For a while, I simply stared at the bed as he moved about the room, I kept the blanket pinned against my chest, frowning lightly.
"You're weak." He said breaking the silence and I glanced up at him. "When was the last time you have eaten anything?" I began thinking, trying to figure it out. "It had been a long time, a month, maybe more? But how did I survive? Human bodies couldn't go more than seven to eight days without food right? So, how did I? "Have you ever died?"
"That's an odd thing to ask." I said softly staring at him. "Especially right after asking the last time I..." I paused a moment thinking harder about it now. "Ate..." I finished my sentence. "But..."
"I want you to read something." He said coming over to me and handing me a tablet. I took it and looked down at it, confused. It was a list of Overwatch agents both decommissioned and active that were killed in action. I began reading down the list then suddenly came across my name. Tensing up, I hesitated but clicked it. According to this, I had died during the ambush in Numbani, killed by flying shrapnel that sliced into my skull. I was brought to Gibralta for my funeral, but there was nothing further on it.
"This...can't..." I looked up at him. "I died? But...I didn't revive myself, I didn't get that ability for another couple years...I...how?"
"What Winston does on his own free time, was overlooked by the main hub of Overwatch."
"You think...he revived me?"
"With help I am sure." He said taking the tablet from me and I stared at the bed.
"So...I'm like..."
"Me?" He questioned and I closed my eyes. "Unlike me, who feeds off the power of shadows, you needed the life of solar energy to keep you moving. Without it, you will die. Hence why, during the day your are powerful, but at night you feel the need to rest. Solar energy needs the process of other energies keeping your body moving, not simply sunlight, hence why you feel the need to eat, but you don't actually need it. Without the knowledge of your being dead, you felt the need to continue living as a human, but you aren't."
"Then what am I?"
"Dead. Just like me." He said and I stared at him. "The only reason you have the ability to revive people is because you are linked to whatever happens after we is why you didn't gain the ability until after the attack." I was silent, unsure of what to say. "Still." He walked over to me and handed me some fruit. "You should replenish. Here, eat. It will help." I stared at the food in his hand but didn't take it. Sighing, he sat down before me and removed his hood and mask, he set the food on the bed, staring at it a moment. Picking up an apple, he bit into it, started chewing but looked away from me.
Smiling to myself, I grabbed another apple and bit into it, eating it myself. For the remainder of the time we ate, we said nothing, didn't even look at one another. When I finished, I tossed the core into the trash can and he did the same but then, looked at me. "If you didn't want to know-"
"It's alright." I said with a soft smile. "It's good to know, even if it's hard to grasp." I moved to rest my feet on the ground, just to reach and grab my clothes, slipping them on.
"What are you doing?"
"It's been a couple months since I even attempted walking and I am not comfortable having run into McCree today. The sooner I can get on my feet, the sooner we can get moving."
"If you want to change locations, we can."
"I will not have you carry me yet again. I've been useless for far too long. It's time for a change." I said sternly and took in a deep breath. He stood, placing on his mask then came over to stand in front of me. He stood not close enough to help, but not far enough away to not be at my side if I fell. I watched him cross him arms and felt the coldness in the air.
"Then let's go, get on your feet. Prove to me you aren't useless." He said rather coldly and I smirked to myself giving him a nod. I moved to my feet, my wings flaring out to keep me from falling, though a few feathers fell to the ground, I took no notice. A hand rest on the bed post to help me stay upright but he whiped out his gun and knocked my hand off it.
"You can't be strong on your own if you rely on help." He hissed as I fell to my knees. "Get back up, try again." Moving one leg to place my foot on the ground, I rest my hands on my knees and slowly lift myself up off the ground, doing so shakily. I managed to stand on my own and then took a deep breath standing upright. "Good." He grabbed my staff and walked away from me.
"Wait, what are you..."
"If you want it back, come get it." He chuckled and I slowly moved after him.
The first couple days I stupidly chased him around the room, until he noticed I was picking up speed and nearly caught up to him, then he ventured outside with it. As my speed increased, day by day, his did as well. Even when I managed to trap him in corners, he wouldn't hesitate using his ability to get him somewhere much more difficult for me to get to.
By the end of the second week, I was strong enough to wear my armor once again my body was nearly completely restored and so were my wings. Though I still hadn't caught him to get my staff back. I would pull out all my tricks today. He stood across the empty pool, staring at me, holding my staff and chuckled.
"Come on, bird."
"Enough of this, Reaper, give it back."
"Not until you take it back." He said and I grit my teeth staring him down.
"Fine," I hissed spreading my wings, I watched his head turn slightly as if inspecting my wings. This had been the first time since the incident I had displayed them like this. "No holding back then."
"Finally." He said placing the staff on his back. Curling my wings back, I shot forward over the pool but he simply vanished, moving around me to my original spot on the otherside of the pool, but I was ready for it. Before he fully materialized, I was flying back. I landed behind him and reached for him but he spun around and knocked my hand back with his gun, tsking me. "Not yet."
We then jumped, flew, dodged around the motel, he always stayed one step ahead of me. It was infuriating. I has used every trick I knew to get him to stop, but he was always faster, stronger, quicker than I was. As I expected him to be. As the second in command of Overwatch, the leader of Blackwatch, he knew everything about me, but I knew so little about his true abilities. Finally in a fit of rage, I slammed a fist onto the ground, erupting a fire blaze out around me, just as he materialized. Hearing him growl and hit the ground, I smiled, did I win? With smoke rolling off of me, I slowly stood, wings folding up on me back. He was on the ground, my staff resting between him and I.
I chuckled and shot forward, picking up my staff, spinning it, then pinning it right under his chin. I rest on a knee, straddling over him, watching him closely. My staff started glowing, as it healed him up, then I heard him chuckle. He suddenly vanished, appearing behind me, a hand around my waist, the other on his gun which rest against my chin.
"You have greatly improved, bird. I am impressed."
"Glad to hear it." I said carefully, keeping an eye on his gun, watching his finger on the trigger. "What are you going to do now? Pull the trigger? You and I both know that won't work."
"True, but I couldn't end this fight with you having a kill shot and not having one for myself. Besides, I have a much better idea for how to end this fight."
"Oh? What's that?" I asked taking my eyes off his gun and attempting to look back at him.
"How do we usually end our nights together, Phoenix?" He said in a haunting, menacing purr.
My whole body tensed up, "w-wait, I-" I was cut off as I saw his shadows move around both him and I. Everything grew cold and dark, and when light returned I was laying on the bed, armor gone, his hand pinning my hands above my head.
"Now, we can do this properly. Nothing holding us back." He chuckled removing his mask. "Tonight, is for us, bird. Prepare yourself."
When morning came around again, I growled softly, moving my hands to heal up swore spots before rolling over. To my surprise, he was laying there, holding me against him, though his eyes were closed and he seemed to be sleeping. This, I did not expect and stared at him a long moment, taking in this peace he rarely showed. Did this mean he trust me, beyond all else? Smiling, I closed my eyes and lowered my head to his chest.
A long few minutes passed and I heard him take in a deep breath, his arm that was around me, pulled me closer a moment before resting back. I heard him grumble softly and lift his arm up, but then hesitated before resting it back down. "You are a horrible liar." He said.
"Liar? I didn't even say anything." I pouted lifting my head to look up at him.
"You weren't sleeping, you were pretending. That's a lie."
"Oh for fucks sake." I growled pulling back from him but his arm grabbed me pulling me back into place.
"Now, now, little birdy, I did not say you could leave just yet."
"Oh, but of course, master." I chuckled relaxing back down. "But we should get moving. There is no point in staying here and we need a plan of action."
"Yes, I know. We will head back towards Gibralta, the base is beyond that, we will come up with some plan." He said lifting his arm and sitting up. I stared at his back, looking over the burn marks and scars, frowning lightly. "It isn't nice to stare, Phoenix." He muttered glancing back.
"Sorry." Sighing, I sat up and looked at the bed.
"It's fine. Get dressed, let's get moving." We packed up our things and headed out, back towards Gibralta.