Tracer

'Are you ready, Lena?' Genji spread his feet apart, crouching low and adjusting his stance to prepare for the training session. His blade was made of a soft, foam-like material that would leave marks on whomever it attacked directly.

'Yeah, Luv. Bring it.' Tracer spun her training guns, the projectiles they shot capable of providing a similar indicator of contact.

"Alright, you guys! Gonna hit you with one of my newer tracks about to slam the charts! You good?" Lucio spoke over the intercom from the command room outside of the multiple training facilities.

'Don't make it too wicked, Lucio. You know I get way strong when I'm feeling a beat!' Lena laughed, snapping her headband that held her hair back. She was in her workout gear, a small yellow top and even smaller shorts making the needed maneuverability against a monster like Genji possible.

'By all means, give her every advantage she may need.' The cybernetic ninja insisted, and Lena could only laugh.

Genji was the single individual in all of Overwatch capable of even hoping to keep up with Tracer when it came to pure speed. Thus, she had sought out the man and proposed a training session in preparation for the all-important mission that was in its final stages of planning. It was a good excuse to really go all out anyway, because Amelie's insistence on keeping Lena at arm's length was really beginning to get to her, and she couldn't precisely pinpoint exactly why it bothered her so considering they were certainly never going to be anything more than friends from now on.

Still, after their first night back at Overwatch Gibraltar, Amelie had requested her own room, being granted the luxury of the lowest type of grunt's quarters and taking it without question, denying Lena's offer of remaining in her place where there was much more space and opportunities to truly relax. Jack permitted it only if she accepted the terms of being locked in unless an escort was provided at all times.

Amelie had, to Lena's (and maybe even Jack's) complete surprise, accepted the conditions.

Since then, although Lena made vague attempts to converse with and draw out the other woman to even spend a little time together, she always refused, and the anxiety concerning their relationship grew to the point that Lena had even asked Emily about it, her girlfriend acting strangely elusive about giving any concrete advise. Thus, it was a rough couple of days, with Angela providing small updates about Widow's mental state, but little more than she was willing to undergo surgery again within the next twenty-four hours or so.

Lena wasn't a complete idiot though, and she could make some educated guesses regarding Amelie's withdrawal. The primary reason likely was that she didn't want Lena to do anything stupid if the two of them remained alone together too much. It was hard to admit, but Lena somewhat saw her point, if this was the case. Her weakness in the face of such things couldn't be trusted, and therefore, Lena had settled into the fact her and Widow's relationship would never be the same, and it irked her enough to drag Genji to the training centre in order for her to really let off some pent-up steam.

"Okay! Show me your moves! Lucy-oooooo!"

Lucio cranked up his music, and a buzzer sounded, the countdown projected alongside the back wall of the large arena. Whoever got the most hits in won. The more fatal the target, the more points awarded. It was a simple enough session, but the intense track hammering out a huge bass at regular intervals made the event more theatrical, and Lena caught a glimpse of multiple Overwatch agents gathering about outside the glass viewing centre to witness two Grandmasters going all out.

'Okay. Let's do this…' She muttered, and burst from position, moving in close and firing off a few test rounds to get a feel for Genji's mood. He deflected the bullets with frightening ease, and dashed immediately thereafter, tossing projectiles as he did so and slashing with his sword almost simultaneously.

So, that's how it was. Genji always was a show off. He wanted to prove his abilities to the onlookers, who were only growing now. Fine. Lena could play that game.

She recalled and then blinked twice, circling around Genji and catching his back, unloading multiple rounds before she was forced to "reload", peppering Genji a few more times to provoke further movement. He was cautious, however, and wouldn't bite, closing in on Tracer and forcing her into evasion so as to not get slashed by his ridiculously fast swordsmanship.

'Jesus…' Tracer cursed, realizing how incredible her comrades were all over again. Widow had been impressive in her own way, but this –

'Hmph.' Genji slid across the floor, turning his head slightly with a trail of green following his eyes. 'You hesitated. I draw first blood.'

Lena grimaced, seeing the blotch of dye on her arm. Damn it. She couldn't think about her. It dulled her senses and made her sloppy.

'I thought there might be a reason for this sudden engagement. My master may be better suited for cleansing the mind, Lena.'

Another beat dropped, and Lena shook her head, goosebumps pervading her skin.

'Nah, Luv. I'm good. Just getting warmed up is all.'

'Heh. To give up points so early in our confrontation? I somehow wonder about that.'

'Oh! Angela!' Lena pretended to wave at the crowd, and Genji only half-turned before she was on him, barely grazing his leg as he spun in the air evasively, landing on the side of the wall and slipping down slowly. 'Oi. Looks like I'm not the only one a touch distracted, huh?'

'I see…' The man hummed with his slightly robotic voice. 'No mercy, it is.'

'Ain't that it though, Luv? No Mercy is right.'

It was a low blow, but the battlefield rarely called for true chivalry, and Lena blew on her gun dramatically, egging the ninja on.

'Heh. Sorry.'

'Worry not. My victory is assured.'

The clash truly began then, and Lena went into a trance of movement, pushing and being pushed beyond her limit, breathing heavily as she dashed about, attempting to snag any openings and inflict more "damage" to Genji Shimada. Maybe pissing him off wasn't the greatest move, for he seemed more ferocious than Lena was used to, his strikes relentless and his ability to anticipate Lena's attacks uncanny. By the end, although it was somewhat close, Genji did claim victory by a small margin, and Lena sighed, tossing her guns to the ground and listening to the buzzer bleed into her ears, a cheer exploding from where Lucio wrapped up his music. The spectacle of Overwatch's fastest agents going toe-to-toe was surely a sight, even if, deep down, Tracer knew she couldn't put everything she had into it because of a certain "spider".

'We will have a rematch when you have settled your soul.' Genji extended a hand, and Lena shook it, cracking her jaw around.

'Rubbish…'

'Do you need to talk?' He went on kindly.

'No thanks, Luv. Don't even know what'd I say, to be honest.'

'I see.'

They parted, and Lucio approached Lena, excitedly going on about how he was able to capture some footage of her and Genji sparing, asking if he could use it in an upcoming music video. Lena wasn't sure what she said. Maybe something about needing a shower, but before she knew it, she was wandering through Overwatch Gibraltar, sighing constantly and checking her phone over and over, her "gym" bag heavy over her shoulder. She dialed Emily and slinked onto one of the benches overlooking the incredible ocean, a pretty twilight on its final breaths and a cool breeze blowing through her sweat-filled hair.

"Heya, Luv!" Emily answered excitedly, and it instantly made everything just a little better.

'Hey!'

"Oh. Something happen?"

Damn, she was good.

'Just feelin' out of it.'

"Something to do with Amelie?"

Seriously. What the bloody hell?

'Sorta.'

"She giving you the cold shoulder still, huh?"

'Pretty much.'

"Well…it's a complicated relationship, innit? I mean, you had sex, and you told her you had a crush on her."

'Yeah. But she obviously didn't feel the same way. Thought it was pretty cut and dry.'

"…"

There it was. That silence again. She did it enough during the last conversation regarding Amelie. It wasn't like Emily. Did she…know something? But what?

'I just…feel bad, you know? She's sorta isolated here, and I was her only friend. It's just daft the way she's pushing me away suddenly.'

"…Maybe she's just being considerate."

'How do you mean?'

"Temptation and all that."

'Oi, Em. I ain't gonna do anything. That'd be just straight up cheatin'.'

"…I…"

'Huh?'

"Damn it, Lena. I wasn't talking about you."

'…What?' Lena scratched her head. She was always a little slow with this kind of stuff. Emily sighed heavily, waited a minute or two, and then finally made all her pauses clear.

"She's the one feeling tempted, you idiot."

The words sunk into Lena's mind, and even then, the processing took some time. She blinked rapidly over and over again, shaking her head and squinting at the lowering sun. The truth hit her like a ton of bricks, and she almost fell off of the bench.

'What!?'

"Bloody hell…"

'You serious?'

"She didn't tell me directly, obviously, but it's definitely the impression I get. When she claimed she didn't love you I got the feeling she wasn't telling the truth. When we were all making love, she muttered something in French, and I understood the gist of it."

'…What did she say?' Lena had trouble getting the question out.

Another pause. Was this bothering Emily? Of course, it was. Who was Lena kidding? Still, she had to know.

"Something about 'what could've been'. I think she called you her hero as well…"

'Whoa…' Lena rubbed her head almost angrily. She wasn't sure what to think now.

"Yeah. So, that's likely what's happening. She needs time to get over her emotions. She's a good girl. She knows we're together again, and she doesn't want to mess things up."

'Right…'

Another sigh, but this one almost seemed to shudder, and Lena forced herself to blink.

"I mean…unless you want to be with her instead."

'No, Luv! That's not it at all!' Lena's knee jerked.

"…Yeah?"

'I swear.'

"Okay." A beat. "Thank God."

'But I should probably say something to her.'

"No. I don't think you should."

'Really?'

"She needs time and space to sort herself out. Now that you know the reason, maybe you should give her both, right?"

'True…'

"She'll come around when she can. Just be ready when she does. And act normal. You get weird with this sorta stuff sometimes."

'Hahah! I know.'

Lena remained attentive to the girl on the other line, refusing to humour the notions swarming her suddenly. Emily's voice hardened, and it's as if she could read Lena's emotions.

"Be careful, Lena. Keep me in the loop, okay?"

Lena hated that she knew exactly what Emily meant. She nodded, revolted by this side of her that was creeping about.

'Will do, Luv.'

"And seriously: unless you want us to have problems, give one another space. She's vulnerable right now, more than likely, and you and I both know you have a hard time leaving someone in such a state."

'Yeah. Can't argue with that…'

"Good. Focus on the mission coming up and then maybe come back to me for a bit?"

'Of course!'

"I miss you."

Lena's eyes watered for numerous reasons, and she nodded for longer than necessary.

'I miss you too, Em. I'll see you soon, okay?'

"Okay."

'I love you.'

"…I love you too, Lena. Very much."

Lena smiled, and she hung up, breathing out finally and leaning back on the bench, both arms stretched out wide behind her.

'What the bloody hell…?' She groaned, startled by her phone buzzing the moment she hung up. 'Oi! Popular today!'

It was a message from Angela, requesting Lena's presence in her lab. Good. A distraction was what she needed.

'Heya!' Lena waved passionately as she stepped into Angela's workspace. The woman was looking well enough, and that was a relief. She spun in her chair slowly, tapping at a few monitors before settling and crossing one pretty leg over the other, her skirt grossly sexy. Fareeha was a lucky lady.

'Have a seat, Lena.' She indicated another chair, glancing at the projected graphs and diagrams, capable of at least noticing that Amelie was the subject of interest, but not being able to tell much beyond that. Numbers, descriptions, and a whole lot of other things Lena couldn't understand remained.

'Oh, sure. Where's Fareeha at? Figured she'd be with you.'

'She's resting, I can only hope.' Angela sighed, shaking her head. 'She attempted to go to the gym this morning, the silly girl. She was only just released yesterday. Unbelievable…'

The words were almost harsh, but Lena noted the sparkle in Angela's eye; a light she never had before. It was dazzling, really. Pure. Perfect. Everything Lena wasn't sure she was even capable of. She didn't want to be envious, but an itch hit at her heart, and she subconsciously touched her chronal accelerator.

'Super dedicated, huh?'

'Indeed. To a fault, at times.'

'But you love her anyway.'

Angela's eyes fluttered, and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

'…I do.' She said quietly, and there was not a hint of doubt in her voice. Another flurry of jealousy.

'Like, "you wanna marry her" love her, or "hey, I really like having you around" love her?'

Angela cocked her head, glaring a little.

'Hm. That saves me time.' She said suddenly. 'What happened? You're suddenly aware of Widowmaker's feelings for you?'

'W-what? Where'd that come from?'

'Come now, Lena. I performed a psyche test on you back in the day. I understand why you're asking these questions.'

It was a pain being surrounded by abnormally smart individuals at times. Lena could only breathe out slowly, choosing her words with care.

'Well, I don't know for sure, but Emily thinks so.'

'Oh? How well does Emily know Widowmaker?'

'Um…pretty well, all things considered.'

'Why did you make that face?'

'What face?'

'That one. What occurred between you three? Was there a disagreement during your stay in King's Row? A fight? I can imagine the complexities of that particular scenario, to be perfectly honest.'

'Um…Kinda the opposite?' Lena wasn't sure she should really dig into that, but Angela might be able to help with her conundrum. Wait. There was an issue? No. She didn't want there to be one. But…

'I…I'm afraid I don't understand. They're friends?'

'Y-yeah.'

Angela waited, and then pressed a little further.

'Why did you hesitate? What are you not telling me?'

'Oi. It's a little embarrassing to say, you know?'

'I do not.' Angela really had no idea whatsoever. She was so brilliant in every way, but her lack of experience was truly showing now, and it was bloody adorable.

'Uh…Well, the three of us sorta…made love?'

The humming from the computers almost seemed to stop. Or maybe it was the blood pumping in Lena's ears. Too much time felt like it had passed before Angela flinched back, as if comedically delayed, and swallowed painfully.

'…Excuse me?'

'You know? A threesome! Heheh…heh…' Lena couldn't laugh it off as easily as she was hoping. Angela was shell-shocked, and perhaps rightly so.

'I…I don't even know where to begin.' The doctor covered her mouth in disbelief.

'Yeah. It sounds pretty messed up, but it was actually really great, and we all were kinda honest and it just sorta…happened. But now that Amelie might like me, everything's all screwed up.'

'Naturally.' Angela was utterly flustered. A rare sight. 'Y-you're much more adventurous than I could have ever predicted.'

'I got a lot of love to give?' Lena shrugged, knowing the act wasn't working.

'Surely you understood the compromising position Amelie was in; is in. Her emotions are erratic at best, and she is suspect to making irrational decisions. True, she has shown considerable control as of late, but the risks…and the carelessness of the act…' Angela rubbed her eyes before going on. 'And what of Emily? She was fine with this?'

'Seemed to be. She and Amelie really hit it off, actually.'

Angela paused for even longer this time, her brow furrowing deeply. She placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hands.

'I'm concerned, Lena.' She began, and Lena grinned awkwardly. 'You may have a troubling psychological issue; more so than I expected prior.'

'Huh?'

'Your brush with death.'

A chill ran Lena's spine, and her whole body clenched.

'It damaged you severely. No. "Damaged" is the incorrect word. Perhaps "tilted" would be better.'

'I'm not following.' Lena lied.

'You are. You're aware of what I'm speaking of. It's just the two of us, Lena. Please be honest, for once.'

'I'm always honest!'

'You are not.' Angela snapped. 'Who would believe that the Tracer is Overwatch's most sensitive and terrified agent, hm? None save for myself and, perhaps, Emily. You hide behind a smile. You cower within your laughter. You live a lie that even you have begun to believe. However,' Angela's voice softened. 'I know what touching death can be like, and it twists a human's soul like nothing else. I heard Genji once ask you what it's like to change the past, or something of the like. Your response – in a rare display of honesty – was "sometimes it doesn't want to change".'

Lena sucked in her lips, suddenly wishing to be anywhere but here, where her demons were beginning to gather.

'Don't run away. You owe Amelie honesty. You owe Emily honesty. You owe yourself honesty. Stop looking over the fence and commit, or you will surely end up alone; a fate perhaps worse than death itself. You cannot live every life, no matter how desperately you fancy the paths before you.'

'I'm with Emily now.' Lena tried, but it sounded lame even to her.

'You are. But you harbour something for Amelie, and she is hurting because of it. You pulled her out of the depths of eternal despair. You saved her when nobody else could. You're her hero, just as Fareeha is mine.'

Lena grimaced.

'And to answer your previous question, my love is the type that makes me envision a life with her until the day I die. Yes. I would marry her without a second thought if that's what she desired. Can we say the same for your current relationship?'

It's as if Angela had slapped her clean across the face. Lena lowered her head, water filling her eyes and anger boiling in her stomach.

A soft touch pressed on Lena's back. A motherly, affectionate contact that made it harder not to cry.

'Your tendency to keep your emotions in check is doing this to you. One can only hold such things in before they break through. Stop torturing yourself, Lena. I am more than willing to provide you with the necessary tools and guidance should you desire them both.'

'That's…not me though.' Lena sobbed, denying the vulnerability.

'It is. And it's time you take responsibility for how big your heart is. Indeed, you have much love to give, but I do not believe you're being fair to the women in your life. I've spoken with Emily before, and she is quite observant. There is little doubt she sees your wavering despite having recommitted to her. As for Amelie, I cannot operate in the ideal setting without her mind being put to some form of ease. You must speak with her about all of this.'

Lena sucked in some air shakily.

'But Emily said not to.'

'And it is a wise recommendation, considering her suspicions, but Amelie is troubled by all of this, and it puts her life at more risk than I wish it to be. With such an important mission fast approaching, there is no time. You must have a word with that woman sooner rather than later if you truly care about her.'

Lena's heart gave a leap, and she was mortified.

'Is it possible…' She began, mouth suddenly dry and cheeks reddening with embarrassment at her own idiocy. 'To be in love with two people?'

It felt wrong to say immediately upon the words leaving her mouth, but Lena had to ask. It was the start of handling these bizarre notions.

'I don't think it's impossible.' Angela answered, surprisingly calm, as if expecting such an inquiry. 'But I do believe it's terribly selfish to expect others to have similar desires. Jealousy is a devastating factor in any relationship. There is a reason polygamy is not a common practise. Your view on life is partially skewed due to your experience with death, and I am willing to help you balance yourself properly, if it is your wish.'

She didn't want to admit how right Angela was, but it all made too much sense to dismiss any of her doctoral evaluation. Lena had always felt a little off. Almost distant from everyday interactions. Why was she okay with Emily and Amelie being so intimate? Why did the entire interaction feel so natural to her? If anything, she had never felt more comfortable. A casual observer. A non-committal relationship. A foil. Emily and Lena rarely fought, but Lena could remember one disagreement, in particular, that had stemmed from Lena's inability to be completely and utterly honest with the other woman. To Emily's credit, out of everyone in Lena's life, she let down her guard the most around the beautiful redhead…until recently. Why did Amelie have a similar effect? Perhaps even more?

Lena's head spun the more she delved, and she jumped out, as always, due to her fears of the answers formulating in her mind.

'I gotta go.' She stood up abruptly.

'To speak with Amelie?'

Lena sighed, not wishing to say anything nasty, for her mood was suddenly quite foul; mostly due to frustration with herself.

'To do something.' She said behind herself as she stepped out of Angela's lab, bursting into a sprint and blasting through the base until the tears instantly evaporated upon leaving her eyes.