" YUANFEN " genji shimada.

iii | dreams

yuanfen.
act five, chapter three.
"dreams"

_

DAHLIA FOUND IT NEARLY impossible to fall asleep. For over an hour she lay in bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Each and every shadow that danced along her walls as the moon made its way across the night sky only heightened her uneasiness; at one point, she ended up pulling herself out of bed to shut the curtains completely. Her room now casted completely in darkness, she had no idea what could have been lurking beyond her vision.

She was able to hear soft shuffling coming from outside her door. She wondered if Genji felt restless. Due to the fact that he rarely slept, he often kept himself busy throughout the night by wandering the base or taking advantage of the empty training facilities. She could only imagine how bored he was. Part of her was tempted to get out of bed and keep him company, though she knew that doing so would only fuel the confusing thoughts about the ninja that swam through her mind. Besides, the exhaustion that weighed heavily down on her entire body made it impossible for her to get out of bed again even if she wanted to.

Another hour passed before Dahlia finally felt herself slipping into unconsciousness. Her body felt light, her mind clearing for the first time that night, and she felt at peace. But the peace only lasted for a moment. As quickly as her eyes fell shut, they shot open once again. Darkness surrounded her, the only light coming from the faint red glow of the alarm clock on her nightstand. It read just past 3AM. Dahlia reached up and ran a hand down her face, surprised to find her skin hot to the touch. Something felt off. She opened and closed her fist, struggling to catch a glimpse of her hand in the darkness, though she saw nothing. It was almost as if she didn't have a body. A jolt of panic shot through her, and she wondered if the Reaper finally managed to gain control of her mind once again. Though she was unable to hear the whispers of the voices. For the first time since she arrived at the Overwatch base, she had an empty mind. So if it wasn't the Reaper having a grasp on her mind, why did she suddenly feel as if she was inside a body that didn't belong to her?

Dahlia's eyes squeezed shut as a sudden green glow filled the area around her. She took a moment to become adjusted to the sudden light, then opened an eye to examine the source. Genji stood above her bed, the green lights of his suit emitting the glow that had blinded her.

"I am sorry," he said to her, the softness of his voice causing his accent to become more pronounced. "I was only checking on you."

"I'm fine, Genji," Dahlia assured him. Even her own voice sounded as though it was miles away. "I finally managed to fall asleep."

Genji said nothing. He made no effort to move away from her bed. She sat up on her elbows, gazing up at him questioningly. She was unable to stop her eyes from traveling down his body, admiring the way the lights on his suit painted his clothes green. "Dahlia?" He called, and the way her name fell from his lips caused her head to spin uncontrollably. She hummed a response, her eyes sliding up his body to meet his glowing gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?" She stammered, her throat suddenly tight. Once again, she felt as though she had no control over her actions. She was unable to tear her gaze away from him, yet apparently she was looking at him in a way that made it necessary for him to question it.

"Like you want me to come closer."

His words caught her by surprise. Her eyes widened and her lips clamped shut, for she had no idea how to respond. She could've sworn she saw Genji lean a bit closer as he lowered his voice even more. "Do you want me to come closer, Kitsune?" He asked her. Before she was able to stop herself, she nodded.

Genji leaned down, quickly wrapping an arm around her waist and across her lower back. He slid onto the bed, smoothly lifting her up as he did so. He sat with his back against the headboard, taking her spot, and she gasped as he placed her on his lap. The fabric of his sweatpants was soft against her legs, though the hardness of the metallic plating that covered his legs beneath the pants was something that she was not used to. He pulled her close to him, so close that their chests nearly touched. The close proximity caused her head to spin and her shaky breaths to become caught in her throat. She wanted to speak, to break the suffocating silence that had fallen over the pair, though she had no idea what to say. Genji's arm still remained snaked around her waist, and he reached up with his free hand to cup her cheek just as he had done earlier that night. He said nothing, his glowing green gaze burning into her own as his fingers ran along the skin of her cheek. His touch left her skin burning in its wake, and each gentle brush of his fingers only left her longing for more. Dahlia had no idea what came over her, nor did she understand why she suddenly wanted to be as close to Genji as possible. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

A slur of incoherent Japanese came from him, and a moment later he leaned forward to bury his face into her neck. He wore his mask, though the coolness of the metal against her hot skin made her head spin. The sound of his heavy breathing met her ear, mixing with the whirring of his suit. Both of his hands now gripped her hips tightly, metallic fingertips digging into her bare skin. "Dahlia," he groaned against her neck. She felt his hips buck upwards slightly beneath her. She mumbled his name back, her voice small as she struggled to contain the sensations he was giving her.

"Dahlia," he said again, but it sounded as though it didn't come from the man whose face was buried in her neck. Her name echoed around her. She suddenly felt her earthly body shake, and she was able to distinguish between her true self and the body she was currently possessing. Nothing was real, she realized, but she didn't want to leave.

"Dahlia!"

Dahlia's eyes shot open, only to be met with a dim green glow filling her room. Deja vu overcame her as she looked around her, and she felt her heartbeat speed up upon noticing Genji above her. The dream was still fresh in her mind, and she found it difficult not to immediately reach for him.

"You were..." Genji trailed off, his suit whirring. She didn't miss the way a faint cloud of steam billowed out from the vents on his shoulders. He seemed almost nervous. "You were... making a lot of noise. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Dahlia insisted, forcing herself to look away. With each second that passed, she was losing more control over her desires. She hoped that the lack of light hid the deep blush that she knew she wore on her cheeks. "Just a nightmare."

Genji paused for a moment. He crossed his arms over his chest, and she stole another glance in his direction. "You said my name a few times, Kitsune," he pointed out cockily.

Dahlia wanted to groan, she wanted nothing more than to cry out in embarrassment and sink into the floor. Though she didn't let that show. Instead, she simply shrugged and avoided his amused gaze. "Any dream where I am forced to see you is a nightmare," she lied.

Genji seemed unconvinced, though he placed a hand over his heart in feign offense. "Do you need to talk about this nightmare?" He then asked. Although a mask covered his face, Dahlia knew that if she were to take it off, she would find a smirk in its place. He knew what he was doing, and she was tempted to slap him for it.

"Nope, I don't," she responded quickly. She laid back down in bed, pulling the covers up to her chin despite her body feeling as though it was on fire. "I want to go back to sleep. You can leave now, ninja."

Genji hesitated, and for a moment she wondered if somehow the events of her dream were going to come true. Then, she saw his shoulders shake with silent laughter, and he nodded. He stepped away from her bed, moving across the room and turning to look at her as he reached the door. "Sleep well, Kitsune. Sweet dreams."

With that, he left her, shutting the door behind him. Once she was sure that he was gone, Dahlia pulled the blanket over her face and let out a loud groan. Now that her dream had burrowed itself into the forefront of her mind, she had no idea how she was going to think of anything else whenever she saw the ninja. She cursed her subconscious as she closed her eyes, struggling to think of anything but the memory of Genji's touch on her skin.