You walked into the dusty old shed, surveying the tools and machinery that lay scattered about. You were an engineer, and you had come here to meet your mentor - the infamous and reclusive engineer of the RED team. Your heart pounded in your chest as you stepped forward, unsure of what to expect.
As you approached the back of the shed, you heard the clanging of metal and the whirring of gears. You peeked around the corner to see the engineer hard at work on a new invention. He was completely absorbed in his work, and you couldn't help but admire the way he moved. He was lean and wiry, with calloused hands and a rugged face.
You cleared your throat, and the engineer turned to face you. His eyes narrowed as he studied you for a moment before speaking.
"Well, hello there," he said in a thick southern drawl. "What brings you here?"
"I'm here to learn from you," you replied, trying to keep your voice steady.
The engineer arched an eyebrow. "Is that so?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Yes, sir," you said, trying to sound respectful. "I want to learn everything there is to know about engineering."
The engineer chuckled. "Well, I reckon I can teach you a thing or two," he said, gesturing for you to come closer. "But first, you need to prove yourself. You need to show me that you're worthy of being my apprentice."
You swallowed hard, wondering what kind of test he had in mind. The engineer disappeared into a nearby room, leaving you to wait nervously. After a few minutes, he emerged with a small metal device in his hand.
"Take this here gizmo and fix it up," he said, tossing it to you. "I want it to work like new."
You caught the device and examined it carefully. It was a complicated piece of machinery, with wires and tubes and a blinking light.
You set to work, carefully disassembling the device and examining each part. The engineer watched you with interest, occasionally offering a word of advice or encouragement.
As you worked, you began to feel a sense of satisfaction. You loved the feeling of fixing things, of making them work again. It was a sense of accomplishment that you had never found anywhere else.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, you reassembled the device and flipped the switch. It whirred to life, the light blinking steadily.
The engineer grinned, clapping you on the back. "Well done, partner," he said. "You've got the makings of a fine engineer."
Over the next few weeks, you worked closely with the engineer, learning everything you could about engineering. You learned how to build sentry guns and dispensers, how to lay traps and set up defenses. You learned how to repair and maintain your equipment, and how to improvise when things went wrong.
But as you spent more time with the engineer, you began to notice other things about him. You noticed the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, the way his voice softened when he talked about his family. You noticed the way he worked tirelessly, never stopping until the job was done.
And slowly but surely, you began to realize that you had feelings for him.
You tried to ignore these feelings, telling yourself that it was just a crush. After all, he was your mentor, your teacher. It would be inappropriate to act on your feelings.
But as the weeks turned into months, you found it harder and harder to keep your feelings in check. You found yourself stealing glances at him when he wasn't looking, daydreaming about what it would be like to be with him.
One day, as you and the engineer were working on a particularly difficult project, you found yourself lost in thought. You couldn't stop thinking about him.
You were so lost in thought that you didn't even notice when the engineer stopped working and turned to face you.
"Something on your mind, partner?" he asked, his voice gentle.
You looked up, startled, and felt your cheeks flush. "N-nothing," you stammered.
The engineer arched an eyebrow. "It sure don't look like nothing," he said. "You've been staring off into space for the past five minutes."
You swallowed hard, trying to find the right words. "I...I just...I think...I think I have feelings for you," you blurted out.
The engineer looked surprised for a moment, and then his face softened. "Well, now," he said, his voice low. "That's mighty kind of you to say, partner."
You felt a mix of relief and nervousness wash over you. You had never been so vulnerable with someone before, especially not someone you respected and admired as much as the engineer.
But the engineer didn't seem put off by your confession. In fact, he looked almost pleased.
"I reckon I have some feelings for you too," he said, his voice low and husky.
Your heart skipped a beat. You had never heard him sound like this before - so vulnerable, so open.
"What...what do we do now?" you asked, feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension.
The engineer took a step closer to you, his eyes locked on yours. "Well, I reckon we could start by seeing where this takes us," he said, his voice low.
And then he leaned in and kissed you, his lips warm and gentle against yours.
The kiss was like nothing you had ever experienced before - soft and sweet, with just a hint of something more. You felt a warmth spread through your body, and you wrapped your arms around the engineer, pulling him closer.
As you kissed, you felt like everything else in the world faded away. All that mattered was the two of you, together in this moment.
After a few minutes, the engineer pulled away, a grin spreading across his face. "Well, now," he said. "I reckon that was mighty fine."
You grinned back at him, feeling a sense of joy and contentment that you had never experienced before. It was like all the pieces of your life were finally falling into place.
Over the next few weeks and months, you and the engineer continued to work together, but now there was something new between you - a sense of intimacy and connection that made everything feel more meaningful.
You would steal kisses in between projects, or share a moment of laughter over lunch. You would work side by side, knowing that you had each other's backs no matter what.
And while there were still challenges and setbacks along the way - battles to be fought, equipment to be repaired - you knew that you could face anything as long as you were together.
In the end, it was your love for each other that made you both stronger - stronger as engineers, stronger as teammates, and stronger as a couple.
And as you looked back on your time with the engineer, you knew that you had found something truly special - something that would last a lifetime.
