This is the last chapter :) if you feel like reading more, follow my profile's link to my AO3, where I have linked the piece someone wrote as a follow up to this fic! :D
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Chapter 03
The coordinates the unknown person had sent Genji brought him to the outskirts of the city, to an area that had been under renovation after a monster had crashed through it after growing ten times its original size.
Genji had changed to his sentai attire even before leaving Zenyatta's apartment, only pausing enough to take notice that the area was empty probably because most of the residents had been scared away by whatever had kidnapped Zenyatta.
As he ran, pushing his body to its limits, Genji could not stop the thoughts that pushed their way in his head, feeling a growing guilt in his chest at the thought of Zenyatta being in danger because of him.
If he'd told Zenyatta before that he was a sentai, maybe it would have prevented this from happening –maybe Zenyatta would have known to call for help, or maybe he would have been warier, instead of…
Or maybe Zenyatta would have cut their bond before it started, to make sure Genji never had the chance to be in such a situation –Zenyatta always was a selfless sort of person, after all.
Either way, Genji reassured himself, he would make things right. He would make sure no one would ever target him ever again.
In fact, how could anyone know that Genji was the sentai? If it became of public knowledge, then it would be really bad –they were using their secret identities to keep things under control, but if it got out…
Shit.
And still, Zenyatta had been caught and was being used as a bait. It made Genji furious, his dragon roaring in the back of his mind, seeking to hurt and destroy.
He knew he should at least warn someone –Lucio, Jesse, Hanzo, or his mentor even, but… he did not care. He just wanted Zenyatta back.
The meeting place was, apparently, an empty parking lot. There were still pieces of concrete bulging up, making the ground irregular, but it had been cleaned of most of the rubbish and the broken cars. As Genji jumped down in the middle of it, looking around, searching, he could see no trace of anyone there. Not Zenyatta, nor whoever had captured him.
"I'm here!" he called out in the eerie silence. "Let Zenyatta go now! I got here just as you said!"
There was no answer, but Genji did not despair, and instead of standing still, he moved around, scanning the area again with both his senses and the tech available to his suit. His immediate surroundings were empty, but the suit's tracking system registered something coming from one of the buildings nearby –one of the few still standing, though abandoned– so he rushed that way, heart thundering in his chest.
His footsteps echoed in the silence as he advanced through the empty corridors, his senses spread out and heightened by the dragon inside him giving him assistance, setting him on a path, his pace growing more and more hurried as he pushed door after door open, calling Zenyatta's name, until–
At last, he made it through the innermost part of the building, reaching what looked like a big hall for conference meetings, though now it was almost completely empty, save for rows of chairs piled up in a corner and some broken tables on the other side of the room.
Right in the middle of it, sitting in silence and with his array powered off, was Zenyatta.
"Zenyatta!" feeling a sliver of hope, Genji took two steps into the room, lifting one hand towards him. "Are you unharmed?!"
Zenyatta's forehead array powered on, teal flickering to light, and he turned to look at Genji.
"… oh." There was a sorrowful tone to his voice even as he did not move from his crouch. "You came."
"Of course I came! I would never leave you in danger! Zenyatta, I'm so sorry, I–"
"I apologize." Zenyatta interrupted him quietly, so quietly, shoulders hanging low, head tilted to the ground. He looked… sad. Defeated. "I truly hoped you would not come."
Genji opened his mouth, at loss for what to say so he could reassure Zenyatta that nothing was wrong, and that he would definitely save him, and then Zenyatta slowly stood up. He appeared unharmed, shoulders slumped down, head hanging low, and refused to look his way.
Behind him, what had looked like a broken down holovision screen flickered on, though it did not show anyone on it, merely a familiar symbol to Genji –the symbol of Talon.
"Oh, don't say things like that, Zenyatta, dear," the same voice who'd called Genji spoke up, her tone mockingly sweet. "If he hadn't come, we would have needed to truly get rid of you. You have been nothing if not… unhelpful so far."
Genji frowned at the screen; the fact that there was no one to face was putting him off, making him even warier.
"Don't speak to him like this," he hissed. "Why are you not here?! I can just pick up Zenyatta now and–"
A laughter stopped him, just as much as seeing Zenyatta flinch in front of him.
"I do not need to be there, Shimada Genji–" and that made Genji flinch as well, the reminder that now Zenyatta knew who he was "–because you will not have to face me." A pause, as Genji looked around, expecting to see a monster or an army pop out to surround him anytime now, "You will face my pet."
Refusing to take the bait, Genji focused on Zenyatta. "Zenyatta, who brought you here? You don't have to worry, I will make sure you come back home unscathed and then I will explain."
For a moment, Zenyatta did nothing –he simply stood there, unmoving, as if not even registering Genji's words, then…
The collar around his neck started to glow a sickly purple.
The woman spoke again. "Oh, and still so clueless… sentai, don't you realise it now? Your enemy… my pet… is right there in front of you."
"Genji I'm… I'm so sorry." Zenyatta murmured, still unable to look up to face him. "I have not been truthful to you, either. I have… known you were green sentai for a long while, now."
That made Genji falter, shock making him lose his wary tension. "Wha–"
"You see, my dear sentai, you have been deceived." The voice picked up again, sounding so pleased, sneering at Genji from the speakers around the room, and it made him grit his teeth under his mask. "Unfortunately, it did not bring us the results we were expecting. My pet… proved to be unsuccessful in his constant attempts to lure you away, make you lose focus in your work. We made him to be of use so carefully, only to have it be for naught." Every word was like a spear, and Genji's eyes grew wide as he started to understand– "That fool, thinking that trying to push you away would make us think we could not work around it, somehow. If fooling you did not work, then… we had to try this one last resort. And… I'm so glad to say it worked! You did come, so… my dear pet, you weren't as unsuccessful, in the end… you got the sentai right where we wanted him. And now… you can truly do your job and get rid of him… forever."
Genji took a step back, confused, hurt and in denial, and looked over at Zenyatta, eyes wide behind his visor. "Zenyatta, what is she saying?"
Slowly, almost sluggishly, Zenyatta's head rose to meet his gaze. "Genji, I–"
The collar around his neck flared up all of sudden, and Zenyatta let out a soft, pained scream, then, under Genji's shocked eyes, green light enveloped his frame, a sickly green that was familiar to him in a way that was not clear until the light abated and dimmed, and Genji took a step back in shock.
Instead of the familiar faceplate of his love, the Cultist was standing there, the tentacles on his face plate wriggling slowly, and underneath the dark cape, Genji could see the collar burn an ominous green.
Despite having seen it happen in front of him, Genji's brain took some time to actually understand what he was seeing, the truth of it too much for him to bear.
"I… Z-Zenyatta, you…" the words came out choked through his gritted teeth, and Genji realised, distantly, that he felt a painful pressure on his chest, right where his heart was.
He hurt –a mix of shock and betrayal so strong it felt like a punch, and he had no idea how to process the sight.
Zenyatta's arms parted as if to bare himself to Genji, the broken shackles at his wrists clanking softly in the silence, and then nine projectiles came rushing from somewhere among the rubble, circling Zenyatta's frame.
His orbs, Genji's brain supplied. He'd completely forgot Zenyatta had them, though he rarely parted from them, so much that the sight of him standing there without them had not looked strange to him, because if he'd been captured, he would not have them, but… he'd kept them hidden away, and though he'd never seen the Cultist with orbs before, now he could understand why.
They were a distinctive feature of Zenyatta –flying orbs would easily link the Cultist to him, making him recognizable even with his appearance so changed.
Even the orbs were different; gone was the soft teal glow and the simple patterns, now they were a darker golden, and there were… eyes on them –green eyes that twitched and looked around with black, slit-like pupils.
Now it all made sense –the familiarity of some of the Cultist's behaviours and gestures, though his voice was different, lower in tune, and why there were things in him that tickled Genji in a way he had never managed to tie before… and now he did.
For months he'd faced the Cultist on an ambiguous battlefield, only to go back home to Zenyatta, without knowing.
"You… it's not… it can't be…" Genji clutched at his own chest, trying to claw out the pain he felt. "You've been… you were lying to me all this time?!"
"I have attempted to… talk with you… often," the Cultist's… Zenyatta's tone was halted, grinding like metal against metal, and Genji winced. It felt like he had trouble speaking. "I cannot…"
"Cease this useless banter," the voice startled them again, reminding Genji that they were not truly alone, and his shock would have to wait. "Speaking will be painful anyway, and you need to conserve all your energy for fighting him."
Zenyatta twitched, made what looked like an aborted motion to step back, but the collar around his neck flared purple, sparkles travelling down his arms and frame, paralyzing him.
"Destroy the sentai, Zenyatta, then report back to me afterwards and bring me the proof of his death in the form of his precious sword." There was laughter in the unknown voice, and it sounded like victory. "This is your last order."
Then the screen went black, and Genji and Zenyatta were left alone.
"Genji…" Zenyatta raised one arm towards him, though to Genji it almost looked like he was reluctant to do so. "Get… away."
"You lied to me!" Genji felt hot, shameful tears burn in his eyes, but he squeezed them shut and forced them down, forced all the pain down, all the anger, to focus instead of Zenyatta in front of him. "You were with Talon all this time?!"
"It's not–" the collar around his neck flared up again and Zenyatta's speech gurgled into silence, flickers of electricity flaring up from his voice box. He stiffened, almost stumbling, and there was something incredibly unnatural in the way he straightened his back again. "I'm sorry, Genji."
"Your apology means nothing to me! Did you lie about everything?! You've been Talon's… pet… all this time?! Every time we met before, your attitude, your gestures, we met as enemies and yet… Does Mondatta even know what sort of–" Genji trailed off, the anger washed away all of sudden by the coils of his dragon brushing against his consciousness. The dull ache in his chest, together with the anger, the shock and the hurt, were making it hard to focus, were making Genji want to strike and lash out, and the dragon growled deep within his mind, the sound resonating with a cleansing clarity through him. Genji stuttered, and the surprise of his dragon stopping him was enough to snap him out of it.
No. It was… it wasn't possible.
Hurting as much as he was right now made it hard to focus on what was in front of him, reaction coming before thought, but…
Something was up, something Genji did not understand, but he still couldn't fully concentrate, he needed time, he needed to pull back and away from this situation, to think to–
Zenyatta moved.
He came at him with speed that was not surprising at all, swinging one arm forwards to try and catch Genji by surprise, following it up with a swift added assault from three of his orbs following the motion.
Genji caught the motion coming and managed to shift out of the way, though none-too-properly, fumbling and stumbling as he evaded, and it did not even come to him that he could summon his sword, since he had no intention to fight against Zenyatta, no matter what.
Zenyatta did not seem to care. He attacked again, shifting his weight, bringing his other arm up to follow Genji as he moved out of reach, assaulting him with speed that could rival his own, but…
Genji avoided him again, this time managing to roll away and jump back to his feet, landing quite a bit away from Zenyatta, putting space between them.
Faced with an opponent set on harming him, Genji found that the hall was not quite as large anymore; though it offered him enough space to jump and move to avoid getting hit, he had little space to manoeuvre, and if he ever wanted to retaliate, using his dragon would probably have the walls and ceiling give in and crumble on top of them… though he had no plans to fight back, not really.
Still, this was nothing if not a flicker of a thought in the back of his mind.
What caught most of his attention was the mechanical, forced way Zenyatta was moving.
He'd fought against the Cultist in the past –he'd admired his skills, though he'd never managed to link them to Zenyatta's own skills since Zenyatta rarely fought using his own body, always preferring to send his orbs to aid Genji in his training practices and this… this looked and felt wrong. Unnatural.
No. the way Zenyatta moved was different. He looked stilted, like every movement was stunted and halted, like he was fighting against moving, like he wasn't…
Zenyatta came at him again, his feet tapping heavily against the floor, and swung his leg forwards, long and straight, attacking him from the front while two orbs came at him from the side, and another one from the back.
Genji avoided the kick, parring it with one elbow, and felt the jarring pain of metal slamming into his armoured arm, protected but not fully against the sheer force of Zenyatta's leg. Then he twisted sideways, using his hand to conjure some shuriken that he used to par the orbs with, using their speed to lead them out of the way, spinning away from Zenyatta again.
He ran up the wall, bounced from one side of the room to another, keeping his distance, his eyes trained on Zenyatta as he followed him.
Not even once did he think about fighting back.
Instead, he tried to observe Zenyatta fight him and the more he had to evade, spinning just out of reach, jumping and twirling and once slamming his elbow against a wall, the more the certainty that this was all wrong grew inside him.
Gone was the swiftness, the perfect precision he'd always so admired in the way the Cultist fought.
There was something forced and methodical instead, and… Genji winced at thinking it, yet it was perfect for the situation –Zenyatta looked mechanical, like a strung-up doll.
The worst part was that despite this, he still fought without pulling punches, and it took all of Genji's remaining attention to keep both Zenyatta and his orbs from severely harming him.
The Cultist… Zenyatta… did not play around anymore. He aimed to hurt, he focused on every spot of Genji's body that would incapacitate him if properly hit, like his head, his sides and the softer parts of his arms and legs and chest area.
The orbs slammed at him from all sides, up, below and from behind, a blur of blinking eyes narrowly missing him, and Zenyatta followed them through on his blind spots.
Again and again, Genji found himself cornered, barely able to evade.
"Zenyatta–" Genji twirled out of the way, and one of the orbs grazed his shoulder, tipping him just enough out of balance that Zenyatta's next hit connected, and so did two of the orbs.
Pain flared up from his arm, then from his chest and from his outer thigh, and Genji stumbled, cursing and growing sloppy.
Zenyatta made a soft, choked up sound that sounded so much like a sob that Genji, once again, made a mistake and hesitated, only to be hit right in the face by a metallic flat palm.
It sent him crashing against a wall, hard enough that the wall, already weakened by the monster fighting that had destroyed the area, cracked and started to give in, though Genji was certainly not thinking about it, wheezing from the flare of pain on his face. Despite his visor, the hit hurt.
Blood rushing into his ears Genji stumbled away from the wall, narrowly avoiding a flurry of orbs that slammed inches from him, leaving indents in the wall, and when he looked up, Zenyatta was advancing on him, imposing and steady and…
"–I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry–"
Zenyatta was murmuring, so quietly, his tone glitching and stuttering with static, and Genji realised with a start that Zenyatta had not stopped saying the same thing over and over, though Genji had failed to notice it until then, his own heart thundering too loudly to hear such low, shaky tone.
And through the pain vibrating through his skull, Genji finally had a moment of clarity and understood.
Zenyatta was not in control of his own body –he was fighting, yes, but not willingly.
Every step of the way, he was forcing himself to stop, unable to control his own body as he came at Genji and attacked him, but he could not, and…
With this revelation, even with Genji's head spinning, suddenly everything made sense –of course he would look stilted if he was not in full control of his movements, obviously it would look mechanic, not like the beautiful, flowy and powerful motions he'd displayed in the past…
"Zenyatta…" Genji did not know what was the link between Zenyatta and Talon anymore, was not certain of anything, but his dragon had kept him from retaliating, and that… that was enough. He had to believe that Zenyatta would not, would never, wish to harm him. "Why? What… what did they do to you?"
Again, Zenyatta attempted to speak even as he rushed at Genji, and now Genji did recognise the way his body sluggishly twitched and stumbled as Zenyatta fought against it, against whatever was controlling him. "Gen–j–i–" yet he could not speak, words crackling and failing.
"You… you were unable to ask for help, were you?" Genji felt the pit of despair in his chest widen further.
He had not noticed, for who knew how long, and had allowed Zenyatta to be captured and used like this…
"And you were actually… you tried to talk to me," again, another realization, even as Genji had to get up and stumble away so that the next attack of Zenyatta's orbs would not hit him. "When you were in this form. You tried to hint at things, but without going against… whatever…" Genji's eyes fell to the collar, still burning brightly around Zenyatta's neck, and his eyes narrowed into slits. "It's that thing, isn't it? It's controlling you."
Zenyatta did not speak, but he made a quiet, aborted motion with his head –a nod.
Straightening his back, Genji stretched his hand forwards, his sword coming to him in a green flash. "Don't worry, Zenyatta. I will save you. And with that cut off, we'll finally talk, and you'll be free."
Zenyatta chirped, defeated, even as he flung himself at Genji, stilted and yet just as deathly, but this time Genji had a newfound purpose, and instead of evading his attack, he answered to it.
A punch, then a swift kick to his side, and Genji parred the first and twirled out of the way before he swung his sword towards Zenyatta's neck with precision and strength, but Zenyatta parred the sword with an orb, the blade ricocheting to the side, and Genji's hand hurt from the vibration of the hit.
They came at one another again, and then once more, parring and swinging and deflecting, over and over again.
Genji did not wish to harm Zenyatta but Zenyatta did not share his same intentions, unfortunately, and his ruthless attacks were all aiming to harm him. Genji's face hurt, his shoulder ached, the throbbing almost distracting, and his leg also hurt, but he could not stop.
"Just… wait…" he muttered whenever he came closer to Zenyatta, desperate but not sloppy, seeking out an opening without giving one himself. "I'll find the right… moment…"
Even as they fought, even as Zenyatta's motions continued to be brutal yet halted, Genji spoke to him. He kept reassuring him that things would be fine with harsh breathing and ragged voice, that he would not let him be this hurt, that he could not allow Zenyatta to keep hurting so much, that he would be free, soon, and then Genji would be at his side. He would not leave, he promised it over and over, and when he saw Zenyatta shake his head minutely, chirps cracking into sobs, the litany of apologies never faltering, he knew it was not enough.
"Zenyatta… whatever happened that led you to be captured, that had them get you… I don't hold it against you. You are important to me and I hope… I hope I am, as well," he panted, narrowly missing Zenyatta's elbow to the neck, only to have an orb connect with his wrist, hard enough he dropped the sword, which clanked against the floor and away from him. "I love you, Zenyatta. We'll get through this. Together."
He could not say another word after that, because another orb connected with his jaw, sending him flying away from his sword, pain blurring his thoughts away for a moment, the roar of his dragon almost dull on the back of his mind.
Genji gasped out in pain when another orb connected down on his leg, his sentai armour only offering enough protection that his bones did not break under that strain, but it did not stop him from the pain that flashed through him, disrupting his thoughts.
A third orb smashed into his back, right between his shoulder blades, and he felt his lungs empty of all air as he fell forwards on his elbows and knees, wheezing and coughing.
Zenyatta was on him a split second later, hovering above him, and Genji had no warning as his foot connected with the side of Genji's chest, sending him once more against the wall, this time falling on his side, arms shaking and head spinning, unable to get up. Zenyatta followed him with heavy footsteps and Genji looked up, sight blurry, to see him stand there, both arms raised towards him, thick shadows curled around his wrists. Genji knew in that moment that maybe his words had been all lies –and that maybe… just maybe, he would not be able to keep his promise to Zenyatta.
Like this, standing above him, Zenyatta looked… terrifying.
Even knowing it was him –more so due to that– Genji could not help but feel a sliver of fear go through his body, cold as ice. His optical receptors, now burning green, looked like real eyes staring right through him, his forehead array had gone from nine teal points to a line of green ones, and even the tentacles surrounding his mouth piece were glowing softly of the same green, flickers of purple the only colour that seemed off on him, and they were coming from that thrice-damned collar around his neck.
To know that Zenyatta –the real Zenyatta, the one Genji loved– was there as well, and looking at him, unable to do anything, to stop himself even as he advanced on Genji to hurt him… Genji could not even think about how much that hurt.
This was different from the other times they'd fought and it was so clear now –Zenyatta had never tried to hurt him before, had only sparred with him, played games with him, toyed with a line that only Zenyatta knew about, and there were so many questions Genji had to ask him, so many, and yet…
He could not think about what it would feel like, to raise your hand to strike the person you loved, and to know Zenyatta had been forced into this…
Genji felt hot tears burn at the corner of his eyes, this time not out of betrayal but out of pity, and sadness, like liquid fire that made him blink and squeeze his eyes shut for a moment. He felt fear, yes, but… there was so much more he felt, he could not name all the emotions, so jumbled and confused within him.
Then, Zenyatta froze.
His body strained to move, a fraction of an inch forwards then stopping again, and the collar around his neck flared up, purple overcoming all of Zenyatta's frame, licks of electricity burning through Genji's retinas, making him wince even as he heard Zenyatta's synth break down as he screamed, the sound so much less of his voice and more and more synthetic, glitches and white noise only.
"Z–Zenyatt…a?"
"N… no–"
And just as slowly, after what felt like forever, frozen and stuck unmoving like a statue… Zenyatta took a slow, hesitant step back.
The orbs, all poised to attack, all oozing the same violet mist, fell on the ground and rolled away, and they did not get back up.
"Zenyatta…" Genji raised one hand towards him, trembling, hopeful, only to see Zenyatta retreat again, fight against the conditioning, even as the purple flared up again and again. "Fight it, Zenyatta!"
His dragon uncoiled in the back of his mind, and Genji understood what it wanted. As Zenyatta continued his fight against his own body, pained little chirps leaving his synth, green energy mixing with violet and purple all around him, Genji shuffled to his feet, wobbling and hesitant, and reached for his sword, still abandoned where he'd dropped it.
Having it back in his hands filled him with relief, the roar of his dragon adding a boost to his dwindling energies.
He felt his legs shake underneath him and knew that despite everything he would not have much more than one single chance to make this right, and he would need all his focus, or he would be done for, and Zenyatta would…
No.
He could not let this happen.
Genji channelled all the energy he had left, feeling it rush through his body like a current, green lights flickering from his arms, his chest, his legs all up to his hands, then up to the edge of his blade, the hilt flashing as his dragon melted into the blade, turning it into the sharpest weapon one could wield on Earth.
He focused –focused his anger against Talon, against those who'd hurt him, against those who had planned to sic Zenyatta against him, who made them fight with one another, almost ruining the one good thing Genji had ever had in his life, and felt the anger turn into energy, licking at his skin, so hot it felt almost cold.
He was ready.
"Let's… do this," he wheezed. "Sentai Dragon Blade, ready to strike! Zenyatta, hang in there! Here… I… come!"
He dashed forwards, his dragon aiding him, giving him strength, and for a moment time stretched forwards, slowing down almost to a halt as he reached out towards Zenyatta, who was standing there, motionless, screaming and clutching at his own arms, in pain, waiting, fighting to protect Genji, believing in him, and Genji screamed as well, spurred onwards and then he was close enough so he raised his sword and–
–slashed through Zenyatta's body, aiming for the collar on his neck.
His dragon roared and exploded out of the blade in a shining beacon of light, blinding Genji and their entire surroundings, the empty room disappearing into the searing light.
The dragon met resistance and then bit on it, slashed at it with its shining claws, passed right through Zenyatta's body, victorious, and roared as the collar was cut in half and fell off Zenyatta's neck, purple fizzing into nothing.
The light disappeared, and both Genji and Zenyatta remained standing still for a second longer, motionless, frozen in time, then–
Both collapsed on the ground, Genji's sentai attire reverting into his normal self, and the Cultist's appearance flickered, faded away in a blurry of violet hues that looked like transparent tentacles, leaving behind Zenyatta in his own body again, trembling and on the ground.
"Z… Zenyatta…?"
Zenyatta chirped, made a broken, hiccupping sob, and curled into a small ball, steam and smoke lifting from his shoulder blades and from the circuits on his lower back, overly exerted after his long fight against his own body.
Feeling like he'd just been mauled by a bear, Genji took a few moments to just breathe.
He had barely realised how quiet it had been as they fought, the only sound their bodies clashing against one another, Zenyatta's soft pleas and his own frantic reassurances, but now, everything was deathly quiet.
Zenyatta whimpered, his fans spinning loudly a few feet away from him, and yet it felt like he was so far, almost unreachable, and Genji's body hurt, and everything hurt, and Genji just wanted to lay there and sleep for at least a year.
His dragon was still there, in the back of his head, but it was soothed, calm, and almost purring, content in seeing its mate free again though just as tired.
Genji, though, hesitated still –stuck with not knowing if Zenyatta wanted him close, if he could still call himself his boyfriend when he'd failed him so much, when he'd failed them both so horribly, when…
"–s… sorry… G–Genji…"
Then it did not matter anymore. Genji stumbled on his hands and knees forwards, body flaring up in pain, but greater still was the pain of being away from Zenyatta, and then he was there, close to him, and he threw his arms around Zenyatta's shoulders, cradling his shivering body close, tears rolling down his cheeks as he held him as tightly as he could, taking and offering all the support he could.
"No, no, I'm sorry I did not notice how much pain you were going through, I was so blind, I'm so sorry–"
"G… Genji no, I couldn't… I never wanted to hurt you, I love y-you… s-so much, b-but they… they have Mond-datt-a and I,I–I–"
The truth spilled from Zenyatta's synth, each word like a broken shard right through Genji's heart.
Zenyatta had known about Genji's secret identity because of his aura –because he could sense it, and his dragon within him despite Genji's secrecy about it. He had been attracted to Genji for Genji, not for his sentai persona, and because Genji treated him normally, not like the brother of the famous Mondatta, and then…
And then they'd become close, and then Talon had found out about Zenyatta's own powers, the ones he kept hidden –his Cultist identity, hidden because of how much it looked like a monster, how Zenyatta had refused to change after being accused of things he'd never done, and then…
Then Talon had used him, and Zenyatta had started his own double life, forced to do Talon's bidding until he had tried to rebel, not wishing to harm Genji or the other sentai… and that was when Talon had decided to up the ante, kidnapping Mondatta as a way to keep their pawn under control, and then everything had stumbled away from Zenyatta, and he'd fallen deeper and deeper, unable to let Genji know, trapped and unwilling, until…
It was so clear now, after everything that had happened, and Genji cursed loudly and held Zenyatta even tighter, angry and hurt and seething, and thought about Mondatta, kept who knew where, and about Zenyatta who had been unable to do anything, and thought about everything and felt cheated, and even more angry.
Genji was startled by Zenyatta's gentle, trembling hands cradling his cheeks, and then his face was tilted down to meet Zenyatta's optical receptors.
Zenyatta's face plate was scratched and dirty, and wet with Genji's tears, and Genji fell in love all over again for him, despite the situation, despite everything. "G-Genji, f… forgiv–"
With a loud, angry hiss, Genji tugged Zenyatta closer and kissed the seam of his mouth, eager and desperate, his thumb trembling as it sought out Zenyatta's throat, caressing the edge of his voice box, feeling it hum and vibrate under his touch even as Zenyatta, after a moment of shock and hesitation, kissed him back just as hard, omnic energy washing over him like a balm.
"There is" he murmured between hungry, fluttery kisses, "nothing to forgive. We'll help Mondatta. We'll talk and figure this out and act. I'm not giving up on you. Never. Never ever. I still have to tell my brother about us. You still have to tell yours. We're going to bring Mondatta home. You're not alone. Never."
Zenyatta kissed him back again and again, wiping his tears away with trembling fingers, and nodded, not quite as reassured but warmed by Genji's conviction, by the rage he could feel deep within him, his senses so attuned to Genji's soul that at least for now, he could truly believe him.
After what felt like months of hell, trapped and controlled and restrained, in Genji's arms Zenyatta felt truly free.