Jesse McCree didn't fit in at Overwatch, and he knew that the moment he joined.
Footsteps resounded in their small base, though the only distinction between the pairs of footsteps was the heavy footed men and the dainty footed women, they could always tell when he was coming.
Spurs clinked against the floor with every step the hunter took. Running a gloved hand through his thick hair, McCree made his way across the base, he couldn't help but notice, of course, the dirty, disgusted looks he gathered from the people who resided there. A thing like that hardly did damage to a man such as himself, but even then, hadn't he worked there long enough for them to get used to him?
"Jesse McCree, looking for Reyes i presume?"
His train of thought came to a halt. McCree turned to the captain, who looked quite smug about his situation, no surprise there.
"You know him Amari, he ain't got the patience to stay in one place long enough." he chuckled. "Course, it ain't a shame to run into someone much easier on the eyes."
She laughed.
"Quite the charmer, aren't we? Well good luck finding him, though i'm willing to bet he's pouting in his room after the meeting he had with Morrison."
That sounded accurate, he parted ways with Captain Amari, but not before giving her a farewell tip-of-the-hat. Reye's room wasn't much farther, but Jesse felt like it gets farther everyday. He can feel the judging eyes of the agents build up on his figure, the pressure….. Distracts him, and distractions just slow a man down. Jesse didn't bother knocking when he arrived at the door, he didn't need to waste formality on his commander, Reyes would know it was him anyway, everyone else seems to.
"What do you want, kid?"
Oh jesus, here we go.
"Would ya stop callin' me that? I ain't a kid anymore." McCree huffed.
Reyes stood up from his chair and turned to him with a smirk.
"Stop acting like a kid and i'll stop calling you one."
Normally Jesse would be quick to a comeback, but he retreated quietly to his chair. Something was bugging him, and it didn't take long for his commander to notice. Reyes wasn't exactly what you'd call nurturing, but he's felt the need to play dad when Jesse needed it, which he clearly did.
"No witty comeback today, huh? You're not one to ruin your reputation like that, what's on your mind?"
The hunter hesitated for a minute before answering.
"...Is there something wrong with me?"
Reyes chuckled, uneasy. "There's a lot of things wrong with you asshole, you'll have to be more specific."
"I mean it! 'Been working here a long time, given this place the best years of my life, and people 'round here still look at me like i'm some god damn freakshow!"
Reyes went quiet.
"Everyone here is some kind of prodigy! Amari had extensive military training, not to mention she's one hell of a healer, Morrison too, and he's at the top, and you, you've got more skills than the two of them combined! And me?! I was just a kid with good aim you picked up because you thought i'd be better at killing monsters than people! I knew they wouldn't accept me right away, but it's been years, and i'm still getting shit…."
McCree let out a sigh, slumping down in his chair. He wasn't one to lose his cool, but some things can really piss a man off. Reyes pulled a chair in front of him and sat down, keeping his eyes locked on McCree.
"Who cares what Morrison's shitheads think? You're a better shot that all of them combined."
McCree scoffed.
"Really Jesse, Morrison recruits any skilled, goody two shoes he finds, i only recruit the best, if his kids don't want to play nice with you, it's because they're jealous."
That got a smirk out of him, and Reyes sat back feeling pretty accomplished about it. They both sat there chuckling for a bit, neither were good with comforting words, they were both too strong headed for that, maybe that's why they got along so easily, why they both looked at each other as family, in their heads of course, they'd never claim it outloud. Jesse finally stood up after a while to break the silence.
"Thanks for the pep talk anyways Reyes."
The commander pulled McCree's hat over his face. "I couldn't have you sulking around base, people would think i'm running a daycare like Morrison." he chuckled. "Speaking of that idiot, he's sending me out to do some investigating, it shouldn't take long to find what he's looking for, and kill it, i trust you can hold down the fort until i'm back."
Jesse leaned back, fixing his hat. "Suppose i can go a day without hearin' ya yelling across the hall."
"Whatever you say, kid." Reyes called walking out.
McCree got up and headed back to his room for a nap, surely Reyes would be back before he woke up.
The Black Forest had always been home to monsters. Vampires, Zombies, mostly Werewolves, of course the residents of the forest weren't really an issue while the sun was out. Commander Reyes had no problem searching the forest, Morrison promised him a team, but he knew they'd chicken out once the black forest was brought up. Not that it was much of an issue, they'd be slowing him down, and at the rate he was going, he'd be reporting back before nightfall. There didn't seem to be anything suspicious, not a single monster in sight either, what did the mighty strike commander Morrison hear a twig snap and get scared? The forest was run down, decimated, but it had always been like that. The broken buildings, normal, the dead trees, normal, the fresh blood stain…..ah, that must be it.
"Guess i'll have some paperwork tonight…" he muttered to himself.
Kneeling down, Reyes got a better look, with blood this fresh, the attacker, or at least, what it attacked, shouldn't be far. It didn't take long to find the corpse, no surprise the attack left them dead, it was the black forest after all. Though the dead body didn't shock Reyes, what he found next did. As he maneuvered the body out of the crowded trees it was set to hide in, he noticed something...metal behind those trees. A gate? Bloodied by the earlier victim no doubt, but definitely a gate he had never seen before. It would be best to call on for morrison and a team to investigate… but why let them have all the credit? As Reyes walked through the gate, he was ignorant to the hell he was about to go through.
The bloodied gate led to a village, completely hidden to the outside. Buildings were mostly intact, but still run down and broken, grass and roots grown around the destruction, but the most noticeable thing was the huge castle that laid ahead. As if Reyes was going to pass that up.
McCree awoke to the glaring sunlight leaking through his window. Morning already? It seems his nap turned out to be a full night's sleep. Weird. Reyes should've woke him up when he got back from the mission. Jesse got up and headed down the hall, maybe reyes just got back late and needed sleep himself? And wouldn't you know it, people are staring again. It started to tick McCree off at this point, even after what Reyes said, it's too damn hard to just ignore it. Unfortunately for Jesse, he was distracted and bumped into the one person he always tries to avoid.
"Jesse McCree…. How… grand... "
Oh god, not her.
"Moira…. I'd apologize for bumping into a lady… but you ain't exactly a lady"
Jesse shifted away to continue walking, but was stopped when the malicious doctor stepped in front of him.
"It's a shame i don't see you more often…. The work i do on… i mean.. For Reyes is quite miraculous… though the results may be different on a… younger… stronger body…" She said, placing a clawed hand on his shoulder.
McCree pulled away quickly. "Gee, thanks for the offer, but i'm good, and if Reyes knows what's good for him, he'd stop letting you pump that stuff into him."
Jesse walked quickly to avoid another interruption from the mad doctor, but as he glanced back, he could see her watching him with a devilish smirk.
God that woman is wrong in the head….
