Heart in Light
Author's Note: In the event of Overwatch 2 being announced, I decided to make a sequel to Heart in Shadow that kind of alludes to that. I was inspired by the song "Sombra De Ti" by Shakira. There will be some hint to Moicy in this fic as well.
"It is an absolute human certainty that no one can know his own beauty or perceive a sense of his own worth until it has been reflected back to him in the mirror of another loving, caring human being."
― John Joseph Powell, The Secret of Staying in Love
"Ô, Wanderess, Wanderess
When did you feel your
most euphoric kiss?
Was I the source
of your greatest bliss?"
― Roman Payne
By: VampireQueenAkasha
~O~
What Comes After
Olivia swatted the mosquito that landed on her neck.
It was hot this morning.
After arriving in Brazil, Akande deployed Gabriel, Natalie and Olivia to meet with a "connection" in Rio de Janeiro. Olivia had learned a bit about the man named Paolo Montenegro - known as "The Candyman" in the criminal underground due to his infamous new drug. It never took long to learn about these kinds of people, no matter how much they tried to hide themselves.
He called his special drug "Red Dust", which apparently enhanced strength and stamina. It was extremely addictive and sold for high profits on the market, which was often used for illegal street fights. Akande had no interest in the drug itself, but the connections Paolo had in the south. He had eyes everywhere and loathed Omnics - but he was also fond of money. His loyalty could be bought and that sort of thing was something Olivia had a hard time trusting herself. After all, there was always a higher bidder.
But the boss' orders were orders.
Paolo's image on her screen was of a thin, gaunt man with a mustache, replacement eyes and hands; he'd augmented himself with machinery that could see through walls, hands that could disable or cause pain to his enemies. Like most in the criminal world, augmentation was everything. But overall, this guy didn't really give off a threatening appearance.
"Do you know where to find this guy?" Gabriel asked, as they wandered the streets that evening.
"Come on, Gabe," Olivia said, with a smirk on her face as she scrolled through the holographic screen in front of her, "I already found him hours ago. He has ties to the police force, and these idiotas left it all out for me to see."
Gabriel scoffed softly under his breath.
Olivia started talking again, but Gabriel had lost interest in what she was saying. He turned his attention toward a younger boy - possibly twelve - who was apparently arguing with a woman outside of a cheap restaurant.
"So, I guess you're not gonna be home until a lot later, huh?" the boy said, carrying a disappointed edge to his tone.
A man approached the woman and wrapped an arm around her waist. Both looked haggard and sickly to Gabriel, but even at this distance, he could see some kind of sickness had affected the woman - pitiful drug-addicted fool. It must have been because of The Candyman.
Withdrawl.
He'd seen it before.
"She's busy. Go play in the street or something, kid." the man snapped.
The woman handed the boy some money, laughing dryly at his joke, but clearly not as amused by it as he was. "Get some food, huh."
The boy rolled his eyes and took the cash before mounting his bike and riding away. He rode almost into the path of a taxi, but Gabriel immediately snatched him clear. The bike fell to the ground and the boy struggled in his grip.
"Let me go, you creep!" he cried.
Gabriel set him down and the boy angrily shouted after the taxi. "A puta da tua tia!" he yelled, shaking his fist.
Olivia chuckled, shaking her head. "Wow, foul mouth on that kid, huh?" she mused, glancing toward Gabriel. "Look at you, Gabe. You're pulling kids out of the street. Getting soft, huh?"
"Never." Gabriel growled, lowly. "Kid has a mother drugged up on that Red Dust, I can see it in her eyes. She knows where to pick up the stuff. He might know something about that."
"Sure."
The boy moved over to retrieve his bike, glancing briefly back at the two when they walked closer to him. "Thanks for saving me, but I would have made it." he snapped. He tilted his head, studying them with interest before he looked at Gabriel. "What are you supposed to be, a circus freak or something?"
Gabriel shrugged. "Maybe."
Olivia bent down, smiling sweetly. "You're lucky that Gabe was here to help you," she crooned, "Now tell me, what's your name?"
The boy frowned suspiciously at the woman when she spoke - he could see the grafts on her head and the metal parts on her hand. The other was wearing a black coat, heavy boots and hood with a skull-like mask. All in all, they both looked strange to him.
"Nico." he said.
"Nico, we're looking for someone," Olivia said, putting on her infamous drawl, "Maybe you can help us, huh? We know about this guy, you see. There's this big tough guy on the streets who calls himself, 'The Candyman'. He runs a club and we need to get to him."
The boy - Nico's - eyes narrowed nervously. "I know him. My mom works for him."
"Ah, good." Gabriel was interested now. "Walk us to him."
"I-I don't know," Nico looked worried.
"We'll make it worth your while." Olivia said, as she flashed a credit chip and Nico's eyes widened. When he reached for it, she pulled back. "Ah, ah, not until you take us to him."
Nico pursed his lips uneasily, but nodded.
O
The boy led the two to a nearby night club lit up with neon lights and signs. Instead of taking the front door, he walked them toward the back. He knocked on the door and shortly afterwards, a man opened it; he was wearing a dirty apron and wiping his hands on it.
"Nico. No deliveries today," he snapped. "Go home."
"Is Mister Montenegro in today?" Nico asked, carefully.
The man regarded the two behind him suspiciously. "No guests, Nico. You know that."
Nico looked back at Gabriel and Olivia. "They told me they were here on business." he said, "Mister Montenegro will want to see them."
The man sighed. He shook his head sympathetically. "Alright, but it's on you, kid. Not me."
Gabriel gave the man a rough grunt in acknowledgement before they walked into the door. Nico led the way into a fancy smoke-room. There were several men in suits and lavished appearances talking, playing cards and some were in the middle of necking women in their arms.
Olivia remembered the kind of life like this.
Los Muertos and these guys didn't seem much different in that regard. She'd know exactly how to talk to them and smooth the job over in no time. That was fine, anyway; she was bored and wanted to hurry it along.
Nico brought them to a table where a tall, thin man was sitting. He wore a brown suit, vest, and wide-brimmed fedora with a blue tie and white gloves. He had light, silver hair, and a thin brown mustache. His hands were augmented, his eyes red, shining circles. He was in the middle of a card game, it seemed; with several more well-dressed men.
"Paolo...the shipment we have at the port is being investigated," a man beside him whispered. "Not every cop is on your payroll, you know. We have rats running around."
"Ah, you worry too much, Eduardo..." Paolo sighed, his thick accent rich with pride. "I will handle it. Just go home to your lovely wife and relax."
He inclined his head when he noticed the two strangers.
Gabriel and Olivia pulled up seats and sat down at the table. He regarded Paolo with interest. "I take it your The Candyman?"
Paolo chuckled and shuffled his cards. "Nico?" he said, glancing down at the uneasy boy. "Who have you brought to me tonight?" His features clouded somewhat will mild ill-intent. "I was clear when I told you that I do not take guests at this hour. I would not like to make an extra trip to your home."
Nico wavered with fright. "N-No, sir." he stammered. "They insisted on finding you."
"Did they, now?" Paolo lifted his gaze to them, studying the odd pair before he began dealing out the cards to his men. Even with his red optics, he seemed to stare holes into them. "What brings you to our fair city? Money? Fame? The comforts of a woman?" He gave Gabriel the once-over before smirking. "A man?"
"Business." Gabriel said, annoyed. She already didn't like his attitude.
Immediately, guns were pointed in their faces. Olivia held up two hands with a chuckle and Gabriel's hand was already reaching into his coat. Paolo was calm and sighed, waving a hand in the air.
"Boys, put the guns way," he said, bored, "Akande told me they were coming. Let's hear what these two have to offer."
Reluctantly, the guns were put away and Paolo smiled pleasantly at Olivia and Gabriel. He lit himself a cigarette before offering them one. They refused, so he shrugged and set the pack into his coat.
"Large ones a hundred, and small ones a fifty. May I deal you any?" he asked.
Olivia shrugged and reached into her pocket, producing some cash. "Well, what do I get for seventeen bucks?"
A laugh. "Seventeen dollars? A cab ride home, perhaps."
"I have it." Gabriel said. He pushed some more money up to him.
Paolo smiled with interest. "Ah. Now then...let's talk business."
O
"He wants his rivals gone."
"Simple."
On the stage of the rival bar, Natalie was dancing and singing; she wore a mask that matched the color of her skin, hiding her scars. Olivia's smile thinned when she noticed the sight of it and she sighed, rolling her eyes with disappointment. It seemed like Natalie was still hiding her face. She always knew that Natalie still hated the sight of herself after the attack on King's Row. But here, Natalie wanted to take part in the mission as being a distraction, dusting off her old joys of performing on stage. No one argued with it.
"These guys here are the rivals," Gabriel whispered, scanning the hall filled with several members of the gang, "Natalie's ready?"
"You know my girl," Olivia said, with a smirk and a wink in Natalie's direction - she saw it and winked back, "Always ahead of the game."
"What about Paris?"
"Ah, just distracted. You know how it is."
It had happened when Olivia had been on a mission of her own. She'd heard about how Natalie had frozen up in the face of a gun and that Gabriel had to bail her out. It had been a close call, but Natalie didn't want to talk about it since it happened and no one asked. The mission had ended in success, so that was what was important to them. But Olivia knew that Natalie still had problems dealing with those situations after the incident.
Natalie was continuing to sing, grinning widely and happily. She spun around once, grabbed the microphone and leaned down to a man who was laughing at her. Whether he was impressed or mocking her, Olivia couldn't tell quite yet. But Natalie didn't seem upset.
"Hey! How about a spin on my lap, freak-show?" he asked, grinning.
Olivia scowled now and was ready to teach the idiot some manners; but Natalie shook a finger, removed her mask that revealed her scarred face. He reacted with a surprised sound.
"Whoa." he said. "What's with you? Get into a fight with a buzzsaw?"
"I have a prize for you," Natalie hissed, with glee, "I think you'll like it."
"Oh!" the man grinned now. "What kind of surprise?"
"A toy. A friend we can both play with."
He looked VERY interested to hear something like that, failing to see a shape stalking the club goers from above on a chandelier. It was a metal hound with large teeth, enormous claws and blue optics; sleek and dangerous, built with the shape of an Omnic on all fours.
Natalie's grin widened. "Aanval." she whispered - a command.
It snarled loudly at the single word before diving down and sinking its teeth into the man's throat.
He screamed, falling backwards to the floor and Natalie laughed gleefully, clapping her hands.
Chaos ensued as the three members of Talon began to take out the club members together; Olivia took shots from her gun, Natalie cracked men across the face with her staff and Gabriel shot from his guns. Neither one could be touched by the weapons.
"Ay! Looks like Trap Jaw has a new chew toy!" Olivia yelled, over the shouting and gunfire. "Nada mal!"
Natalie laughed with delight. "He's so cute, isn't he? Dr. O'Deorain was right to combine tech."
"You're having fun, then?"
"ALWAYS!"
Once the entire room had been cleared and the club goers killed, Natalie slapped her thighs and the mechanical hound rushed up to her with metal panting noises imitating a living animal. She laughed and pet its head, giving it a few kisses. Gabriel watched the sight with a groan of disgust and a shake of his head.
"What good is that mutt?" he snapped.
"It's my new toy, Gabriel," Natalie reminded him, with a few more kissing sounds. "He's my latest and greatest. I had hoped testing him here would do well and it has! I think the good doctor will be pleased with the results."
Trap Jaw growled softly, rubbing against Natalie's hands.
"Trap Jaw, come," Natalie encouraged, taking a thick coil of metal chain around its neck, "You did good. Now let's get you back to Dr. O'Deorain so that she can run some tests. Beweeg uit."
Trap Jaw barked - a metallic noise - and followed her.
Gabriel tapped his COMM at his head. "All clear."
They stepped outside and found Paolo waiting for them at the doors with a smile on his face. He had several of his men at his side, armed with their guns and he was studying a coin in his hand before he nodded his approval, surveying the damage beyond Gabriel's shoulders.
"Mmm, well done! The Vipers won't be running about any further." he said. "Thanks to all of you. A deal's a deal. You have Candyman's eyes and ears."
Gabriel nodded once and the three made their way back to their ship; Natalie was carrying the chain in one hand and Paolo watched her go with a thoughtful murmur.
"Hey! Good work, Nat," Olivia told her, with a grin and a laugh, "That was some dance up there."
Natalie laughed a little. "At least my feet didn't swell."
It took a second before Olivia laughed louder.
O
It smelled good in her room.
Olivia could smell Natalie cooking in the kitchen when she walked up to her; the scent of garlic, beef and vegetables. She was learning how to cook Mexican dishes and doing quite a good job of it. Natalie had changed into a button shirt and trousers after their mission. The clothes had to adapt to her limb replacements, which had been hard at first.
"I'm making us something before I see Lethabo," Natalie told her, with a smile. "This food will be delicious, I promise you.
"El poder de ajo," Olivia remarked, leaning over to sniff the meal cooking on the stove.
"Yes, garlic, my liewe." Natalie said, with a chuckle, "I learned a few new recipes."
Olivia didn't have any argument to that. Still, the fact that Natalie was going to visit Lethabo again bothered her a bit. She'd rather spend the evening with her. "You're gonna see him again?" she complained.
"Hm? Who?"
"Lethabo."
"Well, yes," Natalie explained, pouring a glass of whiskey. "He's helping me with my memories. They're still a little..." She rubbed her forehead with one hand, wincing. "...splintered in my head. But I have been remembering certain parts of my childhood."
Olivia didn't argue with that. At least Natalie was getting something out of it.
She slipped her arms around Natalie's waist, kissed the back of her neck and Natalie murmured contentedly at the contact. She was cutting up a few peppers for the dish and paused only for a second to enjoy the kiss.
"Stay here tonight," Olivia encouraged, lightly teasing her lips against Natalie's.
Natalie made a soft note in her throat and parted her lips to accept the next kiss against them. She smiled and nodded, setting the utensils down so that she could reach up and cup Olivia's cheek.
"Alright," she said, "Mmm, you make it hard to say no."
Olivia chuckled against her cheek, rubbing her nose against the outline of her jaw. "I know I do," she murmured, reaching over to switch the oven off with one hand. "Come on, bonita. We can eat later."
"Bonita..." Natalie laughed at the name and her eyes flickered with sadness for a second. "It's nice but...you know that's not true."
Olivia snorted slightly. "Hey, don't listen to what that puto told you."
"I'm not, I just..." Natalie trailed off, shut her eyes briefly before she rapidly shook her head and laughed softly. "I'm sorry, my liewe. I shouldn't think about that. Not when you're being so generous tonight."
The two spent the evening in bed; Oliva had certainly been generous that night, taking her from behind with her favorite toy, holding her close to her chest to feel her skin against hers.
"O-Olivia..." Natalie let out a low, throaty groan, dropping her head back against Olivia's shoulder.
Olivia grunted out a few lewd words in Spanish, pressing her mouth against Natalie's in a searing kiss that stole the breath from her lungs. One hand toyed with one of her breasts as the other slipped between the slickness of her thighs, making Natalie twitch and whimper against her lips.
She was greedy, but it was everything that Natalie wanted tonight. She sucked the skin of her neck, thrust hard enough that it pushed her close to the edge. Natalie clutched her thigh, pushing herself down on that toy, urging her along and it took only a short moment before she stifled a shout in Natalie's shoulder as she came. Panting, kissing Natalie's sweaty skin.
"Fuck..." Olivia bit out.
Natalie wasn't far behind her and Olivia maintained her rhythm, urged her over the edge with several short thrusts and circles against her clit.
It took them a few moments to catch their breath and Natalie collapsed into the bed, boneless and spent. Olivia chuckled, satisfied with the sight as she brushed a little lock of damp hair from Natalie's face to kiss her cheek. A soft murmur of appreciation filled her ear and Natalie opened her eyes, smiling at her.
"Mmm..."
Olivia whispered teasingly in her ear - a few more lewd words in Spanish that had Natalie laughing and wiggling her hips a little.
"Hush. Tomorrow morning, when I can't walk properly, it'll be your fault." she joked.
Olivia grinned, winking at her. "Oh, I know. And I'll love every second of it."
She reached between them, urged the toy out of Natalie; it drew a soft gasp from the other woman and she set it aside on the nearby table, kissing her shoulder a little more. Natalie shivered at the contact and Olivia's eyes fell to the scars on her back; white patches that had all but faded, but still carried reminders of what had happened.
For a second, she thought about when she found her broken and bloody beneath the rubble of the facility and quickly shook away that memory.
It was in the past.
It had to stay there.
She wouldn't think of it.
Natalie had eventually made her way into the shower while Olivia laid in bed, still naked, scrolling through her data files. Her collection of information regarding Paolo was interesting; he was useful to Akande, but apparently, there had been more she hadn't seen right away.
"Nat!" she called.
"I'm in the shower!" Natalie yelled from the open bathroom.
"I know just...hold up."
Olivia stood up, walked into the bathroom and stuck her holographic screen through the curtain so that Natalie could see what had caught her interest - a feed of data that made no sense to Natalie. She blinked at the screen, then looked at Olivia.
"What am I looking at?" she questioned.
Olivia looked at the screen, made a face. "Oh! Wait, hold on."
She swiped it with one finger, producing an image of Paolo. Natalie frowned thoughtfully, looked at Olivia for some sort of explanation.
"I did digging," Olivia explained, "See, I never trusted this guy when they asked us to rope him in. He's got eyes in the criminal underground, but he also has his hands in government secrets. He was responsible for the Red Dust Massacre led by... Omnics."
Natalie looked at her, confused. "What?"
"Yeah," Olivia smirked now, tapping her chin thoughtfully, "For a guy who hates Omnics, what's he doing running with them?"
"I don't know. Should we tell Akande?"
"Don't know yet. We have to find more on this guy and see how we can use it to our advantage." Olivia closed the hologram with a single clench of her fist. "Now scoot over. I need a shower and you're going to use up all the hot water."
Natalie yelped when Olivia squeezed into the tub with her. "Ah! Wait, there's no room!" she cried, laughing.
O
Trap Jaw grumbled softly, jaws snapping.
Moira's hand ran down the length of the creature's sides and she chuckled, delighted. Natalie watched her with amusement.
"So he's done well?" she questioned, "Ah! That pleases me to hear. How strong was his bite?"
"Strong." Natalie explained. "He clamped down in seconds."
"Good, good," Moira made her way around the table that Trap Jaw was lying on, retrieving a handheld scanner, "Now...what of you, Natalie?"
Natalie murmured thoughtfully. "What do you mean?"
"Dr. Martin is gone for the week," Moira continued to explain, "So I'm assuming his duties for the time being until he returns. He was going to perform your psychological evaluation tomorrow night, wasn't he?"
Natalie nodded her head, her smile disappearing somewhat.
"Hmmm." Moira turned her attention to Natalie and held up the scanner. "Arms up."
Natalie lifted her arms up and allowed Moira to scan the replacement part. She moved the scanner to her leg, then her face and back to her metal parts once more. She made another thoughtful note, clearly fascinated with what she always looked at. Such was Dr. O'Deorain's ways and one that Natalie didn't discourage.
"Are you still having nightmares?" Moira questioned, setting the scanner down.
Natalie swallowed thickly, shut her eyes once before nodding.
Moira seemed content with the response. She gestured to a nearby chair with one wave of her hand and Natalie took it, sitting down and holding her hands together. Moira sat down in a chair nearby and smiled thinly; her eyes were always focused, always fascinated with whatever she studied in front of her. Natalie was no exception.
"Is this why Paris went poorly?" she questioned. She paused, watching Natalie shift in her seat. "I know. You were there and a guard pointed his gun at you. You froze like a deer in the headlights. Gabriel had to get you away from him - he certainly had his share of complaints about it."
Natalie knew that. She felt herself frozen when the gun had been in her face. She heard the echoes of the time when she'd been in King's Row. Heard the screams. Smelled the blood again.
"You can never change the past, Natalie," Moira reminded her, with a dismissing wave of her hand, "No matter how often others would bring it back to you, it happened and you must look to your future." She trailed off in wonder, a small note of disappointment softening her tone. "No matter the sacrifice."
Natalie nodded her head.
That was true.