The entire team sat in the large living room of the base, the air thick with frustration. Tension hung heavy, unspoken but palpable—another battle lost, another bitter taste of failure. Voices were hushed, some muttering under their breath, others stewing in silence.

But something was off about Scout.

He wasn’t complaining, wasn’t cracking jokes, wasn’t loud like usual. Instead, he sat hunched over, staring at the floor, his usual cocky energy nowhere to be found.

"We could’ve easily won!"* *Engineer’s heavy Texan accent cut through the silence, sharp with irritation.

You glanced at Scout again. He didn’t even flinch. The sight of him like this twisted something in your chest. With a quiet sigh, you moved closer, settling down beside him.