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Soldier always insisted on doing night patrols around the base. Nobody really tried to stop him, it was just another paranoid habit of his. He can't sleep unless he makes sure the coast is completely clear of... Of whatever the hell might be out there, you never know. All fighting ceased for the night, but that didn't stop him from fearing he might get caught off guard. His days in the trenches did a number on him, mixed in with the lead poisoned water he's been religiously drinking, it all took a visible toll on the man's sanity.
Honestly, he somewhat enjoyed the late night walks, usually accompanied by a cigarette. The cold air actually suited his racing mind.
But not today. He could feel something was wrong the moment he stepped outside the B.L.U. base building. The battlegrounds stretched far in front of him, cloaked by fog.
He made his usual route around the B.L.U. territory, staying alert for any unusual sounds. And surely enough, his suspicions finally got confirmed. He heard muffled groaning, the sound carried itself through the night. Soldier has heard men dying more times than he can count, everyone sounds the same when injured, all pride goes out the window as the men weep and beg for mercy... Remembering it all send shivers down his spine.
All his teammates are at the base, hanging around in the cafeteria. Well, except for spy, but he never liked to sit around there. He saw them when he was heading out... So who was this person? Hidden just outside his line of sight by the uneven terrain of the battlegrounds.
They must have heard his footsteps, because suddenly they went completely silent. Probably biting down on their hand, forcing their cries to die down. But it was much too late, Soldier knew exactly where they were. And he slowly got closer, closing the distance until he finally saw the other man.
The first thing his eyes landed on was the bright red uniform, torn and bloody, but still recognizable. Soldier straightened his rocker launcher on his shoulder, aiming it out of instinct. But he didn't shoot, no, he must first make sure who he's dealing with. He'd spare R.E.D. Demo without a second thought, but the man laying in front of him didn't even resemble his Scottish friend. It was the enemy team's engineer... That's certainly something he didn't expect to see in his lifetime. Dell Conagher, in enemy territory and baring no arms. Such a stupid position to be in, and this man was all but stupid. So do tell...
"You're on the wrong gravel, maggot." Soldier says calmly, weapon still pointed at the other's face, yet his finger nowhere near the trigger.
"Trust me, son, I've noticed." Engineer's voice shakes from the beating he's endured. He tore his uniform to stop the bleeding, the fabric packed tightly into the bullet wound, held in place with his hand. His fallen hard hat was laying nearby.
"What happened?" Soldier lowers his weapon slightly, although his voice still has that interrogating tone.
"A'h got shot." The shorter man grumbles.
"Well, obviously you did." Soldier scoffs.
"Son. I've got shot after ceasefire, when the respawn was already down. A'h was trying to make my way back to base after talkin' to yer texan. Then, ka-boom. A'h got lead in my gut."
Soldier pauses, his expression faltering slightly. "Who shot you?"
"No idea." The man is pale from blood loss, he's probably gonna pass out soon. This is the perfect opportunity to get rid of the enemy engineer. It would cripple the R.E.D. team significantly... It would be easy to finally win a fight against them.
The loud thud of the rocked launcher hitting the ground startles Dell a bit. He looks up through his goggles, trying to read the other's expression. "Son... Don't do anything stupid now." Engi says softly, trying to sit straight, but the other is still towering well over him.
A health kit lands by his feet. The blue bottle emits a slight glow, glimmering as a reflection in the blood spilled on the ground. It won't heal him completely, but it's certainly enough to get him on his feet, he'll be slow, but like this, he could probably make it back to base.
"Son, you were in the military, weren't you? For real, not like our lad. Although he's impressive he lacks..." Dell looks the taller man up and down. "...The discipline and resentment."
"All that fancy talk just because I spared your life." Soldier snorts, folding his arms. "Did Sun Tzu teach you nothing?"
"Pardon my admiration." Dell hums, taking the health kit with a big sigh of relief. "Although... Didn't Sun Tzu write for the elite? What use would his lessons be to tha common marching men? We are talkin' about the Art o' war, I assume?"
"Nice one, grease monkey. I'm almost starting to like you." Soldier grins. A twinge of actual interest crossing his eyes. "Lay it out on me, who's lessons should we go by then?"
"That's a trick question. Depends on the geography of the battlegrounds, weather and position. There's no definitive way of war, it's about adapting to what's given to you." Engi talks in that calm soothing tone he's known for, now that he's not actively fighting death.
"I do like you." Solly crouches down to meet the man's eye level. He picks up the fallen hardhat from the ground, nesting it back at the other's head and giving it a light friendly pat.
"Much obliged." Engi smiles, bowing the helmet like a cowboy would his hat. A simple polite gesture.
"Can you stand up?" Soldier asks while offering him a helping hand. Engi takes it, letting the other help him up to his feet. They hold each other's hand for longer than necessary. Both hands were roughed up by labor, the engineer's more pudgy and comfortable to hold, while soldier's hand was cold and calloused. They both stared at each other, like they just forgot how to let go.
Engi slowly brings up his other, robotic hand to hold onto soldier's. It's like he's trying to warm him up, gently rubbing over his knuckles. Soldier gives him a confused look, he almost pulls his hand away, but something about the sensation is just too comforting to let go.
"Your hand is cold as ice, while mine burns like fire. How blind would you be to not admit they were made for holding each other..." Dell says quietly, slightly slurring his words together, so quietly, in fact, soldier is sure he must have misheard those soft loving words. What kind of idiot would say that to him?
Suddenly, the shorter man's grip loosens. He sways on his knees a bit and it doesn't take long for soldier to realize something is wrong.
"Uhh... Grease monkey, are you alright?" He grumbles, taking a hold of engineer's shoulder, trying to steady him.
"The damn son o' a gun... Mah bloody..." He babbles nonsense. Standing up got his blood pressure to spike up and his body isn't exactly handling it well. He's got his chronic conditions after all. Not actively dying anymore, but he's still fragile from the blood loss and overall exhaustion.
---
The battlegrounds are eerily quiet at night. One could almost call them peaceful, but there was no peace taking place on that bloodstained gravel.
Well... Except for tonight.
A lone siluet of the mighty soldier marched through the cold night. You could hear every single one of his steps. Heavy boots on sand, headed far beyond the safety of B.L.U. territory.
And in his arms, he held the enemy engineer. He knew he was risking death, but he has already set it in his mind to return the injured man to his team. To ensure the other's safety. It was foolish, really. He even had to leave his weapon behind in favor of carrying the weaker man.
He felt surprisingly nice in his arms. He was heavy, but no problem for a man such as soldier to carry. The warm weight of his body was pressed against soldier's chest. He could even hear the shorter man breathe, and in return, the other probably heard his racing heartbeat.
Neither of them said anything, they didn't really need to. About halfway through their little journey, Dell's arms wrapped around soldier's chest, pulling himself as close to the other as possible. They had a history of playful flirting on the battlefield, they even sometimes got to chat when nobody was watching, but right now, it seems that the simple displays of affection have turned into something unspeakable.
How ironic is it, soldier has found a best friend in demo and a newly blossoming interest in engi, both men he has sworn to kill over and over in a pointless war. It just wasn't fair. The bloodthirsty enemy was just another group of men like any other he adored in the past. It was painfully obviously now that he's got one of them clinging to him in his arms.
What was it so great about war again? Guns? Okey, yeah, guns are awesome, adrenaline is awesome and lifelong crippling ptsd is a good conversation opener. Who could ask for more, this is really all a man needs! But sometimes, only on rare occasions like this one, soldier doubts this mindset of his. He finds his mind slipping into fantasies of a more steady life. Maybe one where he actually gets to fear death, where he has things to loose, things to protect. Just something that would matter to him other than the cheap adrenaline fix and a pityfull paycheck.
__
The R.E.D. base looms over the two. They're close enough to be spotted just by looking out the building's window.
Soldier takes a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the worst.
"Listen, hardhat." He clears his throat before he continues talking. "... take care of yourself, I'll see you tomorrow on the battlefield." With that he carefully props the engineer to his feet, giving him a one last pat on the helmet for good luck.
"I'll get ready to kick yer arse out there." Engi smiles.
"We'll see about that, maggot." Soldier laughs, turning around, ready to dip out. But he hesitates. He knows he should get the fuck out of there before he gets spotted, but there's just this urge...
The engineer stays still as well, looking at the other man in slight anticipation. They both wanted something, it was obvious.
Soldier turns on his heel, his body moving faster than his critical thinking. His brain was similar to Swiss cheese at this point in the gravel war anyway, impulsive decisions were his middle name.
Their helmets bonk together as Soldier tries to give the other a small kiss on the cheek. "Damn it..." He mutters, awkwardly shuffling himself away from Engi.
"Don't you dare, mister." Engi grabs him by the collar, yanking him right back, almost making him topple over. "Try again. Gimme that damn kiss." He grumbles, staring up at the taller man. He even tilts soldier's helmet up so they can see eye to eye.
"But we're-"
"Gimme that kiss, soldier boy." Engi shakes him gently to emphasize his words, getting impatient with the other.
Soldier's arms wrap around the engineer's waist, pulling him into a tight hug before attacking his face with a shower of small kisses. He couldn't hold himself back anymore, the other man invoked so much cuteness aggression within him, just like a kitten.
His grip only tightens as Dell's belly presses against his. The shorter man feels like a bloody teddy bear in his arm, warm and cuddly. God, he hasn't been this affectionate with anyone in ages...
He desperately wants this moment to last forever. But he knows he has to let go eventually.
__
He finds himself standing in the cold air of the night, the comfortable weight of the other's body long gone from his arms. He doesn't even remember making his way back to the B.L.U. base. He fishes out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, fidgeting with the lighter for a good while before finally lighting one up.
The nicotine does soothe his racing mind. And as he smokes, he looks across the vast battlefield. Somewhere out there, far beyond his line of sight, a man lays safe, recovering from his injuries thanks to soldier.
It's strange how much colder he feels without the other by his side. Cold, terribly cold, like shards of ice are just piercing through his back-
What a pity.