PoVs/Protagonists/Couples:
Hanzo (character belongs to Blizzard) x Ýri (OC)
Genji (character belongs to Blizzard) x Shizuka (OC)

WARNING:
This story will be a very long one, full of dialogs, drama and violence as well as grammar mistakes because none of the authors is a native English speaker. Some parts are for mature audiences only.

And once again a big thank you to our beta-reader PawsForEffect. :)

Chapter 36: Let's try this again

It had started to rain. Hanzo couldn't tell for how long already. He had not noticed. He also did not know how long his brother had been gone. Had Genji even been there? Was it just his imagination or wishful thinking? One train after another arrived and departed again, but Hanzo couldn't bring himself to take one. At least one thing he learnt during the hours he had been standing here brooding: I don't want to leave. I just can't. I can't go on like that.

And there was another voice deep inside him – the dragon's whisper growing stronger until he wasn't able to deny it any longer: Screw the Shimada or Talon or Overwatch. Over the past years, she became the most important thing! I want her to be mine! Forever!

But would she accept him back at her side after he left her thinking she would mean nothing to him? Would she even listen? Would he even be able to tell her what he felt when facing her? What would he do if she sent him away? Hanzo wouldn't be able to bear a rejection from her. But if he stayed away, he would never know … I have to wait for the right opportunity to approach her. I need to think of what to say, if the moment comes … if she is even willing to forgive me for my foolish behavior …

Finally, he found the strength to move again. Hanzo threw his backpack over his shoulder and went straight for the forests. Even if she wasn't there at the moment, it was still a place he would have been able to feel closer to her and sooner or later, she will turn up there. She always seeks refuge admits trees and natural silence. Sometimes Hanzo even thought she might prefer the company of animals over men's. He couldn't blame her for that though. He was one of the worst exemplars himself.

Nevertheless, something felt odd. When Hanzo entered the forest, it wasn't the silence of peace and quiet surrounding him. It was the silence of fear and sorrow after something bad happened. Maybe I've been in Norway too long. The forests there are different. …

Hanzo marched deeper into the woods until he found the first stains of blood … What on earth … ?

»Hanzo will never change. I'm telling you!,« Genji shouted later that evening, but mindful not to spill his freshly brewed tea.

»Give him time,« Shizuka answered patiently. »You needed it as well. To think things through.«

She was right of course, but Genji couldn't help the frustration as he saw his brother making the same stupid mistakes he did so long ago.

»And then what?«

»Sometimes, people have to make their own mistakes to learn. As long as both of them are still breathing, there is still hope for things to work out,« she argued back calmly.

»I hate waiting,« he grumbled, sitting back down in his chair.

»As always,« she said with a amused undertone, coming closer to give him a kiss on his forehead.

With a purr, he snaked one arm around her to pull her onto his lap. But just as he wanted to move in for a proper kiss a loud knock echoed through the room.

Genji groaned. »Seriously? At this hour? Don't they have their own business to deal with?«

Shizuka chuckled. »Obviously not.«

He groaned again, but got up to open the door. Whoever was on the other side better be prepared to deal with a very grumpy dragon.

»Yeah, yeah, yeah! Coming goddammit!,« he yelled, almost ripping the door of its hinges. Then he stared.

»No dogs allowed here,« he finally said to his brother, who was clutching a furry thing close to his chest.

Hanzo opened his mouth to say something, but Shizuka interrupted him.

»Aww he is so cute,« she cooed, before her expression suddenly changed to the one she wore in the med bay. »And injured!«

Before either he or Hanzo could react, she had already snatched the little furry thing out of his brethren's arms and brought it inside to treat it.

»Ehh … Is she always like that?,« Hanzo finally managed to ask.

Genji only shrugged. »When someone is injured there is no holding her back.«

He went back to mustering Hanzo. »Where did you find a puppy of all things?«

»It's not a puppy, it's a wolf. I found him in the forest where some hunters tried to kill him … killed his pack in fact,« he trailed off, but Genji was already alert.

»You killed the hunters, I take it. … And would it coincidently be the wolf pack Ýri has spent all her time with lately?«

Hanzo froze, a suspicious red hue dusting his cheeks. Genji couldn't help the cheeky grin overtaking his lips. »Thought so,« he teased.

»W-Why would it matter?,« Hanzo finally growled. That anger brought his mood right back down.

»Well, you got him to us and we will make sure he survives the night. Was there anything else you wanted?,« he ground out, already fed up with his brother's attitude.

»I … well … ,« Hanzo hesitated.

»You can stay with us, if you want to,« Shizuka's voice piped up from the living room.

»What?!,« both brothers shouted, one in shock and the other in indignation.

»Shizuka!,« Genji almost whined. He was still a dragon after all, and dragons didn't whine.

»He obviously needs a place to stay and we have enough room to take him in for a while,« she said evenly.

»He can go back outside!,« Genji argued, ignoring the offended »Hey!« from his brother at those words.

»We will not leave him outside to fend for himself,« she insisted.

»What am I? A stray dog?,« he heard Hanzo mumbled. But he knew that nothing he could say would deter his love from turning away someone who she thought needed her help. I love you, sweetheart, but sometimes your overly caring side can get annoying. Especially when it was focused on his brother.

»Fine. But what about Ýri? She will know he is here sooner or later,« he pointed out.

»She will, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it,« she said.

»Thank you. I would appreciate it,« his brother spoke up from where he finally entered their quarters to escape from the pouring rain outside.

So it was final; Hanzo would be staying with them for the time being. He let out an even louder groan.

»Great. This means med bay sex only for the duration of my brother's stay. Oh Mercy is going to kill me … «

»Genji!,« two mortified voices answered his laments. He chuckled mirthlessly.

»What? We can hardly get going with my brother in the next room. He is scared of sex. And I will not wait until he mans up to talk to Yri to be with you again, otherwise we'll never get anything done again, ever!«

He only heard his brother's hand meeting his forehead, but he could care less. Some points had to be made.

Thankfully another knock interrupted the angry rant he could just see coming from his little priestess.

»Seriously, what is it with today?!,« Genji ranted, still frustrated of his brother's sudden stay. So he just shoved Hanzo into the kitchen and closed the door before opening the front door with an irritated »What?!« Only to choke on it a second after as he got a good look at a messed up and soaked looking Ýri at his doorstep.

»Oh … sorry, Ýri. My, what happened to you?,« he asked. Internally though he now lamented this being more like a cheap movie drama than he would have liked … and all he had wanted was to spend a nice evening with his love and maybe end up in bed together where he could destroy their newest purchases. But nooo … the rotten Shimada luck got in the way, like always.

»There were hunters in the forest. And they didn't like me being there as well … so … Can I just see Shizuka? I don't have the patience for one of Mercy's lectures right now,« Ýri finally spoke up, ripping him from his self-pitying thoughts.

»I can understand that. But … well … ,« he started, but Shizuka forced herself past him and dragged Ýri inside.

»Let me take a look,« she said, already back in healer mode.

»But-,« he tried again but got ignored. Genji groaned. This whole situation was a bomb just waiting to blow up in his face.

And apparently it would do so in the form of a wolf pup making a ruckus.

Immediately Ýri perked up. »What was that?«

He shared a panicked look with Shizuka.

» … Coyotes?,« he tried half-heartedly.

Ýri only glared at him. »Seriously?«, she asked in the tone that normally meant bloodshed. It didn't help that the pup got even louder.

It probably recognized her scent, dogs and wolfs can do that, right?

In that moment, said pup stormed in and made right for the Viking.

She in return picked him up without a second thought.

»I didn't know you had- … wait, this is no ordinary puppy! It's a wolf cub from the pack that got killed today! How?,« she spoke now excited.

Shizuka shrugged. »The most important thing is that he's fine, right?«

Ýri looked him over and then her eyes trailed across the room from where he came from, and saw Hanzo's stuff still by the door.

She stared. »Hanzo … «, she breathed before she started shaking.

»Ýri?,« Shizuka asked hesitantly.

»Hanzo brought him here, didn't he?,« she asked instead. They both only nodded. There was no reason to deny the obvious.

»If he was here … then why didn't he … ?,« she continued.

Shizuka laid an arm around her shoulders.

»Would you have wanted to see him?,« she asked carefully, pulling her closer to her into a comforting hug.

Ýri didn't look up. »I don't know … I just … ,« her voice was heavy with the tears she refused to shed. She was still strong despite her pain.

»What is wrong with me that he doesn't like me?«

Genji and Shizuka both winced at her words.

»There is nothing wrong with you,« Shizuka stated firmly. »If he can't see your worth than he is blind.«

Genji nodded. »My brother is too stubborn and ignorant to realize what he has. Don't be upset over him.«

Ýri just shook her head. »But I thought we could manage, I really thought so!,« she all but screamed.

In the silence that followed after, Shizuka stood up and went into the kitchen, coming out moments later with a steaming cup of tea. Genji wondered for a moment where it came from since their own tea had gone cold long ago, but then decided he didn't want to know.

So he just leaned against the wall and watched the two women on the couch and keeping an eye on the bathroom door. Where he knew Hanzo was watching their every move and listened attentively to every word they spoke.

»Here. Drink this. Tea always helps me to calm down,« the Hikari said as she pressed the cup into Ýris shaking hands.

»But I don't need tea! Argh, fuck those Shimadas! They can freeze in Helheim for all I care!,« Ýri continued to rant.

»Hey!,« Genji couldn't help but cry out, miffed. I am in no way like my brother, thank you very much!

»Drink,« Shizuka insisted calmly and finally the Viking did as told.

A few moments later she was asleep against said priestess shoulder.

Genji stared. »You spiked the tea, didn't you?«

His love only nodded with no remorse in her expression.

»You WHAT?!,« came the indignant cry from the bathroom, followed by an enraged Hanzo a few seconds later.

»It was for the best, believe me. I can't count how many times Angela had to do it to me, but it will take the edge of and give her the rest she desperately needs,« she said in her defense.

»I guess she was getting pretty overworked lately«, Genji mused.

Hanzo went over to sit next to Ýri. His miserable expression said all the things his mouth refused to.

»You should decide what to do soon, brother.«, Genji spoke up.

But Hanzo didn't seem to have heard him.

»Come on, love. Let's give them some privacy,« Shizuka said, took his hand and led him into the kitchen.

»Why?,« he wanted to know, »It's not like my brother deserves any time with her.«

She only shook her head. »They both need this.«

»Are you sure this is wise? We can't hide him here forever so he can pine for her in secret.«

She let out a small chuckle. »Of course not. I think the best thing we can do now is show him that a Shimada can be a part of a happy couple,« she said, laying her arms around his shoulders. Almost automatically his arms snaked around her waist, pulling her body even closer against his.

»I learned enough to just follow your lead in such things. But I hope for both their sakes that you are right with this,« he said, then put a short kiss upon her forehead.

After a short moment, he looked back into the living room, still seeing his brother in the same spot as before.

»What now? She won't sleep forever,« he asked.

Shizuka slipped from his hold and went back towards the tea pot.

»No. But it is Hanzo's decision alone if he wants to be here when she wakes up,« she said while preparing another batch of tea – this time not spiked.

Without being asked he helped her prepare a tray with four cups. When they returned to the living room, Hanzo had the wolf pup on his lap and one of Ýris hands tightly clasped in his.

Genji couldn't help but speak up. »You want her back with you, don't you?«

A soft and mournful »yes« was his answer.

Shizuka smiled. »Then tell her that.«

Hanzo only sank more into himself. »She will never take me back. Not after what happened.«

Shizuka shook her head. »I don't think so. She will yell, curse and hit you, but she will take you back.«

Genji nodded. »I have no idea why, but this woman likes you enough to want to be in a relationship with you. Don't throw away this chance.«

He put an arm around Shizuka again. »Let me tell you, the outcome is worth it. And not only because of the amazing sex you will have all the time.«

Both Hanzo and Shizuka went red and chocked on air.

»G-Genji!«

»What? I am saying it as it is. And from the looks my brother is giving her, he wants to lay with her as soon as possible.«

Hanzo by this time had his head buried in his hands. »Why do you always have to say such things?,« he asked.

He shrugged. »Because someone has to say them.«

»Listen, yes I want to be … intimate with her, but that does not mean she or I are ready for it yet.«

Genji chuckled, putting the cup of tea in his brother's hands.

»Oh, she is definitely ready for it. And so are you. You are just scared for whatever reason.«

»I am not!,« came the indignant reply.

»Then what is stopping you?,« Shizuka asked.

That got Hanzo to pause. He opened his mouth to speak, then paused again.

»If you both want it, you should go for it,« Genji used the silence to his advantage.

»But what if I-!«

»If you what?«

»What if I hurt her?«

Genji almost facepalmed. »If you learned anything from walking in on me so many times, it's how to properly lay with a woman without hurting her.«

»How did you come up with that nonsense?!« Hanzo almost shouted, but with a look towards Ýri, reined himself in.

»Fine. Just be gentle and keep your eyes open for what she likes, the rest is simply instinct. Not even you could mess something like that up.«

The glare he received from that should have murdered him on the spot, but thankfully his brother wasn't able to shoot lasers out of his eyes.

»If you still have doubts, you could just use the internet for research,« Shizuka spoke up. At once both Shimadas stared at her.

»What?,« she asked. »The internet is filled with enough stuff about sex to at least offer some useful information.«

»Or you could just go with it and see where it leads. With how much you already messed up, she won't notice you failing at sex as well,« Genji finally continued.

Hanzo was now beet red. »I will not fail her at … that!,« he shouted.

In the silence afterwards, a rustle of fabric drew their attention to the couch. They all froze.

Unknowst to them, Ýri had woken up.

»Oh shit,« Genji said.

[Next chapter on 15th March.]