Chapter Text
Sniper was leaning against his camper, it was hot and sunny as usual in the New Mexico dessert, the van acted like a shade for him, but it didn’t really cool him down. He was sweaty and tired as he silently smoked and clean the blood off his kukri from the match that ended half an hour ago. He was a bit pissed since the RED team was on a bit of a losing streak recently and that damn BLU Spy was getting on his last nerves.
The team had different ways of coping/sulking whenever they lost, for example: Spy always isolated himself in his smoking room until he could bear looking at his teammates again, Scout likes to doodle the BLU team being killed in various ways in his planner (which he never properly used), Engineer usually sulks with a tub of ice cream, and Sniper? Well, Sniper just does what he always does: stay outside, near his camper, and calmly clean his weapons as he internally insults the BLU Spy. Always, no matter the weather or temperature.
As Sniper finishes up cleaning his kukri, he heard a crash near the trashcan that was placed around the corner at the end of the parking lot. Sniper was naturally startled and on edge. Was it the BLU spy? No, he wouldn’t be that loud or clumsy. Maybe it was one of the other RED mercs, Pyro normally goes through the trash for knickknacks to use as craft materials and Soldier constantly look in the trashcans for his raccoons. After hearing a few more rattles coming from that corner, he sighs and puts out his cigarette before quietly walking over there, his kukri in hand just in case.
Sniper raised his kukri a bit and looked around the corner to find… Nothing… Just the trashcan knocked over. Sniper lets out an annoyed grunt, he assumes that it was just one of those damn annoying raccoons scrounging for food. He crouches to gather the scattered trash back into the trashcan but he paused when he spotted a long ball of black and white fluff inside the trashcan.
Sniper looks deeper into the trashcan and a wet nose touched his nose, there was sounds of sniffing and he got licked. He backs away a bit and slowly stretched his arm out into the trashcan and his hand got the same treatment, he took his glasses off and squinted his eyes in confusion before looking around. Why is there a dog on base grounds? How did a dog get to the base grounds? Was it a trap? Sniper quickly runs to his camper and checked his fridge. It was pretty bare with only a few bottles of water, a dead snake, jars of piss, and a packet of nearly expired hotdogs that Sniper never touched.
Sniper took the pack of hotdogs and ran back to the trashcan, hoping that the puppy didn’t run away. He got to the trashcan and kneeled down as he pulled out a hotdog and tried luring the pup out of hiding, he wasn’t sure if hotdogs were good for dogs but he knew that it would be better than any slop in the trashcan. After a few loud sniffs, the puppy happily jumped out and took it, that’s when Sniper finally got a good look at it.
The pup was small and young as its eyes were still blue, it was about 15 inches tall and maybe about five months old. The puppy’s coat was baked with dust and sand but Sniper could see that the coat was white with patches of black along it’s ears, around its right eye, right hind leg, left front leg, and along its back to the tail with small splotches in other spots. Sniper assumed it was some sort of border collie mix since he saw those types of dogs around Australia a lot.
“Where’d you come from, doggo…?” Sniper muttered. He let a few seconds go by before he hesitantly pat the dogs’ head which it didn’t really react to. He pulled his hand away.
The puppy barked at Sniper and sniffed at the pack of hotdogs, begging for more food, Sniper had a huge weakness for animals so of course he gave in. As Sniper fed the pup, he wonders what he should do. If he kept it, it’ll distract him from his work, it’s too much responsibility, and he’s pretty sure that The Administrator would punish him for keeping an animal in the base. But then again, he couldn’t leave the dog here without any protection from the hot New Mexico sun and without any food plus Soldier kept his raccoons and Medic has his doves…
Sniper stares at the puppy as it finishes the last of the hotdogs, lost in thought, his mind going back and forth between the choices. He eventually gets up and goes to his camper to grab some water, the pup would surely die if it tried drinking from the lead filled river and Sniper definitely did not want that, the puppy tilted it’s head in confusion as it watches Sniper walk away. It whined and ran after him, not happy to be left there. Sniper looks back and spots a ball of white and black fur chasing after him which causes the Australian to chuckle.
“Foine! I’ll keep ya er-round, happy?” The puppy yapped as a reply, Sniper picked it up and brought it to the truck, it’s tail wagging so fast that it’s shaking. “But first, we gotta bathe you, awright?” Sniper received another yap.
——
Sniper was strolling around the borders of the base where no one can spot them, following behind the little pup who was running ahead and sniffing at everything. He’s learned a lot about the pup within the two days he kept her, like how she loves chewing and biting at everything, especially his ankles, and she actually hates getting wet, Sniper had marks on his arms to prove that.
Matches weren’t easy, he had to keep the poor pup locked up in his van with a few windows open. He felt awful about it and he knew it was bad for the pup’s mental health but he couldn’t let it out in the area and he didn’t want anyone to know she exists yet, it was too dangerous for her. Sniper has been keeping the dog a secret from the other mercs for a short while now, he doesn’t think that the majority were responsible enough.
Engineer? Yeah sure.
Heavy? Alright.
Spy? Maybe. (Doubt he would like dogs though)
Anyone else? No.
They’re reliable when it comes to killing and chores and what not, but animals? Especially a young one? The vast majority of them are clinically insane, hell no! Plus, he hasn’t even named the pup, he couldn’t pick one out and there is no way he’ll ask the others for name recommendations.
Sniper was still slowly strolling along while lost in thought, thinking about different names and testing them out.
“Chewy…? Spot…? Lucille…? Lucy…? Ava? Ugh…” The names felt wrong in his mouth and felt wrong for the pup who was currently-
…
Where was the dog?
Sniper whips his head around and starts to panic, his self confidence taking a huge hit, how can he lose a dog this easily? The dog’s black and white coat should be easily spotted in the beige sandy landscape and dusty green grass. Maybe Sniper wasn’t fitted to be a dog owner, he should’ve stuck with wild animals like owls and snakes. But before he could doubt himself even more, he spots her running in the distance.
“Ah, bugger…” He sighed a cursed and took a deep breath before he started running after the dog, stumbling and struggling to keep up, holding onto his hat for dear life. Sniper desperately calls out for the dog in between sharp gasps of air. “DOGGO! *gasp* DOG! PUPPER! *gasp* STOP! HEEL!”
After ten minutes of running, Sniper suddenly tripped and collapsed onto the sandy floor, he could barely get up from the sheer exhaustion he was feeling and he could feel a cramp forming on his side. Before he could force himself to get up, he then suddenly heard someone laughing a bit, high pitched barking, and sounds of boots marching towards him.