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Winter at Coldfront was the worst.
The mountain base was always covered in a layer of snow and ice, frigid winds whipping through the valley where RED and BLU fought for control, but winter was always the worst. Winter brought with it bitter cold, winds and snow and freezing rain that drowned out any hope for comfort or warmth. BLU's base was a monolith of cold stone. Concrete, cracked and in disrepair, composed the near-entirety of their buildings. Hard, stone floors sucked the heat from feet, bare or otherwise. Windows, old and poorly sealed, hemorrhaged frozen air.
Blankets were stocked in large amounts, and each room was heated, albeit poorly. During the rest of the seasons, this was enough, and the mercenaries found themselves able to bunk comfortably for the night, alone or in pairs, for those so inclined. Winter brought a depth of chill so thorough that no lone heater could pierce it, no blanket able to fight off the icy tendrils trying so hard to grip and tear the heat from their bodies. It was in these grueling conditions that the team had devised a simple yet effective method by which they could not die of exposure inside their own base.
The rec room, mess, and bathroom became the only rooms on the base not left empty, abandoned to the elements. Thick, woolen blankets were hung in empty doorways, forming a barrier against the cold, any doors present closed tight, towels stuffed in the cracks between door and floor. Any space heaters had been brought into the rec room, where they were pumping full blast, resource management be damned. The big fireplace at the end of the room was lit continually, tended with near-religious dedication by Pyro, who was not seen without at least three layers of wool and flannel atop his asbestos-lined bodysuit. Any furniture was pushed against the walls, out of the way, and all of the mattresses from each mercenary's bunk was dragged into the room, laid out next to each other and around each other to form a giant area of bedding on the floor, every blanket and pillow in the base piled atop them haphazardly.
The men spent their time huddled together around the fire, chatting, singing, and playing games. When night fell, they were quick to avoid being awake long enough to notice the further drop in temperature. Pyro would pile the fire high with wood, and they would all retire to the giant nest they had made. Clothing was shed, blankets were wrapped, and warm flesh was pressed together.
Scout couldn't help himself. He was small, slim, and not even close to as hirsute as his coworkers. So he buried himself at the center of the group. Heavy on one side, laying on his back with Medic half-strewn across him, head on his chest. Engineer on the other, being spooned across his whole body by Sniper, who had his legs and arms thrown across the smaller man, clinging to him desperately for warmth, having rolled himself in at least two blankets alone, in addition to the comforter he was sharing with Engineer and Spy. He was still shivering. Scout clung to the comforter that lay across himself, Heavy, and Engineer, and snuggled in between the two furriest men on his team. He couldn't help but smile. Fuzz tickled his nose as he leaned his forehead in against Heavy's shoulder, his own arms wrapped around the giant's massive arm, more brushing his back and Engineer threw an arm over his hip. Light snoring came from beneath the comforters, Spy completely submerged beneath them in a tent of his coworkers' warmth, his head resting on Engineer's bottom as pillow, his arms wrapped around Sniper's legs to try and warm him. Poking out the other side, Soldier and Demoman huddled together around Pyro, trying their best to grant the masked man some comfortable warmth in the cold night, wrapped tightly together in a knot of blankets and comforters. A plush wolf lay tucked under one of Soldier's arms, one of its eyes long-missing. Legs tangled on both ends of the pile, arms wrapped every which way, and the soft cacophony of deep, slumbered breathing joined the cracking and popping of the fire in a strangely visceral lullaby, underscored by the white noise hum of the heaters.
Scout sighed quietly, the warmth of his teammates sinking into his bones. The scent of Heavy, freshly showered after their battle today, pleasantly filling his senses. The soft brush of body hair against Scout's smooth skin made his heart flutter in a way he couldn't describe. It wasn't lust, or longing. It was something stranger. A giddy comfort. Complete, utter contentment. Winter at Coldfront was the worst. But warm nights huddled together made the fighting worth his while. That and the paycheck, of course.