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Oasis is such a beautiful city. The most amazing city, for Hanzo, and for any scientist looking to expand their horizons and study. The lack of regulations, ethical and otherwise, is concerning to most people, but… that’s a moral debate he doesn’t care to get into. All he really knows is that, for now, life is good. He’s teaching at one of the most prestigious universities in the world, surrounded by people that match his intellect, and living in a beautiful city with a beautiful boyfriend. His brother is okay. Their past is behind them, they have everything they could ever want — life is going well.
It almost feels like it’s going too well. Genji would tell him he’s overthinking things again. And maybe he is; he’s known Jesse for a year and a few months, now, and he’s had this job for slightly longer. Why should he not be happy? Why shouldn’t he allow himself to be happy?
You know very well why.
“Sorry I’m late, Hon, I — Hanzo? What’s wrong?”
Not even a second after seeing me and he knows I’m being foolish. It makes him feel conflicted. Angry, that Jesse can tell his emotions no matter how stoic he thinks he’s being, but happy, too, that Jesse knows and loves him enough to know these things.
“Nothing is wrong, Jesse. I’m simply thinking.”
“Yeah, thinking what? I know how you get. Seriously, what’s wrong?”
This time, he laughs. “I’m happy that I have such an attentive boyfriend, who apparently knows my every thought and emotion. I’m sorry, I… Sometimes I think that life is going too well, and that I don’t deserve it. You know about my past. You know what I… what I did.” The Abu Hassoun Gardens are filled with sound; people going about their days, drones misting the plants, the sounds of the artificial tides. But for all that noise, there’s a silence between them.
It’s hardly the place for such a serious conversation. “I know what you had to do.” Jesse steps towards him, and takes his hands into his own. “And I know that Genji’s alive because of it.”
Sighing, Hanzo turns away from Jesse and looks out over the water. The desert sunset shines in his eyes and bounces on the waves. “I know. But come! Now is not the time to speak about this. For now, we take a romantic walk through the gardens. Like normal people.”
Jesse laughs, and Hanzo easily loops his arm around his. The matter isn’t forgotten; he knows that Jesse will want to talk about it more when they get home. But he also knows that Jesse will give him time. For now, the matter is set aside, and they’re just two boyfriends going on a date in a garden.
Not to mention, one of the most beautiful gardens in the world. The flowers are vibrant and aromatic; many of them genetically modified to be especially so. Even then, they’re stunning. As the sun sinks lower into the sky, some of them even start to glow. The garden and the people in it are soon bathed in the soft glow of flowers.
Jesse runs a constant commentary. “I still think science with almost no rules is creepy, but you gotta admit, this is gorgeous.”
Hanzo laughs. It’s rare for him to have any joy in sightseeing, let alone the free time to do so. Many of his days are spent in offices, labs, or lecture halls, and he loves his job; he loves mathematics, and he grew to love teaching, too, but… There’s nothing quite like this. “It is. Gorgeous, I mean.”
He’s not looking at the flowers.
His boyfriend’s hand in his, moonlight shining on his skin, flowers glowing like stars in a dark green sky. The feeling of lips on his.
Just two boyfriends on a romantic date.