The Overwatch library wasn't used nearly as often as it should have been. Ever since he joined at the behest of Jesse, Hanzo had found many a quiet afternoon spent between the walls of stories. After a while, he quickly found it was also the place where the rumour mill churned the hardest, and boy did whispers spread quickly through this compound.

"I heard the latest op didn't go down well," a faceless voice whispered somewhere behind the bookshelf. Hanzo never bothered to loiter within sight of the gossip tables. He didn't care to know who the whispers belonged to; faceless agents meant he didn't have a bias on whether he believed what he heard.

"Really? Did you happen to catch the name of it?" asked another voice, feigning interest. Not all ops went the way they were planned to, and lately, that had become the habit. It wasn't so much a surprise to hear "the op didn't go as planned" or, "we had to make some changes" or, "who the fuck came up with that, of course it didn't work, and here's why." Or, at least, that's what it seemed like on the surface. It could also be that the ops that didn't work out were the ones that got talked about the most.

"Something along the lines of Operation Lost Glasses or something stupid like that. At least, that's what I saw entered into the database. Some newbie was put in, heard she separated herself from the team, fucked everything up from there, ended up in the infirmary."

'Agents will talk. Nothing to worry about, they are not my concern,' Hanzo thought, shaking his head and returning to browsing the selection of books in front of him. He was in the mood for poetry today.

"Hey, wait, I think I saw that. Yeah, it was that tiny little assistant wasn't it? I could have sworn McCree was escorting her there. Do you think they were on that op together?"

Hanzo squeezed his eyes shut for a second. 'Fuck. They are my concern… since when was Marsh my concern?' He shook the thoughts aside and returned the books back to the shelves, keeping the panic at a minimum. 'They never mentioned Jesse having any injuries, but knowing that jackass I bet he did something stupid.' Trying hard to keep his cool, Hanzo quickly made his way out of the library and up to the infirmary.

He found Jesse standing outside the door, wiping down the joints of his prosthetic as best he could without taking it apart. He looked up in surprise when Hanzo approached, and his smile was quick, even if it was a bit world weary.

"Thank the gods you are okay," Hanzo murmured, letting out a sigh of relief and pulling his boyfriend into a hug that quickly transitioned into a deep kiss. The touch was comforting, soothing some of the worry Hanzo had carried five floors up with him.

Jesse tucked the handkerchief into his pocket and chuckled into the sudden onslaught of affection. "Well, howdy there too, partner," he rumbled, cocking his head as Hanzo finally pulled away. "You ain't been this worried in a while. What's got you worked up, Han?"

"I heard you were on an op with Marsh, you get stupid around her. I also heard that the mission went entirely sideways," he said, reaching up to gently brush his fingers against Jesse's jaw, searching his gaze.

Jesse sobered a bit, turning to press a couple kisses to Hanzo's wrist, twinning their fingers together. "I ain't the one needs worrying about. Briallen got too cocky, thought she could handle bein' on her own while Genji and I released some civilians. I figured the Commander had to have been training her for something, and we pretty much had the whole building on lockdown, she'd be fine." His gaze darkened as he looked down the hallway. "I was wrong. There were these mutants and she, uh, she lost her friend. Throat got ripped out right in front of her. If only we'd been there a few moments earlier, Han."

Jesse looked torn up over it. He also looked so incredibly tired, and Hanzo didn't blame him. It was late, he'd been out for most of the day on this mission, and he had most likely, and unnecessarily, hefted some of Briallen's trauma onto himself.

"Stop it," Hanzo murmured, giving his fingers a light squeeze. "You did what you could. You got her and the other civilians out of there relatively unharmed, that's what matters."

Jesse hung his head, his hat threatening to slip off. "I know. It's just… I can't stand seein' her like that, Han… It hurts." He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a few seconds before he offered a weak smile. "Got her to talk about Rose, finally got her to admit that he's been manipulating her. I think she saw it, after a while, but lord knows she's got a soft heart, she probably didn't think he was meanin' to do it."

Hanzo remembered the way she jumped between them at the ball, how she'd expertly diverted his attention away from the fight that almost went down between the three of them, how she had handled Rose with a grace he hadn't expected. "She's had experience. This probably isn't her first time being romantically involved with someone prone to emotional abuse. She could have had such a relationship soon after she woke up from her accident, an introduction into romance with a love like that could mess with anyone's perception of affection and relationships."

Jesse's gaze darkened and he scowled, grumbling something inaudible as he buried his face into Hanzo's shoulder, his arms tightening around the archer's waist.

Hanzo gave a small smile, gently removing the hat to brush his fingers through Jesse's messy mop of hair. "What was that? I couldn't hear you."

"I said I wanna meet whoever fucked her up like that and introduce them to my fist," Jesse growled, softening just a smidge at the fingers in his hair. "Anyone who treats their partner like that deserves nothing less… The things he told her, Han, the things he made her do, it just makes me spittin' mad."

Hanzo chuckled. "You are very protective of her, Jesse… I've found I don't quite mind it as much as I used to. I think I might just be warming up to her."

Jesse perked up at that, a slow smile spreading across his lips as his eyes lit up. "You… you mean it?"

"Mmn. I think it might have just been from casually observing her for a while, but she's not… what I thought she would be… She reminds me of you in some ways," Hanzo admitted, rolling his eyes at Jesse's smile. "But, I'm not comfortable enough with her yet, and even if I was, she has to be comfortable with it as well. She definitely has a soft spot for you, but I can't place her feelings on me just yet."

"Give it time," Jesse said, looking absolutely giddy. "You'll warm up to her quickly. But I can't say the same for her if you keep up this grumpy act."

"What act?" Hanzo teased, just glad to see Jesse smiling again. It was always a sight to behold, when Jesse smiled; when he really smiled there was no part of his face that was untouched, every part of him just glowed. "That's just my face, Jesse."

The cowboy laughed, pressing a kiss to the tip of Hanzo's nose. "That it is, darlin', and I'll be damned if it ain't the cutest, meanest mug I ever seen," he teased right back. His mood quickly soured, however, as he looked up to see a man striding angrily down the hallway towards them. "Rose," he growled, standing up straight and disentangling himself from his boyfriend.

Rose gave them a curt nod, though the aggression in his eyes did nothing to hide his discomfort, with what Hanzo couldn't place. It could have been the fact that he and Jesse had been so openly affectionate in the hallway - something that wasn't super normal, seeing as Hanzo preferred to keep their relationship private and he wasn't fond of overly public displays of affection - , or it could have been that he knew why they were both waiting outside the infirmary. They were waiting for Briallen.

"McCree, Shimada," he said shortly, his lip curling just slightly before he turned to step into the infirmary.

Jesse's hand shot out and he grabbed his arm, keeping him from entering. "You and I need to have a little chat."

The scene that greeted you outside the doors of the infirmary shouldn't have come as a surprise. On the transport, Jesse had sounded about ready to box Dean's lights out, and with his line of work in mind, it really wasn't a surprise that he would follow through with it. After all, Jesse was ex-Blackwatch, and you'd read enough Blackwatch ops to know they didn't fuck around or pull punches.

All three men turned to look at you as you hobbled through the door, a crutch tucked beneath one arm. Both Dean and Jesse looked a bit roughed up; Dean was sporting a black eye, Jesse had him by the collar and sported a split lip himself. Hanzo was standing to the side, watching it unfold. You'd be lying if you said the sight of Jesse's split lip wasn't slightly attractive. You'd also be lying if you said you didn't enjoy the sight of Dean's black eye. You didn't want to lie, so you didn't say these thoughts out loud.

"Briallen, baby, if you could call off this oaf for me," Dean asked through gritted teeth, glowering up at Jesse. "He attacked me out of nowhere and this aggression is extremely uncalled for. This is why I tried to warn you to stay away from him."

You shifted all your weight to the crutch, eyeing him for a second. You tried to find some pity inside you, but due to recent events, you were numb from the pain and exhausted from the toll of it all. All you wanted was to get to your quarters, take a nice bath, maybe get some cake, and sleep. You tried to picture Dean in any of these scenarios, tried to find some emotion other than anger towards him, but failed.

All three of them watched you carefully, waiting to see what your next move would be. You could see Jesse's anger starting to fade, replaced by embarrassment, or was that shame? Hanzo just looked pleased, though curious. Dean had the gall to look anything but apologetic, instead, he looked angry. You couldn't tell who the anger was directed at. You didn't care.

You looked up, meeting Jesse's gaze and nodded. "Let him go, Jesse, he isn't worth your time. I need help getting to my rooms and Angela wants you to keep an eye on me again. Not that I need it, but doctors orders." You shrugged, refusing to look down and meet Dean's gaze. He didn't deserve it, not after all he did to you.

It had taken you a while to realise just how much Dean had been manipulating you, how much of your daily life he interfered in, how many relationships he had set up to crumble, all under the guise of wanting you to be safe and happy. It was all too similar to Jeremy. And you'd had enough of it.

Jesse smiled and quickly let go of Dean, letting him fall to the floor with a thump. "Yes, ma'am." There was a glint in his eyes, you couldn't place it, but it didn't go unnoticed. "How're you feelin', darlin'?" He asked, reaching out to brush his fingers against your lower back. He was trying to piss off Dean now.

You patted his shoulder, frowning. "Don't instigate, Jesse. Let's go."

"Oh, no you don't," Dean hissed, scrambling to his feet and lunging forward to grab your arm.

You turned, shifting your weight onto your good leg, and swinging the crutch around, smacking Dean hard in the face, possibly breaking his nose. Anger bubbled up in you as you looked down at him, meeting his surprised gaze. Blood was gushing from his nose. Good.

"Don't you dare fucking touch me, Dean," you growled, returning the crutch to your underarm and leaning against it. "You don't get to do that, not after what you've done. I trusted you, and you took that trust and used it to manipulate me." Gibson's words floated back to you from three years ago, 'That asshole doesn't deserve you, Bri.' Tears began to gather in your eyes. "We're done, Dean. I'll leave your shit in a box by my door. You can collect it tomorrow. Athena, please remove Dean Rose's access to my room. He's not to be let in under any circumstances."

"Yes, of course, Miss Marsh," the AI responded, sounding all too pleased with your command. You wondered briefly if Athena was hiding more than you had originally thought. You brushed away the thought.

"Go and get an emitter from Angela for that nose," you said coolly, ignoring the look on Jesse's face - the man looked about ready to kiss you, and that bothered you at the moment. "Make sure to tell her how and why you got it." You were shaking slightly by the time you turned around and began hobbling toward the elevator, keenly aware of Jesse's presence by your side, Hanzo trailing behind.

Inside the elevator, you leaned against him, closing your eyes, letting out a soft chuckle, though you didn't find anything funny. "Gods that felt good," you murmured, adjusting your grip on the crutch.

"Yeah?" Jesse asked, and you could hear the smile in his voice. "Good. There's nothing wrong with that." His arm wrapped around your shoulders, holding you against his warm side. "I'm proud of you."

"For what, breaking his nose? Yeah, I'm kinda proud of that too, didn't think I could aim that well with a fucking crutch," you said, opening your eyes to look up at him. His gaze was warm, his smile soft, and it kind of made you melt a bit into his side.

Jesse laughed, shaking his head as he glanced over at Hanzo. "Well, that too. But I'm proud of you because you stood up for yourself, don't think I never noticed your reactions that night, how you just let Dean push you around without sayin' anything. But you stood up for yourself today, and you've been doing a lot better with your confidence."

You blushed and looked away. You hadn't realised it, but being here had changed you more than you had expected. It seemed mostly for the better.

You still didn't like taking compliments, though.

"Yeah, well, he deserved it," you murmured, fingers playing with the hem of your shirt.

Jesse chuckled, rubbing your shoulder. "That he did, darlin', that he did."

Your quarters were quiet, save for the steady trickle of Piddie's water dispenser, and the air smelled faintly of lavender. On the coffee table sat a vase of red roses, which made you groan in frustration. You didn't have to read the card attached to know exactly who they were from.

Peeling yourself away from Jesse's side, you hobbled over to the vase and picked the flowers up by the stems, not caring that the thorns dug into your palms. You were already numb enough to not really feel it anyway. With a huff, you stalked over to the trash can, dripping water from the stems, and dropped the flowers into the trash.

"Remind me to never get you roses," Jesse chuckled, bending over to examine the card. He frowned. Yeah, they were definitely from Dean.

"Alright," you said, shrugging as you played along. "Roses are overdone. I like lilies better anyway, they're much more elegant." You managed a smile as you limped back over to the coffee table, taking the card from Jesse's hands and ripping it in half. You didn't want to read what was inside. You were done with all that. "Specifically blue calla lilies, if that matters."

Jesse grinned down at you, slipping his hands into his pockets. "I'll keep that in mind, sugar." He cocked his head. "So, what do you have planned tonight, sweetpea? Obviously you can't be up on your feet for too long, one of us can run and grab something to eat if you'd like," he said, gesturing back to Hanzo who was currently preoccupied with your cat. His attention was quickly diverted to you, however, and the look in his eyes when he met your gaze was… curious, and warmer than it usually was.

"Well," you murmured, looking away and back up to Jesse. You found you were too tired to really be bothered that Hanzo was staying as well. "I was planning on taking a shower or something to get all this blood out of my hair, but Angela said something about keeping the wounds dry… So I guess I'll settle for some cake and a nap."

Jesse scratched the back of his head, quiet for a second. "If, uh, if you're comfortable enough with the idea, I could help you out with that shower bit," he offered, looking more like a shy teenager than a full-grown adult man.

You cocked your head, thinking. Well, he'd already gotten you with your pants off, but that was a completely different step than seeing you naked. Sighing, you leaned onto the crutch, running your fingers through your nasty hair. Yeah, that needed to get washed. Today. "Fine," you said, consenting. "But only the hair. You already got your panty shot earlier today."

Jesse blushed at that, grinning widely. "Yes ma'am."

Hanzo chuckled. "I take it I'm on cake duty, then. Any requests?" There was a mirth in his eyes, and a quirk in his lips that you'd never seen before.

It suddenly dawned on you that you were being a burden. You were stealing his boyfriend away, making him go out and do things for you, imposing on their lives. You took a step back from Jesse, any semblance of a smile gone, and shook your head. "N-Nevermind on the cake, I can-I can go and get it myself. And… don't worry about the shower thing, I-"

"Briallen," Hanzo cut in, surprising you. You'd never heard him call you anything but 'Miss Marsh'. His smile had faded, but he wasn't angry. Instead, his brows were drawn together in concern, his lips pulled taut in a sympathetic frown. "We want to help you. You're injured, you're mourning, you need the help. Let us help you."

You hesitated, feeling a sudden swell of emotion rise up. You fought against it as well as you could, trying to keep the tears from your eyes. He was right, of course, if either of them left you knew you'd be a puddle of tears and sadness, unable to really do anything but cry. 'There's nothing wrong with accepting help,' you reminded yourself, trying to put some of the things your therapist had taught you into action.

"Okay," you finally managed, your throat constricting a bit. "Carrot, uh, carrot cake would be nice. But any… any cake will do. Thank you, Hanzo." You were able to give him a tiny smile, even as a few tears leaked down your cheeks, which you quickly wiped away.

The corners of his lips quirked up, but he still looked concerned. "Okay. I will be back with that shortly."

His gaze turned up to Jesse, they exchanged a look you couldn't quite place, and Jesse nodded, placing a hand behind your back. "Come on, darlin', let's get you cleaned up."

By the time Hanzo had made it back to her quarters, about an hour had passed. He came in to find Jesse curled up around her on the couch, threading his fingers through her damp hair while she slept. She'd changed into what looked like a pair of fleece pajamas, and Hanzo had to wonder if she'd required help doing so. It can't have been comfortable getting changed with those wounds. But, then, she'd seemed so hesitant to let them in for a little while there, that he doubted she asked Jesse for help, even with how comfortable she'd seemed to be around him.

Jesse looked up when Hanzo set the cake down, smiling and stretching his neck out for a kiss. "She's out like a light," he murmured, chuckling softly, but the smile didn't stay long. "She broke down in the bedroom, I could hear her from out here. I was just waiting for it to happen, too, she was holdin' that in for so long…" He frowned and went quiet, brushing his fingers against the gauze on her cheek.

"No emitters?" Hanzo asked, a little surprised. From what he knew of Angela, she'd never let anyone get away without using one for wounds that bad.

"Nah, she, uh, says she don't mind the scars. Mentioned somethin' about her friend," Jesse looked down at her, gaze riddled with concern. "I think she's tryin' to punish herself for it. 'Specially with the scars it's gonna leave across her face."

Hanzo hummed softly, looking down at her as well. He couldn't quite label what he felt for her yet. It had been more of an intrigue in the beginning, just wanting to know what about this woman could have possibly attracted Jesse's attention like that. She'd looked so plain from afar, so… normal. But now he'd seen so many sides of her over the past month, especially today, that he thought he was starting to understand. In a lot of ways, she reminded him of Jesse, especially in how bubbly she seemed to be, but in moments like this, he felt a keen understanding of what she was going through, and he wanted to help. For his sake or for hers, he couldn't tell. Not yet.

"You two look cute," he finally said, mustering a small smile at Jesse's excited little puppy eyes. "She complements you well. You two are going to be so mischievous… What caught your attention?" he asked, settling down on the arm of the couch.

"Hmm? Oh, well, uh," Jesse chuckled, returning to running his fingers through her hair. "Now, don't laugh at me, but it was that first day. On the phone? She was quick as a whip, relayin' all that info to me as if she'd done it a million times, and the way she kept her cool? Whew. And then rushin' in all heroic-like to save her, only to find she'd already taken down a couple of those Arachnid goons? Shoot, I coulda sworn she was an undercover agent of some kind!" He smiled softly, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Oooh, and the venom in her eyes when I teased her comin' into the hideout? I knew she was a keeper."

"She does have a nice pair of fangs on her," Hanzo remarked, chuckling softly. "You've always had a thing for women who could easily tear you apart at the drop of a hat."

"Comes with the job, I suppose. Couldn't find many shy demure women back in Blackwatch, or Deadlock for that matter. But she's… softer 'n all of that. Kinder than a lot of women I've known…" Jesse tilted his head back, looking straight up at Hanzo with a smile. "I can't wait until you really get to know her, Han."

Hanzo chuckled again, brushing back the cowboy's bangs. "I believe I've already begun that process."

"And?" Jesse's eyes were hopeful, his entire face lighting up with one of those smiles again.

Hanzo simply shook his head, leaning down to give him a gentle kiss. "We shall still have to see."