Hanzo thought he needed to have his head checked—how Mei talked him into ice skating he had yet to figure out. He was more than content to stand at the edge and watch, but she insisted that he join her. He tried to say no, that he was fine right here.
"Please Hanzo?" Mei asked, her eyes wide and that slight pout. Now he remembered why he agreed to this, he could never refuse his snow queen. Especially when she made that face. At first, he didn't think much of it, after all it was just frozen water. He handled icy surfaces before, he was trained to handle all sorts of terrain. It wasn't until the moment he stepped onto the rink in ice skates that he realized his error. He slipped and slid all over the rink, barely able to keep his balance.
"Kuso!" Hanzo shouted as he almost fell for...however many times, he had lost count by then. Mei, on the other hand, was gliding on the ice as though she was born to. She skated to him when she saw he was at the rail again.
"Take my hand! We'll go together."
"Mei...maybe you should enjoy yourself. I will be okay."
"Hanzo. It's all right. I won't let you fall." Hanzo was relucant to take her hand, which caused Mei to frown. Not because Hanzo was being stubborn, but because she could see the battle he waged inside. It wouldn't be the first time she saw him struggle to admit he needed help; no doubt it would be the last either. Hanzo hated admitting he needed help in anything, and those monsters he called elders compounded that by teaching him that to need help in anything was weak, and weakness had no place in their cult—she could never call the group he grew up with, grew up in, a clan. Not even when the clan was a criminal organization that spanned all over the world in a smaller capacity than they had liked to admit.
"They are long dead, Mei-Ling." Hanzo said, giving a small smile. "Which is fortunate for them from the look on your face." Mei flushed at the mention.
"Oh, am I that obvious?"
"You are to me, takara, but then I know you and it is rare you get angry at anything."
"Tell me again how they died."
"For a time, I thought they were in hiding, after Overwatch dismantled them, either from the authorities or...other entities. I still had asssassins come after me, but about a month before I met you, I found out what happened. The remains of the Shimada had been purged by Doomfist just before his incarceration, he saw them to be a liability because of their insistence of maintaining appearances that no longer suited them."
"And the assassins sent after you were from Talon, not the Shimada, since that purge."
"Correct. Doomfist thought to keep up the charade that I was pursued in order to push me into joining into Talon, and to increase my strength through combat so I would be strong when I, to his mind, joined them."
"But you didn't join them."
"No, and Doomfist was not pleased. It has not deterred him from trying to recruit me, however."
"It hasn't. I think he has a crush on you. That will not do." Hanzo laughed at the look on Mei's face, one that was supposed to be outraged jealousy but came out more as a crumbled pout. "Hey, don't laugh! If you won't tolerate others hitting on me, then I should repay the favor!"
"I am honored to have such a champion at my side." He took her hand and she showed him how to skate, how to use his legs to slow down and how to speed. Hanzo found himself learning fast, and he took Mei's hand and they skated together. He still stumbled, but Mei didn't let him fall, just as she said. It was a good feeling, to have someone to catch him at times. They skated the rest of the day, and walked back to base.
"I had fun, Mei." Hanzo said, giving her a kiss on her temple. "Thank you, for everything." To that, Mei smiled.
"I got you onto the ice, my dragon." Mei said. "You did the rest."
"Some day, I will not be so apprehensive about needing help. Especially if you are here to provide help." With that, he pecked her on the cheek and they walked together, arm-in-arm as the sun set. They were interrupted by a cell phone ring. Hanzo saw it was his and pushed 'Ignore' on the phone when he saw the number. Mei grabbed the phone and redialed the number before Hanzo could stop her.
"Hanzo." Doomfist said on the other line. "Have you called to change your mind?"
"Is this Doomfist?" Mei asked.
"It is. Dr. Zhou, it would do you no good to interfere in this." Mei glared at the phone and growled.
"I am only going to tell you this once, you masher—stay away from my dragon! Find someone else to have an obsessive crush on, or else!"
"Or else what?" At that, Mei smiled—a cold smile, something Hanzo had never seen on her before.
"I'll geld you, of course." She hung up before he could respond, then handed Hanzo his phone back. "If he bothers you again, you tell me, Hanzo."
"You just threatened to geld one of the most dangerous terrorists in the world..." Hanzo said, gaping.
"I did not threaten him, I promised him. There is a world of difference." Hanzo just smiled. "You've done the same for me."
"Fair enough." Hanzo smiled and they resumed walking. He was glad she was there to help him, and to protect him as he does her. They protect each other, which is how it should be.