Redemption From Resemblance (McHanzo)

Tranquility

A/N: Despite the chapter title, Zenyatta only makes a brief appearance. It's mostly for what I had written near the ending of the chapter.

Despite what he had felt when he was being carried by McCree, the night is far from friendly for the archer as his mind busies itself on different thoughts and his legs scream at him for being overworked. The pain, along with the inability to sleep sours what good mood Hanzo had accumulated while McCree took care of him, and he silently curses in two different languages as he rubs at the sore muscles. The pain is so severe that he's no longer sure if it's just overuse or phantom limb, but either option annoys Hanzo to the point where he's debating asking Angela for some medication to stop the pain. But that would require he attach his legs again and walk to her room, the mere thought making his legs flare even more to the point that Hanzo knows he can't move even if he wanted to. He's strongly debating just asking Athena to call for the doctor, but the two problems of getting help from Angela is the fact that if he does, he'll have to take medicine that he absolutely despises (because there are far too many side effects and you would think modern medicine would have fixed them by now) as well as the high probability that she'll end up seeing him without his legs. It's a scenario Hanzo absolutely refuses to let happen, letting someone see how much of him is missing, even if they are a doctor.

But the longer he sits in pain, the more desperate he becomes until Hanzo's fist connects with the nearby wall in an attempt to divert the pain to a different and much more manageable region. It doesn't work as his knuckles now throb in pain along with his legs, and Hanzo grits his teeth in hopes that he can stifle any noises. A few whimpers still leave his throat, and the assassin is debating punching the wall again when Athena's voice filters into his room.

“Are you alright agent Hanzo? There was an unusual noise coming from your room.” He suspects she's talking about the sound of him punching the wall, the only reason she would have bothered to check on him since Athena doesn't normally monitor the agent's rooms because of privacy reasons. Taking some deep breaths, Hanzo nods as he steadies his voice to answer.

“I am fine. I was the one who made the noise.” As always, Athena is quick to reply.

“Are you alright? Is there anything I can do for you?” Always considerate, and it strangely reminds Hanzo of the gunslinger who had carried him all the way to his room, even brought him food when it was apparent that the archer was going nowhere anytime soon. Remembering almost makes him ask the AI to call for McCree, but much like his earlier reasoning with Angela, he doesn't want anyone to see him like this or to bother the other man at such a late hour. Hanzo shakes his head again, part of him wondering why he bothers when Athena responds to verbal replies.

“There is no need. I am alright.” But Athena isn't about to let up just yet.

“Would you like me to inform doctor Ziegler?” This time, Hanzo replies just as fast as she normally does, albeit a little more forceful with his words.

“No! Please. There is no need.” He hates how he sounds so broken, but it does the trick as Athena stops with the questions and bids him goodnight. The man isn't sure what to do now, legs still throbbing despite the drop in pain. Hanzo supposes he should try to sleep at least one more time before he resigns himself to another night of staying awake due to insomnia. So he lays down, shutting his eyes tightly in both an effort to block out the lingering pain and will himself to sleep, but neither work. His brain is still too busy for him to be able to try and get a few hours of rest, and the throbbing of his legs hurts too much for him to ignore. Defeated, Hanzo corrects himself so he's sitting against the headboard of the bed, and occupies himself by massaging his thighs. The archer winces at every flare of pain his touch creates, but it begins working after some time. The pain starts to fade and morphs into a dull ache that is far more manageable compared to the blinding pulsing he was dealing with earlier. As a result, Hanzo's breathing has slowed and his mind has calmed down enough that his thoughts aren't jumping from one topic to the next. Just as an extra precaution, the assassin takes deep breaths, holding them every now and then before exhaling, almost similar to how he breathes when trying to meditate.