"This armor doesn't do jack to keep me protected!" Fareeha Amari lamented as the doctor Angela Ziegler chuckled and healed her numerous wounds using her Caduceus staff.

"Are you ready for… you know?"

"I abhor it, Fareeha. But I am."

"Just think, Angela, if we take this place, it will be under Overwatch's protection, peace and prosperity will return again, and the world will be safe. But first, we must fight."

"I know all that, but… I just wish there was a way without this senselessness. But the world doesn't work that way." She sighed sadly.

"Hey…" Pharah put her hand on Mercy's shoulder, who met her eyes. "I want that, too. But it's not happening right now, and we-"

A gunshot rang out accompanied by a loud grunt of pain. They turned to see Soldier: 76 writhing on the ground.

"Jack!"

Mercy flew over to him and released her biotics.

"Heroes never die!"

He jumped back to his feet, along with a couple other fallen heroes, like Winston and Tracer.

When Mercy returned, her face was full of anger.

"Are you ready?"

"Let's do it." She said with a snarl.

Pharah took to the skies, followed closely by Mercy. Pharah took a moment to survey her surroundings. Even in the dark of night, Lijiang Tower stood, visible for miles. The bright lights and advanced technology around them was astonishing and an example to the rest of the world. Futuristic skyscrapers towered over bustling marketplaces and a tourist trap unlike any other. Unfortunately, Overwatch was not there to see the sights. Reports said Reaper, Widowmaker, and a large amount of Talon troops had recently come into the area, fighting to control the tower and from it establish a network to overthrow the newly returned Overwatch. Overwatch's agents had caught them in the tower garden, before they could claim it, leading to an intense battle. Overwatch knew that Reaper and his goons had to be stopped and that's what they were here for.

Pharah knew that what she was about to do would make her vulnerable to fire, so first, she had to find the one who had shot Soldier: 76.

"There!" As Pharah found the infamous sniper, Widowmaker, a bullet hit Pharah in the shoulder.

"Agghhh!"

Pharah quickly felt the healing tendrils of Mercy's staff.

"No, boost me!"

"What!? But you're-"

"Boost!"

Mercy flipped a switch on her staff, causing a blue tether to reach to Pharah.

Another bullet found it's mark, this time in her abdomen.

"Fareeha!"

"Just… have to… aim!"

Pharah lined up her shot and fired 3 rockets, each on target. Widowmaker shot down all 3, one close enough to burn her, causing her to be so distracted that she did not see the concussive blast heading for her feet. Before she knew it, she was falling to the Earth hundreds of feet below. Her grappling hook could not return her, but could save her life so she could fight another day. She hooked a nearby building and began the long journey back to the gardens.

"Sniper-" Pharah groaned in pain. "- eliminated."

"Can I heal you now!?"

"Oh, please do."

They both descended as Pharah's suit needed to refuel itself.

"I swear, Fareeha, someday you are going to give me a coronary."

"Aww, you do care."

"You know I do."

Mercy froze. This would be construed as friendly talk, but the tone was all wrong. It was sultry, suggestive, even seductive. Pharah noticed and turned to face her. Her facemask came up and they both stared for a time, behind a wall. They both noticed the other blushing, with slight shock on their respective faces.

"Angela, do you-"

Pharah's suit beeped, signalling it was ready for action and her visor informed her that a rocket barrage was prepared.

"Follow me, and, uh, stay close."

"U-understood."

They took to the skies once more and Winston's voice spoke in their headsets.

"Everyone, if they hold onto the center of the garden much longer, they'll penetrate the defenses and then the tower is theirs! We must hurry!"

"We're on it, Winston. Standby to take the point. We're about to clear it."

Pharah saw her target in front of her, the window into the garden's pagoda. She knew that Talon had fortified itself inside the pagoda, blocking all the entrances, but she doubted that they considered the opening 15 feet above the ground as, "an entrance." Pharah skillfully flew in, followed by Mercy and just inside activated the full potential of her armor. Her suit opened various panels to reveal several rocket batteries filled to the brim with deadly explosives. "Justice rains from above!" was all that Talon heard as they died. Some looked to the sky and attempted to return fire first, but all of them felt Pharah's fiery rain. Reaper ran, becoming nothing more than a wisp to avoid being killed in the rampage. However, he ran right into Winston, who grabbed him and threw him over the same edge Widowmaker had fallen over. Mercy healed any wounds Pharah sustained and boosted her damage when possible. The point was cleared and everyone flocked to it.

"Athena, give me an access point!"

"On the wall behind you."

Winston found a panel and ripped it open. He destroyed everything inside.

"Reports show that the penetration has been halted, Lijiang tower has been successfully defended."

All of them gave a cheer and congratulated each other on victory.

"Now THIS is a party!" Winston grooved to the music in the club, surrounded by flashing lights and lasers. They had gone to celebrate their victory over Talon in a local nightclub and they were enjoying it. Each member had a drink in their hands with few exceptions, and they either danced or sat down talking. Lucio was providing the music, but also dancing while doing so. While they had won this battle, a secret war was just beginning. Pharah sat on one side of the room while Mercy was on the other. They were both gathering intel before they tried a dangerous operation: love.

"I think you're right, Fareeha." Mei said. "She certainly spends a lot of time with you."

"Yeah, like, every available moment." D-va added.

"Okay, but spending a lot of time with someone doesn't mean they love you." Hanzo said as he took a seat at the table, glass in hand.

"Wait, Hanzo, what are you doing here?"

"I have no interest in dancing, and I will not speak near my brother so here I am. Do you want my advice or not?"

Fareeha thought a moment. "Sure, I guess"

"You must be bold and forthright. You must confess to her your feelings. When it comes to love, there is no room for subtlety. She will appreciate your honesty and if she feels the same, then you will both be happy."

"And if she doesn't?"

"Then your attempts crash and burn, and you may never talk to her without your every interaction being plagued with awkwardness."

"Thank you, Hanzo."

He smiled as he said, "My pleasure."

"But I think he's right, Pharah."

Fareeha turned to face Mei.

"I think you should just be straight with her. She'll respect you for it."

"Okay, I never asked what to do, I just asked if you think she likes me! I never said I like her back!"

Everyone present rolled their eyes.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?"

"It means that it's obvious you don't mind that she's always with you. You like her, and she likes you, so just do it!" D-va explained.

"I will not have my love life dictated by peer pressure! I'm going to get a drink!"

"Make sure you get one for her!" Hanzo called after her.

"Agggghhhh!"

They all laughed, D-va high-fived Hanzo, and Pharah stormed off.

Unbeknownst to her, across the room, a similar conversation was happening.

"Okay, so I know I like her, but she's so… military. What if she doesn't feel the same way?"

"It's my opinion, Doctor, that you should always be honest with your feelings. She might not feel the same, but if she does, then you can be happy together."

"But that's a big if, Winston!"

"Is it really?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember the time when she activated a rocket barrage just to save you from one Talon soldier?"

She paused. "I was in real danger, and a teammate came to help. So what if it was a bit overkill?"

Tracer butted in. "Okay, what about the time you punched Soldier 76 for accidentally shooting her with one of his pulse rifle shots?"

She paused longer. "Friendly fire is intolerable."

"Unless it's punching a teammate in the face?"

"Yeeeess?"

"Dr. Ziegler, look…" Winston began. "I do not have experience with relationships. I'm a genetically enhanced gorilla that wears glasses. But I don't need them to see that the two of you have formed a bond beyond that of simple friendship and a soldier's comradery. You both care deeply for each other and you spend a lot of time together. Now, on a daily basis, you will both fearlessly charge into battle, ready to lay your lives down for a better world. And yet, here you are, sure that she romantically likes you, sure that you romantically like her, and there she is across the room, but you are paralyzed. Not by uncertainty, not by circumstance, but by fear."

Everyone who heard sat stunned as Winston's words hung in the air.

"That was actually pretty beautiful, love."

"Thank you, Lena."

"You're right."

The duo turned to face Angela, who sat in her chair staring down at the table, blushing.

"You're both right. I despise war, and the suffering it brings. But love is a battlefield that I will charge into with great vigor and a smile on my face!" Her voice grew in strength and her head rose as she went on. "I will not hide in the dark any longer! I will make my feelings known, and deal with the consequences, whatever they may be! Thank you, both of you." She said quietly and gratefully before getting off the chair and marching towards the dance floor.

"Hunh, it worked. I feel like we've done something great tonight, Tracer."

"Likewise, Winston."

They both clinked their glasses and took a drink.

They both sighed with pleasure.

"We should probably watch her and make sure she comes through."

"Oh, Agreed."

They both jumped off at the same time and discreetly walked onto the dance floor.

10 minutes later, Mercy was drowning herself in liquor.

"I can't do it!" She cried.

"It's just so frightening! Making myself so vulnerable."

Tracer gently supported her with her hand. "Hey, it's okay. What's wrong?"

"I just… I just can't think of how, can't think of what to say or do to-"

"Just talk to her! Everything will go fine, I promise!"

"No! No! Not now! Another time! I thought I was ready, I'm not. Not yet."

Mercy began storming out with tears welling in her eyes.

Tracer jogged after her. "Angie, love, please wait!"

"Lena, I will shoot you!"

"Okay, okay." Tracer held up her hands in surrender and stopped.

"Hey, is that Mercy? Is she crying?"

Pharah heard Mei and turned to find Mercy push the doors of the bar open, walking out into the brightly lit streets. She didn't say a word as she broke into a sprint towards her. Pharah caught up to her in the middle of the street, empty at this time of night. Mercy heard her footsteps and turned to find Fareeha in front of her.

"Oh, uh, hi, Fareeha."

"Angela, are you okay?"

Mercy stood silent for a long time, "No." she whispered. "No, I'm not, but I think you can help with that. Fareeha Amari, I love to spend time with you, I want to keep you safe and I… I think I love you."

Pharah didn't speak, she simply drew Mercy close to her, into a hug that Angela readily accepted.

"You don't know how long I waited for you to say that."

Mercy scoffed and began to laugh as she said, "I was waiting for you!"

Mercy's tears dried as they both stood in the street, gently swaying and listening to each other breathe for minutes on end.

"You know, a lot of people said I should ask you."

Mercy gasped "Same!"

"Ha! Who pressured you?"

"Well, it wasn't so much pressure as advice. Tracer and Winston."

"Ah, they're so good to you. I wasn't so lucky. I was pushed by D-va, Mei, and oddly enough, Hanzo."

"Hanzo?"

"Yep. I'm sure that if we asked everyone though, they would've said about time."

"Well, let's find out." Mercy said with a wry smile.

Pharah returned it, then put her arm around Mercy's shoulder as they walked back into the bar. The first thing they heard was a couple of cheers from friends and Hanzo's yell of, "Sake for everyone!" followed by more cheers.

Author's Note: Another chapter for you guys. The next one will be [drum roll] Genji and Mercy! Another one with Mercy, and one that I personally enjoy. However, that will have to wait for a bit, as I'm going to go back to a bit of Undertale stuff, do the next chapter for my Dragonball story, and then come back around to the new ship. See you next time!