Okay so this is REALLY old, but seeing that people are still reading this story (and because the second part was nearly finished) I wanted to complete this now. I added a few more words to finish this thing up and end it. It's not that long, but hopefully satisfying enough for my dear readers. Enjoy.

(Credits for the first part with Engie go to Creep)

Chapter 2

Today's chain of events have taken their toll on Engie, too, who sluggishly presses onward in spite of his sprained ankle.

"Phew… Alright, if I remember correctly… "

He comes to a halt in the center of what used to be an intersection and glances around.

"There it is. "

Engie heads west upon spotting a familiar sight.

"That stupid mannequin… Captain dressed it up and left it at the bus stop. I don't know what he thinks it's waiting for, but I'd rather it stand there forever instead of hover over me while I sleep.

…Oh, finally. I see the steps. Hang in there, Snippy, we'll be home in a matter of minutes."

The sniper is silent, although Engie can still perceive his shallow breaths.

He trudges over to the wide flight of stairs outside of their base and climbs them, progressing the irritation of his ankle with each step.

"Agh, freaking hell. Any other day that short hike is a breeze, but—"

Suddenly, Pilot bursts out of the front door and leaps over the stairs like a deer.

"You bumbling wackjob! You nearly slammed into us!"

However the aviator doesn't even appear to acknowledge their presence and bolts off down the street.

"Ugh... Well, at least we won't have to put up with him for a while. Captain, on the other hand…"

Engie enters the burned out building, closing the door behind him with his foot.

"Captain?

…Huh.
No prank or flamboyant greeting. He must not be here right now."

The engineer kneels down and gently props Snippy up in a corner.

"First aid kit's upstairs… Try to stay awake, okay? I'll be right back."

Since Engie set him down on the floor, Snippy finds it hard to maintain focus. As colorful swirls slowly start to obscure his vision, he tries to estimate how much blood had he lost. It must have been something close to a liter.

Considering he is just sitting there, his heart is working really hard on delivering enough oxygen to his head but it doesn't seem to be enough.

Hang in just a little longer... Gromov will be back any minute, he thinks to himself.

By taking deep breaths he hopes to improve his state, but it only makes it worse.

Rising his hand up to his head, he looses the straps of his face gear and pulls his respirator down while he tries to come up with something, although he's not quite in the condition to do so right now.

Feeling his consciousness fading, he drops to the side, but doesn't dare to close his eyes for longer than a second. Strange enough it seems to help, and his vision slowly starts to clear again.

As he hears footsteps he looks up, watching Engie coming down the stairs with a bunch of stuff and bottles in his arms. The moment he spots the sniper he calls out to him and tentatively picks up the pace, his gait looking strained and one sided.

The engineer kneels down beside him and puts down the stuff, before he helps Snippy to sit back up again.

"Thanks, I'm alright... Just feeling a little... dehydrated."

The engineer takes note of that and opens a bottle of water for him, which the sniper gladly accepts. Carefully he takes a few swigs, before he hands it back.

"Don't worry mate... everything is going to be alright soon. This is going to hurt, but I will do my best to fix your leg back up," Engie promises him, and begins his treatment on his comrade's wounded leg.

Despite the pain Snippy feels a lot calmer now that Gromov is back, and after all they've been through he has a feeling he can put trust in the engineer's words. The sniper knows that he will take good care of him and won't let him down; and that thought alone is enough to give Snippy the confidence he needs as the other man brings a needle down to the gash on his leg.

Epilogue

Engie worked fast and efficiently, his patient managing to hold still for most of the treatment; though minutes before he was done, Snippy passed out. Engie quickly finished his work and cut the threat before he woke Snippy up, who seemed far too exhausted to even speak a single word now.

Quickly he cleaned the stitched up leg from blood and carefully bandaged it, then he helped him walk to the sofa, where the sniper fell asleep almost instantly. Gromov covered him with any blanket he could find, and to make sure Snippy would drink enough, he left the bottle of water on the nearest table.

Engie sat down on the couch and observed the man's breathing for a little longer to ensure that he would be alright. Just as he was about to leave - and he wasn't sure if the sniper had even been awake in that second - he heard him mumbling a quiet "thank you".

Engie looked back at him with a smile. "You're welcome," he shortly replied, before he left the room.