Chapter Text
A chilled breeze danced along the soft snow and spun it into the air. The sun peacefully shined down onto the top of the mountain as if it wasn’t the scene of a gruesome battle. As if there wasn’t a corpse lying in bloody snow before Genji.
The firm hand resting on his shoulder left him and Genji suddenly felt much colder and more tired than he did a minute ago. The siren’s call of sleep echoed in his ears and his whole body called out in pain. But he knew he wasn’t done yet, his job wasn't over.
Trying to ignore the burning pain in his back, Genji kneeled down to the side of the witch. Her gold locks mixed with crimson red that reflected light like a lake's surface. With slow movements, he pulled his short sword from its sheath and plunged it deep into the corpse's chest cavity. With care, he broke open the ribs to expose her heart.
Where a red and vibrate organ should have been was a black shriveled mass. The arteries leading to it were shriveled up and long-dead with the heart nothing but a hard mass that gave no life. Proof whatever human the witch once was, was long since dead, consumed by black magic. Only the rotten shell of her remained.
Genji plunged his blade into the black mass and a dark tar-like substance poured out. He dug around till the shine of silver caught his eye. He carefully fished out a talisman almost identical to Light’s Touch, but instead of white and gold, it was black with silver characters. The small relic felt light in his hand but he could feel the soft waves of magic flowing from it. Death’s Heart had finally been returned to him.
With a small grunt, he stood back up and looked down at the mangled corpse. Instead of it giving a feeling of victory and relief, he only felt immensely exhausted. A deep exhaustion only the end of a long journey brought.
Another shadow passed over the witch’s body but it wasn’t Jesse’s form. Genji looked up to see Hanzo reaching down to retrieve his relic from where it had tumbled to the ground. He gently held the small talisman between dark fingers, regarding it for a moment and then looking to the witch.
Watching his brother stand before him, tall and silent, filled Genji with an uneasiness he’d never experienced before. The sight of his brother caused memories of their last encounter to echo through his mind. Hanzo’s harsh words, the vicious attack, the catastrophic fallout. Yet, he didn’t know what to feel, what to think. Should he have been angry about what happened to him? Or filled with sorrow for the pain he caused? Maybe defiant like how he felt back in Aleksandra? He didn’t know but a once-familiar face now brought a wave of uncertainty to him. Meanwhile, Hanzo just stood there and Genji couldn't help but note his brother gave no prayer for the fallen foe.
After a quiet moment, white eyes finally turned to him. They looked at one another and Genji didn’t know what to do. He didn’t think he could take a scolding from Hanzo right now, listening to his harsh words beat down on him. He also knew he couldn’t put up a fight. His body was too sore, his mind was too tired. So when Hanzo opened his mouth to speak, Genji thrust his hand out to interrupt him from any action, “Here.” With care he opened his messy palm to present Death’s Heart, “I know this doesn’t forgive the mistakes I’ve made, but...” But what? What would he ask for now that it was all done? Forgiveness? Honor? A chance to go home? He wasn’t going to ask for any of that, he didn't want it anymore, “Just, please take it.” He pushed his palm out a little more to Hanzo.
The other looked a little bewildered with his mouth slightly open and eyebrows knitted together. After a brief second, Hanzo reached his hand out and grasped the black talisman. Seeing Hanzo’s hand wrap tightly around it felt like a weight lifted from Genji’s chest. He bent his body forward in a low bow, “Please Hanzo, watch over it and make sure my mistakes are not repeated.” He rose back up and found he had nothing else to say. His job was done, there was nothing left to do. So he went to leave.
He didn’t get far when Hanzo called out, “Genji, wait.” Hanzo’s normally cool voice sounded rushed, so Genji stopped and looked at him. He saw Hanzo put both relics in a pouch on his waist, something more careless of him than normal. Then, with hesitant steps, Hanzo walked towards him. A moment of fear struck him as Hanzo advanced towards him.
He’s still mad. He’s angry that I didn’t listen to him, that I defied him again.
Genji didn’t run though, he just shut his eyes and waited for the fallout. Though instead of any pain or reprimand, a gentle hand came down on his shoulder. When he opened his eyes again, Hanzo was standing in front of him with his brows pulled together and a distinctive emotion in his eyes. It was an emotion Genji had only seen Hanzo wear one other time, the day their mother died. It was one of sorrow and loss, like a child who lost something they loved, “Genji, you’re alive?” The words were broken and dripping with misery, “What have I done to you?” The last sentence was so quiet it was almost lost to the space between them. Genji felt his heart swell at the emotion in Hanzo's words, Hanzo never showed emotion.
In almost a desperate panic, Genji quickly replied, “Hanzo, I’m fine.” He didn’t know how true that was but he didn’t like the despair in his brother's eyes. So it felt like the right thing to say.
“No, you’re not. I have cast you from your true form, destroy it in my anger! Genji, I thought I killed you.” Genji got a sick feeling his brother might cry. He didn't want Hanzo to cry. He didn't think he could stand to see his unmoveable brother falter right now. Not when he felt like tearing at the seams.
“But you didn’t. I’m alive, I am here with you.”
“But look at what I have done to you.”
In Hanzo’s white eyes, Genji could see his own reflection with his pale skin and human face. His face had new scars and his eyes were so different from what he once knew. Yet, he didn’t seem to mind the once jarring image. He didn’t mind the dual teeth or poor hearing. He didn’t mind the lack of horns or weak magic. Part of him knew he should have minded, he should have cared a great deal, but he didn’t. For some reason, he didn’t hate what he’d become.
It was then he realized why that was the case and it almost made him laugh. Like a dream he could finally remember, the gears moved into place and something finally made a little more sense. He took a deep breath, “Hanzo, listen to me. I have always been a bad guardian.” Hanzo went to interrupt him but Genji pushed on, “No, don’t defend me. Even before I took on the duty, I was arrogant and irresponsible. I never considered my job important, it never made me happy. Not like you. You always found pride and joy in your duty. I never had that back home. But here,” Genji pulled away to look at the surrounding mountains and the sky's dark clouds that were sweetly dispersing, “Here, I do.” He looked back to Hanzo to make sure his brother heard every word, “In the short time I’ve been here, I have learned more than I ever did back home. I’ve experienced things I never thought I would. It hasn’t always been easy, but...Hanzo, I think this is where I belong.”
Genji’s heart skipped a beat at his own words and he knew he meant it. He’d found a purpose here. Whether that was fighting off evil that threatened the innocent or laughing by a fire with his hunter, he looked forward to each day that came.
His brother looked at him with an unreadable expression, “You are happy here?”
Genji let the words bounce around in his head. As they did, more thoughts of Jesse and their misadventures played on loop in his mind. Then the memory of Jesse’s lips tracing his new scars with soft kisses solidified his answer, “More than I ever thought possible.”
There was a long silence that dragged between them till Hanzo spoke up, “I see.” Hanzo glanced down briefly then he took a step forward and wrapped his arms tight around Genji. The sudden hug was a surprise but Genji didn't complain and hugged him back, “You are not the same person you were back home." Hanzo pulled away and looked him straight in the eyes, “You have grown so much.”
Hanzo’s uncharacteristically kind words almost make him blush, so he covered it up by lightly shoving Hanzo’s shoulder, “You know you’re not much older than me, and yet you already sound like a grandpa.”
Hanzo gave a tentative smile, “With age comes wisdom. Give it a little longer, you’ll start to sound like me.”
“I better not!” There was a warm feeling in Genji’s chest from the light banter with Hanzo. He didn’t know if this solved their problems, he didn’t know if they’d ever be what they once were, but it was a start.
However, Genji’s momentary happiness was cut short when, from the corner of his eye, he saw Jesse. The hunter was far away from the bloody scene sitting next to a body lying still in the snow. A rock formed in his stomach, “No.”
Genji abruptly turned from Hanzo and ran towards them. As he got closer he saw Jesse on his knees, hat off to his side with a limp hand clenched tightly in his. Jack was standing behind him looking down at the body silently. The Reaper lay peacefully in the snow at his feet. The pumpkin head had split off to reveal a brown face with several deep scars on a cheek and nose. He had short hair and old laugh lines under his closed eyes, a man who liked to smile. This was the face of the hero Jesse had described to him. The man who raised and loved him. The man with blue-tinted lips and no rise to his chest.
“No, what happened?” Genji dropped to his knee next to Jesse and reached a hand over to Gabe's throat. The skin was cold and unmoving.
“When you killed her he dropped. No signs of life.” Jack’s voice was even and emotionless but Genji could see the slight shake to his eyes.
“She must have done something. Maybe some kind of magic link to her life that got severed when she died. Maybe if we dis-spell her body we can break their link, there might still be time.” Genji's mind rushed to thousands of ideas and thoughts. He wasn't going to let this be the end of Gabrielle without trying something.
Genji went to get up but Hanzo’s hand had stopped him. He looked up to his brother who stared down at the still body, “There is no link, Genji. When she died, Death’s Heart’s influence faded. The bridge was severed.”
“No, that’s impossible. That would mean… He was smart, he could talk, and plan in a fight! He was capable. That’s not something a resurrected corpse can do, Hanzo. There’s gotta be something else.” It was a curse, a hex, a magic deal gone wrong, or something else entirely. Genji refused to believe Gabe was another undead puppeted by the witch, he couldn’t accept that. If it was a spell or a charm, he could at least try something. But there was only one thing Death’s Heart could control and that was a hopeless fate.
Hanzo gave a sympathetic frown, “Normally, yes. That’s not what an undead can do. That’s why she was trying to make them better. Her experiments were in an effort to fortify and enhance her undead servants. But the process is long and exhausting. And she only ever succeeded twice, with him and the elemental. Her other subjects died. I believe that’s why she wanted Life’s Touch, to make the process instantaneous and always successful.”
Genji looked back down to the still body but felt no magic or life coming from it. The reality of Hanzo’s words was sinking in and Genji felt desperate. He didn’t want that to be the answer, he wanted his brother to say something that gave them a shred of hope to save the man Jesse fought so long to save.
Before Genji could protest more, Jesse spoke, “So what you’re saying is he was already dead when she got to him. It was never a curse or anything, just another resurrected body. All the talking and fighting was just more of her webs of magic?” His voice was low and he never broke eye contact with Gabe’s cold face.
“Yes, I’m sorry.” Hanzo was sincere in his apology but the definitive statement crushed Genji’s hope.
Jesse’s hand clenched tight around Gabe’s, “You were right Jack, I couldn’t save him.” Cracks in the sentence broke Genji’s heart. When Jesse’s hand began to tremble, Genji put a firm one on his thigh, unsure of what to say or do.
Jack releases a mournful sigh, “Jesse, I-” Jack shut his eyes tight and took a shaky breath in, “It was never about right or wrong.”
“It was about mourning.” Ana’s sweet voice had all but Jesse looking towards her. She had silently come up the mountain's pass and was making her way towards them. The snow seemed to swirl around her feet like it wanted to dance. The air seemed to smell fresher with her approach, like fresh clothes on a line. Jack moved out of her way and, with a graceful bend, she kneeled down on the other side of Jesse and placed a hand on his back, “It may not be the reunion you hoped for but it’s a chance to say goodbye.”
A tear ran down Jesse’s cheek silently, though his face remained stoic, “How am I supposed to say goodbye to the man who took my sorry ass in and gave me something to fight for. Say goodbye to the man who taught me everything I know and pulled my ass from the fire more times than I can count. Say goodbye to the man I couldn’t even save. Tell me Ana, how do I say goodbye to that?”
“In your own way.” Her sweet reply promoted more quiet tears pooled from his brown eyes. Jesse leaned forward and rested his forehead on Gabe's cold shoulder as his shoulders shook. Tears seeped from his tightly closed eyes and his hands gripped Gabe’s tighter.
Sorrow flooded Genji's senses and made the word go hazy. He’d never seen Jesse cry, it was a quiet display of harsh emotions that left Genji feeling empty. He wished more than anything to soothe the pain on the hunter's face but knew no words could take it away. Instead, he moved a little closer and wrapped an arm over his shaking shoulders.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Hanzo fidgeting. His brother never handled this kind of thing well. To be fair, neither did he but Jesse was the exception. But his brother's antsy movements didn’t look like an awkward bystander, more like a man caught between the two sides.
Hanzo’s dark hand eventually reached into the pouch on his belt. When he opened his palm, the ancient relics lay side by side, "Perhaps there is a way.”
Shock straightened Genji’s back as he swung his head towards Hanzo, “What are you doing?” His voice was suspicious and slightly hostile.
“Perhaps there’s a way to save this man.” Hanzo looked calmly at the talismans. Ana and Jack looked at him with skepticism and Genji felt the small shakes in Jesse's ease.
But he only felt panic, “Hanzo, you can’t be suggesting that!” He stood to his feet to face his brother.
“The combined power of the relics could do it.”
“Listen to yourself! You know you can’t do that.”
“Isn’t that what the witch was planning?” It was Jack who said it as he crossed his arms and looked warily at the relics.
“Yes, though the witch wished to restore them then control them. I have no desire for that. So he would simply be him.”
“HANZO!” Genji raised his voice then realized everyone was staring at him. Even Jesse had risen up from his mourning. He had red-rimmed eyes and damp cheeks. Genji calmed himself then got closer to Hanzo to speak more quietly, “You know you can’t do that. It’s forbidden to use the relic's power for any purpose. Especially to tilt the balance! You know this.” There was one rule above all else when guarding the relics, you can not use them. Power corrupts and their power can shift the balance of life and death. The witch was proof of this and the punishment for any violations was quick.
“I do know, Genji. Don’t you remember who taught you that?” He smirked at Genji ruefully but Genji only felt worried.
“Hanzo, if father finds out you used the relics to bring someone back to life, he will not dignify you with exile.” Hanzo's punishment would be a quick and disgraceful death if their father found out. Genji shook just thinking about it.
“Then I guess father will never find out.” Hanzo’s smile was rueful again, like a child waiting for someone to spring their prank.
“Who are you and what have you done to Hanzo?” It would have been a funny statement if Genji wasn’t serious. That was the most rebellious thing Hanzo had ever said to him and it kind of terrified him.
Of all the things to be rebellious about, he picks the one act that will get him killed.
“If it puts you in a bad place with your father, don’t do it.” It was Jesse’s raw voice that said it. Genji looked over and saw Jesse place Gabe’s hand gently on his chest and stand, "There’s no need for you to put yourself in a bad situation on our behalf.” Jesse looked Hanzo in the eyes, “I’m not getting you killed over this. If Gabe's gone, then it’s time to let him go.”
Genji looked at the resolve on Jesse's face and thought back to the first time he told him about Gabe. He remembered the look of determination he had to save his father. The hunter looked so different now. Not the kind of difference that time caused, the kind of different spending weeks together caused. The kind of different where you learn something and suddenly things don’t look how they used to. Genji liked to think they both looked a little different.
Hanzo stepped around him and walked up to Jesse till they were only a few feet away, “I’ll admit hunter, I know little about you. Besides traveling with my brother, my knowledge of you starts and ends with the fastest ways to kill you. But I owe you a debt.” Jesse raised an eyebrow and shot a quick glance at Genji. When Genji was unable to give an answer, Hanzo relaxed his stance and looked out into the distance, “I made a mistake. My actions put my brother in danger and it was you, all of you,” He briefly looked to Jack and Ana, “who saved him.” Jesse just seemed to glare a little harder at Hanzo while Genji stood still in shock. Eventually, Hanzo looked back over to Jesse, “And you, hunter, he’s quite attached too. He gave up something very important for you.” Hanzo moved a little closer to return Jesse’s glare while Genji felt heat rise to his cheeks, “Do not make him regret that decision.”
What am I, his little sister who got her first boyfriend!?
Genji felt a little ridiculous but Jesse’s response warmed his cold hands, “Not on my life.” He said it with a definitive tone that left no room for doubt.
“Then I will hold you to that.” Hanzo stepped away and walked around the cold body and extended out the relics with his palm up, “Now, to settle the score. You saved someone I care about, now I will do the same.”
“Hanzo-” Genji went to protest again but a bright light pooled around his hand and blinded him. Suddenly, a black serpent-like swirl of magic danced around the white light. Hanzo bent down and touched the back of his hand to Gabe’s forehead and the light engulfed them both.
By the time the light dispersed, Hanzo had vanished and Genji heard a distant roar echo through the mountains. Then suddenly, a rough breath pulled everyone's attention to Gabe's still form. Abruptly, another breath in, and Gabe's chest rose.
All of them wore expressions of pure shock and awe, even Genji. Jesse and Jack dropped to their knees by Gabe's side while Ana rose a shocked hand to her mouth and Genji looked on in surprise. Gabe's breaths became more even and a low moan passed his lips.
“Gabe! Gabe, can you hear me!?” Jesse was softly rocking Gabe's arm back and forth while Jack looked down in bewilderment.
Slowly, Gabe’s eyelids flickered and moved until they fully opened to reveal dark brown iris. Those eyes bounced around the unfamiliar environment until slowly resting on the faces above him. Slowly, Gabe moved his fingers and shoulder looking like he was waking up from a long nap.
Everyone around him stayed perfectly quiet, fearful they’d break the illusion. Eventually, a rough voice rose into the air, “Jesse?...Jack? What the hell's going on?”
“Gabe!” Jesse threw his arms around the man and hung on tight.
Gabe looked a little shocked and just rose one of his arms around Jesse’s back, “Back? We’d I go?” It was then that he looked up to Ana, “Ana? Something bad must have happened if all of us are together.”
Ana flashed her old friend a warm smile with the start of tears in the corner of her eye, “Oh Gabriel, you have no idea.”
☾
Jesse shut the door quietly behind him leaving the voices inside to themselves. The moon’s rays shone through the windows illuminating his way down the hall. The old floorboards creaked and whined as he made his way to the only other room the small inn had to offer. With a deaf hand, he pushed its door open.
There, leaning against the window looking out into the dark night, was Genji. The moon highlighted his form in a silver light that made him shine white. His bare chest was tightly wrapped with new bandages crawling up his arms. In his hand, he held a clay cup with steam rising from the top.
As Jesse walked into the small room and shut the door, Genji’s moon washed eyes looked to him, “How’s Gabe?”
“Far as we can tell, fine. He’s got more energy than the sun and no wounds to mention. It’s like he was never hurt. Though he doesn’t remember being the Reaper, only from his encounter with the witch to waking up on the mountain.” After the fight, they all came to the small Hanamura inn to lick their wounds. Ana had worked late into the night fixing them all up along with a handful of townsfolk caught in the chaos. Then they all sat down and had a long talk with Gabe about everything he missed.
“How did he take the news?” Genji sat his cup down on the nightstand by the bed and face Jesse a little more.
“With professionalism. Man, I don't know what it is about old hunters but nothing surprises them. Tell a man he’s been dead for almost two years and he just sits there nodding his head like it’s another Sunday.” Jesse was being a bit dramatic. Gabe was surprised. In fact, he seemed a bit speechless. But besides that, the old man took it in stride. He didn’t get hung up on the whole, being dead detail. Instead, he asked the important questions like if the threat was gone or if the weird magic Hanzo used would have any lasting effects. They were able to answer a lot but not all of his questions.
Jesse sat on the bed and took his boots off. He stripped his undershirt with care and revealed his own assortment of bandages. His worst injury was the chunk taken out of his shoulder but Ana packed the wound tight and threw his arm in a sling. That coupled with all the pain herbs she gave him, he could barely feel the damn thing.
A nice laugh slipped past Genji's lips, “I don’t think old hunters are like that, just those three.”
“It’s weird.” Jesse swung his legs onto the bed and propped himself comfortably against the headboard being careful of the light wound on his back. He felt his whole body sigh in relief, “Anyway, Ana’s given him mandatory bed rest for the night. Though I think we all could use a little of that.” Jesse grabbed a pillow from behind him and placed it on his stomach, spreading his legs out. He then flashed a warm smile to Genji and patented the pillow invitingly.
Another pleasing laugh came from the other as he carefully climbed over Jesse’s leg and rested his back onto Jesse’s chest. A small, painful grunt slipped from Genji as he rested his head below Jesse's chin.
“A shot in the back like that is a bad place for a wound.” Jesse rested his chin nicely on the top of the other's soft locks.
“You’re one to talk.”
“I got lucky, mine's not bad.”
“How’s your shoulder?”
“Fine, it’ll be stiff but nothing I can’t handle.” Jesse wrapped his free arm under Genji to pull the other closer. He enjoyed the rise and fall of his warm chest against his hands, “That was one thing Gabe wasn’t okay with, hearing the trouble he caused.” Gabe’s shock and mournful face when they mentioned him fighting them was hard to watch. They never told him the shotgun wounds they all had were his handy work but he was a smart man and Jesse figured he could make the deduction.
“I don’t blame him, something like that would be hard to hear.” Genji’s hand came up to Jesse’s and lightly grasped it. He could feel the other relax further into him, “What will he do now?”
“Probably head back to Santa Fe.” Jesse unconsciously began rubbing small circles into Genji’s skin.
“What’s in Santa Fe?”
“The closest thing to a permanent home we had. It’s where I’m from and where we spent most of our time when we weren’t traveling. I think he’s gonna head back, work tends to pile up when you're dead for so long. Hell, I can't wait to hear what the tax collectors are going to say about it.”
“Are you going to go with him?” Genji’s hands held a little tighter.
“Me? Darling, don’t you mean we?” Jesse’s arm wrapped tighter around Genji to pull him closer. He leaned forward a bit to bring his head down to Genji's shoulder.
Genji shifted in his grip so he could face Jesse a bit more, “I didn’t want to presume. I understand if you want some time with Gabe.” From this angle, Jesse could see the light dust of pink rise to Genji’s cheeks and it filled him with a giddy feeling.
“Even after that big speech in Busan about running after me?”
Genji’s face got more red, “What I said was true but I get it if you want to step back now that the fight is over-”
“Darling, if you think I’m letting you out of my sight after finally getting a little free time, you must be loopy from Ana’s medicine.”
A bashful smile rose to Genji’s face, “But don’t you want to stay with Gabe? You just got him back.”
“Well, sure I do but I was hoping you’d be there with me.” After all they'd been through, Jesse had no intention of planning the future without him, “I was thinking we’d head down to Santa Fe, I’d show you the little hell hole I grew up in. Maybe bring ya to a few private spots I know you can get the best view. And when that gets old or Gabe gets sick of me, we’ll hit the road. Go anywhere we want. Maybe to the West, go and see some of those mountains they’re always talking about or maybe take a trip across the sea to see something new. Wherever our feet take us, stirring up trouble and running from it all in the same night.” Genji’s black eyes were staring at Jesse with a restrained smile as he proclaimed his dream, “At least that’s what I was thinking. What’d you say, up for a little adventure?”
Genji’s smile broke out into a full grin that showed his teeth, “If you are by my side, then I can’t think of anything better.”
“Are you sure you can’t think of anything better?” Jesse moved in closer to Genji’s lips.
One of Genji’s pale hands rose up and cupped the side of Jesse’s scruffy face, “Okay, maybe I can think of a few things.” His voice was low and sweet.
With a gentle tug at Jesse’s face, their lips pushed together. The angle was awkward and Jesse felt his injured shoulder pull and cry from leaning over. But the sensation of Genji’s lips against his blocked all else out. As he pushed the kiss deeper he couldn’t help but think about all their future held.
☾
Bonus
“Well it's all for me grog, me jolly jolly grog,
It's all for me beer and tobacco!
For I spent all me tin on the lassies drinking gin,
Far across the western ocean I must wander!”
The patrons sang the chores with untuned excitement as the bard plucked away at their strings. Life filled the brightly lit tavern as dancers paired off to swing their partners around to the energetic music. As the joyous drunks and happy partiers drank away their ale, Genji navigated between the chaos to find his hunter.
He had to squeeze by two people arm wrestling and step over someone who couldn’t hold their drink for him to see Jesse. The hunter was sitting at the bar doubled over in laughter as Reinhardt finished telling a story that included lots of hand waving. The harsh laughter eased when Jesse looked over to see Genji approaching him. The sight pulled Genji's mouth up.
“GENJI! You gotta hear the story this guy was telling! You’d love it!” The red tint on his cheeks and slight slur to his words told Genji the hunter had a few too many drinks.
“Yes Genji, sit and I will retell the tale of the wyvern and the toad!” Reinhardt’s loud voice boomed above the noisy tavern as he raised his glass high above his head.
“Thank you, Reinhardt, but I think I need to get Jesse home. It looks like he’s had too much.” Genji looked back to Jesse who was staring at him with a goofy smile.
With slurred words, Jesse replied, “Are you calling me drunk? You’ve had more than me.”
“And yet, I can still form a coherent sentence.”
“Man, becoming human didn’t even affect your alcohol tolerance. How’s that fair?” Jesse went to stand and wobbled a little. Genji reached out to steady him. Jesse placed a hand over his and smiled again to which Genji rolled his eyes.
“HAHAHA! Genji, you get him home safe, ya?” Reinhardt slapped a hand on Genji’s back and it nearly knocked him over.
“Will do, good night Reinhardt.” With Jesse in tow, he pulled the hunter through the crowd of dancers.
"Genji, let's have another dance!" Jesse began to try and pull him into a dancing pose but Genji laughed him off.
"Jesse, we've been dancing all night. It's time to head home."
"But I haven't even shown you my waltz."
"Then show me in the morning. If it's anything like your two-step, I'm going to need to practice."
As they broke the crowd of dancers, they spotted Gabe and Jack at the other end of the bar. They both turned towards them as Genji struggled to keep the gitty hunter from spinning him around.
“Genji, since when do you take drunks home?” Jack smirked into his pint while Jesse tried to straighten his walk.
“Going home, you two?” Gabe’s voice was clear with a light tone.
“It’s late, I figure I should put him to bed before he starts to sing.”
“I’m not that drunk.” Jesse tried to look serious but his unfocused eyes weren’t doing him any favors.
A dry laugh pasted Jack's lips, “That’s what you get for trying to go drink for drink with Reinhardt. I thought you taught him better than that, Gabe?”
It was Gabe’s turn to roll his eyes, “What time are you two leaving tomorrow?” His question was directed at Genji and not the wobbly drunk with his hat falling off his head.
“Not till noon. Though that might be pushed back depending on how bad his handover is.”
Both old hunters gave small laughs, “Then we’ll see you two tomorrow morning.” Gabe smiled at both of them, "And Jesse, don't give him too much trouble."
"Right, jefe." Jesse gave a wobbly smirk and two-finger salute as he hung off Genji's shoulder.
They wished the old hunters both a good night and started for the door. Jesse started whistling as they passed the bard and Genji knew he had to move fast before that turned into karaoke.
Before they reached the exit, they passed a table where a round of gambling was being played out.
“You two calling it a night already?” Brigitte looked away from her cards to see Jesse with his arm around Genji’s neck still whistling.
“Our friend here got a little overzealous with his drink. I figure it’s easier to put him to bed now before his feet stop working.”
“Aren’t you too leaving tomorrow?” It was Fareeha, Ana’s daughter, who asked the question. She was on the other side of the table and threw a coin into the pool.
“Yes. We’ve been in Santa Fe awhile now, it’s time for us to get moving.”
“A hunter’s work is never done.” Brigitte threw her cards down with a pout, “I fold.”
Fareeha smirked, “Damn Jesse, you look comfy hanging of Genji like that. You sure you’re not leaving us just to get some quick action?”
“It’s more action than you’re seeing.” Jesse stuck his tongue out at her while she responded with a rude hand gesture.
Again, Genji rolled his eyes, “And you call me childish. Come on, I can’t hold you up all night.”
“But we haven’t said goodnight to Ana yet.” Jesse sounded like a child whining.
“She’s already left, she walked up to you and said goodnight, remember?” Fareeha raised an eyebrow at him and smirked.
“No.” Jesse deadpanned.
Jesse’s heavy weight pulled on Genji's neck, “Jesse, we’ll see her in the morning. Let’s get home. Goodnight you two.”
“Goodnight.” Fareeha threw her hand down, “I win.” The table all moaned as she reached for the pool.
“Goodnight,” Brigitte smiled at them and reached for her pint, “Oh, and Happy New Year.”
“Happy New Year.” Genji replied as he turned them to the door.
Finally, they stepped out onto the streets of Santa Fe. It was warm here, so the New Year’s cold was nothing but a mild chill. It cooled them off from the alcohol's heat as they walked the streets with muffled sounds of New Year's celebrations coming from the many homes.
It was a short walk to the house they’d been staying in since their arrival in the small town. It was an old one-bedroom building Gabe had gifted Jesse long ago. It had a small kitchen with a small sitting room attached. An elevated wooden deck wrapped around the back. The bedroom had its own door and could fit a queen mattress. The furniture inside was sparse and unused. Jesse said it was the only thing he owned that he couldn't carry on his back.
Genji opened the house and walked to their bedroom. And, yes, it had become theirs. Since their arrival, this had been the home they came to each night. No inn or haystack in a barn, just their bed where they awoke each morning to one another.
Jesse landed heavily on his side of the bed and swung his legs onto the mattress. He spread his arms high above his head like a cat stretching. Meanwhile, Genji went to his feet and pulled off one of his boots. As he went for the other boot, he saw Jesse staring at him with a small grin, “What are you grinning at?” The goofy look on the hunter had his shoulders moving up and down in a quiet laugh.
“I don’t know, but I like it.”
That made Genji laugh harder as he threw Jesse’s boots out of the way, “Sit up, let’s get your jacket off.” Genji walked over to him and plucked his hat from his head. He placed it comfortably on his head and waited for Jesse to do as he said but the hunter didn’t move. He just kept staring at him, “Jesse? You hear me?”
“Yep.”
“And?”
“And I think I need help sitting up.”
Genji rolled his eyes for the third time that night, “How drunk are you?” But he bent down to grab the hunter's shoulders. Though he didn’t get far when Jesse’s hand wrapped around his neck and brought his head slowly to his. Their lips pushed together softly.
When they pulled apart Genji only moved a few inches away. Jesse’s eyes were shining and his smile was sinister, “I may have lied about needing help.”
“Really? I couldn’t tell” Genji could feel his cheeks ache from all the grinning he’d been doing today.
“Then I should try again.”
“Yes, you should.”
This time when Jesse pulled their lips together, the kiss was intense. Their mouths collided together in a way that sent heat to Genji’s face. Jesse’s warm tongue slipped across his teeth as it passed his lips. The hunter pulled at his lip gently with his teeth as Genji relished in the warmth of the other's mouth. He tasted like ale and cigar smoke, a familiar taste that made Genji’s head cloudy.
When they finally pulled apart, Genji’s lips felt slick and tingled. Though he wasn’t thinking much about it as he stared down and saw Jesse’s eyes glossed. The hunter was looking back at him quietly giggling.
The ridiculous sight had Genji backing away laughing with his palm to his forehead.
“Why are you laughing?” Jesse asked while laughing.
“Because you’re laughing! I’m going to get you some water and try to sober you up.”
When he got up to leave, Jesse suddenly sat up and wrapped his arms around Genji’s waist, “Or you can stay here and we can do that again.”
Still laughing Genji pried the other’s arms off him, “You don’t normally get this drunk, what happened?”
As he walked out the door to their small kitchen, he heard Jesse yell after him, “The damn German challenged me!”
Genji laughed some more as he pulled a glass and a jug of water from the cupboard. He stood alone in the kitchen as he poured the glass. An uneasy feeling took over him as he felt a set of eyes on him. He turned and scanned the room but saw nothing. Staying on his toes, he walked back to the room with the water in hand. As he approached the bedroom, he kept his eyes open for anything.
Jesse was quiet as he entered and he half expected the hunter to have felt the same uneasiness. But when he looked at Jesse, he was on his back snoring quietly. Despite his sudden unease, he spared the man a small smile as he placed the glass on the nightstand next to him and placed a small kiss on the hunter's brow. Then Genji took the hat off his head and placed it carefully on a coat hanger and pulled his short swords from under his pillow.
On deaf feet, he walked back out of the room. The feeling of being watched came back. Like a ghost's breath on the back of his neck, he could feel it. Though his eyes didn’t see anything, he knew someone was there.
Then, from the corner of his eyes he saw a small light. It came and went but he saw it. It was by the back door. With his blade still raised, he carefully tiptoed out the door but only made it halfway.
A figure sat on the porch looking out onto the empty scenery. Next to them was a low stand with a teapot and two cups resting on top. The light that caught Genji’s eye sprang and danced around him till it darted towards the figure. It ran into their hand where they clenched their fist and exchanged it.
Genji was still with shock, “Hanzo?”
His brother’s face turned towards him cast in moonlight, “Sit.” He gestured to the other side of the wooden stand.
Genji wasn't sure what to do. He hadn't seen his brother since their battle with the witch and he still felt a tension between them. But with little else to do, Genji moved forward and sat. He dangled his feet off the porch and looked out to the landscape. While he did this, Hanzo reached over and poured steaming tea into the cups, “What are you doing here?”
“Is that not obvious?” Hanzo glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow in a very "Are you being dumb?" expression.
Genji returned it with a slightly annoyed look, “Enlighten me.”
“Hump, it is New Years, is it not?” A warm sensation flowed into Genji as Hanzo handed him a cup, “I am here to uphold a tradition.” Hanzo raised his cup waiting for Genji to toast it.
The tradition of sharing a cup of tea with his brother on New Years had not been done since his exile. It was a tradition Genji thought long dead. Even now it felt strange to uphold the tradition when so much was different. The setting, the circumstances, even the two of them seemed so different from the brothers who once performed this yearly task. Yet the warmth from the teacup seeped pleasantly into his hands and the smell reminded him of a place he once called home. So much was different, yet there was something amazingly familiar about it all.
Genji raised his glass and tapped his brother, “To an eventful year, brother.”
“May the new one bring us a better fortune.”
With the tap of their glass, both sipped their tea. It was his favorite, gyokuro with lemon. It was something he could never find here and reminded him of cold winters under a kotatsu.
After a little while of sipping and enjoying the cool evening, Hanzo spoke, “So, does your company always get that drunk?” He looked sideways at Genji with a disapproving scowl. The sight made Genji giggle.
“No, tonight he took up a challenge he should have avoided.”
“Foolish.”
“Come now Hanzo, it’s New Years, a time for celebration. Are you going to tell me father didn’t drink his weight in sake?”
“Hardly, he was drinking with the Ishikari River spirit again. He was knocked out before the fireworks even ended.” Hanzo said it with a disapproving wave of his hand. The thought of it made Genji laugh. Their father always overindulged on New Years. Hanzo responded with a smile and spoke with an ounce of uncertainty, “Perhaps next year, I can convince him to join us.”
The humor in Genji dwindled. While he appreciated it, Genji doubted their father would want to make an appearance to see him, “I don’t think he’d want to come, Hanzo.”
“You may be surprised.” Hanzo’s white eyes looked to him fully and the two sat there a moment, still as the Santa Fe night. And for a moment, Genji thought he may have believed him.
Then Hanzo composed himself and raised his teacup to his lips, “So tell me about this companion of yours.” He sipped nonchalantly as he looked back out into the night.
“You want to hear about Jesse?” Genji didn’t buy that for a second.
“No, but I find people like to talk about the people they care about. Besides, I don’t see why you like this hunter so much. He wears a giant hat that looks ridiculous.”
“I like that hat!” Genji sipped more of his tea.
Hanzo whipped his head around to stare at him, “Please tell me you’re saying that to get under my skin.”
“If it makes you feel better, I look way better in it than him.”
Hanzo released a loud groan and Genji spilled laughter into the dark night. They spend the rest of the night talking about anything they could. Sitting side by side, sipping away at their tea.