1 . Name: FRAU DOKTOR !!VmMQEwLGx5 @ 2009-07-03 09:00

Soldier was sprawled out, his head resting against one of the few wooden support beams in the trench between the two bases. Normally, he wouldn’t dare be putting the team at risk by resting during a battle, but he simply couldn’t move; his ears were ringing and he swore he saw red…if it was blood in his eyes or blood lust was hard for him to tell, but it hardly mattered because either way this had been going on for longer than usual. A lesser man would have called for a Medic about half an hour ago.

His body shook violently, recalling the last time he’d been in this situation; he’d held that young Scout in his arms, the boy shaking and spitting up blood all over his uniform. He swore he could hear the boy calling for him. He wasn’t superstitious, but he swore scout was begging for blood. And it wasn’t as if Soldier was unwilling to oblige him.

But, he needed some help before he could do so. He was legitimately incapacitated, and he was sure no one would think him less of a Soldier for calling Medic over to him.

He dragged himself up to the edge of the trench, and glanced around, spying Medic only a few yards away, behind a pile of crates. Close enough to hear him without attracting undue attention to his position. Good.

Soldier shouted for Medic before forcing himself up to provide coving fire; the other team knew he was pinned down and anyone heading toward his position would be likely to be quite severely injured. Or killed. And as little as he tended to think of the other man, he did his job well, he was a team mate, and frankly he needed the help.

As Medic duck and ran toward Soldier’s position, he became more aware of how badly injured the other man was; blood was finally dripping from his brow down his face, his uniform was shredded and bloodied in several places, and he was obviously exhausted. The fact that he had called him over simply confirmed his suspicion that the other man had to have been in some great measure of pain or discomfort.

Bullets and rockets began whizzing by his head, missing by mere inches, and then Soldier raised himself up, hauling his launcher up onto his shoulder. Medic had wanted to shout at him to stop, but by the time he had even opened his mouth, Soldier had dispatched (or scared off) the opposing team.

He watched as the other man smiled at him and slumped back. He was panting heavily and he had finally noticed the state of his face…oh dear.

The other man licked the blood from his lips, grinning like a wild animal. White teeth gleaming between two blood caked lips. Medic watched as the other man slipped back into the trench bonelessly.

Oh god, hopefully he hadn’t died while he was on his way over. He leaped into the trench, ducking inbetween Soldier and the front of the trench. A brief glance confirmed that the other man was badly injured, but he was breathing and his pulse was normal. As he trained the Medigun on the other man, it occurred to him that he couldn’t see if Soldier was even conscious. Although, that was the least of his worries at the moment.

Medic waited for a few moments, allowing the Medigun to staunch the bleeding. He knelt down next to the other man, and carefully undid his shirt, curious to see what caused the other man’s injuries. Several large bullet holes, now largely closed, seemed to have been the cause of the majority of Soldier’s blood loss. They complemented the rest of the pockmarks, craters, and cuts across the other man’s chest. He gently traced the largest injury with his gloved finger, following the old trail of blood down the other man’s chest. No harm done, he figured, the other man was out of it something fierce.

But the holes on his chest didn’t explain the bleeding on the other man’s face. Curiously, he tilted Soldier’s precious helmet up, tracing some small shrapnel cuts with his finger again. He must have run straight through a Demoman’s barrage. It was so like the other man. Suddenly, he realized that the other man’s eyes were wide open and he was smiling.

Soldier grinned at him, “Weren’t expecting me to be awake, we’re you?”

“S-scheisse, Soldier, you shouldn’t have done that. I thought you were unconscious…I was worried you had severe head trauma. Playing like that is no laughing matter!”

Soldier snorted, pulling his shirt closed again. If the other man were so curious in the heat of battle, he wondered how the good doctor’s mind worked in the sterile and calm environs of the clinic on base. He’d have to find out at some point in time. Knowing how men operated on the battle field and during down time was important for the war effort.

He stood up, shakily at first, and reached down for his launcher. His hand was covered with sticky blood, and it wouldn’t do to have that mess all over his pristine weapon of maggot destruction. He shrugged to Medic and licked the blood from his hand, smiling wildly. He could feel the adrenaline surging through him again and something more intangible. Maybe it was the way the other man was staring at him in silent awe.

Maybe Medic wasn’t such a pansy after all.

Medic reached his hand out to the other man, hoping to steady him, but it seemed as if his help was unnecessary. And he felt a bit weak kneed himself.

“I ought to be going Soldier. The bell will ring soon, and I am sure I will have much patching up to do.”

He turned to leave, but stopped himself.

“And, Herr Soldier, I’ll expect you to come by my office later on. I need to examine you further. For any long term injuries.”

The other man nodded, a small smile formed on his lips. Maybe the doctor would be a bit more professional this time. Or not. He was interested in seeing if the other man had stared in revulsion or for some other reason.

As if on cue, the sirens wailed again for the second time that day, signaling an end to hostilities for the rest of the day. Medic would bee needed in the clinic to attend to the multitude of injuries the team had amassed and Soldier would be needed to debrief and belittle the rest of the team. Medic and Soldier headed off to opposite sides of the base for their meetings.

Although Soldier didn’t find it difficult to concentrate while delivering his debriefing (or as the rest of the team understood it to be, a screaming fit), Medic was profoundly distracted. It was easy to be professional and mend the rest of the team, who seemed to have more or less been whining about minor flesh wounds, but his mind wandered back to Soldier. Had he been teasing him? Or was Soldier just crazy?

It didn’t much matter. As he began to clean the clinic, his resolve to make a move on Soldier solidified. Although it was possible that the other man might react…violently, he had plenty of sedatives on hand to ensure that the other man was either compliant or harmless. He could decide that if and when the need for such action arose.