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No one at the Overwatch base expected Lucio to have sleepless nights.
The Brazilian DJ always had a smile on his face and he was always happy.
Sometimes people forgot he had demons of the past.
That's why Jamison was shocked to find Lucio roaming the halls of the base at two o’clock in the morning.
Jamison himself had demons - everyone at Overwatch did. They kept him awake at night and kept him on his toes, paranoid that someone was after him.
The fears the Junker had were completely rational, caused by his past in the irradiated Australian Outback, where no one could be trusted and someone always wanted you dead.
The fears Lucio had were just as rational, however they were less known. He shared stories of his past with no one.
With one exception, that is.
Jamison hadn't been sleeping. He's never sleeping for more than a few hours at a time, scared of being found in a moment of weakness, scared of it all ending right there because he let his guard down.
Whenever the Australian couldn't sleep - which was almost always - he roamed the halls or sat down somewhere and tried to not think of his past.
It seemed Lucio had the same coping mechanism.
***
2:00 AM.
Lucio squinted his eyes as the time flashed across the screen of his clock.
He hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep and had decided that enough is enough.
What's the point of staying in bed if no sleeping is to be done?
He shifted his weight and placed his feet on the floor. The soft padding of his bare feet across the floor was the only sound in the entire base.
The metal door handle was cold when Lucio reached forwards and grasped it. He turned it slowly and pulled the door open silently, scared of waking any one else up.
No one else was awake and the hallways were silent. All the lights had been turned off so the DJ placed his right hand against the wall to keep himself oriented as he walked forwards.
With no destination in mind - he never seemed to have one when he wandered the base late at night - he somehow found himself in the empty cafeteria.
During the day, the cafeteria seemed welcoming, sunlight always streaming through the windows and someone was always sitting at one of the circular tables.
However, during the early hours of the morning, the cafeteria seemed cold and uninviting. Moonlight poured through the large windows and pooled on the floor, dousing some parts of the grey linoleum in natural light.
The room was the perfect spot for Lucio to spend his sleepless night.
He lowered himself to the ground and sat down. Brown eyes gazed out the windows and looked at the stars splattered across the night sky.
He needed something to distract himself from the painful memories of the past so he starting counting the stars.
After having to restart multiple times because he lost count or forgot if he had counted one already, Lucio started to become less and less aware of his surroundings.
In fact, he became so unaware, he didn’t hear the thumps and tinks coming down the hall from someone who obviously had an uneven gait.
Lucio didn't notice the person enter the room; didn't feel their eyes on his back as they wondered why he was there; didn't hear them walk up close behind him.
However, Lucio did feel the metal hand that was placed on his shoulder.
The interaction startled Lucio so much a yelp escaped his mouth and he jumped.
“Oi, mate, ‘s only me,” the stranger said, plopping down next to the scared Brazilian.
“Why are you awake, Jamison?” Lucio asked, calming himself down enough to turn and look at the man beside him.
“Could ask the same to you, Heatfrog,” Jamison said, using the nickname he donned upon Lucio the moment they met. His hand was still on Lucio’s shoulder. “Couldn't sleep. Haven't been sleepin’ much lately, if I’m bein’ honest,” he added quietly, as if it was an afterthought he didn't want anyone to hear.
“Why is that?” Lucio asked, genuinely curious as to why the Junker hasn't been sleeping.
Jamison gave Lucio a quizzical look. “I’m assumin’ the same reason you’re up, mate. Got some memories you’re runnin’ from.”
Lucio was baffled. “H-how did you know that?”
A shrill laugh escaped Jamison’s lips, “everyone’s got memories, Heatfrog. Some aren’t as bad as others. Some keep people awake at night.”
The DJ turned his head and looked outside the window again, however this time he abandoned the idea of counting stars.
“I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Yes.”
The metal hand on Lucio’s shoulder retreated and moved back into Jamison’s lap.
Jamison laughed under his breath, silently at first but it gradually became louder.
“W-what are you laughing at?” Lucio stammered, confused and slightly embarrassed, “what did I do?”
“You didn’t do anythin’,” he muttered, his laughter abruptly cutting off. “Jus’ laughin’ at how I feel compelled to tell you everything.”
“I- what?”
“You asked why I was awake. Do you want me to tell you?”
Lucio was taken aback. Did he really want to know the terrors that kept this man from sleeping? Did he really want to know the demons haunting him so badly he can’t sleep?
“If you want.”
“Here’s the deal, though.” Of course there was a catch. “I tell you, you tell me. Deal?”
The hesitation in Lucio’s voice was prominent, “sure. Deal.”
“Back in the Outback,” the man started, looking out the window, “things weren’t good. Whole place was irradiated. There was always at least one person hunting you who wanted you dead. People were always looking for a body to loot, didn’ matter if they was dead or alive, as long as there was a possibility they had water or food on ‘em. Couldn’t sleep for more than an hour or so or else someone would come up an’ slit your throat.”
Lucio raised his eyebrows, never knowing what actually happened in the Outback after the Omniums had exploded.
“That’s why I’m not sleepin’. It’s a habit. I took a quick catnap for an hour and now I can’t sleep any more. Your turn.”
The Brazilian breathed in and breathed out. He had never shared his demons with anyone before, and he certainly did not think the first person he would be sharing them with would be none other than Jamison Fawkes.
“Vishkar had wanted to take over my town. They enforced so many rules. So many punishments for those who didn’t conform. I had to watch my people get hurt and I couldn’t do anything about it. Well, I ended up doing something anyways. One night, I snuck out after curfew and stole Vishkar technology to use it against them. They obviously were not happy about that, so they started an uproar. They demanded to know who took the technology but they didn’t give me any time to confess. I would have, too, but they didn’t care who actually took it; all they cared about was punishing everyone. My people were angry. They fought back. I was so proud and they were doing so well. But Vishkar was bigger and more powerful than we had originally thought. Guards were sent out and pushed the crowds back while the other members set fire to buildings, not caring that there were still people trapped inside. I’ll never forget the screams.”
Jamison placed his hand back on Lucio’s shoulder. “You don’t have to tell me anymore. I shouldn’t have asked anyways.”
Lucio shook his head. He hadn’t spoken about these ever, and he figured he probably should. Tears started forming in his eyes as he continued his story. “Vishkar killed many people that day. Buildings collapsed onto people, the fires spread, the guards shot anyone they wanted. All so Vishkar could have their way. I'll never forget that day,” he said. “My entire family was at home when the buildings started collapsing,” he added in a quiet voice.
The man moved his metal hand from Lucio’s shoulder to Lucio’s hand. He laced their fingers together and squeezed, hoping it was a comforting gesture.
A small, sad smile formed on Lucio’s lips as he wiped his tears away. He turned to look at Jamison and thanked him.
Jamison was baffled. “Why’re you thankin’ me, mate?”
“You're the first person I told that to. Thank you for not being mean or rude.”
It was a blur of blond hair when Jamison shook his head. “Don't thank me for that. Do you always have sleepless nights?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Not always. Sometimes they're not bad but sometimes, like tonight, I can't sleep at all. I'm assuming you just sleep for an hour or so each night?”
“Yup.”
“It's been nice talking to you. Maybe we should do this again when neither of us can sleep.”
Jamison seemed ecstatic at that. “Sure!”
Lucio laughed softly. “You know where my room is, right? I've got a bunch of old movies that we can watch on nights like this.”
“Should we watch one now?”
“Why not?”
The two men walked towards the shorter of the two’s room. Lucio set up the television while Jamison picked a movie.
He decided on an old Western movie that Jesse had given Lucio.
Lucio went and sat next to Jamison on the bed, their biceps touching.
Halfway through the movie, Lucio rested his head on Jamison’s shoulder.
In response, Jamison wrapped his arm around Lucio and pulled him closer.
In a matter of minutes, Lucio was asleep, curled up against Jamison.
Jamison found the sight cute. He turned off the television and smiled down at Lucio.
Eventually, Jamison himself fell asleep.
It was the longest Jamison had ever slept.
When he awoke, he was surprised to find that he had fallen asleep, but even more surprised to see Lucio’s arms wrapped around him with his head on his chest.
Later in the morning, when both were awake, they made an agreement.
No matter the time, the reason, anything, if one of them couldn't sleep, he was always welcome to join the other in his room.
In a matter of weeks, Jamison had abandoned his room and slept in Lucio’s every night.
The two of them slept the best when their legs were tangled together and their arms were wrapped around the other.
They slept best when their cheeks were flushed and their lips were pressed together.
They slept best when the other whispered sweet nothings into the other’s ear.
They slept best when they told each other they loved him.