You walked into the living room wiping away a fresh load of tears as if it was just a normal occurrence now. It might as well be, I just bend to the pressure. The people who were sitting around, enjoying their days like normal people, were Engie, Demo, and Sniper. Engie spoke up first.
"Darlin'? Are you alright? What happened during trainin'?" Engie asked, sounding a little bit frantic. I guess he was expecting this...heh.
"L-Let's just say it didn't go th-that well, but we finished it," you answered him. Hugging your arms. Sniper furrowed his brows, but kept silent. Fine, fine. Makes sense. I shouldn't expect anything out of anyone. Damn... I just need to forget about this. I need to move on.
"Well, is there anything yer doin' now?" Demo stood up and walked over to her, looking completely sober.
"Um, no. Why?" You looked up at the Scotsman, genuinely confused. That's weird. Isn't his whole thing supposed to be that he's drunk all of the time?
"Er, well, we're behind schedule, and I though' that maybe I could train ya, to take yer mind off 'im. Besides, if we do it now, he wouldn't stand there to watchya like a creep!" Demo offered, acting as if he didn't know exactly what he was doing. You felt sympathetic towards that. Taking some time away from him might be good for me actually. "What do ya say, lass?" You gave him your first fully-comfortable smile since, well...it's been a while.
"Yeah, I would love to do that right now." You wiped away your last tear and laughed as Demo beamed like a child. You noticed Engie smile in a relieved way out of the corner of your eye.
"Let's do it!" Demo shouted, charging himself to the storage/training building. You laughed, letting one of your arms down while turning to face the others. Sniper nodded approvingly and Engie waved you off. You ran after him, maybe even feeling a little bit free from his goofy action. He stood at the door with his hands on his hips, still smiling. He waved when he saw you. "Aye! Took ya long enough!" He laughed as did you. You looked up at the building when you came near him.
"Hey Demo, I have a question." He looked down at you.
"Yes lass?"
"What is this building called?"
"This ol' thing? We call it the Trainin' Facility." He answered, holding the door open for her. "Are ya ready to learn the craft of a Demolition Expert?" You smiled kind of shyly.
"I am."
"Good! I wouldn't know wha' ta do if ya said no!" Demo clapped you on the back and you both went inside. Coming up to the wooden barrier cubicle you shot targets from, Demo stopped. You looked at him, not even needing to have him ask before you switched to Demo's gear. It even came equipped with your own fancy eye patch! It felt surprisingly comfortable and secure at the same time. It was nice. You couldn't help but giggle as you looked up at him, flipping the eye patch up. You saw a reminiscent, almost hopeful expression flash on his face as you did that, but it disappeared as soon as it came and was replaced by his excited expression. "Hey, how did ya know whot I was goin' ta ask?"
"I guess you could say it was a hunch." Demo put a finger to his chin as his other hand pressed a button hidden by the wooden barrier. Cardboard cutouts of the Blu Team popped out of the ground.
"A hunch you say? Can your hunch find out how ta aim tha' grenade launcher?" He pointed to the bulky weapon in your hands.
"U-um...maybe?" You answered, feeling pressure trying to form and make you nervous while holding it up. Demo laughed.
"Just try it!" You nodded and steadied your aim at a Soldier in front of you. You pulled the trigger, it shot out a pill with a large amount of force yet pill felt loose and lightweight. You weren't ready for it, and the pill only hit the side of the Soldier's arm. It landed, but it was like rolling a bowling ball to only hit one or two pins.
"Oh..." You trailed off.
"Hey, that's okay, now ya know what it's like! Just keep it steady until the pill's completely out of tha' chamber. I know ya have good aim!" Demo cheered you on. You tried again, this time hitting the Soldier square in the chest. "Bingo! Now, try hittin' that Scout way back there." He pointed to the back corner.
"Alright!" You felt so much more confident without having someone watching your back and judging you twenty-four/seven. You aimed at the Scout and fired, but it only traveled about halfway through the air before landing, rolling a bit, and exploding on its own. Now I know what they do if I don't hit a target straight on. Good to know, but what happened? You looked up at Demo. He laughed, and it only made you more confused. Still, it didn't feel like he was trying to degrade you.
"There's somethin' I didn't tell ya, because I wanted ta see how you'd react to it. Ya see, the further yer target is aways, the further ya need to tilt the barrel up to get an arch for tha' pill ta travel." He came around behind you and tilted the barrel up some before stepping back. "There, that should do it. Fire away!" You took a mental note of how far the barrel was up compared to the distance the Scout was away from you. Then, you fired, watching the red, blinking pill soar through the air and landing on the Scout. The cardboard exploded in a satisfying way and Demo cheered for you. Even though he did most of the work for you, you turned a slight shade of pink from the praise you got from him.
"Can I aim for another target?" You asked him, wanting to see if you could do it on your own this time.
"Go for it lass! We got a lot of time." You turned on your heel to face the other cardboard pieces and aimed for a Medic in the back. Using the mental note you took earlier, you tilted the barrel up and fired. Thankfully, it hit!
"Yes!" You excitedly turned back to Demo, and he gave you a thumbs-up.
"Good job lass! Now, there's another launcher ya have on ya on yer left. It's grey." You put the Grenade Launcher away in its clasp and took out the other launcher. "That's yer Stickay Bomb Launcher. You get ta fire eight bombs onta something anywhere and detonate them all at once. Of course, ya don't have ta use all eight at a time though." So I guess the bombs are sticky? You smiled at your joke. You should have said that out loud, Demo would have loved it. No, we don't joke like we used to. That's only because of Medic forcing you to be so serious though! You make jokes to yourself all of the time, real people outside of here loved the- Well guess who abandoned us? Huh? ...There's no time, well no there can always be time for jokes? You know, whatever. I'm done thinking about this. "-eavy in tha' middle in front of ya. They act like the pills, but they're heavier...lass? Didya hear whot I said?"
"Huh? Oh..y-yeah." You snapped back into reality. Demo had a small frown on his lips, was his eye filled with worry? Pfft, even if it is. I bet it's because we're wasting time. "Heavy in the middle in front of me"... does he mean to hit that one? You aimed for it and landed all eight stickies around the middle. You took out your detonator and pushed the button. You saw the cardboard explode and you ducked under the barrier. The wood flew at you, but thankfully you reacted in time.
"Agh!" You heard Demo give a short cry. Shit! You messed up didn't you, because yet again you weren't paying attention! You used too many stickies you stupid idiot! You stood up,panicked, and looked over at Demo, he had a small bleeding cut on his hand.
"Ah I'm sorry! I should've warned you before I pushed the button! I-!"
"Lass, I'm fine. It's just a wee cut!" Demo chuckled, touching his cut and wincing.
"A-um, here." You quickly switched from your Demo outfit to your Medic's without thinking and used the Medigun to heal the cut.
"Aye! Quick thinkin' lass! Switchin' tha quickly is impressive!" Demo praised you, and you realized what you were wearing. You shuddered and took it off as quickly as your could, changing back to Demo. You kept the eyepatch on. Sure, it was probably just for a joke when Engineer designed the disks, but it helped cover up the crying problem. Get back to work! Stop being a baby! You shook your head to clear your head.
"What's next?" You looked out from the barrier, making sure he couldn't see your eyes.
"...lass? Are ya alright?"
"Yeah! I'm fine!" You snapped. "Wait, no I'm sorry for snapping..."
"...Can I ask whot happ'ned with Medic?"
"I-I mean... I don't know." You held your forehead while secretly wiping away tears. You cry so much you learn a few tricks, huh?
"Ya don't have ta tell me anythin', let's just sit for a while." He patted the barrier and sat on the edge. He smiled. "I'd bring up a crate or two, but they're bloody heavier than they look." You let out a small, short laugh before sitting on one of the corners.
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You both sat in silence as what happened less than an hour earlier sat fresh and prominent in your memory. A single question caused your head to spin and the world to shake under you as you looked at the floor: "Should I tell him?" You took a glance at the Scotsman who had previously presented himself to you as a crazy drunk. Now, you were sitting next to a person expressing calm-minded concern. Someone who wasn't pushing you to do anything you weren't comfortable with. But am I comfortable with him? I barely know him...and yet I barely knew the others either.
"I...He, Medic..." You tried to find the best way to explain this.
"Yes lass?"
"God, can I just tell the whole story?"
"Of course."
"Well..., first he comes to my door extremely early, drags me to the Medbay, and then tells me to get over it when I told him I just wanted to have breakfast with everyone. I felt better that morning and for the first time, I wanted to join some kind of conversation...." Demo let you continue, nodding his head. You started talking with your hands to better help express yourself. "Then, I ignore the frustration and change into the Medic outfit, right? I felt amazing in that gear, that outfit, and when I saw Medic's reaction, I had a glimmer of hope for the first time ever with this man that we'd be able to meet a mutual understanding. He seemed, dare I say, pleasantly surprised! I hoped we could have a nice, normal training day..., but of course I'm with Medic so why would that happen?... Ever? Then, after that, heh, - get this - I was having an actual conversation with him! Yeah, I was embarrassing myself while taking off the gear to be more comfortable, but it was like a dream come true!" You held your hands out like you were holding a precious gem. You looked up at Demo, and he gave you a nod to continue, his expression only showing compassion.
"So, we started training like a regular thing. He explained stuff, I listened. The whole shabang! Then... things went south as I became too friendly with the one person who... can't stand me. He mentioned the first initiation battle or whatever in the Arena, do you remember that?" You asked him, looking up from the floor. Demo's eye became filled with a slight regret.
"Ya, I remember. I'm sorry again, by the way," he shifted a bit on the barrier. What is he-oh, yeah okay whatever. I forgot he fought drunk.
"What, no it's fine you already apologized. I forgave you a long time ago." You reassured him with a small, shy smile. When I smiled, Medic wasn't that bad to me. Maybe if I- well we all see where that went. I need to be quiet. Demo smiled in return, almost as shy as yours.
"Thank ya lass, you have no idea how much that's bothered me."
"Yea-um, right...Well, it shouldn't if you're worried about me." You gave him a small chuckle. He's kept onto that this long? "A-anyway. I teased him stupidly about him losing. It was like poking an agitated bear, because he told me I couldn't beat him again. I said I could, and, um, he lunged for me." You didn't bother looking at the floor and saw the moment when Demo's eye opened in shock. "Yeah, I know, but I'm used to it.." The moments where Medic did something similar to you scrolled through your mind. From the first intimidating moments to the shoulder to now.
"Lass, he shouldn't ever be doing tha'. Especially not often enough ta make ya used to that!" Demo's voiced was laced heavily with concern, but you shrugged it off and shook your head.'
"From what I know, it's like his normal or whatever. It doesn't bother me much." Memories of the mental torture you endured flashed through your mind as Demo's eyebrows furrowed, giving you an expression of angry disbelief. You couldn't help but notice it. "Um, a-anyway. He grabbed my arms, and I kicked his knees while leaping forwards to make us fall. You know, as a way to get back at him. I had made a huge mistake. So, I landed on his chest and he hits his head. During this, he's still holding my arms while I was expecting him to throw me off..., but he didn't say anything at all, Demo. So while I'm scared, confused, and anticipating the worst out of this man, he just sits there for so long that his dove lands on my hair! We just sit there for so, so long. Too long, so long that I get cold! Of course the only thing I could tell him, because I was so embarrassed about what I had done, that I tell him I get cold! Like a fucking idiot. I thought he'd push me off, but when he lifted his other hand, he just placed it on my back! God I felt so fucking weird! I wanted it to stop but I couldn't say anything like a useless piece of shit!" You felt frustration boil up from your gut and spread out in your face. You had to stop yourself, but it felt so nice to just let it go on yourself. You deserve it anyway. You felt a burning sensation around your eyeballs and forced the tears down. It was probably your only successful time doing it. Demo tried to lay a hand on your shoulder, but you flinched and he pulled away. He held his hands in his lap, letting you speak while looking extremely concerned. There's more to say. "R-r-right, um... then, he eventually l-let's m-me go and I heal him and he heals me. But-um, he starts yelling at me for not healing him first while he was the one who wouldn't let go of me a-and I tried to let it go to finish the stupid tr-training. I-I mean, w-we get through it, b-but he just kept ri-ridiculing me on everything I did, because I couldn't hit a target with the crossbow. After th-that, I just sn-snap and yell at him. I didn't let him speak a-and I just let everything out y'know? It was just so much built up from so much time and I feel like I did something really stupid by allowing it to come out... I'm such a h-horrible person!" You couldn't keep the tears back with force anymore and they freely fell to the ground.
"No, no lass. You're not a horrible person for sayin' how ya felt, especially when he's done all tha' to ya. You're not in the wrong," Demo tried to comfort you with words, but when it didn't seem to reach you, he leaned over to give you an awkward, uncertain hug. Surprisingly, you found yourself in need of that level of comfort and hugged him back, crying into your shoulder. How can it really not be all my fault?
"J-Just after all of the sh-shit he's put me through! A-All that's happened to me with family and friends a-abandoning me! My own stupid issues... I can't keep myself together anymore Demo! I-I just can't hold it all in and I feel childish for not being able to!" You just sobbed, letting it all out. You only friends moving on from you, your dad abandoning you, your trust and connection issues, and the one of nine potential friends you have for four, full future years of your life made you feel like shit. I should be able to handle this, right? I'm just being the stupid baby I always am! ...Right?
"God no lass! Any adult would have gone mad from all o' that! Hell, I would 'ave been drinkin' my weight in Scrumpy every day if it were me!" Demo let out a pathetic, uncertain laugh as he calmingly stroked your back. What do you mean? The motion was much different than Medic's, whose held underlying malice and uncertainty. Here, you just had a genuine human who admits his own flaws and cares about yours. "Let it out, I'm right here. Don't hold anything back, ya don't have to anymore." His voice was surprisingly calm and soothing to you, and you obliged by crying your eyes out. You really needed this emotional comfort from someone. You had been lonely for too long, keeping yourself away from other human beings who care for you for far too long. Just embrace it. You need to feel better not worse. Well if we ha- shut up. There's nothing we can do to rewrite the past.
You both sat there, the only noise being your quiet sobbing. Eventually, once your eyes were long dry, you stopped and sat there for a while. You felt empty, and yet not emotionally drained like you felt after an altercation with Medic. It was like burning down the forest of despair only to find a budding tree of peace under the ashes to take its place. That's it..., you felt at peace. God, it was amazing. You felt lighter, and the pressure that once took over you drifted away. You sighed and swallowed the old frog in your throat. You pulled away.
"I'm so sorry about your shirt..." You had drenched Demo's shoulder and a dark stain appeared on it. He laughed it off.
"It's alright if ya feel betta! If not, then I'm gonna have ta drag you back on in here!" Demo let out his familiar, loud laugh, fixing your hair.
"Well, I feel a lot better than I thought I would." You allowed a genuine smile to be placed on your lips. You thought you could hear footsteps quickly leave the Training Facility, but you dismissed it. If anyone has a problem or something, they can just talk to me.
"Good ta hear, lass! Are ya ready to get back to trainin'?" Demo stood up and offered a hand out to help you down. "If ya don't, I understand."
"Yeah, but what did you mean by if it were you, you'd be drinking your weight in Scrumpy every day?" You looked up at him and he just smiled and shook his head slightly.
"Ah, you know me! I'm the crazy drunk!" He chuckled, but you couldn't help but feel somewhat empathetic towards him. I know what it's like to drown out my problems and hide them from others. That's literally why that whole thing just happened haha! As you took his hand, although you didn't need it, you gave him a reassuring squeeze and a knowing smile. He stood still for a second, shocked before smiling back with a look in his eye you couldn't quite place. As you hopped yourself off to the ground, his smile returned to his usual beam.
"W-what's next?" You tried matching his enthusiasm. You felt a joy in you, but it didn't mean you were tired from letting it all out. I feel like laughing. There's something really good here, I can feel it. It's almost as if I'm back to my old self...well maybe. Who knows, maybe I'm better than my old self now!
"Well, ya know how ta make one man explode inta smithereens," Demo gave you a teasing look, it made you cringe slightly inside, remembering your excessive use of stickies. Yet, if I hadn't done that... who knows how I'd be feeling now? I deserve some peace damnit! "But can ya do five?" He pressed another button under the barrier and five cut outs popped up. Three in front of you and two behind end man on the ends. You nodded. Alright, let's do this. You aimed carefully, placing one sticky on each cutout and then spreading the last three out in the middle of them. This was the first time you noticed that they blinked for about two seconds.
"Hey, Demo. Why do they blink like that?" You asked him, waiting to detonate them.
"Well, they blink ta show tha' if they explode now, their area of effect won't be as big as it could be. You'll soon learn, lass, tha' ye want 'em to reach everything they can." You nodded, understanding. Good to know. With that, you detonated the bombs and the cutouts exploded. However, the three you placed in the middle barely had an effect on the cardboard. You could feel Demo watching you as you nodded, understanding the range of the bombs. You looked up at him and he gave you a thumbs up and a knowing smile.
"What's next?" A smile formed on your lips.
"Well, we're not done with tha' launcher yet, lass! We have just one, wee thing ta go over!" His enthusiasm made you excited yet again.
"I'm ready!" You could feel adrenaline make your feel buzzy despite being tired from the emotional...well, the emotional, messy release really.
"There's this thing ya can do with tha' launcher and fire a long-ranged sticky. It's perfect for gettin' ta sentries an' all." Demo rested his hands on his hips. He pressed another button, lifting a Soldier cutout at the other end of the facility. Then, he pointed to the trigger. "If ye hold tha' trigger down, ya can build up charge an' aim it up at tha' Soldier up there. Release it when ya think you have enough charge."
"You got it." You lifted the launcher up and did as Demo instructed, holding the trigger down. An airy sound filled the launcher and once you felt like it was enough, you let it go and a single sticky shot from it and soared through the air and landed right next to the cardboard.
"Alright lass!" Demo cheered and you almost felt giddy. Just being in the presence of this man made you shed an almost adult-like layer of yourself and become a kid again. You were always a kid you numbnut haha! You felt like you were your own age again, and it was amazing! You cheered for yourself, earning laughter from Demo and you watched the cardboard explode as you detonated the bomb. You joined in his laughing, almost giggling. I barely did anything and he's treating it like I found a sacred, lost object or something!
"Thank you. What's next?" You asked, wiping a tear away from your eye as you waited on him.
"There's just one more thing we got ta go over, yer hand-ta-hand combat weapon. It's hooked on yer right there." He pointed to a bottle you haven't noticed. You looked down and took it out of its holder. It was a full bottle of...you weren't sure. You know it was an alcoholic drink, but not what kind it was. "Is it empty?"
"No, it isn't. It's like a full bottle. What is it?" You asked him after studying the brown bottle, looking up. Demo chuckled nervously before snatching it from your hands.
"Ye shouldn't have this. It's bottle of Scrumpy!" Demo's laughing stopped as he looked at you with a wide, doe-eyed expression as he slowly put the bottle in his own clip. The comical action made you laugh and he joined bashfully. "Anyway, ye should have this instead. All tha' others have one." He handed you your replacement weapon...it was a frying pan of all things. I'm about to be Rapunzel up in this bitch. You laughed at it and took it from him in a gentle, yet eager way.
"Awesome." You did a stupid attack pose with it and Demo laughed at it.
"Well, that's all I have for ya for now. We should head back to tha' others. Who knows what happn'd there." Demo motioned for your to change back. You nodded, clipping the frying pan in the bottle's former place. Then, you switched back to your usual outfit.
"What do you mean 'for now?'" You started walking with him back into the base.
"Didja really think tha' all we had ta teach ya would be covered in a couple of hours, lass?" Demo laughed and you were taken aback. That would make a lot of sense.
"I used to." Demo laughed a bit more before calming down.
"Lass, everyone 'ere has much more weapons than ya'd think. We have ta properly teach ya how ta use them. Not ta mention all of tha' tips an' tricks ya don't want ta miss!"
"That makes sense." You nodded your head and Demo smiled.
"Anyway, it should be lunch time. I can't wait ta tell everyone how ya did!" Demo was almost like a giddy parent, practically bouncing up and down as you two walked. You laughed and nodded.
"I can't wait to see their reactions. Thanks for this."
"What do ya mean?"
"Just, after training with you... I feel a lot better than I have in a long time if ya know what I mean. I had fun today." Demo had a somber smile and placed a hand on your shoulder.
"Aye. Me too, lass. Me too."