I must admit, that last part was a pretty sorry ending to a story. So, here's my attempt at Part 3.
Another admission: This one kinda got away from me in more ways than one. And it looks like I'll have to write a Part 4. This was NOT supposed to happen! So, like it or not, I'm kinda obligated to do it now... What have I done?
Hat: Part 3
So, aside from his gregarious nature when in a group setting and his awkward nature when he wasn't wearing his hat, McCree had a poetic side. Hanzo was convinced that McCree's poetry was more than he made of it because instead of using the wide array of technology that existed these days, the cowboy was writing using a pen and paper. No one really did that anymore.
Hanzo decided that the best way to get to know more about the cowboy without asking him anything directly would be to listen in on one of McCree's group chats. It would give him the advantage once they started getting to know each other.
The archer decided that stealth would be more beneficial than a straight-forward approach. He would have to listen in on the group without giving away his presence. He would've felt guilty about listening without their knowledge, but they always spoke loudly enough that any random passerby who cared to know what they were talking about could hear them.
Wouldn't he be branded a stalker if anyone found out? Of course he would. He would just have to be careful that no one did find out about what he was doing. Simple enough.
The group consisted of Lena Oxton, Reinhardt Wilhelm, Dr. Angela Ziegler, and Torbjorn Lindholm. They could be considered some of the more talkative of everyone. But as Hanzo listened, he found that their conversation consisted mainly of useless jibber jabber. Nothing meaningful or personal at all. So then, why was McCree always with them? He didn't seem like the type for meaningless conversation. He wrote poetry, for goodness sake.
Then again, what did Hanzo know? He'd already come to the conclusion that he didn't know the gunslinger very well. Maybe the cowboy preferred meaningless, shallow conversation and jokes.
And it wasn't like they did this for a short time. They all chatted sometimes for hours on end about absolutely nothing. Curious.
-later-
Having combined his theory with Symmetra's, Hanzo came to the conclusion that McCree had a healthy respect for cultural diversity and as a sign of that respect would remove his hat in Hanzo's presence. Also as a sign of that respect would therefore adapt his speech and behavior to match. Simple enough. And the gunman probably just seemed awkward because there usually weren't any other people around when the two of them were together.
So then, why was Hanzo still so troubled? Why wasn't he able to leave well enough alone? Why wasn't this theory satisfactory? He had input from what he considered to be two of the greatest minds among their group, his and Vaswani's. What more could he ask?
Hanzo sat in his room, attempting to meditate. Unfortunately, these questions plagued him too much to concentrate. What was bothering him about the whole situation really? It was the best theory he could formulate from what he currently knew.
That was the problem! He didn't have all the facts! The indirect approach had borne no fruit, so the bowman would have to be more direct. The only way to get those facts would be to ask the man himself.
Meditation: failed.
McCree could normally be found where the biggest group was gathered. Hanzo personally preferred solitude, so he knew exactly which places to avoid. And he was right this time. There was McCree, standing and chatting with the same group as last time.
As usual, the taller man came to him, that confident smirk transforming into a genuine smile as he removed his hat.
"Shimada. Come join us," the cowboy said.
McCree always wanted Hanzo to join the group for one reason or another. After finding out what the content of their conversations was, the shorter man had to wonder why McCree thought he would want to join them.
"Actually, I came to talk to you. Privately, please," Hanzo requested.
McCree's smile seemed to brighten. "Well, now. I'm usually the one who approaches you. It's nice to see that yer approachin' me these days. Twice in a row, even. Ain't I lucky?"
"I beg your pardon?" Hanzo asked, confused by McCree's statement.
"This friendship was startin' to feel a li'l one-sided," McCree went on.
Friendship? Were they friends?
The cowboy must have noticed the confused look on Hanzo's face. "Yer usually by yerself. I figured you could use a friend," McCree added.
Hanzo chuckled to himself. So that was it. The answer was so simple, so obvious that he couldn't see it. McCree was making an attempt at being his friend.
"Though I've heard that you and Vaswani are seen together a lot. There's rumors goin' 'round about you two," McCree added with a grin.
The shorter man wasn't sure which to address first: his and Symmetra's 'friendship' or the fact that he'd come to talk to McCree, yet McCree was doing all the talking.
"Ya've always seemed like kind of a loner, but yer lucky to be so close to someone like her," McCree rambled. "I gotta admit, I'm kinda jealous."
The cowboy was still talking. This went against Hanzo's hat theory. McCree seemed to become chattier and chattier even though he was standing there with his hat in his hands. Perhaps Symmetra's theory was more correct than his own. Or perhaps he just wanted to be right and for the architect to be wrong.
"We are not that close," Hanzo finally said.
"So, yer not together?"
"We are not 'together'."
McCree nodded thoughtfully. "I see."
The two stood quietly for a moment before McCree took it upon himself to break the silence. "So, ya wanted to talk to me?" the gunslinger asked.
They were finally back to the point of why Hanzo had set out to find McCree. Unfortunately, the Japanese man wasn't sure how this conversation should go. Should he simply ask McCree why he behaved differently around him? And did he already have the answer now that he found out that McCree wanted them to be friends?
"I...," Hanzo began. When he looked up and saw how eagerly McCree awaited this 'talk', Hanzo froze. The bowman was already unsure of what to say, but the added pressure of having McCree waiting there had stunned him.
Hanzo had always believed himself to be an eloquent speaker in both English and Japanese, but now his words failed him. It was an embarrassment to be at a loss for words, so much so that the bowman could feel his cheeks and ears become warm.
"I'm sorry. I seem to have forgotten what I wanted to say," Hanzo said in an attempt to recover. His ears began to burn hotter with the embarrassment of having to admit something like that. What a disgrace to be unable to put one's thoughts into words.
McCree looked at Hanzo with an expression of utter shock. "Whoa, there. No need to get all flustered. You can say it once ya remember."
It seemed that Hanzo's embarrassment was causing McCree embarrassment. The cowboy's tanned cheeks became flushed and he finally put his hat back on in what appeared to be an attempt to cover it up.
"I'll give ya some time to think it over," McCree told him as he tugged the brim of his hat lower. "Just gimme a holler when yer ready."
Hanzo simply watched as the cowboy went back to his group. It had been an awkward encounter to say the least.