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Chapter Text

The one thing Pyro knew about the RED team was that they were loud.

It’d be difficult not to with all the battle cries and taunts during their fights. Even Spy and Sniper could get a bit loud if they were worked up enough.

It felt like Pyro was the outlier of the group, forever muffled by their mask.

There were many reasons why Pyro liked wearing their mask – it hid their face, protected their lungs on the battlefield and let them stay quiet.

They weren’t complaining. There were some advantages to being one of the ‘quiet ones’

Unfortunately, they were struggling to find any this morning.

It was a regular day. The team all had breakfast before being herded into the briefing room to prepare for today’s battle. 

Soldier stood at the front, snarling at the map spread out in front of him and relaying his plan to the rest of the team with The Disciplinary Action under his arm. 

The exact same plan he had every time they were tasked with capturing control points, mind you, but everyone had learnt early on not to argue with the guy wielding a riding crop.

“Once we capture the centre Control Point we will immediately rush behind the rail cars and use them as cover as we make our way over to the next Point!” Soldier declared, slamming the table and disturbing all the tiny figures he had painstakingly placed on the map in front of him.

Pyro raised a hand.

“Hud–”

“Why, yes I suppose that could work…” Spy mused, leaning back in his chair and interrupting Pyro.

Pyro frowned, slowly lowering their hand.

“I know it will work, maggot!” Soldier retorted.

Spy said nothing, seemingly choosing to ignore Soldier in favour of surveying the map in silence.

“What will happen if they take the centre point first?” Spy eventually asked.

Pyro raised their arm again.

“Hudd–”

“In the unlikely chance they are able to capture the point, we will then recapture it!” Soldier interrupted.

Again? Really?

Pyro said nothing, returning their hand to the table again.

Heavy sighed pensively and crossed his arms.

“Little BLU men will be moving toward next point by then,” he spoke up. “We need to know where they are coming while we capture centre Point.”

“Hu–”

“We could split our forces to each of the entrances,” Medic piped up. “Of course with Sniper giving us cover, we can give them no chance to make it up to the bridge.”

Oh, come on!

Pyro knew they weren’t the most outspoken member of the team, but this was starting to get ridiculous!

Pyro waved their hand in the air, begging someone to notice them.

“I’ll make my way over to the window,” Sniper confirmed.

Sniper didn’t notice them.

Demo grinned from next to him.

“I’ll make sure there’s enough stickies spread around.”

Demo didn’t notice them.

Engie nodded.

“I’ll get a dispenser up and runnin’ faster than you can say Control Point.”

Engie didn’t notice them. 

“Control Point,” Soldier declared.

“What?” Engie asked. “Oh, no, Solly, it’s just an expression.”

“Oh.”

Pyro sighed, lowering their hand and hanging their head.

What was the point? They’d figure it out eventually. 

Maybe they didn’t need Pyro during the match briefing. After all, what could they even bring to the table?

Pyro didn’t blame the team – they were just too excited to kick BLU team butt.

Soldier grunted and looked over at the map once again.

“We will need speed on our side to get to the centre Control Point first. Scout? Are you ready to take up this duty?”

Scout was uncharacteristically silent. 

Normally he’d be mouthing off a million miles an hour, bragging about how he was going to single-handedly win the match. 

But right now? He had gone quiet.

“Scout?” Engie asked.

Pyro lifted their head to see Scout staring at them with a frown. They both locked eyes for a second before Scout stood up with a huff.

“Yeah, that’s great and all!” Scout declared. “But I think you’re missin’ somethin’ here!”

Spy rolled his eyes from his seat.

“And what would that be?” he peevishly asked.

Scout furrowed a brow and held a hand out, gesturing to Pyro next to him.

“Pyro has been trying to say something for the past five minutes and youse all have been ignoring them!”

Pyro flinched at the realisation that, yes, someone had seen them try and speak up and get shot down every time. 

They sheepishly clutched their hands in front of them as the moment the words left Scout’s mouth, everyone slowly turned to look at Pyro.

Engie stepped forward.

“Is this true, Pyro?” Engie asked gently.

Pyro paused before hesitantly nodding.

“Hudda hudd hudda-hudding…”

It looked like it was news to everyone around the table as they all blinked in surprise. The team collectively grimaced and awkwardly looked away from Pyro.

“Sorry, mate…”

“Ja, sorry.”

“I apologise, maggot! I cannot be a good leader if I do not listen to my privates!”

From next to Pyro, Scout snorted. 

Confusedly, Pyro turned to look at him.

“Huh?”

“Sorry, ignore me,” Scout apologised with a quiet laugh. “What’d you have to say, Py? We’re all listenin’.”

Pyro nodded.

“Hudda hudda hudhud hudda hud hudda hud hudded huddahud hud Huddo.”

“I destroyed their bridge yesterday?” Demo asked, confused as the rest of the team. “Yesterday’s scrumpy must have been stronger than I thought…”

Pyro nodded.

“Hudda hudda. Hudda hudda huddahud hudda hudda hudda.”

“Well, why didn’t you just say so?!” Soldier yelled.

Pyro rolled their eyes, glad as always that their mask hid their expressions well.

As everyone turned back to the map to change the plan, Pyro sighed and deflated slightly. 

They heard a quiet chuckle from next to them and looked up to see Scout softly smiling at Pyro. He leaned over and nudged Pyro’s shoulder with his own

“I’ve got your back, bud,” Scout whispered.

He sure did.

Without realising it, Pyro beamed up at Scout, even though they knew he wouldn’t see it.

Chapter Text

Pyro woke up, feeling like this was going to be a bad day. And boy, did it deliver.

The team lost the match, for one. 

The BLU team got another Spy and her goal seemed to be making Pyro’s life a living heck today.

The new Spy kept taunting them, appearing just out of reach of their flamethrower and disappearing the second Pyro made a step towards her. While Pyro was distracted, chasing the first Spy, the other one quickly took care of Engie and Sniper.

If that wasn’t irritating enough, the new Spy ended up luring Pyro into a trap made by the BLU Demoman.

They didn’t realise how screwed they were until they heard that final beep from the bombs.

In Pyro’s opinion, being blown up was one of the worst ways to die. 

Explosions were loud, bright and unpredictable – Nothing like fire!

It was a constant cycle of being respawned and immediately killed.

The moment the Administrator announced a loss for the RED team, Pyro defeatedly trudged into the locker room. They slammed their locker with a sigh.

All Pyro wanted to do was curl up in bed and cuddle Balloonicorn for the rest of the afternoon.

Of course, it seemed like their teammates had missed the memo.

Pyro opened the door to the base and stepped through. They started down the hallway, walking past Demo’s lab.

“Ah, Pyro! There you are, Firebug!” Demo called, peering out the door.

Pyro stopped walking and turned to look at Demo, frowning slightly.

“Hudda?”

Demo gave them a massive grin and held out one of his bombs.

“I was looking at changing the recipe for my sticky bombs to give them more firepower and I was sitting there thinking ‘Hey, you know who’s good with fire? Pyro!’”

Pyro flinched slightly.

Sticky bombs and explosions? After today’s battle? No, thank you!

“Hudda hudda, Huddo”

“Aye! How does after dinner sound?”

The frown on Pyro’s face deepened.

“Uh… Huddaho. Hudda huddow?”

Demo groaned.

“But then I won’t be able to test them out in battle! Come on, five minutes?”

Pyro backed up and shook their head.

“Hud, hudda, Huddo.”

Demo frowned but Pyro had already turned on their heel and began to dash away from the lab.

Pyro didn’t want to disappoint their friend, but they just weren’t up for it today. They just wanted to make it to their room.

Unfortunately, as they rounded the corner, they bumped into someone else and both fell to the ground with a shout.

“Scheiße!” the other person cursed. “Where are my glasses? I can’t see without them.”

Pyro looked up from the floor to see that they had bumped into Medic, who was currently rubbing his head and squinting around the hallway. 

Pyro looked down to see Medic’s glasses laid on the floor in front of them. Clumsily, Pyro stumbled for the glasses and gently pushed them into Medic’s grip.

“Danke, danke,” Medic muttered, sliding the frames back onto his face.

Medic blinked to readjust before his eyes landed on Pyro and he perked up with a grin.

“Ah, Pyro! Exactly the mercenary I was looking for!” Medic cheered, reaching a hand out for Pyro to grab.

Oh no…

Pyro tried not to look too disappointed as Medic helped pull them to their feet.

“It’s been a while since our last examination, hasn’t it?” he declared, readjusting his uniform. “I wanted to see how you were faring with your hallucinations. Do you have a moment for a brief check-up?”

“Um… Hudda hudda hudda?”

Medic shook his head.

“No, no! It doesn’t have to be now, but we both seem to be free so it’d be preferable.”

Pyro sighed.

“Hudda hudda hudddudha hudda?”

“Ja, if you’d like to book an appointment,” Medic responded, sounding disappointed. “But my door is always open!”

Pyro stiffly nodded.

“Hudda hudda hud?”

“No. I just wanted to check up on you.”

“Hudda hud.”

With that, they stiffly walked past Medic, head down and clasping their hands into fists.

They were already starting to get overwhelmed by the two requests so far. All Pyro wanted was a break, but the universe seemed to have other ideas in mind.

Pyro walked further down the hallway but soon found themselves cornered by Soldier.

“Maggot! When was the last time you joined me in training?!”

“Hudda hudda, Hudda!”

They turned the corner and bumped into Heavy.

“Ah. There you are. Would little Pyro like to help with cooking dinner?”

“Hudda.”

They scuttled past Heavy and ran past Engie’s lab.

“Hey, Pyro! Wanna help test this new sentry with me?”

“No!”

They broke into a sprint, heading towards their room.

“Oi, Pyro!” Sniper yelled. “Wanna help–”

Pyro let out a frustrated scream, causing Sniper to jump back in shock. 

“You alright, mate?” Sniper gently asked, but Pyro wasn’t listening.

Desperate for some escape, Pyro reefed open the door closest to them and darted inside, slamming the door shut with a bang.

Pyro panted heavily through their respirator, the feeling of overwhelming stress flooding their body.

Pyro leant back on the door and slid to the ground, putting their face into their hands, trying to block out all light. The room was silent, save only for Pyro’s heavy breathing. 

It was just too much! Pyro couldn’t spend time with everyone! All they wanted was a break.

Much to their surprise, a voice suddenly broke through the sound of their exhausted breaths.

“Woah, you alright, Py?”

Hesitantly, Pyro lifted their head and saw Scout sitting on the couch with an opened comic book in his hand. He stared at Pyro with a raised eyebrow and a frown as he sized up Pyro.

A moment passed when Pyro couldn’t find an answer. Quietly, Scout got to his feet and moved over to Pyro.

“You good, bud?” he whispered.

Pyro shook their head and looked at the ground below them.

“No…” they whimpered.

Scout frowned and squatted in front of them. He was close enough that Pyro could see his face properly, but not as close so he wasn’t crowding them.

“What happened, bud?”

Pyro sighed.

“Hudda… hudda hudda hudda, hud huddada hud hudda hudda hudda,” they admitted quietly.

Scout was silent.

“You wanted an afternoon off but the others wouldn’t leave you alone?” Scout quietly confirmed.

Pyro nodded their head slightly.

“Py…”

Pyro shrunk in further, not wanting to see Scout laughing at them.

The room was quiet for a moment longer until Scout spoke up again.

“Alright, c’mon.”

Pyro lifted their head to see Scout had a hand out in Pyro’s direction. Confusedly, Pyro tilted their head and Scout quietly sighed.

“I’ll come with you to your room, okay? If anyone stops us, I’ll tell them to get lost until you’re feeling better.”

Pyro stared at Scout for a moment longer in shock.

He seemed genuine, with a worry in his eyes that didn’t seem pitiful. He was concerned about Pyro and wanted to make sure they were alright – not make fun of them.

Hesitantly, Pyro reached out and put their hand into Scout’s outstretched one.

Scout closed his fingers around Pyro’s glove and gave a careful squeeze.

“You ready to go? The rec room isn’t too far away from yours.”

Is that where they ended up? Well, that would explain why Scout was here – he always hung out in the rec room after the day’s fighting.

Pyro let out a nervous breath before nodding and getting to their feet, pulling Scout up with them. Scout gave a gentle smile – a far cry from the manic grins he gave on the battlefield.

“Let’s go,” he whispered.

Scout opened the door and peered into the hallway. A moment passed before he nodded and led Pyro through, all while not letting go of their hand.

The hallway was dead quiet seeing how Sniper had vanished since Pyro ran off. Scout turned his head to shoot Pyro a comforting smile and started to walk in the direction of Pyro’s room. Pyro said nothing, only numbly following behind.

They couldn’t help but look around and note that everyone had seemed to disappear after Pyro had their little meltdown in the rec room. Lucky for them.

“Almost there,” Scout softly told Pyro. “Just gotta turn this corner and… gosh darn it.”

Pyro tilted their head at Scout’s disappointed tone. They quickly peeked behind Scout’s shoulder to see Spy was waiting outside of their room smoking a cigarette.

Upon spotting Pyro behind Scout, Spy straightened up and strolled over to the pair.

“Ah, bonjour Pyro. I was wondering if you be willing to–”

“No.”

Pyro flinched and stared at Scout’s steadfast expression as he spoke for Pyro.

“Excusez-moi?”

“No,” Scout repeated. “Pyro needs some time for themselves. Whatever you need help with can wait.”

Spy spluttered, baffled by this turn of events.

“But I have some classified documents that need to be destroyed. I need Pyro’s help to–.”

“Well, looks like those classified documents will have to wait. C’mon, Py.”

Scout walked past without sparing a glance at Spy and pulled Pyro along. They glanced at Spy’s dumbfounded expression but said nothing and continued forward.

As the two made it to the door, Scout silently turned and looked at them expectantly. Understanding what he was asking, Pyro nodded, opening the door to their room and walking inside, tugging Scout along with them.

“Woah, hey,” Scout chuckled. 

Pyro said nothing as they turned and shut the door behind them. 

“You feeling alright?” Scout quietly asked as Pyro turned back to him.

Yeah… Yeah, they were. They weren’t feeling as overwhelmed any more. The rest of the world could wait for Pyro and that was fine.

Pyro nodded, causing Scout to beam.

“Awesome! Need me for anything else? Want me to grab anything from the kitchen?”

Pyro paused for a second.

“Huhuda?”

“One lemonade coming right up! I’ll drop it off and make sure no one bothers you until dinnertime, kay?”

Pyro stared at Scout for a second and blinked in shock. 

He would do this for Pyro? Even after all the nasty names he called them when they first started working together?

It was surprising. Pyro couldn’t see anything that Scout could gain from this and yet he was still in Pyro’s corner, through and through.

Before they knew what they were doing, they stepped forward and engulfed Scout in a bone-crushing hug.

“Hudda hud.”

“Ow! Ow! Okay! Okay!” Scout squawked from his position in Pyro’s arms. “You’re welcome, buddy. Can you put me down now before you break one of my ribs?”

Pyro gave one final squeeze before letting go of Scout, who slumped backwards.

“Wow… You're stronger than you look!”

“Hudda…”

“No, no, you’re all good Py. Just don’t know your own strength, hey?”

Scout chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.

“I’ll go get that lemonade for you now, alright? I’ll be right back.”

He turned and left, leaving Pyro in their room. They turned to their bed and scooped up Balloonicorn with a big hug.

Hey Pyro, Balloonicorn piped up.

“Hudda?”

You should invite Scout to the next tea party , Balloonicorn suggested. It could be fun!

Honestly, Pyro couldn’t agree more.

Chapter Text

Despite looking like someone you would never want near your food at all, Pyro liked cooking.

They liked all the combinations of flavours they could play with. They liked the smell of spices all mixed together. They liked creating something new!

Liking cooking and being good at cooking was unfortunately not the same thing.

Wherever Pyro went, a fire was sure to follow.

Pyro had a… habit of getting distracted by fire whenever they were supposed to be watching their food cook. It didn’t matter how good the food was coming into it, it would never taste good burnt.

Which was why Spy instituted a rule a few months into their contracts – Pyro is not to cook alone. 

It was an annoying rule that they stopped complaining about after their first kitchen duty with Engie resulted in rave reviews and calls for seconds.

So, the team knew Pyro could cook.

Baking on the other hand…?

“Yeah, come on! We can totally cook a cake together!” Scout yelled.

Pyro crossed their arms and they glared at Scout, who had come into their room and interrupted their flamethrower maintenance.

“Hudda hudda hud, hudda hudda.”

“Cooking, baking… same thing, right?”

Pyro firmly shook their head.

“Psh! It’s still using fire to make food!” Scout said, rolling his eyes. “C’mon, Py! I know you’re a good cook!”

“Hudda hud hudda hudda!”

“You won’t set the kitchen on fire! I’ll be with you!”

Pyro levelled a stare at Scout that they hoped read as displeased.

“C’mon! It’s for Engie’s birthday! It’ll be our gift to him!”

Pyro glared at Scout for a moment. They said nothing as they silently pointed to the wrapped present for Engie sitting on their workbench.

“Okay, it’s mainly for me. I forgot it was his birthday and didn’t get him anything.”

“Mmhm?”

“Shut up!” Scout whined. “Please Pyro? You’re the only one who’d help me.”

Using his last line of defence, Scout hit Pyro with a pair of devastating sad eyes.

Oh no. Their one weakness! Puppy dog eyes!

Pyro spun their chair away from Scout and frowned, trying not to see Scout’s face.

“Please?” Scout begged.

Darn him…

Pyro sighed.

“Hudda…”

Scout broke out into a massive grin. 

“Heck yeah, Py! I knew you wouldn’t let me down! Come on!”

Without warning, Scout suddenly ran up to them and grabbed onto Pyro’s arm, pulling them up and out of their room.

Pyro barely had time to complain before Scout pulled them into the quiet kitchen.

Alright, what would be the first thing they needed to do?

Pyro may have not had as much experience baking, but they knew the first thing someone needed was a recipe.

“Hudda hudda huddada?”

“We don’t need a recipe!”

“Huh?!”

Scout whirled around and opened the cupboard. He turned back to Pyro, grinning triumphantly, showing off the box in his hands.

“Check it! Cake mix! I was able to grab some last time I was in town!”

Pyro couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

Scout couldn’t remember to get Engie a present, but he remembered to get some cake mix the last time he was in town? Something seemed fishy…

“Hudda hudda hudda hudda, hudda?”

Scout’s face turned bright red as Pyro smirked.

“Maybe! Fine, I was gonna eat myself but I just… didn’t know how to make it!”

Pyro giggled quietly to themself.

“Yeah, yeah, yuk it up,” Scout pouted with an eye roll. “Can you help?”

Pyro nodded and grabbed the box from Scout’s hands. They turned it over and read the recipe.

“Hudda hudda hudda hudda, hud hudda hud huddada hud, hudda hud.”

“A cup of water and half a cup of vegetable oil? Like with one of the drinking cups?”

Pyro looked at Scout in horror and slowly shook their head.

“Huddadda hud.”

“Riiiight… the measuring cups. Totally know about those…”

Holy moly. How the heck was Scout even allowed in the kitchen in the first place?!

It was becoming clearer and clearer why Scout always ordered pizza when it was his turn to cook!

Pyro sighed and opened a drawer, grabbing the measuring cups.

“Hudda hud hudda hudda. Hud hudda hudda hud hudhudda hudda hudda hudda hud hudda hud,” Pyro ordered.

“Alright…”

Pyro turned to grab the vegetable oil out of the cupboard and carefully poured it into the half cup.

They knew baking wasn’t like cooking – they couldn’t experiment with what they had. Today they were going to follow the recipe perfectly. Then maybe after the cake was done, they could experiment with the decorating.

They grabbed the cup and strode over to the sink, before thinking twice and skipping over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water.

As they strode past, Pyro caught a glance of Scout’s upset expression and frowned.

Maybe they were a little bit harsh earlier… It wasn't like Scout knew how to cook.

“Hudda…” Pyro apologised. “Hudda hudda huhuda hudda hudda. Hudda hudda hudda hud hudda.”

Scout gently placed the eggs on the counter and looked up at Pyro. 

“Why do you think I went to you?” Scout asked, leaning back. “Do you think I’d be able to make this cake by myself?”

Pyro shrugged.

“Hudda?”

“Ha! Nice joke, buddy! I went to you because you actually know what you’re doing in the kitchen! Plus you’re my friend. I knew you’d want to help!”

Pyro could feel their cheeks heat up underneath their mask.

“Hudda…” they muttered. “Um… Hudda hudda hiding, hudda hudda hudda hud hudda?”

“Beat the mixture? Like in a fight?”

Pyro giggled.

“Hudda huddada, huddy.

“Oh! Right! Sure!”

Pyro turned back to the bowl and proceeded to dump the ingredients in one at a time. They retrieved a wooden spoon and turned to see Scout was waiting. They handed over the spoon and picked up the box.

“Hud hudda” they ordered, holding two fingers up.

“Two minutes, you got it!”

Quietly, Pyro hopped onto the counter and began to grease the cake pan. They hummed to themself and gently kicked their legs as they sprinkled flour into the pan. 

Pyro paused and couldn’t help but watch Scout beat the mixture out of the corner of their eye.

They could tell he was trying his best not to make a mess but he was ultimately failing. His tongue was poking out as he focused on the bowl, chocolate cake mix splattering his cheek.

It was… cute if they had to describe it.

Not cute in the way Balloonicorn or kittens were cute. It was a cuteness exclusive to Scout.

Scout stopped mixing and slowly looked up at Pyro. Pyro flinched, sure that Scout had caught them staring. Instead of any jokes, he stared up at Pyro with a dazzling smile.

“Has it been two minutes yet?” Scout asked.

“Huh?”

“T-The cake?”

“Oh… H-Hudda!” they stammered, glad their mask could hide their blush.

Thank goodness Scout was too focused on mixing! If Scout caught Pyro ogling him, Pyro would never live it down.

Pyro quickly recovered, hopping down from the counter and brushing the flour off their hands onto their suit. They looked over at the well-mixed bowl and gave it a thumbs up.

“Alright! What’s next?”

Pyro held out the cake pan they were preparing. Scout didn’t need any instructions as he grinned and poured the mixture in.

It wasn’t perfect, but it would do.

“Alright!” Scout cheered as Pyro turned to open the oven. “Let’s get this puppy in the oven and bake for fifteen minutes!”

Wait…

Pyro froze, with the door to the oven already half open.

That didn’t seem right.

“Hudda hudda?”

Scout grinned.

“Yeah, if we double the heat, we’d have a cake in half the time! That’s just math!”

“Hud–”

Before Pyro could finish their sentence, a burst of flame leapt out of the oven, singing the countertop in front of them.

Pyro jumped back in surprise, dropping the cake pan on the floor.

Scout let out a shout from behind Pyro as they couldn’t help but be drawn into the bright and cheerful flames erupting from the oven.

Wherever Pyro went, a fire was sure to follow.

“What’s going on?!” someone yelled, but Pyro didn’t react.

The fire looked so warm and inviting. They almost wanted to crawl inside and stay there forever.

It was like they had been possessed, as Pyro took a step forward. Numbly, they felt someone grab onto their hand and pull them back.

“Py! No!” Scout desperately yelled, pulling on Pyro harder.

Without warning an alarm blared and the sprinklers went off, drenching them both in the kitchen.

The fire shrunk in size as Pyro managed to tear their eyes away from it. Sniper ran into the kitchen armed with a fire extinguisher, trailed by a frazzled Engie and Medic.

Sniper jumped into action, pulling the extinguisher’s pin and squeezing the lever, flooding the kitchen with foam and quickly dousing the fire.

As the final embers went out, a moment passed before the assembled group let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank the heavens…” Engie muttered. “It didn’t spread.”

A few seconds passed before Engie and Medic whirled around to face Scout and Pyro with a pair of matching frowns. Pyro could see Sniper standing behind them, wincing and muttering something about turning the sprinklers off before slinking away.

Oh no…

Even before the pair said anything, Pyro could tell they were in trouble just from the matching disappointed looks shot their way.

“Pyro,” Medic started, in a measured tone. “What did we agree on regarding you cooking by yourself?”

Pyro frowned.

“Hudda hudda hud hudda!” Pyro protested. “Hudda hud hudda!”

Medic crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, his hair drooping down from its styled position as the sprinklers continued to spray water everywhere.

“And why would you trust Scout to supervise you?”

“Hey!” Scout complained.

Engie sighed, noticing the impending argument and raised a hand to silence the two. He wiped the water from his goggles and turned to face Pyro.

“Pyro, you almost set fire to the base, Firebug. You know you tend to set things on fire without meaning to. Would you want to be the one to have to tell Ms Pauling if all that was left was a pile of ashes?”

Pyro hung their head in shame, ignoring the droplets pelting the back of their mask.

“No…”

“That’s what I thought.”

Pyro blinked, their eyes stinging from tears they were desperately trying not to unleash.

“Hold on one second!” Scout spoke up.

Pyro jumped and confusedly stared at Scout as he took a step forward and stood in front of them.

“This ain’t Pyro’s fault!” he declared.

“It’s not?” Engie asked, scratching his cheek.

Scout shook his head and held his arms out.

“No way, Jose! I was the one who asked Pyro to help bake a cake with me! I was the idiot who set the oven to 700 degrees! Not them!”

Pyro blinked at Scout’s confession.

Wait, why would he do that for them? Scout should know he would be in trouble for admitting that, right? 

But here he was… Taking the blame and not throwing Pyro under the bus.

Medic and Engie frowned and shared a look just as the sprinklers finally turned off.

“Pyro, is this true?” Engie quietly asked.

Pyro looked up and slowly nodded.

“Um… Hudda hudda hudda hudda hud Huddie’s hudda hudda hudda hud.”

“Uh… Happy birthday?” Scout added. “Please, don’t get mad.”

Engie sighed and muttered something about these dang kids who were going to send him to an early grave.

“Are you alright mein Freund?” Medic asked, turning to look at Engie.

“Yeah, peachy,” Engie muttered. “Scout, while it is a nice thing you were trying to do and you did take the blame for Pyro, I’m still gonna have to punish ya, y’hear?”

Scout sighed.

“I know,” Scout nodded. “As long as Pyro doesn’t get in trouble for my stuff, I’ll take whatever punishment you want.”

A smile ghosted on Engie’s lips for a moment before turning back into a hard line.

“Well… Seeing how your birthday present to me didn’t turn out as planned, how about you help clean my workshop? No monkey business, though!”

“Yes, sir,” Scout grumbled.

Engie nodded authoritatively.

“Good. Now, get changed out of your wet clothes and meet me in my workshop in ten.”

“Yes, sir.”

Engie turned and left the kitchen in silence. Medic muttered something about getting Pyro to help clean up before stepping out himself to get a mop, leaving Scout and Pyro standing alone in the kitchen. 

Scout let out a sigh and turned to Pyro, pushing his wet hair out of his face. He bumped shoulders with a grin.

“I’ll see you later, Py, okay? Maybe next time we won’t burn everything down!”

Pyro let out a giggle and Scout poked his tongue out. 

As he left, Pyro was left staring at the open doorway.

It was good to know Scout had their back.

He was so nice to Pyro! No wonder Pyro tended to gravitate towards Scout whenever they wanted to play with someone.

It was almost like…

Oh.

Oh no.

Chapter Text

Pyro stared up at Scout on his balloonicorn, his armour gleaming in the sunlight. The wind lightly tousled his hair and a phoenix landed on Scout’s shoulder.

He grinned down at Pyro and hopped off his steed, grabbing Pyro’s hand in a grand gesture. He performed a deep bow and pressed a light kiss to Pyro’s knuckles.

“Are you alright, Your Majesty?” he asked in a smooth voice.

Pyro could feel the blush paint their cheeks as they stared into Scout’s bright blue eyes.

“Uh…Uh-huh,” they stammered out.

Scout laughed gently.

“I’m glad to hear that,” he replied. “Your majesty, would you like to go on a long romantic walk where we can walk past the lake and set fire to our enemies?”

That sounded nice. It was the perfect date.

Pyro opened their mouth to respond, when the sound of a bugle blared through their dreamscape, waking them up.

“Rise and shine, maggots!” Solider yelled. “It is 5 am on this glorious Monday morning! Time for our daily training! Up and at ‘em!”

Pyro blinked as they regained their bearings. 

Oh yeah, they were on base, and not in the castle gardens on a date with Scout.

Wait, date with Scout?!

They felt their face heat up as they remembered more and more embarrassing details.

Oh no. 

This was the eighth time they’d had that dream since the cake incident!

It more or less always played out the same. Scout would handsomely save them from some threat – usually it was a BLU Spy acting evil and planning to kill a kitten or something, but there was that one time they watched Scout fight a water monster and win – and he’d be super charming making sure Pyro was alright before they went on a date of some kind.

Or… planned to go on a date. They always woke up before any actual dates happened.

Pyro sighed.

This had to stop! 

Scout was their friend! They couldn’t keep thinking about how attractive Scout was covered in blood and protecting Pyro! Especially with him in that armour that showed off his legs and his arms and…

Pyro quickly grabbed their pillow and quietly screamed into it.

Stop. Stop it now.

Don’t think about your friend like that! Balloonicorn piped up from the pillow next to them. Even if he does have a cute butt!

Pyro removed the pillow for a second to glare at Balloonicorn.

They weren’t even thinking about his butt!

Pyro groaned. 

This was starting to get silly. Soon they might not even be able to look Scout in the eyes without thinking about their dreams!

Well, it was just as well they had their mask to hide their face.

It always saved them from someone getting upset at the faces Pyro pulled or misinterpreting their expressions. It was becoming more and more useful as of late with how red their face would turn upon realising they were staring at Scout again.

With a huff, Pyro got out of bed. They opened the doors of their wardrobe and stared at a wall of red suits, tapping their foot and humming. 

What to wear? What to wear?

Maybe they’d wear Firebrand today? Ooh, or what about the Cute Suit?

Pyro looked at the long collar of the Cute Suit and nodded.

Yeah, the Cute Suit sounded perfect for hiding their face from any crushes.

Maybe they could also talk Engie into wearing his today too so they could match! That could be fun!

Their mind made, Pyro grabbed the suit and slipped it on.

They adjusted the collar and smiled at themself in the mirror before turning away.

Alright, almost ready for the day.

Pyro walked over to the coat rack at the front of the door.

They just needed their…

Wait.

Where was their mask?!

The coat rack was bare with nothing hanging from it.

Their mask was missing.

Oh goodness. Pyro always left their mask on the coat rack at the end of the day! Where could it be?

Maybe they accidentally put it in their dirty laundry pile?

Pyro spun and made a beeline for the hamper. They started digging through the discarded flame suits, throwing each suit over their shoulder. When they reached the bottom with no sign of their mask, they turned around and searched the pile again.

Poop, poop, poop!

It wasn’t here either! Where else could it be?!

In their wardrobe? Pyro quickly rifled through all the suits hanging up and came up empty-handed much to their dismay.

In their private bathroom? They dashed over to the en suite and found it exactly as how they left it.

Under their bed?! Pyro immediately crawled beneath their bed with a torch, frowning when there was no sign of their mask between the toys that called their bed their home.

In their toy chest? No! 

Under their pillow? No!

In their bedside table? No!

In their bed? No!

On their face?! No, no, no!

Pyro grumbled to themselves as they looked around their room, cursing themself for not replacing their backup mask the last time their mask went missing. They still didn’t know where that one ended up.

If that mask also went missing and they still hadn’t found it, where the heck could it be?!

No matter how much they turned their room upside down, there was no sign of their mask anywhere! Pyro could feel the panic starting to set in.

What if they never found it again? Would they just have to stay here forever? They didn’t want anyone to see their face! 

Was someone stealing their masks? Why would someone do that?! 

Did they need to speak to Engie about installing a security system for their room? But what if Engie was the one stealing their masks in the first place?!

Someone knocked on the door to their room, jolting Pyro out of their spiralling thoughts.

“Pyro?” Engie called as if he knew Pyro was thinking about him. “You there, firebug?”

Pyro’s eyes grew wide.

Poop! They couldn’t let this get out! Then what would happen?!

Quietly, they slunk up to the door.

“U-Uh-huh…?” they murmured, hoping the panic in their voice wasn’t noticeable.

“I just wanted to check up on you,” Engie continued. “Normally you’re out of your room by now. Can I come in?”

“No!” Pyro yelled, louder than they intended to.

Their hands immediately flew to their mouth in shock. There was a pause as Engie took a moment before proceeding.

“Alright…” Engie murmured. “Are you sick? Do you need me to call the doctor?”

“No!” Pyro called. “No, no! I’m fine! I swear!”

“Then what’s wrong, Firebug?”

Pyro stayed silent and frowned.

They didn’t want anyone to see their face, and that included Engie.

There were so many reasons why; Pyro was shy, Pyro was easy to read, Pyro’s face was on so many wanted posters and the excuses kept coming.

Medic was the only one on the team who had seen their face and that was only out of complete necessity. Pyro swore him secrecy and threatened to take an axe to his fridge of animal hearts if he told.

The point was, Pyro could find their dang mask by themself!

“Nothing’s wrong!” Pyro yelled, perhaps too quickly. “Don’t worry about it! I’m fine!”

A moment passed before they heard the sound of footsteps on tile.

“Herr Engineer? Is Pyro alright?” Medic asked.

“They claim they’re fine,” Sniper reported. “But… excuse me for not believing them.”

Poop, when did Sniper and Medic get there?!

“It’s fine!” Pyro shouted, their voice cracking from the use. “Don’t worry about it!”

After a tense moment, Pyro could hear a quietly muttered conversation before the sound of retreating footsteps.

Thank goodness. They left.

Pyro let out a sigh of relief and turned back to the room. 

Maybe their mask was between the cushions of their chair? Or maybe in the drawers of the desk?

Ugh, why would their mask even be there in the first place?!

In a fit of desperation, they turned to look at Balloonicorn.

I don’t know where your mask could be! Balloonicorn answered. Have you checked your laundry hamper?

They had already checked twice, but maybe the third time was the charm.

As they turned to go rifling through their pile, Pyro froze again, hearing footsteps outside their door.

“Here,” Medic spoke up.

“I coulda walked here myself?” Scout complained.

Scout was here?!

Fudge! Fudge! Ice cream sundae topped with hot fudge!

Not now! Not while they didn’t have their stupid mask!

“Glad you’re here, son,” Engie replied, oblivious to Pyro’s strife. “Pyro won’t leave their room. Can you…?”

“I ain’t your Pyro-whisperer,” Scout retorted.

There was a pause before they heard a quiet knock on their door.

“Hey bud, you there?” Scout whispered softly.

Giving up, Pyro shrunk in themself and quietly crawled over to the door.

“Uh-huh…”

They could hear snickering coming from the other side of the door.

“Shut up,” Scout snapped. “What are you still doing here? Get lost and give us some room!”

“Don’t be rude…” Pyro whispered, sitting down with their back facing the door.

Scout quietly snickered as Pyro listened to the shuffling and grumbles outside their door. 

Eventually, Scout spoke up again.

“Alright, they’re gone,” he said. “What’s wrong, Py? Everyone’s worried about you.”

Pyro bit their lip, trying to decide if they could trust Scout when his voice from a couple of months ago echoed through their head.

“I’ve got your back, bud.”

Pyro sighed.

“Don’t laugh…” they murmured.

“Hey, I won’t. Scout’s honor.”

Pyro was silent for a second, as they bit their lip.

“I can’t find my mask and I don’t wanna leave my room without it,” they quietly confessed, pulling their legs up and resting their head on their knees.

Maybe it was a good thing Pyro couldn’t see Scout’s face at the moment. They didn’t want to see how he’d react right now.

“Aw, bud, really?” Scout asked in a soft voice, taking Pyro by surprise.

“…Uh-huh.”

Scout hummed, as Pyro listened to the shuffling outside their door. They glanced down and saw some of the outside light was blocked by Scout sitting down.

“Where was the last time you saw it?” he asked.

“I thought I put it on my coat rack,” Pyro responded.

“Hm… Where else could it be then?”

Pyro frowned, not wanting to suggest the worst.

“Maybe someone stole it?” they offered.

“But who would steal it?”

Scout hummed in thought for a moment.

“Do you think Spy would?” Scout asked, his tone becoming lighter. “Maybe he wanted to figure out how to imitate the other Pyro better so he stole your mask to figure out how to catch ‘em?”

What? 

That was so silly Pyro couldn’t help but giggle, starting to feel a little bit better.

“That doesn’t make any sense!”

“Alright then, how about Engie? Probably souping up your mask with some gadgets, right? Maybe he’s making a propeller for it that’ll actually fly!”

“I can already fly with an airblast!”

Scout made an exaggerated sound of exasperation, causing Pyro to laugh for the first time this crummy morning.

“Then who else could have stolen it?”

“Oh, I think y–”

The sound of clattering echoed through Pyro’s room as they stopped midway through their sentence. They looked around, trying to find the source.

“Py?” Scout called.

“Shh…”

“But–”

“Shh!”

Where… was that coming from?

A few tense seconds passed before the sound of clattering suddenly stopped.

Pyro looked around again confused before letting out a sigh of relief. 

Their relief was short-lived as suddenly the ceiling vent cover in the centre of their roof fell to the ground with a crash, leaving dust flying everywhere. 

Pyro coughed, fanning away the dust cloud and locking eyes with the culprit – a large raccoon clutching the vent cover and staring at Pyro.

The moment Pryo realised what they were looking at, they let out a shout, spurring the raccoon into action and letting out an angry chitter as they started running around the room, throwing Pyro’s belongings around. 

“Py?!” Scout called. “What’s going on?!”

Pyro let out another shout. 

“Raccoon!” they yelled, dodging out of the way of a teapot thrown at them.

The raccoon jumped onto the bed and grabbed onto Balloonicorn with its paws.

“No…!” Pyro ordered like they were trying to train a dog.

Animals reacted well to authoritative voices, right?

The raccoon grabbed on tighter to Balloonicorn with a hiss.

“Don’t you dare!” Pyro screamed louder.

With Pyro’s shout, the raccoon leapt off the bed and started to charge Pyro with a vicious glint in its eyes.

“Fudge! Scout, help!” Pyro shouted without thinking.

The door behind them slammed open as Scout charged into the room. He stopped just in front of Pyro, eyes locked on the raccoon.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Scout yelled, diving forward with his hands out, attempting to catch the pest.

Unfortunately for Scout, The raccoon was much quicker than he expected, chittering angrily and dodging out of Scout’s way. 

Scout crashed onto the floor with a shout and quickly whirled around to see the raccoon making a beeline for the open door and running out into the base proper.

“Rats…” Scout cursed.

Pyro stared at Scout for a few seconds and saw that he was starting to look over at Pyro to check if they were alright. 

Oh no!

Pyro let out a yelp and pulled up the collar of their suit higher, hiding most of their face. Scout cursed and immediately looked away, holding a hand up to block the sight of Pyro in his periphery.

“Sorry, um…” Scout babbled. “I’ll go get it! I’ll be back!”

Scout scrambled to his feet and ran out of the room and down the hallway.

“Medic! Get the rabies shot ready!” he called.

“What?!” Medic shouted in response.

“Soldier, where are your freaking raccoons?!” Scout yelled, ignoring Medic.

Hesitantly, Pyro peered over the edge of their suit to watch Scout leave.

Darn… Balloonicorn was right. Scout did have a cute butt.

Pyro shook their head to banish the thought and swiftly shut the door.

They yanked the collar down and shoved their reddening face into their hands.

Scout wasn’t making it any easier to ignore the crush on him!

He kept jumping into action just for Pyro, making them laugh and even listening to them.

It seemed like Pyro was doomed to have a crush on him from the moment he said hello.

“GET THE MASK! GET THE MASK!” Scout yelled from the hallway, running past and catching Pyro’s attention.

“Why are you even doing this?!” Medic demanded, out of breath.

“Because Pyro needs their mask! That’s why! Now just– SNIPER WATCH OUT!”

Pyro winced at the loud crash from the hallway.

Maybe their dreams were a bit ambitious… 

But Scout was still their knight in shining armour to them.

Chapter Text

Pyro woke up in respawn with a pounding headache and a fever.

It wasn’t the respawns fault – it was doing what it had been programmed to do which was spitting out the RED team after they died to the state they were in when they clocked in this morning.

That was the problem though – Pyro was respawning back in the exact same way they felt this morning.

They quietly sniffled under their mask and frowned.

They couldn’t even remember the last time they got sick! It was rare for them to catch a bug wearing their mask all the time.

Rare, but not impossible.

So when Pyro woke up feeling awful this morning, instead of doing the smart thing and going to Medic or rolling over and going back to sleep, they stumbled out of bed and got ready for the day.

They didn’t want to inconvenience the team.

Turns out they didn’t need to be stuck in bed to be an inconvenience with all the missed Spychecking that they were doing.

Pyro let out a sigh and trudged over to the respawn exit. They glanced at the clock on the wall and frowned, realising they still had 7 hours to go of the workday.

This was… fine. They could do this. They had dealt with worse.

They just had to ignore the growing feeling of nausea first.

They stared out into the battlefield and stared into the distance, remembering someone once telling them it was a good way to get rid of an upset tummy during a road trip. But would it even work if they weren’t in a car?

“Are you freakin’ kidding me?!” someone yelled from behind Pyro.

Pyro glanced behind themself to see Scout glowering in the middle of respawn. He caught sight of Pyro and groaned as he stomped over to Pyro.

“Py! Can you believe this?!” he yelled, causing Pyro to wince at the volume. “That Sniper has to be cheating or somethin’! There is no way he was able to get me from that far away!”

“Uh-huh?” Pyro managed, closing their eyes.

“I’m gonna kill him so hard when I get back out there and– Py? You alright, bud?”

Pyro blinked up at Scout, realising that they had started to pitch to the side without realising it and were currently resting their head on Scout’s shoulder.

Normally, they would have jumped away and apologised profusely, but they just couldn’t find the energy to care.

“Uh-huh…”

Scout frowned as he assessed Pyro.

“No you’re not,” he decided. “What’s wrong?”

“Hud… da hudda hudda. Hudda hudda,” they managed.

Scout blinked.

“Py, if you’re not feelin’ well why are you here?”

“Hudda… hudda.”

Scout frowned down at Pyro before letting out a sigh and slowly leading Pyro back into respawn. He sat Pyro down on one of the benches and hesitantly reached out, putting a hand on Pyro’s forehead and muttering to himself when he couldn’t feel anything through the mask.

“Talk to me, firebug,” he murmured only for Pyro to hear. “What’s the matter? Do you have a fever?”

Pyro was silent for a moment.

Should they keep the lie up?

They slowly lifted their head to shake it only to have a wave of dizziness wash over them. They whimpered quietly before sighing and guiltily nodding.

No point trying to hide it now, especially when they were feeling this awful.

Scout frowned and wrapped an arm around Pyro in a half-hug. Pyro sluggishly tried returning it.

“I’m gonna call Medic for ya, okay?” Scout whispered.

Pyro nodded into Scout’s chest and closed their eyes, feeling drowsy.

They must have dozed off because when they opened their eyes again, Medic was looking down concernedly at them.

“Hudda hud hudda?”

“You were asleep just for a little bit,” Scout quietly answered, stroking Pyro’s arm with a thumb.

With that Pyro realised they were still being held by Scout.

They should have been mortified, but they couldn’t care between the fever and the sleepiness washing over them.

“We have called a fifteen-minute time out,” Medic explained. “Pyro, can you stand? We’ll do a brief examination in your room.”

Pyro nodded and forced themself to their feet with a grunt. They took the first step and immediately stumbled forward.

“Woah,” Scout called, catching Pyro before they hit the ground. “I’ve got ya. Lead the way, doc.”

Medic hummed, looking between Scout and Pyro as he thought.

“I will get some medicine from the infirmary. Scout, can you get Pyro to their room?”

“You got it, Doc! C’mon Py, the teleporter’s this way.”

As Medic strode off, Scout looped an arm around Pyro and led them to the teleporter. 

The instant they were through, Pyro groaned and clutched their head.

“Heh, yeah the teleporter doesn’t feel so good while you’re sick, huh?”

Pyro shook their head miserably. Scout gave them a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

“Your room’s not too far. Let’s go.”

Pyro said nothing, trying to not focus on their pounding head and instead on Scout beside them, pulling them along down the corridors of the base.

Mercifully, he wasn’t scared. It was exactly what Pyro needed right now. If Scout started freaking out, they weren’t sure how’d they’d feel or what they’d do.

The next thing Pyro knew, the pair of them had rounded the corner and came to a stop outside their room. Without waiting for permission, Scout quietly opened the door and led Pyro over to their bed.

They flopped down with a sigh and immediately went to take off their mask as Scout looked to the door.

“Doc, shouldn’t be too much longer,” Scout muttered, not paying attention. “Do you need me to grab anything while we wait?”

Scout turned and flinched upon seeing Pyro’s bare face. He immediately turned away and covered his eyes.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t see anything!” Scout yelled.

Pyro let out a quiet chuckle that turned into a cough.

“It’s fine,” Pyro muttered once they recovered. “I don’t care.”

“A-Are you sure?” Scout asked, determinedly looking away.

“Yeah…” Pyro answered. “I don’t mind if it’s you.”

Scout slowly turned his head to look at Pyro. 

The two locked eyes as they sized the other up.

Pyro expected Scout to start intently studying them and uncomfortably staring, but instead, Scout didn’t seem to care about Pyro’s face, frowning and putting a hand on their forehead.

“Wha– hey!” Pyro quietly complained.

Scout grinned.

“I knew it…” Scout answered.

Pyro pulled a face and tilted their face.

“Knew what?”

“You have a fever! I was totally right!”

Pyro snorted and smiled up at Scout.

They were sure their face was red but that wasn’t entirely because of the fever.

Now wasn’t the time for those types of feelings, but Pyro couldn’t help but feel glad that Scout was on their side.

Chapter Text

Time always seemed to pass slower whenever Pyro was sick. 

Everything just… dragged on whenever they were stuck in their room and had nothing to do.

Thankfully Pyro wasn’t completely alone.

“Have you ever read the Flash? Ooh, wait, what about the Fantastic Four? There’s a guy named Human Torch I think you’d like, Py!”

Scout made it his mission to visit every single day since Medic declared Pyro was to stay in their room.

“Okay, do you want the dinosaur colouring-in book or the unicorn– okay, I realise that’s a stupid question.”

Scout made sure they weren’t bored out of their mind.

“I got one. Why’d the chicken cross the road?”

Scout looked after Pyro.

“Soup delivery!”

Thankfully, Pyro recovered quickly from their cold and Medic soon cleared them for work.

Strangely enough, as soon as Pyro left their room for the first time in days, Scout was nowhere to be seen. Scout was constantly there for Pyro, they didn't expect him just to disappear.

Pyro checked everywhere where Scout usually hung out and asked everyone where he might be. 

Unfortunately, it was as if he had vanished into thin air.

His usual haunts were empty and everyone responded to Pyro with shrugs.

Something was wrong and Pyro knew it.

This was how they found themself outside of Scout’s room. 

It was the only place they hadn’t checked yet and Pyro was starting to get worried.

Ever so quietly, Pyro knocked on Scout’s door.

“Hudda?” they quietly called.

There was silence for a second as Pyro wondered where else Scout might be when they heard a quiet groan from the other side of the door.

“Hudda?” they called, knocking again more insistently.

A few more seconds passed before the door was opened and a pale-looking Scout squinted at Pyro. 

He opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was a weak coughing fit.

Uh oh, that wasn’t good.

Pyro frowned and pushed themself into the room. Scout didn’t put up a fight as Pyro pushed Scout and shut the door behind them. Once the coast was clear, they carefully took off their mask with a sigh and turned to look at Scout.

“Scout, are you okay?”

Scout nodded.

“I’m fine,” Scout croaked out. “You didn’t get me sick. I’m as healthy as a–”

Scout cut himself off with a coughing fit. Pyro winced and took a measured step back.

“Horse,” Scout finished once he recovered.

Pyro frowned and crossed their arms.

“Scout, you can barely speak.”

“I’m fine.”

Pyro exaggeratedly rolled their eyes, relishing the fact that Scout could see their expressions for once.

“Right, and Heavy doesn’t love sandviches.”

Scout frowned.

“I’m fine,” he repeated. “And it looks like you’re feeling better too! Do you wanna hang out?”

Pyro sighed. 

“Go to bed, Scout,” they ordered. “I’m getting Medic.”

“Nooooooo…” Scout hoarsely whined. “I’m fine…”

Pyro stood their ground and glared at Scout.

“Bed. Now.”

Scout smirked.

“That’s what she–”

“Scout, if you finish that sentence and don’t go to bed right now, I’ll be sure to ask Medic to test out his new cold medicine on you. I heard it’s a needle to the butt.”

Scout paled and stared at Pyro, trying to figure out if they were lying. Pyro used this distraction to gently shove Scout onto the bed.

“Stay,” Pyro ordered with a faint laugh. “I’ll be back.”

Pyro ignored Scout’s groaning complaints as they slipped their mask back on and readjusted the lenses so they could see clearly. 

Pyro turned and gave Scout a wave as they left the room. The instant the door was shut behind them, Pyro spun around and made a beeline for the infirmary, ignoring all the strange stares thrown their way from the other members of the team.

They had a mission to do. They couldn’t spend all their time worrying about what Demo thought they were up to!

Once they were in the basement, Pyro knocked on the infirmary doors and impatiently hopped from foot to foot.

“Come in!” Medic called. “Unless you’re Soldier! I told you I am not reattaching your foot again today!”

Pyro pulled a face, before stepping inside. Medic politely smiled at Pyro and placed the pen he was holding on his desk.

“Oh, Pyro, I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon. How are you feeling?”

Pyro gave a thumbs-up before shaking their head.

“Hudda hudda,” they explained.

“Scout’s sick?” Medic repeated with a sigh. “I told him to stay out of your room while you were recovering.”

A faint smile crossed Pyro’s face, hidden by the mask.

“Hudda hudda hud?”

Medic sighed and got to his feet.

“Ja, ja. I’ll look at him.”

“Hudda!”

“Oh, it’s not a problem,” Medic responded, waving a hand. “After all, Scout did the same for you, did he not?”

He did, didn’t he?

Pyro tried to ignore the warm fuzzy feeling in their chest. 

They couldn’t get distracted with thoughts about their crush now!

“Hudda hudda hudda hud.”

“Ja, that’s a good idea,” Medic praised with a friendly smile. “Soup’s always good when someone is sick! Just, remember to get supervision before making any soups, Pyro.”

“Hud, Huddic.”

Medic stood up from his desk and immediately started to get everything he needed for a check-up. With that, Pyro turned and left the infirmary, heading towards the workshop.

“Huddie?” Pyro called, knocking on the door. “Hudda hudda hud.”

Pyro pushed the door open to see Engie looking up from the dispenser he was working on to confusedly stare at Pyro.

“Hey, Firebug. Can I ask why? You’re not rostered on for kitchen duty tonight.”

Pyro shook their head.

“Hudda hudda hudda,” Pyro explained. “Hudda hudda hudda hud?”

A cheeky smile grew on Engie’s face as he stood up, abandoning the project he was working on.

“Sounds like a plan!” he declared, dusting his hands. 

“Hudda!”

Engie’s cheeky grin only grew as he walked over to Pyro.

“Alrighty then, let’s go make some soup for your boyfriend.”

Pyro jumped and flushed under the suit as Engie snickered at Pyro’s reaction.

“Hudda hud hudda!” they yelled, indignantly.

Engie let out a chuckle as he slapped Pyro’s back.

“I’m just teasin’ ya, Firebug. Didn’t think you could get so upset.”

“Huddie!”

For the millionth time, Pyro couldn’t help but feel glad that their mask hid their face. 

If Engie could see how red their face was, it would just add fuel to the metaphorical fire.

“Um… H-Hudda.”

“Mmhm! Let’s go!”

Engie said nothing as the two made their way through the corridors of the base to the kitchen. A thoughtful expression had crossed his face which Pyro hoped was not directed at them.

Engie was smart! He could figure out Pyro’s predicament if he actually noticed it! They just hoped he was thinking about his dispenser!

Thankfully for Pyro, making the soup was a painless affair. 

There was a can of soup left over from when Pyro was sick. They quickly dumped it in the pot and heated it up. 

Engie was graciously quiet as Pyro began to plate up the meal. 

If Engie continued to tease Pyro, they would more than likely drop the soup on the floor, which was not what they wanted.

Once the soup was steaming hot and ready to be served, Engie gave Pyro an encouraging smile.

“Good work, Firebug,” he commented as Pyro grabbed a napkin. “After all, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

“HUDDIE!”

Pyro’s face turned red again as Engie let out a good-natured laugh and gave Pyro a friendly pat on the back.

“I’m just ribbin’ ya, Firebug,” he said with a chuckle. “Good luck, I’m rootin’ for ya.”

With that, Engie turned and left the kitchen, leaving Pyro alone, clutching the napkin in their hands.

Gosh, they didn’t realise Engie had already picked up on Pyro’s crush that quickly.

Were they that obvious? Would Scout realise?

Even if he did, would Scout even like them back?! 

Ugh, maybe not. Scout was amazing! He was confident, brave and handsome. Pyro was… not.

Maybe in their dreams, they could be together, but in real life? 

Forget it. Engie was just teasing them.

Pyro shook their head and picked up the tray of soup.

Now wasn’t the time to wallow in pity. They had a delivery to make.

Carefully, so they didn’t spill anything, Pyro made their way to Scout’s room. 

As they approached the door, Medic stepped out of the room with a frown. He noticed Pyro and smiled.

“Ah, hallo Pyro. I see you’ve finished making the soup?”

Pyro nodded.

“Hudda hudda?”

Medic shrugged.

“It’s just a minor cold but he will still need time to recover. I’ve just given him some medicine. You’re welcome to see him, but I would recommend keeping your distance if you’d like to take off your mask.”

“Hudda, Huddic!”

“It is no problem.”

With that, Medic headed back to the infirmary as Pyro knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” Scout croaked from inside.

Pyro opened the door and held the tray of soup out for Scout. He blinked in surprise at the new entrant.

“For me?”

“Hudda!”

A dopey smile crossed Scout’s face.

“Thanks, Py.”

Pyro carefully handed off the tray to Scout. Once they were certain Scout wasn’t going to drop it, Pyro scrambled over to the chair in the corner and took off their mask the moment they were seated. They let out a sigh and rubbed their eyes, adjusting to the light.

“Right,” they stated, still rubbing their eyes. “I dunno how long you’re gonna be stuck here for, but do you want anything? Comics? Bonk!? Something else?”

It was uncharacteristically silent for a room with Scout in it. Confusedly, Pyro looked up from their hands to see Scout staring at them with a flushed face.

“Scout?” they asked. “Are you alright?”

Man, that fever must be doing a number on him.

That seemed to push Scout into action.

“Yeah, um… Are you from Nevada? Because you’re the only ten I see.”

Pyro pulled a face and stared at Scout’s exaggerated smile.

“What?”

“Uh… Did you… sprain your ankle when you escaped from Hell?”

Pyro blinked.

“What are you talking about?”

“Uh! Do you know what my shirt’s made out of?”

Pyro stared at Scout worriedly.

“Cotton?”

“Cotton! No, wait I mean–”

Scout started coughing again before he could continue. Pyro gave him a pitying smile.

Wow. Whatever Medic gave Scout was making him talk nonsense. Pyro had no idea what Scout was rambling about. Poor thing!

“You should eat your soup and then go to bed,” Pyro stated. “That medicine is making you loopy.”

“But–!” Scout coughed.

Pyro giggled.

“Eat your soup, silly. I’ll grab some water for you and a can of Bonk!.”

Pyro ignored Scout’s spluttering and slid their mask back on. They quickly readjusted it and gave Scout a thumbs-up before turning to the door and stepping outside.

As they made their way over to the kitchen, they started humming.

What were they worried about earlier? There was no way Scout was going to realise Pyro liked him. It was a load off, realising they were in the clear.

As they made their way into the kitchen, they passed Medic and Sniper who were casually speaking to each other as they made themselves coffees. Sniper looked up from the conversation and turned to Pyro.

“Hey, Py,” Sniper greeted, leaning back on the counter and crossing his arms. “How’s he goin’?”

Pyro shrugged as they grabbed a bottle of water.

“Hudda hudda hud. Hudda hudda hudda hudda hud hudda huddy.”

Medic raised an eyebrow and looked up from the cup of coffee he was making.

“The medicine is making him loopy?” Medic asked. “Are you sure?”

Pyro frowned

“Hudda…?” they confusedly responded. “Hud hudda hudda hudda hudda hudda hudda hud hudda Huddada hudda hudda hudda hud.”

Sniper raised his own eyebrow as he stared at Pyro in disbelief.

“What his shirt was made out of? But that’s…” Sniper trailed off.

He put a hand to his chin, deep in thought.

“Py, when he asked if you were from Nevada, did we finish it with ‘because you’re the only ten I see?’”

“Hudda? Hudda hudda?”

Sniper snorted before breaking out into cackles as he doubled over with laughter.

“Hudda?!”

Medic looked confusedly at Sniper before turning to Pyro and shaking his head.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but the medicine I gave Scout should not be making him delirious. He doesn’t have a fever either, just a cough and a headache.”

What? 

Then what Scout was saying wasn’t because he was sick and out of his mind? But it didn’t make sense!

“Hud hudda hudda…” Pyro pouted.

Sniper snorted and recovered.

“Py,” he addressed with a giggle. “I think he was flirtin’ with you. Badly.”

Flirting?! With Pyro? What?!

“Huh?”

Sniper shook his head good-naturedly.

“Come on, don’t tell me you haven’t heard pickup lines before,” Sniper responded. “Are you from Tennessee? Because you’re the only ten I see. What’s my shirt made out of? Boyfriend material. Are you a photographer? Because I can picture you and me together.”

Pyro stared agape at Sniper as he ticked the pick-up lines off on his fingers.

“I have never heard any of these before,” Medic commented. “You say they’re a way of flirting?

Sniper shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee.

“They’re cheesy but they get the conversation started,” Sniper said, waving a casual hand. “You walk up to a sheila or a bloke you find hot and say ‘Hey did it hurt when you fell from heaven?’ Boom. Conversation started and you might get lucky.”

Medic hummed.

“Interesting…”

“MMHCOUT MMPH MPHLIRTING MMPH MM?!” Pyro yelled, loud enough to be heard clearly through their mask.

Sniper and Medic flinched at the volume, but Pyro had already run off before they could notice the two’s reactions.

Pyro had made it to Scout’s room in record time as they slammed the door open, making Scout jump and spill his soup.

“Wha– Py!” Scout complained.

They ignored him as they slammed the door shut and whirled around to face Scout, whipping off their mask in one swift motion.

“You were flirting with me?!” they yelled.

Scout’s face quickly turned red.

“Y-Yeah?” Scout responded. “I-I thought you knew…”

Pyro spluttered for a second as they tried to find the words.

“I thought the medicine you had was making you crazy! You like me?”

Scout’s blinked in shock.

“Oh god,” Scout muttered, covering his face with his hands. “Yeah, Py… Yeah, I do.”

What?!

“Why didn’t you tell me?!”

Scout grimaced slightly as he leaned back.

“Well… because I didn’t think you’d like me back! I figured I could pretend that I didn’t remember embarrassing myself because of my cold.”

Scout started coughing again and Pyro stared at Scout in shock.

“What the fuck, Scout!” Pyro yelled, causing Scout to suddenly stop coughing. “Why wouldn’t I like you?! You’re strong, you’re nice and you’re cute!”

“Holy shit! You just swore! Wait, you think I’m cute?!”

Pyro paused, staring at an equally baffled Scout.

“I… yeah?” they managed “I like you, Scout.”

Scout blinked up at Pyro.

“Oh…” he muttered, his face turning redder and redder with every passing second. “I… I like you too.”

The two stared at each other for a moment in wonder.

Scout liked Pyro back… It was almost too good to be true.

Because of all the people they’ve ever had a crush on, no one had ever confessed that they felt the same way… Until Scout.

“Hey Py…” Scout muttered, looking away and clutching his blankets in his hand.

“Yeah?” Pyro whispered.

“Um… Maybe when I get better… would you… uh… like to go on a date with me?”

Pyro giggled.

Would they like to go on a date with Scout?! The answer was obvious.

“Of course!” Pyro cried. “Gosh, I never thought you’d ask me!”

“Good!” Scout hoarsely chuckled. “Uh… Normally I’d… y’know, put the moves on ya and give ya a kiss or somethin’ but I don’t think you want me germing you up.”

Pyro smirked.

“I think I’ve got an idea,” they said, pulling their mask down.

Scout blinked before realising what Pyro was suggesting. He beamed at Pyro and held his arms out for them to fall into. Pyro squeezed Scout in a hug as he reached up and pressed a kiss to the side of Pyro’s mask.

There were many reasons why Pyro liked wearing their mask – it hid their face, protected their lungs on the battlefield and let them stay quiet – but this potentially might become one of their favourite reasons.