|
>>
|
No. 5028
Spy didn't even really like coffee (his caffeinated beverage of choice was hot tea, preferably with plenty of cream or lemon if available), but he couldn't, couldn't turn down that offer. Not when it came from Engineer. It didn't take him but a moment to spit out some sort of affirmative that he had to repeat in English for Engineer's benefit, and then he'd followed the hard-hatted object of his affections to the kitchen. A minute of agonized waiting for the smuggled coffee to brew, with Engineer worrying about the smell rousing the other members of his team while Spy tried to think about what to put in the coffee (cream, obviously, but coffee really wouldn't benefit from lemon in it), and then there were two mugs (one chipped, and one missing the handle) of the stuff to share.
They made up their coffees (Spy noted that Engineer used three sugar packets, one blue sweetener, and quite a bit of the creamer- so that's where it was going. As for himself, Spy muddled about with a little sugar and cream himself; he'd never really tried coffee before), and Engineer broke the personable but quiet silence.
"Well, it's no Cafe du Monde," he started warmly, "But it's something, right?"
Spy realized that if he tried to speak, he might say something stupid, so he nodded with a little smile, and tried a small sip of the hot brew, just to be polite. It tasted terrible, so he added a little more sugar as Engineer continued to talk. Sugar always helped.
"So, uh, thanks. The scarf is- it's really nice. I'm from a little north of Austin, but it never snows or really gets too cold there, so we never needed things like scarves and mitts and ear-warmers. And out here, we really don't have much in the way of team-colored jackets or anything. Hell, I've still got a red blanket!" He laughed, and Spy had to fight down that blush and grin that threatened to split his quiet demureness in two. He nodded, instead, and let a small smile escape. He was rewarded with a big smile back from the laborer.
They sat that way for a while, Engineer talking and Spy nodding and sipping politely at his coffee. He wasn't even really paying attention to what Engineer was saying beyond 'he has a large family, is the oldest, and Texas is full of amazing creatures such as the armadillo. Also, amusing anecdotes about the family!', to be honest. He was occupied with just watching the other man. The way he smiled warmly, how he gestured quite a bit while talking... He was a fairly good orator, Spy noted. And that accent! It made him want to swoon (He also noted the irony of someone with a French accent being smitten by a Texan one). It was just so warm and, for lack of a more articulate term, confident. Masculine. Texan accents were very masculine, Spy decided. But- maybe there was a Russian word for this- at the same time very, he wasn't sure, husky? Sultry? The way he was so soft-spoken half the time. It knocked the socks right off Spy (And would do the same to his pants, to be blunt).
This sitting and listening was- It was nice, and not in that horrible shallow sort of way that Spy usually used the word. It was pleasant and decent and all sorts of other things. He liked sitting and listening to Engineer and watching his hands. Even if he was a little put off by how much he was swooning. Grown men -- especially Spies -- aren't supposed to swoon.
Spy'd never done this sort of thing before. He wondered, as Engineer plowed into a tale involving a snake (and apparently it biting him on the foot?) if he was being courted. Spies did things differently. They swooped in and stole the one they wanted and whisked them off to exotic locales and gave the object of their affections fancy drinks. It was how his parents had met. Maybe this was how they did it in Texas; invited the other person to sit and drink and talk. Spy suddenly wondered if he was being rude by not telling amusing anecdotes. Maybe he was supposed to reciprocate, and his belly did a flip-flop at the realization that all his anecdotes were serious, tended to involve him making out with women (or men), and weren't very amusing at all.
It took Engineer three times to knock Spy out of his worried reverie.
"Spy? Spy, you all right?" When Spy looked up from his (empty- when did he drink all of that?) coffee mug to look at him, Engineer's face was the very picture of concern. It make Spy's knees go all to jelly. Good thing he was sitting.
"I'm- I'm fine, Engineer. Do not worry yourself over me. I was just- ah. Out of coffee," Spy answered, showing him the empty bottom of the mug.
"Well, let me grab you a new cup," Engineer stood up with a smile, and started towards the pot before Spy could say otherwise, "And- I'm boring. I'm just a man grown up in Texas."
Spy wanted to protest that Engineer was incredibly interesting, but then he remembered the courtship rituals. He had to respond in kind. Maybe he could talk about his family? But they were boring! He let go of his lip (that he hadn't realized he was chewing on until now) and started talking.
"I think you're much more interesting than I am, Engineer. But I have been too quiet, I guess." He managed to get the sugars (four of them, and one of the pink sweeteners that made his tea taste terrible but seemed to compliment the coffee) in the cup before Engineer poured a new cup, "Thank you- I might as well tell you a little about my family, even though they aren't as interesting as yours, I think."
He took a sip of his coffee, didn't make a face at the taste, and decided to tell about how he learned he had an identical twin brother when he was about sixteen and also that brother was going to kill him and take his place because he (the twin) had been raised by his mother's first husband (they had divorced when she realized he was actually a mad scientist and not just joking around.) and never had a mother's love or some rubbish like that. They had had a showdown on a moon base complete with his mom having to shoot the twin and that whole cliché and everything. He picked it because it was one of the few stories that didn't end with him having sex with someone at the end.
That was nothing compared to what his baby brother was dealing with (something about false names and cocaine smugglers); honestly, didn't every family have to deal with these sorts of things?
...Apparently not, considering Engineer's expressions as he continued through the tale. As he went on, even through the boring parts like getting onto the rocket to the moon and so on, Engineer kept looking at him like- well, like how Spy had watched Engineer talk. It occurred to Spy towards the end that perhaps Engineer didn't have to deal with those things. He had those animals to combat in Texas (like those mosquitoes and the lizards), which Spy thought were much more interesting than the sibling drama that he grew up with. However, he'd started telling this tale and he had to finish it.
"And that's why I always check the mirror before heading out to work. In case my holster's showing," Spy concluded.
He smiled brightly at Engineer. He thought it was a rather good retelling of the story, boring as it might be (to him, Spy quickly corrected himself. It was interesting to Engineer, if his face was any indication). The ending was quite a neat, clean end to it.
Engineer just looked at Spy, the same look of incredulity combined with- something that Spy couldn't quite recognize but looked something close to smitten enough to make his heart do embarrassing things like fly and flipflop and flutter and other metaphorical movements. And then the laborer had the audacity to smile, and Spy's cool shattered. He burst into a grin that was completely unspylike and completely like someone who was head-over-heels in- in something. He even blushed.
"See, I knew it. You lied to me."
Spy's smile wilted as he retreated to his moderately cool spy persona. Engineer didn't seem to notice as he continued, "You're very interesting."
The smile returned, possibly stronger than before, before Spy caught himself and dialed down from eleven to about three or so, which was safer and much more spy proper.
"Not as much as you are," Spy found himself saying, much to his own consternation.
Engineer laughed. Good-naturedly. And not at Spy, which was why he started laughing with Engineer. Even if his laugh was more out of relief and sheer stress.
"Well," Engineer started, slowly standing up and gathering their mugs (Spy's was empty again. It surprised him, honestly. He wasn't a coffee person!) with a smile like he got every joke in the world as he continued, "I think you're very special." Spy blushed and let himself blush, and had to look away, complete with lidded eyes and a small shy smile. It was all very coy and he really didn't like doing it, but it seemed appropriate.
He didn't look at Engineer, but Spy heard him walking to the sink, the clink of mugs into the battered sink, and then a few more footsteps, towards him?
Spy didn't expect the friendly pat on the hand, and nearly jumped at the touch. His heart did another embarrassing flip-flop sort of thing as he swung his head around to look first at the hand on his, and then up (what a reversal of the norm) into a warm, suddenly enigmatic smile on Engineer's face. Spy found some small part of himself worrying about his nonchalance, but most of him was focused on that smile, which was- it was just for him, personal and inviting. And then it was gone, and Engineer was stretching and yawning hugely (despite the coffee they both had just imbibed) and making Spy yawn small polite yawns with him.
"G'night, Spy. See you tomorrow. If you ever want more coffee, just ask, alright?" A friendly slap on the back as a farewell, and then he left, slowly making his way to his room, humming some little tune.
Spy continued to sit (out of concern about his jellied knees) and watched Engineer go, propping his chin in one hand as he leaned on the table. He was completely smitten, and he knew it. And he hated it. Spies weren't supposed to be smote! They were supposed to make people smitten! The smile he didn't realize was on his face twitched and firmed into a sort of grumpy frown as he internally assessed his situation. He was completely head-over-heels for some Engineer (with the hands of his dreams and an absolutely wonderful smile and voice and hair and Spy bet that he had wonderful eyes hiding under those damn goggles-) who had him sitting at a table in the middle of the night in the middle of a BLU base in the middle of a contract job sighing over a smile.
"Dammit," he muttered to himself in a half-whisper. "Dammit dammit dammit." Engineer had Spy acting like some woman over him, and Spy would bet a franc that Engineer knew it.
Well, he'd show that laborer what was what. Spy stood up, gripped by that peculiar madness that started this whole ordeal in the first place, and half-marched himself (silently; he was still a Spy, after all) down the same hallway Engineer had gone.
It took him only two steeling breaths to work up the nerve to knock on Engineer's door.
It was all worth it for the smile that Engineer showed when the door opened.
|