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Pyro—Angel, really; they hadn't been 'Pyro' in quite a few years now—looked out their living room window. Past the farm, the sun was beginning to rise, pink, gold, and orange ribbons stretching out into the purple sky.
Dell—formerly known as the Engineer—padded into the room with a soft yawn, nursing a cup of freshly-brewed coffee.
"You're up early, darlin'," he remarked, giving them a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for startin' the coffee pot."
Angel beamed. "I'm excited!"
There was a quiet mew followed by their cat trotting into the room. She jumped onto Angel's lap; they picked her up and held her up to Dell.
"See?" They wiggled her gently. She meowed. "Bennie's excited too!"
"She's excited to get her mornin' food, that's what," Dell chuckled, giving the cat a scritch on the chin. "Y'know they won't even be here until around noon, doll." He settled down next to the other. Angel let Bennie go and leaned against their husband.
"I know, I know." Their legs enthusiastically kicked back and forth. "But we haven't seen them in so long!"
"Hmm.. That's true." Dell wrapped an arm around them, taking a sip of his coffee. "Gosh, when is the last time we saw one of 'em? We've been so busy with the farm and all.."
"Umm, I think.." Angel fiddled with the sleeves of their pajama shirt. "I think New Year's last year?"
It was the beginning of summer now, making it about a year and a half since either of them had seen any of their former teammates. But, hey, they still kept in touch through phone calls and letters. Some more than others—Medic and Heavy had been the ones to talk to them most recently; on the other hand, they couldn't recall the last time they received a letter or call from Spy or Sniper (besides the responses to their invitation).
Dell whistled. "It has been a long time, huh?" He ruffled Angel's hair as he stood up, earning a giggle from the other. "I should go feed the kids."
'Kids' of course, was referring to their several dogs and cats. And literal kids—goats!—along with all the other farm animals.
He headed out to the dining room, peeling open several cans of pet food. “Kids!” he shouted, “Breakfast’s ready!”
Nails clicked and quickly scuttered against the floor. Their deaf dog, May, was curled up in her bed next to the couch. Angel gently blew on her to wake her up.
"May," they whispered uselessly, since the other could not hear (but she wagged her tail nonetheless), "go get your breakfast, puppy!"
May was far from a puppy—being a two foot tall fully grown poodle and all—but she had the vigor of one as she raced off to the feeding frenzy.
After about ten sleepy minutes, Dell returned, brandishing a hot cup of tea for his spouse. They clapped excitedly before thanking him and accepting it.
"I'm out to feed the other kids." He brushed their hair back before planting a loving kiss on their forehead. "Everyone else is good; Elton got his joint supplement already. Could you let Callister out in about ten minutes?"
Angel nodded. Sip. "How'd you get him to take it this time?"
He grinned. "I wrapped it in a piece of cheese. May got a little jealous, though."
"She always does!" they giggled. May always wanted to be the center of love and attention; if she saw anyone else get a treat, she went absolutely bonkers.
Speak of the devil and she shall appear.
May trotted into the room, jumping up onto the couch and staring at Angel intently.
"Hi, puppy."
May howled softly in response.
Dell headed out as the dog got comfortable. She rested her head on Angel’s leg as they pet her and looked out the window, watching their husband tend to the animals. After about ten minutes, they got up to let Callister, their herding dog, out as promised. Returning to the couch and seeing how desirably comfy and cozy their dog was, Angel couldn’t help but let out a little yawn. They curled up on the cushions with May in their arms, drifting into a light sleep.
When they woke up, the room was significantly brighter. They yawned and stretched, squinting at the clock. Eight; they had fallen back asleep for almost three hours! They got up (much to May's dismay..heh) to pick out an outfit and gather towels before they headed off to the shower.
Meanwhile, Dell was working on setting up the dining room. Everyone promised to bring something—with Medic and Heavy generously preparing a main course—so the two hosts didn't have to worry about scrambling around to make enough food. Dell cooked up a few side dishes that were staying nice and warm in the oven—until it was time for Angel to make brownies.
He'd had to dig out a few extra tables and chairs and polish them up; being a family of two, him and Angel didn't exactly feel the need for a big dining room setup. But since they were going to be hosting seven others..
He finished setting the second table by the time his spouse was fresh and clean.
They stepped into the kitchen, still towelling off their hair. "Ooh, smells good in here! What'd you make?" Dell grinned, placing a tablecloth on the third table.
"Mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and asparagus. Simple enough that everyone will like it."
"Mac and cheese.. isn't Jeremy lactose intolerant?"
"Eh. He'll live. Or not. Don't really matter to me."
They both burst into giggles. Angel waved their hand as if to say 'oh, you' before helping their husband set the table.
"When do you think you're gonna start the brownies?" Dell asked, placing the last plate down.
"Hmm. A little later; maybe around five? We have ice cream, right?"
"Yep."
"So.. we're all set?"
"Mmhmm." He pressed a kiss to the other's forehead. "Now all we have to do is wait, darlin'."
And so they did. Angel tidied up a little bit before joining Dell (and May) on the couch. They both cuddled up to him as they watched reruns of The Brady Bunch.
At precisely 11:30 AM, the doorbell rang.
Elton began howling and trotting to the door. Callister knew better, and May was deaf.
Dell hopped up first, disturbing his two cuddlebugs that ended up following him to the door. After shooing Elton and their second cat, Jet, away, he opened the door, and two of their former coworkers awaited them on the other side.
“Hello, Conaghers!” Ludwig greeted, throwing his arms out, which Angel copied and pulled him into a hug. Dell was next as Angel moved onto hugging Misha.
After all these years, they still never found out Medic’s first name. They wondered if even Misha knew.
“Hello, Ludwigs,” Dell teased, embracing Misha and taking various pans and bowls from him. "Now y'all didn't have to bring all this! You went above and beyond, huh? Come on in."
"Well," Ludwig began, pushing up his glasses, "first we made the roast, obviously—"
"Shoes off or on?" Misha asked.
"Don't matter. Make yourself at home."
"—then I was worried; what if someone is vegetarian? Misha told me it'd be fine, but a lot could've changed in these years! So I made a lasagna as well, then I thought, 'oh, what if someone's vegan! No cheese!' So I made some pasta too."
"I hope everyone eats all this," Dell said, patting the tinfoil-covered stack of pans as he carried them to the kitchen. "If not, at least we'll have leftovers for a while."
Ludwig grinned, taking in his surroundings. "So we're the first ones here?"
"Yep. Y'all are a little early actually; didn't expect anyone to be here until around twelve-thirty or so."
"Early bird gets worm," Misha said. He followed his husband's gaze. "Like what you've done with the place."
"Aw, it was mostly them." He gestured to Angel, who was putting the food in the oven. "They've got a real knack for interior design. Who would've known?"
"Oh, stop," Angel giggled. Just like an old married couple.
"Very nice. Ludwig likes to decorate too. But with human remains."
"Bones!" Ludwig laughed nervously, "Mostly bones! Which I obtained legally and humanely!"
Dell raised an eyebrow. "Mostly?"
"Oh, nevermind that! Show us around, give us the grand tour!"
And so they were given the grand tour. Angel introduced them to all their pets first before showing them around the house. Elton took a silent liking to Misha; he followed closely behind and wagged his tail every time Misha looked at him.
Afterwards, the two were led out into the farm. The sheep seemed unbaathered (haha) by their presence, as did the cows and chickens, but one of the two horses apparently disliked Misha in particular. He bared his freaky horse teeth and stomped his hooves, leading Angel and Dell to quickly bring the other two back inside to not agitate the animal further.
At around 12:15, the doorbell rang again.
Dell answered, and the person on the other side saluted in greeting.
He chuckled. "At ease, private. Come on in."
Jane—AKA Soldier—nodded and stepped inside, readjusting the covered bowl in his arms. "Where should I put this?"
"Oh, here, I'll show ya—"
"Solly!"
Angel was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, arms thrown up in the air. Dell quickly took the bowl from Jane before it was knocked out of his hands. As Jane squeezed them tight and spun them around in a hug, Dell went to close the door—
"Aye, sorry, I'm here too—" Tavish Finnegan DeGroot, or Tav for short, Tavish for medium, pushed the door back open, arms overflowing with bags of chips. "Kept droppin' these. How are ye? I'd hug ye, but, y'know."
Dell beamed, patting him on the back before taking a few bags from him (and Angel took the rest before hugging him). "I'm doin' great, how about y'all?"
"I am fantastic!" Jane declared, marching into the kitchen. Tavish grinned.
"Yeah, what he said."
When the rest of them entered the kitchen, Jane had Ludwig in an affectionate headlock. Misha, in turn, had Jane in an also-hopefully-affectionate headlock. There was no Respawn anymore.
"Tavish!" Ludwig greeted, voice a bit strange. "So nice to see you!"
"Aren't ye a sight for sore eyes?" Tavish shot back, giving him some classic finger guns. "Er, eye."
The six of them sat around for a while, catching up and munching on some chips.
At around 12:40, the doorbell rang again. Angel got up this time, opening the door to a familiar, uncharacteristically tall figure.
Mundy, their former Sniper, cleared his throat. "Hey."
"Mundy!"
Angel practically jumped at him, nearly knocking the plates from his hands as they wrapped their arms around him.
Mundy smiled, awkwardly patting them on the back. He was never much of a people person.
They took him by the hand, leading him to the kitchen. The others erupted in excited greetings once they saw him.
"Uhh, hey."
Yeah. Never much of a people person.
He took a seat at a table after Angel took the plates from him, adjusting his glasses.
"Are those prescription?" Ludwig asked, pushing up his own.
"Yeah, got 'em a few months ago, actually. Turns out starin' down a scope for several hours a day, almost every day for five years will wear out your eyesight."
Ludwig laughed, "Who would've guessed?"
The group resumed their conversation, Mundy mostly listening in. Dell glanced at his watch.
"We're just waitin' on our favorite father-son duo, now."
"Think they'll show up together?" Tavish mused.
"No idea," Dell shrugged. "I wonder if Spy's even comin'."
Angel frowned. "He said he would.."
The rest of them shared a glance. Oh, to have Angel's trust in others..
"Yeah, but this is Spy we're talkin' about," Tavish said. "He loved—loves—messin' with us. I wouldn't be surprised if he accepted the invite only to blow us off—"
The doorbell rang.
Angel practically ran to get it, swinging the door open as soon as their hand reached the handle.
And there they were.
"Apologies for being late." Jacques—their old Spy, whose name had accidentally revealed to the whole team by his own son—readjusted his tie (he was wearing a suit, of course). He peered into the kitchen. "I see the rest of the team is already here. Maybe we would have been on time if someone had not forgotten to fill up the gas tank."
Jacques stepped inside, leaving his son in the doorway.
"Okay, listen," Jeremy began, "you know how I am! You should've checked! You should've double checked! You should've reminded me—"
"Jeremy."
"—like, a million times! Or maybe not. At that point, you should've just done it yourself, 'cuz it's clear I wasn't gonna do it—"
"Jeremy!"
"Huh?"
Angel wordlessly held their arms out, letting the other connect the dots.
Jeremy practically leapt at them, wrapping his (now slightly buff) arms around them, squeezing tight and twirling them around. Angel laughed as they were lifted off the ground, playfully kicking their feet around until Jeremy finally set them back down.
"Angel! How you been, chucklehead? Me, I've been doin' pretty good; started workin' out, actually." He flexed. "Can you tell?"
They giggled, patting his bicep. "Yeah, kind—"
"Oh, sweet, you got dogs!"
He bent over and picked up their bulldog. It snorted and sneezed in his face.
"What's its name?"
"Elton."
"Like Elton John? Cool, cool." He held him closer, giggling as Elton licked his face. "Yeah, that's cool and all, but you know what's a good name? Tom Jo— Holy crap, there's more!"
Jeremy quickly set Elton down before kneeling and welcoming their other pets onto his lap.
After a moment of cuddling the animals, he stood up and followed Angel to the kitchen. He took a seat next to Mundy; the two of them wordlessly fistbumped.
"Well." Dell clapped his hands together. "Now that everyone's here… Let's eat!"
The group cheered in agreement. Dell and Angel helped pass the several dishes around to the guests.
It was great.
It was just like the old mealtimes on base, minus the property damage (thankfully). The nine of them happily chatted and caught up with each other. Jane boasted about his and Zhanna's son; Ludwig talked about his several birds, the closest things to kids that he'd ever have; Misha summarized a novel he was working on; Tavish proudly revealed his two-year sobriety coin; Jeremy showed off his baseball card collection (yes, he brought it with); Mundy mumbled something about buying his parents a nicer house; Jacques brandished his old wedding ring and recounted how he reunited with Jeremy's mom (to which Jeremy groaned).
The group turned to Angel and Dell.
"So what have ye two been up to?" Tavish asked.
The two looked at each other for a moment before wordlessly joining their hands.
"Mostly workin' on the farm."
Angel nodded. "Yeah! We’ve been selling to local markets, but we’re saving up to start our own stand in town!”
“That’s freakin’ sweet!” Jeremy exclaimed, through a mouthful of mashed potatoes. He could never kick the habit of talking with his mouth full, despite his teammates’ scolding (and anyone who had ever been around him while he was eating). “If you two need like, a manager or somethin’—”
“We’re fine,” Dell quickly said, “in that department at least. But yeah, we are only two people. Taking care of the farm, the pets, and runnin’ a shop won’t be easy. If y’all ever wanna stop by and help with anythin’, feel free. You’ll be compensated for your trouble.” He ended with a wink.
“Misha and I would love to! Right, Misha?” Ludwig piped up, placing his hand on his husband’s shoulder. Misha, who was engrossed in his meal and had not heard any of the past few sentences, stopped mid-chew and looked up.
“What?”
Ludwig waved his hand reassuringly. “We’ll do it.”
“Aye, I can help too,” Tavish offered, “I have a bit of farm experience. Mum and I helped look after one once. Well, actually, I did most of the lookin’.”
They all had a good laugh at that.
Five years ago, their contracts ended.
Four years ago, they were engaged.
Three years ago, they were married.
It was the first time Angel had shown their face completely unobstructed.
Minutes before they were due to walk out, they started fretting.
“Do you think I should’ve worn a dress?” they worried, tugging at the coattails of their suit. They were a bit conflicted during wedding planning; unable to decide what to wear, so they compromised with a more feminine suit and heels (as if they weren’t already tall enough—now they would tower over their soon-to-be-husband). They pulled back their veil, inspecting their makeup in the mirror. How would the others react? Maybe they should just keep the veil on—
“You’ll be fine, Angel.”
They frowned, eyes darting back and forth between themself and their old friend. Deep breath.
“I hope so.”
They put their veil back in place.
The two of them made their grand entrance.
Their old friend, the one to walk them down the aisle, was none other than Miss Pauling.
Angel’s steps were a little shaky; they hoped it wasn’t noticeable, especially since they were walking next to cool and collected Francesca Pauling.
After the longest, most nerve-wracking walk of their life, they arrived at the altar. Miss Pauling stood off to the side, bouquet in hand, while Angel stepped up next to Dell.
Behind them, the groomsmen and bridesmaids were mixed into a single line. It consisted of their teammates and Misha’s sisters. Ludwig, the best man, and Miss Pauling, the maid of honor, were placed in front of them.
Six groomsmen and three bridesmaids.
They didn’t know many women.
Seeing as the wedding already strayed from tradition, Dell and Angel figured, ‘why not put everyone in one line so the girls aren’t outnumbered?’
So that’s what they did.
Admittedly, it looked a lot better than the asymmetric option of having double the amount of people on one side of the altar.
“Wow,” Dell breathed, just loud enough for his partner to hear. “You’re gorgeous.” Angel giggled, taking Dell’s hand in theirs.
He lifted the veil.
You could cut the tension in the room with the dullest knife.
Angel didn’t know if it was worse or better that the others couldn’t exactly say anything.
Though they were wearing makeup, it didn’t cover up their burns and scars. They didn’t want it to. If they were finally going to show everyone their face, they wanted to stay true, get it all out there.
The officiant smiled, looking around the room. It was a rather small wedding; everyone had invited their family, but, y’know, not everyone had a big one or even a full one. Mundy nodded at his parents. Tavish beamed at his mom, who had no way of knowing he was. Jeremy’s mom excitedly waved to him, to which he grinned and mouthed ‘hey ma!’
There were plenty more family members and friends, but those were just the ones Angel recognized instantly.
“Welcome, everyone,” the officiant began. “Thank you all for coming to bear witness—”
“Excuse me, sir.”
Oh no. Angel scrunched their eyes shut, trying to block out whatever was about to go down.
The officiant raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised, turning around to face whoever interrupted. “Yes?”
It was Tavish, of course. “Can I just say somethin’ real quick?”
“Um.” The poor officiant had probably never had to deal with anything like this before. He looked back at the couple. “If that’s alright with you two?”
Angel said nothing, but opened their eyes. Dell was a bit thrown off track as well, but nodded.
“Go ahead.”
Tavish cleared his throat. “I just wanted to say.. ye—” He pointed at Angel. “—are bloody gorgeous, mate.”
“I gotta say,” Jeremy added, “I didn’t think you’d be this pretty. Not that I thought you’d be ugly, I mean—”
“Reading your medical file, I always had an idea in my head,” Ludwig hummed, “but actually seeing you, you are way different than what I had envisioned!”
Even Misha, who had been respectful and never visibly showed any interest in seeing what was under the mask, was smiling wide. “Now I know why you are called Angel!”
Angel couldn’t help but grin as well.
They knew their teammates—their friends. Though they may be rowdy and have broken moral compasses, they were the most kind-hearted group of people they had ever met.
They wondered why they ever worried at all.
"Name something a stranger on the street might ask you for."
"Money!" Tavish enthusiastically shouted at the TV, before the contestants even had a chance to hit their buzzers.
Angel smiled to themself as they stirred the brownie mix. Though they couldn't hear the contestants' responses, judging by Tavish's exasperated groan, neither of them said money.
Pouring the mix into the pan, they clearly heard Tavish's excited shout and his 'I told you so'. Must've been the number one answer.
After putting the pan into the oven and setting the timer, Angel returned to the living room and plopped down on the floor in front of Dell.
"Name an occupation that is important to the community," the host read.
"Mercenary," Jacques drawled.
They laughed.
After dessert and a movie, their guests started packing up to go.
It had been a long day; after lunch, Dell and Angel gave them a tour of the property, showing their old teammates around the house and farm. After hanging out outside for a bit, they went back in and busted out the photo albums. They reminisced about the beginning of their jobs, flipping through the first photos from almost a decade ago. Somewhat stoic group photos transformed into goofy yet charming candids—Tavish making bombs, Jeremy accidentally breaking a hole in the medbay window with a baseball, their first movie night, Jacques with his face scribbled on with marker because he was the first to fall asleep at said movie night..
Mundy passed out with his head in the toilet (he still refused to explain how that happened), Jane's pants falling down on the battlefield, Misha fighting a bear at Coldfront, Angel making a sandcastle (with Ludwig burying Jacques in the sand in the background), Ludwig grinning and wearing Miss Pauling's glasses, Dell running from an angry wild horse..
Memories.
After going through the rest of the pictures, which were mostly of several weddings, a baby shower, and the New Years party, the group moved onto playing charades and board games. Then, after a chess tournament (where surprisingly, Mundy was crowned the victor), they ate some more before gathering around the TV to watch Family Feud.
And the rest was history.
Dell insisted everyone bring home some leftovers; him and Angel wouldn't be able to finish them all.
Jane was the first to go, saluting and saying he needed to report back to his wife and son. Since they came together, Tavish left with him.
After that, it was Jacques and Jeremy; Jacques remarked that it was almost his son's bedtime.
"I don't have a freakin' bedtime!" he whined, following him out.
Mundy left soon after, surprising them again and initiating the hugs with Angel and Dell. "Thanks for havin' me, lads."
Ludwig and Misha stayed for a bit longer, but even they had to go; Ludwig sorrowfully explained he had to go back to his birds. They all hugged each other tight, waving to them as they drove off.
The house had a melancholy feel now that it was just them again; the radio hummed in the background as they started cleaning up and washing the dishes (Ludwig and Misha had started some for them, bless their hearts).
Only you..
Angel gasped and nearly dropped a plate.
..can make this world seem right
"Dell!" they squealed, throwing themself into his arms while giggling uncontrollably.
Only you can make the darkness bright
He grinned, returning the embrace.
Only you and you alone
Can thrill me like you do
And fill my heart with love for only you
Head resting on his shoulder, they hummed along, gently swaying to the beat.
Only you can make all this change in me
For it's true, you are my destiny
When you hold my hand
I understand the magic that you do
You're my dream come true
What a perfect way to end a perfect day with perfect people; with a perfect song and a perfect person.
My one and only you