(("The next chapter should be out this evening or tomorrow" I said before taking SIX YEARS to update! jfc.

OK WOW where do I begin. Hi, it's me Kizza, the author of this silly little fanfic! Golly I haven't used that name in years. I also haven't logged in to this account in forever so let me give you a quick warning and a quick life update before I probably disappear from this account Forever:™:

Since I published the first chapter of this fanfiction, I started and graduated college with honors, I started work in an industry I really enjoy, and I'm enjoying my life! I've had a good few ups and downs, but I'm alive. And, surprisingly, I'm happy about it! I'm not a teenager who never thought they'd make it past 17- let alone to make it all the way to 26! It's left me in a weird daze of not knowing what to do… but I'm sure a lot of people feel that way.

I hope you, my readers, are doing wonderfully :) Thank you for all your support throughout the years and for the people who have continued to bookmark this story. It was my VERY POORLY MADE entry into writing anything, but I'm so glad I started it! I'm writing my own original novels now and trying to get published! Fingers crossed, haha?

Now as a warning: This story has a lot of writing choices That I feel kind of Yucko about now that I'm not, like, 17 anymore? I was using it as a way to vent some bad life events that were happening to me at the time but WHATEVER. You've made it to chapter 28. You know what this fic has in it. I'll put a note in the fic where I picked up writing Today (nearly a decade after I started it LOL), so please bear with me if the writing style suddenly changes or I forget a detail! If I sit down and re-read through the whole thing, I'll lose motivation to finish it.

If you want to keep up with my work or see what I'm doing these days, please send me a PM through my profile and I'll give you my new social media links :)

Have a great evening! Thanks for all your love and support over the years!))


A faint sound suddenly caught the man's attention from over the carnage of robot parts and gunfire around him. The sniper hefted his Sydney Sleeper and took aim, but quickly threw it to the ground in favor of his kukri upon realizing he was out of ammo.

"Did you hear that?" He kicked a robot carcass away, dislodging his knife from its shoulder. Soldier could only manage a grunt in response. He ran out of rockets a while ago, and a shovel was not exactly the easiest weapon to kill machines with.

Clarence tried to listen harder over the sounds around him, but he already knew what the noise was. He could never mistake her voice, "That was Mich!" the Australian looked to the other with a worried expression as he dodged the swing of a metallic fist.

"Are you sure about that, private?!" The man's voice didn't exactly sound skeptical, but to say he believed Sniper would be a stretch.

"Yes!" He ducked under an incoming bot and began weaving his way through the assaulting mob, "I'd know that voice anywhere!" And it was true. Once he focused and tuned out the droning machinery around him, he could hear her cries clearly. He was ecstatic and terrified all at once. She was here- she was within ear shot! She was distressed and in pain… The man gripped the leather strap which had held his weapons to his back, now only feeling his huntsman and quiver thumping against his spine with each move he made. A few arrows slipped from their holster as he maneuvered through the hoard, but there was no time to go back for them. He caught a glance of his temporary comrade as he neared the edge of the seemingly endless hoard of robots; the American was holding his own well enough. Leaving Soldier in favor of Mich was the right thing to do.

The aussie ran further into the warehouse, the sounds of battle growing more and more distant. A left- no, a right- no- Mich's echoed voice was so distinguishable over all the noise, but how the hell was he supposed to find her?! Clarence stopped dead in his tracks and cupped his hands to his ears. The sound of his blood rushing through his ears nearly overpowered her cries, but she was still distinct. He bolted through a doorway leading to a stairwell, his love's cries ringing off the concrete walls.

Clarence stopped momentarily to catch his breath on the next floor. The pyro's voice was louder now, so that had to mean he was getting close, right? He looked to the split in his path, one branching hallway going deeper into the building, and the other going to the warehouse's loading bay. Whichever way was louder was the correct one, so he listened… and he listened… and… no, that… that couldn't be right. Sniper closed his eyes and stilled his breaths trying his best to hear… but… It was silent.

The distant sounds of Soldier's ongoing battle still hummed and rumbled the floor beneath his feet, but he could no longer hear Mich's voice.

W…No, what did that mean?! Shit shit sHIT WHAT DID THAT MEAN? How could he find her now? Sudden silence- did that mean the insane medic had found her?! Well… it was a 50/50 shot to find her like this… He just had to hope that his choice would be the right one. Clarence stepped forward, taking another look to each side before walking to the left and further into the building. It would make sense for him to take her into the labyrinth-like depths of the building, right? Maybe he was just reaching, however –

A noise from behind the man caught his attention, causing the sniper to turn on his heel. Strange… he could have sworn he heard something like a spy decloaking… Was it an enemy, or that cowardly BLU showing his face again? Either way… it felt like something was drawing him closer to it. Sniper started off in the direction of the loading bay, hoping to find the BLU Pyro in good repair. His legs moved faster than ever before in his life. Each bounding step carried him further, feeling as though his feet were not touching the ground at some points. A doorway appeared at the end of the long and curving hallway- though he could not for the life of him tell if the distortion in his vision was from the building's architecture or from his own testosterone. Sniper's footfalls slowed as he neared the double-doors that would surely lead him to an upper level in the loading bay. Whatever he found on the other side of the passageway… he would have to stay strong, for her sake.

The man settled his kukri into a belt loop, pulling his huntsman and readying an arrow from his back. He steadied his breath and crouched to the doorway's left, nudging the door open slightly with his boot in hopes of hearing something. There were voices coming from the floor below… no, wait… there was a single voice- the medic talking to someone.

Mich… Clarence swallowed hard, his throat dry as he inched his way silently into the room. He found himself on a small balcony overlooking the rest of the loading bay; it was just a metal floor with railing that led to a set of stairs down to the ground floor. It would be the perfect sniper's nest were it not so open and loud to move on. The RED moved carefully and slowly as Medic monologue to a seemingly unconscious Pyro below him, making sure his crouched steps made as little noise as possible.

((Hi this is the author in 2023 stepping in to finish this story! Writing out accents like this feels so cringey now, but I'll leave in what I outlined for you all at home!))

"You should be safe here vhile I take care of zhose pests," The medic crooned to his 'beloved' being carried in a soldierbot's arms. She was there… battered, scarred, covered in Spy's coat which the medic seemed quite intent on removing from them. The implications of that were not lost on him, but the aussie could not bring himself to dwell on it. The sight before him filled Clarence with a burning rage- far too many 'how's and 'why's flooded his nearly fried brain. All he felt- not love for the girl he came to rescue, not sadness at the spy's evident demise- was pure unadulterated rage.

Without giving a thought to the consequences, shaking hands loosed his first arrow. The bolt made contact directly with the robot's head, missing Medic's ear by mere centimeters.

"OI YA WANKA WHADDYA THINK YOU'RE DOIN'?!" His voice cracked in a panicked fury. How could he have missed such a perfect shot? Even as the robot crumbled and took the BLU to the floor with it, Clarence could not get his hands to stay still.

Medic sighed at the rude interruption. Why couldn't the vermin crawling around leave him be? He turned slowly, looking at the RED with a face filled with irritated consternation. That alone would have been enough to send the sniper into another fury, but oh… The way he next smirked made Clarence see red.

"Vell vell vell!" The German chimed in his sing-songy tone, "Herr Pyro, your Knight is unrein-stained armor is here to take you from me!"

"Shut it!" Sniper barked as he raised his huntsman once more

The medic chuffed, glancing back to Mich. His unbothered demeanor made Clarence's blood boil, "How articulate! Is zhis really zhe man you chose liebe?"

"I said SHUT IT!" The laugh that rang through Sniper's ears was too much for him to handle. Clarence shot another arrow at Medic; his aim was perfect this time, and with the German's hands folded behind his back, this would all end in an instant. At the very least, that was what the Australian's rage filled mind hoped- believed! In an instant, Medic raised his arms in desense, blocking the projectile with the canister of his syringe gun. It shattered with an ear-splintering noise, bringing a look of further annoyance to the man's face. The gun clicked a few times as he attempted to pull the trigger…

"Scheisse-" He cursed to himself before throwing the dysfunctional weapon to the ground with an angered growl, "Zhat iz no matter! You'll be taken care of soon enough!"

The anger filling Sniper's mind nearly clouded his ability to hear what was approaching. From the hallway behind him, the sound of robots tromping closer echoed through the halls.

Shit. He didn't have time to fight off more hoards! Even as he glanced between the door and his lover, he could see the medic already working to gather Pyro into his arms! If he managed to escape from this building with her… No- No! He wouldn't even gratify the thought!

Snarling, he reached behind himself for another arrow. In an instant, everything ran cold… His mind blanched as his fingers groped aimlessly; perhaps he should have turned back when weaving through the earlier hoard of robots for his dropped arrows as, no matter how far back he reached, the sniper found nothing to reload with. He was out.

Clarence growled in frustration as soon as the moment of panic wore off, taking the kukri from his side, "HOW could you say you love someone but treat them like that!?" He shouted, "Hurting her… Taking away the people she loves?!"

"Don't be foolish," Medic balked as he caressed Mich's cheek, "Herr pyro and I have a bond more special zhan your simple brain could ever understand. Izn't zhat right?"

The pyro, though still in and out of consciousness, groggily recoiled from his touch. They tried to speak- to call out to the man on the balcony above… but all that came out was a groan of pain. Medic's attempts at quieting their earlier sobs only managed to leave them with extra bruised and swollen wounds as the anesthesia took root. It took every bit of their willpower to keep their eyes open! They could see their dear Sniper fighting off the robots as they approached, throwing some off the balcony as he dislodged his blade from others' heads. In the distance, they could make out another sound… Yelling? The voice was familiar-

From the back of the robotic army, a shovel made contact with a scoutbot's head and sent it flying. Pyro's heart skipped a beat as the BLU soldier fought his way through the hoard. But… their hope did not last long. Though not overwhelmed to the point of being taken under, there was no way the American would be able to make it to Sniper in time.

There were so many of them… Even Pyro could tell it was a never-ending flow through bleary eyes! If things kept up like this, would Clarence… He would certainly dir, right? Tears welled over their tired eyes, spilling over their cheeks at the thought.

"Now now Herr pyro, zhere is no need to cry," The German smiled sweetly to them as he wiped their tears, "You vill forget about him in no-time!"

"Puh…"

Their tiny voice drew a surprised expression from the medic, "Ja?"

"Puh.. lees? Please?" Their eyes slowly honed on Medic's face, pleading from behind drooping eyelids, "Dohn…. Dhont… Don't kill…"

Medic sighed, "Liebe, you must speak more coherently if you vant me to understand you~" He teased in that crooning tone. What a bastard… He knew better than anyone how hard they were fighting to be able to say this much! Mich was determined to do whatever they could for their lover, though.

"Pl…ease. Let him… go…?"

The other stared down at them for a moment, expression blank. Then, as Pyro had gotten used to seeing during their time as his captive, Medic's eyes turned sharp and cruel as his lips twisted into a gut-wrenching grin. He leaned in close to their face, his lips bareilly centimeters from their own, "I suppose I could call my robots off… on zhe condition zhat you vill never try to escape from me again?"

Their eyes widened, lips quivering. Never…? They would have to endure tier torture with Medic… forever? Their eyes darted back up to Clarence and Soldier, then back to the man before them. Just the thought of it was frightening enough to leave them nauseated! But… if they agreed… Clarence would live. Soldier would live… They thought back to Spy as they glanced at his coat, now discarded to the ground. Losing anyone else would be horrible.

"I.."

"NO, MICH!" Clarence yelled through the combat.

"Hold on, Private!" Soldier's voice was barely audible over the machines surrounding him, "We'll be down there soon!"

His voice was tired from the fight… Entirely not reassuring to the captive…

"I…!"

"Tick tock, herr Pyro," Medic taunted. He took his remote control from his coat pocket, waggling it in their face. "You're running out of time to choose~"

It was just one little word. One tiny yes. It would change their life forever…

But they could live with that.

If it meant the safety of their friend and lover, then they would sacrifice themself a thousand times over. Mich watched for a moment as Clarence fought. In a single misstep, the sniper backed away from a spybot's bat swing too far and stumbled over the balcony railing, barely catching himself on the metal floor. Soldier cried out for him as he pushed his way through the mass of robots, but there was no way he would get there in time! Not without himself succumbing to the enemies flooding his every side!

With a steeling glare, Pyro looked back to the medic, "Fine! Just–"

"AAGH!"

The medic's scream caused them to jump. What on earth…? Their gaze trailed up, following a rather well tailored suit and vest before landing on Spy's masked face. The frenchman chuckled at the other's pain, twirling his dead ringer around his finger by the chain.

Medic turned to face him, somehow not dead from the backstab, but obviously in tremendous pain, "You should be DEAD!"

"Non." Spy retorted as he raised his pistol, "But be sure to tell me how it feels."

The man pulled the trigger with no hesitation. Blood and viscera splattered over Pyro's face and chest, yet they barely flinched. Was… Was this some sort of trick? Medic fell limp to the floor as spy swiftly retrieved his remote control, pressing a few buttons on its front. In an instant, the complex filled with a loud crash that was amplified by the concrete walls as each robot halted in their tracks, falling to the ground.

Soldier took the opportunity to pull Clarence back on solid ground. Far too much was happening at once… Mich's head was spinning! Whether that was from the anesthetics starting to wear off, the gunshot ringing in their ears, or the blood they instinctively wiped from their face remained to be seen. As Spy aided them to their feet, the remaining BLU and RED descended the staircase to their level.

None of it mattered now… Not as they stumbled from Spy's grasp and into Clarence's arms. Not as they held their lover as tightly as their numbed body could! Not as the Aussie kissed them so passionately they felt as though they may combust… It was hotter than any flame they had started, and was likely more incendiary than anything they would muster in the future.

Sniper was reluctant to let them from his grasp, his hands cupping their cheeks, "I won't ask ask if you're alright- I know ya couldn't be…"

He trailed off, tears of his own glossing over his eyes. MIch reached a shaking hand up to one of his own before pulling it down to their lips, kissing his palm, "You came for me…"

"Of course I did!" He sounded exasperated, but not upset, "I'm not a night, but… I'll always come save you."

Mich's cheeks burned. They wanted nothing more than to coil themself around him and never let go; they would be happy to be carried out like a princess rescued from her tower… Being caught in their own little world couldn't last forever, though.

Pyro turned their head to look at Spy, noting the man was staunchly ignoring the couple's tender embrace. Of course they would apologize to him later, but for now there was one question on their mind!

"How did you survive?"

An apologetic look crossed the man's brows, accentuated under the fabric of his mask, "I felt something waz off about zhe sniper… he did not blurt out your name thoughtlessly or even try to embrace you," He tucked a few stray strands of greying hair under his balaclava, "I am glad I had my suspicions. If not for my dead ringer, zhis would have ended very differently."

Ah,,, He was right about that. A look of guilt crossed Clarence's face, but Mich put a hand to his cheek to ease his worry. He did his best- no single one of them could have saved the pyro on their own! All of them had to do this together…

"Thank you," Mich spoke meekly, looking to their teammates and then their lover, "I can't ever make this up to yo-"

"Don't mention it!" Soldier interrupted curtly, patting them hard on the back. An apologetic look of his own crossed his face as Pyro winced, but he continued, "Seriosly. You never need to mention this day again!"

Spy sighed as he lit a cigarette, "Zhat may be better for asll of us, but zhat does leave one question,"

Understanding what he meant, the group all looked down at Medic's cooling corpse. There was no hiding what happened. If the Administrator found out about any of this, all four of them were done for!

"What now?" Clarence spoke, arms wrapped around Mich's shoulders.

In truth, they barely heard him speak. Pyro's eyes drilled into the pooling blood. Everything he had done to them- every strike and cut and torture they endured under him… the taunting, the gaslighting, the disgustingacts of his sick and twisted desire to have them… He deserved a worse death.

"Leave him to rot."

They spoke with such gravity it was frightening… After a long moment, however, the American to their left laughed before ruffling their fiery hair. Pyro looked up to him with exhausted eyes, finding not only Soldier, but Spy and Sniper all smiling at them.

They were safe… They were free! More than anything, they needed to rest. Almost as if on cue, Mich's legs gave out, sending them crashing into Clarence's chest.

Ha laughed faintly as he brushed the hair from their eyes, looking at them with such tender affection they were sure they would melt, "Let's go home, alright sheila?"

Pyro nodded lazily as they were picked up. It did not take long for them to drift off in his arms… but at this point, they did not feel the need to fight it.

.

.

.

Days passed before the BLU even woke up again. Their teammates seemed worried, sure, but Spy and Soldier made sure to keep everyone away and explain their condition away as a mere accident when testing out new Mann Co. weaponry. Nobody had an explanation for where their Medic ran off to… The leading theory from Scout's wonderfully woven tapestry of an imagination was that he'd found himself a new crush and ran off after them! He does seem obsessive like that, he reasoned. Mich couldn't help but laugh about how right he was…

Being that they were currently down another medic, however, all battles had been temporarily postponed! It gave them enough time to heal after their experience, if not slightly boring…

With so much free time, many members of BLU team left base for whatever outings they liked! Engineer would go out scrounging for new parts to tinker with, Heavy would go window shopping for his newest gin, Spy introduced Scout oh-so reluctantly to one of his smoke lounges, and Pyro?

Of course, as they adored doing on their days off, Pyro made their way to the local farmer's market. They looked down the line of merchants- there were fruit stands for apples and peaches, a stall selling assorted nuts by the pound, but the only thing that caught his eye… was him.

"Morning, Sheila." The Aussie man tipped his hat to them as he strode closer, offering Mich his arm. Though they were back to wearing their mask, Pyro was certain he could see their blush! They linked their arm with his as he took their shopping back without question.

"Shall we?" He hummed.

Mich beamed up at him with a smile that radiated through the most opaque materials, pulling the brim of their sunhat back and away, "Mmhm!"


THE END! Wow we made it! Thank you all for supporting me. I feel like I may cry finally submitting this chapter? I love you all, and I'll miss you! For anyone who doesn't PM for my new socials, this is goodbye :') I hope you have the best life ever!