Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Boy, what in Sam Hill are you doin’ right now?!”

Scout froze from his crouched position, his instant camera almost slipping from his hands. Just a few feet away, Engie was crouched behind a wall, nursing a bullet to his shoulder while hiding from the BLU Sniper’s watchful eye. While his eyes were concealed behind his goggles, Scout could tell that the older man was ticked off.

Understandable enough, considering the fact that the young Bostonian was snapping photos of a dead BLU Soldier’s bare torso rather than actively fighting. Scout gave a sheepish smile, hastily tugging the dead man’s sweat-stained shirt down. He carefully tucked the camera away into his backpack and reloaded his neglected shotgun.

“Sorry, sorry!” he yelled out, quickly peeking around the wall to fire a few shots. “Was just… ah, gettin’ a lil’ souvenir, y’know? I got him extra good in his ribs, and I wanna… immoralize it! Shove it in his stupid face da next time I see him!”

Engie’s scowl lessened somewhat. “Think you mean ‘immortalize’, son. And while I do like the occasional trophy, best save it till after the battle, hm? We got more important matters at the moment; namely, this darn BLU!” Gripping his wrench tightly, the Texan quickly sprints out from behind the wall, likely to find a more covert location for his teleporter (and fellow teammates) to remain bullet-free. As soon as he’s alone, Scout frantically attempts to pull his camera out once more, but its too late - the BLU Soldier had already returned to Respawn, his corpse no longer there. He groans loudly. “Fuckin’ shit…! That was the best one yet!”

After winning their battle, the RED Team filed into the locker room amidst a chorus of hoots and cheers. While Scout normally loved to partake in celebration, his mind was rather occupied with imagery of moving limbs and bending joints. Medic, ever the observant one, noticed his dejection. He waved off Heavy’s concern and approached Scout with his usual grin just as the younger man stripped off his tattered t-shirt.

“Somezhing the matter, Herr Scout?”

“Eh? Nah, nothing really. Don’t worry ‘bout me, Doc. I’m all good.”

“Oh really? Then perhaps you would like to explain… this?” On cue, Medic revealed an instant photo from his lab coat pocket, a rather incriminating one showcasing the clothless back of his own BLU counterpart, the dead doctor’s coat lost and his dress shirt singed off, revealing the prominent curves and dips of his upper dorsal muscles.

Scout’s eyes popped out of his head comically. “W-Where did you get that?” he stammered, averting his eyes. “N-Not that it’s, like, mine or whatever…!” If there’s one thing everyone knew across base, it’s that Scout was a terrible liar. And from the reddening of his face and upper chest alongside an uncharacteristically nervous voice, Medic didn’t have to think hard to know. The doctor simply huffed a laugh, expertly folding up the photo with one hand before tucking it into Scout’s front pants pocket.

“Herr Scout, we have all seen you taking pictures of zhe corpse during battle these past weeks. I was lucky to catch one that fell from your bag before you got sent to Respawn by that grenade! Frankly, I think it’s wonderful you have found zhe same enjoyment of the human body as I have!” Medic cackled, patting him on the head with a bloodied glove like a dad would congratulate their son. Scout hastily shook his head and tried to shush the older man. Luckily, no one else seemed to have noticed amidst the loud hisses of water from the communal showers and a rather boisterous towel fight between equally naked Soldier and Demo.

“I’m not some… creep, if that’s what you and everyone else is thinkin’, Doc! It’s just…er, just…” he flailed his hands about as he tried to formulate what he wanted to say.

Medic pursed his lips at Scout’s hesitance, looking at him sympathetically. “Scout, while I believe there are more… convenient ways to explore your sexual preferences, I assure your desire to experiment is perfectly —”

“Oh my gawd, Medic, jus’ stop talking, man! Ew! I’m just tryna learn how to draw better, that’s all!” He twiddled his thumbs nervously as Medic gazed down at him with an unreadable expression. Thinking the doctor was judging him, Scout immediately began to release a string of explanations.

“I-It’s just that… we got so much free time whenever the battle’s are done with or when it’s a stalemate day, and I live and breath the batting cage, but it gets boring sometimes, ya know? So I figured my whole drawing thing I’ve been doing, I just wanted to get better at it. Give me something to do besides swinging my bat. And since I basically see… well…” he awkwardly gestured to the sea of men behind Medic, all in different stages of undress. “...that every day, I figured ‘Hey, no need to buy one of those boring anatomy books when I got these guys!’ You get me, doc? Please tell me you get me…”

Medic is silent for a moment before he grinned, seizing Scout by the shoulders. “Scout, why didn’t you say so? A commendable effort so far, but has it not crossed your mind I am a doctor with the capabilities of extracting a person’s entire gastrointestinal tract without risking mortal injury? That I can remove all five of the microscopic, epidermal layers of skin without trouble? Come to my lab after you finish in zhe shower. This will be so much fun!”

The Doctor left quickly, a noticeable bounce in his step. Heavy, having been waiting at the locker room’s doorway for Medic, shot Scout an inquisitive look as his closest friend practically pranced out of the room.

“What did you say to Doktor to make so happy?”

Scout didn’t respond, the younger man simply staring past him to where Medic had disappeared around the corner. He could already imagine the visual horrors the man was planning to set up within his lab, and with how much enthusiasm he had expressed earlier, he knew it wasn’t going to be as simple as pointing to skull fissures on a plastic model.

“...I dont know if I really want to draw anymore now.”

"...what?"

Chapter Text

The walk to Medic’s lab was torture. Sure, that phrase was akin to saying ‘there’s water in the ocean’, but for Scout, the uneasy feelings were amplified.

Just minutes before, after he had finished his shower and gotten dressed, he had ignored Heavy’s concerned expression, bolting straight into his room and locking it shut. Getting better at drawing had mostly be a spur-of-the-moment decision; just a little hobby to make the minutes tick by faster. A hobby only he would know about and perfect on his own. Having Medic not only be aware of his goals to better his understanding of the human form but actively wish to help him was not a part of his original plan in the slightest. As he paced in his room nervously, he almost contemplated staying inside his room until dinner. Telling Medic he had lost his sketchbook. Or, hell, even just telling the Doctor he didn’t want his help. But, as he envisioned Medic’s gleeful face spending his precious free time setting up something when he could be doing far more important experiments or paperwork… his desire to not upset the only healer on base won out. 

Letting out a hefty groan, Scout begrudgingly gathered his supplies and ventured from his room.

“Fuckin’ Doc is gonna scar me for life, I swear…” he muttered, fiddling with the sketchbook and pencil case in his arms as he trudged down the hall towards Medic’s lab. “Should’ve said nothin’ and bought a book instead.”

Reaching the laboratory’s large, mint-green double doors, he took a deep breath before pushing them open. 

“Yo, Doc. I’m here — what the FUCK. ”

For once in Scout’s life, he was actually right about one of his notoriously inaccurate predictions. He wasn’t pleased it had to be about Medic’s concerning methods of teaching, however.

In the center of the lab, Medic’s infamous operating chair had been replaced with a shiny metal dissection table. Like a smorgasbord of cheese and crackers, a very colorful array of vials, laminated diagrams, and yes, body parts laid strewn about. Scout immediately felt his stomach begin to churn at the sight of it. Sure, he was a grown mercenary and has seen his fair share of blood and guts, including his own, but Medic had somehow presented the collection in a way that would make Jack The Ripper proud. From the sections of small intestine tangled in a pile like old christmas lights to a fucking fully  degloved arm … Scout immediately turned around and began his exit through the very same doors he had just passed through.

Medic suddenly appeared from behind a set of medical screen dividers, arms overflowing with an alarming number of surgical equipment. “Scout! You made it! I was worried you had gotten cold feet,” the German grinned, carelessly tossing the tools on a nearby instrument table with wheels. “Apologies for how messy it looks; I did not have zhe time to organize everything in a way zhat would make sense, but I am glad you are here now!.” 

“O-Oh… uh. Nah, nah! It’s cool! Looks, ah… looks like you got quite the collection, huh, Doc?”

“Yes, I do! Anything I’m missing, I’ll just ask Heavy to supply later!”

“...Ok?” Scout wondered if Heavy was aware of this plan.

(In the base’s kitchen, Heavy suddenly shivered, drawing a concerned look from Engie. “You okay, big guy?” Heavy simply nodded at the shorter man, returning to eating his sandwich, albeit with less gusto. “...Doktor is up to no good.”)

Medic beckoned him to the table, patting a small swivel chair with his hand. Reluctantly, Scout sat down, eyes transfixed upon the table as Medic began to sweep his arm across it, moving aside viscera with an audible squelch . Once a small area was cleared, Medic placed a tiny tray of glass vials in the center, all of which contained blood in varying stages of coagulation and separation.

“Well, let’s not waste anymore time, ja ? Firstly, we can’t not talk about the human body without ‘life’s liquid’ as they call it… blood !”

Scout blanched, staring at the crimson vials. Is he serious? “Uh, Doc, I don’t think I need to learn about blood and all that. Mind just, like, skipping straight to the muscles? I know what blood looks like. I don’t need a full-on biology course.”

Medic shook his head vehemently, tapping the vial’s corked tops. “Nonsense, Scout. Learning about blood is a must! In fact, I pledge that I will teach you all of the inner workings of the body to allow you to fully appreciate the miracle that is the human form!”

“What? No, Medic, wait. I don’t need —”

“Let us begin!”

Chapter Text

Heyooo guys sorry not an update but I wanted to let yall know that i've just made another fic of this exact same story, just with... well, an actual story now. Yeah, writing this fic as a study tool is EXTREMELY helpful so far (still working on the "Blood" chapter, but already I feel how much it helps w/ memorization), but I've realized most of you guys may not be here for that and instead want an actual fun and engaging story between Scout and Medic & MUCH LESS medical terminology. 

If you wish to move over, just go here: Art-Natomy: Miracles of Muscle!

As of writing this, currently I'm reworking the second chapter, but it'll be done sometime this week ;3

Hope you guys enjoy!

Chapter Text

Unit 1.1: General Overview of Blood + Erythrocytes

Blood’s Definition and Composition, Formed Elements

“Blood is defined as a liquid connective tissue comprised of plasma and various solutes, including formed elements AKA cellular materials,” Medic rambled on, ignoring Scout’s distressed expression.

“But, I hear you wondering, dear Scout, ‘Liquid connective tissue? I thought tissue was just tendons or skin?’ Haha… WRONG ! Despite what your brain may think, blood is, in fact, a type of tissue; it’s unique in that, while it’s a liquid, it aligns with connective tissue’s definition!

“Connective tissue is, of course, one of four types of tissues, the other three being muscle, epithelial, and nervous, but we’ll get back to that later! Simply put, connective tissue is a tissue tasked with anchoring, protecting, or connecting our body’s precious organs together. Think of it like the infrastructure of a construction project — those metal beams and wooden rods are the real-world equivalents! Now, let us look at blood: it flows through our entire body like a highway system, reaching the deepest of tissues to the most superficial of skin, essentially connecting the inner workings of our body together! There’s no doubt that it’s connective!”

Medic unceremoniously shoved a vial of blood into his face, gesturing wildly. “Look closely at this centrifuged vial, Scout! You see the different layers? LOOK !”

Scout squirmed, trying to lean away, only for Medic to push the tube in further. There’s really no getting out of this now. Might as well just play along. Sighing in defeat, he sat up straight and squinted. 

“Y-Yeah, I do. It’s like, mostly yellow and red… but there’s a small part that’s white, too?” 

“Good, good! Your eyes do not deceive you! What you have just described is the composition of blood,” he explained, pointing to the 3 distinct layers.

“Blood has three main components, each with their own separate cellular material within. Firstly, there’s plasma , the yellow portion that makes up 55% of blood. While it contains many types of things, it’s main components include water and plasma proteins. These plasma proteins are proteins that are… well, found in plasma! They serve a variety of purposes, including transporting substances and aiding in blood clotting, but we’ll touch on those later. Do you follow?”

“Uhhh…”

“ Wunderbar ! Now, let’s look at zhis small white portion, making about 1% of blood. It’s called the buffy coat for its pale hue called ‘buff’! Very odd name, I know. It houses our body’s leukocytes (the valiant defenders of our immune system) and our platelets (the clotting controllers)!

Finally, red blood cells (RBCs) or erythrocytes make up 44% of our blood. I’m sure you seen them before in any biology class - biconcave red disks . And I’m sure you know why they are red, too! ”

“...you sayin’ that like it’s common knowledge, Doc.” Medic rolled his eyes at him.

“Hemoglobin, dear Scout. Hemoglobin is a protein found in RBCs. Each is comprised of 4 globin proteins tangled in a long chain, and each of those contain 1 heme pigment and 1 iron (Fe2+) ion. Heme is what give’s blood its color!

1 Oxygen molecule naturally binds to the iron ion. So, because there are 4 ions per every 1 hemoglobin, each of these proteins can carry up to 4 Oxygens!"

The Life of Erythrocytes, Negative Feedback Looping

“Erythropoiesis is the process of red blood cell production in our red bone marrow. Despite what you may think, erythropoiesis is not a continuously occurring process, as are most processes in the body. In fact, our body follows a certain pattern of increasing and decreasing reactions called a ‘negative feedback loop’ to ensure natural levels of gases, nutrients, and other substances are just right in our body. Scout, have you heard of the phrase “ every reaction has an equal and opposite reaction? ”

“Oh, yeah! That’s like, er… Columbus! Right?”

“...Isaac Newton, but close enough! Anyways, negative feedback loops are a system of cause-and-effect reactions that strives to maintain a normal range in our body. From the act of breathing to the appropriate pH level of our blood, these are all maintained by negative feedback loops.”

“I… don’t really get it still. Sorry, Doc.”

“Ha, I didn’t expect you to! It’s a very odd concept to understand when first hearing of it. Let’s see if this will help…”

Medic began to undo his lab coat, slipping out of the garment. Scout watched with mild interest only to squawk when Medic suddenly engulfed him in the article of clothing, making sure to loosely wrap it around his head and neck before hugging him tightly against his chest. “ACK! What the hell, Doc? Why you freakin’ huggin’ me all of a sudden?”

Medic only grinned, hugging him tighter against his chest. “Silence, mein freund ! Give it a few moments.” Scout continued to struggle, though it was in vain against the older man’s iron-grip.

After a few minutes pass with no noticeable events, Scout growled. “I don’t know what you’re tryna do, Medic, but you better let me go soon! I’m startin’ to sweat over here!” Sure enough, the bundle of thick cloth and Medic’s own body heat was beginning to make Scout perspire on his forehead.

“Aha! There it is,” Medic cackled, finally releasing Scout. Scout pushed himself off, the force propelling his swivel chair backward before he bumped against the dissection table. Scout fanned himself, using his shirt to wipe away the sheen around his neck.

“Body temperature! Too high, and your body wants to lower it down. This is where negative feedback comes into play — in response to an imbalance in your body, such as your high temperature, a cascade occurs:

Firstly, the high temperature reading is recognized by special nerves in your body, which tells your brain the danger it is in! As a result, the brain sends its own message back, commanding your blood vessels to become bigger, allowing more blood to rush through. Additionally, you also begin to sweat! And when more blood flows through your veins and sweat accumulates on your skin, this leads to…?”

“...cooling down!

“You amaze me, Herr Scout,” Medic laughed, patting his head. “When comparing this process of balancing to erythropoiesis, it functions the exact same way:

Low oxygen levels in blood are sensed by the body → kidneys and liver release erythropoietin hormone (EPO) → EPO targets red bone marrow to increase erythropoiesis → High amounts of erythrocytes are produced → Increased oxygen levels are achieved!

Once high enough levels are reached, it signals the body to cease EPO production until, of course, oxygen levels deplete once more, in which case the whole process repeats again. Fascinating, isn’t it?"

Erythrocyte Death + Recycling

"Alas, red blood cells, despite being so essential to our body, only stay in their ‘prime’ for around 120 days before becoming old and unable to function. But the human body is a miracle and has it’s own way to break down old erythrocytes and use the leftover material to make more! It’s called hemolysis!”

Scout pondered this new information. “So… like a recycling machine?”

“Yes! Good connection! Old erythrocytes make their way through the bloodstream before arriving at the spleen to be broken down into hemoglobin, and then that breaks down into:

Bilirubin, which is a green pigment by-product when heme pigment breaks down, re-enters the bloodstream and enters the liver. There, it will be excreted through our wastes, hence why our urine is yellow and our feces is brown! If not excreted, it can also be used to produce bile.

Meanwhile, amino acids and iron ions re-enter the blood stream and flow back to our bones, entering the red marrow (a substantial site for red blood cell production). There, it can be reused to make more erythrocytes, completing their cycle! Isn’t that fascinating, Scout?”

Scout wouldn’t lie; the whole thing was very convoluted… but also freakin’ badass. It had never occurred to him just how intricate his body was, especially something so seemingly simple as blood. The fact something like this was currently coursing through his veins was almost mind-blowing.

“Wow… yeah! That was pretty cool actually, Doc. Still wish we would just skip to muscles, though,” he frowned, tapping his sketchbook with his pencil.

“Oh, nonsense! Learning about the skeleton and muscle would give you an understanding of form, but what about the understanding of life ?”

“...learning form is literally all I wanted to learn about, Doc —”

“Leukocytes now!”

Once again, Scout is ignored. He slumped in his seat. 

 Unit 1.2: Leukocytes

“When you hear the words “leukocyte” or ‘white blood cell”, I urge you to always associate it with… me! Or any other medical professional, really.

Leukocytes are cells in blood that protect you from pathogens or any malicious bacteria or substances that want to make you sick. Just as I protect you from harm on the battlefield, your valiant leukocytes work tirelessly to protect your body from becoming diseased.

Types of Leukocytes

 Its important to understand there are numerous types of leukocytes, each with their own unique functions. Some may act as cytotoxic cells, which spout chemicals that directly kill bacterial infections, or even phagocytes — they like to eat bacteria instead! For simplicity, let’s separate them into two main groups, and each of those can be divided further.

• Granulocytes are leukocytes with little ‘granules’ floating within its tiny body. These granules hold varieties of chemical substances that interact with and kill pathogens in your blood. The main types include…

1. Neutrophils: the “first responders”; the fastest and most common leukocytes that primarily fight bacterial infections as a phagocyte. 
2. Eosinophils: the “fumigators”; their granules release parasite-killing enzymes
3. Basophils: the “firefighters”; granules release chemicals to regulate inflammation

• Agranulocytes simply have no granules

1. 1. 1. Monocytes: precursor cells to phagocytic macrophage cells
      2. Lymphocytes: also known as the B/T Cells of the immune response
         
         • B-Cells: differentiates to perform antibody production
         • T-Cells: diverse cell group that includes a variety of immune functions (cell death, enhance other immune response, build immunity against same infection in the future)

Leukocyte Movement

It’s one thing to say that leukocytes simply ‘interact’ or ‘respond’ to pathogens. But how does this happen? Do they just lazily wait in blood until the pathogens happen to pass by?

…no, of course not!

Leukocytes are very mobile within blood, actively responding to a pathogen’s presence like a dog sniffing out a bone! Leukocytes reside within blood capillaries, awaiting intruders. When a pathogen enters the body (such as through an open wound in the skin), cells in our tissues release ‘distress signals’ calling for help! It’s essentially like you, Scout, calling for medical help on the battlefield whenever you are injured.

These distress signals reach the leukocytes in the capillaries; in response, the leukocytes perform positive chemotaxis , an automatic movement to the pathogens/infected injury site. In order to reach the injured tissues and neutralize the pathogens, the leukocytes squeeze through the permeable walls of the capillaries in a process called diapedesis. 

(Its crucial to understand positive chemotaxis is the general movement of leukocytes towards injured/distressed cells while diapedesis is the specific act of the leukocytes squeezing through the capillary walls. Think of it like a hurdler: they are running towards the finish line, but along the way they have to jump over hurdles in order to reach it!)

Unit 1.3: “Platelets and Clotting”

“For a mercenary, this is a cell you are very well-accustomed with on the battlefield. Platelets are cellular fragments that facilitate the act of clotting (aka hemostasis) whenever you sustain an injury to your body, such as lacerations."

Platelet Formation

Scout tilted his head at Medic’s choice of wording. “Cell… fragments? I thought platelets were just cells, not parts of one. Why would they be fragments? Sorry if the questions dumb, doc.”

Medic shook his head with a smile. “Not dumb, Scout. It’s a common belief that, just like erythrocytes and leukocytes, platelets too are whole cells. However, platelets are a unique case, as they are shedded parts of a whole cell called a megakaryocyte . If you wondered why I referred to formed elements as ‘cellular materials’ rather than ‘cells’, now you know why—platelets aren’t whole cells, but just parts of bigger cells.

Like all formed elements, the production of platelets begin through the differentiation of stem cells, with some initially becoming megakaryoblasts and then transforming into megakaryocyte. Think of megakaryoblasts as having tiny arm appendages that stick from its body, similar to a starfish. These are platelet precursor extensions, a fitting name since these are the sites of platelet fragmentation! To make the platelets, the megakaryocyte inserts its arms through the permeable wall of tiny capillaries within bone marrow, allowing the blood flow to break the extensions as it passes along, creating the fragments of platelets!”

The Clot Cascade

“Brace yourself, Scout… this will be one of the harder concepts to remember fully. I remember I had a terrible time remembering when I first learned!

As previously mentioned, platelets are responsible for hemostasis/blood clotting, an essential bodily process that seals broken blood vessels and limiting further blood loss. For your sake, I shall omit most of the chemical messengers that are used in every step. There are three distinct phases that occur immediately after an injury is sustained and a blood vessel has be broken:

The Vascular Spasm: Once a blood vessel is broken, blood immediately floods out of it and into the tissue surrounded the vessel. To limit further leakage, the blood vessel ‘spasms’ or constricts, squeezing itself to limit blood flow and subsequent loss

Platelet Plug Formation: Platelets in the blood begin to collect around the vessel’s injury. While it does so, they release chemicals that attract even more platelets and encourages aggregation or sticking to one another till a plug is formed on the injury site. While this may seem like an initial fix, a platelet plug is hardly ever a sufficient enough ‘bandaid’ to prevent complete blood loss.

Coagulation Cascade: There are two distinct clotting mechanisms/pathways in the clotting cascade, but both work simultaneously towards the end goal of reinforcing the platelet plug through blood coagulation. The term ‘cascade’ refers to the domino effect mechanism of activating clotting factors (chemicals that facilitate blood clotting). Once activated, these factors will activate another factor. It’s a very lengthy process where sequence matters in order to successfully activating one factor after another. Eventually, the result is the conversion of rod-like fibrin, one of those aforementioned plasma proteins, to be transformed into a bent, boomerang-esque new form called fibrinogen. This new shape allows numerous fibrinogen to cover the weak platelet plug, reinforcing it like a mesh net! This is the new, stronger version of the plug called a blood clot, and can now act as a reinforced seal for the blood vessel!"

Scout’s brain was thumping with the sheer amount of knowledge that was just shoved into it, a dull pain permeating so much so he had to remove his hat just to run a soothing hand through his hair. 

“Wow… ok, yeah. That was a lot,” he muttered, tugging at a strand out of habit and slight stress. It was far more than what he had bargained for when Medic first proposed his ‘lessons’. “Kind of too much… but it was really cool!”

Medic simply laughed, grasping him by the shoulders.  “Oh, I am well-aware it is quite a lot for a beginner to fathom, but I am glad we are doing this now while your mind is still young! Most people do not cherish the body they have till it begins to break down and decay. And that’s when they would come begging to me, pleading for miracle surgeries! Of course I tried my best, but technology and laws were quite limiting back then! Oh, the times before the Medigun…”

The older man sighed deeply, an almost wistful, nostalgic smile creeping upon his face as he reminisced. Shivers rocketed down Scout’s spine, and he eagerly stood up and made his way to the exit. Everyone on RED knew that whenever Medic got sentimental about ‘pre-medigun’ times where traditional stitches and scalpel cuts were all doctors could do (and were allowed), he would drag someone in to be his helpless patient so he could sharpen his skills. The last time it had happened, Scout had found himself with missing buccinator muscles and stitches across his face that would make Frankenstein’s monster feel better about his appearance. Needless to say, he wasn’t eager to be a second-time victim of Medic’s experimental attempts at plastic surgery.

“...O-Ok, uh, glad you feel that way, man. I’m gonna just, like… head out now. Thanks for the lesson, though!”

“I am glad you are enjoying this as much as I, Scout! Please, come back here tomorrow after battle! Tomorrow, we do the heart! Oh! Perhaps we can open Heavy up for it… his baboon heart was the biggest and could provide as a great visual… but then again, personal experience is always best, so perhaps we should just use your heart…” he hummed to himself, immediately moving to his desk to scribble notes, a contemplative frown on his lips.