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Scout thought that after a couple years of being out in the desert, he would’ve gotten used to the New Mexico heat. The sun beat down on his back as he sweated, soaking his red shirt. The air conditioning had broken inside the buildings yet again, rendering the indoors hotter than the summery outside. Sick of dawdling out in the sun getting burnt, he decided to trek out to Sniper’s camper, sand sticking to his skin as he prayed that Sniper’s AC was functional.
His clothes stuck to his damp skin, icking him out and making the walk somehow even more unbearable. He was not made for the heat. He longed for the more temperate weather of Massachusetts as he squinted in the sun. He struggled to catch his breath even though he was simply walking, an unusual occurrence for the Scout. He clung onto the front of his shirt as he finally approached the door to the camper, resting his head against the warm metal before pounding his wrapped fist against the door.
A distinctly Australian “Yeah?” responded to the pounding as the lock turned and the door pushed open, releasing a whoosh of delightfully cool air straight into Scout’s face as he struggled to stand.
“Aw hell, mate. Ya look.. rooted.” The taller of the two said, leaning against the doorframe and sipping on his iced tea, allowing Scout to slip past him into the cool air. He stumbled in, feeling woozy with the lingering heat and the compressing force that the ace bandages were on his chest, making him dizzy.
Panting in the middle of the room, he looked up at Sniper and tried to keep himself from passing out. He didn’t want to faint in front of the man he looked up to the most (no matter how much he’d deny how he admired Sniper) because he wasn’t trying to look like a pussy.
“Hah.. Hey, Snipes..” He shakily breathed out, trying to focus on Sniper and not his quickly fading out vision, and before he could fully get to passing out Snipers dewy iced tea was placed on the small table and strong, rough hands were holding him up and guiding him to the boothed seat, refusing to let him fall to the ground.
The concerned Sniper held onto the seated boy’s shoulder. “Crikey, Roo, are ya okay?” His hand felt for Scout’s forehead as he gazed down at his pale skin that held an almost green tone to it. Scout groaned and pressed his face to the table, head pounding and body aching.
“Lemme get ya a drink, Scout.” Sniper offered, worry tracing his features. He turned to the kitchen, pulling open the door to the off-white fridge and grabbing the jug of homemade iced tea and pouring Scout a glass, adding a packet of sugar to sweeten it to Scout’s usual likings. He placed it on the table in front of Scout and took the boys cap, setting it to the side.
He encouraged the boy to drink the tea, trying to lessen the boy’s suffering. Scout drank some, the sweetened flavor overwhelming his mouth and almost making him feel worse, adding a sensation of nausea to the mix.
Everything feeling gross, he tried his best to express his discomfort to the Aussie. “I don’t feel too hot, Snipes.” he groaned, holding his stomach.
“Are ya gonna be sick?”
Scout gagged at the thought, not wanting to puke in Sniper’s camper. Sniper ran his hand through Scout’s sweaty hair, trying to calm the man down and take his mind away from the thought.
“Hold tight, Roo. Be right back.” Sniper softly told the poor guy, before making his way swiftly to the tiny bathroom and rooting through the medicine cabinet in search of something to ease the pain of his companion. Grabbing the unnaturally pink medication from the back of the cabinet which he was sure Scout would hate, he returned to the greenish boy.
He grabbed a small spoon and lifted Scout’s face up to be able to medicate him. He ladled up the pepto bismol as Scout groaned and tried to hide his face away to avoid the disgusting drug. Sniper sighed and held Scout’s face up, an apologetic look on Sniper’s face as he dosed him. Scout winced at the strong taste and returned to laying his face against the cool table.
Scout’s ribs ached as he laid there, not particularly wanting to get half-nude in Sniper’s camper but feeling absolutely crushed by his shitty binder. He groaned as he breathed, not really able to get enough breath. At least he didn’t feel like he was going to pass out. He wasn’t particularly aware as Sniper sat next to him, rubbing his back. He vaguely felt as Sniper’s fingers stalled over the bandages under his shirt, touch unsure.
Scout straightened his back, the Aussie’s hesitation manifesting in his own mind as realization. He pulled away from the touch, light panic tracing his face as Sniper’s fingers retreated.
“What’s under your shirt?” Sniper questioned, uncertain as to what can of worms he was getting into.
Much too quickly, Scout responded with a defensive “Nothin’.”, his ears turning pink as he shifted away from the man.
Sniper suspiciously looked at Scout, mind working. “‘Kay..?” Sniper drawled, not wanting to hash a fight with the argumentative boy. “Ya know, ya can..” he was quickly cut off with a sharp ‘leave it’ from Scout. Raising his hands in a surrender, he listened and did in-fact leave it, even if he was still concerned that the boy had gotten hurt or something of the like.
Scout, still a bit on edge, closed his eyes and tried to push past the pain in his chest, trying his best to relax. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep, not particularly intentionally, letting himself be soothed by the presence of Sniper. He stirred only when Sniper picked him up and took him to Sniper’s little bunk, leaving him on-top the blankets to doze off so he could stay nice and cool.
Still concerned, he stepped outside of the camper and into the heat, lighting a cigarette as he softly shut the door behind him. He pondered about how to inquire the Scout further about what had happened to him as he smoked, enjoying watching the people lounge outside the buildings from his little hill. Maybe that was a conversation for a later Scout, he had decided, tossing the cigarette to the sandy ground and stepping on it with his shoe.
Returning to the cool inside of the camper, he sipped his neglected tea and watched Scout sleep. It felt incredibly peaceful to be there with Scout, an extreme change of pace from the battlefield. He’d let it be until the boy was okay and felt better.