Drowning In Fear

Chapter 7: Familiar Faces

Surprisingly, it was the cowboy who woke up first, rather than the strict, tradition following archer. The sun barely peaked over the horizon, the dark skies starting to brighten up as the ray of light made its way to the quiet streets of Hanamura. He yawned, scratching his head as he looked over his shoulder to the man lying silently besides him, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Even in his sleep, the man looked as beautiful as ever - his long hair flowing besides him, the perfect curves of his cheekbones, the long eyelashes; McCree didn't blame himself for falling in love so easily.

Getting out of bed, Jesse McCree dressed himself as quietly as he could, trying his best not to wake the sleeping beauty up. Before reaching for the door, McCree hesitated, an unknown force holding him back from simply walking out. He looked back, glancing over to the man asleep on the bed, feeling slightly guilty about leaving without saying farewell. It was the least he could do, for all the things he has done for him.

Walking over and sitting down on the edge of the bed, McCree quietly combed through Hanzo's long flowing hair, gently caressing his cheeks with the back of his hand. Being that he was sensitive to touch, Hanzo woke up, fluttering his eyes as he tried to make of his surroundings. Realizing that it was McCree, Hanzo leaned into his touch, closing his eyes and letting the man cup his face ever so gently. 

"I'm sorry. I... have to go now. I wanted to say goodbye before I left," McCree whispered, unable to speak up any louder in fear of hurting his love. He kissed Hanzo on the forehead, his lips already missing the soft touch of the archer's.

"Will I ever see you again?" Hanzo sat up, wanting to hold McCree even if it was just for a little longer. Wrapping his arms around his neck, Hanzo buried his face into McCree's shoulder, taking in his scent - a mix of cigarette, alcohol, and sweat - to comfort his saddened heart. 

"I dunno for sure, sugar. Maybe in the future," McCree held Hanzo in his arms lovingly, whispering reassuring words that there may be hopes of seeing each other in the future. He knew it would be nearly impossible, knowing that he didn't want Hanzo to be with a man like him - a criminal with a bounty on his head who's known for murder and thievery. No, he'd prefer Hanzo to be with someone decent, someone who was better than him.

As much as it hurt him to do so, McCree made the final decision to depart. He broke away from the embrace, giving Hanzo one last kiss on the lips, before getting up and walking towards the door. He looked back, a saddened smile occupying his face as he turned the doorknob and exited the hotel room.

Hanzo stared at the door blankly, heart heavy with sadness as he watched the cowboy leave. At least he wouldn't have to be with the head of criminal organization, he thought. It would be for the best to leave him before the mess grew bigger. Too sad to do anything, Hanzo decided to go back to sleep. It was only 5 A.M. anyways.

.

.

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Another round of yelling and screaming. At least this time, they were a little easy on him, since they couldn't risk putting Hanzo in a bad situation when they were to meet with the allying underground association. Lucky for the Young Master, since he got away with something he shouldn't have.

Getting ready for the meeting, Hanzo went into his room, changing his clothes to something more appropriate for the event. Stripping down, Hanzo stared at himself in the mirror, noticing the large amounts of marks on his body. Thankfully, they could be well hidden with his clothes, so no one would have to know about this. He wore a simple tight black, sleeveless turtle neck tank top underneath his kimono, a white and blue color pattern with the dragon symbol of the Shimada clan on the right side of his chest. He wore his hair in a ponytail, his bangs still covering parts of his face, which he just simply pulled them behind his ears. 

As soon as he left his room, the eldest adviser came by, telling Hanzo that the guests have arrived, and are ready to see him by the front gate. Clearing his throat, Hanzo headed over to the gate anxiously, not knowing what to exactly expect from these guys. Were they going to act rude? Nice? Somewhat formal? He knew that the gang was notorious for their deadly aiming capacities, not to mention their mercilessness when it came to killing. Calm down Hanzo, this isn't the time to panic. Showing fear was the last thing he was going to do.

Already from the courtyard, the Shimada could see some of the Deadlock members standing around, waiting to meet the head of the Clan. For some reason, their outfits looked a tad bit familiar. He would have spent more time thinking about it, but he was too focused on the actual meeting itself to be concerned with such. With the elders by his side, Hanzo walked up to the crowd confidently, head held high with pride. Scanning the area briefly, Hanzo concluded that there was about 10 members present in the crowd, which meant that obviously if something were to go wrong, his Clan would have the upper hand. 

Clearing his throat loudly, Hanzo was about to speak when he noticed something out in the crowd. The moment he realized what it was, his mouth dropped to the floor, eyes widening as it hit him. 

"McCree...?"

McCree, standing besides his superiors, looked at the Young Master the same way he looked back. Tatsuo, no, Hanzo Shimada, the beautiful man that he's fallen for, was standing by the gate, his underlings besides him, all bowing with respect. Of all the people he could have seen, could have met, and could have slept with, Hanzo just had to be the one. On one hand, they knew each other, which meant that it would be easier to talk things out with. On the other hand, he just slept with the head of the underground organization that he was supposed to work with. 

Hanzo couldn't help but stare at the cowboy dumfoundedly. So that's why his outfits seemed so familiar. He was part of Deadlock, the group that he was supposed to be in a future alliance with. The Young Master shook his head, pinching at his arm secretly to keep himself focused. This wasn't the time to be standing around and acting like a kid. He had to act appropriately as his title suggested. Even if it meant acting like a complete stranger to the one he fell in love with.