It had been weeks since anyone heard from Reyes. It felt like he disappeared off the map forever. Hana, unconvinced he was never coming home visited his apartment daily. She took responsibility for housework, collecting his mail and watering the few plants he had. She didn't dare tell Jack about what happened, she hadn't actually told Jack anything in those few weeks, the two of them were completely silent towards each other. Angela had tried to break the silence between them, but both had a stubborn nature and refused to be the one to give in.
Angela had pressed for Hana for information multiple times since Reyes left. Hana played dumb and told her she knew nothing, Jack tried his hardest not to let the girls see how worried he was. But both Angela and Hana understood the bond Reyes and him held, and for Reyes to disappear without any word made Jack a ball of constant stress and anxiety.
His disappearance didn't stop Hana from calling him constantly. Whenever she had free time she called him, his phone rang and went to voice mail which showed it was charged, and he wasn't dead. She knew deep down it was her fault he disappeared the way he did and she felt an immense amount of guilt because of it. She didn't mean to ruin the relationship they had, she didn't mean to jump him the way she did either. It just seemed to happen, and in those moments Hana didn't know who she was anymore. There seemed to be a jealousy Hana held towards the woman she saw Reyes with earlier that night. She felt like she should be the only one who is able to touch Reyes the way that woman was doing so.
But she didn't mean to destroy their relationship by doing so. Her entire life she had felt his hands on her, they were rough, calloused and larger than life, but she only felt them in a parental way. The way he would place his hand on her head when she was speaking out of line, or the hand on her shoulder before she cried, the hands as they washed her hair, stroked her face, braided her hair, and how they held her hand whenever she was afraid. Too many times she fell asleep with those hands on her face, like a lullaby they soothed her until she drifted to sleep. She never expected to feel his hands in a sexual way, she never thought those calloused hands would be holding onto her waist, or stroking her skin.
It wasn't her first time kissing him either. She had received countless kisses on her forehead, cheeks, nose, lips, chest, fingers, arms, he was always there to kiss her when she was hurt. She realized how selfish it was of her to take the lips that comforted her as a child and use them for something that wasn't comfort. She decided it may be best if she told Jack the truth that she acted out and kissed Reyes without his permission. She scared him away.
She sighed as she neared Reyes apartment, her body ached, but the pain wasn't from the schoolbag pulling back on her. Her heart ached. It ached more and more as she climbed the staircase to his old apartment, with every step she forgot who she was even more. She wondered where Reyes was at this moment, she wondered if he was okay, fed, clean, and comfortable; she wondered if he thought of her the same way she was thinking of him. The rusty mailbox on the outside of his apartment door had something sticking out of it, a small orange, white and black envelope meant for his eyes only. She plucked it from the mailbox and examined it, in big black letters it said CLASSIFIED and it made Hana want to open it and read its contents.
She reminded herself that Reyes wouldn't approve of that behavior, so she tucked it into her school bag and unlocked his door. The apartment was bright with sunlight, something that didn't happen regularly. Hana had decided to keep the windows open since Reyes left, the place smelled clean and new. She had scrubbed the entire place top to bottom, she wondered if he would have approved of that. The thought of what the place looked like the morning after was burned into her head. Glass was spread across the kitchen floor, a sticky alcohol was mixed with dried blood, his stuff was gone. All that remained was the indent on the couch they both left and the dishes in the sink, she had cleaned up the mess but it was still there. The mess she created would always be there.
She called Jack and let him know where she was. He reminded her that it wasn't her responsibility to take care of Reyes' things, and if he truly cared about it he would have come home by now. She wished she could have told him why he couldn't come home; she wished she could tell him why he didn't care anymore. But she kept her mouth shut, made a joke about Reyes being irresponsible, the joke stung against her tongue; they exchanged "I love you"s and hung up. When the call ended, her eyes began to burn, tears stung against her cheeks as she stared at the empty apartment. All she wanted was for him to come home, even if he didn't want to see or speak to her again, she didn't like the mystery of where he was.
She called him one more time, it seemed to ring forever but went to its usual voice mail. Although it wasn't him, it was a silent reminder that he was okay. She smiled, and decided to start cleaning. The mail was thrown on the counter like usual, as she went through the entire apartment, dusting, mopping and sweeping. It was around 6pm when she was waiting for his blankets and sheets to be dry, she decided to kneel at the coffee table and do her homework. A classic routine she had when she ran away to Reyes' place, he would be sitting behind her, silently watching the news with his foot on her back, massaging her gently as she worked through the books of work she was given. It was a peaceful routine, and neither knew how it started, but it helped Hana with her school stress, and kept Reyes quiet as he watched the TV. She smiled to herself as she thought about it, she decided to rest her head on the table for a few minutes, it almost felt like there was a soft pressure on her back like usual, and a few moments later Hana was asleep.
His hand trembled, as he gripped the handle to the hotel room. It never stopped shaking it felt like, since that night his hands were constantly shaking. It was constantly in the back of his head, the ignored calls, how worried they must be. But there wasn't anything he could do about it, he missed them a lot but never wanted to hurt them the way he did. He wouldn't be surprised if Hana told Jack by now, about how he took advantage of her, Jack was probably livid and ready to cut ties with Reyes. Maybe he already did cut ties; he had never called him, only Hana and Angela.
He tried his best to ignore it, the burning feeling to run back to them. He pushed it away, deep inside of him and reminded himself it was best to stay away for a while. Until things blew over, He wasn't looking forward to the sticky mess on his kitchen floor, or his dead plants, the smell of Hana in his sheets. He wasn't looking forward to any of it, but also knew it would be awhile before he saw that place again and decided not to think about it too hard. The only thing he had to focus on right now was the door in front of him, and the woman waiting inside.
When he opened the door he was greeted by the woman in a long bath robe, it was a black silk and clung to her body like latex. He smiled to himself as he pulled her close to him and kissed her neck; she ran her hands along his body and offered him a glass, filled with the same brown liquid from that night. He declined the drink and the woman seemed surprised, he decided if he was going to do this it would be sober and aware of himself. He picked the woman up, she laughed and wrapped her legs around his waist, he kissed and bit her neck, leaving marks on her skin. She moaned and tightened her grip on him.
As things continued, he found his hands removing her robe. She smiled as her naked body was revealed, she was absolutely beautiful. Amelie Lacroix was one of the most gorgeous women he had ever laid his eyes on, she was tall, thin and had every right curve a man could want in a woman. Her breasts were perky and firm, her stomach toned and tight, her thighs were soft and milky, her ass was supple and Reyes had always loved grabbing on to it. He loved making love to the woman, but hated the guilt that came with it.
He had been good friends with her husband for a long time. They had worked together many times and he had nothing but praise for his beautiful wife. He often told Reyes that in tight situations he always thought of her to calm his nerves. He had big plans with her, they owned a beautiful home and he wanted a family to cherish with her. Something happened along the way though, and Amelie had grown distant from the man, maybe something happened between the two but to Reyes nothing changed. Her husband still raved about how beautiful she was and how much he loved her, but Amelie found herself bribing Reyes with expensive alcohol to have sex with her.
They were both naked, Reyes had his hands on her body when the woman looked up at him with her fierce eyes. "Mon amour, turn the lights off." She told him, "I feel like I'm doing something bad when I can see you."
Reyes nodded and walked over to the light switch, everything went dark except for the moonlight illuminating the room quietly. He swallowed hard, the same moonlight from that night. He tried to push it to the back of his head, but when Amelie walked over to him and kissed him it all came flooding back to him.
The taste of Hana's lips.
The feeling of her tiny hands.
The smell of her hair.
The noises she made when he kissed her.
He couldn't handle it. His heart was beating fast, pounding against his chest and he couldn't seem to catch his breath. Without thinking he pushed the woman off of him and dropped to his knees, he gripped his chest as hard as he could, his nails digging into where his heart was. He thought of Hana, what was she doing right now? What would she do to help him with this? All he wanted to do was breath, but nothing was coming out of him, his lungs had completely shut off.
Gentle hands were on his shoulders, his breath returned with the familiar feeling. He looked up at Hana to realize it wasn't her, it was Amelie. She had a worried expression on her face and he sighed. He thanked her for helping him escape whatever had just happened. She looked a little angry with him.
"Gabriel, I think you need to tell me what's going on. This is the second time you've done this to me." The robe had returned to her body, her arms were crossed and her thin eyebrow raised into an arch.
He was naked and vulnerable, and he didn't seem to care. He needed to get what happened off of his chest, and Amelie knew how to keep a secret. He explained everything to her, from the fight Hana had with jack to the smashed bottle of liquor on the floor. Amelie didn't seem to react to the story at all. In fact she was laughing at it instead.
What she told him stung his heart, "Poor Gabriel Reyes, the man who is afraid to kiss the woman he loves but will happily have sex with one that is married." She placed her hand on his cheek, her thumb stroking his cheek bone, "you can't choose your sins, mon amour."
"The woman I love?" He asked her, dazed at the idea of it.
She nodded, "you are in love Gabriel, it's a hard pill to swallow, and a dangerous one when it blooms in your stomach." Her accent was strong, At that moment it was probably the strongest thing in the room. "Nobody feels such anxiety over people they don't love, I still have that anxiety." Her voice trailed off as her eyes lightened, "although it may be wrong, you know it's right at the same time, mon amour. You are afraid of hurting this girl, but she must be feeling horrible pain this moment while being uncertain of your safety?"
His eyes burned, he smiled at the woman. "You speak a lot of wisdom for a woman who sins the way you do, Amelie."
She laughed, "and you're quite ignorant for a man who saved the world more than once."
She helped him up and offered him his clothes, he dressed quickly and decided it wouldn't hurt to take a drink from the glass she had offered him earlier. Before he left the hotel, he turned to her and kissed her cheek gently.
"Amelie, you are a beautiful woman with a loving husband and a beautiful home." He whispered in her ear, "you're what women aspire to be, but you're throwing it away by doing things like this."
She stared at him as he left. Gabriel Reyes was a cold man, from his skin to his heart, he showed no warmth. He never thought about others, only himself and his stature as the man who saved the world during the Omnic crisis. He didn't think before killing, wasn't afraid of being covered in his enemies blood and often didn't flinch at the thought of eliminating the people he loved. But tonight, he was not the Gabriel Reyes the world knew, instead he was a man with hot skin and a fiery heart, he had anxieties and fears, he cared about someone and had love in his eyes.
Amelie wondered when he had changed, was she present? Was this something new or something that had been building up over the years? Silently waiting to reach its pinnacle and reveal itself to the world? She smiled to herself and gathered her clothing, she called her husband and apologized for the fight they had earlier, she reminded him she loved him and headed home.
He expected his mailbox to be full, maybe overflowing with unread shit he never asked for. But instead it was empty; the plant outside his door with the spare key was more alive than he had ever seen it. Confused, he opened the door and was greeted by the pleasant smell of clean laundry and furniture polish. His apartment sparkled, the windows were open and a quiet breeze circulated through it, the only light that was on was a small lamp by the couch. The lightbulb had died years ago and he never bothered to replace it, but it was on and it gave the place a friendly glow. He could hear the soft murmur of the TV, he followed the sound and found the culprit of his immaculate apartment.
Her arms were crossed on the table, her head laying on them gently, her breathing slow and peaceful. She was surrounded by school books, pens, papers and pencils. Reyes smiled to himself as he walked over and cleaned up the mess of school supplies, she stirred in her sleep, but didn't wake up. Reyes sat on the couch and placed his foot on her back; it was warm like usual and felt nice when he rubbed it.
A few minutes went by, but the familiar feeling of his foot brought Hana out of her slumber. She rubbed her eyes and looked around her, when her eyes met with his she froze completely. The two stared at each other before Reyes got up and kneeled beside her; he brushed her bed head out of her face and smiled at her. Her eyes were still sleepy, but were filled with surprise and a hint of sadness. He could see dried tears on her cheeks, like she had fallen asleep while crying; her lip trembled as she continued to stare at him.
He spoke quietly, "I'm here."
An unexpected sob escaped Hana's lips as she hugged Reyes tightly. His shaking hands stroked her hair as she clung to him, tighter than she had ever done before. She sobbed hard into his chest, and he hushed her as her tiny body shook against him. The worry she had for him slipped away, she was relieved to see he was okay, alive, healthy and here. He was here with her, and that's all she wanted from him. It felt like it had been hours, she held onto him, refusing to speak or let go. He didn't object, he held her against his chest and placed his head on top of hers, the familiar smell made him comfortable, it reminded him of home and that's all he could ask for. His hands slowly stopped trembling, and Hana's breathing slowed down. After a while it was just the two of them, in that tiny apartment, illuminated by the once dead lamp and the soft glow of the TV, it was just him and her.
"I was worried." She said softly, he nodded and hugged her tighter.
"I'm sorry." He told her, his hand still stroking her hair.
She pulled away from him, and stared at him. Her eyes were puffy and red, but happy; he smiled seeing the tiny girl in front of him. She wiped her eyes and mouth, brushed her hair back and stared at him again. Thinking of what to say to him, it took a few minutes but she found the words she had been looking for.
"I should be sorry, Gabriel." Her voice was different than the usual sassy Hana, who always had something to say and always had to get the last word in. 'I shouldn't have jumped you the way I did, I shouldn't have forced you to do something you didn't want to do. I don't know what I was doing, but at the moment it was what I wanted, but then you left." Her words were cut off with a silent sob, the pain he had caused was apparent in her body language. He didn't know what to say to her,
"I was worried, so were dad and Angela. We were all worried about you, I didn't want to live with myself knowing that I chased you away." She wiped her eyes again, "it hurt a lot, the entire time you were gone it stung my heart, I felt responsible for everything that happened…"
He grabbed her again and hugged her tightly; he placed his lips against her head and breathed silently. They were both silent, he didn't expect Hana to be carrying the same feelings as him, not in a million years would he expect her to feel the way he did. The entire time he had been blaming himself, and feeling sorry for himself while she was doing the same thing to herself.
He couldn't find the words he wanted to say to her, they were lost somewhere in his tangled web of thoughts, "I'm here now." He told her, the only thing he could say to her. She nodded and hugged him tighter.
"Don't go anywhere without me again." She commanded him; he smiled and kissed her head.
"I won't." the anxiety circled through his body again, as he picked up her chin and looked her in the eyes. Her eyes were so beautiful to him, he could see everything in them, he smiled and leaned down to her, his lips pressed against hers softly.
It felt different this time; there was no taste of alcohol or air of regret. He consciously made the decision to kiss her, and it was the best decision he ever made. Her arms wrapped around his neck softly, and the kiss stayed gentle and sweet, but still held the eagerness they both had to do it again. He savored the feeling of her lips this time, how soft they were and small compared to his, he loved the taste of them, and the way she felt when she was pressed against him. The smell of her hair filled the air around him, it was such a sweet innocent smell, it made his chest warm.
This time as he kissed her, he felt like he was kissing Hana. Although it wasn't the same kid he helped raise, the same kid he was plagued with babysitting, the same kid they found in the puddle of blood. She was still Hana, a young, beautiful woman who had complex emotions and understood the world the same way he did. Her innocence was still there, it was bright and warm, it made him feel safe knowing the girl in his arms was the girl he loved. From a tiny chubby, waddling toddler to a sassy teenager who was too smart for her own good, she was his and he was okay with what was happening.
It didn't take long for their kiss to be broken, this time it was Hana that broke it. Suddenly remembering the letter she had in her school bag, she dug it out and presented it to Reyes. Explaining she forgot about it until now, the letter was small, and had the colors of the Overwatch. It was unusual for them to send a letter, but he figured it would have been because what they were sending him was top secret, classified information.
He opened the letter and skimmed through the contents. He laughed to himself, folded the letter and turned to Hana.
"How does Korea sound?" He asked.
She looked confused, "what are you talking about?"
"I'm not leaving you again, right?" He smiled, "so you're coming to Korea with me. I think it's time you learned about who you were before Jack found you"