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Christmas eve, an always chaotic time in the world, but for Lena Oxton in her little corner of King's Row, it was almost indescribable. The area, only a few years ago such a hot spot of chaos and sadness had been born anew, her time spent with the revived Overwatch clearing out the delinquents and criminals that would so often endanger ordinary citizens and, perhaps most importantly, destroy the holiday spirit.
Given that she had been living, breathing and saving this town since the first day she had thrown a punch, Lena knew more or less every secret place to find the most secretive of gifts, as well as a generous price for most of the vendors themselves. Which was how she managed to get a vinyl of "Looking for Freedom" for Reinhardt, an original and unopened copy of StarCraft 1 for Hana and a jar of artisanal peanut butter for Winston, something that before tonight she hadn't even known existed.
Yes, this was definitely her favorite time of the year, the sights, the sounds, the sheer feeling of joy that just couldn't be hidden by anything, even as a number of the people walking around expressed their misery at the generous blanket of snow that was covering the streets and falling from the roofs of the crammed together buildings. Even Lena, with her heightened metabolism and perpetually active and burning muscles had to admit that it was getting to be a little much.
"Bloody hell..." She said, fingers tightening in the fabric of her thick coat. "Bloody well colder than Satan's arsehole out here."
"Really?" That voice stopped her in her tracks, that amused lilt, the easy purr of each syllable... It was a voice that haunted the battlefield and, though she would never admit it to anyone at all, her dreams. She turned slowly, seeing that beautiful azure woman standing in the middle of the street like she wasn't one of the world's most wanted assassins, just an ordinary Frenchwoman out doing her Christmas shopping. Widowmaker smirked, the barest hint of teeth peeking through her full lips and glinting in the early evening light. "I don't even feel the cold."
"I... Wha..." Lena fumbled with the presents in her arms, Widow looking on in great amusement as she gently set each one on the bench next to her, making sure each one was secure and dry before turning with her finger pointed. "You! What're you doin' here then?"
"I am going for a coffee, that is not a crime in this country is it?"
"No... But if you're getting one maybe it bloody well should be!"
"Harassing people just going about their business..." Widow sighed to herself, draping an arm over her forehead. "That is not very noble of you is it, mon petit chiot?"
Lena held her finger aloft for a few moments longer, trying to find something to say before she realized, as much as she didn't want to admit it, that Widowmaker was right. While the two of them may be enemies on the battlefield, they were not on one tonight. Widowmaker was a guest in King's Row, and as strange as it may seem, it was Lena's duty to accommodate her.
"You..." She spoke through gritted teeth, her finger shaking as she lowered it slowly. "You're right. I'm not being very Christmassy right now, I'm sorry."
"Que? " Widow's eyebrow arched in surprise, clearly expecting more of a... Confrontation than she was getting. "I don't understand what is happening here."
"It's... Christmas. 's not a time for fightin' now is it?" Lena picked her presents back up, shuffling them until she felt comfortable with them. "So come on then, we're not shootin' each other tonight, yeah?"
"I assumed that you were perhaps normal off duty." The Frenchwoman sighed as she fell in step with Lena, keeping a few feet between them in case it turned out to be a trap. "As always, I gave you far too much credit."
"Oh shut it. Bloody Christmas miracle this one is..."
The two of them ended up crammed into a corner booth at a cafe which had underestimated how busy they would be on Christmas Eve. Hips jostled against the sniper’s shoulders where she sat, and if the venomous looks she was shooting to every person who did it were any indication, she was making a list of people to revisit later when she got back to base.
"So," Lena said, trying to defuse the tension, "What're you doin' out tonight? You come to kill Ol' Saint Nick himself?"
"There was a man named Timothy yesterday..." She craned her head up, wishing desperately that someone would come with her coffee already. "I don't have any standing orders for anyone named 'Nick'."
"Nah luv that was... A joke, do you really not know who Saint Nick is?" She frowned at the blank stare she received in return. "Santa Claus."
"Ah, the jolly fat man who infiltrates people's houses while they sleep with them being none the wiser." Widow nodded, sighing, "I have heard the story."
"He breaks in to leave presents luv, he's not a bloody serial killer! Ya don't have to make the whole holiday all morbid."
"I suppose." She leaned back, teeth almost baring when another set of hips brushed her. "It doesn't matter what I do, people will celebrate this holiday however they wish..."
"Yeah well that's..." Lena froze, staring in shock at the woman across from her who quickly became unnerved by the attention. "Wait... Are you sayin' that you don't celebrate Christmas?"
"Non, why would I?" She waved it away, shrugging despite what looked to be almost offense crossing Lena's face. "It is a religious holiday, something which does not interest me in the slightest, nor does the incessant playing of carols on the radio. As a whole it is merely a nuisance that I'm happy to see end."
"You what? " The pilot shot to her feet, ignoring the looks of shock as people turned her way. "Y'can't just not care about Christmas! It's 2077 luv, no one gives a good toss about the religious thing, they haven't for decades! It's just a wonderful time to get together and show how much you love each other, what's wrong with that?"
"This is... Something you are passionate about it seems."
"You're bloody right it is! I can't stand to see someone missing out on... On..." She walked around the table, grabbing Widowmaker's hand and pulling her to her feet. "Bugger this, I'm gonna show you what Christmas is about if it bloody kills me."
"Wait! My café!"
"I'll buy you another one later, this is too important!"
The door closed shut behind them, the other patrons taking a short break from their own conversations to stare off after them.
"Wasn't that Tracer?" One of the patrons asked a passing waitress.
"Yeah, she always gets into the spirit of the season a bit too much. Dunno who that bird was with her though..."
"Pretty fit."
The waitress looked through a window to the street, catching one last glimpse of the two women. She shuffled back behind the counter with a blush and a mumbled "Yep, she is."
Widow was too shocked to even grab her hand back as she was led through the streets, feet crunching through the snow and her hair jostling into her face. "Will you at least tell me where you are taking me?"
"It's a surprise luv, don't worry about it!"
"Surprises are never good, my career has reinforced that again and again!"
"Well tonight's not a work night, so you can just forget all about that advice!" Lena let go of Widow's hand, jumping up into the air and charging forwards. "We're here! Isn't it gorgeous?"
The snowfall had completely covered the ground, the trees in the park where they were now stood weighed down with white, branches almost dipping to the ground. For the first time in a long time, Widow was struck speechless. She had been around snow of course, she didn't sit in a hole all day when she wasn't killing someone, but she had never truly looked at it before. The endless sea of white, the way it glowed in the moonlight, so bright she had to shield her eyes from the glare.
"Mon Dieu... It's beautiful..." She slipped one of her leather gloves off, kneeling down and dipping her hand into that icy blanket. Even with what had been done to her body, the chill sent shocks through each digit, traveling up her arm and making her gasp. When she felt the cold spread through her hair and slip down the back of her coat, she shrieked, "Oh!" She shot her gaze over to Lena, standing with a blush and a very suspicious smirk. "You... You did not just..."
She ducked another snowball just in time, frost dusting over her shoulder as it whipped through her hair. Lena laughed at the top of her lungs while she scooped up another handful, turning just in time to catch a freezing ball right between the eyes. "Oh bloody fuck that's cold!"
"One shot, on- Merde! " The two women ducked and jumped away from each other, throwing and dodging snowballs left and right. It was amusing how quickly they started to act like they were on a battlefield, Widow throwing snow with the precision she was known for, whereas Lena settled for throwing as many as she could as often as she could, jumping and zipping around without a care in the world.
Somewhere in those minutes, without her even realizing it, Widow had started to grin, her blood racing the same way it did when bullets were whipping over her head and her finger was on the trigger. The world looked like it was in slow motion, her eyes capturing Lena like a photograph, her hair covering her eyes, snow dusting her blooming cheeks and melting on her lips, curved in such a bright smile it almost blinded her. It was a moment she would remember for years, that was so easily shattered once another snowball connected with her face.
"Aw come on!" Lena brushed the frost off her face, having fallen backwards down into the snow. "If you're that good how'm I not dead by now?"
"It would be a shame to waste such a fun distraction." Widow walked over, holding her hand out to the fallen woman. "I suspect the same reason is why I am still walking also."
"...Maybe." She huffed when she was pulled to her feet, brushing the rest of the powder from her back. "Never gonna tell though."
Widow waited for her to collect her presents once more before putting her hands out to the side, lazily shrugging and saying, "This was more enjoyable than I expected mon petit, but I fail to see what this has to do with Christmas. As I recall those monks live in snow year-round and do not engage in many... Festivities."
"Well you say that luv, but this was only phase one of my plan!" Lena grinned, taking Widow's hand once more and pulling her along, the woman only sighing instead of resisting.
"'Phase one'... You sound like the idiots at Talon."
"Another cafe? Truly? Was the first ruined experience not enough for you?"
"Oh don't be like that Widow..." Lena scratched the back of her neck, head ducked in embarrassment. "I promised I'd get you another drink, I'm not gonna forget that."
"So long as it is warm..." Widow shuddered as the wind swept over them again, the melted snow that had gone unnoticed by them before chilling them to the bone. "There are only so many limits that I can reach before I freeze solid."
The bell rung when the door opened, the two women entering and shrugging off their coats, heat instantly washing over them and bringing forth moans of contentment completely unprovoked.
"You go grab a seat luv, I'll take care of the drinks."
"But you do not even know how I like my coffee."
Lena fidgeted, shuffling from foot to foot. "Do you trust me?"
"Non. "
"Well... Um... Just trust me on this, yeah?" Lena actually batted her eyelashes. "Please?"
Widow rolled her eyes. "Fine, yes, I will trust you. Just please hurry. I'm cold."
Lena snorted, "Hi cold, I'm Le-"
"I have a gun."
"Righto."
She sat impassively, fingers drumming along the tabletop while she waited for her drink to arrive with her equally steamy... Date? Absolutely not, any word other than enemy was ridiculous. Though... "Frenemy" didn't sound that bad...
"Sorry I'm late! They had to open another bag of marshmallows!"
"Marshmallows? What monster would put those in..." She trailed off when the smell hit her, all cocoa and not a hint of coffee. "You said that you were going to get me another coffee."
"Nuh-uh, I said I was going to get you another drink. I fulfilled the promise." Lena pointed at the cup in front of her. "Come on, take a sip. Babe."
"Fine." Widow brought the cup to her lips, taking what she intended to be a brief sip, but which turned into so much more. The explosion on her tongue took her by complete surprise, a sip turning into a gulp before the liquid even touched the back of her tongue. The richest chocolate she had ever tasted washed over her tongue and coated each of her taste buds, her eyes opening wide from the sheer overwhelming power of the flavor.
"Looks like you're enjoyin' it luv." Lena chuckled, sipping at her own cup. "Same thing happened to me when I first tried it."
"I..." Widow said after swallowing, taking a moment to gather herself. "What is this? I have had chocolate before but..."
"Special recipe, they only bring it out on Christmas." Lena leaned in, whispering, "Don't let them hear this, but the first time I tasted it I actually started crying, that's how much I loved it."
"But... How..."
"No idea, they won't tell anyone what's in it. I think, and I might just be crazy here..." She ran a finger along the rim of her cup, looking thoughtful for a moment. "I think it has to do with the company you have at the moment. Just grabbing someone you like to see and sitting them down for a cup of hot chocolate... It doesn't matter how good the drink is, that'll improve just about anything. Does that sound crazy?"
"Yes." Widow took another sip, closing her eyes and groaning to herself. "But aside from sheer magic it is only one of two options that I can see right now."
"Aww. That might be the most indirectly sweet thing you've ever said to me." Lena leaned on her hands, smiling at the other woman. "Please, don't stop now."
"Oh please, do not make more of this than it is. I am simply enjoying a good drink, and you happen to be not as annoying tonight. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Uh-huh, sure thing Wids." She giggled, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. "By the way, you've got a mustache now."
"Que? " Widow swiped across her top lip, a thick layer of mallow coming off in its wake. "Non! You stop laughing!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry luv it's just..." Lena cackled, wiping tears from her eyes. "First time I've seen you look real cute you know? Every other time I see you you're doing that 'scary pretty' thing."
Widow scoffed with her cheeks still red from embarrassment, but she couldn't deny the way her heart skipped a beat at the confession. "I'm so happy that my humiliation improved my appearance in your eyes. What are we doing next then?"
"You... You actually want to go and do something else now?" Lena tilted her head in curiosity. "Are you sure?"
"This night hasn't been so monotonous as I thought it would, and I have to admit that I'm..." She scowled, like the words were sour in her mouth, "I'm having fun."
"Oh well that's great that you're enjoying yourself so much." Lena rolled her eyes, shoving the other woman's shoulder lightly. "C'mon Wid, smile a little, it's not a crime to admit that you're havin' a good time is it? Oh wait, you're a criminal, let me try something else." She tried as hard as she could to make her expression stern, finger pointing. "Only bad guys smile Widowmaker, Christmas is a time for true villains to come out and have fun!"
Widow felt herself cracking, the corners of her mouth twitching with effort as she tried to stop the grin from breaking through, the wiggling from Lena's own lips as she gradually lost her own battle with laughter pushing her completely over the edge. Widow dipped her head forward, shoulders shaking with laughter and a soft, dancing tune winding its way around the room. She laughed until she could feel tears beading at her eyes, her chest starting to ache and her breath coming in little hiccups. It had been a long time since she had laughed like this.
Lena looked on, momentarily stunned, she had been hoping for a smile, maybe even a chuckle, but this... She never could have anticipated this. "Beautiful..." The word slipped from her mouth unaided, her eyes shooting open in alarm and her hand shooting up to cover her mouth.
Widow, thankfully, didn't seem to notice, only just coming down from her laughing fit. "I'm sorry Lena I... Did you say something?"
Her mouth flapped open and closed for a few seconds, wondering if she should perhaps take a chance and actually say it again. "I... Nah luv, it's nothing. Just coughing you know."
"Alright..." Widow wiped another tear from her eye, still giggling, "Shall we get going then? I'm sure you have some other ridiculous plan cooked up for making me like this holiday."
"You bet your big blue behind I do!" Lena got to her feet, all but hauling Widowmaker to her feet and dragging her to the door. "We still have to do the most important thing, Christmas isn't complete without it!"
"I am not caroling, I do not care what you offer in return."
"What? Oh god no luv, I'd rather die than go out and sing. Nah, we're gonna go and do something way more fun!"
"Presents? Truly?" Widowmaker arched a perfect eyebrow at the woman next to her, who could hardly contain her excitement. "The moral of the holiday is consumerism?"
"Oh toss off with that." Lena waved her hand, eyes still sparkling at the shop in front of her. "People love getting gifts and they act like all of a sudden it's a bad thing that there's a big celebration 'round it."
"That is... Fair enough I suppose. I still don't know why you have brought me of all people along for this."
"Well duh, obviously it's because you need to pick some presents up! I'm sure even you have people that you care about."
Widow looked sideways at her, utterly incredulous at what she was suggesting. "You... Want to help me... Shop for Talon? "
"Well sure! It might make Reaper less depressing, and Sombra is... Not completely intolerable." Her face set in a very serious expression, her next words making Widowmaker laugh. "Doomfist can go fuck himself though."
"True enough. Shall we... Get this over with then?"
"Yeah sure, keep acting like you're not enjoying this. It's worked so well the last two times." The doors slid open, and suddenly they were met with a scene of absolute chaos. Mothers and fathers ran around in a frenzy, frantically picking up the last things they needed to keep their children happy, almost resorting to blows to secure whatever item it was they decided that they so desperately needed. Widow wore and expression of alarm, while Lena had a wide, near audacious grin.
"It's beautiful innit? Just one gigantic race to get that perfect gift, you versus everyone else." She linked her arms through Widow's, the sniper looking down and shaking her head with wide eyes. "Aw c'mon, it'll be fun!"
Without another word she threw them into the fray, instructing her to stop her if she saw anything that caught her eye. Widow barely heard her over the yelling and sounds of anger as Lena elbowed people out of the way, the two of them pushing further into the crowd and scanning each row of products.
"There!" Widow pointed over to the side, shoving a middle-aged woman out of the way and picking up a teddy bear dressed in a Christmas sweater.
"I'm guessing that's for Sombra." Lena chuckled, "Or Reaper is a way bigger softie than I thought he was."
"No, this would be a far better gift for him." She circled around the aisle, tripping up another woman who seemed to be going for the same product. "Much better."
Lena hummed in surprise at the sewing kit in her hands, half expecting Widow to start laughing, but she didn't. "Reaper sews?"
"He made this coat that I'm wearing."
"Wow..." Lena ran her hand along the arm of the fabric, marveling at the quality of the craftsmanship. Each stitch was perfect, not a single piece of fabric misaligned or blemished in anyway. She only snapped out of what she was doing when she looked up and saw Widow staring down at her, a faint blush dusting her cheeks and her lips slightly parted.
"Um..." Lena jumped off, brushing down her front and looking away. "Righto, sorry about that. Should we... Should we get going?"
She walked off without waiting for a reply, wincing to herself when she thought back to what she'd been doing. "Stupid..." She thought to herself, "Why are you being so stupid about all this?"
The two of them met up again at the counter, Lena stepping off to the side while Widow paid for her presents, both women suddenly feeling more than slightly awkward around each other. She pasted on a grin when the Frenchwoman approached, holding the door open and pushing another slow set of parents out of the way. "Goody! Should we get going then?"
"Yes I... That sounds good." She was cradling the bag close to her chest, like she didn't want Lena to see what she was carrying within. Strange, considering that she had picked out the gifts with her.
The two of them walked through the streets, and by the time Lena slid her key into the lock and pushed the door open she realized exactly what kind of mistake she had made. "Oh bloody hell..." She turned away from her apartment door, looking up at Widow who seemed... More or less passive, not any hint of calculation or any indications that she was going to think about this later. "Can you not tell anyone about this? I shouldn't have... But we needed to wrap the presents and..."
Widow placed a cool finger upon her lips, stopping her from speaking even if she had any brain power left to do so. "It is alright, I will not speak of this to anyone at all. You have... Been kind to me tonight, and I wish to reward that, however little I can."
Lena's heart started racing when Widow looked around, pushing her back into her apartment and closing the door behind her. "Alright Oxton, think fast, what could she be doing here?" Her thoughts were going a mile a minute, hoping for any answer to pop into her head but all of them continuing to allude her. "She can't be talking about what you think she's talking about could she? But she said 'reward', people only ever say that like that if they're gonna... Oh god!"
She closed her eyes, willing her hands to stop shaking before she was interrupted by the sound of a throat clearing. Her eyes shot open, expecting to see a sultry grin and not much else, but to her surprise Widow was... Blushing. And very much clothed. And holding something out to her.
"You gave me a chance when you walked off, so I looked around and... I hope you like it."
With gentle hands, Lena took the wrapped package from ones that were trembling ever so softly, lifted it towards her and slid a fingernail underneath a seam, not daring to rip even a single piece of the paper. She gasped when the gift came into view, the silver glint of the necklace catching the light through her window and shining bright. "Luv... This is... How did you get this?"
"It was the only one left." Widow looked away, her blush intensifying. "I might have broken someone’s nose to get to it."
"Ah, trust me, that's far from the worst that someone'll get hurt tonight." She slipped the necklace over her head, the metal cool to the touch against her chest. "So then... How do I look?"
"Radiant." The answer seemed to catch them both off guard, Widow surprised to find that she had been taking a step forward when she said it. For what purpose, she had no doubt in her mind. But she caught herself, looking up as she did and smirking to herself.
"Widow? What's..." Lena followed her gaze, feeling mortified once she saw what was hanging over both of their heads. "Oh bloody hell, I forgot the mistletoe... Look luv it's..."
"I am very aware of what tradition that is used for." She smiled even wider, her teeth glinting in the dim light. "Is that why you brought me here? To ensnare me in your little charming web?"
"Wot? No, no it's just... I dunno why I hung it up it's just..." Once more that finger found its way to her lips, sliding ever so slightly from side to side, feeling every little bump and scar she had gotten over the years. She watched transfixed as Widow's tongue darted out of her mouth, wetting her own lips before she spoke.
"Like I said before, you've been very calm to me tonight. And I think... That you deserve a reward for that." She pressed her lips softly to Lena's, the faint taste of chocolate still lingering on their lips, bags of gifts falling to the ground so they could grab hold of each other, coats being tossed aside, soon followed by shirts.
The sound of giggling was all that could be heard throughout the apartment, both from genuine happiness and complete disbelief that they were doing this at all. Widow pulled back, hand threading through Lena's hair and running down lower, across her cheek and down her neck, finally stopping where the necklace met her chest.
"It really suits you. A beautiful necklace, for a beautiful woman." She pecked Lena's nose. "There are no better sights."
Lena grinned wide, pulling Widow down onto her and wrapping her arms around her torso, pulling her in as tightly as she could, her smile clear even though Widow couldn't see her anymore.
"Merry Christmas Widow."