lukascout

[lukascout]

UPDATE!!!

Hi, sorry I've been inactive lmao. I've moved out of my home state and got married! Not in that order but you know. "Guess I'm The New Scout" will resume sooner than you think so stay tuned! I'm almost done with the next chapter and I might post a mini fic or two!

Well, that's all! See ya soon!

[lukascout]

Guess I'm The New Scout!

Story 5 - House Warming

The hum of Sniper's van buzzed through Luka's head as he kept his eyes shut. It was a little difficult for him to sleep in a car at his age. Then again, he had sleeping problems for ages. Doesn't hurt to try anyway.

“Oi, lad. We're here.” Sniper whispered as he gently tapped him on the shoulder. Luka opened his eyes as the engine quieted down after the long drive. He took a look out the window to find the sun had only just started to rise. A knock on the door took his attention away.

“You good, lad?”

“Oh sorry! Just spaced out a bit!” Luka giggled as he stepped out of the door, only to be tackle-hugged from the left by a rather energetic Demoman.

“Welcome to our home, laddie!” He roared with laughter. The one-eyed bomber was being a too bit loud and affectionate for the crack of dawn.

“O-Oh uh… Uhm… Th-Thank you!” Luka stuttered as he felt too stunned to do anything but accept it.

Sniper pinched his brow at the commotion and groaned, “Demoman, it's too goddamn early for this.”

“Oh, come off it! Scoot would be celebratin’ with us!”

Sniper's annoyance melted away into a look of hurt. Demoman quickly realized that it was maybe not the best thing to say. “Ahh, cripe, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-”

“‘S alright, mate. I get ya.”

Luka, whose shoulders were still wrapped up in Demoman's right arm, glanced back and forth between the men. It didn't make him nervous but it did get his mind wondering. Who was “Scout”? Was he beloved amongst his teammates? What was he like? Would he have liked Luka had circumstances been better? He kept these questions to himself for the time being. There was something more immediate on his mind.

“Uhm, Demoman?” Luka said before tapping him on the arm.

“Huh? Oh! Sorry, laddie!” Demoman laughed as he let go of the lad.

Luka energetically scampered about the yard the minute he was free from the Scotsman’s grasp. He was happy to finally be outside in a less hectic setting. The happy little lad explored all the little nooks and crannies of the front yard; a nice looking wooden porch, a rustic fence surrounding the house, trees that sparsely scattered about the land, and finally a decent sized fire pit. Luka couldn't help but wonder if he'd get to roast marshmallows over it one day. The house itself was lovely too, a wide two-story building painted red with some weathering that made the wooden planks look like sweet apples.

“You likin’ it here so far, son?” Engineer asked, seemingly coming out of nowhere.

Luka jumped but relaxed when he saw it was the Engineer. “Oh! Yeah, yeah! Sure is a nice change of pace from, well, the battlefields and whatnot.”

“Heh. I had a feeling you'd like it here. Anyway, I'm gonna head inside and make breakfast, how do you take your coffee?”

Luka perked up the instant he heard the words “make” and “coffee”. “Can I help? I always made the coffee back at my place!”

Engineer was a bit surprised, considering how long the ride home was and how sleepy the lad looked. “Ya sure? You look a little beat, son.”

The now hyperactive lad responded by giddily stamping his feet with what sounded like barking, which was more of a quick succession of “wan”, which Engineer couldn't help but chuckle at. “Alright, alright. Settle down there. You know how to cook too?”

“A little, just give me some direction and I'm on it!”

----

After breakfast, Engineer gave Luka a tour of the sharehouse. It was rather nice and cozy on the inside, surprisingly. Luka was under the impression it'd be a lot more gritty and “manly”. You know, the type of “manly” that apparently meant being boring and dull. The flowery wallpaper decorated the walls of the open living space, featuring an entertainment center in the corner complete with a decently sized TV and two big red couches. Above them was a loft that overlooked the room lined with doors, one of them being the bathroom. Engineer went over some house rules, RED’s general schedule, and what to do in case anything breaks.

“Now, just to be sure you remember, what do you do if you see anything electrical broken?”

“Don't touch anything and run straight to you!”

“Great! We don't want anyone gettin’ hurt with no way to come back now, don't we?” Engineer laughed.

It was a rather morbid thought but Luka found himself laughing anyway. Engineer led Luka up the stairs to the loft and stopped at one of the rooms, knocking before opening the door. Luka peered inside and scanned the room. What met his eyes was a smaller room with a bunk bed against the wood grain wall with just enough space for a dresser and a few other belongings. What struck him as odd was the boxes in the open closest next to what he could only assume was Sniper's clothes. He tilted his head curiously as his mind wandered once again.

“Sorry about the boxes, we haven't been able to store them away since we've been busier than usual these past few months.” Engineer said. “Sniper will be bunking with you for the rest of the cold season. He normally lives in his van when it's warmer.”

“Oh yeah?” Luka responded, not taking his curious gaze away from the boxes.

Engineer noticed the lad's gaze trailed to the boxes in the closet. “Something wrong?”

Luka wasn't sure if he should say what was on his mind but he wasn't sure if he should keep it in either. His emotions did tend to get the better of him when he bottled things up. Maybe…

“Hey… What happened to this Scout guy I keep hearing about?”

Engineer's expression shifted into visible discomfort as a lump got caught in his throat. “We… We don't know.”

“Fuck, I'm so sorry! I knew it was a bad idea to-”

“No! No, son. I understand you have some questions.” Engineer cleared his throat. “The truth is; we don't know. He came to his shift like any other day and… then he was gone by the end of it.”

“So… He just up and vanished?” Luka asked.

“Long-short of it. All I remember is that he wanted to tell Sniper something before he disappeared. We’ve been lookin’ into it long before you showed up. Nothin’...”

Luka looked a little dejected by the news. He hoped he would be able to actually meet the guy one day but that seemed unlikely. “Hope he turns up… A-Anyway, I'm gonna unpack, see you later.”

“Don't forget to give Medic your files, he’s gonna need those. The medbay's in the basement.”

Luka nodded and started to look for some space to put his clothes away. He opened up the topmost drawer but quickly closed it with a red face when he saw a flash of undies. Luckily the one below was completely empty, save for a single baseball. He picked up the well battered ball and inspected it with a pang in his stomach. This was no doubt the previous Scout’s ball. Man, it just stinks. Luka was really looking forward to meeting him. Then again, there was a reason he was here in the first place. Everything happens for a reason, right?

After Luka packed up his clothes and sketchbook, he grabbed his medical files and headed to the basement. It took him a little longer than expected to find the basement door.

Wait, did Dell show me the basement door or did I forget where it was? Ugh… I hate having a terrible memory…

“Looking for somezing?” A sharp voice cut through Luka's train of thought. The lad spun around to be met with the Spy. The rose tinted assassin stared him down with a clear but reserved disdain that made Luka a bit uncomfortable. 

“O-Oh, hi! Uhm… I was just looking for the basement because-”

Spy observed the lad's discomfort and made his expression melt into something less intimidating. “Apologies for interrupting, but I never properly welcomed you to our team.” Spy said with a strategically forced smile that he hoped Luka would not see through.

“O-Oh! Thank you! Anyway, do you know where the basement is? Because I have files I need to-” Luka was cut off by the tip of Spy's butterfly knife gently pressed against his chin. He silently panicked as his gaze trailed from the tip of the knife to Spy's cold gaze. He wanted to scream for help but what would happen if he did?

“I'm going to say zis once, I do not believe zis life is right for you.” Spy lifted Luka up by his chin with his knife. “But as long as you are here, zere will be expectations. Do not disappoint us, Scout. Do I make myself clear?”

Luka gulped, which was made painful with the knife still just barely digging into his skin. “Y-Yes, sir!”

Spy gave a satisfactory smirk. “Excellent. Enjoy ze rest of your day, garcon.” He freed the knife from underneath his chin. Luka ragdolled back first against the door behind him, clutching his medical files tighter than before. “Ah, I almost forgot. Did you say you were looking for ze basement?”

“Y-Yeah?” Luka responded weakly.

“Check behind you.” Spy said as he walked away.

Luka looked confused for a second until he looked at the door behind him labeled “basement” with a graphic of a medical cross and a wrench below the label. Luka smacked himself on the forehead, cursing himself for losing everything a foot in front of him. As he decended into the basement slowly, he looked back on the amount of venom behind the way he said “Scout”, which sent his mind reeling with questions. Was there a reason for this? What was his his relationship with him? Were they close? Rivals? Hated each other? Why did he direct so much vitriol towards him, the new “Scout”? Cause as far as Luka could tell, he had done nothing to him. Questions for another day, perhaps. He was fortunately able to spot the medbay without any trouble. He knocked on the door. 

“Who is it?” A voice asked from the other side.

“It's me, Luka. Dell told me to give you my files.”

“Ah, right! Come in, come in!”

As soon as Luka entered the room, the smell of medicine, blood, and God knows what else hit his nose rather harshly. He coughed a bit in response. His eyes wandered around the room, he was rather unnerved by the sight of surgical tools and somewhat bloodstained operating tables. He handed over the files with shakey hands.

“Uhm… Are you alright, Hartman? You look a little pale.” Medic asked as he took the files from Luka.

“S-Spy welcomed me to team.” Luka said exhaustedly.

“Oh ja, he has a bit of an odd sense of humor. He'll varm up to you eventually!”

It was a bit of an underreaction but Luka found it comforting enough to laugh in response. “Here's hoping.”

“Be here tomorrow morning after breakfast, I need to give you a physical to keep your charts up to date!” Medic said as he started reading through the files.

Luka groaned and started heading back upstairs to take a power nap. Once he got to his room, he plugged in his phone and fell like a log onto his bed.

----

A few hours later, Luka groggily woke up and headed downstairs to the kitchen to grab his second coffee of the day. However, he came face to chest to Heavy as he was walking. He squeaked as he scrambled to apologize for bumping into him.

“New Scout…” Luka froze when he was addressed. “Name is Luka, da?”

“Y-Yes.”

The giant stared Luka down for a few moments as the lad awkwardly stared up. Heavy reached for the top of his head, which made Luka winced and screw his eyes shut. When a smack to the head didn't come like he thought it would, he cautiously opened an eye to see that Heavy pulled back his hand and softened his expression. The lad tilted his head in questioning. Heavy reached out again but slower, carefully gauging his reactions. Luka stood as still as he could and shut his eyes again, but then he felt a giant hand ruffle through his hair. His eyes shot open in surprise as he looked up to see a much warmer look on Heavy’s face. With a string of happy barking, he stood on the tips of his toes to nudge into the hand that was now playfully scratching the side of his face. 

Heavy let out a soft chuckle. “See? Little Dog is good now, da?”

Despite Spy's warning (Or was it a threat? Who knows?), Luka started to think that maybe things weren't going to be so bad. But then another thought occurred to him that made the lad scream at himself internally.

SHIT, I FORGOT TO TELL BIG SIS I'M OK.

[lukascout]

Guess I'm The New Scout!

Story 4: Stowaway

How did our new Scout find himself in this mess? Let's find out!

For a bread truck, there sure was a lot of ammunition on board. A shivering Luka had his back to the wall as he scanned the crates that surrounded him. The quickly fading light of that December evening made it difficult to read them. But that's not what was concerning him right now. What concerned him more was where the hell he was going.

He should have been at a friend's house at this point, but finding the relative he's running away from at a gas station threw a wrench into that. He didn't know what else to do or where else to go. His solution? Hide in the “bread truck” until they leave. Well, that backfired too. As unlucky as his circumstances were, they were about to take a turn for the crazy. And it all started when the truck came to a halt.

Huh? The truck stopped?

A knot started to form in Luka's stomach as he tried his best not to puke from the nerves. There was nowhere to run and soon nowhere to hide. All he can do now is hope that whoever this ammunition was going to would have some mercy on him. The truck jostled a bit as the driver seemingly left the truck. Luka pressed his back harder against the wall in response.

Fuck, this is it. This is the end of me.

He heard two men talking outside; one had a low Southern drawl and the other a thick Russian accent. His heart was beating too loud for him to make out what they were saying. It only got worse when the back door of the truck opened. As the driver took out the first pile of boxes, a man that appeared to be the driver's colleague spotted Luka.

“What in the- Who are you!?” A short stocky man in a hardhat demanded, shooting daggers into the reluctant stowaway's eyes behind thick, opaque goggles. Luka hated being yelled at but can he really blame him? Finding a young man in a black and grey striped hoodie with a few bags in your ammo truck is rather suspicious.

Luka tried to respond but he couldn't find his voice. He practically screamed at himself internally to say something or it could go very, very bad.

The hardhat pulled out a pistol and held Luka at gunpoint “I asked you a question, boy.”

Luka threw his hands over his head. “N-Nobody! I'm just a runaway, I swear!” He replied a bit louder than he intended.

Nope, they didn't believe him. “Heavy, check his pockets for weapons. I'll check his bags.”

The goliath of a man next to the Southerner nodded and hoisted the lad up by his hoodie like a kitten's scruff. Luka reacted exactly like a kitten too. The man simply referred to as “Heavy” set the trembling lad down and shoved as much of his large hand into Luka's pockets as he could. The right pocket had nothing to be suspicious about since it housed Luka's phone and wallet. But when Heavy got to his left and pulled out a small pocket knife, he swore he could feel his stomach slide out of his ass. A side glare from the Russian giant made it even worse.

“Runaway only has pocket knife.” Heavy said coldly.

“Uhm… C-Can I have that back? It was a gift from a really dear friend of mine and-” An even sharper glare from Heavy made Luka pipe down with a squeak. “O-OK! Standard procedures! Won't ask anymore-”

“Quiet.”

“Shutting up.”

The men in red rummaged through the rest of Luka’s bags only to find clothes, important paperwork, a blanket, a sketchbook and some snacks. But it wasn't enough to convince them that Luka was not an intruder. Or, in their case, not associated with Builder's League United.

“If you want to save your hide you best come with us, son. Unless you want to be manhandled again.” Hardhat said sternly.

Luka nodded and kept his mouth shut as the men led him to a room. Great, interrogation. Heavy shoved him down onto a chair while his colleague picked up an intercom to call someone in. Luka's eyes darted around the room as he anticipated the dreaded person simply known to the men as “Spy”.

“S-So uh… What do you guys do?” Luka squeaked weakly.

“Not your concern…” Heavy said flatly.

Luka waited for either of the men to say something more. He felt his face burn from asking such a question. If he didn't wish for someone to shoot him before, he did now. Well, it seemed very likely. The door suddenly opening brought him out of his thoughts as a slender man in a suit and balaclava stepped in and he did not look happy to see Luka. In fact, he looked rather annoyed by the task at hand. He scanned the lad up and down, trying to decide if he was worth his time. Or his butterfly knife.

“Engineer, you called me to interrogate a homeless schoolboy?” Spy sighed in a thick French accent.

“Twenty-seven…” Luka mumbled in offense.

“What was zat?” The Spy raised his voice sternly.

Luka balled up his fists to keep himself grounded. He's been yelled at enough for one day and felt he was about to charge. “I-I'm twenty-seven!”

“Runaway snuck inside truck.” Heavy replied as he stared the lad down. Luka shrank back down when he looked into the eyes of the foreboding panopticon.

But Heavy wasn't the only set of eyes burning a hole in Luka's skull. “Has he now?” The rose tinted assassin slammed his hand onto the table. Luka shot straight up in attention. “What is your name, garcon?”

“L-Luka Hartman…”

“Who do you work for?”

“N-Nobody!” Luka stammered, his hands firmly grasping onto the chair.

“We'll see about zat… Heavy, did he happen to have identification?”

Heavy held up a small wallet and tossed it to the Spy. Luka wanted to object but quickly realized that if he did, he'd make himself look more suspicious. So held his tongue while Spy looked through his wallet. Everything seemed fine until he got to his ID. Spy raised an eyebrow when he realized the photo, name and sex did not add up with the lad's current appearance.

“Whose ID is this, garcon?” Spy asked as he held up Luka's card.

“Uhm… Mine, obviously. Why?” Luka replied, still trying his best to mask his anxiety. It sure as hell was not working.

“Is zere a reason why you do not fit your card's description?”

Luka's heart stopped for a split second at the question. It was a question he dreaded as there was a pretty good reason for the discrepancy. It would spell harm or death if he didn't keep his guard up.

“I-If I tell the truth, are you going to kill me?” Luka gulped.

“Depends on what zat “truth” entails…” Spy glared.

“I-I'm transitioning from f-female to male and haven't updated a-any of my documents.” Luka stuttered out. Spy raised an eyebrow, giving Luka the idea he wasn't buying it. “B-Because I'm lazy…”

“Hoo boy… Can relate.” Engineer said under his breath.

The assassin glanced at the Engineer and nodded, “I see…” Spy placed the wallet on the table and slid it towards Luka. “I would suggest updating your hygiene practices as well.”

Luka looked rather offended until he sniffed underneath his arms. Although being in a truck for a good half of the day probably did not help his case.

“I didn't wanna say anything but you stink like a dog.” Engineer shrugged.

“Uh… Yeah. Sorry about that.” Luka muttered in response.

“Ze boy is of no concern to us. Engineer, get him out of here.” Spy said as he stood up, lit a cigarette, and walked out of the room with Heavy following behind.

Engineer glanced over at the stressed out man that slumped face first onto the table. He tried to say something but found it difficult to find his words. Now that the sense of danger had passed it would be awkward to try and be some form of friendly. It's not like he was coming back, after all.

“Follow me, boy. I'm taking you to a bus stop.” He said after what felt like hours.

Luka got up, grabbed his belongings, and drowsily followed Engineer, trying not to make any sort of eye contact with him or anyone else happening to pass by. He didn't really feel like engaging with anyone for a while.

The Southerner led Luka back to the garage. The bread truck caught his eye first but Engineer pointed an old coldsteel pickup truck. “Hop in.”

It was a little difficult given the size but Luka was able to get in the truck without falling over. He could feel his legs decompress as he sunk into the seat.

“You know where you're going?”

“Uhm… Question. Where exactly am I? I've been trapped in a truck and couldn't see where the hell I was.” Luka sheepishly asked.

“I'm afraid I can't tell you, classified information. What I can tell you is that Teufort is the closest town.” Engineer replied.

“Teufort!? How far away from home did I go!?”

Engineer was not expecting that kind of reaction. “Hold on, you mean to tell me you're not from these parts?”

“No… I was supposed to meet up with a friend to get help with relocating, actually.”

Well, this was a new development. He did say he was running away but not exactly where to. Engineer pondered over this information while Luka looked on, completely clueless. “Are you looking for a job?”

Luka slowly blinked. “Sorry, what?”

“You handled yourself better than you looked like you would.”

The hell? Who compliments someone in a scenario like that? “Uh… Well, I mean, I had to save my ass.” Luka shrugged.

“See, we've been down a man and we could use some help. It's a pretty simple role.”

Luka thought about the offer briefly. “What are the benefits of this job?”

“Pays well, you get some sun, and you get to come back from the dead!” Engineer chuckled.

What has this guy been smoking?

“The hell do you mean 'come back from the dead’?” Luka asked after processing what Engineer just said.

One deluge of classified training tapes later, Luka realized what he was getting into was maybe a bit crazier than he expected, as his face twisting in fear and disgust had shown.

What kind of crazy operation are these freaks running!?

“I should warn ya now, son. What you just watched was classified information.” Engineer said as he turned off the projector.

“OK…? Why is that a warning?”

“What it means is this; you can't legally turn this job down.”

Engineer swore he could hear Luka's brain screaming like a computer straining its fans to stop it overheating. The lad stared bug-eyed at him as he assessed his situation. After a few minutes, he clasped his hands together and exhaled deeply. “If I make a dash for the exit now will you take me out back and put me down like Old Yeller?”

“You said it, son. Not me.”

Luka looked down at the floor in contemplation. Not that there was really any choice in the matter. On one hand, he would be far away from his troubles. But on the other… Well, he'd die without having achieved his goals in life, and that would be worse.

“Ssso… If my options weren’t so limited I would have chosen this job over going back home to whatever the fuck I had going on. Like, don’t get me wrong, my brain's telling me to run for the hills. But considering that, in reality, I don’t even have a choice in the matter I'm pretty much obligated to-”

“Do you have a point, son?” Engineer tried his hardest not to laugh at the lad's nervous rambling. Luka had a moment of self-consciousness and darted his eyes away from the hardhat.

“Ahem… My point is, as much as it goes against my better instincts and judgment…” Luka said as he made a saluting gesture. “I'm here to stay!”

“Then let me be the first to say ‘Welcome to the team’!” Engineer said gleefully as he extended his hand to Luka. “Allow me to introduce myself proper: The name's Dell. Dell Conagher.”

The lad was a little intimidated by how welcoming the Southerner was but it certainly was a nice change of pace from earlier. He shook his hand hesitantly. “P-Pleased to meet you! Uhm… Well, under better circumstances, that is.” He replied a bit weaker than intended.

“Well then, before I get you to sign a few things, let's get you acquainted with the rest of the team!”

[lukascout]

Guess I'm The New Scout!

Story 3: Clocking Out

Things were a little lively in the rec room, despite the exhaustion of a long shift. The REDs were going to be heading back to their share house before the crack of dawn. Everyone was going on about who was going with who, what equipment was going where, and what was Engineer going to make for breakfast when they got back.

Luka kept his head low throughout the hustle and bustle. He was never really one to get involved with road trip plans since he didn't drive and was more of a party planner than anything. Of course, keeping his head low came with the drawback of becoming extremely lonely but everyone was busy. He looked over the team from a distance while slowly sipping away at his third coffee of the day. Attempting to mask his loneliness must not have been working as the Demoman seemed to keep taking glances at the shy lad. Every time they made eye contact, Luka would tilt his head like a perplexed dog.

It must have been time for the power nap before they hit the road as the men gradually started to disperse into their rooms. The only ones left in the rec room were Pyro, Demoman and Luka. Pyro had put on what looked to be a sci-fi movie and gestured at Luka to come watch it with them.

“Uhm… M-Maybe another time.” Luka sheepishly shrugged. Pyro nodded and mumbled what sounded like a “good night”.

Once they finished drinking their coffee, Luka cleaned up their cup and went outside for a little night walk. It was a little odd walking around the badlands of New Mexico at night as it was a bit more peaceful than it was during their shift. It's not like there was much to see other than rocks, plants, and some old buildings that scattered the desert. Maybe a coyote if Luka was lucky. But they loved it in a nostalgic way as it reminded him of a mining town they used to frequently visit as a child. Come to think of it, they haven't seen that at night either. Something to consider someday, perhaps.

Luka's eyes wandered around the landscape as he walked by some rather inviting looking rock formations that caught his eye. The one that looked the easiest to climb had a neat little high ground that could be pretty cool to look over. He climbed the formation with caution as he didn't have the bravery he once had as a kid. Once he stood near the edge and took in the view, it was worth the nerves. That was until his eyes wandered once again, this time to the gleaming crescent moon above him. He couldn't figure out when it happened but there was a cold yet comfortable disconnect between himself and the world around him. The air seemed just a bit colder and the sounds of wildlife dampened into the background. He started humming a tune to himself that slowly evolved into a low singing.

Unbeknownst to Luka, the Demoman had also decided to get some air. He wandered outside the base for a bit before hearing a voice. At first he was on guard, thinking one of the BLUs might have snuck into the base. But when he followed the voice he realized he had heard it before. He looked up at the rocks to see a still singing Luka staring up at the moon. The lad perplexed the Scotsman a bit. He was polite, loud, goofy and seemed more creature than man. You know, in a way that was endearing. Finding him sitting on the rocks singing away like a little bird made him chuckle a bit. Demoman quietly made his way up the rocks, trying not to spook him.

“Didn't know you had some pipes there, laddie!”

Luka squeaked as he turned to face Demoman, his eyes wide and face dusted with some red, “Uhm… Uh… H-How long have you been watching me for?”

“Not long.”

“How uh… How long have I been out here?”

“Don't know but I haven't seen ye in a while.” Demoman replied as he sat on a rock next to Luka.

It had only just occurred to Luka that he had no idea what time it was. He dug through his pockets to grab his phone. But when he tried to turn it on, he found that it was dead.

“Aw man… Hey, did you happen to see what time it was?”

Demoman pondered on it for a bit, the alcohol making it a little difficult to think straight. “Ahhh… It was past ten last I checked.”

Huh. Felt like so much later…

“What are ye doing out so late anyway, laddie?” Demoman asked.

“I like to take walks at night.” Luka shrugged with his eyes glued to the crescent moon. “The night feels great and it helps me clear my thoughts. Well, not always. Sometimes my mind wanders into places I don't want it to.”

Demoman nodded, the night had a way of bringing the strangest feelings to the surface. Sometimes you don't even realize you've even started feeling them. There was something bothering him however…

“Why'd ye run from home?”

Luka froze, he wasn't sure if he should be telling him. Can he really trust the mercs with his heart?

“...You won't get mad at me if I tell you, will you?”

Demoman raised an eyebrow. Was he joking or was he really that scared that he'd get mad at him? The way Luka kept glancing back and fidgeting made the latter more believable. “Why would I?”

Luka tried to think of a response. When he thought of one, he immediately shut it down. Realizing that maybe it was a pretty stupid thing to ask. They're both adults here after all. Even still, Luka felt he needed to be careful with what he told anyone on his team. The worst that could happen is he's suddenly treated like a bratty kid.

“...I wanted to feel like a person for once.” Luka was honest about that at the very least.

“Feel like a person?” Demoman asked as he took a swig of scrumpy. “What ye mean by that, lad?”

The Scout was relieved that he wasn't immediately judged but was nervous about elaborating further. But he didn't want to be surly towards the Scot. He looked trustworthy enough to not go around telling everyone and their cat. On the other hand; there was also the possibility that he might not even remember the next day. Considering how much the one-eyed bomber drank it seemed like a risk worth taking.

“Imagine you were born with something in your brain that makes it harder to navigate the world than others. Because of this, someone else decided you were going to be a perpetual child. So it was best to not actually teach you about life and they take the wheel on everything. Leaving you even more lost than before when you grow up.”

Demoman winced as he listened to the Scout’s gloomy backstory. He knew Luka ran away for a reason but he didn't think it would turn out this sad. Luka must have seen the look on his face, because he looked like he just broke an expensive plate and was about to get yelled at.

“I-I'm sorry, I should go to bed before I make this any worse.” Luka stammered out as he quickly got up to leave.

“...Trust me. Yer in a better place, lad.”

Luka stopped and turned to look Demoman in the eye, touched by the sentiment. “...Thanks. Good night.”

“See ye in the mornin’.”

-----

It was a little hard for Luka to keep his eyes open when it was time to leave. Lad's nerves couldn't settle down long enough for him to fall asleep. Change was always something he had difficulty navigating, he would much rather be in one place. Or at the very least have some semblance of familiarity. This was a new place and he's going to be living with people he didn't know. For how long? He didn't know.

“Figure out who you wanna hitch a ride with, son?” Engineer's voice cut through Luka's sleepy brain babbling.

“Huh? Oh uhhh… No. No, I haven't.”

“Well, you've got a few options.” Engineer pointed to a seemingly innocuous bread truck. “You can even go home the same way you came in!” He laughed.

Luka was not amused by this. In fact, he looked like he wanted to crawl into a box. He wandered a bit to weigh his options. All he knew is that there was no way he was going anywhere with Soldier, who was setting up his spot in the back of the bread truck. It was kind of a shame since Luka wouldn't have minded riding along with Heavy and Medic, who were setting up in front. His eyes trailed to a pickup truck with Pyro sitting in the back, having a conversation with Engineer as they helped him set up. A hearty laughter from Demoman drew his attention to a camper van, Sniper's camper van. For some reason he couldn't find Spy anywhere. Not like he would be the most pleasant guy to ride along with. Hmmm. What to do…

“Oi, lad!” A shout from Sniper made Luka jump.

“Y-Yeah?”

Sniper waved them over. Luka slowly stepped towards the van apprehensively. From what they've observed, Sniper seemed like a guy that liked to keep to himself. It was a bit odd that he'd be interacting with them with all that in mind.

“I got a spot for ya up front. Wanna hitch a ride?”

Luka shot up like a dog seeing a squirrel. “Whoa, really? Why?”

“Figured you'd want to get away from Soldier.” Sniper laughed. ”I wouldn't want to ride with him either.”

It took Luka the most restraint he ever had to not laugh. He was honestly kind of happy Sniper asked him to tag along. They didn't speak with each other much since he came to Dustbowl but Luka already liked him. Especially after those times he stuck up for the lad when Soldier was being a pain in the ass. Sniper had better be ready for the lad's energetic, chatty nature. Otherwise it was going to be a long ride.

“Yeah, sure. I'll tag along.” Luka chirped.

After some final preparations, it was time to start heading home. Luka thought it was nice being in a camper for the first time since he was a kid. That and Sniper's mentorship made the anxiety of living in a whole other environment a little more bearable. It's been a crazy few days but he made it out in one piece, surprisingly. Despite the nerves and still lingering phantom bullet pains, Luka was genuinely excited to experience the new adventure ahead of him.

[lukascout]

Conversation between me and my partner

Context: I was talking about (maybe) taking a crack at punk cosmetics

"Soldier's idea of punk would be the Boston Tea Party"

[lukascout]

Guess I'm The New Scout!

Story 2: Dumpsterfire

Why did I take this job? Why didn't I just run? I'm gonna die all because I'm a fucking moron.

Luka never dreamed he'd be staring down the barrel of a revolver. A revolver that shouldn't be in the Medic’s hands. He kept his hands over his head as the cylinder slowly clicked, a sound that whispered death. What would even be the point of running away? As the disguise dissipated in smoke, Luka's gaze wandered to meet the Spy's as he saw the poor lad out.

“My apologies, but ze doctor is not available.” Was the last thing he heard before… blackout.

…? Numb…? Why am I suddenly numb?

He could have sworn he was dead. When's the last time you heard of a man surviving a point blank gunshot? Unless the Engineer was not kidding or this was limbo, this was Hell for all he cared. Bracing for the worst, Luka tried to force his eyes open.

…W-White light… hurts…

A muffled voice pierced the lad's senses. He tried to respond to the voice but to no avail as he couldn't seem to find his own voice. He almost wanted to scream but wasn't sure if he still had a mouth. 

A pair of blazing red hands meeting Luka’s eyes were enough to send them into panic as they finally found feeling in their legs, crashing back-first into the lockers. He grabbed his Scattergun but nearly lost his grip on it before aiming it at the figure in front of him.

“Whoa there, son! You're OK!” He heard the familiar, albeit still a little muffled, voice of the Engineer.

Luka blinked, not fully trusting his surroundings still. Slowly he turned his head in the direction he heard Engineer.

“D-Dell…? Is that you? Where am I?”

“You're back here in resupply! Safe and sound!”

Wait. Resupply. If I'm here, then who's-

As they scanned the room, it sank into Luka that they were aiming their Scattergun at the Medic, the real Medic, who leaned back as he held his hands up at face level. A hot wash of red burned across their face and down their shoulders as tears started to form in the corners of their glossy coldsteel eyes. As if dying to that sapphire snake wearing the doctor's face wasn't enough.

“You alright there, son?” Engineer asked.

Before Luka could even say a word, the roaring disturbance known as Soldier echoed through the room. Luka winced at the volume. The men watched him punching the air around him.

“Graaah! I had that son of a bitch right where I wanted him! If I ever see that Sniper out of his little nest, I'll snap his neck in half!” The Soldier ranted at basically nobody before rushing back into battle as if this was just another day for them. This struck a nerve in the already overstimulated lad.

“How can you guys die then walk around like nothing happened!? You're all insane!” Luka shouted as he slumped down into the floor sobbing and covering his ears. “Why didn't I just say no, why?”

The other men found themselves unsure of what to say to the crying mess before them. A shout directed at the Medic brought him quickly to his feet. With the doctor gone, the Engineer was left to deal with the still sobbing Luka. He grabbed a bottle of water and sat next to him.

“Didn't know what to expect, eh?”

Luka only responded with a glare.

“Heheh… I understand.” Engineer chuckled as he handed the water to Luka. He hesitantly took the water and took a few gulps to reclaim some lost moisture. God, Luka hated crying so much.

“...I'm sorry.” Luka said after a period of going non-verbal.

“For what?”

“For… Well, ya know. Being myself.”

“Hey now. You're alright, son…” Engineer reassured him, “Whenever you're ready…”

-----

It had been a little over a few hours since Luka's brush with death and resurrection. He died quite a few times since then but it was still a bitch every time. The worst part of it was the nausea that he could swear his whole body felt. You know, like when you skip breakfast. It took him all the willpower and copious amounts of water to not puke. This time around, he took probably the worst hit to the face since a childhood jungle gym incident. At least he got his teeth back. Did he like the fact he died once again? No. Hell no, even.

“Uuugh! I will never get over that!” Luka yelled as the numbness, nausea, and panic came and went.

The jovial laughter of the mad doctor brought Luka back to the present. He couldn't tell if Medic was laughing at him or not but he still wasn't happy about it.

“Oh bore off! I'm new to this!”

“Zat's ze exhilaration of ze cycle of life and painful deaths!” Medic said with a laugh. Luka looked at him like he had two heads.

“Excuse me?”

“Rush into ze battlefield knowing full vell zat you're going to die a painful death. But you'll get better in about five seconds, ja?”

Luka knew everyone on the team was their own brand of crazy based on what little he observed. But what he just heard made him question how and why this man became a field medic. Or why he even still had his medical license. (Spoiler alert; he does not.)

“...Doc?”

Medic tilted his head in questioning.

“Why do you give pep talks in the creepiest ways?”

“He's not wrong, Doktor…” Heavy commented.

“I beg your pardon!?” Medic reeled back and made a pearl clutching gesture. It was hard to tell if it was real or exaggerated, but they started arguing. It was a weird sight to behold but Luka was not gonna stick around to see how it was going to end. He awkwardly backed out while they continued to bicker.

I'm not bothering with all that mess.

Not even half an hour after his last death, Luka respawned back into resupply. But instead of looking panicked his face was dusted with a lovely shade of pink. And it wasn't because Heavy and Medic were still on about their weird, pointless argument. Although, that itself seemed to come to a weird head as he turned to see that Heavy was now sitting atop of Medic's back, pinning him to the floor.

“Get off of me, Schweinhund!” Medic shouted as he tried to crawl out from underneath the giant man.

Heavy simply ignored the shrieking doctor as he realized that Luka had come back. An enraged Soldier followed shortly after.

“Hartman!? This is the twentieth time you've died today! What do you have to say for yourself!?”

“Seventeen! He actually died seventeen times!” Medic corrected him.

It only occurred to Luka now that this was a pretty normal thing that happens around these parts with this group of mercs. How and why the hell any of them took any of this, he had no clue. But it was definitely going to be a new normal for him. Hey, who knows? Maybe Luka could finally get over some anxiety issues and shyness along this crazy road. The only thing that made it not perfect was the Fullmetal Jackass. Eh, I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

“...Well, I'm not afraid of death anymore, but now I'm terrified of dying embarrassing deaths.” Luka said after processing the whole ordeal.

Medic raised an eyebrow “Oh? What happened?”

“I uhhh… stumbled backwards off a cliff and head first into a dumpster.”

Heavy winced at the image in his head. Not only would it hurt like a knife to the face but it'd probably smell like slow death too. The sound of Soldier chuckling brought him out of his thoughts.

Luka groaned “What's so funny?”

“This isn't garbage day, Hartman!”

“Did you just call me trash!?”

[lukascout]

Guess I'm The New Scout!

Story 1: Gunpowder

Today's an interesting day in Dustbowl, as the RED's newest recruit is currently being shown the ropes of combat. But this little chicken has never been on a farm quite like this. In fact, he seems to be shaking in boots that might be a bit too big for his feet.

The newbie was a short, chubby man that definitely needed a bit of sun but he would have to do for now. He tried to make himself scarce behind his long side swept bangs as training was going… abysmal. For starters, he could barely hold a gun without feeling like passing out and his aim left a lot to be desired. But hey, he'll learn on the job, right?

The makeshift target, a sheet of scrap plywood complete with a man shaped outline painted on it, stood freely between a set of minecart tracks and a dirt wall. Soldier stood at attention off to the side of the target, watching the newbie try to steady himself. His patience was starting to falter as the side of his mouth occasionally twitched into a snarl. Sniper stood right behind the still trembling recruit, trying his best not to cringe at the scene before him. Luckily, his aviators made it easy to hide his expressions. But he didn't want to be surly with the lad; Soldier's punishing him over every little thing already.

The newbie stared into the faceless figure of the target, his finger trembling on the trigger. To make matters worse? He could swear that it was mocking him…

Can't even kill a man, eh? Look at you! You're not gonna make it in this job… Doesn't seem like a good fit for a coward like you! HA!

Who does that faceless creep think they are? If this was their idea of encouragement, then that bastard’s got another thing coming. The newbie gritted his teeth and glared daggers into the target. Ready, aim, and-

“HARTMAN!” Soldier's booming voice made the newbie called Hartman jump and fire the gun, not at the target but off to the side. Hartman tensed as he looked at the fresh bullet holes in the dirt wall next to Soldier. He didn't move from his spot; but he now wore an even bigger scowl. Once he realized nobody was hurt he caught his breath, slouching as he let the air escape from his body.

“Ch-Christ…”

“Told you not to stand there, ya star-spangled sod!” Hartman snicker-snorted at the Sniper's way with words. This earned a glare from the Soldier, who then jabbed a finger in the direction of the target. “No more monkey business! Aim for the target! In battle you'd be dead ten times over by now!”

Hartman slumped his shoulders as he let out a deep sigh. Sniper noticed a hot red washing across his face. No way was he going to let the lad beat himself up over this; he himself didn't become #1 Sniper in a day.

“You're alright, lad.” Sniper attempted to reassure him with an hesitant shrug.

Hartman glanced up at Sniper with wide eyes that seemed to glitter a bit. If he had a tail it’d be wagging like crazy. It was relieving to know that not everyone was going to constantly be on his case for his “insubordination”, as the Soldier would call it. He gave Sniper a confident nod and a low, cheerful “wan!”. He steadied his aim and replaced his finger on the trigger. The anxiety rose but he drank it down with a dry swallow.

Keep your back straight… Firmly grasp the handle… No hesitation-

“FIRE!”

Hartman froze, holding the Scattergun tightly in frustration of being rushed. He always hated that, especially in his formative years. At least he's old enough to talk back to people now. Well, at least, only when things were clearly unfair.

“I-I can't focus with you yelling at me!” Hartman piped up.

Nope, Soldier's definitely not taking that sass. Especially from some runaway newbie.

“You ran away from home, now lie in your new bed, Hartman!”

“Y-You're an ass!”

Sniper put an arm between the two men before things got ugly. “Oi! Ease the kid into this!”

Before Hartman could thank the Sniper for sticking up for him, he heard a wheezing laughter.

“Oh, I'm sorry. Am I too hard on your new pet?”

What the actual hell is this guy's issue?

The Sniper glared at his teammate and let out a growling sigh. “My point is: You're not gonna get far with him like this. Let me take over.”

Soldier growled as Sniper took over as the trainer for the newbie. Hartman slowly but steadily improved after that. He even seemed to overcome his shyness over the course of the training session.

Above the sunken cart tracks, two other men observed the new recruit. The larger of the two men sighed into his hand and shook his head.

“Oi… New Scout has long way to go… What does Doktor think? …Doktor?”

The man next to him was simply just staring at the new recruit with a look of… well, hard to say for sure.

“For ze first time, I am speechless.”

[lukascout]

Lil' Pootis is in TF2? Splendid

[lukascout]

Keep your Pootis birds, Spycrabs, and Pyros inside when it starts to get too hot!

[lukascout]

Kiss the Cook - June 22nd

Pootis is enjoying his summer hiatu- I mean vacation!

He hopes you are all drinking plenty of water during the heat.

[lukascout]

Time for an introduction, I guess!

So uh, howdy hey, how are ya? The name is Luka Hartman! I'm 28 years old, pan, aromantic, and transmasc! I go by He/They pronouns.

I made this blog to separate my TF2 fandom stuff from my normal stuff. Expect rambles, funny stories from play sessions, fanart, and a fanfic called "Guess I'm The New Scout!" 🩷

Some other info!

🩷 I main Sniper for the most part but like to play as Scout and Medic on occasion.

🩷 If I were a merc, I would for sure be a Scout. Mostly because of my goofy, hyperactive nature.

🩷 I'm currently making an effort to name a majority of my weapons after folk songs! So far, I have a Classic named "Matilda" (after Waltzing Matilda) and a stock sniper rifle named "Scarborough Fair"! I plan on naming one of Pyro's flamethrowers "Puff the Magic Dragon".

And that's all I can think to tell about myself! Thanks for reading 🩷