The next week whizzed by pretty damn quick for Roadhog.
After Rat found some Talon and Vishkar tech that Molly swiped from the suit in her room, the shitty little bastard had become far more cooperative in giving the very little he knew about Talon before they sent him back to Vishkar with a clean bill of health and a threat that they had his DNA on the Talon gear as well as the hard light box he kept one of the pieces in. If he tried to pull Symmetra or funding, they'd show his bosses that he had tried to work with a well known terrorist cell and share their tech with them.
The suit had apparently left with his lips pursed tightly in a furious expression.
Not that Hog had been around to enjoy it, he'd been sent out on a mission in Hollywood as a bodyguard… for a fucking bot.
Oh, how it made him boil inside to have to protect that shiny, whiny little 'artist'.
Artist?
Oh please, his seven year old made more impressive art than this bucket of spare parts, hell, his seven year old could probably make a fantastic piece out of the annoying little pile of scrap. But, he kept his mouth shut, and did the job.
It helped having Symmetra, Lena, Genji around to keep him on task and give him small outlets and breaks to cool off. And, hell, it was nice just to have a pleasant bot like Orisa with him (Bot or not, she was at least chipper, polite, and understood that he liked having his space and was respectful of that), but it was Brigitte, freshly granted field duty with the rest of them, that kept him from trashing that heap of metal most of the time.
She kept him occupied with questions about what he planned to do on Molly's birthday, telling him that she made her a little shield like Reinhardt's and hers to take with her in case someone tried to shoot at her while she was in town again, and that her mother, siblings and nieces and nephew (yes, she only had one) were all really excited to meet Molly and told him all about them.
It really helped hearing things like that when the Bot would loudly whisper if having a Junker around was really the best idea and basically talking shit about him. Now, he was used to shit talking, but he was usually allowed to trash the fucker who did it and it normally did not come from a bot. So it was often all hands on deck to keep him from decking him, but it was Orisa who often set the other bot straight. Telling him that he was being rude or that, as someone who was often looked down upon for the way he was, he should know better than to do the same to others.
He made a mental note to find a way to repay her for making that bot stutter back at her comments. He ended up doing that by buying her a giant scarf covered in cartoon puppies that she had been admiring in a shop that they kept passing between going to the set and going to interviews in the days before the premiere. He gave it to her on the day of the premiere (he laid low when they finally got the bot to the red carpet and snuck in through the back and then used the ticket he was given.) Orisa was so happy that she had something to dress up in for the event and happily took pictures with cheerful and friendly celebrities along with the others. Some of them asking where she had gotten it, but since he told her not to specifically say it was him, she simply beamed said it was a from a friend.
They didn't get back until two days before Molly's birthday. He watched Rat lean on a crate and chuckle as Molly and Bob happily greeted everyone, Molly by giving big hugs and asking excited questions about their time in Hollywood while Bob simply gave doggie kisses to whatever skin/metal he could.
Lena was the first one out, which was unusual, but she was eager for her hugs and doggie kisses, she was followed by Genji, Brigitte, Symmetra and Orisa. Molly happily admired the scarf with Orisa, telling her that whoever gave it to her had great tastes before taking a picture together with Bob for her to send to Efi and then another one with Lena to send to Emily.
Hog took this time to finally exit the ship. Smiling as he watched his child running up the steps to him and latching onto his leg with a broad smile and a cry of 'DADDY!' and nuzzling him as the dog happily barked while running around him in circles, his tail wagging wildly with glee.
Now this was a welcome home he could happily get used to.
They all chuckled a bit at this while they watched Hog carefully climbed down while not stepping on Bob or sending his happy little girl tumbling down the steps.
His best friend waited until they reached the bottom and Bob wore himself out a bit before welcoming him back with a slap on the shoulder before leading the way inside as Molly told him all about her new statues she made and how excited she was to play with him again and asking if Hollywood fun while the others chuckled behind him.
He nodded and passed her along a souvenir of a poster of a film that Hana had done the year before, working there between missions, that hadn't come out just yet. Molly finally unlatched herself from his leg and happily took it, admired it, hugged it, then hugged him again and thanked him for the present. Happily running on ahead with Orisa to show off the presents he'd gotten them to anyone they could find, Bob happily sprinting behind them as they rounded a corner and dashed out of sight, laughing and barking while the rest of them headed to their rooms to unpack…
With Rat sticking with him and while it wasn't unusual for the two Junkers to simply stick with one another, ever since Molly came around, the two had been enjoying the company of others and feeling more like parts of the team than simple mercenaries. But, due to the flammable Junker's crush on Symmetra, Hog figured that his lanky pal would've followed her around like a love sick puppy the moment she got off the drop ship.
But he didn't.
He instead caught him up on anything Molly did that she didn't tell him in her long nightly (for him, Gibraltar is 9 hours ahead) phone calls (on Rat's phone this time, not Hana's) and showed him some pictures of his little girl being happy and cute with her puppy that he had been unable to send due to these long calls. Waiting until they got into his room to lean against his wall, silent as Roadhog unpacked the few things he'd brought with him and all the soap and towels he stole from the hotel they'd stayed in.
"Merc asked me 'bout Cheshire." He told him as he picked up a small bottle of conditioner and began fiddling with it.
"'N?" he asked as he pulled out the last couple of things from his bag and stuffed it under his bed.
"Told 'er 'bout what I'd heard 'fore I met 'er. Told 'er 'bout how I met 'er. Told her tha' I doubted tha' she'd be too mad at ya fer takin' care of Molly, since she trusts ya more than anyone else as far as I know, but tha' I was a little worried 'bout th' rest of us 'ere." He explained as he kept his eyes focused on the little bottle.
"What does tha' mean?" he growled, not liking the way that last bit sounded.
"It means 'm worried 'bout th' rest of us 'ere!" He cried, flinging his arms out, "It means how th' fuck do you think rugrat lovin' Cheshire'll feel 'bout you lookin' at Merc as a possible Mum fer 'er kid? Or how she'll feel 'bout a bunch of strangers coddlin' 'er baby? Including a couple of bots, 'cludin' 'Risa, who Molly keeps sayin' is one of 'er 'best friends'?"
… Well shite, he didn't really have a reply for that. And Rat obviously could tell, because the next thing he did was toss the bottle on top of the rest of the shit he nicked and pat his pal on the shoulder.
"I did tell 'er tha' you know Cheshire bettah than I do, so you'd know more 'bout how she'd react to us takin' care of 'er kid 'n all tha'." He told him.
"So yer makin' me talk ta 'er 'bout Ches." He said flatly.
"Oi, you wanted ta take care of 'er kid, you gotta tell th' doc how long we'll prob'ly loive." He told him firmly.
"Ches jumped you one toime, Rat." Hog grumbled.
"Once was 'nough, thanks!" He snapped, "'N 'til you got 'er off, I was close ta losin' me other leg 'n I could've carked it from the cuts she gave me!" He lifted the leg of his shorts to show the long scar along the back of his left leg and started poking at the light colored, but long scars down his back and shoulders that Cheshire left when she saw Rat hunkered down in his barn, quietly fiddling with his bombs and jumped him just for being there. She did nearly kill him and she did leave deep cuts that he was surprised healed as well as they did. He knew a few other blokes who had cuts from her that looked as raw and red as all hell, years after the fact. Well, from the ones who survived the attacks anyways.
"Ya got along foine after." He said firmly, his stomach twisting.
"After you patched me up or after ya told 'er I hoired ya?" Rat asked lightly, his face screwed up in irritation.
"… Both…" Hog relented. Ugh, as much as he hated losing arguments with Rat, he knew that his flammable friend was right, "I'll go talk to her." He sighed.
Rat smiled broadly at him and gave him a pat on the shoulder, "Good on ya! Now if you excuse me, I've got a lady ta talk to meself!" he said cheerfully before splitting away from him, calling out that he, Molly and Bob would come by later before scampering.
Only for him to wonder what did he mean by he, Molly and Bob would come by later?
But, of course, Rat was gone before he could ask.
Roadhog sighed and decided to just get this over with, picking up the shampoo and conditioner he snatched and carefully holding them in his massive hands, his stomach twisting and twirling and starting to hurt as he tried to figure out how to explain the oddity that was Chelsea 'Cheshire' Carroll, but ended up unable to really think of anything before he got there.
Well, who knows, maybe he could just go in as if he was there for his lungs again, Mercy had said that figuring out the right treatment would take a while and he did just come back from a mission… in patience and not fucking killing the obnoxious bot who kept fidgeting whenever he was within eye sight.
He shook his head.
'Forget the bot.' He told himself, 'You are home. Your daughter, your dog, and your best friend were all happy to see you when you got off the dropship and now you are going to go in and enjoy a nice chat and a game of chess with an Angel.'
He walked into her office and saw her looking at something through a microscope before looking up at him and giving him a warm smile, "Ah, welcome back!" she said sweetly.
Roadhog felt his cheeks burn before greeting her back and telling her he was back to keep working towards him being able to walk around without his mask. She beamed, "Ah! I was just working on that!" she said cheerfully as she tapped a slender finger against the canister, "Your Hogdrogen is quite the marvel-!" she paused, noticing his fists seemed to be clenched, "What do you have there?" she asked.
He opened his hands, revealing the bottles, "Remembered ya said ya ran out, so..." He said as she walked over and examined the tiny bottles curiously, a smile on her face as she carefully collected them from his hands.
"You've saved me!" she exclaimed with a laugh, "I went to the store to pick up shampoo for Molly, Bob and I since we can't wait until the next shipment comes in just to wash our hair, but I couldn't find the kind I usually get anywhere! So I bought several small travel ones to hold me over. But I used up my last one last night!" she beamed, "Thanks to you, I can wait until the next shipment comes in with my shampoo!"
"When's th' delivery?" He asked.
"It comes on the 12th, so the day after Molly's birthday." She informed him.
"Ah, you have any idea what Pipsqueak's plannin'?" he asked.
"Yes, but I was instructed to tell you nothing." She replied before she put the bottles on her desk and ushered him further inside, "But I am curious what you have planned for her."
"Well, most of us went ta th' beach durin' th' summer 'n she couldn' go 'cause she was still under quarantine. Figured I could put a helmet on 'er 'n take her 'n Bob out ta th' beach ta see th' sunrise 'n play a bit, got a bucket 'n shovel fer 'er too."
"Do you have a camera?" she asked him.
"… There's one on me phone, but 'm not really good with it. Been meanin' ta ask Pipsqueak ta help me with tha'." He admitted. Mercy let out a tsk noise before quickly searching in a desk drawer, "I know I have one somewhere…" She murmured as she shuffled through the items there, "Although, it could be in my desk drawer in my room, but I could have sworn I moved it here to keep photo records of Molly's wellness…" Her voice trailed off as she pulled the drawer open farther and began digging through it with both hands, a few blonde strands slipping from her ponytail and hanging in her face as she worked.
He had no idea how she could be, scowling and muttering to herself with hair falling into her face and a few food stains on her slightly wrinkled doctor's coat and clothes, all while digging through a desk drawer like a mad woman and still look amazing, but he wasn't going to question or complain about it. He found himself smiling a bit as she let out a low swear, closed the drawer and searched through the next one, murmuring what he could assume were more Swiss German curses as she seemed to become more frustrated.
Now that he thought about it, he and Mercy had stayed behind with Molly while the others went to the beach…
"Ya wanna come with us?" He found himself asking. She stopped mid-rifle and looked at him, surprised at the invitation.
Well, that wasn't supposed to come out of his mouth. Bloody hell, those words weren't even supposed to escape the confines of his most private romantic novel driven fantasies!
"You, me 'n Molly were th' only ones who didn' go." He quickly reminded her, "Can' go in th' water or nothin', but I betcha she'd loike it if you came." Her expression was still somewhat surprised and he felt his stomach start to twist, uncertain if he even wanted an answer anymore. Because, while a yes would be nice, a no was still a pretty big possibility, especially since it would require getting up before sun rise and hopping on the back of his big motorcycle (cause Molly and Bob would be in Rat's sidecar) and having to hang onto his back to stay on properly.
Shite. Shite! SHITE! He wasn't sure he could handle that even if she did say yes. What the fuck had he been thinking? Oh, right, he hadn't been thinking. He had been staring. Like a fucking little shitey creep.
He needed to give them both a way out before he started stressing himself out so much he made his lungs worse.
"Ya don' hafta if ya don' wanna, I mean, it'll be really early 'n I'd understand if ya'd rather get some sleep ta help Pipsqueak with th' party…" he managed softly as his cheeks burned.
Yeah, Mercy would totally want to get up at the ass crack of dawn (okay like, seven am, but still), cling to his large, fleshy back all the way to town just to not be able to even swim or do much of anything and then have to climb up onto his motorcycle and cling to his back again to go back.
Drongo. Moron. He was just so stupid...
But instead she simply shook her head and smiled broadly at him, "I would love to, thank you." She then turned pink and added, "That and I doubt Hana would ever forgive either of us if your pictures of Molly's first time at the beach were anything other than perfect!"
Roadhog laughed heartily at that, relieved that she had agreed as his pig tattoo bounced against his belt buckle, "I'd havta go on th' run again!" he joked.
"I doubt you'd get far!" Mercy laughed with him.
They joked around about Hana chasing either of them across the globe for a bit before calming down enough to go over the results of the first scan she'd taken.
There was no sign of cancer, but apparently his extended time in a radiated landscape gave him something called 'Radiation pneumonitis', it usually happened to people who underwent radiation therapy for cancer for long periods of time. Basically, it made it harder for him to breathe because the radiation kicked the shit out his healthy lung cells and made it so they couldn't hold as much air as they used to. They didn't hold as much as most people's before this shit, but they had managed to last through everything he'd needed to get done up until the Omnium blew.
Now, good news, people carking it from this condition was very rare.
But the bad news was that, while people dying from that condition was rare, so was someone living in a radiated wasteland for twenty-odd years.
Mercy told him that she believed she could help him recover from it fully, but she explained the possible problems that the condition could give him in the future, even if she managed to cure it, and explained the treatment process and told him that she'd ordered special medicine for him to take in the mean time.
Now, more good news, it turned out that his Hogdrogen had trace amounts of something called a corticosteroid, which is often used in treating the more severe cases of his condition, so she would not have him give it up just yet.
But she warned him that she was still deciphering what was in it, so that could easily change at a moment's notice and that he'd still have to take the medicine she'd give him.
She pulled out an oxygen tank and an inhaler that looked as if it was made special for those of his size to use and instructed him to remove his mask while handing him the inhaler. She explained that the stuff inside of it would help her measure his lung capacity with some of her more advanced equipment. After they'd do that, she'd let him have a light break strapped to the oxygen tank before she'd see how he breathed with and without his mask.
The inhaler was similar to one he'd used as a kid when he was younger, and the feeling was just as strange to him now as it was then, even more so with someone watching what was happening on his insides. But he obeyed Mercy's instructions to the letter and was relieved when she let him breathe from the oxygen tank for a bit. He still felt exposed without his mask, but he could actually see how Mercy didn't seem to fear him or seem repulsed by him. She was acting like she usually did with him, albeit a bit more professional since she was technically treating him now.
He enjoyed watching her look at her screens and scribble something down on her clipboard with a calm expression, making the occasional thoughtful pout as she worked. After who knew how long, he was handed his mask back again and she pulled out the chessboard so they could continue their game where they last left it off.
He started talking to her about he and Rat had nearly been caught by the cops while hiding out in England when a woman started kicking the shit out of some guy on the street, telling him to, "Stay away from my daughter! She's half your age, you filthy pervert!" And how they nearly had gotten caught (again) by staying behind to watch the woman beat the guy who had been apparently hitting on her underage daughter while she worked at a shoe store nearby.
He had been about to tell her exactly how they stole the crown jewels when he noticed an uncomfortable expression on her face.
Uh oh, this wasn't going to be good.
"Junkrat said that he was worried about Cheshire coming here to see Molly." She said softly as she made her move, her tone silently asking if he was overreacting a bit or if there really was a need for concern.
He sighed, "Look, she's fucked up, but she's not a bad person. I mean, she's done bad things, hell, most of us have at some point, but she's really jus' a lonely sheila." He said, feeling a bit uncomfortable trying to explain Cheshire to the woman he had feelings for.
"You were very close to her, weren't you?" Mercy asked him softly, her expression warm and gentle.
"We joined th' AFL 'round th' same toime." He said, a bit grateful that she understood where he was coming from a bit, or at least was trying to. It didn't make it all that much easier to talk about, but these things needed to be said. "She lost 'er sister th' same day I lost me Mum ta bots, both of watched 'um go while bein' unable ta help them 'n their birthdays were on th' same day, so we usually ended up comforting each other on those days." He felt his throat become thick with emotion as he said that and cleared it a bit before going on.
The last time he'd talked about his mother's death had been years ago, with Cheshire. It felt refreshing to talk to someone else about it, but after keeping the pain of his mother's death locked away for so long, he found that it still hurt to talk about it.
"When we joined, most of th' others with us already were past enough grief tha' they could work, but didn' want to talk 'n sink roight back into a depression or refused ta even think 'bout them, loike not talkin' or thinkin' 'bout them meant tha' their loved ones meant they weren' gone 'n were nevah comin' back. So I was really th' only other person she could talk to 'bout missin' 'er family. Prob'ly didn' help tha' she 'n I were odd balls in the group, both younger than most of th' others, I was bigger than most, she was smaller than nearly all of us."
"So I assume that Molly will not to grow up as big as you, then?" she asked, her tone a bit teasing and he could tell she was trying to give him something to smile about so he wouldn't drown in the bitter past.
He had to admit, it felt good to let out a chuckle at that as he assured her that, "Trust me, if Molly grows up ta be anything loike 'er Mum, she'll be a force ta be wreckened with no matter how small she'll be. Apparently Ches was fightin' 'fore th' Crisis, 'cause her parents 'n sister were pretty much push overs. I figure tha', after she lost them, she jus' didn' know what ta to with 'erself. She was lonely 'n she felt tha' she failed 'um. She wanted a family again, she told me tha' much."
"A family?" Mercy repeated.
"She didn' have any friends growin' up, too busy beatin' off bullies ta make 'um 'n th' few people who she moight have loiked ta be friends with were all scared of 'er fer 'er 'mean' reputation. All she had was 'er family. It was th' same with me, all I had was me Mum 'n me dog. Me Mum never told me nothin' 'bout me Da', fer all I know 'e could be dead. Me dog died when I was a teenager, me mum died durin' th' crisis. I had no one left neither. Tha's why they used ta pair us off when we went ta foight any rogue bots in th' area." He explained. He didn't explain that, by pairing the ones without family together and sending them out to try and stop the more dangerous bots, they were known as 'Bot bait', a.k.a, the ones who they could lose without someone getting pissed at them for it. The two of them never liked the name, but they never lost so they felt the joke was on the blokes who assumed they'd cark it just because they had no family or friends.
"You two were often fighting alongside each other?" she posed, curious.
"Yeah. Hardly a time we were apart on th' battlefield. It was th' first toime I ever fought with someone I knew had me back. Rat's th' second, but honestly, he's gotten me in more shite than 'e's gotten me out of."
It was Mercy's turn to chuckle at that, which helped him feel a bit better as he kept talking.
"She started callin' me 'Mac', said it was short fer me real name, Mako, but considerin' how she used ta tease me, it was probably fer 'Old Mac Donald'."
Mercy seemed confused by this, "Why on earth would she call you that?"
"Cause I think farm animals are cute 'n I owned a solar farm at th' toime." He explained flatly, watching as she let out a snort of laughter and covered her face as she let out a stream of giggles. He felt a smile curl up on his face at the sight of her smile peeking through her fingers. He'd forgotten how nice it was to get this stuff off of his chest. To have someone who wanted to know about him, both as Roadhog and Mako.
He waited until she calmed down a bit before she asked, "Did you have a nickname for her?"
"Yeah; Cheshire." He said, "Had no idea how fittin' it was at th' toime. She was givin' me shite while I was tryin' ta read. She was wearin' a striped shirt 'n givin' me tha' grin of 'er's while talkin' in riddles ta piss me off 'n it jus' came out." He smiled a bit at the memory of the woman's shocked face before admitting that, "It earned me 'bout two minutes of peace 'fore she started jabbin' at me arm with 'er fingers, tellin' me tha' she loved it. She told me later 'bout 'er parent's fang carpentry bein' called 'Cheshire Smiles'."
"When did she tell you about her sister?" she asked.
"Not too long after we joined. Couple of members were stayin' at me place 'n it was koinda weird at th' toime. I mean, I'd been livin' on me own fer a bit, but me Mum was often over with survivors of th' crisis who needed a place fer th' noight. It… it was noice. Havin' people in me house again… it was loike me Mum was back with whatever wounded soul she found 'n was walkin' them 'round. I was pretty emotional 'n went into me barn ta see if I could work through it or somethin'. Didn' want them ta think I couldn' handle meself on th' battlefield or nothin' by suddenly burstin' inta tears. When I opened it, I found Ches sittin' in a corner, sobbin' 'n holdin' me mask… well, it was 'er's then, it was somethin' 'er sister made ta help people loike me. She gave it to me after th' omnium blew ta help me... " he shook his head, 'stay focused' he told himself as he opened his mouth once more.
"Anyways, she was jus' sittin' there, cryin'. Surprised me ta foind 'er there, struth. She seemed loike a little sheila burnin' with vengence when she foirst joined, never let any of us assume she was there fer nothin' other than a desoire ta destroy any 'n all bots she saw. But in tha' moment? She was a lonely little sheila grievin' 'er sister 'n 'er parents in a corner of me barn, blubberin' how she was sorry she failed 'um. It was th' foirst toime I saw 'er as someone who was lonely 'n grievin', jus' loike me."
He finally moved a piece and looked at Mercy, "Check."
She jumped at the move, seemingly so engrossed in his tale to pay attention to the pieces on the board before picking up the board and putting it back on her desk and sitting back in her spot, staring at him. As if silently saying, 'we'll play later, talk now.'
He felt his cheeks warm a bit at the fact that she didn't break eye contact, wanting him to go on and tell her more about his life before it completely went to shite.
He sucked in a breath and continued, "Scared th' shite out of 'er when she finally noticed I saw 'er 'fore she tried fibbin' ta cover up 'er cryin'. She was prob'ly thinkin' I'd tell 'er ta get lost if she couldn' handle 'er grief or somethin'. Instead I jus' koinda sat next ta 'er 'n asked 'er 'bout th' mask. Didn' take 'er long ta tell me 'bout 'er sister. How toiny she'd been when she was born. How she loiked smashin' bananas on 'er toast in th' mornin's. How she loved it when Ches brushed 'n braided 'er hair. How she used ta carefully patch Ches up after runnin' inta a rogue bot..." he felt his throat go thick again, remembering how she had sobbed as she revealed to him the next bit he needed to say, "'N how she kept sayin' sorry so much tha' she didn' get a chance ta say good bye."
He heard a sniffle and saw that Mercy's eyes were watering.
"I did that too." She said, trying to wipe the tears away before they fell, "My Papa and I were looking for my Mama after the news broke that the omnics in Switzerland had started going rogue, she had only gone to a shop a block up the road to get a few things for dinner, we thought we could manage to get her back to the house safely without getting caught." Her voice wavered a bit as she told him that, "I-I hadn't been paying attention, I was too busy glancing around for her when I got noticed by one. I still remember it's face. It used to direct traffic and wave at me when I crossed the street to go to school… I-I used to call it Hans. I-I thought it was my friend. And, who knows, maybe it was, before the crisis. But I'll never forget how hurt I was when a gun came out of it from nowhere and Hans fired at me. My Papa saw it in time and managed to shot Hans before he hurt me, but he didn't get out unscathed. I watched my Papa die in front of me, and as hard as I tried to save him, I couldn't…" She began to shake a bit at the memory, "T-the bandages just didn't stay on…"
"Th' blood wouldn' stop comin' out, no matter how hard you tried ta put pressure on it." He continued for her as he gently patted her arm, "Their breathin' kept gettin' weaker, their eyes kept droopin', 'n no matter how much ya pleaded fer them ta stay with ya, they'd take one last breath 'n then they were jus' gone."
She nodded, wiping at her face more as a few tears started to fall. He pulled out his handkerchief from his pocket and held it out to her.
"Danke." She sniffled as she took it and wiped at her face. He used this time to pull himself together for a moment, his mother's face smiling at him softly in his memory, her face so serene despite the blood everywhere and the pain she was probably in, as she told him she loved him and that he was the greatest thing the world ever gave her before he watched her slowly die as he cried out that he was sorry and to hang on a little longer, please, just a little longer, that they were so close to a hospital and to please, just, please not leave him.
He felt a few hot tears fall down his face as Mercy apologized for interrupting, "No, it's foine, if anything, it jus' reminds me how good it is ta let this off yer chest." He managed through his own tears as he struggled to keep the emotion from thickening further in his throat. His lungs were shite at the moment, he didn't need his throat clogging up on him now too.
She gave him a small smile and nodded, "It does feel a little like a weight has been lifted off your heart, doesn't it?"
He smiled back and nodded.
"Was it like that back then too?" She asked.
"Yeah, felt really good back then when th' wounds were fresher 'n we both were tryin' ta figure out how ta deal with it. Don' mean it don' feel good now, it's jus'…"
"You needed more it back then." Mercy finished for him, understanding.
"Yeah." He said, grateful that she really did understand, "Needed ta know tha' someone fightin' with us weren' as unfeelin' as th' bots we were foightin'. Tha' someone there understood 'n would be there when we had somethin' ta get off our chests. Think Ches needed it more than I did, though. Don' think she experienced someone she loved dyin' 'fore th' Crisis."
"And you did?" she asked.
"Loiked I said, had a dog growing up. Sweetest little cocker spaniel you'd ever seen. She was my only friend as a kid, loved curlin' up beside me 'n layin' in th' sun." He smiled at the memories of his sweet little puppy that flashed through his head before he told her that, "Crushed me when she died, but at least I learned how ta grieve a bit from that 'n I still had me Mum by me side. Ches didn' know what ta do with 'er feelin's, she kept swappin' from upset ta lonely ta angry ta vengeful ta remorseful… She jus' was a mess all th' toime. She didn' know how ta handle it 'n I didn' moind helpin' 'er then, I mean, we both needed a friend ta help us grieve 'n I was foine with tha'. We talked 'bout our families, our loikes, disloikes, everything. We jus' bonded. Spent a lot of toime with 'er while we was in th' AFL. Sheila was practically attached ta me by th' hip."
"So before you had a Rat, you had a Cat?" she joked softly.
"Nah, unloike Rat, Ches listened when I told 'er ta knock somethin' off th' foirst toime." he said flatly, making her laugh again, his hanky still clutched in her hand, "Don' mean she didn' get me into trouble a lot loike Rat does. Hell, my first toime really pissin' Queenie off was from helpin' 'er get away with attackin' 'er 'n havin' 'er hoide out in my place 'n sendin' th' blokes she sent after 'er packin'. But at least when I told 'er ta stop, she stopped after th' foirst toime I told 'er."
"You were her closest friend, of course she would listen to you." Mercy pointed out. Hog felt his cheeks burn and she must have noticed because she then asked, "She did see you as just a friend, didn't she?"
"Fer a while, yeah." He said with a sigh, "Least as far as I knew. Dunno when tha' changed, but I finally figured it out a little 'fore th' Omnium blew. One of th' blokes came in with a box of th' good stuff ta celebrate finally gettin' th' bots tha' ruined so many loives off our land. Most of us were havin' a good toime, glad tha' th' foight would be over, tha' they could go back ta loivin' their loives."
He swallowed hard as the memory flashed through his head, "But I didn', 'cause I knew tha' soon as it was over, I'd be alone. Again." He felt his voice waver a bit at the last word, but he wasn't going to stop here. If he didn't get it out now, he doubted he could ever be able to utter what happened that night ever again, "Ches sat next ta me 'n we started talkin', loike we always did. She was scared, she didn' want our mission ta end. S-she said tha' even if it ended 'n we won, we'd still prob'ly lose a few to 'um, so in th' end, all we'd have was more loss 'n loneliness than we started with. 'N she was roight."
He started fiddling with his chain, his face burning, "We kept drinkin' 'n drinkin' 'n bein' all depressed 'bout bein' alone after we got our homes back… She said something 'bout knowin' how we wouldn't be lonely no more, then she started kissin' me 'n then..."
He tried to keep going, but he couldn't. He didn't want Mercy to hear this. He didn't want to talk about this. This was so private and personal and no matter how much he should tell her about this, he didn't want to. He didn't want to tell the woman he liked about his first time. Especially since his first time was a gigantic mistake that made him end up hurting someone he saw as a friend for a long time.
"You woke up and realized she wanted more than friendship?" Mercy offered, looking a bit uncomfortable herself at the topic.
He nodded, feeling like shit, both for stupidly going along with Cheshire back then even though he didn't really see her as anything but a friend and that he stupidly thought they were both doing it out of a need for comfort when, if he had been using his head, he'd realize that it wasn't the reason Cheshire had done it.
And he felt disgusting telling Mercy about this.
She probably thought he was a creep now. She probably wouldn't want to play chess with him anymore or help him with his lungs anymore or even look at him ever again.
And he wouldn't blame her.
"Yeah," he finally managed, looking at his fingers as they frantically fiddled with his chain, as if it could make the topic less awkward if he tried hard enough, "Realized tha' she saw me as more than a friend who understood bein' lonely." He felt himself curl up in shame as he admitted that, "'N I realized tha' I couldn' be what she wanted me ta be, wasn' ready fer tha'. I jus' got th' fuckin' department of orphan's court declarin' tha' I settled me Mum's estate th' day 'fore th' party! I wasn't ready fer tha' sort of thing. I-I… I jus' needed a friend… I jus' didn' want ta be alone..."
He felt tears falling down his face and felt as if he was running out of air, his lungs were screaming for him to stop, but he just kept talking, "But I knew tha' she didn' want ta jus' be a friend anymore 'n it weren' fair ta ask 'er ta try! Tha' I'd fucked up big toime 'n I couldn' jus' act loike nothin' happened! Tha' I lost th' closest thing I had ta a friend then 'cause I was stupid, drunk 'n lonely 'n…" Mercy's hand gently grasped his twitching fingers, he stopped, shocked that she'd even touch him after what he just told her. He looked at her and saw concern written all over her face as she quickly grabbed at one of his hands with both of her own.
"Mako." She said softly, "I need you to take a deep breath for me, alright?"
He stiffened at the sound of his real name and obeyed, his lungs feeling a bit of relief as he did so.
"Good." She murmured, her tone calming and gentle as she instructed for him to do it again, and again, and again until he felt a bit better.
"S-sorry." He sputtered, feeling like a big, fat, blubbering baby in front of her.
Yeah, because he hadn't given her enough reasons to think badly of him.
"There is no need to be sorry." She assured him as she gave his hand a small squeeze, "I am glad you are sharing something so private with me. It is probably not easy talking about this."
He felt grateful and relieved and just glad she didn't completely hate him as he nodded in confirmation, "Never talked ta anyone 'bout it 'fore. Jus' got up, got dressed 'n got ta work. Few of th' others spotted us kissin' 'n said somethin', but it didn' take much ta shut 'um up. One of them said tha' if Ches was givin' it out ta me of all blokes than maybe he had a shot 'n I made sure 'e never said it again. S-she didn' deserve tha'." He said firmly, pleased that Mercy nodded fiercely in agreement with him and that she still held his hand. It was comforting.
"After th' Omnium blew Ches basically took care of me 'cause I couldn' breathe. It was when she gave me th' mask tha' I remembered jus' how much I fucked up 'n I-I jus' couldn' talk 'bout it... Everything was too much, too raw. We'd jus' fucked up th' home we were tryin' ta save. None of us talked fer days. 'N when we could finally go out, we had ta bury th' ones who died. They gave their loives fer us ta have tha' chance, th' least we could do was goive 'um a proper burial for their sacrifices."
He leaned his head back and sucked in some more air, Mercy letting go of his hand for a moment before coming back with the oxygen tank and the mask, but he waved it away.
It was hard enough talking about this, he would feel even more exposed and raw if he had to do so without the safety Cheshire's mask gave him. She nodded, but told him that if he needed air again, he would wear it whether he liked it or not. He agreed and she motioned for him to keep talking.
"When Junkertown was formed, she started makin' passes at me again 'n starin' at kids fer too long. I got a bad feelin' 'bout all of it." He grasped at his chain again, staring at the links as he told her that, "She was lonely 'n she wanted a family again. I could see how she wanted ta do tha' at tha' point. But I also knew tha' those two things ain' something ya can build a romantic relationship on. Tha's what you build a trainwreck on."
Mercy nodded in agreement before asking, "So, you two never really talked about it or talked about how you felt about it?"
"Nah, never. Thought she moight wanna talk 'bout it when she started acting up a few years back, getting more aggressive, gettin' in more foights 'n comin' ta me upset 'n injured." He paused, "Lookin' back, she was probably dealin' with bein' robbed of possible kids, but I didn' know tha' then. I jus' kept havin' 'er stay with me 'n hopin' she'd tell me what was goin' on 'n we could talk. I mean th' friendship moight of gotten fucked up back then, but it didn' mean tha' I stopped carin'."
He looked down at his gut, remembering her curled up, sobbing figure on his couch, "She kept wrappin' 'er arms 'round her stomach whenever she'd calm down 'n jus' cry fer a while, I figured she either wanted a kid 'n was scared tha' 'er clock was tickin' down or tha' she was scared tha' she couldn' have one."
"And now you know what happened." Mercy whispered.
"'N now I know." He nodded, feeling awful but knowing there was no way he could've known what happened back then without her telling him.
"So, what are you going to do if she shows up?" she asked.
"I told Molly I'd introduce 'er when it's safe. If 'er Mum's by 'erself, I'll see if I can keep my word." He told her simply. It wasn't the best plan, but it was the only one he had at the moment and honestly, after unintentionally hurting her for all these years, introducing her to her own daughter was the least he could do.
"And if she attacks you?" She posed.
"I hope tha' you can reattach me family jewels." He joked. Mercy scowled at him, silently telling him that it wasn't funny, before he explained that, "She 'n I used ta spar all th' toime, we'd smack each other 'round, but we never really hurt each other too bad. It'll prob'ly jus' end up loike tha'. 'Sides, I doubt she'd foight me if it'd make Molly upset."
"Junkrat didn't seem so sure." She told him, sounding a bit worried.
"Yeah, well, prob'ly didn' help tha' she nearly took another limb from 'im when she first saw him sittin' in me barn playin' with one of 'is bombs. Had ta tell 'er he hoired me fer a job so she'd leave 'im alone." He let out a low chuckle, "Honestly, if I'd introduced them foirst thing, they'd probably be good mates."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, she loved action movies because of all th' destruction 'n explosions." He informed her, making her chuckle.
"Well, in that case, they'd be great friends!" she laughed before the two sunk into a sea of refreshing laughter before they calmed down, with him feeling refreshed and light after talking about something he'd been holding in for over twenty years now.
"Thanks fer lettin' me talk 'bout all this." He said softly, "Felt this bloody weight on my back fer over twenty years, feels nice for it ta finally lighten up a bit."
She gently squeezed his hand again, "Any time." She assured him, "I am sorry I used your name without permission, though."
He stared at her for a moment, then held out his hand, "Mako Rutledge."
She looked at it, surprised before taking it with a smile, "Dr. Angela Ziegler."
"Doctor?" he repeated with a chuckle.
"When you spend all that time in medical school to earn that title, you use it as much as you can." She replied coolly. He chuckled, "Wouldn't know. After I finished secondary school I started workin' ta earn enough money ta buy meself a farm." He said.
"Why did you want a farm?" Merc-Angela asked.
He felt his cheeks burn, "Promise not ta tell anyone?" He asked her. She nodded eagerly, looking excited.
"Th' dog I had? She loved this farm me Mum 'n I would go to a fer fresh plums in th' summer 'n fall. Me Mum was friends with th' owner 'n everyone there always treated me loike I was one of them, loike I belonged. Told me tha' I was welcome ta work there when I got older. I did, fer a little bit. Me pup even came with me 'fore she died. It was a noice feelin', workin' there with me dog at me heels. I felt loike tha' was where I belonged."
"That does sound nice." She agreed before tilting her head, "You know, you've been talking about your dog, but you haven't said her name. What was her name?"
"Named 'er Hailey, after an actress me 'n me Mum loiked..." He began.
"Oh! Was it Hailey Snow?" she blurted, then turned pink, probably a bit embarrassed by her outburst and looking a bit guilty for interrupting him, not that he gave a shit at the moment.
"Yeah. Me Mum 'n I were huge fans, we used ta have marathons of her movies on th' foirst days of break." He said, pleasantly surprised she had known his beloved dog's namesake. Especially since she was an actress from the 2020s, so most people wouldn't really know her too well these days.
"Oh! My Mama and Papa went to one of her films for their first date when they were teenagers! We used to watch them all the time!" she said, looking just as happy as he was that she was right and that he had been a fan too, "We had our marathons on the last days of breaks, though, to give us one last fun thing before I had to go back to school."
"Huh, we saved those days for our feast of favorites." He recalled.
"Feast of favorites?" She repeated, smiling in anticipation of what he would say next.
"Yeah, me 'n me Mum would spend all day makin' all of our favorite foods 'n make a feast out of it. Tha' way we could celebrate th' last day of break, but also get ta have th' leftovers fer th' rest of th' week." He explained.
"That sounds like something we should try sometime, I think it would be a great way for all of us to bond as a team!" Mercy said excitedly before pouting, "Oh, but Zenyatta, Bastion and Orisa don't eat. It would be a bit awkward trying to include them in that..."
"Why don' we jus' have a movie noight sometoime?" Hog suggested, "Th' bots can join us fer tha', roight?"
"What can th' bots join us fer?" A child's voice asked from the doorway, making them both jump as they realized that they had two smiling human faces, one smiling Orisa face and one droopy dog face wearing an expression saying, 'I tried to stop them, but you can guess how well that went...'
"Sorry fer jus' droppin' in, but Molls wanted ta make sure 'e came today." Rat said, his grin wide and knowing. Molly nodded eagerly as she walked inside with Orisa finally managing to poke her head through, looking curious.
"Did ya foind out what's wrong with his lungs?" She asked, the violet orbs wide and sparkling with hope that her Daddy would be able to walk around the base without his mask and still be able to breathe.
"Kind of. He'll get a little bit better soon, but it will take a while to make sure that he gets and stays better. Do you understand what I mean?"
"So he'll be a little bettah, but it'll be a while 'fore he's all bettah." Molly clarified.
"Exactly!" She said, pleased that the child understood before ruffling her hair, "By the time we've finished his treatment, he will be able to play with you all you want without his mask!"
Molly's eyes widened even more at this promise of all the maskless play time she wanted, her eyes sparkling to the point where Hog nearly asked if someone accidently dumped glitter on them. Her cowlicks were curled so tight on her head that it seemed as though it might actually hurt. Her smile was wide with excitement and glee and she started boucing on her toes and making a happy sound that Hog wasn't sure he'd ever heard before… Had she always made that sound and he just didn't notice or did the thought of that just make her a whole new level of happy? Because either way it still made him melt inside hearing it.
"In the mean time…" Mercy-ANGELA said, "How does a nice movie night with everyone sound?"
"What's a movie noight?" she asked.
"Oh, Efi told me about movie nights!" Orisa said excitedly, beginning to bounce on her own set of… he didn't know if she technically had toes, but he knew that she was definitely bouncing on all four feet as she explained that, "You acquire snacks and your favorite movies and snuggle up in blankets and watch them with your friends!" She said cheerfully before looking to the eldest two in the room, "Can we please have one tonight? Please!?" She asked.
"Yeah, please?" Molly joined in, the two starting to stretch out their pleads to sync up in harmony.
"Sure." Hog said, wanting the sound to stop, "You all go ask around if everyone's up for it or not."
"Affirmative!" Orisa cried, "You can count on us!" Molly smiled and saluted with her before the two and Bob ran out, Orisa calling out, "Athena, requesting locations of all members!" as the sounds of their feet hitting the ground faded.
But Rat stayed where he was.
So much for 'all' of them going to ask around.
"I'd go with 'um, but I need some new clean bandages fer me arm 'n leg 'n I can' 'member if I came in fer me follow up appointment yet today." He said with a shrug, as if explaining to his pal WHY he stuck around and answering his silent complaint.
Angela shook her head, "No, but you're here now, so why don't you take a seat and I'll start setting up." She said as she motioned for him to take a seat on one of the beds while she grabbed some fresh bandages from a cabinet and started up her equipment.
"You came 'ere willingly?" Hog mused quietly, suspicious.
"Molly's been makin' me come while ya've been gone." He admitted bashfully, "But today I came 'cause I had a feelin' ya moight need a distraction if it started goin' bad."
"Little late fer th' bad part." he said flatly, a little annoyed they had been interrupted.
"Sorry, would've been 'ere soona, but Bob koinda made a mess outside 'n we needed ta clean it up, then 'im up 'fore he could come back in. Then we had ta clean ourselves up a bit." Rat explained with a giggle.
"Ah." He replied, pleased they had done that so his little sharefest would not have been interrupted by the smell of fresh dog doo. "Good on ya."
"Cheers!" he laughed before Angela came back and handed him the fresh bandages and began giving him his check up. Roadhog plopped himself on a nearby bed and watched as she carefully inspected his side and pressed her fingers gingerly near the area and chatted with Junkrat. Once satisfied, she tapped a few things onto a tablet and made her way to her desk to upload the data to her main computer.
Junkrat looked at him, "So, what movie are we watchin' tonoight?" he asked him.
"Hmm, figured a Hailey Snow movie would be good." Hog replied, catching a smile on Angela's face out of the foggy corners of the goggles of his mask.
"Who?" Rat asked.
"You never saw a Hailey Snow movie?!" Angela blurted as she walked back to them, shocked.
"We didn' exactly have lotsa movies ta watch out in Junkertown." Rat reminded her.
"We ain' in Junkertown now, though." Hog pointed out, "Maybe we should start gettin' back up ta speed on tha' front."
"Sounds good ta me. I'll see if I can spread th' news too, divide 'n concure 'n all tha'."
"Conquer." Hog and Angela corrected in unison, blushing when they realized they did that.
"Whatevah." Rat dismissed with a snicker and a wave of his hand before leaving, Hog having a feeling that Rat would tease him for that later, but he decided to deal with it when it happened and just to enjoy it as she put the chess board on a small side table by his bed.
"Now," she said as she pulled her chair up to the other side of the table, "let's see if I can turn this check around."
"Good luck with tha'." He replied with a chuckle, grateful that the conversation hadn't made her hate him and that he'd gotten it off of his chest.
He felt even better when Angela groaned in defeat before Athena told them that the whole base was up for a movie night and that it would be starting soon.
But he had to be happiest when she gently touched his arm as he got up to leave, "So, should I meet you both in the garage at about eight?" she asked.
"'Thena told me th' sun rises at 'bout 8:30 in th' mornin' tha' day, so more loike seven thirty or so."
"But you said…" she began, confused.
"Yeah, you can meet us there at seven thirty," he said, pointing at her before jabbing himself in the chest with his thumb, "but I'll need ta be up at six ta drag Molly 'n Bob out of bed ta be in th' garage by then."
"Oh, then maybe we could ask if Jesse wouldn't mind making Molly some special pancakes?" Mercy suggested, "I'm sure if it's only at seven in the morning, he won't mind and it would certainly help modivate her to get up and keep you both from being too tired to watch the sun rise properly."
"Pancakes sound ace." He replied warmly as he gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder, his face burning just from just doing that (oh for the love of all that was Holy, he needed to stop being a fucking teenager about this…), "'N thanks again fer listenin' ta me blubber on... It really does feel good ta get all of this off me chest."
She gave him a warm smile back and patted his hand, "Any time, Mako." She told him, "Any time."
He motioned for her to exit her office first, which she thanked him for, not knowing he'd done so not only because of the manners his mother nailed into him, but because it meant he could happily space out a little at the way she said his real name without her noticing.
Smiling even more as he joined everyone else in the common room and chuckled warmly as his little girl and dog happily hopped into his lap, eager for the film to start as she offered him some popcorn as she bounced on her bum, getting a good amount on the floor for Bob to enjoy.
But as an old favorite played on the massive screen, he felt his stomach start to twist as he wondered just how Cheshire would fit into the odd Overwatch family Molly had gained since coming here. And how upset would she be if and when she found out about his feelings for Angela?
He sucked in a calming breath, one thing at a time. If Cheshire did come here and she did come alone, he'd keep his promise to Molly first. After that, well, he-he'd figure it out.
He'd have to.
He may have fucked up the friendship he'd had with Cheshire all those years ago, but maybe, just maybe, he could find a place for her in this weird family to make up for his mistakes and give her a chance to find people who she loved not just because she was lonely, but because they made her happy, treated her right and loved her too. He could manage that, right?
Right?