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Pyro heard a gentle knock on their door.
"Huh hudda!"
They sprang up from their coloring book and went to answer it, beaming as they found Engineer on the other side. They had started to get a bit worried when he hadn't shown up for 10 minutes, wondering if he was having some technical difficulties. But, his bowels were fine, and here he was 20 minutes after their encounter, holding several puzzles and board games, freshly showered, and dressed in a comfy t-shirt and jeans. To many, jeans are not the first thing that comes to mind when you think "comfortable". Engineer was not a part of that many.
Pyro had changed into a fluffy turtleneck and baggy sweatpants. Engineer often wondered how the hell they withstood being in such hot outfit, but he figured hot was kind of their thing.
"Hmm!" They opened the door wider and gestured to their room, inviting him in. "Mm mmph huh hudda huh!" They excitedly pointed to the open page in their coloring book, showcasing a very neatly colored purple horse.
"Oh, that's pretty neat, Pyro!" He leaned down to inspect it further, briefly looking towards Pyro for approval, and picking it up once he received a nod. "Can I see the other pages?" Pyro nodded again, and Engineer began to flip through the pages. Everything was uniquely colored, and precisely within the lines. "These are all very nice, partner."
"Mmph!" Pyro quickly rifled through a bunch of papers on their desk and pulled one out, shoving it towards Engineer face-down until he had no choice but to take it. He turned it over and was surprised to find a drawing, a bit crude but still very neatly colored. And it was of him.
"You made this?" he asked incredulously, but he already knew the answer. Pyro nodded enthusiastically, and he could hear their faint giggles under their mask. "Th.. Thank you, Pyro. This is really nice.. I don't know what to say." Maybe sorry for going along with the rest of the team and thinking you were this horrible freak, he considered, but that seemed like a bit of a moment-ruiner. Instead, he opted to gently place the paper down, acting as if it were a fragile treasure, and then wrap his arms around Pyro in a tight embrace. Pyro immediately hugged back, nuzzling into Engineer's shoulder while he rubbed their back.
"Hudda.." Pyro gave one last squeeze before letting go. Suddenly seeming a bit embarrassed at their display of affection, they awkwardly rubbed their arm. Engineer chuckled, giving them a quick but reassuring pat on the shoulder before turning to the games he brought.
"What d'ya wanna play first?"
"Hmm.... hudda!" They pointed to Candy Land, of course.
After Candy Land, Snakes and Ladders, and several rounds of Connect Four and Checkers, they finally brought out the puzzles. Engineer simply sat back and watched as Pyro constructed the smaller puzzles in a flash. It was almost inhuman. They were so deep in concentration as they put together the larger puzzles that Engineer didn't dare disturb them. He continued his admiration from a distance as he put together some puzzles himself.
"Hmm mph!" After putting their last puzzle away, Engineer watched curiously as Pyro reached under their bed and pulled out a large box. His eyes widened as he saw the label: a 250 piece ocean puzzle. They were going to be here for a while.
"Hudda!" Pyro left Engineer to open the box and get it started while they lit some scented candles and put on a record.
And they called it puppy love...
They dimmed the lights to the point where they weren't obnoxiously bright, but the two of them were still able to see the puzzle.
Oh I guess they'll never know...
"Mm hudda hm hmm mmphs!" Pyro proclaimed. "Huh mmphmmg?" Roughly, I'm gonna get some snacks, want anything?
How a young heart really feels...
"Oh, sure! Could you just get me a sandwich, partner? Thank ya."
And why I love her so...
Engineer started piecing the corners together as Pyro had their little kitchen expedition, and they were back before he knew it.
And they called it puppy love...
They placed a sandwich and glass of water before him, and then sat down with their bag of pretzels and apple juice.
Just because we're, we're seventeen...
They decided to complete the puzzle in sections rather than jump right into the big picture.
Tell them all it...
Pyro, speed demon that they were, was practically spitting complete sections out. By the time Engineer had finished one, Pyro was starting their third.
Please tell them it isn't fair...
Engineer felt a strange surge of fondness as he watched his friend meticulously assemble the puzzle. He couldn't help but smile at Pyro's visible excitement whenever they found matching pieces.
To take away my only dream...
About one hour, one sandwich, one bag of pretzels, two glasses of water, two bathroom breaks, and three juice boxes later, they had finished the puzzle.
"Woo!" Engineer cheered as Pyro put down the last piece. Pyro shot up and clapped.
"Hm drrd hm!" they exclaimed, picking Engineer up with a surprising amount of ease and swinging him around in a hug. They both laughed together and continued to embrace after Pyro set him down. "Hrmm hm huh."
"D'ya wanna do somethin' else?"
"Hmmm.." Pyro yawned and turned the record player off. "Hudda." They stripped the blankets and pillows from their bed and laid them on the floor after moving the puzzle aside, then looked through their shelf full of movies before popping one into the VCR. "Hm hudda huh hmmhrm!" They shuffled out to go make popcorn.
A few minutes later, he heard muffled humming and the gentle slipper-clad footsteps of Pyro coming down the hall, followed by a familiar Boston accent:
"WHO MADE POPCORN AND AIN'T SHARIN'!"
The footsteps went from gentle raindrops to heavy thunder as Scout started chasing them down the hall. Luckily, Pyro slipped inside their room just in time, unscathed, with not a single kernel spilled.
"I'll get you next time, mumbles!" Scout yelled from the other side of the door before stalking off. Pyro settled down into their comfy blanket nest and started the movie, Alice in Wonderland.
Fitting, Engineer mused. His heart fluttered as Pyro rested their head on his shoulder. Pyro was a very affectionate person, the whole team knew that. They were always hugging and cuddling the other mercenaries and generally having no boundaries. But in this situation, just the two of them, it felt a lot more intimate. Even all the embraces they shared that night just felt friendly. This was something else..
Hesitantly, Engineer placed his hand on top of Pyro's. They let out a tiny, muffled noise of surprise as he laced their fingers together.
"You're.. You're a real genuine person, Py," he murmured, rubbing his thumb along the top of their hand. "I'm glad I'm gettin' to know you better."
Pyro lifted their head up from his shoulder and just looked at him. Behind the mask, tears were welling up in their eyes. For the umpteenth time that day, they wrapped their arms around Engineer and buried their face in his chest. Engineer only realized they were crying when their shoulders started shaking.
"Whoah, whoah — What's wrong? Hey, Py, hey hey hey," he whispered, stroking their back to try and calm them down. "It's okay, buddy, I'm here. Hey. Look at me." He gently took their face in his hands, encouraging them to look up. "I'm here. It's alright." He gave them a kiss on the forehead before pulling them back in for a hug.
Leaning back against a mountain of pillows, Pyro stayed curled up in his arms as they watched the movie. Pyro was already snoring softly when Engineer's eyelids started to feel heavy. The quiet hum of the TV and comforting warmth of Pyro nestled against him lulled him to sleep.