Work Text:
miss pauline was hesitant at first to let the team meet you without her but you said it would be easier than wasting her time. you were just a cook there to keep their meals balanced and keep the base clean you would even take care of their laundry, you didnt mind the mercs being slightly gross since there were worse employers you remember. pushing that thought aside you walk into the door of the meeting room you were told theyd be at, nine men look at you some smiling some not and others you were unsure of what they were thinking."Hi I'm the new help if yall need me feel free to call me by my status cook or chef!-" "WELCOME TO THE TEAM MAGGOT!" the man called soldier yelled, the gruff voice catching you off guard you stumbled large hands catching you from behind a thick concerned russian accent grabbed your attention "small man okay? heavy has got you!" your brain trying to catch up gets asked more questions in more voices and accents all jumbling together
a thick french voice cuts through "SHUT UP AND LET ZE MAN TALK!" the man you assumed was spy screamed at the mercenaries everyone looking at him wearily "continue with what you were saying." the masked man says in a calm domeneering tone that helps you ground yourself "thank you um spy, as i was saying im excited to be here and assist you all with your daily needs i can most definiteley see us all getting along, you can ask me questions one on one later so their is less....shouting alright?" you say nervously as they all nod the skinny man named scout looked puzzled for a moment before asking what they all thought "why do we need a helper yaknow were doing just fine without all this fancy schmuck?" they all nod looking up at you. "the reason miss pauline hired me was because the base YOU all manage is how do i say this politely a pigstye she wants me to ensure that its consistently clean so you all have the best quality of life possible!" you say a kind sterness in your tone.the mercenaries accepted your answer with varying degrees though the silence doesn't last long with you giving a small chuff to gain the others attention. "so how about some lunch any suggestions from anyone today?" you say cringing in on yourself as you get 17 different answers all at once, you cut through the suggestions with "how about some buffalo steak sandwiches to stave off the hunger?" the team looks at you excited and some others just shrug the excitement to cook had lured you into the kitchen.
you make a dismissive hand motion behind you when you walk into the kitchen as you grab ingredients and slip into the sway of your work all the while the mercenaries sat in the dining hall excited to see how well you cooked this delicious meal. when you finish prepping and begin cooking you look over to see the team Engie and pyro sat with heavy and medic across from them down the table snipers sitting at the edge of the on pyros and engies side the spy and soldier on a seperate table far away from one another. you sigh wondering how theyll like the food but you shrug you know you can make a simple buffalo steak sandwich, shrugging you finish cooking the buffalo steak and begin plating all 10 sandwiches. smiling you begin placing them on the counter watching the men grow impatient you set the 9th plate down and bark out "come and get it" joyfully to the group, scout and soldier scrambling to grab a plate while the others walk over. "THIS LOOKS LIKE A GREAT AMERICAN MEAL!" soldier shouts earning a groan from spy earning a grin and roll of the eyes from you.you join the group sitting next to engie,pyro and sniper the australian man flinching to your surprise "is it alright that i sit here?" you ask nervously to the group "mbbhf mmm nmmhb!" you have no idea what pyro is saying but sniper speaks up "yer' alright just not used to someone so casual round pyro." you shrug not getting whats so concerning as you take a bite of your sandwich the sauce combining perfectly with the meat was enough to give you a breathy sigh, the others also seemed to love the food a few throwing small compliments through mouthfuls of food, as most of you begin finishing your lunches small conversations pop up and you even begin talking to medic and heavy on what their favorite homecooked meals were, the atmosphere was happy and you couldnt get rid of scouts infectious laugh with his new york accent some of the mercs like sniper and spy had left already and you began picking up everyones plates.
the mercenaries seemed thankful but worried when you said youd be the one doing dishes from now on even medic had a comment about "this is a tad upsetting but it is your job very vell we vont press any further!", when you finished your cleaning of the mess hall you were a bit tired walking down the coridoor you stumble into your room the boxes of stuff you had to unpack lying there dropping yourself onto the bed you take a nap your watch set to go off before dinner. you wake up to a knock on your door waking up looking to see who was interrupting your nap to your suprise was medic the man who lived beside you knocking at your door, you slip on some dinosaur slippers as you open the door seeing him tense up he looks worried "sorry did i startle your sleep? i just vanted to ask if you may see me in my office for some zings before dinner" the doctor looks worried but keeps that unsettling smile your used to "id be alright getting some things done and taking care of the prescriptions i need!" the medic clasps his hands and smiles even wider somehow, "vunderbar! follow me ill take you to ze medical ving!" you anxiously follow the mad looking doctor through the hallway tward what you assume is the medical wing. "um what type of exams are we doing if i may ask" you mention seeing the big red cross over the medical wing as you get to the door he holds it open for you "i vill give you a general pysical and zhen i vill be asking you about perscriptions and you vill be on your way!".
you saunter into the room his heavy boots thudding behind you as you slide onto the exam table sitting up. "sounds good to me, and uh you know my medical history an all of that right?" you chuckle nevously the medic catches on to what your asking quickly though "ah yes! your testosterone and any other general transitional care vill be coming from me, i hope zhat is okay?", you smile and nod wondering if the doctor is going to take any blood or anything "the most i vill be doing today is a physical you may keep your clothing on but when we have out yearly check up it vill be in the nude, do not vorry much i dont treat any patients diffrent!" he mentions in a cheerful tone as he begins testing your joints with a small mallet. when hes done testing your muscles and joints as well as flexibility he tells you your testosterone and other medicines will be dropped off in a small cubby by your door for privacy and safety, you nod as he helps you off the table "feel free to come by any time my lab is always velcome to anyone!" he happily says with a large smile as you begin walking back to your own room. might as well unpack before dinner you think as you begin opening boxes putting away the clothes and items that make your room feel less like an institution and more like your own place, it doesent take long for your alarm for dinner prep to go off though. sighing you walk out into the hallway getting ready to cook a hardy meal for the nine specialized mercs.
the second you enter the pantry you see a few options and decide to
go with the classic crockpot potatoes with ham and a side salad to add on to the nutrition. you move to start prepping when you hear small almost inaudible footsteps behind you, grabbing a spatula you turn incredibly quick slapping whoever was cloaked behind you though to your dismay it was spy and he did not look happy to be found out AND smacked by a metal spatula "mon dieu i see you are a bit more aware than ze rest eh?" you let out a giggle watching him hold his face "dont be sneaking around me and you wont get spatula'd" you say jokingly a smirk slithering its way onto his face. "noted, ill make sure to avoid ze kitchen next time i want information" he mock sighs defeatedly "i dont mind you being here just dont do all that invisible sneaky stuff alright?", the sniper shrugs and nods walking twards a chair in the wider part of the kitchen and plopping down. you roll up your sleves as you wash your hands then the produce afterwards chopping and fixing up most of the foods in their perspective cookeries before sighing and taking a break yourself sitting in a chair nearby spy. "so is watching me cook that intresting or do you have some questions that ya got?" you watch as he smiles a devious grin his eyes squinting as if to try and hide his joy "just a small bit of information will do i just like to know more than ze others" he smirks after you sigh "my favorite things are dinosaur themed anything dinosar based could be a bribe in the right circumstance." you say a smile on your face and your eyes rolling as he begins writing something in a small pocketbook. trailing off back to the food you stand up beginning to add the finishing touches to the comforting meal.
"spy would you mind heading to the dining hall and telling the others the foods ready while i plate?" you manage to finish prepping three plates before hes out of the kitchen. finishing up the last meals with the ten salads at the ready you place them all on the counter and bring yours to the spot between pyro and sniper again the group grabbing their meals and sitting down some grumbling about salad and others praising the potatoes and ham. after a while the plates become empty and conversation slows you begin gathering plates and bowls a yawn wscaping you as you begin cleaning dishes "if yer tired i can take over?" engie says in a concerned tone "nah its alright im always tired after a good meal also its nice to clean i like it" he gives you a huff but drops it and takes a seat watching you finish up. beginning to walk back to your rooms you see engineers in the room beside yours, you wave and say your goodnights before you walk into your room exhausted and slipping under the covers you end your first day in the mann.co base.