The Miracle of Science | Winston x Reader

I. One Small Step

(N/N): Nickname
(E/C): Eye color

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She lost everything.

Her home.

Her loving family.

Her trust in others.

Her sanity.

Everything.

'Everything except my pathetic life,' she thought every now and then.

The only thing she had left was her mother's locket.

She was only eight years old, but old enough to understand what rock bottom was. She was lost, afraid, and now an addition to thirty-million orphans. No one knows how she was able to survive on her own. She wouldn't tell anybody, even if they asked.

She begged to the stars every night for something good to come her way -- a chance to see the light of this world once more. Maybe Overwatch will come to the rescue! You know, the young angel who flies to your aid. Or the giant, armored knight with his mighty hammer!

Anyone.

'Please, help.'

Trust was nonexistent to her. It'd be foolish to depend on someone other than yourself. It was her and her alone.

She cared for no one.

At least, that was the orphan's way of thinking for a while.

She has changed, matured, even if it was just a teensy bit; however, she remained to believe that no matter what she did, her wounds would never heal. Her past would always come back to haunt her. Sweat would trail down her face as she gasped for air, waking up from those reoccurring nightmares of watching her family murdered in a fire. And another of an elderly woman.

It all happened so fast.

Why did it happen? Why didn't anyone help them? I wish I tried harder to save her! Why-

"You doing okay, (Y/N)?" a young man asked with slight concern in his tone. "You don't have to drink it if you don't want to."

The woman in question blinked back to reality. Her hands were softly trembling as she held onto a shot glass. With no hesitation, she gulped it down, feeling the intense burn sliding down her throat. After she sighed in satisfaction, she looked over to her comrade, Baptiste, who also had a shot glass in his hand. Although, it was emptied a while ago and he had no idea if it was his third or fourth one.

"Just... I'm just a little tired from this morning's training."

The man sitting next to her made a soft chuckle. "Don't blame you. But just wait until they start throwing you into the real deal. I remember my first job like it was yesterday."

"What'd they have you do?" (Y/N) asked.

"It was a basic rescue mission. Piece of cake compared to what I'm doing now," he stated solemnly before the bartender placed a plate of loaded nachos in front of them. "Thank you, mesye (sir)."

"And what are you doing now?"

The healer grabbed a tortilla chip and scooped some guacamole. "Let's just say it's the kind of stuff that makes Mauga super ecstatic."

The trainee thought about what he meant while she circled her index finger on her empty glass. Mauga wasn't all too bad, at least, in front of her. He was very loud and had no respect for personal space, but (Y/N) didn't mind. Sometimes, she needed some encouragement to keep pressing forward in life. She's also heard that when he loses his temper, he becomes a loose cannon. The girl brushed it off once she concluded that he may be very violent. But for good reason, she was sure.