You're normally a lot more careful. With living in this area for most of your life, you know what streets to avoid and to get off the streets when it's dark. But you've thrown all caution to the wind today because you're in a hurry to get home. You've decided to take a shortcut back to the flat through a neighbourhood which doesn't have the best reputation. It would be fine if you were on your own and could just blink your way home. But with Emily holding your hand and chatting excitedly about some show she wants you both to watch on the telly tonight, you obviously can't.
A strange feeling comes over you as you pass a burnt-out car. So you're a little nervous in case something happens and you have to fight, you always are. But this is a feeling you can't really place. You're just uneasy, on edge. The way your holding onto Emily's hand tighter than usual and not really chatting with her shows that. She does give you one of her concerned little glances, but you squeeze her hand and smile. It seems to satisfy her and she goes back to chatting away.
You think you hear something and stop, trying to determine if what you heard was your own footsteps, or someone else's. "Lena, you alright?" Emily asks gently, looking around as if she knows exactly what you're thinking.
You nod, letting a small sigh pass your lips "Yeah, just thought I heard something, luv"
"Come on, the sooner we get home, the sooner I can make us this hot chocolate" Emily says, lifting the plastic bag in her hand up and rustling it at you with a cheeky smile. You can't help but smile back at her. You've been out shopping for the day and Emily somehow managed to convince you to buy two hot chocolate making kits with nice big mugs and everything. Ever since you left the shop she's been smiling happily and making your heart skip so many beats with how cute she looks. All you want to do is kiss her right now and tell her exactly how cute she is. But the cold chill that bites at the back of your neck knocks you out of your daydream and you realise you're still standing in middle of the worst neighbourhood around.
As you start walking again that feeling comes back. You're trying to desperately place it, and when you do you stop dead in your tracks. You're being watched by someone. Emily turns around, her hand no longer in yours and her eyes wide with fear.
"Len-" you hear her shout before you feel something hit the back of your head hard. You try to blink away but the force of the hit slams you into the ground and you're left face down on the pavement while Emily shrieks in horror.
"Please. Please don't hurt her!" you hear her say, her hands scratching at her bag hurriedly to open it "See, here's my purse. Take it and leave us alone, please"
"You think we just want your purse, babe?"
You hear his tone and know exactly what else he wants. You try to get up but someone stomps on your back hard, and you cry out as you're crushed against the ground once again.
"Lena!"
"That her name then? Ugly name for an ugly dyke" The man sneers, the other guy with him kicks you in the ribs, then the head when you try to strain against him. "Thing is" he takes a few steps towards her "I want to know what your name is"
"Just leave us alone" Emily says with an edge to her voice you've never heard before. You know she can be fierce with the stories she's told you about her work, but you've never heard her sound like this. The man scoffs, taking another step towards her.
"You can tell me and let me have what I want, or" you hear the sound of a switch blade popping out from the man above you "Or your little friend here gets what's coming to her"
You manage to lift your head to where Emily stands. Although your vision swims and your head feels like it's been hit by a ton of bricks, you manage to see the look she's giving you and you know exactly what she's thinking.
"…Alright" she says quietly, her eyes flicking from you to the man now mere inches away from her.
"Emily, no-"
"That's enough out of you!" the guy above you snarls before he gives you a sharp kick to the head. Your head thumps and your vision darkens for just a moment. You think this is it. The great Tracer taken out by a couple of low life thieves because she wasn't careful enough and was too bloody dazed to blink away or recall.
"Let's see you then, darling-" his sentence is cut short by a shot louder than thunder that you've come to know all too well. Your heart stops for a moment, terrified that Emily is next and you can't save her. You can't move, your mind is on the brink of consciousness and your eyes are too heavy to open. Emily's scream brings you back slightly but you can still feel your mind slipping, not able to stay awake for much longer.
You use all your strength to open your eyes, your vision is blurry but it becomes clearer as you notice the terror shining in Emily's eyes. The two men are lying dead on the ground, gunshot wounds right in the centre of their foreheads. If the noise alone didn't give it away, you know exactly who's just rescued you.
Emily's eyes meet yours and she still looks just as scared. You open your mouth to try reassure her, but before you can say anything the sound of a grappling hook grabs your attention. Widowmaker lands with a small thud in front of you, looking down at you with what most would assume is disgust, but by you've learned it's the closest thing to pity she can show.
"Such a foolish girl" you hear her say, her voice as smooth as silk and calmer than you've ever seen her before. You wouldn't think she'd just killed two men and saved her supposed enemy and their girlfriend.
"Ch-cheers, luv" You manage to say, giving her your best grin but she just rolls her eyes and crouches down next to you. You close your eyes and hiss in pain as you feel her roll your over onto your back, not as gently as you would have liked her too. When you open them again she's just staring down as you, it's almost creepy until her eyes meet yours and they soften slightly. You've noticed recently that she's been looking at you like that a lot. Maybe it's some sort of sign that she's warming up to you, trusts you even. But who knows really.
"…Um...Widowmaker?" You hear Emily say nervously as she slowly makes her way over to you both. Widow turns to look at her almost menacingly before she realises exactly who Emily is. You swear you see hurt flash across her eyes but if it does she quickly switches back to her usual emotionless expression she gives everyone.
"Yes?" she answers cooly
"Thank you for helping us. I didn't know what to do, I thought they were going to kill Lena and…"
"You're welcome"
"I'm Emily, by the way. Lena's girlfriend-"
"-I know who you are" Widow all but snaps and Emily seems to actually flinch. The silence stretches out between them for a few seconds before Emily looks away uncomfortably and Widow turns back to you. You can barely keep your eyes open but you manage to smirk as she starts to feels around your front.
"Felling me up eh, luv?"
She scoffs "Don't be ridiculous. I'm making sure you're not bleeding to death. I'd be deeply saddened if our little game got cut short by those delinquents."
"No kidding luv, Thought I was a goner when the 'ad me on the ground like that"
She rolls her eyes, leaning back from you "You talk way too much for someone who should be unconscious by now"
"I know first aid if you need any help" Emily says gingerly from where she's hoovering beside you.
"She's fine" Widow answers, looking at you and tilting her head slightly as if in thought "Possible concussion, but that's it"
"'Hey, I'm not concussed" you protest, trying to sit up to prove your point but you can still barely move. You find Widow and Emily both give you that same look as if neither of them believes you. They seem to notice and catch each other's eye before Emily smiles a gorgeous smile that lights up her whole face. Widow seems to freeze for a moment, watching Emily cautiously. You can see she's pretty unsure what to do, but amazingly she shoots her a little smile back.
The ground your lying on is freezing and it's starting to seep through your clothes and chilling your skin. You would move, but everything hurts and you don't really want to. You know Widow is right in you don't seem to have any serious injuries, you may just be a bit concussed if the dizziness is anything to go off. You bruise like a peach though, so you're probably gonna be black and blue by tomorrow.
A crackling from Widow's com grabs your attention. She presses her finger to it, listening carefully for a couple of seconds before tapping the side of it. "We have to leave; the police are on their way here"
"We?" Emily questions quickly, glancing between you and Widow. Widow just looks at her pointedly before sighing.
"Look around you. There are dead bodies, non?"
"Ah, right" she answers, a blush covering her cheeks as it does when she's embarrassed. You're about to tease her about it when you feel Widow's hands sliding under you and hoisting you up into her arms.
"Whoa luv, what're you doing!?" you say with panic pretty evident in your voice. Your face must be a real picture because Emily laughs at you and gives Widow this massive grin. Widow just rolls her eyes at you both.
"You can't exactly run away from the authorities in your condition, Cherie"
"I could too. I can out run the coopers any day!"
She scoffs in response, already starting to walk in the direction of your flat. Emily follows behind you both, carefully looking around as if she's expecting someone else to attack you. You mainly stick to dark alleyways and back streets to avoid being spotted. After all, it's not exactly hard to miss a wanted Talon assassin just walking around the streets. Your eyes start to droop after a few minutes of walking and you decide it's better to get some rest now, as although you won't admit it to anyone but your head is still killing you.
"Aren't you cold?" Emily starts up, now walking beside widow as she seems to have realised if you trust her then she can. You know she's read all of Widow's file now and seems to be pretty invested in your research. If anything, she seems more enthusiastic about getting Amelie back than you are. It must be pretty weird and exciting for her to actually meet the infamous Widowmaker.
"…What?"
"Your battle suit or whatever that is. You must be freezing your tits off. Think Talon need some lessons in costume design"
You crack open your eyes just the tiniest bit to watch Widow's reaction. As expected, she looks guarded, a little concerned to how much Emily knows about her and Talon, but then she shrugs
"The thermal material helps me from 'freezing my tits off' It's a fine outfit for my job." her lips twitch into a small smirk "It also helps distract certain annoyances. I've caught her staring at my chest more times than I can count"
You really don't remember ever getting caught staring, but you can't really focus on or remember anything right now. You're slowly drifting out of consciousness again but Emily's loud laugh brings you back. You want to open your eyes again to see that massive grin you know will be there, but you really don't have any energy left now. A thought crosses your mind that you need to stay awake to protect Emily from Widow as she is the enemy after all. But you push it away, telling yourself Widow would have killed you both by now if she really wanted to. You know you'll be kicking yourself for it later, but for now you just have to trust her.
You wake up in a dark room with something pushing down on your shoulder. For a second you panic, your eyes blinking rapidly as you try to figure out where you are. Have you been kidnapped? Who the hell would have kidnapped you? Shit, did Widow turn you over to Talon? No, it can't possibly be Talon. If it was, you would be waking up without your mind in your head and in a torture chamber.
After a minute the darkness starts to fade and you can make out little details of the room. By the looks of it, it's your bedroom in your flat. You're home, and safe away from anyone who could hurt you, and of course the weight pushing down on your shoulder is Emily just snuggling into you. You breathe a sigh of relief, looking over to your sleeping girlfriend's face and admiring just how pretty she is. She stirs in her sleep, her arm that's been by her side, reaching out and curling around you protectively. You can't help but smile.
"Em? Em, wake up"
"Hmm" she groans, opening her eyes slowly "Lena? Lena! you're awake. How are you feeling?"
"Eh, not bad. Bit stiff, but I did get stepped on an' all that. How long have I be out for?"
"Oh, like, uh- hold on" Emily replies, quickly reaching over to the bedside table and grabbing her phone. With a touch to the side the room explodes with brightness. Emily groans, trying blindly to turn the brightness down "Ow, bloody blinded myself" she grumbles finally looking back to her phone and squinting a bit at the still pretty bright screen "Been 'bout five hours. You passed out on the way home and I didn't know if to let you sleep or not, but Amelie said to-"
"-Amelie?" you ask, confused to who that could be. It takes you a few seconds to realise she's talking about Widowmaker. You pale as you realise you pretty much fell asleep on widow and left Emily all alone with her. That was a really really stupid idea, anything could have happened.
"Oh god, Em. I left ya alone with Widow, didn't I?"
"Yeah, but it wasn't bad. She pretty much just dropped you off and left"
"She…she did?"
"Ah, yeah. Just dropped you off in the bedroom then was like well gotta go bye"
"Really? No like evil plans or anything…didn't shoot up the couch?"
Emily laughs, a smile gracing her lips as her gently runs a hand through your hair "Nah, you're making it sound like she helped us for her own gain or sumthin'"
"Just, She's dangerous Em, ya know? There's stuff going on with her but it still could have been a trap or maybe she could have had a kill switch, could have hurt you"
"Lena, relax, nothin' happened. She just came here, dropped you off and left. Nothing sinister, nothing bad" She pauses, making that little scrunched up face she makes when she's just thought of something "I think she was defying orders actually, her com was goin' crazy just before she left"
"But nothing happened, she didn't seem totally evil?" You ask, just for clarity. You think she's going to roll her eyes at you and tell you to stop being so worried, but she doesn't.
"Ya know, the way you've been describing her made her seem like this super bad and evil villain. But if anything, she really has jus been drafted onto the wrong side. She's helping you more than she is those Talon guys now. She really cares 'bout you, obviously" Emily says with a small smile.
You can't believe what you're hearing "Whoa, what? She cares 'bout me?"
"God you're oblivious Len" She says with a laugh "Obviously, she does. She wouldn't be sticking her neck out for you if she didn't. She told me to look after you when she left, by the way. To keep you safe and out of trouble"
You don't know how to respond to any of that. You know you want to help her and save her, but the thought that she cares about you too? It just sounds crazy. She's supposed to be an emotionless assassin, she isn't supposed to care about anyone, especially not you. For some reasons the thought of her actually caring makes your heart speed up a little bit, you're confused about that.
"I think she remembers, you know" Emily's voice pulls you out of your thoughts. Her teasing expression is now gone and she has this serious look on her face, you know she's about to go spiralling off into one if her theories just by that look alone.
"Remembers what?"
"'Bout who she is, her husband an' all that. When she told me to look after you, she said it like she failed to do that, or maybe Gerard failed to do that for her"
"You're reading way too into this, luv" you say almost teasingly. It's her turn to pout at you, but a quick kiss to her cheek has her smiling at you fondly as it always does.
"Guess we should talk about this more in the morning. It is 3am after all"
You yawn as if on cue and all Emily does is lift her arm so you can snuggle into her. You do happily, closing your eyes and breathing in her warm familiar scent. It's quiet for all of ten seconds before Emily starts up again.
"You know those guys broke my mugs?" She says softly, her hand gently combing through your hair. You hum in reply and she makes this huffy little noise you think is adorable "Can't believe them. I just wanted to make us nice hot chocolate and those twats ruined it. It would have been the perfect way to thank widow for helping us. Too bad I only found out they broke when she was leavin'"
"I'll buy you more…now get to sleep Em" You mumble, already half asleep thanks to her warmth and the fact playing with your hair apparently makes you incredible sleepy. Before you doze off, you hear her giggle and say something, but you're too tired to care.
The next day Emily finds two mugs identical to the ones her attacker broke lying on the table on your balcony. She thinks you bought them for her, but you don't have the heart to tell her you definitely didn't and you saw someone grappling away from the Balcony this morning.