Staring down at the cool, brown bottle in her hand, Angela squinted her eyes, just a tiny bit. She never noticed how shiny the glass was before, or how smooth its cylindrical sides were. It was the tiny things, she noted, it was always the tiny things she liked best.
And just like that, the bottle suddenly blurred into two. Blinking her eyes dumbly, she only thought one thing: that can't be good.
What began as a long and stressful day of examinations soon became a numb blur. It was only a matter of time before she dug through the small mini fridge kept in Winston's lab, searching for anything to melt away the day's woes.
Luckily for her, Jesse was quite fond of stashing his beer in there.
Angela glanced back down at the bottle. She had no idea what brand it was, and either way, it was far too late to care. Four empty bottles sat on her desk, with a fifth one now clutched in her hand. It was half empty.
She groaned, rubbing her forehead. Bringing Overwatch back from its grave took a lot of effort. Watchpoint: Gibraltar had been run down for quite some time, with its ruins slowly becoming Winston's new home. While there was nothing particularly wrong with that, it was nothing like the facility it used to be.
It took quite some work to properly (and discreetly) restock her lab and operating rooms.
If there was one thing she was happy about, however, it was being able to see her old friends again. She smiled just thinking about it. Working alone had been, well, lonely. Despite the tragedies that had occurred while in Switzerland, it felt like nothing had changed. Well, in a good way. And any other changes felt… right.
Genji came back from his journey of self discovery in the mountains. Out of everyone on the team, he had been the only one to keep in touch. They wrote to each other regularly, despite Angela's fluctuating locations throughout the world. She made sure to tell him of any new mailing addresses, and he never dropped the ball on keeping up.
She sighed. Ever since Genji came back to Overwatch, he had been put on numerous missions, leaving less and less time for being with her. It was selfish to think, but the empty bottles on her desk erased any kind of filter she once had.
It made sense, she guessed. Normally, only she and Winston stayed behind; there was too much work to be done at the facility.
It was a small group, with Jesse, Winston, Genji and Lena. However, she kind of liked it that way. It was quiet. Overwatch wasn't the huge empire it used to be, and that brought relief to her doubts of the Recall.
She looked back down at the bottle in her hand. It was now empty.
"Dr. Ziegler?" came a voice from behind the door. Well, she recognized that voice from anywhere; it was Genji. After a few seconds of no response, he began to knock.
"Doctor?"
"Oh! Uh… come on in!" she exclaimed, quickly clearing her desk of any empty bottles; she had to make a better impression than that.
And without a moment more to spare, the door opened. Genji entered inside, wearing his visor and armor. Angela felt her heart drop at the sight; this was merely business.
"Genji," she simply said, drawing his name out. "What can I do for you?"
It didn't take long for Genji to realize what was wrong.
"I just wanted to see if you…" he trailed off, glancing down at the floor beside her desk. Three empty bottles of beer sat there. He cleared his throat. "I wanted to see how you were doing. McCree told me you left early. It's getting late and -"
"Ah," she said, smiling. "That's incredibly sweet of you."
She stood up from her chair, now sauntering over to Genji, no hesitation in her steps. She placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Is that all?" Angela asked, looking up at him.
He glanced down at her hand on his shoulder, and then back at her. He wasn't sure what to make of this. "You do not appear to be okay."
She giggled at this, free as could be. The effects of alcohol were honestly astonishing, Genji noted.
"I'm perfectly fine, Genji," she managed to say. "But how on earth can you stand having that thing on all the time?"
"What?" he dumbly asked.
And without any hesitation, Angela reached up for his visor, removing it with a soft click. Beneath was Genji's scarred face, staring at the doctor with mild amusement. He felt no embarrassment like this in front of her. Not anymore.
Besides, she was clearly loaded. He wanted to laugh, but he also knew there was reasoning behind this. The doctor never drank much… well, unless she was under great stress. The thought made his smirk falter, only slightly. She needed rest.
"Doctor, I think you should…" Genji tried to say.
"No," Angela replied, resting the back of her hand on his cheek. "I want to stay here with you. It's... so lonely around the office."
Genji froze at this. It sounded straight out of a romance novel. However, he then glanced back down at the empty beer bottles. Despite enjoying the doctor's odd, affectionate behavior, this was not something he wanted to take advantage of.
"Doctor, please," he tried to say.
Angela lazily placed a finger over his lips. "Shh…"
Despite the very weak force she applied, Genji decided to remain quiet for her benefit.
"With everyone gone all day, it really makes you think. Why did I come back to Overwatch? It should have stayed dead, and empty, and I still kind of think that, but why… did I come back?" Angela paused. "Genji, there's no use in doing good if you're doing it alone," she then reiterated, now slurring her words. She wanted to be with him. She wanted to do good with him. However, the alcohol kept her from properly relaying these thoughts.
"Right?"
"I suppose," he quietly answered. "Angela, please. You really should sleep."
"Angela…" she drew out. "I never liked it, but it sounds so nice when you say it."
"It's nearly one in the morning," Genji countered, now slightly flushed. It was rare for him to call her by name; he tended not to out of respect. A first name basis implied… intimacy. At least, that's how he saw it.
Angela let out a sigh. Her hand still rested on his cheek.
"If I sleep, will you let me do one little thing?" she asked.
"What is it? I..."
And before he knew it, Angela leaned right into him, planting a sloppy kiss on his lips. Despite the sheer, drunk nature of it, both immediately sunk into it. It felt warm, and loving. It felt natural. And most definitely well overdue.
She began to brush her hands through his hair, seemingly deepening the kiss.
However, just as sudden as it began, it also ended. Genji backed away, knowing this wasn't the time nor the place. However, he couldn't help but think the absence of her lips on his left him feeling cold.
He glanced back down at her.
"Now please… get some sleep, Angela."
And then she did.