The Miracle of Science | Winston x Reader

· Signs He Likes You

After writing this, I realized that some of this stuff can potentially turn into full-fledged stories. Not sure if I'll ever do them, but maybe someone will be inspired by something. Please, I wanna read new Winton stuff that's not my own. D'X

(Y/N): Your name

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· Winston is an awkward guy for the most part, but he gets even worse when you're around. He can't keep his hands still, so he often fidgets with his glasses and cleans them every five minutes. If you're in the lab, he'll pretend he's occupied with a project in order to avoid long eye contact. And talk about stuttering. The poor monkey can't go one sentence without throwing in Um and Uh like a broken record.

· You'll catch him staring at you. A LOT. He'll look away of course, but will look again once the coast is clear.

· Since he was young, he has taken great care of his personal hygiene and grooming, but he's never felt more self-conscious about it until you came along. When you let him know you're visiting his lab or if you two have been assigned a mission together, he brushes his teeth and flosses like a madman. The amount of mint gum he chews right after is actually kinda scary. He doesn't like to leave any loose hair strands, so trimming and regularly combing is a must. He's even asked Reinhardt for naming the best brand of cologne.

· Expect tons and tons of compliments from him. Whether it's something simple like your hair or being impressed with how you fight, he always has something to say.

· He's not really the jealous type, but you do notice how he tries to grab your attention when one of the more "attractive" human males is nearby. He also absentmindedly sticks out his chest more. It's a competition thing. McCree and Baptiste are naturally flirty, so they used to go for you a lot. It surprisingly didn't bother the scientist until one day, one of them actually made you blush with a laugh, and he waited until he could see the two male agents alone to tell them that he liked you. Thankfully, no offense was taken by either of them and they gladly backed off for their friend. At first, you thought it was odd that the two men were no longer teasing you about dating them; although, you caught on once they both began dropping hints of you and Winston potentially becoming a thing.

· Now that McCree and Baptiste knew about Winston's feelings for you, they decided to tell some of the other men. Winston never intended for the Bro Code to be initiated for him, but he was grateful.

· When riding in a jet, he always sits next to you (let's pretend he doesn't need that big ass seat we see him use in Zero Hour). If both seats beside you have been filled, he takes a seat across from you. He enjoys the thought of the beautiful view until he realizes that he has to make constant eye contact, which causes him to become flustered. He does his best to start conversation and you reciprocate the same, easing his nerves a little.

· We all know his jokes are the definition of nerdy dad jokes. His confidence really peaks when he gets a positive reaction from you. He is a bit blinded because of his crush on you, so he'll accidentally exaggerate his laughter when you return a joke, regardless of whether it was clever or not.

· He does his best to incorporate your interests on his time off. Anything that makes you happy is something he'd like to research about, so that the next time you see each other, he'll be able to engage discussions about it and see that pretty smile of yours.

· Ever since he's gotten out of the lab and onto the battlefield, his to-do list has only tripled. There's never a moment where he's not analyzing over a dozen things in his head. Thankfully, he's asked Athena to become his personal (Y/N) Reminder. He's got your birthday already memorized, but he honestly can't remember everything. He's a guy, and the majority of them are terrible at remembering important events and especially anniversaries (no offense to the gentlemen in our lives 😂👍🏼). Any specific occasions that involve you have been catalogued into Athena's database. He hopes that one day she'll eventually begin reminding him of dinner dates with you, but he feels he'll remember those... for the most part.

· When you're not around, he somehow makes his conversations with others about you. He talks a lot about you. Even Tracer's gotten a bit annoyed by it. "Just ask her out already, big guy!" she once yelled out, leaving him to fumble and immediately change the subject.

· Winston may be awkward but he's not very shy. Sure, he can become somewhat bashful when you stare at each other for too long or when you touch him, but we can all agree he's very friendly and outspoken. And speaking about touching (stop it, perv), it's common for him to gently grab your shoulder. He also likes to find excuses to hold your hand, like pretending he spotted an injury. On active duty, he has carried you in his arms several times to protect you. He wants to help everyone on his team, and you being present has only increased his alertness.

· He gets goosebumps when you make physical contact first. You also hold his shoulder a lot and give him hugs every now and then. He really likes when you latch on him from behind, wrap your arms around his neck, and squish your cheek onto his. He finds peace from that. When you feel like teasing, you pinch his ears, nose, or cheeks, and that automatically makes his heart explode. So, imagine when you finally kiss! He'll be dead!

· He absolutely enjoys watching movies with you. Hearing you laugh or seeing you throw a fist in the air during an action sequence makes his heart flutter. He tends to hold your hand when he spots you crying during an emotional scene. He'll watch any genre that you're a fan of, whether he likes it or not. All he asks in return is that you don't eat all of the popcorn before the movie even starts.

· As much as I'd like him to, I don't see Winston as much of a nickname giver. He'll usually just say your first name; however, I do see him using Dear, Honey, and especially Peanut after getting together.

· It's canon that his favorite animals are.... humans (which kinda destroys the whole idea of this xReader and the majority of ships). But since he's been around humans all of his life, Harold being like a father and Winston, himself, regarding Overwatch as his family, it's safe to assume that he places our species at the same level of his own. If I'm being brutally honest, Winston will be extremely hesitant on pursuing a romantic relationship with you at first. He is one of the smartest and righteous characters in lore, so of course, all of his logical thinking and morals will delay the inevitable. You'll have to be very patient until he finally accepts his feelings for you, even when it's been abundantly clear that he wants something more.

· His favorite thing to do is tease you. Even before getting together, this happens when he becomes more confident around you; his playful nature will start to come out. He won't ever push it, but he'll bother you with things that annoy you. If you have OCD, he'll purposely make something disorganized. If you have a least favorite color, he'll buy a gift as that color. He'll play songs that you find irritating. You get the idea. Physically, he will be all up in your space when you're working or 'accidently' shove into you when you cross paths in the hallway. If you wear loose clothes, he'll gently pull you towards him. If you wear a hat or glasses, he'll snatch them away without warning.

· It gets even better when you tease him back. You do similar things like take away his glasses and lean on him when he's working. You also like to rearrange his files on the computer. He gets really happy when you take away his jar of peanut butter because that means he'll have to chase you around, and this usually ends with him holding you in his arms and awkwardly smiling at you before he puts you down.

· In my opinion, Winston would be old-fashioned when it comes to romancing you. He takes inspiration from Reinhardt. You're an Overwatch agent and he still insists on holding your hand before you step on one of Junkrat's traps. And only because you like him back is the reason you accept it. He'll hum an oldie love song when he's working and you sometimes join. No matter what he gives you for Valentine's Day, your birthday, Christmas, etc., it is ALWAYS accompanied with a bouquet of flowers. Hands down. And let's not forget the slow dancing... he's a sucker for that stuff.

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I'm sure more will pop into my head, but I think this is pretty good for now.