The Remainder of the Equinox

Chapter Thirteen

Zenyatta was awoken by the knocking on his door, slowly reaching a crescendo the longer it took for him to answer. He pushed himself up, the bed frame creaking sharply. Who could it be at his unheavenly hour? He pulled open the door, expecting a police officer for a drug inspection or a lost delivery man. He was surprised by who it actually was.

"Hi, Zen."

He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Genji? What are you doing here so late?"

His friend's eyes were bloodshot, to the point where it looked like he smoked one too many. His clothes were completely drenched. The look in his eyes was crazy and drowsy all at once. Zenyatta's eyes drifted from the wet face of his friend to the large, empty bottle of liquor that hung low in his hands.

It took him a moment, but he was able to connect the dots. Bottle. Alcohol. Wet. Slurred speech. He didn't exactly know what to feel. Worry? Stress? Relief? Anger? Maybe it was a mixture of all. His attention was drawn back to reality when he heard the dull thump of glass on wood. The bottle rolled away from the two, spilling the few drops it had left.

Genji spoke something in a husky whisper. It sounded slurred and rushed. As his bottom lip began to tremble, the balder of the two felt his heart fracture.

"Come inside, you must be freezing." He gently coaxed his rapidly-speaking friend into the apartment. When they were inside, he rushed over to the window and prayed his fears weren't true. He saw Genji's car in the parking lot, mocking the world with a cold and heartless shine. He came to the sick realization that he must have driven over while heavily inebriated.

He was smart enough to realize that screaming, yelling, or shouting wouldn't help the situation. It would make it worse. At that moment, it was important to make sure Genji hadn't hurt himself or anyone else. After a full-body sweep, he couldn't find any physical scrapes or bruises. He went over and looked at the car again. There were no dents or scratches.

He collected a cleaner set of clothes for Genji to borrow and placed it in the arms of his friend. He blinked and stared at him blankly, like he didn't know what he was supposed to do with clothes. If not for the circumstances, it could have been funny. He pushed him lightly into the bathroom and shut the door. Upon his return, he was a noticeable mess. He even put the sweater on backwards.

Zenyatta put the kettle on the stove when his ancient phone buzzed violently against the counter. He excused himself to answer. On the other end, a hysterical voice choked out a dozen words per second. "Is he there?" Was the best he could make out.

"Hanzo, I-"

"Please tell me he's there," his voice cracked like a piece of wood.

"Yes, he is. Would you like to speak to him?"

A strangled yes followed the question. Zenyatta cautiously toed nearer to the green haired wonder. "Genji? Your brother is on the phone. Do you want to speak to him?" His eyes widened at the word brother. He shook his head wildly, putting his arms in front of him. Zenyatta hesitantly took back the cellular device and pressed it against his ear. "He is really out of it. I am sorry."

Hanzo cleared his throat. "It's alright. I don't blame him." He stayed silent for a while. Zenyatta even thought that he forgot to hang up. Then, he said, "Do you think you could..." he didn't need to finish.