"Solacie" - Overwatch OC x McCree AU

Chapter Eight

It was six o'clock in the sauntering evening when the train pulled up to the pit stop station. The sun was just beginning its descent and the sky was slowly fading from a pale yellow to a dark blue. Zoie was bunked in a cabin with the light from outside shining through her door, but it wasn't quite powerful enough to wake her from her sleep.

She tried to sleep away the pain she felt from disappointing her uncle. His expression played through her mind over and over again. How could he ever forgive her? He probably assumed it was a rebellious attempt to get back at him for her lab explosion. But it wasn't even his fault. Nevertheless, Zoie felt nothing but eternal guilt.

It was at this station in the middle of nowhere that the young, one and only Jesse McCree hopped on the train. On the run from a Rogue Omnic clan he had been attempting to take down, his quickest escape assistant being the train. He leaped on just as the train pulled away, grinning with smug victory and taking off his wide-rimmed classic cowboy hat to wave it in farewell to the Omnics.
"Cheers, fellas! I'll holler at ya fer round two!"

Jesse winked and popped his hat back on just as a train conductor began his march towards him to kick him off. Jesse's eyes widened and he thought fast, ducking into the nearest room, sliding the door once he was in.

When Jesse entered, he realized he had walked into a young lady's cabin. Surprised, he remained at the door, shielding it from being opened. He breathed gently out of his mouth, listening as the conductor walked by in the hall. A sigh of relief escaped his lips.

As Jesse turned around to leave, his heart skipped a beat when he quickly glanced at the girl in the cabin. And he couldn't stop it.
Zoie lay curled up on the seat, her arms draped across her stomach.

It was in this moment that Jesse felt a sensation he had never felt before. It felt like an unstoppable force, the moment a flower blooms, the bright rays of the sun appearing for the first time in complete darkness. It made his heart race and stop all at once. It made him nervous, yet excited. The feeling could be described as rebirth. It was miraculous - and it was then that Jesse realized this girl was miraculous. She was the blooming flower, the sunlight, the reason his heart raced.
Jesse fell completely smitten. She was gently pure as she slept, completely unphased by the noise disruption.

There was something about her that made him want to stay. What exactly that was was a mystery to Jesse, but it was a feeling that he didn't ever want to forget. The longing to be in a specific person's presence. Something he had never felt before.
How was that possible? She wasn't even awake. She hadn't spoken a word. They had never met up until this point. But one look was all it took for him to want to be near her.

It seemed creepy, he thought, standing in the corner of the room with his arms crossed. He had never even met this girl before. He tried to look away, but every lap his gaze took landed right back on her. Impossible, he thought.

It was at that moment that Zoie began to awake from her sleep, the hovering presence of another person tickling in the back of her mind. And as she awoke, she slowly opened her eyes to look at a tall cowboy, standing in the corner of the room. He looked like a deer in headlights, shocked and frozen in place.

Not a moment passed by before Zoie quickly rose to her feet and pounced on the man, swinging punches and kicking his shins.

"Whoah hey!" Jesse cried, grabbing her arms to stop her from throwing anymore jabs at him. She had already managed to sucker punch his bicep and hip, knocking the wind out of him momentarily.
He found himself impressed by her strength.

As they continued to wrestle, he swung the door open accidentally, leading them into the hall. They bumped around in a fury of swinging arms until the pair had stumbled into the bathroom.
As they fell in, Jesse quickly shut the door behind them to omit any noise she might make next.

"Who the hell are you?! What the hell were you doing in my cabin?!"

Jesse put his hands up in defense. "Now now pumpkin, I meant no harm, I just-"

"Explain yourself!"

Jesse quickly shushed her. He could feel the movement of feet walking by outside the door, afraid that the noise disruption they were causing would result in them exiting the train abruptly.

He gently lowered his tone. "Alright, okay. I didn't want to frighten you, my apologies." He held his hat to his chest. "I was just hidin' from a couple of nuisances. And yer room happened to be the closest one. I do apologize."

Zoie looked at the cowboy and a short sigh escaped her nose. With her arms crossed, she continued to look at him as he bowed apologetically. She would never admit it, but she did secretly, kind of find this man very attractive. And he couldn't be much older than she was.

He was very muscular. That was one of the first things she noticed. Highly muscular.
He looked like a young ruffian, but his chocolate brown eyes read 'western sweetheart'.
His hair hugged his face and at the same time, had a mind of its own. His hat complemented his look, like the final piece of the puzzle. He looked kind of weird when he wasn't wearing it.
His outfit read 'Halloween cowboy' but included a few additional details, such as his bullet vest and thick leather belt with the word 'BAMF' stamped on his buckle.
His voice also reminisced in Zoie's mind. It was low and haunting, but velvety at the same time. It sent shivers up her spine.

How could she be falling smitten for a strange man she had never met? Nope.

"Who are you?" She whispered, her hands on her hips.

Jesse had to stop himself from checking her out whilst she spoke. He might've been a newly founded member of Overwatch, but it wasn't too long ago that he was still a ruffian, running from the law and playing by his own rules.

He gently knelt down on one knee, bringing his hat to his chest once again. "Jesse McCree's the name, m'lady. And yours?" He asked as he looked up at her, a slightly mischievous smirk making its way onto his lips.

She rolled her eyes, removing her hands from her hips and reaching one out to him. It was the polite thing to do.
"Z-" She paused. This man was a complete stranger. Sharing her real name to him could be dangerous. Zoie thought fast.
"Solacie."

Jesse curled his lip, intrigued by the girl's name (and curious about the slip up). "Zsolacie."

Zoie didn't want to but she chuckled. Goofball.
"No, just Solacie."

He smiled softly. "Solacie," he whispered, letting her name reminisce in his head. "The pleasure's all mine...Solacie," Jesse said, taking her hand in his as he rose to his feet, planting a polite kiss on her hand once he was back on his feet.

She tried to keep a solid poker face on when looking at him. Thankfully the lighting in the bathroom was dim, so the faint blush spreading across her lips could be easily hidden.
"Now, will you please leave?" Zoie whispered, gesturing towards the door.

"Oh come on pumpkin, we're both goin' to King's Row, aren't we? And we've already been properly introduced, so we're not strangers anymore, right?" He asked, turning his palms upward in an innocent 'what'dya say?' motion.

Zoie knew she should say no, but he didn't have a cabin to rest in for the remainder of the journey. And they had eight hours left. And he was being really adorable right now. So, Zoie caved in, shoving Jesse back into her cabin.

~

(( Photo credit: http://www.railwaymedia.co.uk/Rail/DMU/142/i-sg8TrZF ))