#stranger things merc

[theredgravejournals]

Steddie !! For an Art trade with a friend

[mendedmothmercantile]

So many pins & patches, so little time! 📌

Designed and made by Em Lauren Design

[futurefind]

//trying to sleep but oh GOD botw sasume is So fucking lonely n more to the point Alone & ISOLATED due to everyone's rightful caution if not outright terror of "magic"/magitech when combined with her trauma/history Due to her magic

So not only was she treated like a monster & internalized herself as a monster, the general stance on magic even after leaving home has her being TREATED like one or at least feeling like it

Because the only time people besides her family want her around— is when they're HIRING her to handle other, more important 'monsters', literal or proverbial

And when they're not hiring her, well, who the fuck wants anything to do with a monster without a leash?

[sunnys-out]

My Little Darling | Alessia Russo

A/N: Hey y'all sorry this took a while but work got busy and didn't get a chance to work on anything. My French is rusty so please be kind.

I still remember how you told me how you would always be there for me

Warnings: language, injury

Word count: 2298

Alessia and I had met at our first team meeting at UNC and it seemed that all the international students just gravitated together. The other girls got a kick out of the French accent that came out when I introduced myself in English to the rest of the team.

I was desperate for friends, as were the other international girls, so I found myself getting close with the English players, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Alessia Russo, who was half Italian too as I came to find out. I loved them even though they did poke fun at the fact that France didn’t make it to the U-17 World Cup…joked that we would’ve met sooner. 

It was nice experiencing America with them and I found myself enjoying the little moments with the both of them, especially Alessia. I wouldn’t dare ruin a friendship that early, I mean why would she even be attracted to me…we had just met a month ago at that point in time.

A little quirk of mine is that I gave people nicknames, usually some animal but in French that reminded me of my teammates. Lotte, I fondly called, hibou or owl. You got to admit it when she is all focused and everything when she is at the defensive line her eyes narrow like a little owl. 

I hadn’t given one to Alessia only calling her Less, Lessie, Ali, or just simply Russo. She noticed, of course, pushing when the three of us were having a movie night at my dorm room.

“Why don’t I have a nickname?” Alessia poked my shoulder as we had just put on a random comedy on Netflix to watch. We were procrastinating on essays we had to all write for the same class but hey it was due in a week so we had time.

I furrow my eyebrows with confusion, “What? You have a nickname, I call you Less, Lessie, sometimes Ali…”  I poke her back “Soooo, technically you have more than one”

Alessia let out a huff as she got comfortable and laid her head on my shoulder as Lotte also got comfortable on the other side of me.

“No, I meant a french nickname, like Lotte has one…do you not like me?” Alessia pouted as she looked up to me feigning sadness.

I roll my eyes and look at Lotte on the other side of me, “Ma petite hibou, can you believe her? She thinks I don’t like her…as if we are not watching a movie in my dormitory”. This earned a laugh from the other English girl. 

Alessia lifted her head and pushed my shoulder, “See, you call her “Your little owl”, when can I get a cute nickname like that?”

Lotte raised her head, “wait, is that what that means? You calling me an owl?” I completely ignored her.

“Less, it just hasn’t come to me yet…but you keep yapping about it…I’ll call you canard, which is duck by the way”. A laugh escaped me before I finished the sentence as Alessia gave up and leaned her head back on my shoulder as we continued to watch the movie.

______________________________________________________________

Love is weird…yeah, I would say so. When I was Alessia there was a calmness that I couldn’t compare with Lotte. Don’t get me wrong I love ma petit hibou, but Alessia was different.

She’s driven and she always had this look in her eyes that only held a certain softness when she was looking at me.

She was there for me when I got my call-up for the French U-20 team just how our coaches had predicted.

Lotte couldn’t make it to our regular weekly movie night in my dorm but encouraged Alessia and I to “not do it because of her”.

We had finished the movie an hour ago and now were on some random episode of Stranger things. Alessia had migrated from leaning her head on my shoulder, as she always did, to laying her head on my lap, my finger gently combing her hair without a care in the world.

It was soothing and then my phone began vibrating in my pocket.

“Allo?, oui c’est elle. Oui…ah Merci, oui merci pour l'opportunité, c’est un honneur pour moi! Oui merci, …alors…. quoi…quoi, merci…au revoir”  (hello?, yes this is she, yes...ah thank you, yes thank you for the opportunity, it's an honor for me. Yes thank you...so...yes..yes...thank you.. goodbye)

Alessia had rolled over to look up at me and giggled, “so I only got ‘thank you’ from all that…who was that?”

I couldn’t stop smiling, “I got called up for the French U-20 team! Can you believe that?”

Alessia immediately got up and with a smile grabbed both sides of my face, “That’s amazing and of course I fucking believe that!”

All thoughts I had in that moment disappeared, I mean how could I even think when my whole world was in front of me. Alessia’s laugh broke me from my trance.

“Well, now I got to get called up for England, then we’ll be rivals..isn’t that absolutely wild” one of her thumbs now gently caressing my cheek.

I lean into her caress, “Alessia, what are you thinking about?” 

She tilts her head, as if she was observing my face to see how I will react.

“I’m thinking of how proud I am of you, really I am…and um..of…how much I want to kiss you right now”.

Alessia laughs as she feels my cheeks heat up in hands and my eyes widen.

“Well can I?” She asks as she pulls me closer.

With only a nod from me, Alessia brings her soft lips to mine. I had dreamed of doing that for so long that again my mind was empty yet filled with everything.

As she pulled back, her forehead resting against mine she whispered,

“No matter what happens…whatever this becomes, I’ll always be there for you” her fingers threading my hair as she continued to look at me.

“Ma petit chou, that’s your nickname…my little darling…no matter what happens you will always be that” I said quietly as I brought her in for another kiss.

24 August 2018

With another thud to the ground and frustrated groan, I swatted away any hands that attempted to assist me as I got up for probably the fourth time that game, not getting any cards given to the players knocking me down including once from Alessia. She gave me a gentle sorry as she helped me up even though I turned her down initially. I wanted to play against England in the final but it seems we both found ourselves fighting for 3rd place. Alessia and I hadn’t texted since the competition started and maybe only had a phone call here and there. The only time I saw her in person was right there in the tunnel before the start of the game. 

We were losing 1-0 and we were desperately trying to equalize, which meant I was pushing more up the field than usual. 

I was frustrated…justifiably…so I pushed even harder. I just did not expect to be taken down in the box. I lay face down gasping for any sort of air to return to me after the impact. Groaning also at the sting and sharp soreness near my right knee. The whistle from the referee signaling a penalty for my fall returned me to reality.

“Hey, you alright?” I heard muffled and a gentle touch to my face that I immediately recognized as Alessia. Her tone worried as she grabbed my hand. 

“Hey, hey, baby…I’m here ok? I’m here” I felt her hand gently holding mine as I finally was able to breathe slowly.

“Merde, elle saigne, médecin! (Shit, she’s bleeding, medic!)” I heard one of my teammates yell.

As the medics approached to wrap up my knee from the scrape, I felt Alessia’s hand leave mine. 

The penalty went in and we equalized. The energy was back but it didn’t end the way we wanted. Penalty shoot outs were never my favorite. Mine went in and Alessia’s didn’t but it didn’t matter what I did because we lost in the end.

I remained sitting on the field feeling disappointed that I couldn’t have done more to at least get 3rd place.

I felt a familiar weight on my shoulder and a gentle hand grab mine.

“Hey..” Alessia said quietly as she heard the sniffle come from me.

“Hey…ma petit chou” I look at her with a sad smile, tears threatening to fall as I leaned my head on hers.

“I’m so proud of you, you know?” she said interlacing her fingers with mine.

I only nod as the tears fall, “go celebrate, I’ll be ok” 

Alessia laughed a little as she shook her head, “no, I told you, I’d be there for you…even now…they can celebrate without me”. 

Media reported the pictures of Alessia and I on the field as a showing of support between two UNC teammates…Lotte would tease us upon our return and would yell “what a lovely showing between teammates” whenever Alessia and I would hold hands. 

______________________________________________________________________________

I was called up to the senior French team in 2019 and was able to play in my first World Cup. Alessia and Lotte watched from afar still participating in our university team while I was away. 

After the loss against the US eliminating us from the World Cup, I returned to ma petit chou who was waiting in my apartment with a cozy blanket and warm chocolate chip cookies from McDonald’s all set up for me. I wasn’t one to immediately tear up at a sight but the moment I entered the dimly lit apartment I couldn’t hold back.

Alessia loves deeply is what I came to discover and being close to the person she loved was important to her. It was important for me too. We both agreed that we wanted to keep our relationship to ourselves and not really post about it. We played together and lost together. I was there for her injury and she was there for mine. Which is why is was so hard to leave her.

2020 was filled with uncertainty especially because of COVID. Alessia and I were planning on leaving UNC along with Lotte to pursue a career back in Europe. Alessia went to Man United and Lotte went to Aresenal leaving me to go to Lyon. 

I won’t say that we didn’t try the distance but it became too much for us especially with our budding careers in our respecting countries. We stopped the relationship with a promise of keeping in touch whenever we could…we didn’t. 

A secret relationship remained a secret to the fans and the general public. We were former university teammates just liking each other's posts and commenting a blue heart every so often. It never went past that. The 2022 Euros came and went…an awkward “congratulations on the Euro win” was sent, read and not replied to. I mean I wouldn’t have… so I don’t blame her since the last message between us was from 2020. 

______________________________________________________________

I never handled injuries well…I isolated myself and Alessia was always there to accompany me. Since we separated, I hadn’t had a serious injury until 2023.

I knew I should’ve rested during after starting in every game in the group stages…I should’ve listened to my teammates but I didn’t want a repeat of 2019 with Australia. 

Sometimes you just know…as soon as I hit the ground in the latter part of the second half…I knew it was THAT tear. I laid there as the tears fell as the pain set in, desperately trying to find a hand to hold but only finding grass…

I don’t remember being put on the stretcher or anything that was said to me…nothing was familiar to me. They confirmed that it was a tear and I would be heading out back to Lyon to get the surgery and recover there. It didn’t matter really, we ended up losing in penalties…funny how history repeats itself…only difference was Alessia wasn’t there. 

______________________________________________________________

I remained in my hotel room, turning away any of my teammates who tried to stay with me…I just wanted to be alone…

I saw the result of the England/Colombia game and went through my phone until I found her number. It went straight to voicemail…

“Hey ma petit chou, congratulations on the win and getting a goal…I-uh…miss you a lot especially now. I don’t know if you saw but its an ACL tear and I’m cooped up in my hotel room…I still remember how you told me how you would always be there for me and-”

I choke back the tears threatening to fall but the pause was telling enough. “I just really need to hear you right now, so give me a call back because I do miss you and I can’t do this without you.” 

I end the call, immediately regretting my decision. I close my eyes hoping that the pain medication would kick in and I dont know how long I was out before I heard someone enter my hotel room.

I groan at the source of the noise

 “Go away” I wave my hand to whomever entered.

I stop immediately once I hear her small laugh.

“Well, I can’t possibly eat these cookies all on my own now can I?” I open my eyes and see Alessia with a small box of cookies. My face softened and my arms beckoned her to come to me. 

She gently held me like she always had and caressed my cheek wiping away the tears that had begun to fall

 “Hey…I’m here now” is all she whispered…oh how I missed my little darling. 

[itisnotaphasemom]

I might not be able to put this the right way, and maybe others have said this already,

but to me, the main thing about Cloud and Aerith is the way he tries to grow for her and because of her.

In a way, they could be quite similar. Both are incredibly lonely, and they share similar trauma. Both have lost their mothers in tragic, malicious ways. Both are confused about their identity and past. Cloud learns how much just he has forgotten and that something is very wrong with him, just like Aerith keeps finding out how little she actually knows about her ancestry or the circumstances of her mother's death.

Cloud and Aerith both realize this and are able to sympathize with one another. Aerith is incredibly patient with Cloud and him trying to uphold the walls he built around himself at all times.

I think Cloud knows there is a fundamental difference about them, though. And, that is that despite everything that has happened while Cloud has been putting up walls and has become hardened, Aerith has not. While Cloud looks to the past, is angered, shut off, and distant, Aerith has gone the opposite route. She remained soft and hopeful. It's not to say she isn't sad or lonely or angry, which she is, but she isn't faulting the world for this. She wants things to get better, instead of wanting revenge.

Generally, I think there are relationships that make you look to the past or to the future and I don't think there's right or wrong in that if it isn't too extreme.

But I think Aerith makes Cloud look into the future. I think he's always been either checked out about looking either way, or obsessed with the past, about what happened and how to mend it.

Aerith makes him believe in a future because she has been through similar things and she has come out on the other side hopeful. Because she is still good to people and because she still loves, she still cares. And I think this makes Cloud want to grow, too.

And he's showing this in some of Aerith's darkest moments. When she acknowledges her dark thoughts on the beach, he reacts with understanding, and he helps her going forward, supporting her when he can (even without the obligatory merc fee). He encourages her to speak out about her past at the lantern festival. I think as someone being taken in by a stranger as a child, essentially putting her guardian's life at risk and bringing heavy baggage along, she learned to have to be pleasant at all times to be loved. Through Cloud, she learns that this other side of her, the one that is struggling with embracing her difficult past and path forward, is also worthy of love and protection. She says to him on the beach, she is sure, he will love future Aerith, the one she is growing into right at that moment - she, too, is changing because of him.

These moments show he really wants to be there for her the same way she is there for him. He wants to make her happy and support her. He wants to protect her while she protects the world. He feels responsible for her, and it's a role he wants to grow into, and he does.

In a way, Clouds world just gets a lot bigger while Aerith is in it. When she is there, he actually laughs, he smiles like he does with no one else, and finally, he even cries holding her in his arms, when he was on the cusp of being turned into an emotionless weapon just moments before.

This, in turn, makes Aerith open up to him in a way she doesn't do with the others, too. They both see a side of the other person nobody else gets to see.

I think this is amplified in the ending when Cloud is literally the only person who knows what happened to her, that witnessed her death and who's able to see her afterward.

[bcdrawsandwrites]

[ID: A Team Fortress 2 fic banner featuring a silhouette of Pyro using the stock flamethrower and setting things on fire. Pyro is light gray with darker outlines, with its class symbol and canister markings in orange, and its lenses yellow-white. They are on a dark gray background with faint gray text behind them reading numbers from 999,996 to 999,999. The title is in the top right in yellow-white text on a darker background reading, "CHAPTER ONE: PYROMANCY." /end ID]

Flickering

Fandom: Team Fortress 2 Rating: K+ Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Friendship Characters: Spy, Pyro, Engineer, Heavy, Sniper Warnings: General references to trauma, TF2-typical violence Fic Description: After the events of the comics, the mercs try to go back to how things were, but it’s never that easy.

Spy can see his teammates going through their own struggles… but something seems to be very, very wrong with Pyro in particular.

And since no one else seems to be doing anything about this, Spy makes it his mission to get to the bottom of what is troubling Pyro. For no particular reason. Beta Readers: @mechmolar, @gonturan0, @junuve Notes: I have no idea what was supposed to happen in the final comic, so for the sake of my sanity I'm going to have the mercs go back to business as usual, somehow.

---

Chapter 1: Pyromancy Summary: In which Spy takes on a new mission.

---

After everything was said and done, the scars they endured were more than physical.

Sniper had been the first to admit it, quietly mentioning during the chaos between rounds the fact that he sometimes still felt the pain of bullets long-gone, and not the ones they endured from their usual matches.

(The matches had resumed, even after the death of all three Mann brothers. It was a touch of normalcy that they all needed.)

Heavy made frequent trips to Medic's office, not for any treatment, but just in case there was still some Australium left in that brute's veins and he came after them again.

Spy, meanwhile, had escaped unscathed and had absolutely nothing to hide from anyone.

But as for the others, this was, of course, all very normal. They'd all been through a lot of strange events—or stranger than usual—and a bit of lingering trauma was to be expected. Nothing to be concerned over.

Except for one thing.

Spy had noticed it during a match. An enemy merc had been preparing to sneak up on Pyro, who was removing a sapper from a sentry. But the second they got too close, Pyro swung around with its homewrecker, striking the merc again and again until they despawned. On the surface it had seemed little different from how Pyro usually handled things. Even so, something about the incident felt... off to Spy.

So he decided to keep an eye on things. During matches, whenever he could, he would take a moment to observe Pyro. He observed it charging into battle, firing its flare gun with impressive precision. Efficient, and yet...

Another moment he caught was when it had a brush with an enemy spy. The spy had just attempted to backstab Pyro when it swung around, striking with its ax and slashing, again and again. When the bloody remains disappeared, Pyro stared blankly at the red stain they’d left behind for a few uncomfortable moments before moving on.

At this point, Spy wasn't even sure what he was looking for, or why he cared, beyond the fact that it was his part of his job to study people's behavior should he need to imitate it later. No one else had taken notice of any of this—or if they had, they said nothing of it. If he just dropped the matter, likely no one would care, and they could continue to move past the mess from the past six months.

...But a little poking around wouldn't hurt. It wasn't like the Administrator was sending him off on any high-profile missions right now.

Engineer's workshop was meticulously organized, and a place Spy did not typically set foot in, for good reason. Instinctively he cloaked the second he heard the beep. The sentry's gun was trained on him anyway, but, recognizing a friendly merc, did not shoot.

"I'd say it's funny seein' you here, if I could see you," Engineer said, following his sentry's eyeless gaze.

With a snort, Spy de-cloaked.

Engineer's gaze darkened as he rested the Gunslinger over the top of the machine. "You ain't here to practice with those sappers of yours, are ya?"

"What? No. I have no need for that."

"Huh." Withdrawing his prosthesis, he relaxed slightly. "What can I do ya for?"

"I seek... information." Spy strode closer, idly lighting a cigarette. "You often work with Pyro, no?"

Engineer shrugged. "Well, sure. Don't need to explain to you how we collaborate on the battlefield. Sometimes collaborate here in the workshop, too. That fella's got a knack for makin' new flamethrowers, and it'll sometimes ask for my input." He tilted his head. "Why? You lookin' to partner with it for something?"

"Ugh, no." Spy shuddered. "No. I was wondering if you had... noticed its behavior on the battlefield as of late."

At that, Engineer leaned forward, rubbing a finger against his chin. "Lately? Mumbles's been doing pretty well on the battlefield. Better than I can remember, even." Shrugging, he sat back. "Guess it's been missin' the usual matches, pointless as they are, same as the rest of us."

Exhaling a stream of smoke through his nose, Spy looked the Engineer in the goggles. "And outside of battle?"

"Dunno. Haven't seen it much."

"Do you find this... concerning?"

"Nope." Engineer looked away. "I know I was pretty much out of the fray for all of that, but it sounds like all y'all had it pretty rough. Don't blame anyone for wantin' to take a bit of time to themselves. I'm sure it'll come around."

"Perhaps." Sighing, Spy turned, heading back toward the door. "I'll leave you to... whatever sort of contraptions you have here."

"What are you worried about?"

Spy stopped in the doorway. "What?"

"You ain't the type to come in to ask about someone for no reason."

Spy glared over his shoulder. "I worry about nothing."

"All right," Engineer replied, and resumed tinkering with the sentry. When the fellow merc said nothing more, Spy went on his way.

No, he was not worried. But as his mind wandered back to their short time imprisoned in Gray Mann's base, he was wondering. And there was someone else who might be able to satisfy his curiosity.

Medic's lab, in contrast to Engineer's space, was cluttered and chaotic, not helped by the doves nesting and perching wherever they could find space, nor the young baboon scampering around the floor. The sight of Heavy sitting on a chair made Spy pause, wondering if he was interrupting something, only to realize that the Heavy was only reading a book. He did not look up when Spy entered. The baboon, meanwhile, scampered up to Medic (who was studying something at his desk) and tugged on the hem of his coat.

"Ah, Aristotle. Did you find it?" Medic asked, bending down to accept a small red vial from the baboon's paw. "Let's see..." Adjusting his glasses, he peered at the vial's label, only to frown and toss the vial aside, where it shattered on the floor. "Aristotle! I told you I needed an O-positive blood sample, not another B-positive!"

The monkey, evidently named Aristotle, gave a sad chirp.

"Now, now, try again," he said, and shoo'd the monkey off. "Unless you want this experiment to fail, anyway." He watched the monkey scurry back across the room and run past Spy, and did a double-take. "Ah, Spy! I didn't hear you come in."

"I should hope not, or else I'd be doing my job poorly." He sidestepped the broken glass as he approached.

"Are you recovering well from your emergency blood transfusion?" Medic asked, flipping through some papers at his desk.

"Actually, I had a question about that."

The Medic's face lit up. "Ah! You're in luck!" Setting the papers down, he gestured excitedly toward a series of vials lined up in front of him. "I'm currently working on a method of separating different blood types that may have gotten—hmm—mixed together, by some means, and I needed a human test subject to—"

"No."

Medic's expression immediately soured. "Oh." He turned away, flipping through the papers again. "Well what do you want? I'm very busy."

"You also performed an emergency transfusion on the Pyro, did you not?"

"Oh, yes!" Medic smiled as he held up a paper; Spy was able to spot the Pyro's class symbol on it. "Yes, it's always fascinating working with that one."

Spy didn't have to ask what was fascinating about the only non-human mercenary on their team. "Did you notice anything... unusual when you performed the operation?"

At that, Medic scratched his head. "Well now... I was quite busy at the time, trying to prevent everyone, including you, from dying from blood loss, you know. I didn't have time to focus on the details."

"But you did open Pyro's suit to slice it open and fill its chest cavity with blood."

"Yes, yes. Your point?"

"And you didn't see anything strange when you did this?"

Medic clicked his tongue. "I told you, I had no time to focus on the details!" Sighing, he turned back to his desk. "Besides, it's hard to notice anything past all that soot."

Spy paused. "Soot?"

"Yes, it gets everywhere," Medic replied, as though that had answered the question. "Anyway, why do you ask?"

Tempted as he was to ask about what on earth lied beneath that suit, he held himself back, and very nearly shot back a "classified" at the doctor. However, something else struck him, and he hummed. "You worked with those other mercenaries for a time. Were you familiar with their pyro?"

"Oh, Beatrice?" Medic chuckled. "Yes, she was an interesting one. Quite sadistic, I would say. But what does this have to do with—?"

"She interrogated our Pyro for an extended period of time, and I am wondering if this may account for its strange behavior."

"Strange behavior?" Medic echoed, then laughed, the noise grating on Spy's ears. "No, our pyromaniac is just as crazy as it ever was, in case you haven't noticed! Perhaps you could do with a head examination." In one swift motion he retrieved a clipboard. "I could put you in for next Tuesday—"

"No, thank you." And with that, Spy strode out of the lab, nearly stepping on Aristotle's tail on the way out.

As he crossed the base, he tossed his cigarette to the ground and stomped on it as he passed.

This was ridiculous. Was it not obvious to anyone else? Or was he really just looking for something that wasn't there?

He found himself glaring out a window, staring out at the desert. It was growing dark, now, and he had no reason to be hanging around here—several of the other mercs had already gone home, or to whatever hole they slept in.

The hair stood on the back of Spy's neck, and he whipped around to see someone staring at him from the other end of the hall. He shuddered. "Don't do that."

"Am I not allowed to look at people without a scope up to my eye?" Sniper asked, approaching Spy. He held a cup of coffee in his hand that fogged up his glasses as he brought it to his mouth. Nonetheless, he joined Spy in looking out the window. "You're here late."

"As are you." Spy glared out into the darkening twilight. "Don't you have a van to sleep in?"

"Don't much feel like sleeping," Sniper answered, taking another swig of coffee.

"Then go somewhere else to produce your jarate."

The Sniper only heaved a sigh. "Went to the phone again."

"Yes, very exciting." Spy continued to glare out the window before it struck him what the man was talking about. His annoyance quickly melted. "...Oh." He hesitated for a moment before glancing at Sniper. "My apologies."

"Been a minute since I've done that," he said, and shook his head.

The two stood in awkward silence for a moment.

"...Since you're here," Spy said, "perhaps you could help me with something."

With a lifeless shrug, Sniper did not look away from the window. "Shoot."

"Tempting as it would be to kill you right now, I must decline," Spy said, eliciting a chuckle from the other merc. "Have you paid any attention to Pyro on the battlefield?"

"Some. It watches my back sometimes. Why?"

"Have you noticed anything... strange about it?"

"Hmmm." Sniper turned to face him, and Spy nearly got his hopes up. "Why, have you?"

Spy grit his teeth. "At this point, I'm starting to wonder. Its behavior seems unusual to me for some reason, but no one else in this stupid base seems to think so."

"Everyone's been actin' different, mate. Including you."

Something snapped, and Spy pounded a fist against the windowsill. "Can you answer the question or not?"

Sniper was silent for a moment before he tipped his head back, draining the rest of his coffee. "If somethin's up with Pyro, it hasn't said anything to me about it."

"You—!" Spy sputtered, but Sniper was already leaving. He glared after him, fuming, before spinning around and storming toward the base's entrance.

But as he neared the door, he froze.

It hasn't said anything to me about it.

That was it.

The next day, during their match, Spy kept a closer eye on Pyro than before.

The merc was charging through the map, blasting its flamethrower at anyone and everyone who came near it. If a fellow merc was ever on fire, it quickly put them out before going straight back to setting everything else on fire.

Months ago, when committing such atrocities, it would typically be giggling and laughing and whooping in glee as it stormed through the burning destruction.

Now, it was dead silent, its movements sharp and hurried as it set every enemy in sight ablaze.

Spy, who was cloaked, nearly gave himself away, laughing as his suspicions were confirmed. Yes, something was for sure wrong with Pyro, and he was not going crazy. Satisfied, he resumed his role in the match as normal, decloaking and backstabbing a soldier that the Pyro had missed.

But as the match came to an end and the team returned to their base, it dawned on him: Yes, he'd confirmed that something was wrong with Pyro.

But he still didn't know why.

[mrssimply]

Love profusion.

Kerry frowned in his sleep and groaned, pushing his elbow back into Johnny’s torso to make him stop snoring. It didn’t work, never did. Frankly, it was a wonder any of them could sleep, the way they all snored, but Johnny really took the cake. He sounded like a buzzsaw, especially if he’d drunk the past evening.

Fleeting memory of the night crawled into Kerry’s consciousness, and with it, awareness of his surroundings. They were outside. Judging by the sound of water nearby, they were by the pool and that brought a few memories to the surface. Kerry sighed and blinked awake, resolute that his short night was coming to an end. The sun was up, but it had already been rising when they’d finally fallen asleep, so it couldn’t be more than a few hours later. It was already hot, like summer in Night City always was, and Kerry was already sweating from his back because of the way Johnny was plastered against him, still snoring happily.

Despite his full bladder, and the headache he could distantly feel, Kerry smiled. V was on his belly, drooling on the pillow with a hand between them. Gently, the musician moved his own hand to brush his fingers, eyes flickering over his young lover’s face. 

Kerry often forgot how young V was, because he’s already gone through so much: died once and nearly died countless other times, been beyond the blackwall, saved the NUSA president, brought a man from the grave… But when he slept, the young king of the Afterlife looked his age. Especially when, resting against his back, was the giant teddy bear the Us Crack girls had gifted him on their last vacation here. V loved it, and brought it to bed every night. He said that since Johnny apparently had cuddling privileges with Kerry, he needed to have his moral support teddy bear. 

There was no “Johnny cuddling privileges”, but it was V’s argument to bring the bear, and Johnny played along like the little shit he was. Accused Kerry of being jealous of a mere stuffed toy, not knowing how close to the truth he hit. At least it made for cute pictures of V playing octopus around the bear, squishing it to death.

[more under the cut]

Today, though, he was turned towards Kerry, like he’d fallen asleep watching him and it made the old rocker smile.

The early sunday light touched V’s skin, making it glow and shine on the slight perspiration of sleep. 

As he went on looking at his input, more of the previous night came back: they’d gone out dancing, dragging a reluctant Johnny along because he didn’t really like clubbing : the lights, stranger bodies touching him and the strobe lights always threatened him with a PTSD attack unless he was high off his mind - which as exactly what they’d done. Johnny had been smiling happily and let himself be driven between them, liquid in their arms, following the flow of their bodies languidly.

Then they’d come back somewhat early because things were starting to get heated, but Kerry didn’t wanna deal with yet another scandalous frontpage of his naked ass in the screamsheets. He’d corralled both inputs back into V’s Outlaw, and taken the wheel while the other two sang their hearts out in the back seat.

Kerry was a notably bad driver, so while he achieved in dragging them up the hill, he still ended in a ditch a few meters from the house. V was too drunk to moan about the car but Kerry had no doubt he would hear about it later.

The moment Johnny had passed the portal and it had closed behind them, he’d started stripping, going straight for a dive in the pool. Which was how they’d went on with their own private party for a while, and ended up the night fucking on the matress by the pool.

Come to think of it, Kerry could feel Johnny’s soft cock against his crack and winced when he thought about the drying mess between them. He’d a vague recollection of riding V into oblivion before Johnny had joined in while the young merc was still softening inside. He’d made Kerry come like that, painting V’s still heaving chest with his cum, before Johnny dragged him on his side and fucked him into oversensitivity. The lingering drugs and V’s soft kisses all over his face meant it felt only good, like floating on a cloud of shivering gold pleasure, until Johnny held him tighter, grunted and whimpered against his neck as he came. They’d fallen asleep like that.

Kerry shifted and stretched, pulling a face at the feeling of his clammy skin ungluing from Johnny. Despite the heat, the need to pee and take a shower, Kerry felt too relaxed and happy to move. He enjoyed the moment, stroking V’s hand with the back of his fingers. 

Behind him, Johnny started to move, little twitches that meant he was dreaming. Frowning softly, Kerry turned his head to try and catch a glance at him. Sure enough, Johnny’s face was scrunched into a frown. His eyes jumped from one side to the other behind his eyelids and it wasn’t long before the twitches became jerks. 

Kerry made a shushing sound and grabbed Johnny’s metal arm, pulling him closer against himself. The new model looked the same, but it was better in every way and allowed his bearer to experience all the sensations of a real limb. Through his dream, Johnny felt the grounding touch around his cyberarm and let out a shuddering breath. He opened his eyes, blinked against the light and trembled for a second against Kerry. 

His racing heart cantered inside his ribcage for half a minute more before he could get it under control. It took his brain just as much time to process his surroundings, but he knew right away that he was safe. Finally, he rubbed his forehead against Kerry’s nape and groaned softly. Now that the fright of the nightmare was dissipating, it left room for other sensations like thirst and the heat. 

Kerry squeezed his wrist gently, and glanced at him over his shoulder with a smile before focusing on V again. Johnny raised his head, nuzzling behind his old friend’s ear before catching sight of their merc. 

Johnny’s eyes traveled from the teddy bear to V’s face with a growing smile.

“How did that thing end up here?” was his first question, and now that he thought about it, Kerry had no idea.

They both snorted and Johnny cuddled closer again.

“You smell like sex,” he commented.

Kerry shrugged: it wasn’t like he could deny it, or even wanted to.

“I like it,” Johnny concluded, giving Kerry a small bite before settling again.

They stayed like this, watching the sun rise, and V sleep.

[feralrabidcrow]

Hello internet stranger! I have a headcannon question for you about the hit 2007 valve game tf2!

Do any of the mercs have a “major” incident (ex: Burning, breaking a window, illegal organ donations)? And what things have been banned from the base because of that incident?

Soldier's list for this is pretty long. Soldier is not allowed to use the microwave, Soldier is not allowed to drive, Soldier is not allowed to create a raccoon uprising, Soldier is not allowed to run around the base naked and covered in honey, Soldier is not allowed to tackle people without giving them fair warning, Soldier is not allowed to... et cetera, et cetera. Does he ever follow these rules? Certainly not!

Pyro's access to flammable material is heavily monitored when they aren't at work, and there's a fire extinguisher right outside their dorm room. Their walls are covered in burn marks, but with the diligence of a certain next door Friendly Engie, we haven't had a repeat of the Great Teufort Fire since '68!

The real reason why Medic operates without anesthesia is because no one trusts him enough to go to sleep on his operating table ever since Scout's liver and pancreas went missing after what was supposed to be a simple kidney stone removal. Of course, he replaced them with newer, better, probably less human ones afterwards, but not everyone is as eager to be a guinea pig as Heavy is!

Sniper isn't allowed to drive off into the wilderness for the weekend without leaving a note of where he's going, the first time he pulled that off there was a lot of chaos and Miss Pauling lost 3 years off her life stressing over why one of the mercenaries was just gone without a trace, meanwhile he just wanted to get away from it all and spend his weekend off camping. So much for 'be professional', right?

[intheshadowsbehindyou]

Can I get some TF2 headcanons of the mercs with a perfectionist reader? When I mean perfectionist, I mean striving for perfection and beating themselves up whenever they make a mistake. They tend to take criticism too much to heart and constantly doubt their abilities. Sort of an all or nothing perspective on life, where if they aren’t perfect, then they’re nothing. I’ve been starting to doubt my own abilities lately, and I’m afraid of what some people (AKA Medic) would think of someone like me. Can be comfort or as accurate as need be.

Medic? Well that’s an easy one. Let me focus on purely him for you. The amount of times i’ve over psychoanalyzed this guy isn’t normal.

A Perfectionist Y/N And Medic’s Opinions On Them

—————————————————-

- What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you so worried about everything being flawless? Why are you hurting yourself so much? What is the trauma that started all this line of thinking? Despite being quite silly, Medic isn’t stranger to cause and affect. There are origins to ones’ behavior that manifest in early developmental stages. The other Mercs catch him staring at you on the battlefield. His gaze is upon your outward behavior. Your skills are precise and your taunts are well said. Still, you have a unsatisfied look in your eye. You’re never happy with what you put out there.

- Every time you slip up, Scout has to nudge you and playfully tease you afterward. You’re rightfully hurt by it and the first person to notice this is Medic. Trained to pick up any hint of unwell and this was no exception. You obsess over what he said and bring yourself down in your quarters. You slam your face up against your pillow aggressively. Trying to bring harm to yourself. Your bathroom door was slightly ajar and you were so busy hurting yourself that you didn’t even notice Medic in the reflection of the mirror; peaking through your front door. You immediately whip around and he slams it shut. Disappearing before you could get a good look at him.

- You catch him stalking you. Constantly. Watching your every movement. He’s around corners and just out of view. At first you feel like he has ill intentions. Does he hate you for what you are, and is scoping out a potential opening to kill you? You wouldn’t be surprised considering the blood thirsty habits of the Mercs.. You see him down the dark hallway containing machinery that ran the respawn machine. He’s typing in god knows what on the terminal. The only other person who runs commands on that thing is Engineer.

- “Medic?” You ask. “Ja.” He responds, not even bothering to turn around. Well that wasn’t reassuring. He’s hyper focusing on his command inputs. He must hate you, right? “Am I annoying you right now, or something?”

- “You’re annoying me by thinking you’re annoying. Honestly, constantly doubting yourself with every little thing isn’t normal.” He says. You feel your blood run cold and your stomach twist. You feel like you’ve severely made yourself somehow ‘unlikeable’ by having low self esteem. But then he continues, taking his glasses off and cleaning them by brushing them against his lab coat. “You underestimate yourself and your view on how others see you is twisted. You come off as somebody whose been beaten to hell and back, in my professional opinion.”

- “I don’t want you to see me in that light.” You say. “You didn’t let me finish.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Somebody who was bullied — criticized too much — and overall picked on. Don’t rely on other peoples’ words, der Mitkämpfer. They are often lying to themselves that you are bad because they want to be atop you.”

- “So you see me as damaged? Is that all? Also you realize how people see me greatly affects my legacy right?” You couldn’t hold in your slightly hurt attitude. Medic glared at you in response. Putting his glasses back on. “Damaged? Suffering from something like that? More like i’m envious of you, really. You’re perfectly sound and meanwhile i’m a cackling old wizard in an astronomy tower. Hoho! Oh, and I also kill people in cold blood but that’s besides the point.” He fixed his tie in awkward self awareness.

- “My point is; If anything those healing scars of yours is a sign of experience and therefore worthy of admiration. I hope I got that right. You came a long way to get here, and that involved stuff like school, talking to people, and overcoming small challenges.” Medic waved his hand. Nonchalantly picking up his medigun and testing the lever with one violent push. The device sprang to life and latched onto your essence. “Knowing you’ve already jumped hurdles, is it bold to assume that maybe you’re capable of doing something complex? Sure, it might be flawed and imperfect but that is the unfortunate nature of humanity, my friend! Art is full of little mistakes that really end up adding to the picture.”

- He paused. Looking away from you with a frown. “And doing very little is enough. Like getting out of bed, even for a few hours and finding yourself back in bed again. Much to your dismay. But the action itself is a victory to be celebrated nonetheless. I think you should be less critical of yourself and focus on the fact you’re trying your best to begin with. That you are whole, nonetheless.”

- He pulled the lever back and walked away, his voice becoming cheerful again. Letting out a sort of snort laugh. “Hah! except science. If you fuck up science then you’re frankly an idiot. Sorry! Can’t help you there.” He says. You roll your eyes at his lunacy.

[p1nk-syr1nge]

Hey I think ur writing is like really cool and nice !!!!

can I get some platonic hcs about the mercs with a friend who randomly gets scars and they dunno how they got them ? (Sorry if it’s weird D;)

HELLOO!!! mwah ofc!! 😚

AND TYSM<3333

Scout

Barely notices, but when he does isn’t really surprised because he gets them too.

Oh just a bunch of random minor cuts ‘n bruises? That’s ok… No big whoop. Infact look at this cool scrape that came outta nowhere yesterday.

At the end of the day you both kinda have a routine of patching each other up because Medic is tired of seeing your silly asses in his medbay.

Soldier

Not phased one bit…

Go get yourself taken care of, cadet you need to be in tip top shape.

Will patch it himself if it’s bothering him enough…

Has also learned that he has to do this frequently and just carrie’s bandaids in his pockets for you.

Pyro

Gets a little worried about you.

You must be incredibly clumsy and careless and they’ll probably scold you kindly.

They’re always dragging you to Medic to get fixed but other times they’ll just do it themselves if he’s busy.

Expect lots of colorful bandaids. To help you feel better of course!

Demoman

Your cluelessness concerns him!

But you don’t seem to be severely hurt or in obvious pain so you must be ok…

Still, he’ll find himself wiping the blood off a cut on your face quite often.

Probably licks his thumb to get the dried blood off like dad.

Tbh with the amount of shenanigans you both get into the “unknown scars” can be quite frequent.

Heavy

He is no stranger to cleaning scrapes and scars.

He did this with his sisters a lot…. they were quite reckless.

He might coddle you a bit… It’s sweet but you have to tell him you’re ok.

Doesn’t like seeing you hurt but you seem to be rather chill with it.

Engineer

Gently scolds you to be more careful.

Does the thumb licking dad thing as well… a little unhygienic but it’s fine guys.

Has a medkit in his toolbox and made sure there were extra bandaids for you.

If you want he��ll get ones with with patterns ‘n characters on it.

Might kiss it better if he’s feeling particularly nice…..

Medic

Oh you miserable, poor creature.

Surely this means you need an amputatio- what? Fine…

Not annoyed at you, just at how oblivious you are to your surroundings.

How do you not know what happened? Ah well, he’ll just use his medigun and shop you off with a firm pat on the head.

Cares a lot. But is like a scolding mother a lot of times.

Sniper

Won’t do much. He gets them all the time. No big deal…

Although will encourage you to wash it so there’s no infection.

Though he’s convinced you’re clumsy and will be a little more wary of your surroundings for you.

You don’t know where you got that cut? He does he watches it happen. Did not say a thing because you gotta learn somehow…

Spy

Where did you get these? You are very odd to him.

Will probably poke ‘n prod at them just to see you wince or any kind of reaction.

Its a little funny to him. Stupid asshole….

After he’s done teasing you about it he’ll clean your scars and make sure you’re all patched up.

[5eraphim]

tf2 mercs: least to most fun to go shoplifting with-

(unedited/rent lowering gunshot post) 

10. Heavy

he’s not too observant and can’t help but draw attention, though it’s unlikely anyone would try to stop him even if he was caught trying to make a get away.

while he might not stop you, he wouldn’t encourage this kind of behavior. in his eyes it’s just a silly way to get into trouble, and has a hard time understanding the appeal of this.

he’s a hunter, not a gatherer an is at a natural disadvantage here. heavy is a simple man, he lives within his means, and is content to abstain from this practice.

9. Engineer

like heavy, engie doesn’t really get the appeal, but would be able to get away with stealing way easier than heavy. 

he was probably brought up taught this sort of thing was very, very wrong and disrespectful to the employees or something- or like, maybe he was caught when he was really young trying to steal idk, a toy or a snack or something in school and got in trouble and he’s never been able to shake the guilt. (he’s not a cop or anything, but would have the “I’m not mad, just disappointed” reaction if you were to proposition going lifting with him. and if he were to see a stranger trying to get away with stealing, he’s not gonna snitch.)

he’s always wearing those overalls and his work belt, so theoretically, he could empty all those out and go in with a ton of free pocket-space. he’s also on the shorter side and could easily keep his hands below the employee’s eye level.

might have a bit of fun tinkering with ways to disable security mechanisms. might randomly decide to disable a bunch of security devices and walk out without taking anything with him. just to sow a little chaos for funsies.

ok with stealing things like food if he were in an extreme situation, so long as you were stealing from some corporate chain store, and not a smaller independent location.

8. Soldier

HE IS NOT SNEAKY, HE DOES NOT WANT TO BE SNEAKY, PLEASE DO NOT MAKE HIM BE SNEAKY

the best strategy you could hope to use with him would be to just straight up ask him to go beat the fuck out of the cashier while you grab what you want and make a run for it. 

7. Pyro

it’d be fun to convince them to do this with you by pretending it’s all some game, and whoever can walk away with the most without getting caught is the winner.

when you put it to them like that, they can do quite well for themself, but prefers to stick closer to you, rather than stray too far on their own. it’s impossible to get much of a bounty with pyro, but they want to win the “game” so earnestly it’s hard not to have a good time despite the lack of reward.

always rips off soft security tags, but also likes to wear them on their clothes like stickers, completely defeating the point and getting caught as a result.

6. Spy

realistically, he’d be the best lifting partner you could ever hope for, but he’s too aware of this and would be really fucking annoying about it. you would walk away with some great loot for sure, but that doesn’t exactly mean it would be fun.

exclusively goes for ridiculously expensive items he hardly even wants or would realistically use. he doesn’t even really have anything to prove, he just does this for the bragging rights.

spy knows he has the huge advantage of being the kind of person sales associates wouldn’t assume would try to steal, even if he doesn’t want to admit it.

to people he doesn’t know- he’ll lie and say he paid for all his luxuries bc he can afford it, but people who are tighter with him know he’s stolen a decent amount of his finer treasures. 

5. Sniper

he lives in a campervan and doesn’t have too much space for cargo/personal belongings, but he’d really be in his element here, even if he doesn’t completely get the point of “the fun of stealing for the sake of stealing”

while he’s sneaky, he’s also real lanky, and would draw attention on account of being so tall, making him a solid diversion. 

he’s pretty fun to go out with, but he also only wants to go out once in a blue moon, so you’d better savor the time with him while it lasts. (he was simply not built to compute with capitalism, though he can handle small doses for the sake of a good time)

4. Scout

he’s done this all before. scout’s the little guy and has always felt the need to prove himself, especially to his older brothers/teammates/friends growing up. scout was probably hazed/dared into stealing a lot during childhood and adolescence, and has gotten remarkably good with practice. (unfortunately much like spy, he too knows he’s really good at this and won’t shut up about it.)

as the one who’s been at this forever, he likely has his own hook, a neodymium magnet, and is really good at the tinfoil trick. (you know he’s got them fast lil’ fingies) 

he’s surprisingly good at keeping his tracks covered and getting away with stealing. excels with a blitzkrieg, “get in quick, get out quicker” strategy. he’s not in it to steal expensive things, just likes to stir up a little trouble every now and then.

though, with all that said, just because he’d be great at shoplifting, he’d also be great at getting himself caught. he’s the biggest braggard, and would be way too likely to get cocky and brag about his heist before it’s over, and get himself caught and banned.

he’d be the most apt to, and grateful to accept gifts from you if he knew they were stolen. likes the idea you’d risk getting in trouble for him, and would want to try and one up you, and get you something he stole himself.

3. Demo

he wouldn’t exactly be good at this, but it would be fun. he wouldn’t shoplift alone, but is into the idea of doing it in a pack, or just with you.

realistically, he’d get a couple lifts in before he starts to get overconfident and gets himself and everyone he’s with caught.

specializes in liquor lifting, but likes to pick up little gifts for his buddies. (maybe one of the only guys who genuinely likes to gift stolen goods, rather than receive them.)

having one eye puts him at a serious disadvantage here, and he’s not too sneaky, but he’s usually pretty good at scoping out the area before trying to make his move.

2. Medic

able to strike a perfect balance of stealing expensive items, but wouldn’t take himself too seriously, and wants to have a good time above all. it’ not about stealing expensive things, so much as it is about getting loot from as many different locations as possible.

he’d likely have the coolest little cashe of the weirdest stuff he’s stolen. he’s much like a magpie in that sense, medic likes the idea of pilfering and bringing treasures back to his “nest” and having his own little secret hoard. (he likes stealing and gifting for others too, but prefers to be able to keep what he takes)

his morality is completely relative and fickle- there’s no way he would have reservations about stealing from corporations or “big money” stores, or just about anywhere he thinks he could get away with

would hide stuff in his underwear bc he is a WHORE

1. Miss Pauling

would be the most fun to go shoplifting with. she has so much stress to burn off from work, and she could have a lot of fun winding down from a long day of mortal sin and heavy crime with some lighthearted crime.

would be willing to get tipsy or stoned before going out because she’s more interested in having a good time, rather than the bounty itself.

she’s feral, she’s evil, you know her hunter-gatherer instincts go fucking CRAZY.

women be shopping

[tuefortunate]

hiiii welcome!!! i always love seeing tf2 x reader blogs!!!

can you do some headcanons on how the mercs would react if they started falling for their best friend, who is also a merc?

Oooh, this sounds fun! I’d be happy to. Thank you for the request! <3

-

Scout

Immediate reaction? Oh God oh fuck.

Remember how he was with Miss Pauling? Yeah. Imagine that but worse because he sees you every day.

Despite already being best friends, don’t be surprised if things get a bit awkward once he registers his feelings. It would be so obvious that something is up because he goes from either trying to show off more than usual to being downright sheepish if he words something wrong and you playfully call him out on it.

If you’re in matches together… don’t be surprised if he gets a tad bit distracted. Poor guy probably ends up getting one hell of a talking to later on by some of the other mercs. Medic especially. (He has other people to look after, after all!)

It’s pretty 50/50 on how he goes about it. Either he’s eventually called out on it and feels forced to admit to it (not that that’s a bad thing - he definitely needs that push sometimes), or he might just hold out for a bit until he completely gives in.

Odds are the admission might be a bit sheepish in itself. He talks a big game, but being so close to someone before developing feelings makes it all the more terrifying, even if he doesn’t want to admit that.

Soldier

When he starts to feel affection, everyone, and I mean everyone is going to know very quickly.

He is not quiet about it. In fact, he makes it damn clear that he’s got his eyes on you. Don’t take that the wrong way - mercenary or not he won’t be creepy about it, he’s just… very eager and very blunt. His main volume is Loud and Assertive.

When we talk about mercenaries who end up protective over you, good LORD is he one of the top dogs. Sure, you can absolutely fight for yourself and he loves that about you - it’s insanely attractive to him. That doesn’t mean he won’t be protective himself though.

Assuming the affection is returned, he can also be surprisingly very sweet in his own way. Sure, maybe it’s not exactly the most orthodox, but it’s still very clearly meant to be sweet compared to how he usually is.

Also, if you join him on any drills he may do? Bonus points for you. I won’t say he’ll necessarily go easier on you, but he will be sweeter to you about it after the fact. If you end up sore from the workout he’ll help you soothe the pains a bit. (Again, probably won’t be in a normal way, but by God does he get an A for effort.)

Pyro

Pyro is very… quiet about their emotions. Granted, they’re pretty quiet about a lot of things, but especially in regards to their feelings for and about you.

They’re much more observant and careful than most people give them credit for. They watch out for you, try to judge your own feelings, and they try not to come off as too much.

They’re well aware of the presence they have around others, and though they’re also smart enough to realize that you know them better than most and you’re the farthest thing from a stranger, that doesn’t mean some old worries and concerns may not crop up.

They’ll be very careful about how they approach the topic. Though sign language is not uncommon for them, they’d probably handle it more with a written note in this circumstance. It would be a little easier for them to get their thoughts out that way and they can be sure they word things properly.

If you don’t accept them in that way, that’s totally okay. If you do though, they’ll be so clearly relieved and excited over it. 

Truthfully I don’t see much changing with Pyro, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. They really feel like the definition of dating my best friend, and everything would feel totally comfortable between the two of you.

Demoman

Though he doesn’t seem like it to an outsider, Demoman is definitely an emotional man at times. He’s much more prone to feeling and showing emotion than a lot of the other mercenaries are and though he doesn’t let it interfere with his job, it sure does get in the way once he realizes he has a crush on his best friend and teammate. 

It would be a bit hard for him to handle, at first. I won’t say he’d handle it horribly negatively, but it’s definitely very clear that something is bothering him. When asked he’d brush it off as if it was all well and good.

“Aye lad, I’m all well ‘n good. Nothin’ ta worry about.” It’s not exactly the most convincing to you however, considering how well you know him by that point. Still, it’s best not to push him on such matters.

Eventually, he would give in and come to you and try to explain it. It would be almost funny, in a way. He clearly practiced what he wanted to say and yet despite that, he’d still manage to fumble a bit. It would only be when he got frustrated enough that he’d buckle down and get out with it entirely.

If you were to accept his affections, the immediate sigh of relief would no doubt be pretty funny at the very least. Please don’t laugh though, the man really had to work up to this. Might chastise himself for being so worried in the first place.

Heavy

At first, it starts more as a fondness that he can almost mistake as something similar to how he feels for his family.

By this, I mean he finds himself wanting to protect you more and more. He knows that as a merc, you’re more than capable of looking out for yourself. That doesn’t make him any less inclined to do what he needs to do to be certain that you’re okay.

Eventually, he comes to accept that this is different from the concern he shows for his family. Similar, sure, but a whole different form of love that he hadn’t really allowed himself to experience due to both his job and his need to care about those closest to him.

Now though, he realizes that you’re also one of those closest to him. As intelligent as he is, he would still find it difficult to navigate at first. He grew up needing to be strong. He grew up needing to be focused and determined. Emotions past those weren’t something he had allowed himself to dabble in much.

You’d probably need to give the man a bit of time even if you noticed it before he was ready to come to you about it. Being a man of so few words more often than not, he’d want to take his time to figure out just what he needs to say and how to say it. He’ll come to you once he feels prepared enough though.

Engineer

Oh my, when Engineer starts to realize his affections for you are growing he’s equally concerned and excited.

See, the concern comes from the fact he realizes it probably isn’t exactly the best idea to get so close and attached to someone he works with. On one hand, it’s not like none of the other mercenaries get close to one another, some more than others, but on the other hand what if something goes wrong?

He won’t fret too much - he just has a tendency to think about the implications of what he does and when he does them, if only to save him a bit of grief in the long run. That and he’d like to save you a bit of grief as well. The last thing he’d want to do is make you insanely uncomfortable or awkward around him. 

He’s the most likely to just calmly lay it all out on the table with you, probably when the two of you are next alone. He’ll speak matter of fact and gently, and he’ll make it damn clear that if you don’t feel the same he won’t pursue you. He’d want you to know immediately that your feelings come first in this situation. Polite as ever.

If you don’t accept his advances? That’s alright, he’d apologize for the trouble and go on his way. To his credit, he’s far mature enough to not let it get between the friendship you already have. If you do accept, however, he’d be over the moon. He’ll be a real sweetheart.

Medic

Medic would come to realize his affections rather easily, actually.

However, the way he handles it is what’s a bit… Interesting, to say the least. First off he’s going to test the waters with you almost immediately. What does that mean? Probably his own brand of flirting. (Which comes off more like a subtle tease than anything - very roundabout with just that hint of there being something under the surface.)

Should reception be good enough, he’s likely to become a bit clingy in his own way. Considering his experiments, it would not be unlikely for him to try and convince you into allowing him to make some modifications on anything he has already done to you just to make you a bit safer than even the others.

Even if it may come off as a little off putting, don’t take it poorly. He won’t force the matter, even if he continues to ramble a bit about all the pros vs the supposedly very few (albeit probably terrible) cons. 

He would be overjoyed if you at least visited him a bit more often in his office, so long as he’s not extremely busy. He’d tell you more about his processes and work than he tells just about anyone, and that’s saying something! 

Sniper

Sniper is far from stupid, but when he starts to feel affection for you he’d be rather slow to admit to it. In fact, it’s downright self denial for a while.

It’s not that he’s ashamed of his feelings for you. Not by a long shot. He just doesn’t really have it in him to admit to such a thing when for the longest time, he’s kept such specific goals in mind. He never really took into consideration that he might fall for anyone, much less someone he works with.

It’s a very slow start, and one that he may not even notice happening whereas the other mercenaries would. He talks with you a bit more, sticks around you for just a little longer than he would the others before needing a break from the social atmosphere, etc. It’s small, slow changes that he himself wouldn’t have taken notice of if not pointed out.

It would probably become clear to you pretty quickly that he’s taken a shine to you specifically. In matches, for instance, he seems to take out enemies far too close to you suspiciously often. It’s best not to call him out on that though unless you want to hear him go on about how he’s just doing his job.

All in all, it would probably have to be you who would have to approach him if you reciprocate those feelings. He isn’t exactly the best at coming forward with more emotion driven topics.

Spy

To say that this was unexpected to him would be an understatement, truth be told.

Sure, he prides himself as charming and suave, but he didn’t exactly expect to be charmed so seemingly easily by you.

Of course, that’s not to say he didn’t find you charming in your own way to begin with - it just seems so… natural for you, an allure that he simply couldn’t contend with even with his own charm, and -

Shit. Yeah, he should have seen this coming actually. He’d probably chastise himself quite a bit, if only for the fact that he let himself be caught so off guard in a way that seems so totally unlike him.

He will remain highly secretive of his feelings however, at least amongst the other mercenaries. Like hell is he letting any of them figure it out.

He will probably keep one hell of a close eye on you during matches once those feelings set in. He’ll still do his job, but if he must stick to the shadows just a bit longer to keep an enemy away from your back, well. A bit of wasted time is an acceptable sacrifice.

Bonus: when alone, he may try to woo you a bit. He’d be subtle with it at first to gauge your own response - ever the professional even now. So long as you respond positively though, he may enjoy spending time alone with you when possible.

[blorbocedes]

HEY so i have deep dived into brocedes (going on... 3 days now?) and the one thing im rly struggling to find is an accurate brocedes timeline with links to everything (and i mean EVERYTHING- their promo vids, them eating cereal tgt, lewis on nicos website at 18 etc). i've scrolled through ur acc (its been so helpful!!) but some of the links no longer work i can't pinpoint on certain dates (greek trip?? what year was that?? when did they race each other in italy?) so i js thought id ask if you could help me figure that out lol also i am happy to read any in depth essays of brocedes and their progression as childhood bsfs, to teammates, to rivals, to strangers, that you have on the backburner bc i genuinely am a fan of all things brocedes atp (this is me shamelessly asking for a master post like the one u did w the post 2016 timeline- yes im happy to wait esp since there are sm new things to comment on (SPAIN 2023??? OMG!!)) ANYWAY altogether thanks for everything youve done for me as a brocedes newbie 🫶

hi! I'm gonna try to find some primers and stuff for you. the thing about brocedes is a lot of it you have to find out for yourself, and that's part of the fun. you won't find one masterpost with every single link unfortunately, but my blog has a pretty good aggregate of most of them.

here is the post 2016 interactions primer post

there's a lot of useful links and basic rundown here, one of the major primers

the Greece story timeline is vague cause they've both mentioned it multiple times, and it's a major staple in their canon. here it says 14.

Nico and Lewis talking about snowboarding at 17, so they were friends after they were teammates, and here's them partying as young adults (bc Nico and Vivian got together at 18)

the iconic kellog's picture! and here's how kelloggs lore followed them

here's an essay that's freaking pivotal!!!

here's additional lore I've collected, such as them living in the same building, their childhood shenanigans.

there's a lot of individual lewis blogs where you can find out more about his karting years, and for nicology I personally go to @fzxy40 for more nico insights.

this is when they raced each other in Italy so you can trawl through karting records to find it

And now, in 2023, we have Lewis bringing up Nico unprompted talking about how karting with him was some of the best times, and Lewis and Nico both stuttering fidgeting as Nico interviewed him for Spain 2023

as for promo! my pinned tweet is a great compilation of their skits, you can look up more on YouTube like the cringe merc commercials they did together.

there's a lot of lore on my blog you can check the archive for, and I'd be happy to help you otherwise if you're looking for anything specific!

[sheikahwarriork]

prompt for childhood enemies dimileth!!!

When Byleth was 6 years old, and Jeralt left her in the care of an inkeeper while he was doing merc jobs, a traveling caravan of rich people arrived to the inn, and she heard an ugly rich bowlcut blonde baby say his dad was the strongest and could beat anybody's dad and she choose violence.

Someone had to put the bowlcut in his place and make him understand Jeralt was the strongest.

Dimitri didn't want to fight back for his crest until Byleth called him a wussy... which is a word the mercs used around her and she didn't know what it meant.

(she fondly recalls this story as the first time she won a fight)

(dimitri still has bite scars from the incident and was very scared of girls for a long time)

(gustave was worried sick a commoner kid got the crown prince rabbies)

(they haven't connected the dots)

(This is the same anon who hates Dimitri's hair)

(hello dear dimitri's hair hater anon, i loved this prompt a lot! i changed some little points in the narration, but the main plotis the one you wrote. i really hope you'll like this :3)

wordcount: 1.2k

Byleth was extremely bored. Jeralt— no, he said to call him dad— Dad ­­went to do some cool mercenary stuff he said were 'too dangerous' for Byleth to attend. How silly! She was perfectly capable of taking care of enemies. She had the best teacher in the world, after all; the Blade Breaker’s abilities were well known along all Fodlan.

Of course, she was still only six, while her father was… How many years old was Jeralt again? She realised she didn’t know exactly. Probably the same age all dads were. Like three-hundred years old or something like that.

Byleth frowned. Did she need to wait three-hundred years to become as powerful as Jeralt? No, it was too far away from now! The little girl stood up. She needed to go training now.

She went out the little inn where Jeralt— Dad left her some days ago, heading for that nice spot she found out the day before to train with her new super powerful sword. (Well, wood sword. After the last time Byleth tried to train by herself, she almost chopped her own leg, so Jeralt took precautions by giving her a weapon that 'woudn’t hurt his precious little girl'. How melodramatic! But he chose it precisely for her. It was special. She wasn’t gonna break it!)

Her wandering gaze stopped when she noticed some people a few meters from her. She frowned. A tall guy with dark hair and a younger blonde boy with an ugly bowlcut were talking under a tree, the very tree of her perfect nice training spot.

She frowned again. As people said, Byleth wasn’t… the best at social interactions. She didn’t like talking to people, especially strangers. And she hated when she had to. Like this moment. She needed those two to get out of her new special training spot. She needed to train! To become more powerful! Like, right now!

The urge to train was bigger than her despise for talking to strangers, so she got closer to the tree, holding hard her sword. Byleth repeated in her mind Jeralt— Dad’s lessons about how ‘not to be too scary with other people’. She had to act nice.

“Hi. Get out of my training spot”.

A greeting! Super nice. ‘Good job, me’, she thought, pleased with herself.

The taller boy looked at her with surprise, but his expression quickly changed in a smile. “Hello, you fellow warrior”, he said in a condescending tone, winking.

Ugh. That was one of the thing Byleth hated the most: grown-ups treating her like she was just a little child!

“Get out, I said! I need to train”, she said, pointing at her sword.

Bowlcut boy frowned. “But you’re too young to train by your own!”

“What?!” Byleth exclaimed to him, annoyed.

“Yes! My dad says children shouldn’t fight until they grow up. And you look almost my age! So, you can’t train”, Bowlcut boy explained, nodding.

Byleth crossed her arms. “It doesn’t make sense! My dad helps me train since I was… younger than you!”

Bowlcut boy looked troubled. “Why does you dad train you?”

“Because I want to become strong, and he’s the strongest mercenary of all Fodlan!”, Byleth said with a hint of pride.

Now Bowlcut boy looked annoyed. “That’s not true! My dad is the strongest one! Glenn, tell her!” he added, looking at the taller annoying guy.

Tall-annoying guy was watching at them holding a hand over his mouth as if he wanted to hide it, slightly shaking. Then he proceeded to burst into laughter, hitting the ground with his fist, without saying a thing.

Byleth frowned. What a weird guy.

Bowlcut boy frowned too, but apparently he decided to let the matter drop, as he looked at Byleth again. “My dad is stronger! He has big muscles, and he’s the only one that can use a super uper big powerful spear!” Then he looked down at Tall-annoying guy, who was still on the floor. “Glenn! Tell her!”

The guy tried to stop laughing, but miserably failed. “So… sorry, Dimitri… you’ll have to… deal with her yourself… PUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Byleth crossed her arms; then, she got an idea. “Let’s settle this with a fight. However wins, has the strongest dad!”

Bowlcut boy’s eyes widened. “N… no! I can’t! I’ll hurt you!”

Byleth was really annoyed now: how dared that little brat imply he could beat her?!

She lifted her sword, pointing at Bowlcut boy. “Prepare yourself!”

“Oh, fuck!” Tall-annoying guy stopped laughing and stood up between them. “Ok, party’s over. Let’s try to get along, shall we?”

Bowlcut boy sighed in relief. Byleth sticked her tongue out, looking at him. “Your dad’s just a… wussy!”

Byleth really liked the word ‘wussy’. The way it sounded was funny. She didn’t exactly know the meaning, but Jeralt’s mercenaries often used it when someone was arguing (usually when drinking that weird ‘grown-ups fruit juice’) with some other of the band, getting the latter very angry. And Byleth wanted to make Bowlcut boy angry.

And she succeded! Bowlcut boy’s eyes widened, and he proceeded to run towards her. Byleth was ready, and promptly dodged the boy. She grabbed his arm, and sinked her teeth in it.

The boy screamed in pain until Tall-annoying boy managed to pull him away. “Shit shit shit! What the hell is wrong with you two?!” he said in a high-pitched tone. Bowlcut boy started crying.

‘Pathetic’, Byleth thought.

“Okay, little girl, we’re leaving, but promise me you’ll stay away from Dimitri!” Tall-annoying guy said, while taking Bowlcut boy in his arms. “We’re leaving soon anyway, so forget about this and do not tell anyone!” he added, going inside the inn, without waiting for Byleth to respond. “Shit! I did tell Gustave I’m not a good babysitter…” she heard him muttering, while Bowlcut boy was still crying.

She looked at the now closed door for a few seconds more, then turned around. “Okay. Melee training for day: done. I should practice with my sword now…”

“You did what?!” Jeralt—Dad screamed in shock.

Byleth crossed her arms. “I bit him, I told you! He was saying some crap about you!”

Dad looked at her in disbelief, and then bursted into laughter.

‘Why is everyone laughing at me today?!’

“You… you bit him… you bit the… freaking… AHAHAHAHAHA!” Dad was laughing so hard he didn’t finish the phrase.

Byleth shrugged, deciding to let him be. ‘It’s not like I’m gonna ever see Bowlcut boy again…’

15 years later

Byleth didn’t know if she was getting better at reading people, or if Jeralt was acting strange more than usual. Since she told him she chose to lead the Blue Lion House, her father started to make a soft giggle everytime she mentioned the house-leader, Dimitri. It was getting annoying.

“Are you going to tell me why do you make that sound everytime I mention Dimitri, dad?!” she finally said one afternoon, while her and Jeralt were having tea in her room.

Jeralt smiled. “Ah! Never. But maybe, you’ll have your answer if you’ll ever see his arm… Summer is starting, after all…”

[lifesupreme-if]

sorry if this is intrusive but what’s this crossover that keeps getting mentioned with your girlfriend? is it something you can talk about or it supposed to be private? sorry again if this is too much have a nice day

brigid and i screamed, high fived, and started jumping around in their room and yelling about this ask thank you so much

the crossover is between lost birds (@if-lostbirds), my favorite western dystopian post-apocalyptic-and-also-on-the-verge-of-the-apocalypse sci-fi game, and a life supreme! the cast of a life supreme remains in their original universe and positions while the lost birds cast crosses over into the world of cyberpunk 2077.

find brigid's take on it here

dylan remains a fixer but the merc who takes the place of The Merc and stands by her side most prominently is the gunslinger/eli sharpe, born the child of some arasaka executives and run away. they are Disgustingly in love and obsessed with each other because they both are characters with an insane sense of devotion and loyalty. sharpe would kill for her, has, would throw themself into certain death for her — and dylan, in all of her love for them, would pull them back from it: her greatest merc is also her greatest weakness.

(shoutout to the AU within an AU where the two of them stayed at arasaka and fall headfirst into the most toxic, loyal, blood-bound relationship that will kill them both)

stéphanie interacts most prominently with the ghost and the traitor/william rhys, both of which she's brought into her home without a second thought for stranger danger.

ghost is still an odd thing that doesn't talk and can throw a grown man over their head, but they look like a lost and hungry child and so stéph is keeping them and feeding them. they are polite and quiet and helpful, working in the kitchen with stéph and owning all of her heart.

william washed up on the shores of pacifica and though he's skittish, clumsy, and awkward, stéph's taken him in and thrown him to work front of house for the diner. when he wakes screaming in the middle of the night, she offers kindness, a listening ear, and a warm mug at her table. (they're only a year apart in age and naturally they are developing the biggest crushes on one another.)

dorothea is of the roving band of nomads that snuck the ghost into the city after picking them up from a desolate area of the NUSA.

[locked] is assigned the hunter as a corporate bodyguard. only one fleshy limb between the two of them, and both with reputations with teeth, they open their soft sides to each other. contractually speaking, she owns them. in practice, however, she's wrapped around their finger, happy to find a friend, and in love with them—they dig up old vids from the hunter's baseball playing past and watch them together.

while aspects of the crossover mimic the plot of A Life Supreme to get the ball rolling, the merc is not there to connect everyone together, and so it does not follow the same storyline. the ranger/swann and the archangel take on an antagonistic role that targets eli sharpe and features them amongst their grandest plans. dylan, for fear of the sway archangel has, has no choice but to send sharpe on the jobs given from them.

little tidbits under the cut because i will take ANY opportunity to talk about this crossover thank you so much!!!!!!

• dylan and sharpe both work on getting sober together.

• they also do things like stare at each other uncomfortably and kiss with tongue in public. the mox have been trying to find a way to kick them out of lizzie's for months.

• sharpe is widely known as dylan riley's attack dog: they are aware of this. they revel in this. they do scare off other mercs, sometimes.

• rhys watched vids on chivalry to learn how to treat stéphanie in a relationship, and also he is. a foot and a half taller than her. stéphanie is THRIVING.

• ghost, stéphanie, and rhys all sleep in the same bed together at night: rhys is too tall for the bed, stéph starfishes over him, and ghost curls up like a cat on top of them both.

• [locked] and the hunter look frightening in public and then go home and infodump about old movies together.

• the hunter cherishes the feeling of [locked]'s human hand against their skin. they hold it to their face in tender moments.

[aestariiwilderness]

Bad Batch Season 3, Episode I Don't Even Know And Honestly Will Not Be Keeping Track * SPOILERS * (solely because Mina Nunyabiz *REAL NAME REDACTED* has gone on so many diatribes about this inexcusable social faux pas on Tumblr known as failing to accurately and comprehensively tag your posts for pieces of media which some people haven't gotten to watching yet and this means that if they wish to be on Tumblr without getting unwanted foreknowledge they have to undergo some vast and imprecise tribulation known as filtering by tag)

I have come to two, nay, three, EIGHT whole conclusions: a. Tech hacked the Star Wars Internet. b. Tech was the Star Wars Internet. c. Pabu does not have Star Wars Internet. d. The Batch cannot function without their Internet. e. The Batch has lost its sole functioning strategic brain cell. Hemlock caught it when Tech fell. The muscle and the face are kind of just winging it now; the auxiliary brain cell said "haha see you later, losers, I need to be Rex's chauffeur"; and the attitude's first and only plan is, as always, just "KILL". f. These men are adorable and also utter morons. g. Crosshair has no experience with women. Ever. He doesn't even know how to talk to them. They're a different species to him even when they aren't literally a different species. His two methods of social interaction just recently expanded to three (murder, snark, and now mother hen) and still none of them have anything to do with proper behavior towards adult females. Let alone one who doesn't share his genes. You can tell by the way he wildly swung from default "PICK FIGHT/KILL" to "offer genteel non-sarcastic hand up to my ship without sarcasm after you almost got my Stockholm syndroming sister killed by a giant turtle because if I can't kill you I literally am at a loss for how to behave towards you". h. Tech was the only member of the squad who ever bothered to get a newspaper and check to see who they were actually fighting.

Omega IS unsettling. Well noticed Venti

Hunter, continuing to be the king of asking the specific follow-up questions that the audience feels is relevant and the askee absolutely cannot answer without losing their mysterious vibes (see: season 1 finale -- "WHEN did you have your chip removed, exactly" "Does it matter?" "YES")

Hunter, continuing to be the king of not getting an answer to his very reasonable specific follow-up question

For special ops commandos in a war they were literally created to fight, these guys do not seem to have much of a concept of "stranger danger"

"ASKING FOR A FRIEND" omigosh Omega. I have never been so ashamed of you. The big fascist experiment-happy regime is after you. WHY CAN YOU STILL NOT LIE

Why is Omega just. In charge now

And still the most unbelievable thing about this episode was like half a minute in with Crosshair willingly helping a random Pabuan AND not mercing them when they dared to smile, thank him, and use his name

HOWEVER MANY EPISODES IN AND WE JUST GOT TO THE ANSWER THAT EVERYBODY ALREADY KNEW ABOUT M-COUNTS

WAY TOO MANY EPISODES IN AND WE STILL DIDN'T GET A STRAIGHT-UP ANSWER ABOUT OMEGA'S

Qui-gon had a blood test! With a little litmus stick and everything! The crazy weed-addicted space monk had a scientific stick he jabbed baby Anakin with and HEY PRESTO M-COUNT SPREADSHEET. WHERE IS THAT HANDY BIT OF TECHNOLOGY HUH