"You'll be safe, right?" Jesse asked, reaching out to brush back a loose strand of Hanzo's hair. For the next few minutes, he'd be finding any reason he could to touch his lover, to stretch out these last few moments with him before he was gone for an indeterminate amount of time. Of course, Hanzo would be fine, as would he and Briallen, but there was always an air of uncertainty when it came to missions like these.
Hanzo smiled, that rare, knowing smile of his, the one that told Jesse he knew exactly what was going on in his mind. He caught Jesse's hand before it could finish it's task, drawing it down so he could press a kiss to his knuckles. "Of course, Jesse, you know me. I'm not reckless like you or Briallen."
Jesse couldn't help but crack a small grin, cupping Hanzo's jaw with his other hand. "She's gonna be the death of me, y'know."
The archer laughed softly and shook his head, leaning into the touch. "She is a handful. But she's nothing you can't handle. Be patient with her, she is going through something neither you nor I could imagine."
Jesse sighed. "Has she talked to you? I can tell something is up, but she won't say a word to me." It was hard, knowing something was bothering her, but not being able to get her to talk about it. It had seemed, lately, that she'd almost been avoiding him.
"She will, in time. It's not mine to tell you about."
They both glanced over to where their partner was giggling, holding up both the massive dragons as they purred and whined, snaking their long bodies around her. Jesse couldn't help but smile softly, he always loved hearing her laugh, it meant that, even for a moment, her mind was somewhere away from what had been plaguing her lately.
"You two will have plenty of time together in Gibraltar, I'm sure she will explain everything when she gets the chance. Just give her time, Jesse." Hanzo said softly, giving his lover's hand a squeeze. "Do you remember how long it took me to open up?"
Jesse chuckled, closing his eyes as he shook his head. "How could I forget? I nagged you for so long because I knew something was wrong. I just didn't know how bad it was…"
"I was scared you'd reject me because of my past. She's afraid of the same thing, just under different circumstances. Just be sure to give her the same amount of gentle patience and love that you gave me. She will come around," the archer insisted, pulling away just slightly to face their lover as she approached. His dragons danced around her, winding between her legs and nosing at her hands as they looked for any last bits of affection they could get.
"Hachi," he murmured, holding out an arm to pull her closer, pressing a kiss against her forehead. "You behave yourself, understand? Or there will be punishment awaiting you when you return."
She giggled, scrunching her nose as she leaned into his chest, beating her wings gently against his arm. Her smile was bright as she turned it up to Jesse, meeting his gaze with a loving one of her own. "Me? Behave? When have I done anything but?"
Jesse smirked, playfully pinching her cheek. "I'd be serious if I were you, darlin'. His punishments are worse than mine."
Briallen stuck out her tongue, batting his hand away. "Those were supposed to be punishments? I think you need to step up your game, old man."
"Hachi," Hanzo warned, his voice low though holding no bite. His smile was soft, content, but his eyes were sad. It was obvious that he was going to miss this, miss them. He shook his head and pulled them both closer to close the distance between them.
Jesse closed his eyes, letting himself be enveloped by the embrace, breathing in their combined scents. It was going to be hard without Hanzo, it always was. But he had confidence they'd make it through to the other side, no matter what.
Briallen had been quieter than usual for the week leading up to their departure. It was enough to make Jesse wonder if she was pulling away from him intentionally, if her feelings for him had faded and she was just acting civil while Hanzo was there - foolish though those thoughts were. Truth be told, Jesse had noticed how much closer she had been with Hanzo as of late, especially in relation to how close she was with him, and though he knew it was stupid, he found himself feeling hurt and a little jealous over it. It did make sense, though, how close she was with their partner; they had, after all, spent quite a few months together, and they shared something he'd probably never have in common with them - the same wish to make up for the past.
Jesse, though having done many things in the past he was not proud of, had no wish to change the course of history for himself. Sure, he ran into a consequence of his past actions from time to time, but he never viewed that as a need to change or make amends. He could see it in their eyes, though, that pain whenever the past came back to haunt them, the grief over the paths they'd taken, willingly or not, the need to make the world see them as something other than the culmination of their misguided choices. He could see how they found refuge in each other, a little hidden place together unburdened by the eyes of the world. Jesse had been Hanzo's first oasis, and while he had tried so hard to be the same for Briallen, it seemed Hanzo had quickly stepped in to take that role. Jesse had been little more than a breath of fresh air compared to the sanctuary the archer had offered her. He wished he could be a sanctuary for her as well, but his own doubts seemed to make that an even harder goal to attain.
There was also the matter of her previous brainwashing. Only months ago, she'd been genetically programmed to kill Jesse on sight, and ever since then, even after having slept in the same bed for nearly five months now, she still seemed hesitant around him. Did any of that programming remain? Did it change the way she viewed him? He hoped not.
In any case, they would have all the time in the world to figure everything out together. Gibraltar was not a very large base, not like the one in Paris or HQ, and it was relatively peaceful there. With nothing to do but manage some reports and play nurse to some agents who would likely not see field action for quite a few months, it would be hard for them to avoid each other.
"Darlin', you packed yet?" he asked, poking his head into the bedroom. It had been more than half an hour since he'd left her in there, thinking she'd be done in a few minutes. She only had toiletries left, she'd said. She wouldn't be long.
She was standing beside the bed, holding an old framed photo in her hands. The look in her eyes was sad, almost pained, and Jesse could swear she was on the verge of tears. He watched her run her fingers across the glass, falling back to sit on the edge of the mattress, seeming not to have heard him. There was a tune she was humming, the same tune she'd had stuck in her head ever since she came back from that interview. It was pretty, sounded almost like a lullaby of sorts, but she didn't know the words.
"Briallen?" his voice was soft as he stepped into the room, frowning. "Everything alright, doll?"
She heard him that time. All in one swift motion, she shot up from the bed, the picture frame slipping from her fingers to the floor where the glass cracked on impact. Her eyes were wide as she bent down, quickly scooping the frame back up and inspecting the damage. "Ohh, I didn't mean to drop it, I swear, I was just- I saw this and I guess I got distracted."
There was a soft wail in her voice that made it impossible for Jesse to just stand there and watch, so he stepped further in, slowly so as not to spook her again. He sat down next to her when she fell back onto the bed, cradling the picture in her lap. It was an old picture of Genji and Hanzo from when they were children. The broken glass spiderwebbed out, forming a crack between them that Jesse thought was all too ironic, but otherwise did not distort their faces.
They were quiet for a bit, Briallen gently running her fingers across the cracks in the glass, Jesse rubbing her back, careful not to brush against the base of her wings. He thought it best to give her some time to think before he pushed anything. Briallen could be difficult to figure out when she was upset, it seemed like she disappeared within herself and there wasn't anything he could do to coax her out. Patience, that's what Hanzo had said.
Eventually, she stopped caressing the glass and let out a soft sigh, her eyes locked on the photo. "Do you have any siblings, Jesse?" she asked quietly, brushing her hair away from her face, an impossible feat, really. Ever since she'd cut it short, it refused to stay in place, but Jesse had solutions.
He frowned, reaching around her to grab a barrette off the bedside cabinet to pin the rebellious hair back, his touch light. "No, I don't. No family other than you, Han, and the rest of Overwatch." His fingers found her chin and gently turned her face towards him so he could meet those chocolate-honey eyes. He was no mind reader, but it was easier to tell how she was feeling when she actually looked at him. "That got somethin' to do with whatever's been on your mind lately, sweetpea?"
She cringed, pulling her face away, which stung a little bit. "I… I don't know who I am, Jesse… Where did I come from? Who was I? Who was my mother? My father? Did I have any siblings? Were there people who cared about me, who mourned my disappearance?" A few tears collected in her eyes and she groaned, almost slapping herself in the face with how quickly she raised a hand to her head. "I have so many memories that I can't access. I can feel them there, Jesse, but every time I try to access them, I get this searing pain in my head…
"I envy you and Han, you know who you are, you can remember your past, you had a childhood no matter how broken and turbulent it might've been… The earliest memory I have is waking up in that hospital, alone. No family, no friends. No one to guide me." She wiped at her cheeks, sniffling a bit. Her wings trembled against his arm. "I had a life… I had a fiance for gods' sakes! Obviously I was happy at some point! And it was all ripped away from me."
Jesse's heart broke for her. He hadn't realised how much of an impact not knowing her past had on her, she'd never really talked about it before. In his opinion, she'd been lucky to not know what Morrigan had done, the blood she'd spilt, she was better off not having to live with those nightmares. But after hearing that, he could see how it would be disturbing and upsetting to not know. "Darlin', I'm so sorry," he murmured, removing the picture frame from her lap to pull her closer. "I- I know it must be tough, not knowin', and I'm sorry you have to live with that. I… I don't know much, but I can tell you what I do know, if that helps."
She sniffled, leaning against him and hiding her face in his chest. No words were spoken, she just gave a small nod to indicate that's what she wanted.
"Okay, well, let's start with the obvious, Morrigan was gorgeous, I mean, she was you after all, so it makes sense," he said, smiling at the weak chuckle it got from her. He ran his fingers through her hair as he spoke, trying to soothe her. "The Commander certainly had good taste."
Director Baxter was not, in fact, outside of Jack's office. Instead, he was seated in one of the large dark leather chairs stationed in front of Jack's desk with a cup of tea in his hands. Judging by the lingering scent of myrrh, Jack had a rather good idea of who exactly let the Director into his office and made a mental note to have a talk with her about letting random politicians in.
"Took you long enough," Baxter said, not looking back to see who entered, he already knew.
"Director," Jack grunted, stepping fully into his office and hanging his coat up. "Can I get you anything? A glass of whiskey, maybe?"
Baxter chuckled humourlessly, shaking his head. "I took you more for a bourbon man. No, thank you, Miss Amari provided me with a lovely cup of tea earlier." His eyes followed Jack as he walked across the office to the liquor cabinet, burning a cold heat into the back of his neck as he pulled out a bottle of whiskey and a glass. "That's a good year," he remarked, taking a sip of his tea.
Jack grunted in agreement, settling down in his chair and pouring himself a glass, which he downed quickly. "I'd prefer if we just cut to the chase, Director. I have reports to go over."
Baxter smiled a cruel, amused smile, and set his cup and saucer down onto the desk, folding his hands into his lap. "Tell me, Commander, how did the interview go?"
Jack frowned. "The interview itself went fine. I believe Miss Marsh handled herself quite well for her first public interview."
"I think we both know that interview wasn't her first, Jack. Her first public interview, but not her first."
Jack, who had been reaching to pour himself another glass to savour this time, paused, furrowing his brow. "What-"
"This is what, the fourth mutant we've had issues with this month alone? I'd say it's becoming quite the problem, wouldn't you? Almost like we have an infestation." Baxter titled his head, watching Jack's response carefully. He obviously knew more than he was letting on, so it was up to Jack to figure out exactly what he knew, especially when it pertained to Briallen.
"It's nothing we can't handle. We're looking into the origin of these mutants and their purpose," he said, turning his gaze down to his cup so as not to spill the whiskey. Baxter had been right, it was a good year, expensive, too, which is why he wasn't keen to waste any.
Baxter scoffed. "That sounds like a complete waste of time, seeing as you already know where they're coming from. Miss Marsh could have easily told you that."
Jack took a breath and sat the whiskey bottle down. "Enough with the games, Baxter, what do you know?"
The director's smile widened. "I know you're harboring a weapon, Jack. An expensive, deadly weapon that could easily turn on you at a moment's notice." He leaned forward, cocking his head. "I want to know why you're so keen on keeping her around instead of turning her in. I also want to know how you trained her to be so docile."