Work Text:
A series of knocks resounded on the door to the garage.
"Yo! Hard-hat! Can I come in?" A muffled voice yelled from the outside.
Engie set down his wrench on the workbench and dabbed his forehead with the rag that had hung from his toolbelt - half covered in grease, the other half drenched in sweat. He made his way over to the entrance, turned the knob, and opened the door just a crack to see Scout standing there, an expectant look on his face.
Engie smiled softly at the boy, always happy to see the fast little bugger take time out of his day to visit this old man. "C'mon in Scooter, make yourself at home," Engie said, holding the door open for Scout, and shutting it gently behind him. He snatched his almost forgotten cup of room temperature coffee off the shelf by the door frame.
Scout walked around the shop all speedy like, bending down and inspecting all the new things that have moved from their places 3 days ago. He had stuffed his hands in his pocket, since last time his hands had wandered and ended up touching things that have been set out to dry, almost ruining the entire project. Engie had not been a happy man that day.
The runner took a few more laps around the garage before gesturing to an extra small looking sentry with a nod of his head. "Sooo, what'cha doin' today?"
"Been workin' on seeing how small I can get my mini sentries, while still bein' functional. So far I've come up with squat, but maybe I can try and turn them into little nano-bot thing-a-majigs, ya hear?" The Engineer made a walking motion with his fingers across his other palm.
Scout hummed in interest and rocked back and forth on his heels, still keeping his hands in his pockets. "Real nice idea you've come up with there, pally. Seein' little bug robot thingies would scare the crap out of me if I was on da other team for sure!!!"
"Aw, well that's real nice of you, Scooter." Engie grinned and tipped his hat at Scout. "Reckon you're not here to hear me talk about what I've been working on though, have you? You're awful jittery, and more than normal that is, boy. Somethin' to tell me?"
"Shucks, Engie, ya always know, don'tcha?" Scout gave him a lopsided smile, and averted his eyes nervously. "Remember when you told me I should find someone to make me real happy…?"
Engie raised an eyebrow. "... Yeah, I do…"
"Wellll… I'm goin' out with someone now." Scout nibbled on his right thumbnail anxiously.
The elder gave the boy the biggest, genuine smile a guy could give, and gave him an even tighter hug. "Oh well that's great, Stretch!"
" Jeeze, man you're killin' me here, I can't breathe- " Scout just barely squeaked out, suffocating in the short man's bear hug. Literally, he was beefy as hell for being so small.
The Engineer let him go and Scout bent over, gasping heavily for air with a red face. "Was it the nice young lady you were chatting it up with last week in town?"
"What- No, I was just telling her about my vinyl collection-"
"Oh oh! Maybe that miss from the diner! The one you mentioned about having a nice haircut-"
"Nah, nah that was just a passing thought, pal!"
"Hmm… Just tell me then boy, this is great news." Engie took a sip from his mug, a grin still plastered across his face.
The runner chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck almost shamefully. "You'll never believe it but uh, it's- it's Spy, aha."
Engie's eyes shot open and he choked on his coffee, causing him to cough up a storm.
"Engie, you okay???" Scout roughly patted the other on the back until his coughing fit ceased and he could breathe clearly again. "Man, you really gotta be careful with this crap, how old are you again? Don't tell me you're going senile on me pal!"
The Engineer set his mug down on his workbench as calmly as possible, so he didn't death grip it into shards and make this whole situation worse. "With who? "
"With, with Spoi." The boy repeated himself. "I figured I'd tell you cuz I kinda owe ya, you're like the Dad I never had, y'know?"
Sputtering, the elder slapped a hand to his forehead, almost knocking off his hard-hat in the process. " Me? I- he- wh- I'm like your D- Spy??? "
Scout's shoulders sagged in shame. "Yeah yeah, I know. You guys don't really get along real well, but he makes me happy, he's real nice to me when we're alone, and I think he's uh, he's real handsome, 'kay? Ya think you could just maybe ignore him when he's bein' an asshole? Please? Just for me?"
Hesitantly, Engie clasped a hand over Scout's shoulder, which made the boy perk up hopefully. "I uh, yeah. S-sure thing Scooter. I'm real happy for ya, ya little rascal." Forcing a smile, the Engineer lifted his hand up to pat the boy's cheek all friendly like. "Well, why don'tcha run along now boy, I uhh, still gotta test out these parts, 'n whatnot."
The young man nodded, and felt the corners of his lips quirk up at what he thought was sincerity in the other's actions. "Yeah, yeah of course, thanks for not freakin' out or nothin'. I was a little worried for a second!"
Yeah.
He definitely didn't freak out at all.
Totally.
===
" Spy ." The Engineer came bursting through the door to his smoking room, finger pointed and gaze loaded. "I've got a bone to pick with you, Spook."
Spy, annoyed, peeked over the newspaper he was reading, and rolled his eyes at the man in front of him. "Do you need something, little man?"
Engie stomped over to the spook and ripped the newspaper right out of his hands, discarding it to the floor.
"Oh, how intimidating. " Spy sounded extremely unamused and attempted to rise from his chair.
With an inhale, Engie shoved his gloved index finger into the other man's chest, pushing him to sit back down in his chair. "What are your relations with that boy of yours, Spook ."
Spy scoffed. "I have no idea what you could be talking about, little engineer!"
Engie was fuming; his face was practically redder than his shirt. His anger brought a grin to his face.
"He said I was like a father to him, me! He doesn't even know of his own relationship to you, Spook! Do you know how messed up that is?" The Texan snarled at Spy, finger still digging into his sternum.
Spy chuckled at that admission. "I'm the 'messed up' one? You build small automatic guns specifically to kill people. Look around at the job we have. We are mercenaries for Christ's sake! We get paid for harming others. That hardly is any worse than making an ignorant boy the happiest he's ever been since he first laid eyes on his own mother, hm?"
"The people we both kill, mind you, don't die! You and I both know this war is as useless as a chicken with teats; we always come back as long as respawn is on." Engie sneered and furrowed his brows even harder. "Are you sleeping with that boy, Spy?"
Spy hummed in false contemplation, pissing off the Engineer even more. "I'm not one to kiss and tell, little Texan."
Engie gripped the other's tie and pulled him down to eye level, earning shocked wide eyes stare back at him for a split second. "And stop calling me little, dagnabbit! "
"Will do, pardner ." Spy beamed at the Engineer, who promptly yanked on the tie before turning around to head back to where he came from.
Engie looked over his shoulder one last time before sending the spook a nasty glare. "If you do so much as make that boy cry, I swear by the righteous hand of God, I will be after you." Clutching the door with his fleshy fist, he stepped out and slammed it behind him.
Spy sat there still hunched over for a moment before taking back his newspaper that laid at his feet. Straightening himself in his chair and adjusting the folds of the print, he chuckled softly to himself at what the Texan had said.
"Oh I'll do far more than make him cry."