snipersuggestions

[snipersuggestions]

She is beauty she is grace She will flop onto her face

[snipersuggestions]

“Shh, you’re overthinkin’ right now…”

He keeps himself steady as a post to lean on, gently patting Thorton on the back.

“Look, I understand. I know you’re bein’ genuine, you don’t have to look me in the eyes to make that clear, y’know?”

“And I don’t fault ya for any of this.”

He lets out a quiet exhale, not quite a sigh and more of a way of keeping his focus. That, and he was forgetting to breathe, but that wasn’t important right now.

“I reckon’ we’re gonna have to fight tomorrow, so let’s keep our heads high and wits about us, alright?”

He looks down at Thorton, smiling wider.

“Make sure you keep your head real high actually, makes my job easier.”

i still look like i had an unforgettable night... ugh, still gonna lay here a bit. i thought i saw... yeah, i can see footprints of escape on the floor.

[snipersuggestions]

“F-for wha..?”

Now he’s truly in shock. He’s not sure if he did something wrong, or if had missed something big and important, or if Thorton was just out of it, or if he really was being genuine, but whatever it might be, he did his best to shift his position to help keep Thorton on balance.

“Look mate, I have… So many things I oughta apologize to you for. If anything, you shouldn’t be apologizing to me, y’know?” He cracks a sad grin.

“I’ve been a twat to all of ya for years, but if ya suddenly wanna put it aside, I’m not gonna try and stop ya.”

Sniper lets out a quiet, hoarse laugh.

“But lets be honest, stupid shites gonna happen, but we’ll work through it instead of gettin’ all caught up about it, alright?”

“Least I can do to make it up to ya is to try and make things better.”

i still look like i had an unforgettable night... ugh, still gonna lay here a bit. i thought i saw... yeah, i can see footprints of escape on the floor.

[snipersuggestions]

Sniper is unable to come up with a justifiable reaction to the cascade of words that just entered his head from Thorton, still trying to catch up and work through the exact meaning minutes afterwards.

He doesn’t look or feel upset in the slightest, only shocked by the abrupt flood of emotions that came his way.

“Well, I do, and I’m not forgetting that any time soon.”

Sniper has always been frozen in his resolve, stuck deepest in the ice where he has a vice grip on his ideals; and having met these people, he refuses to let go that easily.

“And… History. I tend to let go o’ mine, at least the early parts of it. Sometimes ya don’t want to hang on, at least I don’t,” he explains, “But that doesn’t mean they don’t stick around in one form or another. And even if I bite the dust early, I don’t doubt I’ve made an impact on somebody.”

He shrugs, rubbing his arm.

“Even if I don’t have a long lasting impact, ain’t that just the way things are? It’s not like I’ll be able to know if things go to shite while I’m gone, so why care instead of livin’ in the moment?”

i still look like i had an unforgettable night... ugh, still gonna lay here a bit. i thought i saw... yeah, i can see footprints of escape on the floor.

[snipersuggestions]

“Woah, you alright mate?”

He cautiously placed a hand on Thorton’s shoulder, eyes widening a little.

“Hey, I mean, it ain’t too bad right? We can still be friends somehow… I guess.”

His smile fades into a grimace, but he swiftly puts it back up.

“And hey, I’m bettin’ that with the way things are goin’, we’ll outlive that old hag anyhow; one way or another.”

Sniper dearly hopes it to be true.

i still look like i had an unforgettable night... ugh, still gonna lay here a bit. i thought i saw... yeah, i can see footprints of escape on the floor.

[snipersuggestions]

“Bah, don’t we all?” He laughs, offering the spies his hand to help them up.

“Just glad you’re unharmed, let’s get this mess cleaned up.”

Once Thorton is standing, he grabs a broom and starts sweeping up the shattered glass, looking over the scene now that he’s a little bit more focused.

“Shame we’ll be fightin’ each other again soon. Gotten a few too many letters about gettin’ my arse back onto the field and all that.”

i still look like i had an unforgettable night... ugh, still gonna lay here a bit. i thought i saw... yeah, i can see footprints of escape on the floor.

[snipersuggestions]

There’s rustling and footsteps as Sniper decloaks with a soft ‘whoosh.’ Startled at the state Thorton is in, he crouches next to him with an eyebrow raised.

“Didn’t realize you blokes were havin’ a party without me.”

He’s got a sideways grin on his face, but just past the aviators, his eyes do show an earnest bit of concern for Thorton. He looks a wreck, but he knows better than to say it out loud this time.

i still look like i had an unforgettable night... ugh, still gonna lay here a bit. i thought i saw... yeah, i can see footprints of escape on the floor.

[snipersuggestions]

Battles are ramping back up again. It’s getting harder and harder to get into RED base off of work hours. But there’s still something I need to do.

Use the inviswatch to bypass the alarm system and step inside, striding towards the RED Spy’s room.

[snipersuggestions]

Happy Pride Month!

[snipersuggestions]

Sniper is beaming, still buzzing with joy from Demo's reaction. He nods mutely, still clearly unable to find the words to express how happy he is to hear that.

Even once he does feel able to say something, part of him feels as if he’ll ruin this if he does. His smile falters slightly, and now it’s more of just a faded side-grin. Eventually, it disappears entirely.

“I should probably go.”

He makes a terrible attempt at another smile, glancing towards the door.

“Um, thanks for all of this by the way—”

He’s already standing up, awkwardly fidgeting with his hands where his coat would be by his neck. When he realizes it’s not there, he adjusts his aviators instead.

Wake up to th’ first and worst hangover you’ve had in years, the most painful hunger pangs you’ve experienced, n a knock on your bedroom door

[snipersuggestions]

Sniper freezes up. A thousand emotions flash through his brain and show through his eyes. Fear, regret, shame, confusion, realization, alarm, pride, sadness, hope…

And then Sniper proceeds to fully melt into the hug. He’s clearly not sure how to react, or how to entirely return the gesture because it’s an actual hug from someone taller than him— wait, since when was Demo taller than him?!

Sniper’s mind is still racing. Demo is crying, but he’s also happy; Sniper is relieved to know that much.

There’s a small ticking sensation in the back of his head, moving towards his eyes that threatens tears. But this is Demo’s moment. Not his.

“I—,” he swallows nervously, trying to find his own words, “I’m glad you like it. I-I know it’s not much, but I figured—I’m glad.”

Wake up to th’ first and worst hangover you’ve had in years, the most painful hunger pangs you’ve experienced, n a knock on your bedroom door

[snipersuggestions]

Upon examining them both, it’s apparent that they’re meant to match.

The larger object turns out to be a custom made stuffed penguin. It has an almost denim feel to it, but soft pieces and a light bow tie. There’s a sunflower eyepatch where one of its eyes would be, and the other is a large black bead. It’s the perfect size for somebody like Demo. Big enough to wrap his arms around it, but small enough to easily carry. It’s clearly made with a lot of love and care, as it’s incredibly sturdy and soft.

[ Image ID: A drawing of the same description listed above, depicting the stuffed penguin that Sniper is gifting to Demo. ]

As for the pouch, it’s very light and the fabric is ever so slightly see-through. It’s not enough to show what’s in side, but enough to see the shape of something neatly folded inside.

Opening and unfolding it, it turns out to be an eyepatch similar in appearance to that of the stuffed animal’s. The pattern is a lot more carefully stitched into the fabric, flowing neatly into the large sunflower sewn into the middle. It looks like it would be beautiful on Demo, being tailored specifically for him.

“I uh, hope y’like it,” Sniper rubs the back of his neck, his smile almost coming across as goofy compared to how he usually looks, “Figured I’d show rather than tell, y’know?”

Wake up to th’ first and worst hangover you’ve had in years, the most painful hunger pangs you’ve experienced, n a knock on your bedroom door

[snipersuggestions]

“Yea. Two things, actually.”

Sniper chooses not to continue prodding at them then, it’s not his place. He places down a small tote bag. Inside is a carefully decorated pouch concealing a smaller object, and a much larger item facing downwards with a small sheet over it to hide what it actually is.

“Figured I owed ya more than an apology. Think of this as a bit of a peace offering, if ya will.”

“Off of the battlegrounds,” he proceeds to mumble.

Sniper reflects on the status of both teams as of right now. The Administrator had clearly taken notice of their predicament, seeing as they had a few new hires coming in. Not only would the battles begin again, but she would probably be keeping a much closer eye on the folks on both bases if she wasn’t already doing so.

He could only hope that she wouldn’t send somebody to fill in his role in retaliation.

Wake up to th’ first and worst hangover you’ve had in years, the most painful hunger pangs you’ve experienced, n a knock on your bedroom door

[snipersuggestions]

“Ah, yeah, I had somethin’ for ya—y’sure you should be drinking that..?”

He realizes how that might sound, and sighs.

“You’re probably dehydrated as all hell. Best at least get some water in your system alongside that. I’ve got some bottles in my van if your base is out.”

Sniper finds himself reaching into his pocket for his old pack of cigarettes, only to find empty space where his fingers used to curl around them. A brief moment of panic flashes through his system, before he’s brought back to the present.

Of course he wasn’t carrying a pack on him, he had been clean for years.

Damnit.

He internally facepalms, and finds something to fidget with to try and keep his mind busy.

Wake up to th’ first and worst hangover you’ve had in years, the most painful hunger pangs you’ve experienced, n a knock on your bedroom door

[snipersuggestions]

“Eh, don’t take it too bad. You look like you had it rough.”

He shrugs and gives him a light punch on the shoulder, then follows along.

“Nah, I’m good. Thanks for the offer, surprised you even considered it after that comment.”

Wake up to th’ first and worst hangover you’ve had in years, the most painful hunger pangs you’ve experienced, n a knock on your bedroom door

[snipersuggestions]

“Ah- Damn!” Sniper looks taken aback. He wasn’t expecting it to be that bad… His eyebrows raise, but he shakes it off and offers a hand.

“You uh, look… Somethin’ alright. I came t’ check in on ya, offer a gift… But uh, that can wait if you need a sec—”

Wake up to th’ first and worst hangover you’ve had in years, the most painful hunger pangs you’ve experienced, n a knock on your bedroom door

[snipersuggestions]

Hey I just wanna say I think you're cool. 👍🏾And I like your shades.

( Sniper blinks in surprise, reaching up to adjust his shades. )

Y’think they’re cool..?

You… Think I’m cool?!

( Sniper looks positively ecstatic. He’s beaming and blushing from being flustered; he hasn’t been complimented like that in a long while. )

I- Thanks!