" YUANFEN " genji shimada.

vii | fancy

yuanfen.
act six, chapter seven.
"fancy"

_

THE SILENCE OF THE medbay somehow felt deafening. Dahlia did everything she could to bring some noise to the otherwise empty room: humming, tapping a pen on her desk, rolling her chair across the marble flooring. Anything to keep the silence away, for with the silence came wandering thoughts that somehow pushed through to the forefront of her mind. Her body screamed with exhaustion; part of her wished that she had listened to Dr. Ziegler and actually got a good night's rest the night before. The other part of her, however, felt as giddy as a schoolgirl with a new crush due to the events that transpired instead.

Dahlia never expected the ninja to have such an impact on her. No matter how hard she tried to think about anything else, her mind always drifted back to him. His touch, his voice, his presence. He was like a drug to her, and now that she had gotten that first little taste, it was all that she craved. It wasn't healthy, she knew that- not for her nor for him- yet she found herself longing to chase that high.

But she couldn't. She cared for Genji. She had no choice but to admit that. She couldn't allow herself to knowingly put him in danger, no matter how much she wished that she could feel his presence every night.

Dahlia's attention was brought to the doors of the medbay as they slid open and someone stepped inside. She was more than thankful to see Dr. Ziegler had returned from her rounds across the base. The doctor shot her a warm grin, to which Dahlia returned half-heartedly. Unfortunately for her, however, spending so much time in the medbay over the past several months made it so Dr. Ziegler knew her far too well, thus seeing straight through her fake smile.

"You seem awfully cheerful today."

"Didn't sleep much," Dahlia mumbled with a shrug.

"I'm sure you didn't," Dr. Ziegler hummed, and Dahlia didn't miss the humor that laced her words. She looked up in terror, though the doctor was busying herself by checking the mail that had been dropped off in her box. Dahlia remembered how Brigitte mentioned the thin walls of the dormitory buildings, and she grimaced at the possibility of someone overhearing what happened in the dorm the night before; if one person heard, the entire base would've known by now.

"Um—" Dahlia suddenly felt nervous, tapping her fingers on the surface of her desk. "Any word on Natalia?"

The Polish recruit who had accompanied her on the mission to Greece was rather reluctant to return to the medbay after seeing the bullet wound in Dahlia's arm. She stated that she realized she would end up seeing much worse than a bullet graze, and she wasn't sure if she could handle that. Dahlia respected it, for the recruit seemed nervous from the moment she first stepped foot in the medbay, though she couldn't help but wonder if Overwatch as a whole was the right fit for Natalia.

"She decided that medical work is not for her. Looks like we're on our own once again," Dr. Ziegler commented, though she didn't seem too upset over the loss of potentially another assistant. "How are you feeling?"

Her words caused Dahlia to look up in fear once again. She was now paranoid that Dr. Ziegler would make a comment on her and Genji's confusing relationship at any moment. "W-what?"

"Your arm, dear." The doctor gestured down to Dahlia's once-injured arm, which had managed to miraculously heal overnight. She couldn't help but wonder if Dr. Zeigler truly did possess some sort of healing magic. "Let me take a look."

Dahlia held out her arm, allowing Dr. Ziegler to roll up her sleeve and study the skin that had been damaged by the bullet just the day before. The area was seemingly untouched, completely healed as though it was never injured in the first place. "It looks good, but don't strain it. I've had patients whose wounds magically reopen because they're a bit too eager to get back into physical activities," the doctor hummed with a knowing look.

"No problem," Dahlia muttered. She looked away in an attempt to hide the reddening of her cheeks. "I work here with you, Dr. Ziegler. The most physical activity I get is holding down a recruit while you take their blood. I don't think you have to worry."

Dr. Ziegler laughed lightly, saying nothing as she walked away. Dahlia stared after her, lips pursed. The doctor's comments only further proved her suspicions: it was likely that people around the base knew what happened between her and Genji the night before. Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to sink into the floor and disappear altogether.

'

'

'

Since Dr. Ziegler's knowing comments upon her return to the medbay, Dahlia spent the rest of the day incredibly paranoid of everyone that approached her for a conversation. She expected comments and jokes, perhaps insults thrown her way due to her actions, though thankfully she received none of those. She did catch several people staring, but no one said anything; perhaps they were too scared of her, or perhaps Genji himself warned anyone from making any comments towards her. Both possibilities seemed likely.

By the time lunch came around, Dahlia was more than ready for the day to be over. She was exhausted, and she wanted nothing more than to curl up beneath her blankets and catch up on the sleep that she had missed. She was half-tempted to skip lunch and get a quick power nap in before she had to return to work, though the growling of her stomach begging for food convinced her otherwise.

About halfway through lunch, she was approached by McCree. Her heartbeat quickened as the cowboy took a seat beside her, expecting some not-so-subtle suggestive comments being thrown her way. After all, Jesse McCree enjoyed gossip more than middle-aged soccer moms. If anyone knew about her and Genji, it would surely be him.

"I feel like I haven't seen ya in a bit," McCree said to her, shooting her a crooked grin. He seemed casual enough; maybe he knew better than to crack any jokes. "How's your arm?"

"Awful. Dr. Ziegler said I might have to get it amputated," Dahlia joked. She reached out and tapped her friend's prosthetic arm. "Might end up like you, cowboy."

McCree blinked, surprised. "Wait, really?"

Dahlia laughed and shook her head. "It's fine. Completely healed. I swear Dr. Ziegler really is magic."

McCree nodded. "You ain't even seen half of what she can do yet, darlin'," he said as he took a large bite of his sandwich.

Movement out of the corner of her eye caught Dahlia's attention. She turned away from her friend to look towards the new presence who joined them in the rec room. Genji had just stepped through the doors, though he now stood frozen as his glowing gaze met her own. Her throat suddenly felt dry, her heart pounding in her ears; her conversation with the ninja that morning replayed in her mind like a broken record. Genji turned away from her, shoulders heaving as he breathed deeply. Then, he exited the room once again.

"By the way-" Dahlia jumped as McCree's voice met her ear. "What's up with the ninja?"

She turned to look at him in confusion. "What?"

"A recruit beat him in a spar, and that's never happened. I sure ain't lookin' forward to the inflated ego that'll give William for the coming months," he said through a mouthful of sandwich. Dahlia grimaced as a few pieces flew from his lips. "Anyways... I dunno, he's been actin' real upset all morning."

Frowning, Dahlia looked away. She had a feeling she knew the reason behind Genji's foul mood, though she didn't want to share the conversation with McCree. She suddenly felt guilty as she wondered if her words truly did upset the ninja. "How should I know?" She grumbled.

"I see ya talkin' to him all the time. I thought y'all were close," McCree responded. Dahlia shrugged and took a sip of her water, though his next words made her nearly choke on her drink. "He seems to fancy ya."

I think he does a lot more than fancy me, she thought to herself as she once again recalled the events of the night before. She smiled to herself, though quickly hid it as she said: "Yeah, right."