Work Text:
,,Scout, I am leaving.” Sniper had spoken to him one unfortunate evening, when Scout was sitting by the fireplace with him. Now Jeremy was not one to face any feelings. Never has, never will.
,,You aren’t, are you?” The baffled male asked, watching his comrade in sheer despair.
,,I have decided long ago.” He said, almost solemnly. ,,It ain’t like this life is borin’ me.” He started explaining, before slowly smiling to himself, in this reminiscing, almost depressing way.
,,Then why? Why’d you gotta do somethin’ like that, man?”
,,This ain’t my dream job, y’know.” Sniper mused. ,,I wanna hunt, live in the wild or somethin’. I wanna live, on my own terms, instead of killin’ anythin’ that moves in my line of sight.” He chuckles, shoulders tense, as he moves to take a drag from a cigarette Scout never noticed he had lit.
…
The silence was deafening. He had actually left, no note, no nothin’. One morning, he was just gone, the van out of sight, the mark on the ground where it would sit was only grass that would grow out again as the van no longer occupied it.
And Scout? Scout had to move on, right? There was nothing for him to do, only to miss the man whom he had spent years working with. The man he’d go to for shooting advice when he was perfecting his aim on his pistol. The man who he’d stare at when he was lost in thought, and the other would never find it weird.
Scout remembered how Sniper would never interact with anyone unless it was necessary, which mostly happened on the battlefield if the enemy Spy was on his back, or he needed Medic to fix something.
Scout remembered how Sniper would sit alone by the fireplace, and Pyro would bring him more firewood. At first, when things started Sniper would only tolerate their arsonist, because he was silent. Mostly in his own world and ignoring Sniper’s presence the way the others couldn’t.
Scout hated remembering Sniper during his daily activities. He really did. Like right now, when he was bringing firewood. To the fireplace. Where the Sniper would sit in solace until someone came towards him.
…
Scout went for a run one late evening, when Medic asked if he can join him. Scout never knew the German to be one for running at 7 in the evening, but who was he to say no?
Medic rarely joined others when they were doing things they considered fun. He was rarely even present at the dinners, or breakfasts. Never missed lunch though, just because he was convinced that by lunch, someone would be hurt and he’d actually get to experiment on them. Usually, he was wrong.
,,Meine Freund, perhaps, we run to the lake, ja? Nice sight.” Medic suggested, and Scout was almost flabbergasted that Medic was serious.
,,Vhat, I need to keep up with ze likes of yous. I have to keep my condition perfect if you need healing and I am far away, no?” The German smiled a toothy grin, before stretching a little, which Scout mimicked quickly.
His legs were feeling better now that he had actually rested for a few days after their last mission. Their last mission which still contained their friend. Who had left them.
He really needed to stop thinking about that man.
…
The run was exhausting. Their German comrade had much more stamina than one would expect, but worse, he was pushing Scout to do much more than he usually would on his afternoon run. Medic admitted he was testing Scout’s performance almost three quarters into the run, but Scout was too tired to care at that point.
The run back was calmer, more peaceful. It was almost nine in the evening, and New Mexico was still filled with warmth, and flies who would stick to them, drawn to their sweat as they are.
Scout couldn’t wait to get to his room, take a cold, long shower, and actually rest, but Medic never allowed it, as the moment they were on base, he dragged Scout by the collar to the medbay, and inspected him properly.
,,Zere is a … Drop. In your performance, Jeremy.” The Medic said calmly, looking down at Scout’s medical record. ,,Is it perhaps zat you are aging, Meine Freund?” The German mused, rubbing his chin in slow motion. He stood up from his chair, walking over to the Bostonian, hands clasped together.
,,Iz there something troubling you?” Medic asked, only out of pure medical interest, looking at their youngest with interest that shouldn’t be present. Not in the clinical, unfriendly way it was.
,,No, Doc. Just getting’ used to new things.” Scout shrugged, lying to himself, the Doctor, and the four walls that listened to their conversation.
…
Sniper was driving through Albuquerque, one hand on the wheel, the other holding a freshly lit cigarette. He had smoked through a few cartons ever since he left, no one to bother him about it. What a bliss.
But when he sat alone in a camping chair, in some RV park, he felt the solace downing on him. In a way that it shouldn’t be. The boy had done a number on his emotions ever since the start of the year, when he had spiked an interest in talking to him.
They’ve since explored their surroundings, have had stupid picnics, that Sniper couldn’t make sense of. He watched the skinny, young boy eat a whole chicken alone, he watched Scout jump into a lake and catch a fish with his bat. They ate the fish, sure, but not without Sniper almost having broken a tooth on one of the spikes.
But Sniper was watching. He watched as the boy grew quieter after learning when Sniper had enough socializing. He watched as the boy adapted to him perfectly, without ever realizing it.
The boy would bother him daily, knocking on his doors with the stupidest reasons too.
,,Medic asked me to convince you to get an Ubercharged heart.” Was the first reason Scout ever spoke to him one on one. Sniper had blatantly refused. Scout persisted until he shut the door in his face.
Mundee sat up in his seat when he realized he was driving, still. His hand gripped the wheel, his cigarette almost gone having barely been smoked. He sighed and threw it out of the window, before sighing once more.
…
Scout’s mood grew better over the days, especially when Pyro gave him a drawing of Scout and Mundee in unicorn suits. The arsonist was hoping it would make the boy happier, maybe even a smile or two.
And it did. Until it couldn’t. It was just a picture of a man who didn’t want to be found, with a boy who would do anything to find him again.
How could he find a friend like Sniper again? Sniper never complained about his yapping, he never complained about his poor habits when he was feeling down. He never even complained when Scout would sneak cigarettes out of his stack, when the nights were bad and he couldn’t sleep.
…
Scout’s performance grew better by the second month that Mundee was gone. He went back to practice ranges, shot at targets, did all that was required to keep his job. To keep Medic at bay from submitting his poor performance statistics, that the German undoubtedly kept.
He was doing his best, he really was. But the motivation had been slipping for a long time now. There was no one he could protect from spies, since Dell had his sentry and the occasional company of Tavish.
Heavy and Medic were basically glued together on the battlefield, the Russian desperate to protect HIS doctor, as he would proudly exclaim over dinner, and the German would just laugh it off like it was normal.
The only thing Soldier needed protection from was himself, and occasionally Tavish and his alcohol stash, which was generous to say the least. And Tavish didn’t need protection either, when he had his sticky traps and Dell’s beer trap [Dell knowing enemies were nearby, therefore leaving beer around with the idea that Tavish would come around and see it.]
Scout realized early that Sniper being around gave him a sense of purpose he was desperately trying to fill. But he couldn’t find it, since the man was long gone and no one else necessarily needed him. Pyro could easily kill the enemy Spy, and the others had protection.
This realization had not come easy, and Scout was definitely not on board with it, trying to prove himself. Except, no one was watching long enough to see how hard he had been trying for the team.
…
He caved, only once, he told himself. There was an old payphone a few kilometers from the lake, and he dialed the man’s number, hoping the others would pick up.
,,Yes?” The heavy Aussie accent was a blessing to hear.
,,Dee.” Scout said, barely hiding his desperation. His voice was…Shaky. Unsure.
,,Jeremy.” Mundee said softly, in a way Scout was hoping he wouldn’t. While thinking so much about this man, he realized he saw him as a best friend, and that realization hurt more since the man was gone from his life indefinitely.
,,Are.. Hey, man. Are you, okay?” Scout asked, trying to play his nervousness off. It was in fact, not working at all.
,,I am. I am driving, though. Gotta keep my eyes on the road. What’s wrong, mate?” He asked once, before growing silent in that way he did, waiting for Scout to respond.
,,I just-“ Scout sighed, his shoulders slumping, posture growing tired, as he sat down next to the payphone, hoping the line would be long enough to not snap.
,,I realized some things.” He admitted slowly. Painfully so, too. Mundee didn’t respond, and Scout took that as a hint to keep talking. He could’ve hung up too, but he didn’t. ,,You were my best friend, Dee.” Scout admitted, his heart leaping in his chest.
,,Oh, kid.” Mundee chuckled through the phone. ,,You are fine. Glad ya’ see me that way though.”
Scout stiffened, but he had to push all of his thoughts out now, because he was sure Mundee wouldn’t pick up again if he called.
,,Man- okay, listen. I don’t got motivation to keep fightin’ when you’re not around. No one needs me, y’know? At least I could be useful when the Spy would target you, but now? I don’t even got that.” Scout admitted.
,,Hey now,” Mundee sighed. ,,You are plenty useful, Mate. You are. Just, forget it. Forget what you did for me, and find new things to protect.” He said, sounding so detached, so cold and Scout’s heart was tearing apart.
…
Sniper’s hands were shaking. He had pulled over now, staying on the phone with the poor boy who had been stealing his sleep more and more each evening. The only sleep he had that was actually heavy and calm was the last time they stayed up watching some show Scout wanted to see on his telly.
,,I really can’t, Dee. Where are you?” Scout asked softly, and the boy sounded two seconds away from breaking down. Sniper hated it.
,,Don’t come lookin’ for me, kid.” Sniper countered quickly. ,,You won’t find me.” He tried to sound like he couldn’t care less about Scout’s state, but he did. He did, and he couldn’t help the ache that was pooling in his stomach hearing the Bostonian sound like this, compared to his usual cheerful self.
,,Okay.” Scout said slowly, and Sniper couldn’t even picture what he could be looking like right now.
The silence was deafening, before Scout mumbled : ,,Can we stay on the phone at least, Dee?”
Sniper’s heart was in his throat, the blood rushing to his head as he tried to escape the urge to hug that poor boy. He couldn’t hold him, he was far away, but the urge to do so was persistent.
,,Yeah.” Sniper mumbled through the lump in his throat. ,,Yeah, we can, Jer.”
…
Moving on was impossible. Sniper realized that when he started expecting Scout’s call. Would the kid call back again? Would he actually stop? Nah, this was Scout. The boy who bothered him into caring for him.
What was worse, was that Sniper found himself staring at Scout’s number in his phone, refusing himself. He was desperate to press the button that would call his comrade, that would give them another few minutes to talk.
Sniper realized he grew to care for the boy more than he should soon after the boy started spending his free time in his van. It was little glances that Sniper would steal, or eye contact that lasted more than it should, or even a brush of fingers when they passed beer bottles between each other.
The tiniest, stolen things that Sniper saw as precious, and they meant nothing to the Bostonian, because, how could they?
He didn’t realize his body acted for him, until he heard Jeremy’s voice.
,,Dee!” Scout said excitedly, but he sounded breathless. ,,Give me a moment, I just came from a run.” He said, so so casually that it almost felt normal.
,,Jeremy.” Mundee said slowly, before taking a deep breath. ,,I can’t move on, doll.” He admitted.
,,What’re you talkin’ about?” Scout asked, in that dumb, innocent tone that would drive Sniper crazy if Scout was in his proximity.
,,You, oh fuckin’ hell mate. Your bloody call had given me nightmares.” Sniper rambles on for minutes about how Scout made him feel, how hearing him so broken made his nights sleepless, pointless almost.
,,You don’t realize how much you mean to me, kid.” Sniper ended his rant with just that, before slipping into silence.
,,You left, Dee.” Scout said sadly. ,,Man, you left me all alone here.” The Bostonian almost sounded angry.
,,And you can’t find me. Couldn’t, if you tried, mate.” Sniper said solemnly. ,,But I can, doll. I can find you. Take you with me, if you really wanna go.” The suggestion was sudden, he had never planned to spit those words out of his ragged mouth. But he did.
He could almost feel Scout’s smile through the phone.
,,Yeah.” The younger man said slowly. ,,Yeah, I do.” He said, definite.