Chapter Text
The sun is setting by the time they set up camp in the abandoned village on the hill. A small, skeleton team had been sent out to the Black Forest to investigate the apparent sightings of an activated E54 unit from the Omnic Crisis. The Omnic themselves ended up being friendly, and after they have a long conversation with Zenyatta, the group learned their name was Bastion. The small yellow bird that followed them around also has a name and is known as Ganymede.
The bird itself actually flits over to Hanzo where he’s sat overlooking the valley and the sprawling dark forest below. The archer doesn’t have much to offer the bird, but it’s not seeming to be seeking food. It takes a stick when Hanzo plucks one from the dirt, chirping happily before taking it and flitting back to where Bastion was resting in their turret form. Otherwise, there was no noise but the wind and the slow churning of the water wheel Hanzo was sitting near.
The silence was broken by the sound of spurs, and not long after McCree sat down heavily next to Hanzo, stretching his legs out before him. The heels of McCree’s boots were nearly touching the edge of the cliffside, and Hanzo watches Jesse nudge a stone off the side. Hanzo takes the opportunity of peace to lean against his lover, and Jesse wraps an arm around Hanzo’s shoulders with an easy smile. The others are setting up their so-called sleeping accommodations, Jesse must have just finished his and Hanzo’s.
“Our sleeping bags are all set up then?” Hanzo asks, settling his back against Jesse’s chest. His gunslinger accommodates him easily, and places his chin on Hanzo’s shoulder.
“We’ll be cozied up all snug, dontcha worry, Darlin’,” Jesse promises, kisses Hanzo’s cheek and rubs his scruff against Hanzo’s neck to make him squirm. Hanzo can feel Jesse’s smile against his skin when he does try to squirm from the roughness of Jesse’s beard.
“Sounds promising. It’s unfortunate I’ve decided to take first watch.” The lament is only half felt by Hanzo since the first watch means getting to sleep cuddled up to Jesse and the luxury of staying asleep until they have to leave in the morning.
“I’ll make sure our bed for the night is nice an’ toasty by the time ya get back from watch duty.”
“Perfect.” Hanzo turns in Jesse’s arms to cup his face and rub the scruff of the gunslinger’s beard with his thumb. “You know me so well.”
“I’d hope so, baby.” Jesse presses a kiss to the tip of Hanzo’s nose, “Only been together three years. If I didn’t pick up on that I’d be a downright terrible boyfriend.”
“The absolute worst.” Hanzo deadpans.
“Downright despicable.” Jesse continues, grinning while he dips his face closer to Hanzo’s, lips hovering just above Hanzo’s.
“A terrible boyfriend indeed,” Hanzo repeats and closes the space left between them.
The kiss itself is soft and languid, and there’s nowhere Hanzo would be in that moment then in Jesse’s arms. The kiss deepens slowly, with Hanzo’s cupping Jesse’s face and tenderly rubbing his fingers through Jesse’s beard. Their kiss is interrupted by a disgusted noise from Hana who plops down next to them both and offers them their supper in two thermoses.
“You’re both gross.” She says as she opens her own hot pink thermos to drink some soup from it, “Seriously. Gross.”
“You’re jus’ jealous Hana,” Jesse replies, rubbing Hanzo’s belly while the archer hands Jesse his thermos.
He takes the thermos with a grateful kiss to Hanzo’s cheek, and both of them move apart, not far, of course, to eat their supper. Hanzo still leans against Jesse to relish in the gunslinger’s natural body heat. The weather is cooling at the moment with the sun having set, and Hanzo’s pretty sure there is rain on the way, a thunderstorm at that. He can tell by the way his dragons excitedly writhe underneath the inked skin of his tattoo.
Hana and Jesse are still throwing insults back and forth, and Hanzo takes the time to eat his soup, half listening to their conversation. Jesse’s good with the younger members of the team and Hanzo briefly considers what Jesse would be like around children. Possibly their children. One day.
Hanzo leans more into Jesse’s side and muses on the thought of Jesse trying to chase around a toddler, perhaps two, in some painfully domestic setting. At some point Genji comes to sit next to them, his own dinner clutched close. Hanzo wonders if Genji’s armored body is more susceptible to the cold, but he doesn’t dare ask. Their relationship is less strained then it was when Hanzo first came to Overwatch’s attempt to restart, but there are lines Hanzo still refuses to cross lest he offends his brother. For now, there is small talk between them and good company.
Eventually, it’s time for Hanzo to take the first watch. The moon is full and bright in the sky, which will make Hanzo’s watch all the easier unless that storm he can feel coming sets in quicker than anticipated. He moves about the village as he watches over where his friends and lover have made their camp inside one of the remaining buildings.
For the most part, Hanzo’s watch is an uneventful one, up until the last hour. The sharp noise of twigs and brush breaking makes him snap his head towards the sound before his ever-silent feet follow. There’s the ruined shell of a transport of some kind, and Hanzo inches inside its shadow, the full moon will do nothing to conceal him otherwise. Eventually, he spots the cause of the noise, a large hulking figure that is skulking past the light grey stone of the ruined village. At first, Hanzo thinks it’s a bear, but its form is far too clear in the moonlight for it to be anything other than a wolf. A huge wolf.
A wolf, that apparently can stand on two legs, for that’s what the creature does when Hanzo draws an arrow when he notices it heading towards the camp. That camp that no longer holds its interest, for the creature’s bright golden eyes are trained on where Hanzo is hidden underneath the red shell of the transport that crashed long ago. There’s a moment, where Hanzo thinks the creature cannot see him where he’s hidden in the shadows, but that reassurance is instantly broken when he and the creature lock eyes.
Hanzo has no time to comm his comrades, for the wolf creature lowers itself to all fours and charges him. The most he can muster is a startled yell and hopes someone is awake enough to hear until he can comm them as he moves back from under his cover to scramble over it as the wolf dives for his previous position. Hanzo is scrambling up the old rusted carapace of the wreck as the wolf recovers, and he knows it won’t be far behind as he runs through the windmill building in front of him.
Hanzo whips around and looses an arrow that lodges deep into the shoulder of the creature when it crests over the top of the wreckage after him, but its hulking form does not falter in the slightest. It only pulls the arrow out with its teeth before snapping the arrow in two in its jaws, but by that time Hanzo has made his way out of the husk of the windmill and has clambered up to perch on the roof. He barely pulls the metal ankle of his prosthetic out of the way of the wolf’s jaws when it leaps at his climbing form to try to catch him.
Hanzo hazards peering down from the roof of his perch on top of the windmill. The wolf is pacing on the floor below, watching Hanzo and snarling up at him. There’s something intelligent in its bright golden eyes that unnerve the archer. He draws another arrow and takes aim but his comm crackles to life rather loudly and makes him flinch.
“Hanzo! Where are you?! We’ve been hearing snarls… are you okay?” The voice on the other end of the comm is Hana’s.
“There’s a wolf,” Hanzo replies, inching back away from the edge of the roof when said wolf jumps for him again. Hanzo promptly releases two arrows in quick succession into the claws digging into the shingles of the rooftop. The wolf loses its grip and falls back down to the ground with a furious roar. “A huge wolf, I’m not even entirely sure it is a wolf. I’ve shot it three times now, and there’s no sign of it backing off. I need assistance.”
“Got it! Just hold tight.” there are the tell-tale sounds of Hana’s mech powering up in the background on her end, “Where are you?”
“On the roof of the windmill, north side from the camp.” Hanzo hazards another glance over the edge of the roof, looking for the creature hounding him, “Be careful, it’s lurking around the second story balcony.”
“I’d like to see some wolf try to get the best of me and my baby.” Hana sounds as confident as ever, and it’s actually pretty reassuring.
What isn’t reassuring, is that Hanzo’s lost sight of the creature entirely.
While he’s edging along the length of the roof there’s another person calling his comm, and Hanzo hears Jesse’s voice through the device, “Baby? You okay, Sugar? Hana’s got us all on standby. There really a big wolf runnin’ round?”
“Yes. Be careful, my love. I’ve lost sight of it.” Hanzo starts to move to the other side of the roof carefully, wary of the rickety windmill blades still spinning and the stability of the roof, “I do not know if it grew bored of me and doubled back towards the camp.”
“Well, I for sure don’t hear anythin’ sneakin’ around here.”
Hanzo is about to reply when there’s the sound of wood splintering, and the windmill creaks loudly. It’s not the roof under his feet, like he’d originally feared, but the wolf has made a reappearance, using the skeleton of the windmill blades to scale to the roof. It apparently hadn’t given up on its quarry. Hanzo fires an arrow at it, another two after the first doesn’t even hinder it as it stalks towards him on the roof. The only saving grace is that the wolf is as unsure of the stability of the rooftop as Hanzo is, and doesn’t look too keen on advancing too quickly.
Hanzo steps back cautiously, and the wolf places its paws slowly down on the roof, one place at a time, feeling out where it’s for sure solid. Hanzo’s got a few options, which is scale the rest of the windmill, or return to the ground floor and try to regroup with the team. Considering the wolf literally just scaled the blade of the windmill like a ladder, the higher rooftop is looking like a poor choice. Though, once on the ground, the wolf could outrun him.
Jesse’s worried voice comes back through the comm, “…Han? Baby?”
“It’s on the roof with me. It’s scared it’ll break through, so it won’t advance quickly.” Hanzo voices, shooting an arrow at the paw of the wolf to make it move back, and Hanzo reaches back to his quiver and feels only a few arrows remaining as he retreats another step, “But I’m almost out of arrows, and it will reach me eventually.”
Jesse’s silent for a beat before he speaks again, “The second story of the roof is out of the question?”
“Yes. The wolf climbed the windmill blades to get up here, it’s likely it will do the same to follow me up.” Hanzo’s retreating back again, he’s hesitant to take his eyes off the wolf but he does to see just how much rooftop he has left. There’s not much more to go to get down again, “The other option would be to return to the ground floor, and regroup with you.”
“…I’m on route then.”
“Jesse! Don’t do anything foolis-“
While distracted with Jesse, the wolf has advanced on Hanzo and has pounced for him. Hanzo puts his storm bow between him and the wolf’s jaw’s just in time, and both of them roll across the roof and crash through it into the building below. Hanzo’s fall is at least broken by the wolf, but it is also broken by the wolf, whose teeth are around storm bow like a vice. Hanzo can hear Hana’s mech somewhere close, but it’s not long before the wolf tears the bow from Hanzo’s grip and tosses it aside then overpowers him to flip their positions. The wolf’s long claws dig into Hanzo’s sides as the archer is manhandled. The wolf is about to go for Hanzo’s throat before the archer punches the creature square in the jaw, and it staggers back in shocked surprise.
Hanzo takes the opportunity to kick the wolf away and put more distance between them. His sides burn from where the claws had torn his skin and his body aches from the fall, but he can’t stop to assess his injuries just yet. There is still the wolf, and it is recovering from Hanzo’s punch and kick. Its furious snarls are at Hanzo’s heels again.
Hanzo hazards a glance behind him, and the large form of the wolf is indeed in pursuit of him again and gaining. The creature clearly has more endurance than Hanzo, and clearly isn’t slowed down by the injuries it’s sustained.
Hanzo faces forward again and tries to push his body harder to get away. Adrenaline can only do him so much good, and he can feel himself getting weighed down already. He has a sobering moment, as the snarls get louder behind him, that he realizes it's likely he could very well die here. Ripped to pieces by a monstrous wolf.
Hanzo thinks of Jesse’s smile and his warmth. Cuddles under the worn serape on the cliffside after missions. Cigarillos passed between them as ships chug across the sea. Stolen kisses in the heat of battle, waking up next to his cowboy when they’re granted moments of reprieve.
Hanzo’s not ready to give that up just yet.
Hanzo rounds on the wolf and roundhouse kick it in the muzzle. Hanzo’s working things out with Genji, he has a lover in Jesse and a strange sort of family in the reformed Overwatch. The only way he’s going down is fighting, so fight he will. The wolf he’s facing down finishes shaking its massive head as it recovers from Hanzo’s metal foot to the face, and soon it starts to pace around Hanzo warily.
The showdown between the wolf Hanzo is broken when the wolf is shot right in the side of the head, the familiar report of Peacekeeper’s gunfire the sweetest music to Hanzo’s ears. The massive wolf slumps and so does Hanzo, but there is a sudden wall of cowboy in front of him to break his fall.
“I found him, Hana.” Jesse comms to their teammate as he looks Hanzo over, and Hanzo can’t hear Hana’s reply over the pounding in his own ears, “He’s hurtin’, from scratches externally, but God knows what coulda got messed up when they fell through the roof.”
Hanzo’s world lurches again as Jesse scoops him up into his arms, and starts carrying him back towards where Hanzo can now see Hana’s bright pink MEKA. It’s all he can do to cling to Jesse in sheer relief, resting his head on Jesse’s shoulder. The familiar red serape is soft against his cheek, and it smells like home.
Hanzo’s relief, however, is short-lived.
There’s an enraged howl behind them, and suddenly Jesse lurches with a cry, dropping Hanzo. Hana gives a startled cry and her MEKA thuds past Hanzo as quickly as it can. There was a moment where Hanzo can still feel Jesse behind him before his warmth is suddenly absent. Hanzo turns just in time to see Jesse being dragged by the wolf, the wolf’s jaw clasped tight around Jesse’s calf.
Jesse himself kicks at the wolf, trying to get the wolf to let go as he grunts in pain from the teeth of the creature digging into his flesh. He fires Peacekeeper again and again into the wolf, but the wolf does not budge this time. The wolf, however, is getting tired of his shit apparently, and lunges for Jesse’s throat. Jesse just manages to bring his prosthetic up in time, gritting his teeth against the flash of pain that lights up his artificial nerves when the wolf’s teeth sink into the prosthetic.
“Hey! Chew on this!” Hana cries as she backhands the wolf with one of the arms of her MEKA, and the wolf thankfully lets go of Jesse’s prosthetic.
Hanzo takes the opportunity to grab Jesse and use his last remaining strength to pull him away from the wolf. Hana moves her MEKA between the two of them and the wolf, standing a steadfast sentinel and glaring the creature down. Hanzo has Jesse’s head pillowed against his chest, and his dragons are writhing under his tattoo, but without his bow to channel them towards a proper target, they are too dangerous to summon with everyone in such close proximity.
The wolf makes a threatening step forwards that Hana matches with one of her own, and it’s soon obvious the wolf is reconsidering the whole ordeal. The wolf snarls and gives a withering look to the group before it starts to slink off.
“You better run!” Hana chases after the creature, and the wolf picks up its pace.
The wolf does stop to give one last glance to where Hanzo and Jesse sit huddled together, it’s golden eyes fixating on Jesse. Hanzo instinctively pulls Jesse closer. Jesse is just huffing and grunting in pain, his prosthetic sparking at his side. Hana makes sure the wolf is running off before she doubles back to check on them both.
“How are you both feeling?” she asks, the lights of her cockpit making her concern plain to them, “You’ve both been roughed up quite a bit tonight.”
“Ya don’t say.” Jesse grits out as he and Hanzo shakily stand. He leans heavily against Hanzo, favoring the leg that was gnawed on, “That thing used me as a chew toy.”
“Yeah, we should get Zen to look at that. Lena’s still at least fifteen minutes out with the transport. I got Genji to radio her when the wolf took you through the roof, Hanzo. Just in case we needed a speedy exit.”
Hanzo just nods. He’ll probably be feeling the soreness of the fall in the morning, but right now his concern is Jesse. Hana helps them both back to their campsite, letting them both lean on her MEKA all the way. Genji immediately is at Hanzo’s side, firing off questions and concerns in rapid Japanese before Zenyatta calmly floats up. Jesse’s and Hanzo’s wounds are cleaned and dressed for Angela to look at when they return to the Watchpoint.
Hanzo just sits slumped next to Jesse for the remainder of the wait for the transport. Jesse seems to be nodding off, and Hanzo’s inclined to follow him, but the knowledge the wolf creature is still out there makes rest difficult. There was something off about the creature, and Hanzo can’t shake the feeling of being watched by those golden eyes and the fact that it had stood on two legs when Hanzo had first seen it. Hanzo’s turned it over and over so much in his head that he’s half-convinced himself he just saw things when Lena shows up in the transport.
They’re in the middle of moving onto the transport when a howl splits the night, and Hanzo moves closer to Jesse in response. Jesse’s arm is around Hanzo’s waist protectively in seconds, and the gunslinger gently urges Hanzo to continue helping him up the loading ramp. Bastion gives a few concerned beeps and boops and places their hand over their tiny bird companion as they thud onto the transport after them. Hana doesn’t move from guarding the ramp until Genji and Zenyatta have also made their way on, and even then she slowly backs her mech up until she’s one hundred percent certain the wolf creature is nowhere near.
Lena herself blinks around them all in concern as they settle in for the flight, stopping to hand both Hanzo and Jesse some water and a bundle of blankets. There’s a peal of thunder overhead, the storm Hanzo had predicted finally setting in. Lena is in the middle of prepping the transport for flight when the rain finally falls.
They’re in the air in moments, and when Lena gives the okay that it’s alright for them all to move about the cabin, Hanzo merely pushes the restraints away from himself and settles against Jesse’s side. Exhaustion is finally catching up with Hanzo, and it seems to have taken Jesse if the soft snores are anything to go by.
When he does slip into sleep, it’s a handful of fitful nightmares consisting of yellow eyes and snarls at his heels.