[Author's note: Pausing my other fic for a request fill for a bro by the name of Nublet. Don't tell anybody, ok? This is our little not-so-secret. Just the set-up for now, but everything else is outlined. I'll be damned if I don't make the Halloween deadline. Hope you enjoy it a little.] The routinue of another day's battle was one Engineer had become accustomed to, if not a routine that had become somewhat dull. Even the part where he died on a daily basis at the hands of the enemy team in violent ways had started to lose its charm after enduring so many years of it. The Engineer always did the job, though, without fuss or falter, day in and day out. Hauling his gear over his shoulder, the Texan trudged back toward his workshop after the battle as he would on any other day. This day just happened to have been Friday, so there was a nice little weekend to look forward to. The scuffle of his footsteps reverberated between the buildings in the still silence. One wouldn't have thought that only half an hour ago that the air was filled with sounds of constant gunfire, screams of agony, and shrill commands over the PA system. Quiet was good, though. It allowed him to be more aware of his surroundings, and he was able to hone in on one thing in particular. Pausing in his stride, the Engineer turned around with an audible sigh. "Is there somethin' I can help ya with, pardner?" Engineer said, seeming to speak to no one but the quiet. His question was met with an irritated huff before it replied, "It appears I am losing my touch..." The Spy began to materialize before the Engineer in a cloud of smoke as he adjusted the watch on his wrist. His faced showed his subtle disappointment but remained nonthreatening. They were teammates after all. "Or perhaps you are getting better, no?" "I reckon it's a bit of both, French fry," Engineer replied, chuckling as Spy's upper lip twitched with reserved disgust. "You oughta know by now there it ain't no use sneakin' around me. Besides, doin' it after hours just raises all kinds of suspicion on ya." "Forgive me, laborer. Old 'abits, you know." Spy was quick to pick up on the skepticism on Engineer's face. "Getting to ze point," he continued as his hand dove into the inner pocket of his jacket to pull out his signature disguise kit. "I require your assistance on some technical matters." The Spy pulled out the last cigarette from the case before presenting it to the wary Engineer, who had set down his gear at his side. "What seems to be the trouble? Ya didn't break it did ya?" the Engineer asked, scanning the open case for any visible signs of malfunction. "Non, I only need you to make some modifications," the Spy sighed after taking a long drag, having lit his cigarette while the other man was occupied. "In other circumstances, I would 'ave sent it back to SpyTech, but zheir technicians do not work over the weekend." A smirk curled on his lips around his cigarette as Spy watched the Engineer look less than amused by this prospect. "What makes you think I know anythin' about modifyin' yer gear?" the Engineer asked, despite knowing full well that he had been briefed about SpyTech some time ago. "Even if you did not, I do not take you for ze type to pass up an opportunity to learn somezing new, judging from your education." The grin on the Spy's face grew wider. "Do not think of it as losing your weekend, laborer, but an opportunity to find a weakness in the enemy Spy's techniques." He had a point, Engineer thought. The enemy Spy had been a thorn in his side since he had started. Maybe some hands-on work with the device could lead him to developing some more sophisicated anti-Spy measures beyond the Pyro's efficent, but primitive "methods". "Alright, Spah. I'll help ya out this time. Just what exactly is it you need it to do?" "Well, ze enemy team has started to personalize zheir uniforms," Spy paused to flick away some ash off of the end of his cigarette. "Zis makes it difficult to get by ze more perceptive ones in disguise." Engineer closed the disguise kit and tucked it away in the sleeve of his toolbelt. "Stop by my shop Monday mornin' before the bell and I should have somethin' for ya." "Merci, laborer. I am sure you will not disappoint me." As soon as the Spy was finished with his smoke, he flicked the butt off to the side before cloaking again. Engineer had paused, just to make sure Spy had gone. "And if you do," Spy continued, "you can expect me to gut you." The word "gut" was punctuated with a sharp poke into Engineer's right kidney in true Spy fashion, which made the man yelp. "Go on an' git, ya yellow belly snake!" Engineer hollered, kicking up a bit of dirt in the direction he figured Spy had gone off to. After rubbing his side, the Engineer picked up his toolbox and stormed off toward his shop once more. At least Spy had enough sense to not follow Engineer that far, knowing what was good for him. Most of the team did after Engineer had started to pull mind-splitting lectures on how the universe works to everyone who thought to interrupt his work. The keyword here being "most". Others were stubborn, thick-headed mules, as Engineer would say. And by others, he meant just one big one, whose visits had become just as routine as the battles. Not that Engineer minded none.
Go on.
I wasn't really interested in that prompt until I began reading this. I do like Helmet Party, I just wasn't certain how the prompt itself would turn out but you have compelled me with your depiction of Engie. I hope you get to finish this before Halloween! Sorry I have nothing in the way of con crit.
What was the prompt?
[Part 2 out of three and only 10 more days to go. I apologize in advanced for fudging the technical aspect of the disguise kit. I am as creative as I am scientifically gifted.] --- It had already been a few hours into the night. The fluorescent lights of the Engineer's workshop flickered overhead, illuminating a good portion of the garage turned work space. Off to the side just opposite of his work table, the Engineer was just about waist deep in manuals and notebooks while he sat in an armchair that had seen better days. His hand fidgeted with the goggles that hung loose off his neck before changing course to scratch the side of his head in deep, calculating thought. His concentration was broken for a moment as he glanced up from the notebook just in time to react. With a quick hand, he grabbed the disguise kit off the arm before the Soldier sat on it. The chair creaked under the sudden shift in weight, making Engineer wary that the old thing would be able to handle the two of them. "Watch where yer sittin', Solly. Can't have ya breakin' Spah's kit now or he'd have mah head." "I'd like to see that crouton try," the Soldier replied as he turned toward Engineer to hand off one the open beers he had been holding. "If he tried anything, he'd be lucky if he was only shitting teeth for weeks." The tone in his voice still dripped with annoyance over the inconvenience of Engineer having picked up more work for the evening. Friday night had been established as their "drinking" night, and while they were still drinking, all the papers and distraction ruined the mood, so to speak. "Much obliged." Engineer held the bottle at his lips with a little apprehension. For a moment he thought he ought to rub Soldier's back, but neither of his hands were open. "Uh, sorry I couldn't give ya sooner notice, Solly." "Next time, you had better tell that maggot that he's SOL or I'm going barhopping with Demo." Soldier leaned back on the chair, knocking back his bottle again as he rested his hand behind Engineer so that his fingertips just along the back of his neck. This was Soldier attempting to be casual, judging also from the absence of his fatigues jacket. If Engineer were any other guy, he would have been getting more than an earful from the Soldier about his soured plans, but the alcohol and atmosphere of the workshop seemed to subdue him. It didn't make it any less obvious, however, that Soldier was wanting a little more than simple company. If he tried to sit any closer, he'd end up in Engineer's lap and for as much as he may have wanted to oblige, Engineer didn't really have the means to occupy the other man right then. At least, not in the way Soldier had hoped. "Say..." Engineer set the bottle down on a stack of books beside the chair to take the disguise kit out of his pocket. "Ya know, it might help me a bit if I had someone to try out Spah's kit here while I'm makin' modifications to it. What do ya say, pardner?" There was a sneer in Soldier's eyes beneath his helmet as he looked at the case being presented to him, as if it were covered with communist germs. That look didn't stop Engineer from placing the disguise kit into the hand resting on the back of the seat, though. Muttering something under his breath, Soldier otherwise obeyed the order, sitting up from his reclined position to examine the disguise kit more closely. "So how does this damn thing work?" "Oh, right." Engineer searched around in his seat, shuffling around the notebooks to find a blank paper mask. Since Soldier already seemed to have his hands full, Engineer took the liberty to take Soldier's helmet off and place the paper mask on his head in a way as to not obstruct the man's sight. "Wear this and then you gotta use that there device to set the disguise." Engineer leaned forward to look over Soldier's arm to make sure he wasn't lost. Surpressing a chuckle, he reached over and turned the kit right side up. Soldier reactively pulled the kit away from Engineer's grasp as a small child would, with a pout and everything. "I almost had it if you hadn't touched it!" Soldier jumped to his feet and paced a few steps away from the Engineer, determined try to figure it out on his own. He scowled at the device, as if to scare the thing into functional operation. He held the PDA out way from his body and then cocked his head in the same direction he had turned it. "What do these pictures mean?" Despite all the time he'd spend around Engineer, Soldier was dense when it came to technology, though same could be said about anything else that didn't directly pertain to maiming his enemies. It took every bit of restraint Engineer had to not just push himself up out of the chair to go after Soldier and do it himself. Shaking his head with a hint of exasperation, he settled on trying some verbal instruction. "Those pictures are there to select the goddamned disguise, Solly. Just use those two yellow buttons to scroll through 'em and use the red button to initiate yer selection." With that revelation, Soldier turned the device right side up again and proceeded to use the buttons. He looked over his shoulder for some assurance that he was doing it right only to find that Engineer had gone back to scrawling down figures into his notebook. By the time Engineer had glanced up again to check on his hapless teammate, he saw instead the image of the enemy Heavy examining his massive arms off the reflection of a sheet of glass propped up against a disassembled sentry. Even if Engineer knew it was Soldier, that didn't put to ease the unsettling feeling in his gut at the sight of an enemy in his shop. "Hey! I think it worked, Engie!" The Soldier voice coming out of the enemy Heavy's mouth was as much jarring as it was amusing. Engineer had to stiffle back another chuckle behind his gloved hand. "I can see that, though I can't say that's really yer color, pardner." The expression on the Heavy's face twisted into one of abject horror at the realization he was donning the appearance of his enemies. Engineer was about to lose his composure as the Heavy seemed to writhe in disgust where he stood. "How the hell do you change it?!" "You should be able to disguise yerself as a friendly if ya would just take another look, son." Soldier fumbled with the kit again and with flicker, the Heavy's uniform changed back to their familiar color. "Ha! Now I am less of a lousy commie than I was!" Curiosity was getting the better of Soldier as he made another selection. The hologram shimmered with a puff of smoke before donning the image of the Sniper. While Soldier knew he wasn't wearing a hat, he made the gesture of taking it off. In the reflection, the hat was now in Sniper's hand. "How does it do that, Engie?" Soldier asked as he looked from the empty space in his hand back to the reflection. The Sniper shared the same wild eyed confusion on his face as the Soldier did. From Engineer's end, he only saw the Sniper, but he had been around the Soldier long enough to see the mannerisms in his posture and expressions. He knew the man almost too well. "Well, now, if I told ya that, pardner, we'd be here aaaaaall night." "Ha, I'd bet you'd like that, wouldn't you?" the Soldier quiped, making the Engineer nearly choke on his beer. "Aw, naw, Solly..." Engineer tried to surpress his coughing without much luck. "You can't go sayin' that kinda stuff when ya look like Sniper. Don't wanna make things all awkward like in the workplace and all." "That's what you get for working so goddamn late, maggot!" There was a telling smirk on the Sniper's face. The image of the Australian winked at Engineer and made a kissy face before reverting back to his smirk. Engineer would have hardly believed what he just saw even if Soldier wasn't in disguise. He had to divert his gaze just to keep himself from cracking. "Yeah, yeah, I get what yer sayin', Solly. Maybe if you'd quit messin' around, I'd get everythin' finished for the night." Soldier's attention was back to the monitor of the disguise kit, cycling through their various teammates. There was even a brief moment where Soldier was back to himself but only in full uniform. That didn't keep him interested for long. Engineer was back to penciling a code down in his notebook when Soldier called out to him,"Check this out, Engie!" Engineer looked up to see himself standing at attention and all geared up for battle. "Well, who's this handsome fella?" he joked. "Well, I'm the Engineer, of course!" Soldier replied, making no real attempt to mimic Engineer's voice. "Can't you tell from how much of an egghead I am?" The doppelganger knocked on his own hardhat. "Wait, you callin' me an egghead?" Engineer tried to hold back any signs that the Soldier's comment might have made a nick in his ego. From the way he sat up in his seat though, it was already clear to Soldier that he struck a nerve. "Maybe I am, maggot!" The doppelganger taunted. "I'm you after all! And I'm too much of a goddamn busy body to fuck around with my Soldier for one goddamn night out of the week!" "Ha, ha, very funny, pardner," Engineer rolled his eyes, trying to settle back into his work chair while the doppelganger did a few some lewd gestures. "If ya are me, then you'd obviously know a thing or two about the meanin' of patience." The Engineer dug around the crevices of the armchair in search of his pencil he had managed to drop. His hand ran across the extra paper mask that had gotten wedged into the cushion. "Say, pardner," the Engineer grinned. "Toss that device over here real quick." Two can play this game. ---
Yes, I like where this is going.
...there needs to be more things like this. Yes. Continue.
Yes.
OMG! I was tentative at first but this newest chapter has me bright eyed and bushy tailed for the next one! I LOVE your Engineer and Soldier. They're so casual and in character and realistic. Soldier is humorously rough without being too over the top or extremely abrasive. Engineer is sensible, a little conceited without meaning to be, and gentle without being a doormat. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! I want more and I also hope you decide to write more with these two or anyone! I mean, I just have a feeling, judging from Spy and the disguises, that you'd write a fantastic story with the others. This has seriously been a treat. Only thing I can think to mention is that I noticed a small typo but that was it. while the doppelganger did a few some lewd gestures. I hope you manage to finish this by or on or a little after Halloween! It would be beautifully fitting but not at all necessary, as long as it is finished. 8)
>>9 D'oh! Usually I'm really good about deleting my edits, but at least that's the only one I take it. Sorry to bump without an update, but I do have a question for you guys. I've run into a problem while writing the last part. Do you guys feel you're capable of recognizing that when I refer to Engineer, I'm referring to that in a visual sense and really talking about Soldier, and vice-versa as long as they still talk as they normally do? This is the first time I've tried writing something like this and I've never read something like this either. Any suggestions would be most appreciated!
I'll be watching this now. This chan needs more Helmet Goodness. I'm loving your style too!
>>10 That was the only typo I noticed so I assume that was the only one. (: As for your question, I'm not entirely certain. It would be hard for me tell without having read it. So if someone beta read it for you, they could probably tell you better than I could by guessing. My first instinct would be to say you might need to remind people now and then. A possible way around that could be using hyphenated names, like Engineer-Solly and Soldier-Engie (with maybe the first one being the disguise and the second one being the actual person.) As long as the tell was consistent, it'd work. But I don't know for certain if it would be necessary. The one story I read like this was actually a body-swap but what the author did was to always refer to the character by their actual class and simply give descriptions regarding the body they were in, as it ended up being necessary. Such as referring to the Spy's tie when Heavy was having trouble with it or referring to the way Demo's alcohol made Sniper react when he was in Demo's body. How this might relate to a sex scene, I don't know since the story I'm referring to was general fanfic. Here's a link to it. I don't know if it helps but it's a fun story regardless. The very first chapter(s?) are the body swap. http://tf2chan.net/archives/fanfic/4-16-10%20archives/threads/703.html