now. Spy knew he'd be able to fall asleep, but he also knew from experience that he'd keep on waking up throughout the night and that tomorrow morning he'd be horrible stiff and achy from sleeping like this.
He fell asleep worrying about it. As predicted he woke up several times. He checked on the Sniper when he did. Though he wasn't sure what he was looking out for anymore. Certainly not him looming over a sleeping Spy, kukri drawn. Not anymore.