Note: Holy shit, an update! Medic centric.
Pairings: None.
Disclaimer: I do not own Team Fortress 2 or the characters/world therein.
VIGIL
There are few things that demonstrate the equality of man quite like medicine. Biology doesn't care if a man is tall or short, fat or thin, old or young. It's going to do what it does and medicine will have a reaction to it no matter what. Color and creed meant nothing to medicinal science and was as unimportant to the man who practiced said science for Reliable Excavation Demolition. The Medic would heal his team mates no matter which one it was- though there were quite a few days where he had many reasons to not want to. For any of them. He would anyway, though. Except for the few times when he let them die so they could learn a little humility. It was only a few times. Not nearly as many as they deserved.
On the field, it was difficult to tell just who needed what. The Soldier only actually said anything when he was near-dead because of his insistence that he didn't need the help of Nazis- despite the fact that the doctor had never been a Nazi. They were, after all, too shortsighted in their experiments and, really, only working on one type of person? How narrow minded. Jewish people and non-Jewish people were the same and both were perfect subjects as far as the Medic was concerned. He was an equal opportunity man of science.
The Scout, on the other hand, was likely to whine for help from a paper cut. He was too hyper and often ran out into danger, only to come limping back pitifully a moment later and looking for help. For someone who spent most of his time trying to prove how tough he was, the lad really was a baby. If he wasn't calling out for healing, he was crying for a dispenser. Those times had made the child somewhat like the boy who called wolf; it took a while for the Medic to be able to gauge the pitch and urgency in the boy's cries to know whether he really needed help or if he simply had a boo-boo he wanted treated.
The rest of the team were hit or miss; it really depended on if they were being stubborn or proud or single minded or if they didn't have enough going on to distract them from the pains of battle. It took a careful eye to determine where his help was most needed- even if getting there was more often than not a pain in the ass. The other team was not made completely of dummkopfs; they knew very well that a lone Medic was not the most threatening thing and that keeping him alive meant he'd be able to heal their enemies. He was a favored target; especially of the enemy Sniper. Still, it was the Medic's job to keep his team alive to the best of his abilities and, even if he did lose his license to practice after that little incident with the skeleton, it was his duty as a doctor.
Off the field of battle was no better for the German. In fact, he would sometimes call it worse. The up side of not having people trying to kill him was outweighed by the lack of working medigun or respawn. It made any injuries his team mates received one days off or after battles more serious and it took more to deal with them. He was the only one on the team who never truly had time off.
The others could all sit back and enjoy their time away from the field of battle if they chose to, but the Medic was on call always. He was watching over his team all hours of the day, all days. He had to. He was the only one who could. Sometimes, he was annoyed by that fact and by the complete lack of gratitude that came with his job, but he was usually alright. He may have been psychotic and unethical at times as well as a sadist- which he really didn't try to hide- but he was still a doctor and his team had, in their own ways, worked their ways onto his list of people he'd rather see alive than dead- even if it was only so he could watch them squirm on his examination table. Thankless job or no, potential dangers or no, dealing with the proud, the youthful and the annoying or no, the Medic knew that he would keep his vigil over the team and make sure they would be healthy and ready to fight when the time came. It was a duty he was proud of and would not trade for the world.