Avoidance (McHanzo)

4

It was relatively tense, the air was heavy and Hanzo couldn't quite clear his head. The pair decided to test out a new technique on a few of the dummies, which reluctantly Hanzo had found himself agreeing to. It involved some kind of combination of the deadeye and the dragons, and at this stage he was pretty sure if a bullet went through his head he wouldn't even be surprised.

Jesse thought the dragons were some kind of firing technique, so when the pair found themselves lining up, Jesse let his mouth hang open as they soared through the air. Smugly, Hanzo dropped his bow to his side. He didn't know why it was so fulfilling to show off to him, but hell did it feel good. Maybe that would explain the feeling in his chest, and with that he makes a mental note to go and ask Genji later on. Somehow, he figured he would know best, seeing as he'd had the ability to gloat over him a lot as children.

"Shimada?"

"Yes?"

"How the hell dya do that-"

"Do what?"

"The magic dragon thing, floatin' bullshit."

With a raised eyebrow, he cleared his throat.

"You mean summoning the dragons? That is a part of my heritage, only a Shimada can do that. It would explain why you have not seen it, though I am surprised you have not seen Genji do it before now."

"Well I mean, Genji ain't exactly round much when I'm fightin'. Prefers to sneak round instead of runnin' for it. But I mean like, where'd they come from because I don't think ya can just pull 'em out of the arrow."

"According to the stories we were told as we were raised, the dragons come from within. For example, I was raised with only a single dragon of whom would surround my katana as I trained. Genji was similar, though his dragon was always the more rebellious." He said, a small chuckle escaping his lips. Jesse was looking at him, and it left him with a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Forcing himself to continue, he tried to ignore it. "However, when I killed him, I took that part of him. And now, I harness both the dragon of the north wind, and the dragon of the south. Genji however, I am uncertain of. I can only assume that his dragon still partially remains with him, though in a severely weakened and docile form."

With only a hum in response, he noticed Jesse's eyes roam to his arm.

"Can I, y'know, touch it?"

He asked quietly, and as soon as he saw a nod come from him, he almost dashed forwards. Of course, Hanzo was trying to control the crawling beneath his skin as the other man's fingers gently traced the lines that lined his delicate arms. The blue that he recognised so well began to shine, and Jesse's eyes lit up like a child.

It was endearing, he could hardly deny that much and as the two dragons began to appear, though far smaller than he had imagined. They danced through the air, twisting and turning delicately. It was almost childlike, and though even he had no idea what they were really doing, he liked to imagine that they were playing with each other like he and Genji used to.

"Ameryuu, Ryutsuki, ochitsuite kudasai!" (Ameryuu, Ryutsuki, calm down please!)

He said playfully, a small smile tugging at his lips. He had hardly noticed they were leaning into each other, far too captivated by the sight before themselves. They seemed to float towards Jesse, the edges of his serape being lifted behind him, much to Hanzo's amusement, and he could hardly contain his laughter.

It seemed as though the tension melted away, it seemed so innocent and he couldn't help but allow it to continue. Though, he noticed Ameryuu beginning to tug at the serape, and reached out a hand in a bid to calm the dragon.

"Yasashii." (Gentle.)

Hanzo murmured, and he complied. Soon enough though, they grew tired and instead decided to disappear to slumber most likely. Jesse was still as amused as he had been earlier, Hanzo couldn't complain. If it made him happy, and released the tension that could cause conflict in their training, he was satisfied.

"Didn't expect 'em to be so gentle..."

"Trust me, I did not expect them to be so... docile. They are usually fairly hostile when it comes to strangers."

Jesse was the first to pull away, and Hanzo's side felt almost oddly empty. Pulling his bow back to his side, he noticed Jesse pick up his peacekeeper and toss it between his hands tiredly.

"Are you ok? We may take a break if you wish."

"I'm dandy, jus' kinda feel dull now I've seen ya dragons."

The cowboy responded, a chuckle leaving his lips. And maybe his deadeye was slightly "dull" in comparison, but it certainly left a wake of destruction in his path that sufficed in the heat of battle. His mouth opened, and the words slipped out before he could quite register what he was saying.

"It is incredible. I have always been left to wonder where you learnt such a thing."

"One day I outta show ya how to do it... I think ya might like it."

With only a hum of agreement, the pair soon returned to their training that was originally their intent. Jesse meanwhile was unable to shake off the feeling that was causing his breath to catch in his chest, he knew exactly what it was, however was unable to accept it.

But as the hours turned into days, and the mission got closer, the pair got closer than imaginable. Even things such as eating together began to come naturally, the conversations ranging from strategies and simulations that had pulled them ahead of other pairings, to life back home. When Hanzo learned of Jesse's past in the Deadlock gang, he seemed to open up slightly, speaking about fond memories from back in Hanamura occasionally. And in turn, Jesse would recall tales of back with his sisters and mother, joking that one day he would take him to meet them, even if it killed him.

Of course, all was not to be easy, and as the entire team entered their final simulation, almost immediately they picked up that something was wrong. The supposed bots movements were far more natural, even Winston found himself getting hit. And soon enough, it set in that they had been infiltrated. This was no longer a drill; this was a war they had only ever been left to imagine. A war in their own territory, a war in a simulation only left to the imagination.

The respawn wouldn't work, death was permanent. The mere fact that their untimely demises may be looming before them was enough, but as the bullets soared through the sky Hanzo felt his skin burning. Someone, or something, was manipulating the dragons. And as screams ravaged the battlefield, he feared he may be the next victim.

as we can all tell i have absolutely no idea where this is going, but thank you for all the lovely comments! if you have any ideas or requests, feel free to hurl them at me in the comments because i could probably use the help. thank you again, hopefully ill be updating more frequently but ya never know. procrastination is evil.