It was in the heat of battle, and Genji had once again inserted himself in the way of a death Hanzo rightfully deserved.
The air sizzled and ignited all at once as the explosive went live. His vision went bright as something sharp and heavy knocked into him. He hit the ground; skull colliding with the dirt and ash.
Things went numb; embers in the air and blood in his mouth. He should have died but something shielded him from the blast. A half-charred body lay on his chest and his heart jumped to his throat when he realized that it was Genji.
His armor plating was blackened and littered with shrapnel; his usual soft green glow flickering dangerously out of life. Someone was shouting in the distance, calling his name but Hanzo was losing focus; the world blurring out till it was nothing but his brother.
"Why-" His words came out choked in confusion, his fingers rough against Genji's armor as he rolled him onto his back. The visor had come off, and Genji's brown eyes were staring half-glassed to the sky.
"I couldn't let you die…brother…"his reply was quiet; dazed. He looked down at himself. "Where…is my leg?"
Hanzo gaze turned to what was left of the limb, lying a few feet away from them.
"Oh…" He looked more disconcerted then in pain. Green fluids leaked from beneath Genji's plates and Hanzo suddenly realized that the only one bleeding was him. "Do not look so concerned…brother," the lights were beginning to fade. "Dr. Ziegler can fix me….she's done it before…"
Suddenly there were bodies around him and hands grasping his shoulders. There was the familiar glow of golden wings and greying hair behind a mask. There were questions and horrified blue eyes but Hanzo couldn't respond to either of them; he could only stare at his brother, and the circuitry poking out from beneath his armor.
"This was slightly easier back in the old days, but I still have the schematics and Torbjorn has offered some of his resources…" Dr. Angela Ziegler's voice was a quiet hush in the medical room. Hanzo sat on the bed, white-knuckle gripping the edges as he half-watched the doctor confer with Solder 76 at the side of the room.
"Let me talk with him," 76's statement was gruff and dripping with something close to anger.
"Absolutely not, I am still running a basic check-up-"
"He looks fine to me." He moved past her indignant retorts, heading straight for Hanzo and he couldn't help but brace himself for what was coming.
It had been months since Hanzo joined the recall. Call it guilt; call it having nothing else to live for but he joined regardless and suddenly became allies with people he would have been enemies with under any other circumstance.
Regrets kept him to himself; working in such close proximity to his suddenly alive brother was something he…didn't quite know how to handle yet. Unfortunately, abrasion was a survival technique that only got him so far and there were a few personalities he rubbed against; Soldier 76 was one of them.
"So, when he wakes up are you going to thank him or continue skulking around with your one-man pity party?" 76 crossed his arms, his voice condescending.
Hanzo met him with a fire in his eyes. "I don't know what you mean."
"Ever since you joined up you hadn't quit with that lone-wolf attitude. I don't care what you do on your own, but on the battlefield when there's people depending on you to get their backs that sort of thing can get them killed. Your brother almost got himself killed for your mistake and that's something I don't tolerate."
Tension sparked in the air as they stared each other down, like two wolves battling for dominance. Hanzo couldn't reply because there was too much truth to 76's words and the more he realized it the angrier he got.
He had taken his own initiative on the mission, taking an unknown route away from the others in order to flank the enemy. It was against the plan and risky but Hanzo believed that if something went wrong he would be the only one to pay for it. He didn't expect Genji to follow him.
"If you can't learn to take orders and watch out for your team then you better get out right now. Or I'll throw you out." 76 made to get in his face, but a slender hand pressed against his chest in warning as Dr. Ziegler inserted herself into the fray.
"Enough," she chided sternly, looking incredibly exasperated. "I will not have you barging in here to scold my patients. If they need to be chastised, then I will be more than happy to do it myself."
"…sorry, Doc," 76 apologized awkwardly, submitting beneath her intense gaze.
"Besides," she turned to Hanzo, her expression suddenly unreadable but her touch was soft against his arm as she checked a bandage. "I think Mr. Shimada knows full well the consequences of his actions. They're right in front of him," her voice dropped, her eyes flickering over to the stasis tank across from them.
And suddenly there was a familiar pang in his chest as he stared at what was left of his brother floating between the bubbles and the wires. One leg was entirely gone, while the other had been taken away up to the knee. His left arm had been removed as well, and was currently sitting on a medical tray surrounded by various repair tools. The Doctor had removed whatever parts were damaged beyond repair, and left Genji in stasis until they could make sure his remaining systems for stabile enough to function.
Stasis. Systems. Spare parts. Those weren't terms used to refer to anything human…
And suddenly Hanzo was wondering how he looked on the night Overwatch found him; how broken he must have been. The pain that should have been eased by his brother yet he was the one who caused it…
"When will he be awake," Hanzo murmured, causing Angela to turn at his question, something in her eyes.
"Tomorrow, perhaps. I want to monitor him through the night. There was very little damage to his brain but I just want to make sure…" she trailed off as 76 placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It might be a few days till he gets back up to 100%," he intoned, an idea hanging on his breath. "Tell me, Shimada. 'You want to stay?"
His kept his eyes trained on Genji, his brow furrowing. "….yes."
"Tch. Then you are going to earn your keep. For the next few days, Genji is your responsibility. And you better do whatever he wants, or your out." There was a dark chuckle beneath the mask as 76 sarcastically patted his back, and then left the room.
"What?" Hanzo's eyes widened incredulously. "I don't-"
"You better do as he says," Angela tried to repress a smile. "Good luck." And with that, she turned and left back to her office, leaving Hanzo alone with his thoughts as he waited for his brother to wake up.
((to be continued. please leave a comment if you liked what you read. thank you! ))