Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“One shot right there.” The Red Sniper mumbled while re-aligning his scope to the opposite side after the recoil that made him lose sight for a while; he could say that he’s doing better so far than the usual but this is all just a routine for him. Cock and load all over until the ammo is gone—it’s a draining job, really, even if he claims it to be a good job. “Medic!” Their Scout cried from a distance, running his way towards the spawn room, to which Sniper followed just to keep his teammate temporarily safe from any further harm that could lead to his actual death. ‘Eh. He can manage, he’ll respawn anyway.’ the Marksman thought along with a quick shrug before he continued to align himself upward just to see an opposing Sniper who already had his bow charged. Immediately, he dropped down with his charged rifle just to dodge the arrow that was sent flying towards his station. It was a close call that if he hadn’t decided to look up, he would have respawned down there.

And he hates that. Besides the fact that he hates walking with the thought of his back out in the open, it’s a hassle for him to run from the battlements up to his sniping post.

“Five minutes left in the mission.” The Administrator’s voice finally boomed in from the field speakers, which made the Sniper sigh in relief. He can feel his knees getting weak from all of the crouching, and his back aching from the posture that he does whenever he focuses on the scope. All he needs to do now is to be careful and focus with his senses heightened; Their team is already winning, he needs to focus on killing the opposing Medic to prevent him from healing the whole Blu Team. That was his plan. “Steady, Steady…” He muttered combatively before finally landing a bullet on the doctor’s skull, and after a few pushes from their team, they were able to stall the opposing team from their attempt to fight back. Just as he was about to pull the trigger once more—in the blink of an eye—he had respawned in the battlements, leaving him behind as the team finally won the last round of today’s war. “Victory!” the voice announced, which made the Red Team on the further end of the map feel some relief.

“Oh, fucking hell.”

‘So much for being careful.’ He thought.

Sniper cussed to himself in annoyance, which made him no choice than to just slump down on the nearby wooden bench while the Red Team approached back to their base. Despite his attempts to keep it within him, Scout and his ever observant mouth decided to ask the annoyed Australian, “Yo, Snipes!” Jeremy called as he walked towards his direction and sat on the vacancy beside the tall man, “What’s with the long face?” He asked with humor and laughing dryly, trying to lighten the mood between them but it was obvious that Sniper wasn’t having it after his attempts of being careful up there. He gave the runner a side glare but eventually giving up just so he could get it out of his chest, he sighed heavily before speaking, “It’s that bloody snake; caught up to me.” He briefly complained as he relaxed his back on the wooden wall, vocalizing his annoyance somewhat helped. “Aw, don’t worry about that Snipes, we won! Hey, at least you didn’t die multiple times before today’s war ended, am I right?” Scout lightened as he nudged the lanky man with his boney elbow that made Sniper flinch a little since he got nudged a bit too hard—probably because of the Bonk! Drink that Scout takes during the whole session. At this point, he’s just irritated and too exhausted to correct Scout about what he feels so he just nodded in defeat, while the other gave an affirming nod before standing up to approach his locker and retreat to their rest house.

—

“Good work on that Sniper.” The Blu Medic said lowly as he saw their Spy finally retreating from the battlefield, it wasn’t their day today and the concrete walls were getting colder because of the low atmosphere that the Blu Team silently agreed on creating. The Spy noticed this, of course, but he didn’t took it in mind—this is normal for them and this is a war after all. He nodded, acknowledging the words of appreciation that was given to him by their Medic, “He was starting to get into my nerves. Thought that it would be a good opportunity to slice that vein while he’s just too focused on that tube, non?” He responded with a low chuckle as he grabbed a handkerchief from his suit’s pocket, wiping his butterfly knife with it. A small chuckle from the Doctor was heard, a success that warmed the Spy’s chest for a brief moment.

“We’ll get ‘em back Doctor, cheer up.” their Engineer, Conagher, provided solace towards their Medic, who was obviously wallowing in self-pity despite that today’s war had multiple factors that caused their lost.

“I know,” He responded with a sigh.

“Then keep your head up, Docteur.” He added before walking to his locker.

Spy didn’t want to wallow with the Doctor, he knows that he can easily absorb that kind of self-pity but he didn’t want the other people in his team to notice that, so he walked away. He feels like his chest is crawling out of his throat, if he’s going to be honest about this whole ordeal, he knows that he’ll be receiving glares—he chose to keep it to himself this time and it’s stressing him out. “I’ll be taking my leave now.” He bade then walked away, he really wanted to see himself out of that room since he can’t stand seeing their Medic like that. He knows that he’ll eventually stand back on his own but he’d rather watch that progress from the sidelines. ‘Mon Dieu, quelle longue journée.’ My God, what a long day. He muttered to himself as he got inside the elevator, a luxury that their team has—unfortunate that the opposing team doesn’t as their hirer, Redmond, stuck with traditional materials and ways. Blutarch was quite innovative to say the least.

After Spy had done his aftermatch routine, he sat down on his velvet seat and pulled a cigarette, lighting it and giving out an exhale along with a thick cloud of smoke as he does so. It gave him brief relaxation and his earthly worries were removed after that puff, his bottle of whiskey was always beside his chair and so he opened it to pour some amber liquid in his favorite glass. There, Spy sat within the night, letting it consume his wearing body in preparation for another day. His mind, still satisfied with the fact that he had sliced the neck of the opposing Sniper during the day while his team on the other hand did a debrief—they didn’t bothered inviting the French man to join in since they can do another meeting before the battle, it was a meeting between the members who were affected by the loss of the Blu Team after all and a few members, like Spy, didn’t seem to be bothered with the fact that they lost.

They just need to try again.

—

Sniper threw his bag on the nearby corner, finally coming home to his Camper after the team’s debrief and as much as he wants to not participate in it, his role as a Sniper was crucial. He needed to know the potential targets that his team claimed to be critical, he needed to be wary which points on the upcoming location are safe enough to perch on—wary enough to kill that Spy that he had always despised. That he always wanted to get his hands on in a much violent manner.

“Enough of it.” He grumbled while grabbing a bottle of homemade Moonshine from his small refrigerator and opening it to drink straight from the source.

He had always talked to himself—a habit formed by a person who had gotten so used to keeping himself sane while curled up in every invisible corner. A habit that made him sound mad, just like what his parents used to describe him and his profession as.

Mick eventually did a deep breath after tasting the bitter and smooth rim of the bottle. He can feel the heat of the beverage slowly creeping up in him that he decided to sit on the nearby kitchenette booth, adjusting his lanky frame sideways as the alcohol hits his stressed system. “Would be nice if you helped me calm down, Ma.” He rasped to the void as he took another sip of the liquor near him. He was always a Mother’s boy, he wouldn’t want to admit it because he always wanted to be like his Pa—a gentleman with a sharp eye, that a single twitch of a movement can have him pulling the trigger for it to stop. Still, he was taught that being a domesticated man won’t make him feel less of it since it’s a necessity to proper living.

But tonight, he feels like a man. The type of man that wouldn’t be bothered by the exhaustion given to him by the world. Drinking it away with booze.

He felt a streak of tear fell down his cheek, being followed by another, he didn’t knew why but there’s this pang of confusion that suddenly washed over him but he wouldn’t want to dwell on it just yet. All he could do is acknowledge this confusion and probably convince himself that it’s all just the Moonshine messing with him. He closed his eyes shut as he drowned it all and maybe by tomorrow, it will all be gone just like what his Ma always tells him to.

Chapter Text

A new day was given for the mercenaries, but today, both teams were in preparation for the upcoming day of the battle. The skies were clear enough as a mind of a well-rested Engineer, who was keeping himself busy by planting his sentries on the middle ground; corners and possible positions that are in need of a sentry to defend from sneaking Scouts and Spies—Dispensers can come later since it’s one of the easier things to position along with the teleporter—Demoman is there too, along with some assistance from the external factions of the RED Team that their Engineer hired hours before the actual on-site preparation. They were defending this time around so seeking an outsider’s perspective on better preparation was something that Frank had thought of. The battlefield echoed the noises of metal being hammered and wrenches adjusting screws to secure the tripod of a sentry, to which Sniper witnessed when he finally arrived at the area where the battle would take place. He took a slow gander, enough to think whether or not he had met a member before and take in a foreign face that he has yet to interact with if he ever had the time.

Demoman’s head turned while he conversed with their Engineer before cutting it with a quick pat on the latter’s shoulder to wave and stride towards his newly-arrived team mate, “Aye! Sniper!” He grinned as he took big, eager, steps towards the quiet Australian man. Sniper offered his hand for Demoman to clasp with before slightly pulling him in to give him a pat on the back, “Aye.” He responded back before giving a sheep smile. He briefly tilted his head to look again then back to the Scot, “I didn’t expect we’d be as busy as a cat burying shit.” Sniper looked at the man while gently pulling their hands away and Demoman chuckled at the phrase but he understood what the other mean anyway.

“T’was for better defense.”

“Better?” He asked with a furrowed brow, trying to shield his eyes from the dripping sweat.

“Aye, Spooky did some sneaking and found improved bombs and guns.”

Mick nodded at the information, hesitating to face his body to a new direction but eventually giving in to the thought of how rude it would be to leave the other man so improperly. “I’ll be on my way to find somewhere to perch.” He said as he used his thumb shortly to point at the void behind him while Demoman nodded, understanding Sniper’s character. He had always been reticent and that’s probably an outcome of being behind enemy lines all the time. He actually wondered if Sniper is like this because he’s in a professional setting or it’s just in his nature; looking at the way the lanky man walked, even his posture is poor and tense: curved back, tensed and upright shoulders, and uncertain steps... At this point, he’d like to help the Australian lighten up a bit and help him relax since the war has yet to arrive.

“Demo!” Engineer called while he watched the other fade at a distance before jogging back to the Builder who’s now holding a map on one hand and a blueprint on the other—which seemed like it didn’t mattered for now. “Whatcha’ up to there, pard? That’s the longest you’ve talked with that Aussie.” He chuckled as he spreads the map open, “Well, y’know, just checkin’ on the lad. Seems like he needed some steaming since he’s been hoachin’ up there.” The Scot replied, gradually starting to mumble as he checked the modified map that was opened and handed over to him by his partner. It’s now filled where the sentries were placed, as well as hidden teleporters, and dispensers. “Proper English, Demo—Oh, those marks there are some suggestions on where you could place your stickies during the battle.” He humored and followed it immediately with instructions while the other rolled his eyes before briefly nodding to show some sign of acknowledgment, “What I meant t’say was... He needs to lighten up a bit.” He spoke as he folded the map to a small square until it reached a size where the flatness can fit in his vest’s pocket. The Engineer hummed and reached for his chin, thinking in an almost exaggerated gesture despite it being genuine before speaking, leaning in but hesitated so he pulled back a bit. “What?” The Scotsman asked, furrowing his eyebrows slightly with curiosity which made the smaller man sigh, “Do you—do you think he’s a forty-one?” He asked with lingering hesitation, almost a whisper.

“A what?” The Scotsman asked aloud before he got shushed by the other.

“Forty-One. It’s a Texan for a Homosexual.” He whispered again, making sure that no one heard it other than the both of them.

“Look lad, I don’t care if our wee barra right here is a flamer. Why’d ‘ya wanna ken that he is? So what?”

“I didn’t mean it like that. Look, we’re mercenaries. Barely outside and he acts the way he is,” The Texan defended himself with both of his hands slightly raised, “Poor ol’ man is probably hidin’ something real down there.” He rambled while Demoman looked at him, now in disbelief, still waiting for the other to either fail at defending themselves or prove something to them at least. His gaze briefly fell on the dusty ground before speaking, “I’m giving ye a chance before I pull a scunner on ‘ya.” He threatened as he folded his arms on his chest. He didn’t really liked the way he assumed the other for being something that they can’t confirm just yet.

“I say we should all go out on the nearby bar. Help the boy loosen up along with us.” The Engineer now turned around to gather his items, clearly starting to feel uncomfortable with the Scot’s judgemental stare that he swore that he could feel it piercing through his thick skin despite his back, shielding him from the other’s gaze. “How does this connect with Sniper being gay?” Demoman asked bluntly which made the other Engineer turn his head towards his direction before shaking his head and leave the freshly prepared battlefield. Frank looked up at the receding footsteps before looking at Demoman, his lower lip almost quivering.

“Because I swing both ways, and I go out there whenever I feel like it.” He lowly responded, “Figured that it’s what the boy needed.” He murmured before finally standing up to grab his toolbox and leave. These were all witnessed by the Marksman at a distance, while he wiped the body of his rifle as well as his kukri and even if he wanted to feed his nosiness, he’d rather let them resolve whatever argument that they’re having right now—he had no right to be in-between these two anyway. For Sniper, the way they talked seemed like a dance with how their heads and hands moved along with their expressive faces despite it being seen from afar. Still, he wondered but would rather keep it that way.

—

When the Afternoon fell on Teufort’s ground, the team gathered to share their conclusions during the time that they were on the field to prepare for the defensive battle that was informed by their supervisor, Miss Pauling while additional information were provided by their Spy because—as expected—Spies were the first to move in times like this and they’ve already expected that their team had been spied on by the opposing team.

Which is a high possibility.

The REDs surrounded a wooden table that had an in-built map container on it and it looked quite damaged from the various attempts on destruction that it had accumulated from the meetings that it had witnessed over the time; the stab marks on the surface, the holes on the sides that seems to be made from pencil or pen, a huge dried stain of blood and possibly other chemicals, as well as burnt marks on its legs, but despite it being almost severely damaged, it always seems like it’s being repaired to see a new day. The room got busier with the consistent shuffle of movements, exchanging opinions and suggestions between ambitious men who are quite figuratively and literally invisible towards and within the normalcy of society. In this career, being invisible is a commitment if you want a better pay—better than any individual that works their bestest to reach the social pyramid and not only that it provides better pay but it gives you proper accommodation too.

Which is something that Sniper wanted. Why? Because he’s already invisible to begin with: Silent, Observant—basically, a wallflower with thorns.

When the meeting was finally done, the team had finally left the meeting room. Some of them stayed while most left to time-out, creating beeping noises from their clock that tracked their time whenever they’re in this base building. As Sniper took his turn to time-out with his mercenary card, his teammates, Demoman and Engineer called out to him, “Aye Sniper!” the Scotsman’s voice boomed within the exit room. Sniper turned his head towards their direction as he finished clocking out, putting his card on the provided space that was above his name along with other names of Snipers from different teams. He then walked towards them, holding his sniping bag along the strap, making the rifle feel lightweight, “Arvo to ‘ya.” He greeted along with a brief nod, “What’s up with you two?” He then followed. “We were just thinkin’ on inviting you to go downtown a bit for a drink, we invited the other people too. The battle’s days away anyway and it’s one of the few times that all of us get to hang out. Can’t beat that with a stick, aye?” Engineer nudged with a giddy smile as he convinced the tall man who seemed hesitant with the offer since he doesn’t really feel much comfortable with drinking with other people, let alone with a whole crowd but the Engineer was right. They barely hangout and Sniper is quite aware with the fact that he always pulls out of the group everytime they’re done with work, and he’d be lying if he can’t admit to himself that being invited didn’t felt warm in a nice way.

“Alright.”

then Demoman howled, almost jumping as he pumped the air before patting Sniper’s shoulder almost without any control. “Ae! We’ll wait for ‘ya in the lobby later at 8:30 then straight to the bar ‘til ‘e get blootered!” the Scot cheered before turning around with the Texan, who are both pleased to finally invite their introverted teammate when it comes to their hangouts. Sniper then stood there, looking at the fading figures after realizing what he agreed on and he’s waging war with his decisions. This was neither peer pressure but it was something that had blurted out of his mouth all because he felt nice but it’s already too late to back out now. He wouldn’t want to seem like an asshole for agreeing on something then not showing up and not only is it disrespectful but he’d be seen as a coward for not trying things out of his comfort zone. He sighed and walked out of the office, prepping himself internally and mentally for whatever awaits for him tonight.

Chapter Text

Mundy tugged his polo’s cuffs up with indecision, contemplating what style would accentuate his neck and his mullet better, which made him grumble in frustration while in front of the mirror, ‘Crook.’ He thought to himself with a scoff, realizing that a single part of a polo shirt won’t make any difference to his looks other than if he makes enough effort to actually change something about his physical appearance and he’s not that kind of a person. He’s just going to a bar with his co-workers, nothing more, and it’s not like some chic would look at him like a bird looking for it’s appropriate mate! The heavy knock on the van’s metal door made him startled, helping himself snap back to reality. He did a big stride towards his door — since the van wasn’t that big anyway — to open it, just to see Scout on the other side. The runner was tasked to fetch him, making sure that he’ll actually come with the group this time.

“Aye~! Lookin’ good!” Scout complimented the Australian while shooting gun fingers and clicking his tongue, despite the collars being uneven. Sniper scoffed and shook his head as he went down the van, locking the metal door before walking away with the other. “It’s a miracle that you’ve joined us!” Scout mentioned excitedly as he tried to catch up with the taller man because of Sniper’s wide steps.

“Yeah?”

“Yea!” Scout responded immediately, “It’s just the whole... There’s this whole mysterious guy goin’ on with ‘ya, y’know?” he explained while using his hands to create his own interpretation of mysterious in the air, which made Sniper chuckle and shook his head.

When the two finally regathered with the rest of the group, the others where thrilled to see Sniper coming along with them since it’s so rare for them to see him interact outside of mercenary work as well as outside of his van. Sniper looked a bit different than usual — He wore a plain polo of a different color with the sleeves rolled up to his biceps, three buttons were open just for his undershirt to peek a little, while his shaggy mullet is peeking on the sides of his neck (not like his usual where he would brush and gel his hair backwards before wearing his slouch hat), and some bell bottoms. All of these were paired with his usual boots, hat, watch, and orange visors but despite the simplicity, it still made an appeal for everyone. “Alright~! Time to hop in!” the RED Engineer invited them as they walked towards the van. On the front, Heavy and Medic where there, on the back row were Engineer, Soldier, and Demoman while on the middle are Scout, Pyro, Spy, Sniper. Surprisingly, Pyro was there with them too, Sniper could only assume that the reason why Pyro was there was because of the Engineer’s invitation. That could be the only possibility considering that Pyro only listens to a few, Engineer being included.

“Hey, gimme a shot will ‘ya?” Sniper asked with a light laugh when he saw Demoman prepping himself in the back seat, sharing the drink with Soldier. When the latter gave him a chance, everyone hollered when Sniper began to chug a few from Demoman’s scrumpy. He felt deserving of this anyway. “Alright now,” The Scot interrupted as he stood a bit to retrieve his alcoholic beverage from the Australian, who shook his head to clear his head a little, “Holy dooley, that’s stronger than my family’s moonshine!” He exclaimed as he felt his chest slightly warm up from the confident chug he just done since he expected the drink to be lighter. “That’s the Scottish scrumpy for ‘ya!” He chuckled heartily before carelessly sitting back down to his seat, making Spy groan in annoyance with how chaotic it’s slowly getting. “We’re here!” Medic announced once he finally saw the glowing sign that redirects to the Finest Hour Ale House, the bar that the team could always go to once they feel like they’ve worked hard enough to taste the intoxicating flavor of beer on their tongue. Once Heavy parked the van, some of the other mercenaries immediately opened the door, shuffling in a hurry just to get a table for the whole group, squeezing themselves almost desperately to get out while Spy cried out in pain after his shoes got stepped on by the Bostonian man, “Espèce de putain d'imbécile!” You fucking imbecile! The Frenchman yelled then hissed as he wiped the signature shoe clean with his satin handkerchief. The Sniper on the other hand noticed how irritated the older man has gotten and so he did the courtesy of saying his excuses as he passed by, still, he received this furrowed glance from the masked man. “Don’t get all drunken now!” the German Doctor exclaimed as he got down with the other man that drove the van.

—

“Cheers!”

The whole group’s spirit was at its peak, clinking beers and other alcoholic beverages above them as they start the night. The bar was quite dinky — the walls are made out of dark wood while the floors are of waxed concrete, it was decorated of paintings and pictures of random people who are most certainly the common people who visited the bar. One of the displayed pictures there were of the group that’s causing the noise tonight, the Team Fortress. The Finest Hour Ale House has stuck around and has created quite a reputation to the Mann Co. Company that it was no surprise that mercenaries would come by for relaxation, other than that, they grew along the city’s development, which was thanks to Zepheniah Mann. The jukebox played We Did It Again by the Soft Machine that was muffled by the chattering noises of the people in the bar, as well as the loud laughter.

“Alright y’all! Who’s up for a game of Pitty Pat?!” The Engineer raised his voice in excitement while the others exclaimed their answers to match the energy that he created. He then sat down to shuffle and distribute the cards while Sniper drank his own bottle on the side, he didn’t felt like playing with the cards tonight with the older men in the group so he just watched on the side with Scout, who’s looking far and beyond for some attractive women in the bar, in hopes of being able to hook-up with one or just end up with a lifetime partner of his own. “Hey, Snipes.” He nudged his best friend before sipping on his canned beer, tilting his head to a certain direction, “Look at that lady, like a freakin’ cougar. Wanna bet that she’s tryin’ to get my attention?” He asked with a chuckle while Sniper looked at the attractive lady that was intensely eyeing towards their way. The woman wore a black tight dress with see-through sleeves, decorated with pearls, and boots that reached her knee, her hair was styled in a manner so big that it can add to her short height. Nonetheless, she was attractive. The black eyeliner made her eyes stood up, making it look like a feline’s eye. Sniper took a good look at her from a distance before looking back at Scout, eyeing the other man down — it’s still astounds him how they’re of the same age line, he’s just two years older. “Sure mate.” He mocked and chuckled while Scout rolled his eyes before strutting confidently towards the older woman’s table. He wore this smile that could cover the fact that he’s too dumb to be flirting around with random women that he finds attractive but that was Scout’s charm. Sniper saw the whole thing unfold.

Scout went from this confident man, wearing his smile to a walking disbelief. As if he got rained on in the streets.

“What’s wrong mate? Lady tricked ‘ya?” Sniper chuckled as he drank his bottled beer and Scout just responded with a shook before finally speaking, “Nah... Naw man, uh... She wants you.” Scout responded as he sat down on his stool, staring at his canned beer.