A/N: Greetings all, it's ya boy.
This is what happens when I get distracted and need a little break from revision. To those who read my Pokemon work, you'll get your next chapter of The Chase this weekend (and possibly The Remnants, but no promises there), but this channels both my recent withdrawal symptoms from Overwatch and my desire to write something that isn't revision into probably my most random little one shot, and yet one of the most enjoyable to write, yet.
Hope you enjoy!
Watchpoint: Gibraltar hadn't been so busy in such a long time. Winston's activation of the Recall protocol had brought Overwatch agents in from far and wide, and it wasn't even just them. While old members of both Overwatch and Blackwatch had arrived, newcomers keen to help the cause had also been roped in, tagging along with some of the more experienced faces to tag along.
Not everybody had arrived yet, of course- some, such as Genji and his Shambali master Zenyatta, had a longer journey to get to Gibraltar than, say, Tracer did. A lot of people were milling around in a lot of different places, exploring what the base had to offer and what secrets it hid, what they could all get up to while they waited for the final few recruits to arrive. Pharah had found an armoury to supply herself with more ammunition, Torbjorn his old workspace to fiddle with his creations. And as for those who had followed Winston down to the basement...
"I love what you've done down here, Winston," Mercy said, spinning in one spot to take the whole room in with a faint smile on her face. "You built this all yourself?"
"I've had a long time here on my own before everyone was recalled," Overwatch's chief scientist chuckled. "I didn't just want to build weapons for everyone, now then."
"Not bad at all, Winston," Lucio said, nodding his head in approval with a grin on his face as the party spread out across the room. "You didn't tell me Overwatch had a bowling alley."
Winston selected a bowling ball from the rack beside him and balanced it carefully in his massive palm, not bothering to try to put his fingers into the tiny slots. "I wanted to keep it a surprise for everyone, to give us somewhere nice to all relax."
"Well it's a really good job, Winston!" replied chirpily, as Winston grunted and knocked eight pins down with his first bowl. "Wait, am I seeing that right up there on the second floor?"
Winston laughed again, picking up another ball. "Yes, Hana, that is a little arcade. I thought you and Lucio might enjoy some of the games?"
"Aw yeah! Come on Lucio, ready to get beaten?"
"Oh ho ho, you ain't ready for me to beat you at table hockey!" Lucio laughed, turning to Winston as he missed both remaining pins with his final ball and as took off towards the machines. "And they call me the fast one! Wait up, Hana!"
Mercy giggled as she watched the two youngsters dash off towards the arcade. "It's so good to see some new people around here."
"Are you going to play, Angela?"
"Who, me? Oh, no, I was never good at this when I was younger. I'm going to sit out and watch everyone."
"If you're sure! Then I suppose that means Jesse would be next, if he's willing to play. Jesse?" Winston turned, and paused. "McCree... What are you doing?"
McCree stood poised, the bowling ball gripped firmly in his right arm and extended out in front of him as if it were his trusty Peacekeeper. His prosthetic left arm hanging loose underneath his red cape-like poncho, he stood side on as if sighting down his right arm with the bowling ball towards the pins, a wide grin on his face.
"Is he really going to... surely not?" Mercy asked, hushed, frowning at Winston.
The ape's own frown grew sharper. "McCree, if you're trying what I think you're about do, I really can't recommend you-"
"Step right up!"
As the ball left McCree's hand, it all happened so fast that nobody watching was really sure what exactly had happened. Whether McCree had pulled back his arm or not was debatable, but as the ball left his arm it was launched down the alley at blistering pace towards the pins. It seemed to have developed a mind of its own from the spin- knocking down six pins in the middle on the first try, it suddenly bounced up off the alley and off the roof of the pin deck to take out two more on the right hand side, before somehow violently careering back across the lane to take out the other two and eventually settling, still spinning, in the dead centre of the lane where the pins usually sat.
McCree tipped his hat forward in the following stunned silence, wearing a grin like the Cheshire Cat. "Like sittin' ducks."
"McCree."
The cowboy turned. "You called, Winston?"
Overwatch's chief scientist sat with crossed arms, tapping his bare foot on the vinyl floor as a startled Mercy stood beside him with her mouth agape. "No ultimates, please. You'll damage the alley."
"Hey, I put my Peacekeeper down, fair and square. You just ain't happy you didn't get a strike."
"McCree-"
"Hey, I ain't the one cheating. You ain't even wearing bowling shoes."
"Well excuse me if it's just a little hard to find shoes in my size," Winston huffed, as McCree pointed at the multicoloured trainers he had put on. "I'm not sure I can allow that strike-"
"HEY! YOU TWO OVER ZERE! ARE YOU DONE?"
McCree chuckled to himself at the sound of the booming shout. "Go right ahead, Reinhardt. Betcha you can't get a strike."
"Oh bring it on, cowboy!" came the reply from the heavily armoured German a few lanes down. "Brigitte, are you watching? Zis is how you get a strike!"
"Reinhardt, I really don't think you should be using a Rocket Hammer in here-"
"McCree got away with his ultimate, so so can I! Stand back!"
"Oh no," Winston muttered, turning frantically as he realised Reinhardt wasn't listening to his assistant. "McCree why did you challenge him like that? Reinhardt PLEASE DON'T-"
"HAMMER DOWN!"
As Reinhardt's massive hammer slammed into the end of his lane, his pins fell over without difficulty. It wasn't exactly hard when the impact of the hammer split the lane in two and created a massive hole for them to fall in. But as the ripples from the Earthshatter spread throughout the bowling alley, knocking every human (and ape) in that area of the Watchpoint onto the floor, every pin currently standing in every lane of the alley all fell over at once, the gutter guards up on several lanes falling over from the force of the blow.
Reinhardt hoisted the massive hammer over his shoulder, still for some reason wearing his armour despite being in a bowling alley, and laughed. "Heh heh, did you really think you could beat me McCree?"
McCree shot a smirk the way of his older teammate. "Mighty fine, partner. Drinks are on me tonight."
"Winston?" Mercy asked, pulling herself upright and looking over worriedly at the ape. "Are you alright?"
"..." Winston picked his glasses up off the floor, wiped them clean of the dust Reinhardt had dislodged from the ceiling, and put them back on. "Athena?"
"Would you like me to add Reinhardt's score of eighty points to his tally?"
Winston glared at the computer interface. "I'm not playing bowling anymore. I'll be up in the lab, if anyone needs me."
As Winston lumbered off away from the battered bowling alley, Mercy following in his wake with a concerned look on her face, Reinhardt paused for a moment. "Did I do somezing wrong, Brigitte?"
His faithful mechanic sighed, patting herself down. "You really shouldn't have challenged him, McCree."
"Totally worth it," McCree said, waving her concerns away, as and Lucio peered down from the arcade to take in the carnage around them. "This'll get fixed in a day or so. But anyway, how's about that drink?"
(***)
A/N: I told you it was a little random, didn't I? I had a blast writing it though.
Any reviews are appreciated (just so long as you don't flame me. I don't mind constructive criticism, or even glowing praise), as are favourites/follows of this or my other work. It genuinely makes me so happy to see.
Until next time, ya boy out.
