Sorry about the Christmas stuff being delayed, guys. I spent lots of time with my family over the holidays. My grandpa has Alzheimer's, and we aren't sure how many more Christmases he will be here for. The Christmas chapter is probably going to be the one after this one because I'm trying to make timelines realistic and it's like 4 months before Christmas currently in this story (if you take into account when children's day is in Japan, since that's the day that "Dragons" happens, if you didn't know). As much as I like time skips, I had some stuff planned for those 4 months xD Though I'm going to try my best to get the next chapter up before I head back to school, maybe like a late Christmas present.
You all have been super kind, by the way. I'm really, truly touched by all the nice things everyone has said. I'm just glad that I can give you some enjoyment. Lots of stuff in this life can be draining, frustrating, and unhappy. If I can put a little bit of happy and cute into everyone's life, then I'm doing my job c:
When Angela and Genji came home from lunch that day, Hanzo was gone. Angela immediately noticed the cyborg's poor mood at their newfound discovery, and she encouraged him to wait before getting disappointed. Genji had poured a lot of life changing information on his brother, and it was only fair to give the man some time to process their exchange.
True to form, Angela was right. Hanzo was back within the same week, this time at a reasonable hour. He showed up while the pair were hanging out in the kitchen and living room, Genji making food for Angela while she sat on the couch, furiously typing something out on her laptop. The doctor noticed him first, hearing the front door creak open. Her head snapped up from her laptop to see the archer's face peering through the half-open door. She tilted her head, smiled slightly, and waved him in.
Hanzo didn't say a word as he walked in. He closed the door behind himself before making his way straight to Genji, falling on his knees in front of his younger brother, head hung low. Genji froze in shock, unsure what to say or do, before the man finally spoke. "I have come to beg for forgiveness, Genji…"
The cyborg shook off enough of the shock to respond, although Angela could tell that he was still tense. "We went over this, Hanzo. I-"
"I know." The archer stood up, brushing off his knees as he did so. The expression on his face was not one of fear, but of fierce determination. "And while I cannot accept what you expressed to me, I know one thing to be true. I want to start over. I want to…" he faltered for a moment, as if he had practiced what he was saying a thousand times over, yet it was still failing him when it actually counted.
"You want to try being brothers again?" The hope in Genji's eyes was unmistakable, and it made Angela's heart skip a beat. While the brothers' story was not hers, she still had a hand in allowing this moment to happen, and that alone meant the world to her. The archer nodded silently. Words had failed him, and genuine emotion was always hard to come by for him. Nodding was all that he could do. But it hardly mattered to Genji; his grin could have lit up the entire room. "So you're going to stay here, in Switzerland?" Hanzo nodded once more. "That's great! Do you need a place to stay?"
Hanzo finally regained his ability to speak, and the two began making arrangements as to where he would stay, albeit awkwardly. Angela smiled to herself, her presence completely forgotten in the other room, closed her laptop, and quietly made her way to her bedroom. They deserved some privacy; these were their moments, not her own. Later she would likely receive to get a detailed rundown from Genji of what happened regardless of whether or not she stayed.
She flopped down on her bed, staring at the ceiling for a few seconds before rolling onto her side and rummaging through the drawer in her side table. Before Overwatch fell apart she had managed to steal Genji's file from among the thousands at the base; it wasn't like anyone ever needed to use the information in it after he left. It might have been a little strange to do so, but among the many papers there was something important to her.
Turning onto her back again, she opened the manila folder and let the contents tumble all over her. She folded the medical records and background papers and put them back in their places, finally finding what she had been looking for after putting away all of the useless paper.
And there it was, the only physical picture she had of Genji before his accident. She set the folder aside and held the small square above her face, running her thumb back and forth over the corner of the photo as she did so. She didn't pull this out frequently, because more often than not it simply made her depressed. As stupid as she knew her thoughts were, she still held guilt over all that her friend had lost. She too had lost a lot in her time, and she wished the same fate on no one, especially not her best friend. Not only that, but she cared for Genji as he was now, not as he was in this picture. She never knew the Genji that she saw in the picture; the Genji in this photo held no place in her heart. Never did she want to fall into a trap of mistaking the two for each other; as far as she was concerned, they were two entirely different people. He had changed enough over the years to warrant a complete reset of any sins he might have committed as the Genji currently pressed against her palm.
However, despite all of that, at times like this the picture made her smile. She couldn't help but wonder what the pair speaking just outside her door were like when they had really, truly been brothers. She knew Hanzo had not always been corrupted by the elders in charge of him; hell, the elders hadn't always had control, not until their father passed away. What would it have been like to see this young Genji laughing with a Hanzo that was just as young? Could she even imagine Hanzo genuinely laughing, unburdened by nine years of guilt and torment?
She clutched the picture in both hands and held it against her chest, sighing as she closed her eyes and imagined. She had seen the beautiful cherry blossoms of Hanamura first hand; she had been the one that had opened that beauty up to the public when the feared yakuza fell apart at her hands. She placed the Genji held tightly in her hands into those moments, when every tree was pink and beautiful. Then she tried to imagine Hanzo with him. It was hard, because she didn't particularly know what Hanzo looked like as a young adult. Some day she would have to ask either Winston or Athena for his file; she was sure that he must have one. For now, she imagined his face much softer, without the hard lines of age and grief etched into every inch of skin. Without those or the gray in his hair, he almost seemed like he could have been a real child at one point. That Hanzo could have had crushes and friends. That Hanzo could have laughed.
That was what she imagined next: the two of them laughing. She had no idea what they were laughing about; perhaps the two had just played a prank on one of the more cranky elders. It didn't particularly matter. All that mattered was that they were laughing, and it was wonderful. A couple rogue tears rolled out of her eyes as she simply thought. God, she wanted that for Genji. She wanted it to happen again, whether it had happened in the first place or not. Maybe the two had never laughed together like she was imagining, but even if the first time it had ever occurred was in her imagination, she would do everything she could to make it happen again.
She opened her eyes, breaking the scene in her own imagination, but she refused to let it leave her head. She'd keep a piece of it with her until she found a way. The picture found its way back into her field of view, and she lifted it up to look at it once more. This time, a familiar pang of guilt came with the image. What would have happened if she had been able to save him properly? How much easier would it have been to mend their relationship? How long ago would Genji have been able to go to his brother with forgiveness in his heart?
She let out a deep sigh, placing the picture back against her chest as she stared up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry…" she breathed out, a few tears crawling out of the corners of her eyes without her permission. "I'll find a way to fix this for you. I swear on my life that I will fix the problems I created."
With that, she swiped at her eyes with the back of one of her hands, placing the picture back inside the folder with the other. In another moment the entire folder was back in the bottom of the drawer which was closed moments after. It may have been out of sight, but it was certainly not leaving her mind any time soon.
The mending of the brother's relationship could be described as anything but easy. Genji, while very clearly happy to get a chance to fix what had been broken for so very long, had trouble acting normal whenever Hanzo was around, and Hanzo was far from being comfortable around his brother.
Angela took it upon herself to be the catalyst for their reconciliation. She did everything in her power to make Hanzo feel included. Occasionally she would invite the archer to join in on one of their outings, especially if they went to lunch. She discovered quickly that the man shared her enjoyment of older books and movies, so she used that to try to become friends with him. She figured that if she could be friends with both brothers, they might become closer as a result. Having something in common with someone else always made it easier to get to know them; she took it upon herself to be that something.
It became a common occurrence that whenever Angela would force Genji to watch some cheesy old movie with her that Hanzo would also be invited. The first few times were extremely awkward. Angela was the only one who really wanted to be there, and it was obvious. To the cyborg, it felt as if his brother were intruding on quality time with Angela, and Hanzo felt distinctly unwelcome by his brother. Angela, however, refused to have any part in their sour attitudes. She commented on the movie's plot holes like she would have any other day, and she laughed loudly at every instance of terrible CGI.
After a few movie nights, Genji became comfortable. He forced himself to forget that Hanzo was there and just spent time with his doctor like he normally would have. It took a few weeks' worth of movies to get Hanzo to loosen up, but he came around eventually, too. Angela imagined that it was hard for anyone to do something they enjoyed while being sour the entire time. And while the brothers hardly interacted with each other in those moments, they both were happy to talk to her, which was all she had hoped for. Genji went back to allowing her to lean up against him as she double over with laughter, and she was free to discuss with Hanzo about the techniques film makers once used.
It wasn't a lot, but it was progress. She had managed to get the both of them in the same room while happy, and that was most definitely a win in her book.
However, the brothers would still never start conversations with each other. Angela tried to put them in every situation possible so that they would be together, but from what she experienced they hardly spoke to each other. The only exception was when she spoke to the two of them about a subject they both found interesting, but even then they were mostly just talking to her.
In reality, she had done everything that she could to start them on the path of becoming friendly, and all she could do was wait for them to become comfortable around each other. She couldn't force them to do that; it would have to happen naturally, and all she could hope was that it happened quickly.
Really, with all of the work Angela had put into fixing the pair's relationship, it was inevitable that one day it would happen. That day finally came on what was a notably starry night. Angela had planned to go stargazing, just for fun, and had invited both brothers to join her. Both had accepted, as Genji almost never said no to his precious doctor, and Hanzo felt that it would be unkind to refuse.
"You guys are going to love this," the doctor mumbled from beneath a fluffy scarf. Her smile was hidden from sight, but there was no mistaking it in her voice. "My parents used to take me to this spot on clear nights when there was no omnic conflict going on. It's breathtaking."
Angela had insisted that the trio walk to their destination. It wasn't far from her home, and since the point of the night was to stargaze, they might as well do some of that on the way there, too. The only con to this idea was how cold nights could get sometimes. She had no idea how Hanzo was still in the ridiculous outfit he almost always wore, which barely covered his torso. He simply had to be freezing.
After a while of walking punctured only by Angela's excited bursts of energy, she finally reached her destination. "We're here! Can't you people act the least bit excited? C'mon!"
Genji laughed at the pout on her face, ruffling her hair before grabbing her hand. "I am excited. You just can't see it."
"That is not true. You carry yourself differently when you're thinking than when you're excited. You can't hide that from me, and you know it." Despite her frustration, the doctor smiled. "Just follow me. I promise that you'll like this. Am I ever wrong?"
"No, dear, you could never be wrong." Genji retorted, sarcasm drenching his voice. All three of them chuckled at that, Angela dragging Genji by the hand towards her favorite spot as Hanzo followed a few steps behind.
Finally she saw exactly what she had been looking for. It was a lake, half surrounded by a waist high wooden fence. On the lake was a small dock with a gazebo-like structure at the end, surrounded by the water. She laughed as she let go of Genji's hand and sprinted towards that dock, skidding to a halt at the point furthest out over the lake.
The two men exchanged a confused look before jogging to catch up with her. Genji caught up first. "Uh, Angela? Is this all there is?"
The doctor laughed and shook her head. "For heaven's sake, open up your eyes." She reached up and grabbed the sides of Genji's head, clicking the face plate off with a few swift movements of her fingers. She held the piece of metal close to her chest with one hand, sweeping the other behind her. "Just look."
It only took Genji a few seconds to understand what she meant. He was immediately filled with the same sense of childlike wonder the doctor had been absorbed in the entire night. Overhead sat what felt like a million stars, completely free from any of the light pollution of cities. But more incredible was the lake itself. It was like the water had hardened, turning into a mirror of silver liquid. The glow from each individual star reflected off of the surface. The water itself seemed to shine with its own light, as if the sky was a reflection of it and not the other way around.
The cyborg stepped up to the edge of the gazebo and leaned against the fence, peering at the water. All he could do was breathe a quiet, "Wow," as he stared at the glittering surface. His brother joined him at the fence only seconds later, offering the same reaction. What else could they do? It was breathtaking.
Angela smiled from behind the pair before standing next to Genji. She leaned over the water, closed her eyes, and simply breathed. A stray gust of wind picked up her scarf and hair, causing both to gently sway behind her. She couldn't imagine anything more picturesque if she tried.
Eventually, she opened her eyes, blue orbs taking in the glowing lake. She failed to notice that both brothers were watching her, Genji doing so with a smile of complete admiration and awe on his face. "I haven't been back here in years." She muttered with a wistful sigh, eyes trailing over every detail of the pond. She bent down, reaching through the bars of the fence as she did so, touching the water and causing the glassy surface to ripple. "There were too many memories, and it almost felt like I would spoil them if I came back. I wanted to leave this place as something that had happened once, perhaps even in a dream. It was something that my parents and I shared that in my head no one else deserved to see. It was a spot for my family, and my family only."
She stood back up, smiling to herself. "But I realized the other day that perhaps I had more people to share it with than I at first thought." She placed her hand back into Genji's and squeezed. "I never again want to risk losing someone without bringing them here first, because I want to have a memory like this to go back to if I ever need it." She hadn't said it, but the implication of what she meant hung around the three all the same. They were her family, at least Genji certainly was, and if Genji was, then his brother had to be by extension.
She squeezed Genji's hand one more time before letting go, gesturing back towards the field behind them. "I'm going to go just look at the stars. You guys come join me if you ever feel like it."
With that, Angela was off, lying in the grass, transfixed by the stars. The two brothers were alone and without their mutual friend.
Genji checked over his shoulder, making sure that the doctor was far enough away that she wouldn't be able to hear them. When he was satisfied, he smiled and turned back to the lake, eyes glassed over in thought. "I really love her."
The man beside him offered a half-grin. "I don't blame you; she is an incredible person. You should tell her that."
"That she's incredible or that I love her?" Genji asked with a smile. The archer sighed in dismay; they both knew what he meant, and Genji was simply being difficult. "I tell her the first quite often, but I don't think that the second is worth it. I'm more than happy just being her friend. I don't think much in this world could make me happier."
The two fell into silence for a few minutes, but for the first time in months it was not an awkward silence. They were both too awestruck to have the capacity for being uncomfortable, by both the scene and the woman who had brought them there. Genji was the first to do something, although it was not speak. He opened and closed his palm a few times before finally uncurling his fingers fully, a small green dragon unraveling from between the metal digits. It couldn't have been larger than a small dog in this form. The creature swirled around his hand for a few moments before it left him, deciding instead to float along the surface of the lake. It was so small that at most distances it was hard to tell what it was. It just seemed to be a floating ball of green light, passing back and forth over the surface of the water.
"I have always been jealous of that, you know." Hanzo commented after watching the small dragon enjoy itself for a few moments.
The corners of Genji's mouth titled up in a smile. He nodded slightly. "I know." They stood quietly for a few more seconds watching the creature before Genji spoke again. "Angela doesn't know about him, oddly enough."
Hanzo practically jumped back in shock. "How is that possible? He is just an extension of yourself, and you two spend so much time together."
The dragon made its way back to Genji, curling up in his outstretched palm. "For the first two years that I knew her I was ashamed of him. He was just something that tied me to the Shimada clan, and I wanted nothing to do with our family. Even then, he almost escaped a few times, simply because he is so protective of her. There was one time in particular that I remember him almost escaping of his own free will when Angela almost died on a field mission. It is sometimes so strange to me that he has his own personality when he is just another part of me." He returned his gaze to the water, seemingly forgetting about the dragon for a few moments. "When I spent time in Nepal and learned to be at peace with my past I also learned to accept him. But I haven't needed to use him since I came back, and with the state Angela has been in recently I feel like she doesn't need any surprises." He closed his hand, causing the small thing to fade away into a green vapor before disappearing altogether. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell her about them. I'd like to be the one to do it."
Hanzo nodded. "I can do that." The archer stood thoughtfully a moment before continuing. "Father used to tell us stories about how our guardians would let us know when we found the person we were meant to spend our lives with, that they would know before we ever could. Did you ever believe it?"
"I would like to think he was right, because it means that I found her already." Genji turned his head around and looked at Angela, who was still contentedly watching the glittering stars above them. "I'm not sure though. Even if it is true, I wonder if stifling mine for so many years would have affected its judgement. We have both done things in our past that could interrupt our connection to our guardians."
Silence fell over the two once more, wrapping the two of them like a thick, comfortable blanket. Eventually, Genji smiled and sighed. "I think I'm going to go join Angela. Would you like to come with me?" Hanzo nodded and the two made their way to where the doctor lay. She only noticed them once Genji was already lying next to her, but she immediately noticed that something was different. No longer was there that suffocating feeling of frustration and distrust surrounding the brothers; they had an air of contentedness about them, and all she could do was smile. Something important had happened, and while she didn't know what, she couldn't have been happier for it.
She immediately laced her fingers through Genji's and excitedly began pointing out stars with the other hand. Genji laughed immediately at her enthusiasm, and, after a few moments, Hanzo joined in. A secretive smile crossed her lips as she closed her eyes for a few seconds, just listening. She could only hope that before long they would be able to laugh together without needing her to be there. They deserved to be just like this all the time, perfectly reconciled and simply happy. Everyone, especially people like the three of them, deserved at least a little bit of laughter in their lives.
Because, after all that she had been through, she knew that family much was too important to be taken for granted.