Disclaimer: The characters this story is centered around belong in the Overwatch universe. I do not take credit for them nor claim to have created them.
Author's Note: While Angela is indeed a doctor, I believe that she often forgets to take care of herself. She's so concerned with protecting and aiding others that she neglects healthy habits such as sleeping, eating, exercising, etc. Genji cares too much for Angela to let her do that to herself so he makes sure to keep a watchful eye on her and intervene when necessary. Though, despite his enhanced abilities, cybernetics, and artificial (internal and external) body parts; he may still find himself vulnerable and plagued by disease and injury. This is a look into the relationship of Genji and Angela and how the two work in tandem to look after each other.
-o-o-o-
Genji was settled under the cover of night: legs folded, back straight, and eyes closed. A soft breeze swept past causing the grass around him to lightly brush against his legs. Slowly, he drew a deep breath and held it for a few seconds. The following exhale— intended to be controlled— rushed past his lips as a rather exasperated sigh. Perhaps he should give up on meditation tonight.
The temperature had cooled considerably when the sun went down, but that didn't bother him; something else hindered his attempts to meditate. He had tried clearing his mind for hours; occasionally he succeeded, but every time, without fail, concern would plague his thoughts and disrupt him. Not to mention, he felt exhaustion begin to set in. He'd recently returned from a solo mission, yet hadn't gotten the chance to catch up on some much needed rest. Regardless of how many days went by since his return, relaxation remained unobtainable.
The reason: Angela's stubbornness and refusal to sleep. She stayed awake day and night laboring at her desk to further her research, complete reports, reply to emergency calls and pressing messages, and attend to any other task delegated to her. He understood why— she felt she could not afford to stop working for the sake of her peers— but, he had become increasingly worried for her health (and he found he couldn't rest while she overworked and forced herself to remain conscious with lethal amounts of caffeine). If she continued like this, she would become ill, or worse; it would catch up to her during a mission and put her at risk of serious injury.
Opening his eyes, Genji gazed up at the moon through his visor, silently hoping Angela had already fallen asleep at her desk. It would make the remainder of his night far less complicated. With a slight shake of his head, he stood up and let his eyes linger for a moment on the moon before ambling toward the watchpoint's nearest entry.
The interior appeared void of activity, producing a comfortable silence as Genji slipped inside. The other tenants of the base were asleep at this hour, or at least pretended to be. Discreetly, he crept through the halls so as not to disturb the resident agents (until he reached Angela's room of course). After a few minutes, he found the desired doorway and let himself in, still praying he'd find her asleep. His hopes were dashed, however, when he found her hunched over her desk, one hand tangled in her disheveled ponytail and the other clutched onto a pen, rapidly scribbling down information and scratching out mistakes.
He did not attempt to approach her, instead opting to remain at the opposite end of the room.
"It is late."
If Angela heard him, she displayed no sign of acknowledgment. Her pen swished to and fro at the same pace. Though, it seemed that the grip she had on her hair had tightened slightly. Knowing that she had heard him despite her feigned ignorance, Genji crossed his arms.
"I am tired."
She continued to stare intently down at her papers, "Then go to sleep. There is no reason for you to be awake. Like you said, it is late."
"I will not go to sleep until you join me."
"You are being childish."
"I am being serious."
She sighed heavily, "Genji, I have too much work to do; there is no time for me to sleep." Shuffling through a few of her papers, she added one final note to the last sheet before placing them to the side in a neat stack and grabbing an untouched file.
"Angela, you have hardly slept for days. You are going to get sick if you do not rest."
"Hush, I am a doctor. I think I would know whether or not I am susceptible to illness." She coughed lightly and Genji didn't miss how her entire body stiffened. ". . . That was . . . merely coincidental. My throat is just dry." Brushing it off, she cleared her throat and continued with her work.
"Then I will bring you a glass of water," he offered.
"I am fine." She snapped.
"Angela, please—"
She slammed her pen down, the impact causing the undoubtedly cold coffee in a neglected mug to ripple, and turned to glare at him. The dark purple smudges nesting above her cheekbones stood out on her pale face almost as much as her bleary, bloodshot eyes.
"I am capable of taking care of myself!" The shout elicited a second cough. Soon, another ripped from her throat, and more came in quick succession until she found she was unable to stop. Her arm flew up so she could hide her mouth in the crook of her elbow.
"Obviously," Genji muttered, his voice drowned out by her pitiful coughing fit. Quickly crossing the room, he lifted her out of the desk chair into his arms before turning toward the direction of the bed. It had not been made since that morning, which would take away much of the challenge of getting Angela in it. She weakly pounded her fists against his chest, hacking all the while.
"Genji! Put me down! I haven't finished yet!" she hollered in between coughs.
"The only place I am putting you down is in a bed. I will have Ana sedate you if I must."
"I said put me down; this is not funny!" She struggled to escape his hold, but it only exhausted her further.
"Do I sound like I am joking, Angela? You need to sleep. And so do I," he mumbled the last part and finally reached the bed, tenderly setting her down. Her coughing had not lessened, and tears threatened to fall from her eyes. Genji fixed the pillows to ensure her comfort before propping himself up next to her and carefully pulling the hair tie from her ponytail. He ran his fingers through her hair while waiting for her fit to subside. Over the course of the next few minutes, it eventually faded.
He lifted his hands to remove his face plate then set it on the bedside table. Thankfully, he had doffed the rest of his armor earlier in the evening. A quick glance down at Angela's face gave him an overwhelming sense of relief. Her eyelids were starting to fall.
"I . . . refuse to go to sleep. . . Genji Shimada. . ." She put as much authority in her voice as she could, but it did nothing to cover up the fatigue that drenched her words. Genji just smiled and resumed playing with her messy blonde tresses.
"Of course."
"I have . . . work . . . to do. . ." she trailed off, her eyes fluttering shut.
He leaned down, brushed her hair from her face, and softly kissed her forehead.
"I know."
Gradually, her muscles lost their tension and Genji let out a sigh when she completely relaxed. He waited for her breathing to even out before shifting to retrieve the white blanket crumpled at the end of the bed. Gently grasping the edge, he lifted it over Angela and himself. A stray lock of her bangs fell limply over her eyes even though he had just smoothed her hair back. His fingers deftly tucked it behind her ear before he wrapped his arms around her waist. Finally content, he allowed himself to rest his head on the pillow hear her and close his eyes.
