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Strumming his guitar lightly, Engineer looked deeply into the flickering flames of the campfire. It was a peaceful night; The sky was clear and the air was cool. The mercenary enjoyed hearing the sound of crackling fire along with his instrumental chords.
"Oi."
A familiar voice suddenly caught his attention.
Engineer turned his head to see the tall bushman standing slightly to the left of the campfire. The Texan quietly chuckled upon seeing him.
"I know what you're gonna say, slim," he told Sniper. Of course he knew what he was going to say. It's what he always says. Sniper smiled slightly at that and took a seat next to Engie.
"Why do ya always gotta look down? How ‘bout you look up?" the aussie suggested softly, gently nudging the shorter merc.
Engineer stayed silent as he looked into Sniper's eyes and enjoyed every moment of it. He longingly wanted to capture his gaze and hold it close to him forever.
When Sniper’s expression changed to a slight frown, that’s when Engie knew the moment couldn’t last much longer. Sighing, the shorter merc gave in. "Alright, alright. I'll look up.”
Sniper followed his actions.
When the two looked up, the sky was purely dark, but glittered with a sea of crystals. The stars were scattered in a beautiful pattern that left the two mercenaries feeling right at home. It was as if they were looking at the night sky for the first time.
Sniper then glanced at Engie's expression for a brief moment and couldn't help but smile. After looking back up, the aussie gasped quietly. "Lookie there," he said, pointing up. A shooting star was flying across the night sky and Engineer could only stare in shock.
"So... What do ya wish for, mate?"
The engineer suddenly froze at the question. What was he supposed to say? There was so much to say… and so much left unsaid.
When the bushman noticed the tension and panic in his companion suddenly growing, he frowned.
"I... wish..." Engineer finally began, almost stuttering his words. "I wish you were still here with us. With me ."
He wished for a lot of things. He wished he could've done something to fix the respawn glitch. He wished he didn't feel so helpless and lost without Sniper. He wished that Sniper didn't die. Now, he was only stuck with the tricks of his mind and faded memories.
The more Engineer panicked, the more the sniper began fading away. The bushman could only watch as Engineer sadly fell apart.
"Mick, no... Please come back," he begged. It was no use, though. He couldn't do anything about it anymore. That was then. Now, Sniper is gone.
Just like that, Engineer stared blankly into the dark and suffocating flames of the campfire. He no longer felt its comforting warmth.
-End-