Kamilah was humming under her breath, with no specific tune but for the random notes her mellow mood inspired. It was a very rare occurrence, maybe even a first as far as Kamilah remembered. She never was musically-inclined, never tried to sing. Yet here she was, humming her own little tune under her breath, as she unwrapped the hoverbike's components from their padded packaging, with an eye on her task and the other on her tablet. The mechanic had provided a comprehensive manual that she'd pored over for days, and could almost recite by heart, but she kept her eyes on it regardless, determined to have everything done right. But her diligence soon met an inevitable obstacle, when strong arms circled firmly about her waist, and a familiar warmth leaned against her back.
She smiled as Ana nestled her head into Kamilah's neck, and took a deep, languid inhale. Her breath tickled against Kamilah's skin quite delightfully, ending with a kiss to her neck. Ana's closeness reminded her of the intimacy they'd shared the night before; a re-acquaintance, a rekindling of a passion amid established domesticity, between the distance that kept them apart far longer than Kamilah liked. She nearly sighed at the last thought, but ignored it in favour of living in the moment, with someone who mattered more.
"Ana, you're not helping."
"I'm giving moral support." Ana's husky murmur sent a pleasant, rumbling sensation across her skin.
"Like always."
A huff, and Ana peels herself from Kamilah. "Your tongue's as sharp as ever."
The comment was made in jest, but it still gave Kamilah pause. She looked at the serene expression on Ana's face, the unreadable quality to bronze eyes that turned to meet hers. "I didn't mean it that way."
Ana cocked her head, gazing at her quietly, before a gentle smile curved her lips. "I know."
A truth hiding another truth, but Kamilah chose to move on, eager to lead Ana away from any discomfort she might've accidentally seeded in their minds. "Come, help me hold this up."
Ana moved over to hold up a part of substantial weight, which would be part of the sturdy chassis housing the anti-grav cores. Kamilah had to exert quite some strength when she'd moved it to the garage floor, and it was gratifying to see that Ana had little trouble heaving the part up for inspection. All that field work's still doing her good, Kamilah mused, eyeing Ana's bare arms before roaming up unconsciously to catch that knowing gaze. Thirty years ago, Kamilah might've gotten flustered. But now, she merely rolled her eyes to shake off the abashment, and started checking over the bike parts.
Ana was patient, waiting for Kamilah's next order to turn this, hold that up, put this down, and move that away. In fact, she acted the role of a silent assistant so efficiently, that Kamilah even forgot Ana was present, as she got engrossed in the first steps of putting the bike together. It was only the bare frame, but Kamilah's heart beat just a tad quicker, as she picked and screwed what felt like an endless supply of nuts and bolts, slowly piecing together the vaguest shape of the chassis to her future bike.
Though she hadn't had to weld anything together yet, Kamilah's attention was fixed solely on her work, and it seemed little time had passed when Kamilah finally straightened herself, taking a deep breath as she set her tools down for a moment's rest. She was looking over her own handiwork – the half-completed frame that she was just itching to continue – when she was distracted by a mug held out to her.
Kamilah blinked, taking the mug of warm tea instinctively, the touch of ceramic on her skin feeling odd after nearly an hour of handling heavy metal. She sat back on the floor and took a draught of tea, looking at Ana who sat next to her, and wondered just when her wife had gone away to make tea. Ana's eyes crinkled over the rim of her own mug, and she reached forward to smooth the unruly tufts of hair from Kamilah's forehead, tucking the bangs behind an ear.
"Keep this up, and I might start worrying you'll lose sleep over your bike."
"What makes you think I haven't?" Kamilah deadpanned.
"Well, I don't know. You look normal. But you've always had those eye bags of yours, it's hard to tell." Ana cackled when Kamilah slapped at her thigh.
"You're one to talk about eye bags, Captain," Kamilah said, reminding Ana of all the times she'd texted in the early hours of the morning.
"I have a tattoo to distract people from them, so it's fine for me."
"If you say so," Kamilah humoured her, getting a smile from Ana, and a knock of their shoulders together.
Conversation flows smoothly between them, words and lulls in between filling the spaces nicely. In truth, they weren't really 'catching up'; Kamilah's experiences had already been shared through text, while Ana's were kept secret. They spoke as if they'd been together all along – bickering, discussing future plans, then bickering once again. Kamilah watched her wife as they spoke, noting how much quieter Ana had grown, be it from age or the weight on her shoulders. And though she looked at Kamilah with that ever soft, adoring gaze, Kamilah still ached, knowing something wasn't quite right – that Ana had changed in her absence, and she might never truly learn why.
Ana caught her staring – eyes of dark brown bearing the severity of one deep in thought – and smiled again. She took Kamilah's hand and raised it to her lips, kissing the back of her fingers. Then she leaned in, and claimed Kamilah's lips with her own, her wife yielding to her kisses, growing ever so soft under her touch. Kamilah relished the firm kisses Ana showers onto her, drawn in further with each pass, and she felt breathless when Ana pulled away, half-tempted to yank her wife back in again.
"You know," Ana murmured, the corner of her lips tilted in a smirk, as her hand roamed Kamilah's body. "Your muscles are feeling a little tense…and I know just the thing you need."
"A warm bath and a massage?" Kamilah said, smile growing to match Ana's. She combed her fingers through black hair streaked with grey, wondering how it had remained so thick and smooth.
"Hm, we could do that." Ana slipped her arms under Kamilah, and lifted her up with graceful ease. "But I'm thinking we should loosen you up with a massage first."
"Why did I know you'd say that," Kamilah laughed, hugging Ana about the neck. She was giddy – mild adrenaline from being carried, or she might be falling in love again. She opened her mouth to speak, but lost her breath and words when she met Ana's playful gaze.
It was the latter, Kamilah thought. She might have fallen once again.
Her time with Kamilah was what she'd sorely needed – a chance to be herself, to set down the weight from her shoulders. It took great effort, as Ana's mind was geared towards worrying about Overwatch around the clock. But Kamilah could tell whenever her mind wandered, and put a smile on Ana's face by simply bossing her around, making Captain Amari wipe the windows, do the laundry, or just give a massage that was Kamilah's excuse to have Ana's hands on her. Private time with her wife had been a luxury for too many years, and Ana genuinely wished to stay home longer – forever, if she could.
But the world pulled her away, as always, and Ana had to hold herself steady as she received a kiss at the airport, an apology rising to her tongue when Kamilah smiled at her, perhaps knowing how Ana felt. Kamilah let herself be drawn into a long, tight hug that drew a few glances when it seemed they'd never part, then sent Ana off with a chuckle and a pinch on the cheek.
She held close the memory of her wife's smile, which kept her feeling mellow throughout the flight, and the drive back to base. But she'd had to tuck Kamilah's image away when she entered the headquarters once more, knowing it would make her less than happy. That, and she didn't have much of a choice anyway.
Jack seemed to have been waiting for her, because he caught her right at the door to her own quarters. He stuttered through a few words, failing to piece together a sentence, then his shoulders sagged in defeat.
"Look, I know you've just come back, but you've got to see this yourself."
Ana's eyes narrowed a fraction. "What is it?"
He opened his mouth again, but chose to shrug instead. "You're not going to believe me if I told you."
"You're straight."
"Oh, fuck no, Ana. Please – no jokes, because this is real. And serious." Jack averted his eyes briefly. "And kinda ridiculous. But it's real, alright?"
Ana heaved a sigh, palming the door control and tossing her bag carelessly inside. "This better be good."
Another shrug, and Jack led her on an unexpectedly short walk down the corridor, past his own room and ending at Gabriel's door. It was the least used room in this residential wing, as Gabriel slept in Jack's room, and was frequently out on missions for prolonged periods of time.
"Now," Jack said, turning back to face her. "Don't freak when you see what's inside."
"If it's Gabriel naked in there–"
"It's not, Ana." Jack rolled his eyes, exasperated. "Just promise you won't freak, alright?"
"Fine."
"Alright," Jack repeated, taking a deep breath. He tapped on the controls, and the door slid only half-open.
Ana frowned when Jack nodded at the room, then slipped inside. She followed after him, and was stricken still with surprise while Jack shut the door behind her.
A large, full-grown gorilla sat on the bench by the tinted windows, staring out the field where a number of agents were having PT. It wore a large, oversized orange jumper that was torn at the edges, and well-worn with age. The gorilla turned around at their entrance, intelligent eyes widening as it hopped off the bench.
"Hello, Jack. Captain Amari," it said with a voice deep and smooth.
Ana truly gaped then. She turned to Jack for an explanation, but he only smiled sheepishly and gestured back at the gorilla.
"You…can talk?" Ana asked.
"Well, yes. I've been taught since young." It smiled. "I explained to Jack that we'd all been taught to do so on the moon. Some of us do it better than others, while some cannot speak the human language at all."
"I–, that's good to know," Ana said slowly. "Wait. You said 'the moon'? You don't…happen to be one of those monkeys in the Horizon Colony, do you?"
"I…was. But the revolt happened, and I escaped." The gorilla lowered his eyes, a shadow falling over his expression as he clutched at a spot on his jumper. Ana caught sight of a small, faded splotch on the orange fabric, and zoomed in with her cybernetics. Judging from the colour, it seemed to be blood not fully washed off.
"I'm assuming you escaped from whatever made the colony go dark?" Ana said, resetting the magnification of her cybernetic eye.
"Yes. I apologise – I'd prefer not to speak of it just yet. But I've promised Athena a full account once I have… Once I'm ready."
Ana nodded, glancing at Jack – who seemed like he'd heard all this before. "So we're letting him stay?"
"That's the current plan, yes."
She sighed quietly. Obviously Jack hadn't thought this through yet. But she left him alone, and turned back to the gorilla. "Do you have a name?"
"Winston," the gorilla said. His smile was warm, but bore a stiff edge.
"Just 'Winston'?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Well, Winston, you're welcome to stay with us for now. Have you been here long?"
"No, only a few days."
"I see." Ana took a breath, wondering how she'd taken such a surreal encounter as easily as if it were a normal, everyday occurrence. She might be losing her mind after her long tenure in Overwatch. "Is there anything you need?"
"No, I'm being well-provided for. Thank you," Winston said courteously, though he seemed to pause, then looked shyly back at Ana. "Um, well. Do you have…any peanut butter?"
Ana blinked. "Yeah, of course. We can get you a jar from the pantry. Wait – can you eat peanut butter?"
"Yes, I've been eating it for years." Winston beamed.
"Oh, good to know. Do you want anything with that? Bread, or…" Her eyes fell on the cartoon art of a banana on his orange jumper. "Bananas, maybe?"
"Bananas would be excellent, ma'am."
As days passed, Winston started talking more and more about himself. The rocket he'd used to escape from the moon had crash landed on the outskirts of Zurich, thankfully in a plain with no people in sight. He traveled for many days on foot, deftly avoiding human settlements, and scrounging for food in the wild. It was only by chance that he'd found an old, dirtied Overwatch poster on the ground, and it inspired him to go looking for them. He was stopped at the headquarter's back entrance, surreptitiously brought to Jack's office on the commander's order, then stashed away in Gabriel's room until Jack could confer with Ana.
Part of her wanted to strangle him for opting to share this burden of decision with her, but Winston made it difficult to hate their circumstance. He was courteous, gracious, and soon showed a desire to join Overwatch, after learning about them from Athena. He seemed to get along well with the A.I., often chatting or engaged in serious, philosophical discussions with her, and Athena had learnt much about him in turn. The A.I.'s recommendation: to allow Winston to stay, out of compassion and scientific curiosity.
With a hint of reluctance, Ana and Jack gave her permission to plan Winston's movements about the base, so he would only be seen by the Strike Team, who'd been informed of his existence. She even planned his introduction to Overwatch, though they'd told her to slow down until they could fully process the situation.
But while Athena helped to plan Winston's future in Overwatch, she was decidedly less positive about another problem on their hands. Genji Shimada, who'd been brought back by Reyes, was still teetering on the brink of death. Only constant attention from Angela Ziegler, and the intensive help of life-support machines was he able to survive with only half his body and organs.
Ana was quite out of touch with the matter, as the matter was fully – and unofficially – in Blackwatch's hands. But a single read through Angela and Athena's reports on Shimada's condition was enough to make her dubious about the whole thing. A video clip attached in Athena's file cemented her opinion; it was a recording of the moment Shimada had woken up despite being heavily sedated. His medical team was first shocked, then frightened when he flew into a hysterical rage after taking a look down at himself, howling in Japanese as tears streamed from his eyes, before Angela stepped in and brought him into an induced sleep once more.
Ana wanted to barge into the room and pull Shimada's plug herself, but she settled for a sigh amid her growing headache, and switched the holopad off. She tossed the device onto the table beside her, and took a swig from the bottle – her third, as was Jack's.
"Fucked up, isn't it," Jack rumbled.
"I might punch Gabe back to his senses."
"Give him one more for me." His voice was flat despite the humour. "Christ, that's a dead man on the bed. Just let him rest in peace already."
Ana groaned, taking another draught of beer. She could hear Kamilah scolding her for drinking so much, and she dimly wished she could hear it in person. "Ugh, forget it. No work talk tonight, remember?"
"Yeah. Sorry," Jack huffed, draining his bottle. He held it loosely in his hand, leaning back into the concrete parapet, as he looked up at the night sky. Only the moon shone bright, the stars hiding from view, but it bothered neither of them – it wasn't the reason they'd escaped to the empty corner of the barrack's rooftop, sharing beer in a quiet and comfortable, if a bit dreary place.
"Hey." Ana nudged her friend. "Say something. I'm bored."
"I don't know. What do we even talk about? Besides work, that is."
"God, we are really sad," Ana lamented, tilting her head back. "Can't even talk like normal people anymore. When did we get like this?"
"Dunno." Jack shrugged. "How's your family?"
"Alive. Yours?"
"Alive too."
"Great. Good to know." The beginnings of laughter rose unexpectedly, and Ana chuckled along with Jack.
"That was horrible," Jack declared, straightening his shoulders. He kept quiet in thought for a while, then asked, "How's Fareeha, by the way?"
"Studying. She's adapting really well, making lots of new friends. Picked up soccer, and doing well in her classes so far."
"Good, good." Jack nodded. "How about Kamilah?"
"Working on her bike. She spends most of her free time on it now." Ana let out a breath, feeling that urge to fly back to Cairo again. "Looked so much more beautiful the last time I went back."
Jack laughed quietly. "Part of me can't believe how smitten you still are."
"Me too." Ana smiled. "How about you?" She'd asked on whim, the subject feeling natural given their conversation, but she regretted her words when Jack's face fell slightly, before he covered it up.
"I'm fine. Gabe's still…yeah," he finished lamely. Jack slouched a little, setting his empty bottle down, then reached over to pull the second pack of beer over. He plucked one bottle out and offered it to Ana.
"Hey, I have an idea. Let's get Milah going."
"What?" Jack laughed as Ana spread the six empty bottles of the floor. "With me around?"
"Not in that way, you ass." Ana snickered as well, then whipped out her phone and took a photo.
[Having a wild night babe]
[Wish you were here]
Kamilah: [Nice try. Say hi to Jack for me.]
[…How'd you know]
Kamilah: [You always have typos when you're drunk.]
Kamilah: [And this is the second time you've tried it.]
Kamilah: [You're getting old.]
[YOU'RE OLD YOU HAG]
Kamilah: [Look in the mirror sometime, yoda.]
Ana lurched to the side and rammed her shoulder into Jack, who fell over to the ground, cackling.
"Oh, shut up!"
"So, how's things with Fareeha? Is she doing well?" Safiya asked.
"Yeah, she seems happy there. Making lots of new friends." Kamilah shrugged, recounting what Fareeha had texted. "She says she's doing well in school, and joined the soccer club."
"Is she coming back for term break?"
"Yeah, in a few months' time." Kamilah sighed, dipping a spoon into her bowl of soup, while her sister-in-law scooped beans and meat onto her own plate.
Safiya had popped over for a meal with Kamilah, because Zahra had traveled back to her hometown with their son, Samir, to visit her side of the family. It was common to have Safiya and the family over for meals now, since Fareeha had flown away for her studies. And though Kamilah didn't really need the extra care, she still appreciated the effort they made to accompany her.
Besides, having the family over did help to warm the house immeasurably. Though she wore broad streaks of grey in her hair, Safiya remained unchanged over the years, and was still as vivacious as ever. Zahra was much the same, the ever-calm and reasonable anchor to Safiya's flights of fancy, and she now had the help of her son, who grew up to be much like her. Together, they were a happy lot, and did much fill the empty spaces of Kamilah's home.
"Tell me when she's back. I wanna see her too," Safiya said. "What about Ana? Is she coming back when Fareeha's around too?"
"I don't know." Kamilah slowed in her eating, suddenly remembering she hadn't thought about this. "Maybe not. It's hard enough for her to take time off, and she was just here a while ago…"
Safiya snorted. "Still that scarce, huh? I know," she said in comfort, when Kamilah shrugged, expression flat. "Feels like I see her more on TV than in person nowadays."
"Yeah," Kamilah muttered, though she pulled herself past the issue with practiced quickness. "How about you? Any plans with the family?"
"Oh, not much, actually. Samir's studying hard for his finals, so we're not traveling anywhere this year," Safiya answered. "Just as well, I've been feeling like I need a break recently. Like, from doing anything at all."
"Or maybe you could retire like Zahra," Kamilah offered, half in jest, but Safiya blinked and seemed to think it over.
"Huh, maybe. I mean, I've still got a good number of years left in me, but I could retire soon."
"Yup. Besides, what do you do in your office day after day, Major-General?" Kamilah teased, earning a light kick on her shin.
"If you must know, Lieutenant-Colonel, in addition to stealing a drink or two, I stick my thumbs up my ass too." Safiya grinned. "But it's all getting kind of…tiring now. Dull. I guess it's time to pass my seat onto someone else." She leaned back in her seat with a sigh. "You know, the more I think about it, the nicer it seems. I can spend more time at home, with Zahra. She's been complaining about being lonely too… Come to think, I don't know if that's innuendo. Don't tell her I told you that."
Kamilah huffed, smiling as Safiya continued to muse over an inevitable retirement. Her dreamy, faraway gaze as she talked about spending the days with Zahra was quite captivating, and Kamilah's mind wandered back to Ana – though the thought made her feel a slight twinge in her chest.
They'd discussed retirement many times before, but all Ana ever gave was a noncommital 'maybe', before heading back to Zurich, where she would take on more missions that brought her into the field. Kamilah wished dearly that her wife would just take a step back, but knew her wish wouldn't be realised any time soon. Ana was much too committed to Overwatch's noble goal, and would still choose her duty despite her countless claims of wanting to settle down with her wife.
A faint lick of resentment entwined with her wistfulness, and Kamilah shook herself back to the present, focusing on Safiya once more. She gave herself just one reassurance – maybe.
One day. Maybe.
"Mama!"
Kamilah turned her head, and broke into a grin that matched her daughter's, the moment her eyes landed on Fareeha. She spread her arms, and had the wind knocked from her lungs when Fareeha ran right into her, clamping her in a tight hug. Kamilah laughed as strong arms squeezed her, nearly lifting her from the floor, and she patted at Fareeha's back until she was finally released.
She took a breath, looking up at her daughter, who appeared amazingly fresh-faced despite the long flight. Fareeha had grown her hair longer, though she still wore the golden-yellow beads on the braids by her ears. She seemed to stand much taller with confidence, and her stout image was completed with a tasteful leather jacket that covered her muscular frame. The girl had been working part-time at a gym, looking to be trained as an instructor, and her efforts were paying off.
If she'd resembled Ana before, then she looked disarmingly similar to her mother now.
"You look great, habibti," Kamilah cooed, pinching her cheeks, and getting a playful grin in return. "Fashionable too."
"Yeah? Do you like this jacket? Reminded me of your old one, so I snapped it up." Fareeha tugged at her collars, preening, then leaned in conspiratorially. "And I got one for you too."
"You didn't have to," Kamilah laughed, glancing down at the luggage when Fareeha pointed at it. "But thank you."
"Thank me later when you see it. Then you'll know I had to." Fareeha smiled, then slung an arm around Kamilah's shoulders. "Have you eaten? Feel like eating anything? My treat."
"No, I'm buying."
"No, I'm buying, mama. Nope!" Fareeha raised a hand as they started walking towards the stretch of restaurants in the airport. "I'm buying, or we're not eating."
"Or, I could cook at home–"
"And," Fareeha added. "You're not looking at pictures of my girlfriend."
Kamilah stopped dead in her tracks, frozen as the words settled into her mind. Her eyes slowly moved to meet Fareeha's impish gaze, and she finally cracked her mouth open.
"Your what?"