From inside of her office, Angela had just finished up filing out the records. They had wanted all the records in place so that they could get the funeral going as soon as possible.
Finally setting the pen down, Angela's weary eyes glanced over the clock, hand absentmindedly reaching for the now-cold cup of coffee. She'd been awake for a good 42 hours now (not including the few minutes spent "resting her eyes"), the last 5 to 8 having been used in order to get all this paperwork put into place.
As mentally dead as she felt, she couldn't really fight the logic behind it. Not only would the preparations cost quite a bit, but there was also the issue of spreading the word, making sure that people could make it; the whole organization part of it. At least that part hadn't been too difficult, the team had always been good at spreading news.
Angela could say with conviction that this had been the fastest record of word spreading they'd ever had.
Angela sighed, leaning back in her chair as she pinched the bridge of her nose. It has been around morning when it happened, around ten in the morning if she remembered correctly. It had been too sudden. One moment she's working on filing some work to Winston, and the next she could hear sirens outside. She'd only figured out exactly what happened after he had been piled into an ambulance.
Feeling another mental onslaught arise, Angela groaned, cup of coffee momentarily forgotten. Why had he been taken to the hospital when he could have been taken to her the moment something happened? Why hadn't she been told what was going on when it was happening? Why had no one told her what was going on until the paperwork had to be written and put in?
Putting those questions aside, Angela couldn't help but stare at the door of her office. Part of her was waiting for the older man to come barging in through those doors as he normally would. Whether it was a serious matter, like a team meeting, or something of a more casual meaning, such as a nice sit down and chat; he always made the most unforgettable appearances.
Oh, and the stories he'd tell! It was as if he had lived more than millions of lifetimes, since he certainly had enough stories to qualify such an existence.
She jumped as a knock came to the door, rubbing her forehead, "…Yes?"
"Angela, are you in there?"
"Where else would I be, Morrison?" Angela scowled, shaking her head. God, she needed to take a nap.
"…Can I come in?"
"Was auch immer." Angela sighed, resting her forehead in her desk as the door opened.
Angela watched as the old soldier walked into her office, as stoic as ever. He stood off to the side for a moment longer, looking no different from any other day. From the way his shoulders were held high to the silent commanding presence he seemed to exude, she could have mistaken this visit as another routine check up, "…I didn't see you waiting outside with the others."
"Someone had to get Reinhardt's records together." Angela replied, yawning into her hand as she slowly pushed her chair back,"Not all have time to cry."
"There is nothing wrong with that." 76 insisted, trying to reach out to pat her shoulder, hug her, something, only to have the medic lean away. Her red eyes locked onto a spot on her desk, arms slumping to the side as if they had no willing to lift themselves anymore. She looked like a wreck, ponytail barely holding back her messy curtain of blonde hair, "Angela, look at me."
Angela huffed, before giving the masked figure a look, the bags under her eyes making her look that much more sullen, "Is there something you require, Morrison? Because, if not, I still have a lot of paper work to get done."
She hated how she couldn't read his expression, the mask betraying nothing. But, even then, she felt as if his hidden eyes were looking her over, as if he were trying to search her soul, "I just wanted to, umm…Are you…Doing okay?"
Angela gave him a look, before laughing lightly. And yet, there was something hidden in those icy blue eyes, "Why wouldn't I be? If anything, I'll most likely be seeing Reinhardt after all of this paper work is finished."
76 sighed, "You don't have to hide it, you know."
"Says the man who wears a mask around."
"You're going off topic."
Angela couldn't help but groan, quickly standing from her chair in order to avoid the soldier's hand, "If you're only here to further aggravate me, you should really go and get ready for the funeral instead."
"I already am." 76 replied, watching as she walked back over to her desk, looking over the papers with those tired red eyes, eyebrows knit together, "But that's not what I'm here for."
"Then why are you here?" Angela huffed, giving him a look over her glasses, her arms folded over her white sweater, "What ARE you worried about?"
"I'm worried about you."
This lead to another sort of glare from the Doctor, "Well, you put your apprehension in the wrong thing. Now, you really should-."
She was cut off when she turned to the soldier, only to realize a bit too late that he'd snuck up behind her. She didn't have much time to react before he'd managed to snag her in his arms, wrapping her up in a tight hug, "Let it all out, Angela."
At this point, the medic could feel the walls quivering, only to shake her head, trying to push the older soldier off, "I've said it once, I'll say it again. I do not need to cry. I don't have the time to cry. I have other things to worry about."
"I know you a lot better then you think I do, Angela Ziegler." 76 insisted, holding her a bit tighter, "I know that you've got an emotional wall that could rival the Great Wall of China."
"Jack-."
"I know that you feel the need to stay strong for everyone else around you."
"Jack, I don't think-."
"I don't care what you think, even if people grief differently. I know that it isn't healthy to keep it all bottled in." 76 pressed, both unwilling and unable to let go at this point.
Angela sniffed, before cursing herself, "It's…Complicated. Don't you dare-."
"I know that he was like a father to you." Jack went on, holding her closer. He wouldn't be surprised if she stayed mad at him for a while after this, but knowing her, it was better this than the alternative, "I know that you two were close. Very close. I know that it hurts you more than you'd ever want to let on."
"Jack, please don't to this to me, not now-."
"I know it hurts, but it'll feel so much better when you let it all out." Jack insisted. All the signs were clear to him, the red eyes and forgotten mugs of coffee on her desk. She did this too often as is, he couldn't even begin to imagine how tired she was.
Angela shook her head, "You don't understand the strain that it puts me under. I could have HELPED him, Jack. I could have saved him."
"But you were busy with other things."
"It does not matter; I could have done something!" Angela cried, tears falling down her cheeks as she gripped his jacket, trying to hide the tears that slowly came down, "I…That…There is SO much I could have done…And now…He's…He's…"
At this point, 76 said nothing, simply holding her there much to Angela's surprise. But then again, what else could be done at this point?
And so, Angela stood there, hidden from the world, the painful, heart breaking, cruel world.
It was beginning to grow to be too much at this point in her life. She'd seen too much in her life time. Too much death. Too much pain. Too much suffering. Just, too much. She'd seen allies die, whether it be on the battle field itself, or on the table. But, to know that someone died when she could have helped, it was something new. And not in a good way.
"It hurts…Verdammt, it hurts so God damn bad." Angela could barely whisper out, the rest of whatever she had to say choked down with her muffled cries, "I don't want to bury anymore friends; I CAN'T bury anymore friends."
All Jack could go was rub her back, trying to ease her pain. Yeah, it was bad for him, too. It was bad for everyone. Reinhardt was the indestructible wall. The Giant that could change the outcome of any battle. With him gone, reality came crashing back down to earth.
No once was Invincible.
All he could so was hold her there, for as long as she needed it. It wasn't much, and he was aware of it. He'd never been good with comfort, but as of right now, it seemed to be doing the trick. If it meant that Angela would finally give herself a break, it was worth it.
Until then, he could wait here with her, for as long as she needed him there.
Right outside of his room, McCree sighed, holding his forehead. His tired expression was hidden in the shadow of his hat, giving others the impression that he was taking a nap. Any other person would have assumed that he had just gotten back from a mission, constantly fighting off the want to nod off. God knows he wished that had been the case.
After news had spread, a small meeting had been called. In order to get the funeral preparations ready as soon as possible, jobs had been divided among those who were available.
After what felt like the longest debate ever, he got stuck with the "go through Reinhardt's stuff" job.
"Sumimasen, have you been waiting long?"
McCree tilted his head up to look over the green cyborg, a tired yet true smile on his face, "Not too long. Where's your brother?"
"He will not be helping us," Genji sighed, before pulling lightly at his tie. Being who he was, he was already ready for the funeral in his black suit, a bright green tie around his neck, "He says he is sorry, but he is helping Reyes and others with the hearse."
McCree nodded, before grasping the doorknob, pushing it open, "Let's get this over with, shall we?" He muttered, more to himself than Genji, before walking in.
The room was sparse, with nothing but cracks adoring the grey cement walls. The only thing on the floor, besides the standard desk and bed, was an old fluffy rug.
McCree headed for the desk, looking through the neat papers stacked up to the side, only to notice he was alone. Turning back to the doorway, he sighed, "You gonna help me in here or what?"
Genji shook his head, forcing one step through the door, "…This does not feel right."
"Look, if you don't want to, I can go ahead and look through the sock drawer for you-."
"Not only that," Genji cut in quickly, "It just feels very…dishonorable to be here, especially right now."
"If you don't want to, go ahead and take it up with Angela." McCree sighed, reading through the papers. Most of them were old mission reports, and from the looks of it, it seemed as if these never got filed in.
McCree couldn't help but chuckle, "And the old dog got on me when I was turning in reports late."
"If at all." Genji agreed, opting to look at places around the room.
Other papers held small little notes, to some McCree couldn't help but grin, "Hey, Genji; check this out. 'Note to self, remember that Hana's birthday is tomorrow. I need to get a hold of the latest gadget. I believe it is called the PlayBox? Or perhaps an X-Station?' Jeez, he was such a hoot."
Genji nodded, still looking through his side of the room, "…He…Was a good man."
"A GREAT man." McCree sighed, trying to sort the papers, "For as old as he was, he never did slow down. Hell, for as long as I could remember, he would always push himself, you know? Do as much as he could."
He then laughed, "I remember when we were Blackwatch, Back when shit made sense. Never did see the giant much, but it was still enough for him to call me stuff like 'Sunny boy' and 'Grandson' at times. The funniest part is that, as a joke, Morrison use to call him 'Boy'. I still don't really get it, but I think I can understand why."
"And then there was that one Christmas, I went with Reinhardt to go shopping. He'd gotten all the younger ones there own set of some game; all I really remember is the fact that it was something that was limited edition. He told me not to tell, but you know what a bribing Hana is capable of? First time I'd ever seen the guy angry off the field."
Genji nodded, simply listening in on what the cowboy had to say. He understood that everyone had their own different way of grieving, so to know that McCree was working through it rather well, he could bear being the listening ear.
"Still remember the first mission I went on with him, when Overwatch reformed after Recall. Can't count how many times he had to save my sorry ass on the field. More then Mercy had to stich me up, lemme tell ya."
McCree began to drift off into his own little world, still sorting through the papers and memos, "Ha, Genji; get a load of this. 'Note to self, tomorrow is Black Friday. I have enough money, the only issue is getting through the store. I am not scared of not getting an item, nor am I scared of having to fight someone for a toy. I'll have to be mindful of my surroundings, the last thing I want is to accidently step on a child's doll again'. I remember that Black Friday!"
As McCree went on with his story, Genji opened up the closet. Hanging there, in pristine condition, was the legendary armor itself. It was large enough to take up most of the closet area, the helmet sitting right next to it.
"...Here's a change, 'Note to self, Jack keeps bringing it up, so I'd like to write it down while I'm still breathing. I want to be buried with my armor watching over me, even when I'm finally put to rest. It had protected me all of these years, so it only seems fair that I stick with it, even in death'. This was dated about a week ago, Genji."
The cyborg began to worry, as seconds of silence went by. He leaned out of the closet area, "McCree?" Genji called out, McCree's back turned to him as he stood there, hunched over the desk.
Nothing.
"Jesse?"
"…It's kinda messed up, you know." McCree laughed, almost bitterly, two fat tears streaming down his face, "He wrote this a WEEK ago. On God, here's another one, 'Note to self, my back has been aching for a while now. It also feels as if my chest is about to collapse into itself. Maybe I really should think about retiring at this point'. That was dated YESTERDAY."
"Jesse, calm down. You're hyperventilating."
"Remember when we went to that bar? He said that he'd never leave the base." McCree choked out, "He said it himself, if it meant that the team stays together, he would never leave us again. Said Recall was the best thing to happen to him; a chance to see his family again."
Another gross sob fought its way out of McCree's mouth, "I remember this one time, I guess Reinhardt didn't like that I'd stick a blade of grass in my mouth from time to time." McCree went on, "Told me to stop, I began smoking indoors instead. Ha, man was furious."
Genji really was unsure about what to do. He was not one that was too good when it came to comfort, he was much better off being a type of silent help.
Finally, he walked over, patting McCree on his back, "I…Am sorry."
"It's not just me," McCree sighed, his hat covering his face, "He was a great guy, real strong branch of our team. Lots of people depended on him. Dude was the wall, the Invincible stone- hell, the TITANIUM wall! What are we going to do now!?"
"We will cross that bridge when we get to it." Genji insisted, before looking over to the armor, "For now, we should get this stuff outside to the others, along with these notes."
"I'll…Give them to Angela, or something." McCree insisted, wiping the tears away, before throwing his head back, laughing, "It doesn't feel right, you know? This feels like some big messed up prank. I'm waiting for him to walk in with a huge smile and that loud laugh of his. I just...I mean...None of this feels right."
"It will feel like that for a while." Genji murmured, sighing lightly. Yes, a lot of changes were to come, some for better, others for worse. But, if anything was for certain, it was the fact that he, along with everyone else, knew that Reinhardt would be with them, "Now, let's get this armor outside."
"Okay…" McCree murmured, taking a moment to compose himself, before that signature crooked smile turned back up on his face, tears still collecting in his eyes, "You think I can go and try it on?"
"Do you want bad luck?"
"Calm down, Mr. One-with-the-universe. I was just trying to lighten the mood."
Usually, these three were the loudest.
Period.
There was Lúcio, always blasting some type of music. Whether it be in his own native language or some sort of Skrillex nonsense, most found it annoying.
Then there was Hana. She wasn't as loud as she was a troublemaker. With that said, God knew that no one could hope to rival her volume when she lost a round of any type of game.
And then, we have Tracer.
Do I really need to explain myself here?
With that said, seeing them all sitting together in silence would be enough to make anyone do a double over. The three of them sat on the couch, a doleful air rising from three were the best of friends, some comparing them to what Reyes, Morrison and Ana had when they were younger. So, to see them all sad at once, that was no common scene. The three of them sat in the dim atmosphere, not a word exchanged. No music was shared, no epic wins were spoken of, nothing exciting was said.
Heck, there really was nothing exciting to speak of.
Their silent grief was a complete contrast from the bright party streamers and balloons that filled the room. Everything had been decorated similarly to a child's birthday, complete with a giant "HAPPY BIRTHDAY REINHARDT!" banner.
Finally, Hana sighed, before leaning back, "…This is SO unlike us." She sighed, attempting to ignore the slight waver in her voice. She wasn't about to break down for the fourth time today, no way.
"Well, what do you expect to come out of this?" Lúcio couldn't help but speak up.
"This ain't exactly a birthday party." Tracer sighed.
Hana nodded, as she shook slightly, trying to hold back the waves of emotion from within, "It was suppose to be." She spat out bitterly, almost glaring down the banner that hung over the doorway.
This was followed by yet another wave of silence.
Suddenly, it was cut in half when a sniffle was heard. Lúcio and Tracer looked over to the Korean girl between them, there hearts ripping into two, "Hana, you alright, love?"
"Of course I a-am!" Hana insisted, trying to keep a happy smile on her face, "So what, if he ended up dying during a heart attack, rather then in the heat of battle, like a hero? So what if he left behind a team- no, a family of people who couldn't care more for him? GG, if you ask me." Hana insisted, eyes growing red and puffy.
Tracer huffed, draping an arm over Hana's shoulder, "Don't be like that, love. You know that you can cry if you need to. Right, Lúcio?"
"Hmm? Oh, oh yeah!" Lúcio asserted, trying to make it seem as if he hadn't been tuning out for the sake of what Hana was doing, "If you need to go, let those tears flow!"
To this, Hana scoffed, giving him a look, "Someone sounds like a bit of a hypocrite."
"Ah…Guilty." Lúcio sighed. Unlike a lot of the team, he hadn't had much time to hang around the older-then-76 Veteran. And yet, he still heard more then enough to know that the dude was a great, no, an awesome guy.
Tracer nodded, before sighing, leaning back on the couch, "...Remember that one time, when Reinhardt was trying out mobile gaming?" Lena laughed lightly, a small sniffle forcing its way out.
"Remember how many phones he went through?" Hana laughed a bit bitterly, holding her knees to her chest, "Remember when he got that iPad? He thought he was 'so hip', as he had called it. And how many questions he'd ask about anything that had anything to do with electronics? And how he'd always try to friend me in social media and games? Everyone thought that he was my grandfather."
"He felt like MY grandfather." Lena choked back a slight sob.
Lúcio couldn't help but feel a bit out of place, not really knowing how to feel, before whistling, "Well, this is a somber moment."
"Puedo arreglar eso, si quieres."
Lúcio sighed, "I said SOMBER, not SOMBRA." He muttered, glaring up at the open space behind the couch. Just as he thought, the hacker materialized behind them, leaning over the couch with a large grin on her face.
To this, Sombra shrugged, "Same difference." She murmured, before looking over the room, "What's happening here? Did someone on the team turn three or something?"
"Bug off," Was Hana's curt reply, "Shouldn't you be off bugging some other people?"
"Can't find anyone," Sombra sighed, dramatically leaning over the couch, the back of her hand coming to rest on her forehead, "You three were the first I found when I came back; figured I'd drop in and say hello."
"Well, you did that. You can leave now."
"Wow, someone's hostile." Sombra chided, poking Hana's arm, "What's wrong, bebita? Did someone spit in your cheerios?"
"Go away."
"Now really isn't a good time." Lena warned, subconsciously leaning away from the two of them.
"Come on, Sombra," Lúcio chided, "Can't you see that this isn't a good time?"
Finally, Sombra scoffed, standing straight up as she smirked, "Don't tell me that Gamer Girl here is a wreck because of some stupid death-."
No one was ready for Hana to leap over the couch, tackling Sombra to the ground, "꺼져버려!" Hana screeched, hands finding their way around Sombra's throat. Lena jumped over the couch, attempting to pry Hana off. All Lúcio could do was sit back and watch, shock painted onto his face.
"You don't get to say that!" Hana shouted, angry tears streaming down her face as she glared down at the hacker, "You have no right to say anything like that, you 년!"
Finally, after much punching, kicking and screaming, Lena managed to haul Hana off, "No right...You...You have no right..." Hana choked out, fists still shaking with rage as she glared Sombra down.
"God, sorry for trying to lighten the mood." Sombra sneered, a hand coming up to rub her neck as she scowled, "All of you are so serious all the time, jeez..."
"Love, now is a good time to leave." Lena nearly growled, her voice low and uncharacteristically serious.
"You've done more than enough." Lúcio added, not looking forward to another altercation.
After what felt like the longest stare down ever, Sombra scowled, "Fine, be like that." She sighed, waving her hand off to the side, "If you guys want to wallow in your own pity forever, go ahead. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and do something that DOESN'T make me want to break down."
With that, Sombra dissolved into a matrix-like purple light, leaving the room silent once more. Meanwhile, Hana slowly rose, having had regained control over her breathing, "...망할개자식..." She muttered, spitting out the words before collapsing into the couch.
Lena followed quickly, nearly tackling Hana in a comforting hug. Lúcio was quick the follow, the two of them holding the still-shaking Hana close. The silence of the room returned, but rather than somber, Hana wanted to feel like it felt just a bit better.
Finally, after what felt like years, someone in the doorway cleared their throat. Lúcio turned to the doorway, before giving a nod of respect, "Ana."
"Children," She acknowledged them, eyes somehow looking both stone cold and sensitive, "The funeral will be soon."
Not needing any other words, Hana was the first to rise from the couch, an almost determined look on her face as she dashed out to follow after Ana, Lena and Lúcio not too far behind.
It was unbearably warm and sunny outside.
The service was like those for many other members of the military. They carried the coffin down the lane, from the hearse right to the burial spot. They had made a nice spot, right to the side of the entrance to the base. It was just like the memorial in the front of the building, just a lot smaller, ironically.
On either side of the walk way, many people stood. From the normal agents to the modern person, from the top to the bottom of the Overwatch base.
On one side, Genji, Zarya and McCree held the coffin over their shoulder; Reaper, Winston and Hanzo holding up the other half.
When it passed, Angela forced her own sniffles down, eyes unable to look directly at the large coffin. 76 stood by her, keeping a comforting hand on the doctor's shoulder.
As he walked, McCree tipped his hat down in respect, a small smile on his face from all of the fond memories.
The trio held hands tightly, the grip only getting tighter when the coffin passed by them, slowly growing closer to Reinhardt's final resting place.
Thanks to Genji's extra step, the agents were, with much care, able to get the armor outside. The metal had been polished to near perfection, almost giving the armor the illusion of a bright guiding light. It gleamed brightly, just like the old man's smile. Just as he requested, he would be buried at the base, so that he would continue to watch over the team, for decades to come.
Finally, the big guy made it down to the end, before slowly being lowered into the base, which had already been dug out.
Angela couldn't help but tune out of the rest of the service. She couldn't bring herself to pay attention when the Priest came up to say a few words, nor did she jump when they did the 21-gun salute.
McCree on the other hand was present, for once. For every word that was uttered, as he stood off to the side of Reinhardt's final resting place. It was nice to remember that he had the support of his friends.
The trio couldn't help but cry softly into each other, hands held tightly as they all fought off their tears. No matter how hard she tried, Hana couldn't fight off the sudden sniffles that assaulted her every now and then.
Finally, people were allowed to come towards the coffin, holding different flowers for the final goodbye.
Angela couldn't help the choked sob, unable to say anything, as she placed the rose down, before retreating back into 76's open embrace. With her emotional walls slowly crumbling down, she began crying for what seemed to be the hundredth time today.
McCree on the other hand placed the blade of grass he'd been chewing onto the coffin, before grinning, "Hey, ya big Rhino. I finally stopped chewing the grass. Looks like you did end up winning this one. Sorry though, can't stop smoking any time soon. I'll, umm, see you in the next life." With that said, he walked back to the coffin's side, hat hug low.
The trio approached as if the coffin would detonate, as Tracer placed the first flower down, "Hey, Reinhardt. So; God, I don't know what to say." Tracer giggled lightly, before coughing, "I can't try to pretend; it won't be the same without you, love, it never will be…but we'll do our best to go through with your wish!"
Hana then placed a flower down, her hands shaking, "…T-thank y-you…for e-e-everything." She managed to get out of her throat, before sobbing into Lúcio's shoulder, loud gross sobs escaping her mouth.
Lúcio rubbing her back, setting down a flower, "Hey, big guy…Umm…I didn't really get too well of a chance to get to know you, but, umm…Damn, I really don't know what to say."
He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head, only to be led away by Tracer, Hana still sobbing into his shirt.
After being trapped in what felt like a haze of anguish, Angela couldn't help but feel a bit disconnected. She only decided to come back to reality when 76 lightly tugged at her hand, "Come on."
Angela gave him a look, "…What are you talking about?"
"The after party."
"…After party?"
"Another one of Reinhardt's many requests." 76 chuckled lowly, as the crowd dispersed, "Something Reinhardt had went off about. Besides, we were supposed to go out for drinks today, the whole team. Knowing Reinhardt, he's already there."
"Man wouldn't let me smoke for him, but I'll be darned if he said that I couldn't drink for him either." McCree said, catching up with the two, "Count me in!"
"I suppose I will come along," Genji sighed, "To honor a friend."
"Don't count us out!" Tracer said, dashing over. Hana and Lúcio weren't too far away, "I don't know about you chaps, but I could go for a drink of five!"
"That's not how numbers work," McCree grinned, "It's from zero to a hundred!"
It sounded like any other day, the team going out for drinks after a long day of work and preparation. No, it didn't feel like he was gone, and yes, it would be like this for a while; but everyone knew deep down inside that they would make it.
This was just the beginning though. It was only the start to a road of recovery.
As long as they stuck together, they could do anything.
Angela looked once more over the plague, set on a tall study rock behind the grave.
To the Invincible Reinhardt
A hero never truly dies
I hope you guys enjoyed that.
I'm sorry if they seemed a bit OOC, that's just how I assumed that's how they'd act while they're grieving. I'd imagine that Mercy would be the one to try and keep a calm expression while shi goes down, since that's what she does as a doctor already. That was the main one that took some time for me to think out.
I feel like I should explain myself with this one. Well, someone really close to me past on. I meant to get this out yesterday, but a lot went down, so here it is today. I guess this is just my way to vent out…I don't know, whatever I'm still feeling at the moment, along with paying a sort of tribute.
I may not be able to update this weekend, but I'll see what I can get done. I mean, nothing better then turning my misery into your entertainment, right!?
…That wasn't meant to sound as morbid as it came out…But hey…
Just…remember that life is short. Better to live life to the fullest, rather than looking back on all the things that you could have done.
Well, I run out of stuff to say, so I'll catch you guys next story.
Till then, bai bai.
4/29/19 Update: After having this story up for a while, I decided to revise it a bit. Mostly to make it more read-able, but also so that I could make stuff a little more believable.