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It was a nice, peaceful day at the base, which really meant that something was about to go disastrously wrong. Usually, that involved Scout being an absolute idiot, which just so happened to be the case on that day as well. The rest of the mercs had been sleeping, mostly quietly, just until Scout let out a yammering, pitiful yell. Spy immediately jolted awake, frustrated by his son’s annoying wailing.
“Christ! Must you be so loud in the morning? You are nothing but an utter nuisance.” Spy had started ranting just as he was walking to Scout’s room, though he came across something very unexpected. Well, as unexpected as Scout’s nonsense could be. His room was on fire, which really wasn’t that surprising, although it was quite impressive how it even caught ablaze without it being Pyro’s doing.
“Spy! My room is on fire!” The boy cried, his Boston accent ringing in Spy’s ears. He was clutching his baseball bat and a couple soda cans in his hands, presumably the only things he managed to save from the burning wreck.
“Mon dieu, get something to extinguish it, you imbecile! You have woken up half the base with your nonsensical scream.” Spy watched as Scout scrambled to get a fire extinguisher from the other room, dropping all his belongings on the way, the soda cans clattering against the hardwood floor. He grabbed the large fire extinguisher mounted on the wall, a necessity if you had Pyro lurking around the base.
Scout attempted to manoeuvre the fire extinguisher with all the grace of a raccoon holding an object too large for its little body, flailing around with it in his arms. He quickly turned the extinguisher on, white bubbly foam spilling out of it to dim the roaring flames. It luckily worked, the flames diminishing and growing smaller by the second. Still, Scout’s room was absolutely torched, destroyed and most possessions reduced to ash.
As soon as the fire went away, Scout rushed into his room, to try and salvage something, anything. He haphazardly retrieved a scorched photo album from under his bed, holding it in his hands tightly. He flipped it open, only to find the photos inside had disintegrated to bits and pieces, barely recognisable. The photos of his ma, of his brothers, all reduced to fine dust and ash.
The boy sighed, a choked sob leaving his throat as he rose to his feet unsteadily. He clutched the album between his hands, trying not to damage it any further, to salvage the few scraps he at least still had. Spy approached him, and for a moment Scout almost thought the older man would comfort him, would say something to try and cheer him up. He was so clearly upset after all, almost nearing tears, and it truly took a lot to make Scout so intensely emotional, even Spy knew that.
Regardless, Spy only rolled his eyes, crossing his arms behind his back and regarding his son with a look of utter contempt and hostility, just as he always had.
“Look at what you have done now, Scout! My, you are truly quite unreliable.” Spy grabbed the album from Scout’s hands, pocketing it himself. The boy reached for it, his hands hovering in the air, but ultimately didn’t say anything and just walked off to sulk in a different part of the base. Spy regarded the destroyed album with a look of pity as soon as the younger man had left. He didn’t feel much remorse for his son, though he did still love him somewhat. He’d try to salvage some of the photos, especially those of Scout’s mom, his chérie, and give it back to the poor boy.
All the while, Scout had trudged off outside, trying to clear his mind. He ignored the other mercs training outside, which was very unlike him, but everyone seemed too busy to notice. He dragged his feet against the sandy path, his hands in the pockets of his pants, the boy's head down. He sighed as he came across Sniper's van. The older man was inside, preoccupied with something, Scout could clearly see it.
As soon as Sniper saw the boy looking in through his camper window, a horribly downcast look on his face, he sighed and dragged a hand down his face. He supposed fixing his sniper rifle would have to wait, in favor of comforting Scout. Now, he wasn't all too good with emotions or any of that sappy stuff, but Scout looked utterly defeated, and it wasn't like anyone else was making any moves to help him. Sniper opened the window, leaning out, startling Scout, who had been completely lost in thought.
"Y'alright mate? What's gotcha lookin' like ya stepped in shite?" Sniper's Australian accent rang out, making Scout tense up for a moment. He relaxed though, his posture slouching. He threw a hand behind his head, awkwardly rubbing his neck, chewing on his lip.
"I- uhhh...I was jus' lookin' for a place to train, y'know!" Scout stammered temporarily, his words clearly catching on his own lie, though he tried to sell it with a horribly awkward and tense smile. It was pretty obvious to anyone who would have known Scout for more than a day that he was lying straight through his teeth. He was never good at it, always becoming nervous and fumbling with his words when he did so. The boy groaned, realizing his obvious lie wasn't satisfying Sniper's question. He knew he was lying.
"Okay, okay, fine! I was upset 'cause my room burned down with all my belongings." Scout cracked under the non-existent pressure quick, crossing his arms over his chest. He fidgeted with his fingers, still sort of nervous under the hard gaze of the older Australian. He gazed up, a faint smile crossing his features, clearly seeking for reassurance, for someone to comfort him. Sniper sighed again but smirked, putting a hand on his face and shaking his head.
"Alright, ya can come in mate, make sure not ta disturb my pet though." Scout beamed at that, immediately walking over to the door of the van and slamming it open. The camper van looked just like how he'd expect from Sniper. Disorganized, dirty and smelly. His room hadn't been much better though, so he couldn't complain. The owl, Sir Hootsalot, Scout remembered, startled at the sound of the door slamming open. It clearly didn't seem to appreciate being disturbed, hooting in protest, before fluttering away to perch on a shelf higher up, away from Scout's antics.
Sniper closed the window back up, moving to sit on the raggedy couch nearby. He stored away the pieces of his rifle that he'd been working on, patting the available space next to him soon after. Scout shuffled over, sitting next to the taller man. The atmosphere in the air hung awkward and thick now, neither man knowing what they were supposed to talk about. The tension continued on for a few more moments, though Sniper finally cleared his throat and spoke again.
"So yer room burned down, huh? Guess that means ya need a temporary place to stay." The Australian turned his attention to the younger man, tilting his head to rest on his hand. He was asking out of genuine curiosity, though also to lift the awkward stillness of the situation. Scout bit his lip, nodding slowly at Sniper's question.
"Well, yeah, duh." He shrugged, laying his hands on his knees. "Obviously I'll need a place to stay, preferably not in any of the rooms of the others." The boy laughed. He couldn't imagine ever rooming with any of the other mercenaries. They were all impossibly weird and absolutely not up to his standards, although with how high they were, it was truly impressive that anything could faze the boy anymore.
Sniper stifled a quiet laugh, smirking again. He laid his arms behind his head, putting his legs up onto the small coffee table in front of him.
"Ya could stay with me for the time being, 'till the Administrator gets ya a new room. I got plenty o' room in my camper." Sniper regarded Scout again, the offer as genuine as he could be. He wouldn't mind living with Scout for a while. Sure, he was definitely obnoxious and annoying, but he wasn't the worst and the Australian felt genuine sympathy for the poor guy, at least enough to help him out.
"Are you serious?!" Scout almost screamed, his mouth falling open in genuine shock. "Thank you so much, man! Thank you!" Scout, normally able to hold himself back at least a little, fell over Sniper, tackling him in a tight hug. He was genuinely overjoyed, especially since he didn't have to sleep with any of the others. He was absolutely ecstatic, overcome with emotions at the older man's statement.
Sniper groaned as he was enveloped in the hug, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He slowly patted Scout on the head, before finally hugging him back, his arms closing around the boy's skinny frame. He was glad that the Bostonian was so overjoyed.
"You're welcome, Jeremy."