Run Away [TF2XREADER]

Chapter 7- Crappy Introduction

"I suppose we should go tell everyone the news then?"

... There's more of them?!

Miss Pauling nodded. "I'll use the intercom to get everyone to go to the rec room for a meeting." The three men nodded and walked off, presumably heading for what had been called the "rec room." Miss Pauling headed back to the room that you had originally been in; the one with the phone. She pressed a few buttons and picked up the phone, her voice echoing in a way that made it clear she could be heard throughout the base. "Everyone head to the rec room for an important meeting." She then promptly hung up the phone, looking to you. You were spiraling. Oh my God oh my GOD what the FUCK did I get myself into. I wanna run. I shouldn't have done this. Agh!- Okay just wait it out. You can get through this. It's fine, right? It's not like they're all gonna be a bunch of old men or something. I mean, with everything that's happened that would just be me with the worst luck ever. When have you ever had good luck though? SHUT UP MAYBE I'LL BE LUCKY THIS TIME. AAAAHHHH. You felt the burning intensity of anxiety creep up through your chest. Using the breathing technique the doctor had taught you, you began to make the attempt to calm yourself down. Miss Pauling seemed to notice your distress when you began to hug your arms and torso, in the saddening hopes for finding comfort within yourself. "Hey, it's going to be fine. You're gonna love it here! ... Okay, maybe not "love"- love is a strong word, but it'll probably be better than living on the streets." Uh... Probably?? I feel like that should be a definitely being I used to literally live on the streets! Hoo boy... She gave you a reassuring smile, trying to help relax your tensing muscles. You looked up to her with a anxious expression. All you were really worried about was how the rest of these supposed mercenaries would take to the fact that some random hobo kid would now be living with them. She pat your back, and then proceeded to lead you through the base to what you would guess was the entrance to the rec room. From inside the room, you could hear a lot of chattering and whispering. They all sounded like men, which made you more nervous. Maybe some of the girls just sound like guys...? As you walked in, they all went silent, and you could then see that the majority was, in fact, men.

...FUCK.

This made you extremely uncomfortable, and the fact that their eyes were all on you made you want to just shrink away and stop existing. Once Miss Pauling had led you to the front of the room, she went ahead and introduced you. "Guys, this is Y/N. They are going to be staying with you all for a.... for a while." Their reactions to what Miss Pauling had said ranged from those of total shock to what could be best described as a look of, 'you can't be serious.' Miss Pauling then nudged you in an unspoken ask for you to say something. You sheepishly waved at them, feeling heat rise to your cheeks due to your embarrassment."Uh...Hi...I'm Y/N. But you already knew that... Uhm-" What the heck am I supposed to say?? Who would even know what to say in this situation??? God, I wish I could just stop existing. Why must you do this to me Miss Pauling?! Scanning the group as they sat and awaited your next words, you did what you could to collect yourself and determined what you would say next to the best of your abilities. "I- I promise to not get in anyone's way." You pursed your lips and looked away, rubbing the back of your neck, embarrassed out of your mind.

THAT'S YOUR IDEA OF AN INTRODUCTION SPEECH?!

Internally screaming, you listened as the men nodded and 'accepted' your 'speech,' likely experiencing second-hand embarrassment. You heard a few of them snicker before coughing in an attempt to try and cover it up. Miss Pauling cleared her throat, feeling your discomfort as well. "Well, would anyone like to volunteer to help me get Y/N settled into their room?" Your ears perked up to the mention of a room. A room? All for me?! Okay, I changed my mind. This is pretty neat. Kinda worth the embarrassment, I guess. Miss Pauling scanned the room and seemed to make eye contact with one of the men. He was a somewhat skinny man who wore a hat with aviators and a vest. "Sniper! Would you mind?" Miss Pauling asked this with an underlying threatening tone. The man, who you now knew was Sniper, sighed and slowly approached you and Miss Pauling, his expression tired, but not annoyed like you had expected the man to be. "Roight, let's get on with it then." He began to head out of the room, you and Miss Pauling trailing the man from behind. As you walked out of the room, you could feel as the rest of the mercenaries' eyes follow the three of you out, bringing your shoulders to tense as your anxiety grew somewhat. Miss Pauling and Sniper walked side by side, with you following awkwardly from behind. They were murmuring to each other, but they did so very quietly so you couldn't hear what they were saying. Although, it wasn't so much that you couldn't hear them, but more like you had had enough of eavesdropping on conversations for the day. At some point there was a sigh from Sniper and he began to lead you and Miss Pauling in another direction. Eventually, you all got to a door which Sniper then opened. Sniper seemed as if he was about to say something, but then stopped as Miss Pauling piped up. "Y/N, this is going to be the room you're staying in." You walked into the room, mouth gaping and eyes wide, entirely speechless. The room felt huge to you, and it was more spacious than all of the small nooks that you had spent the night at. There was a bed in the left corner of the room that you wanted so badly to jump into. It just looked so comfortable. Next to it, there was a cute little desk with a lamp on it and a stool that went with the desk. There was a dresser across from the bed, which once you had looked inside, saw that it was empty. Looking to your right, you saw that a bathroom was attached to the bedroom. Quickly going inside, you saw that there was a sink with a mirror, and a medicine cabinet as well. Then you looked to your left, and further into the bathroom. There was a shower curtain, and when you drew back the curtain, the most beautiful sight was beheld. It was a shower. A beautiful, cleanly, miracle working shower. Along with that joyous pleasure, it was also a two in one bathtub shower. Holy shit this is a dream come true. I feel like the richest person in the world right now. Holy FUCK an entire ass room and BATHROOM, all to myself. I can't believe it. I'm not dreaming right? I better not be dreaming.

You pinched yourself to check, and grinned with realization. I'm not dreaming!

"Well, do you like it?" You registered Miss Pauling's voice from outside the bathroom, and smiled wider than you ever had before. Looking back at her, you nodded quickly, and she was shocked to see how happy you were. You started to bounce around and giggle like a little kid- you were so happy, you just couldn't help it. Sniper had also now noticed your excited state, and smiled to himself, appearing as if he were looking back on a fond memory. You finally gave in and jumped at Miss Pauling, hugging her tightly. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you! Just- Thank you so, so much." At the end of your sentence, you even began to tear up slightly. In that moment you had real hope that maybe, just maybe, this place could become home to you. Miss Pauling was startled at first, but then smiled and accepted your hug. "Well, I'm glad you like it, but-" She pulled away from the hug, her hands on your shoulders, making you look her in the eyes. "I'm going to have to leave. I've missed a lot of work, and I have to catch up quickly if I don't want this to count as my day off." At her words, your heart sunk. "Wait, you- you have to leave?" She sighed, her expression reading that of pity. Wait, is that why she's doing this all for me? Does she just... pity me? Your expression turned from that to sadness to hurt. The woman didn't seem to notice your expression, possibly too wound up in her own needs and duties. "I'm sorry Y/N, but I have work to do." Drawing your eyes to the ground, hiding your face somewhat, you spoke to them while trying your best to keep your voice as neutral as possible. "Okay, I get it. It's fine." Miss Pauling was taken aback at your sudden change of tone. "Y/N, really, I'm sorry. I promise I'll come back to visit you sometime." You kept looking down, feeling a numb and empty pit in your stomach. "It's fine, really." I should have known. I should really stop getting my hopes up like this. It just hurts more. You looked up, plastering a small, fake smile on your face. "Just go and get your work done so I can see you again soon." She accepted your smile, smiling back. "Thank you for understanding." She then left, saying a quick goodbye to you and Sniper as she left. It was then that you realized that Sniper was still in the room, even though for some reason you had thought he had left. He looked into your eyes with an indiscernible expression, before leaving you by yourself in your new room.