001

[need_healing]

[The alert had come on a quiet, snowy evening, on a channel that Genji barely remembered he even still had access to. It was little more than a ping, a simple query that required no immediate answer should he decide to ignore it; which, he thinks, would be a mistake. It had been years since Overwatch 'disbanded' in rather spectacular fashion and the remains of the once renowned organization left to the whims of a dispassionate bureaucracy. His memories of those times are... conflicted, tainted by a haze of self-loathing that had nearly consumed him, and even now he struggles to recall them with any real objectivity.

Zenyatta had, of course, so effortlessly sensed his troubled state, and they had talked into the evening on the matter. Afterwards, Genji himself had sat alone through the night reflecting on his course of action. The signal itself isn't what concerns him, but rather who else it would have reached. He finds his thoughts continually drifting to the letter he'd sent not more than a few days ago, addressed to a humanitarian aid outpost in the middle east: Dr. Ziegler would have received the call as well. Hers is one of the few memories he can recall with any amount of genuine fondness, part of the reason he'd made an effort to stay in touch with her even after the shutdown. But now...

He left the next day, with his master's blessing. Peace could not always be maintained by standing still and the omnic had understood Genji's decision to leave in pursuit of it. It was time to move forward and he knew where the first step would take him.

The heat of the Iranian desert is a far cry from the snow of the Tibetan mountains, and far more so the war torn streets that necessitated the need for aid workers like Angela. Genji suspects that this turmoil plays no small part in the recall request and he understands the need, but for the time being, his focus is.. slightly narrower.

She isn't difficult to find and he waits until her tent has emptied of both staff and patients before letting himself in: a corner that had previously been unoccupied quietly taken up now by a figure wrapped in an old nomad's cloak. He doesn't announce his presence immediately, taking a moment to watch her. It's been years since he'd seen her last and it almost doesn't feel real now.]

...Good evening, Dr. Ziegler. [He pushes back his hood and with any luck she won't immediately call security. Or attempt to put him down on her own.] I hope I'm not intruding.

Comments

[need_healing]

[He laughs and takes the elbow to his ribs.] I lived in mortal fear of your kindness.

[Which is more of a truth than a joke. He falls silent after, giving her the moment to speak and listening. Once he'd left Overwatch, he hadn't wanted to be found for so long, wandering in search of something he's not sure ever really existed. It hadn't been until he'd stumbled across the Shambali monks and Zenyatta that he'd been able to start healing the wounds that couldn't be mended with stitches or bandages. Only then, when the storm clouds of his soul had cleared had he been able to look back and see what he had missed.]

You were not wrong. I needed time and... Overwatch needed to be put to rest.

[A small chorus of frogs starts croaking somewhere further down the bank and he slides his hand down to the small of her back, coaxing her closer with a small tug as he turns towards her. A small, amused smile tugs at the corners of her mouth.]

We are both unburdened now, doctor. Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?

[eidgenossen]

[It's less telling and more showing- Angela takes the opportunity to close what little distance there is between them, hesitating for only a second before she presses her lips against his in a kiss. It's not a bold one and she pulls away after only a few seconds, her face hot. This Genji was new to her, and there's a part of her that's afraid she could still cross a line.

Her hands rest against his chest and she presses her forehead against his, her eyes closing as the contact makes her shiver.]

I don't know where this could go, Genji. [One of her hands fumbles for his in the dark, lacing their fingers together.] But I'd like for us to find out, together. I think we have enough time for that.

[need_healing]

[Oh, it's telling in all the ways that matter and Genji is not at all disappointed by the lack of words. The kiss is so fleeting and he has to stop himself from retaking it immediately after it ends. It's been so long- there was a time when he would have freely given kisses to any who took his fancy, but they were empty little things, devoid of any real meaning. Angela did not deserve such cheap pleasantries.

He squeezes her hand and rubs their noses together, his mouth just barely teasing at hers.]

It will go where ever we please, my dear Angela. You gave me this time and I would offer it back to you gladly.

[By contrast, his kiss his bolder, pressing and holding their lips together with a self-sure persistence, nibbling playfully on her lower lip. He feels light in ways beyond just the freedom of spirit he finds in her presence, a boyish giddiness tempered by strife and time and age. He is not who he once was- a fool who would have squandered her tender heart; he is more and he has her in part to thank for it.]

[eidgenossen]

[Her lingering doubts put to rest, Angela responds to the kiss with an eager embrace, nearly throwing the two of them off balance with the way she throws her arms around him. Things had never felt right since they parted ways years ago, but Angela had done her best to not let the 'what if's haunt her- if fate decreed that they never meet again, perhaps there was a good reason.

But Genji was here and real and answering her lingering questions and then some- Angela is all too content to soak it all in, the way his lips felt against hers, just his presence. Ever since Overwatch's shut down, something was finally beginning to make sense again.]

Verdammt... [She's breathless and laughing when she pulls away.] This... is certainly time well spent, no?

[Her lips press against the corner of his mouth and over his cheek, leaving a faint smear of pink lipstick against his skin.]

[need_healing]

[The sound he makes when she nearly topples them is muffled into the press of their lips but he's swift to respond in kind, practically scooping her up into both arms and holding her close. It feels like regaining a part of himself that he'd been missing- but then, Zenyatta had warned him that if he insisted on sending pieces of his heart out with each of his letters, eventually he would need to go recollect them. The recall message wasn't exactly the way he'd planned to go about it, but he's not complaining now.]

Not if you send us into the water. [He couldn't wipe the grin off his face if he wanted to, laughing with her and chasing after her lips, the lipstick on his cheek completely unnoticed. He turns his head and reclaims her mouth, kissing her again as if he could somehow make up for all the times they've missed, all the things that had been left unsaid until now.]

[eidgenossen]

[Angela's laugh is cutoff by the kiss- she takes Genji's face in her hands, her thumb brushing over faded scars. It's easy to forget that they were standing on the muddy banks of a river, caught up in making "reparations".

A cold gust of air snaps Angela out of it, followed by a muffled beeping from her coat's pocket.]

Sheisse-[The noise she makes when she pulls back from Genji is most un-Angela like, fishing the beeper out of her pocket. Her face is red as she squints down at the code, her other arm still around Genji's neck.]

I- ah- [She huffs and takes a reluctant step back from him, looking sheepish.] I need to go take care of this, I shouldn't be long... can you find your way back to my tent?

[Her blush deepens- well, it's not like she can ask him to sleep in a tree, or something. Thankfully the dark hides it.]

i lied im tagging. my long repressed inner weeb screeched while writing this

[need_healing]

[Genji is sorely tempted to snatch the beeper before Angela can get to it and toss it in the river, but if she's getting an alarm at this hour of the evening, it was likely something important. He quirks an eyebrow at her cursing, feeling strangely satisfied that the interruption warranted such a reaction. He'd been having a pretty good time, too.

She looks down at the thing and he takes the opportunity to lean and suck on the side of her neck, more as a distraction than anything he puts actual effort into. The moment was coming to an end and all that was left was the formalities of parting. The taste of her skin lingers on his lips after she steps away, her warmth missed in the cool evening air. The offer of her tent is mildly unexpected- over the years he'd grown accustomed to resting in unconventional places out of necessity, so he hadn't been terribly concerned about where he would spend the night. But a warm tent in the company of a woman he enjoys very much is a far better offer than a rooftop somewhere else.]

Go. I will do my best not to get lost. [He steals a final kiss before he too steps back, retrieving his mask from inside his cloak and clipping it back into place.] Jaa ne, doctor. See you soon.

[He pulls his hood back up and starts off, following the bank of the river. Finding his way back won't be a problem and if Angela bothers to look back for him, she'll find him already disappeared into the night.]

[eidgenossen]

[Angela makes her way to the other end of the camp, a smile on her face, gingerly rubbing the faint mark Genji left behind on her throat.

The camp was mostly composed of doctors and other caretakers, so it's not much of a surprise that the officer in charge had decided to share the scouting reports; an enemy force had been behaving unusually, suddenly breaking off from the main conflict and straying close to the camp's location. The officer didn't seem particularly concerned, promising they'd be taken care of if they got too close, but warned them to be prepared to pack up and move the camp elsewhere if it came to that.

She returns to her tent, her brow furrowed as she pondered what she'd been told. Quite a damper on the mood.]

Genji? [She calls his name from outside the tent, pausing the smooth her hair back into place before poking her head in.]

[need_healing]

[He hadn't been long back at the tent by the time her voice drifts in from outside, having taken a more roundabout route to scout the rest of the camp. Something he should have rightfully done before going to see her the first time, but his eagerness had gotten the better of him.

His dusty cloak is draped over the back of the free chair, swords laid carefully across the seat. Genji himself is lingering near the corner of Angela's desk, turning a small feather around between his fingers. At the sound of his name, he looks up and smiles behind his mask, holding out the little trinket for her.]

You kept these?

[eidgenossen]

[She blinks then smiles shyly when she recognizes the feather, stepping into the tent and closing the flap behind her. She had forgotten she had been looking at the letters earlier that day.]

Ah, well... [Pink spreads across her cheeks as she walks over to him, reaching out to take the feather.] It made me happy, hearing from you after all this time and learning you were doing well. And... I liked having a piece of you with me.

[Her fingers run along the feather's soft edge before she puts it back on her desk. The top drawer is opened and she retrieves her collection of his letters, several other feathers tied to the top of the pile.]

I hadn't realized how aimless I had felt until I received your first letter. [The string is untied and she gently sifts through the pile until she reaches the bottom, holding up a faded piece of paper.] Sometimes I'd reread them whenever I felt lost.

[need_healing]

[It's humbling to realize that she'd kept them all, considering the spartan necessities of living and working in unstable regions. Of all the things she could have saved each time they moved, she chose his letters. Maybe he should have worked a little harder on his penmanship. Or found better looking feathers.

He takes the paper from her hand and sets it down on the desk with the others before brushing aside her bangs and cupping her cheek in his palm.]

Master would say we are all connected, a single thread of existence that binds us together on this world. When we feel lonely, we have forgotten our relationship to that oneness. [He slides his mask off with his free hand and leans in to press a soft kiss to her forehead.] I would say some oneness prefers a more direct connection.

[eidgenossen]

[Angela can't help but quirk a brow; judging from the closeness she thinks Genji's idea of a connection is just a little bit different from his master's... but not one she necessarily disagrees with.]

Hmm... [She tilts her head to capture his lips in a brief kiss.] This is a little more satisfying than just writing letters...

[Her hands cup his face to draw him into another kiss, but she stops, remembering why they had been interrupted in the first place.] Ah, you should know, we might be relocating the camp soon. They think the conflict is starting to grow too close to us.

[need_healing]

[He slides his arms around her waist and steps in closer, content to continue kissing her, when she abruptly stops halfway. The face he makes clearly speaks to how he feels about the second interruption.]

I noticed. [He finishes the distance between them in a kiss that lingers just long enough to tide him over as he mumbles against her mouth.] When I arrived. [Another kiss and he starts shuffling them in the direction of her cot.] Your perimeter is secure for the time being. [He drags his teeth over her lower lip this time.] I checked.

[He sweeps her up and onto the cot with him, unwilling to stray far from her lips. It's not the largest bed, but he suspect it's a far cry better than whatever it is they cram the poor infantrymen into.]

[eidgenossen]

[She can't help but laugh, finding his impatience endearing, returning his kisses with just as much eagerness. There's barely enough room for the two of them but they manage- she drapes herself over him and looks down at him with a coy expression.]

And I am on call... [It's more of a tease than a threat and she leans down to reclaim his lips with a teasing nip. She makes sure to draw the next kiss out to make up for all of the interruptions- the awareness of their surroundings is the only thing that makes her pull back.] Hmm, I'm sorry the mood isn't more romantic.

[She moves her mouth down to his jaw, experimentally brushing her lips against the metal there. They had, of course, done everything they could to give Genji something resembling his old body as closely as they could, but a gentle touch like this wasn't something so easily tested. A part of her is curious, ready to back off if he wasn't comfortable with this.]

[need_healing]

[He shows up without warning to a makeshift aid compound in the middle of a crisis zone and she's apologizing that the mood wasn't romantic?]

Chocolates and rose petals next time, I promise. [He just barely feels the whisper of lips along his jaw and the noise he makes is.. frustrated.] Candlelight under the stars.

[He nudges her away from his chin with a gentle hand, tipping her head back to bare her throat to him. It isn't that he can't feel it or that he doesn't want to, but he'd rather focus on her. Her technology was and continues to be a marvel of science, well ahead of its time, but she is no miracle worker; tactile sensation from the.. parts of him they had needed (or wanted) to replace entirely is a fraction of what he'd once had, just enough to feel and orientate himself. Everything else was supplemented by the suite of augmentations to his other senses. He understands now that it was probably just more efficient this way, or perhaps even Zeigler's prowess was not enough to exactly replicate the intricacies of the nervous system. Whatever the reason, he feels her weight on him, the warmth of her body, but her kiss is a mere ghost of a sensation.

The mark he'd left on her neck earlier is almost faded, so he mouths at the spot just above it, pressing his tongue against her skin and sucking with a bit more effort than before.]

[eidgenossen]

[Whatever disappointment she felt is forgotten when she feels his mouth on her neck, answered with a quiet and sharp gasp. Her eyes close and she cradles the back of his head encouragingly:]

Genji- right here. [She guides him further up to a spot just beneath her ear, her other hand slowly clenching the blankets beneath him. There's a part of her that knows they need to watch what they're doing- particularly when she suddenly straddles him- but it was easy to let the way he soothed her aching and loneliness through his touches and kisses draw her in.]

Mmph- my work visa... does expire soon. And Prague is lovely this time of year. [She talks to keep herself distracted, not really expecting an answer from him. The pale skin of her throat is offered up with another tilt of her head, a hot blush spreading down her cheeks and jaw. Her breathing is growing heavier- she knows one of them has to draw a line somewhere, but neither of them seem interested in doing that.]

[need_healing]

[Her legs slide down on either side of his waist and he tightens his arm around her back, holding her there in silent agreement to the change in position. He remembers, vaguely, wondering what it would feel like to be this close to her, back before he'd left; flights of fancy he knew he would never pursue. There is no imagining now, as he props himself up on his elbow to reach that spot under her ear, breath hot and tongue lapping eagerly against her skin.

He can tell she's rambling and all he offers is an equally distracted hum against her throat just before he starts nibbling on the edge of her ear. It feels like slipping back into old habits the further he goes, leaning up into her and relishing in the way her soft curves press into the harder planes of his body.

In a moment of impulsiveness, he abruptly turns them over, rolling Angela onto her back as he pushes himself up over top of her, dark eyes fixed on her from under the sharp edge of his upper visor-- and the moment their weight shifts, the cot lets out a loud creak that sounds shockingly loud in the silence.

Genji immediately freezes.] Kuso-- [He draws in a steadying breath, but doesn't make any effort to otherwise remove himself from his current position.] My apologies, Angela.

[eidgenossen]

[When he rolls them over she instinctively grabs onto him, ready to pull him down into another heated kiss- but it's how unexpectedly dirty the sound of the cot groaning beneath that makes her realize how close they were to losing control. She practically sinks down into the pillow, hands flying up.]

Oh! Oh, no, there's no need to apologize, Genji. [She tries to play it off as nothing, smoothing down the front of her top and pushing a stray bang back into place, conveniently ignoring that he's still on top of her. The smile on her face is genuine, if flustered, as she shyly looks him in the eye.] But I think we can both agree the atmosphere needs some more work, ja?

[With a gentle hand she pushes him over onto his side and she throws an arm around him, curling up and bumping her nose into his.]

Are you planning on staying long? I'll be here for another month at least... [Her cheek rubs against his, savoring the contact.] I was planning on staying, but I've accumulated quite a bit of vacation days.

[She wouldn't be able to stay away forever, she knows, but a medical camp is hardly the place to explore a newfound relationship. Maybe they could go to Tibet and she could finally meet this Zenyatta...]

[need_healing]

[It's painfully ridiculous how quickly everything comes to a halt, watching Angela try and put herself back into order as if they hadn't both been ready to lose themselves in each other just a moment earlier. All Genji can do is drop his head and laugh in exasperation, complying without protest to the pressure of her hand.]

Or you need a new bed.

[He wraps her in his arms and sighs, closing his eyes for a moment when she nuzzles in against his face. The gentle, almost innocent affection means just as much as the kisses and grasping hands earlier, if not more so, and in a way he might be glad that this is how it turned out. He reaches a hand behind her and sneaks loose her ponytail so he can card his fingers back through her hair, deftly working free the little tangles in the way.]

I don't know. [There was still the matter of the recall, and it's the last thing he wants to think about right now. It also happens to be the thorn around which everything else revolves.] I doubt your superiors will take kindly to my presence here with you, once word reaches them of the recall. Staying could jeopardize your status.

You mentioned Prague?

[eidgenossen]

[Angela snorts:] Ah, yes, I'm sure they'll be so understanding of my reasons for requesting a new cot.

[His fingers through her hair is soothing, her eyes falling close as he lulls her into a lazy, content feeling. Her fingers idly run along the back of his neck, her eyebrows furrowing as vivid images of their history together in Overwatch play in her mind. She can remember making these specific parts for him- did that speak to how much she cares for him?]

Mm, that's true... I doubt that they will care that I have little interest in responding. Sheisse, the last thing this place needs is the United Nations showing up. [She huffs, mentally chiding Winston for his naivety.] I suppose I'll be leaving whether I like it or not.

[She kisses his cheek and gets settled in for sleep, one blue eye opening when he mentions Prague.]

Oh, yes, I visited Reinhardt and his squire there one year- it's a beautiful city. And I do have a place in Zürich... Or-[There's a teasing, deviant look on her face.] -we could go visit Torbjörn. I'm sure he'll be so pleased to see you.

[need_healing]

[Squire? Reinhardt has a squire? Genji isn't terribly surprised that Angela had kept in contact with others from Overwatch, but he wonders now what that will mean if any of them choose to answer the call. It's difficult to predict, but he doesn't think it would really be Angela if she had left them behind.

His fingers continue their idle motions, finding an almost meditative peace in each steady stroke of his hand through her hair.]

Torbjörn? [He chuckles.] How many children is that old man up to now?

[eidgenossen]

He has grandchildren now. [Torbjörn wasn't always the easiest person to be around, but it had touched Angela that he- in his own way- had reached out to her after Overwatch shut down. Winston had been right, in a way, when he said their family had been torn apart.] Reinhardt visits often, too- I know he would definitely be happy to see you.

[It's strange to think about about the possibility of all of them reconnecting- she thinks about Jesse, and Lena (who no doubt had already answered Winston), and wonders what they're up to.]

Mm, but I think I'd like some time for just the two of us. [She pulls back enough to brush their lips together, a tender look in her eyes.] It's only a matter of time until the recall becomes public knowledge.

[need_healing]

No way! Now I feel old. [He never really considered any of the other Overwatch members as 'family', having had little luck with such notions in the past, but maybe he'd been mistaken. It wouldn't be the first time.

He returns Angela's kiss and settles himself into a more comfortable position. 'Just the two of them' sounds... good. Enough to put off his final decision about the recall for a bit longer anyway. He couldn't ignore it entirely, or the ramifications that came with it, but Zenyatta had tried to teach him to spend more time appreciating what was right in front of him.]

Then I will stay, at least for a little while. Rest, Angela. We can talk more in the morning.