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“Pharah, I can’t lock-on to you. Can you step over to the edge?”
Mercy was part of a small team overlooking an envoy carrying medical supplies to a hospital in southern Portugal. The hospital itself was secure, but it wasn’t the first time they had requested this particular shipment of supplies. Each previous shipment had met the same fate, stolen by a band of armed thieves. The newly reformed Overwatch was hired to provide protection until the supplies were safely unloaded at the hospital.
The team, Winston, Tracer, Mercy, and Pharah were almost done with the mission. The usual thieves made their appearance halfway through the escort, but a few warning shots from Pharah’s rocket launcher sent them running off. Now, the only thing left to do was wait until the hospital staff finished unloading everything.
Mercy found herself staring off at nothing in particular. At least, that’s what she told herself every time her eyes drifted to Pharah’s form perched on top of the hospital. With the recall, a mix of old and new faces joined the ranks. Pharah’s, in particular, had caught her attention. Much like now, Mercy couldn’t keep her eyes off her. She would have liked to have a closer relationship with her, be it friends or something more, but they had never talked much to each other and they kept different schedules and –
“Whatcha lookin’ at?” Tracer asked, effectively dragging Mercy out of her thoughts. She wore a grin that let Mercy know that she knew exactly what she was looking at, or rather who.
“There seem to be some interesting birds in the area. I think I saw a couple of wagtails and a black kite,” Mercy said. She was avoiding any and all eye contact with Tracer while her cheeks grew hotter by the second.
Tracer nodded along. “Sure, sure. But I think the blue one with the rocket launcher is the most interesting one here. Rumor has it, a certain doctor thinks she’s pretty fit.”
Oh god. She definitely caught me, Mercy thought. She tried not to stumble through her words when she replied, “Well, you’re not wrong.”
“So, you admit to having a crush on her?” Tracer asked, an eyebrow raised in surprise. She didn’t expect to get an admission so fast.
“I’d call it a healthy fascination,” Mercy said. She didn’t want to call it a crush even if that’s exactly what it was.
“Have you talked to her yet?”
Mercy shook her head no. “We’re never really free at the same time and I’m not her primary physician and –”
Tracer interrupted her again. “Why don’t you guardian angel up to her and say hi? Neither of you look busy at the moment. Me and Winston have surveillance duty covered, right big guy?”
Winston quickly disposed of the banana flavored peanut butter he was eating while he thought no one was looking. He pushed up his glasses a few times before he replied, “Uh, right. We’ve got things covered.”
“I don’t think,” Mercy started. She was going to protest Tracer’s idea, but, at the moment, they really weren’t doing much of anything. The thieves were taken care of a while ago and nobody needed any medical attention. There really wouldn’t be any harm in going up to say hello. “Alright, I will.”
From her position, she tried to lock-on to Pharah with her sensors, but the woman was just a tad too far to glide to. Mercy asked her to step closer to the edge through their coms. Pharah sidestepped to the wrong edge.
“Ah, that’s not… Could you step closer to the edge that I’m standing in front of?” Mercy hit her location indicator to make things clear. Pharah stood still for a moment before she backed up completely out of her view. Maybe she doesn’t want any company.
It didn’t take long for Pharah to peek over the correct edge, this time wearing a grin similar to Tracer’s earlier one. Mercy noticed it when she had safely made it to the roof. She was messing with me.
“To what do I owe the visit, doctor?” Pharah asked. She still wore the grin, her eyes shining with amusement.
“For starters, call me Mercy. Doctor is a bit formal, unless you’d like for me to call you rocket launcher woman. That can be arranged. And when we’re not on missions, please, call me Angela,” Mercy said.
“First name basis already? I’m charmed.” Pharah smiled wide before she said, “Although rocket launcher woman has a certain ring to it. RLW for short maybe?”
“I’ll be sure to have it printed on a t-shirt for you.”
Standing on top of the roof with Pharah was thrilling. The hospital was six stories tall. Looking down, Mercy could feel her stomach drop in warning, telling her that falling wouldn’t be the best idea. Except, consciously, she knew that if she were to leap off the edge, she’d glide down safely to the ground. It was a tempting thought. Perhaps she could glide halfway down and then rubber-band back up to Pharah. Maybe see if she could –
“You thinking about diving over the edge?” Pharah asked. She was kneeling, watching the activity down below with interest.
“I wouldn’t exactly call it diving, but, yes, the thought did occur,” Mercy said. Gliding had always been one of her favorite features of the Valkyrie suit. It had been a while since she had the opportunity to do so, at least from anywhere higher than a few feet. “It’d be the most convenient way for me to get off the roof.”
“Sometimes, when I’m flying in the Raptora, I cut the thrusters and freefall for a bit. That sinking feeling I get in the pit of my stomach is… terrifying and exhilarating,” Pharah said. Just thinking about it sent tingles through her limbs. “It’s like breaking through the water’s surface after you’ve been under for too long. Except, the feeling lasts the whole fall instead of just a few moments.”
Mercy knew exactly what she was talking about. She could picture it, Pharah freefalling until the last second before using her suit’s thrusters to land safely on the ground. She’d probably take off her helmet wearing the biggest smile she could muster. The thought brought a smile of her own to her lips. She’d love to see Pharah so happy.
“I can imagine that’d you’d experience the same thing if you glided from high enough,” Pharah continued. “It’d be quite the site, seeing you glide down in your Valkyrie suit, wings spread. You had me thinking you were a literal angel just from your glide up here alone.”
Mercy bit her bottom lip, attempting to keep her smile from growing wider and stop the flush she was sure had painted her cheeks red by now. Normally she’d have a thing or two to say to anyone commenting on her angel motif. It happened often enough to be more than a little annoying. But what Pharah said made her heart race and her palms sweaty.
Tracer piped up through the coms before Mercy had a chance to answer. “Pharah, Mercy, everything’s unloaded. I’ll be bringing the transport ship up to the roof to pick up you two lovebirds in a minute. Sit tight, alright?”
Both Pharah and Mercy found it hard to look at the other after Tracer’s comment. The roof suddenly the most interesting thing in the world.
When the transport ship hovered near them, the two quickly boarded it. They had to put up with Lena’s quips over the coms the entire return trip to the Gibraltar base.
The day after the mission was a free day for the Portugal escort team. Lena zipped off base as soon as she could to meet up with her girlfriend. Winston shut himself in his lab to work on a personal project, something to do with diet peanut butter. Angela had plans to cook rösti. One of the new recruits, Hana, had requested it from her earlier that morning. As for Fareeha, Angela wasn’t sure what she had planned for the day. She had hoped that they could spend some time together as they had hit it off pretty well the day before. It was a little disappointing to think that they’d go right back to acting as strangers.
Angela headed for the kitchen dressed casually in jeans, a loose-fitting tank top, and… bunny slippers. They were a gift from Hana and were probably the most comfortable pair of shoes she owned.
I’m pretty sure I spotted salt, pepper, and vegetable oil the other day and I know we have a skillet. Just need to check for potatoes. Angela searched through the bottom cupboards, then the top ones. She went through all the drawers and checked through everything in the fridge. She even opened up the dishwasher just to cover her bases. “Looks like we’re all out.”
“What are we all out of?” Fareeha asked. She stepped through the kitchen doors, dressed casually in shorts, a fitted muscle shirt, a jacket, and combat boots.
Angela braced herself against the nearest counter. And here I thought we wouldn’t even bump into each other today, she thought. She’d be blind not to find Fareeha attractive, but she wasn’t prepared for this. The Raptora suit had, coincidentally, been the only thing Angela ever saw the other woman dressed in on base. “Potatoes,” she finally answered.
Fareeha frowned. “That’s no good. Hana asked me this morning if I could make sanyet batates, which I need potatoes for. I found my mother’s old recipe and wanted to try it out.”
Hana asked Fareeha for a potato dish as well? Does the girl love potatoes or something? Did she know they were all out of them? Was she –
“…the store with me?”
Huh? Angela blinked out of her thoughts. Fareeha had said something and she was thinking too much to catch it. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“Do you want to come to the store with me? We both need potatoes and I would love some company,” Fareeha said.
“Absolutely! We can go right now if you’d like,” Angela replied.
“Sure, we could leave now, but maybe you’d want to change out of your bunny slippers first,” Fareeha said, looking down at Angela’s feet. “They’re cute if you are planning on wearing them out.”
Angela did not end up wearing them out. She swapped them with a pair of tennis shoes after she practically fled the kitchen. She met back up with Fareeha after the switch and together they took a hovercar into town, stopping at the nearest grocery store.
They made a beeline for the produce section, eager to grab some potatoes and be done with it. Except, in the spot where they were supposed to be, there was nothing. A price tag was all that remained.
Angela looked at the scene in mild surprise. “That’s weird. I don’t think it’s a holiday, so why are they all gone?”
Fareeha shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe someone else had urgent potato needs as well? We could try another store.”
They tried the next nearest store, and the next one, and a few more after that until they finally ended up at a farmer’s market half an hour away from the base. If they had any luck at the beginning of their journey, it had decidedly run dry before they even began. All the potatoes from the first grocery store and every subsequent one after were gone. Even at the farmer’s market, there were none to be found.
“I have a gut feeling that this isn’t a coincidence,” Angela said. She was tired and more than a little annoyed that every store and even the damn farmer’s market were all out of potatoes on the same day. Her stomach rumbled loudly.
“I think your gut’s also telling you that you’re hungry.” Fareeha tried not to laugh when Angela suddenly looked away from her, crossing her arms. Cute.
So maybe she was a little hungry and it may have been a contributing factor to her low mood. And it was maybe a little embarrassing that her crush-not-a-crush noticed her stomach grumbling even though getting hungry was a natural biological response to not eating.
“Come on,” Fareeha said, pointing towards the waterfront restaurants down from the market. “Let’s grab some lunch. I’m hungry too.” She offered her arm for Angela to take as they headed towards the wafting food smells.
“Anything, in particular, you’re in the mood to eat?” Fareeha asked as she scanned the strip of restaurants bordering the shoreline.
Angela gripped tighter onto Fareeha’s bicep. She was decidedly not thinking about food, but, she didn’t want to be too forward and blurt out her gutter thoughts. So, she trained her eyes along the restaurant strip until she found one with a giant fish wearing a top hat. “That one looks interesting,” she said, pointing to the one that caught her interest.
“That’s a pretty popular spot. Let’s hope they have space for us.”
They walked, still arm in arm, to the restaurant and were greeted by a host when they arrived. “Hello, welcome to Mr. Fish’s Seafood Delight,” the host started. He noticed their arms linked together and smiled brightly. “We’re pretty packed at the moment, but we do have a couple’s table open.”
Before Angela could get a word in about how they decidedly weren’t a couple, at least not yet, Fareeha pulled her closer and said, “Angela and I have been engaged for just over six months. We’re probably the most in love couple in Gibraltar, right honey?”
Angela stared at her supposed fiancée with her mouth hanging open. “Ja,” she finally said. “Most in love couple in Gibraltar.”
“That’s wonderful! Let me just snag a couple’s menu and we’ll be off to your table.” The host grabbed two pairs of silverware and a couple’s menu and led them all the way to the back deck of the restaurant. Their table had a beautiful view of the shoreline and was tucked away from the rest of the patrons. It was intimate.
“And here we are,” the host said as he set down the menu and silverware. “Your server’s name is Jessica and she’ll be right with you in a moment.”
Fareeha and Angela sat down at their table after he left and spread open the menu so that they could both look over it. True to its name, the couple’s menu was filled with nothing but discounted entrée and dessert combos for couples. They spent a few minutes going over everything before Fareeha asked, “So, which one of these couple’s delights will we be dining on today?”
Angela rolled her eyes playfully. “Well, dear, I’ve been craving something fried since Hana asked me for rösti. If you don’t mind, the fish n’ chips looks perfect.”
“Alright, babe, but I think it’s fair that I pick the dessert,” Fareeha started. She pretended to look through the desserts before she dramatically pointed to the cheesecake. “I think this giant slice of strawberry cheesecake will hit the spot, yes?”
“That’s perfectly fine with me, apple tea.”
The “couple” stared at each other before breaking out into full smiles and hearty laughter. Fareeha wiped a tear from her eye and said, “Apple tea? I’ve never heard that one before.”
“I was running out of different endearments to say. It just kind of slipped out,” Angela said trying to defend her choice. “Besides, apples are sweet, and tea is just great.”
Fareeha went along with it. “Okay, if I’m apple tea, then what kind of tea are you?”
“I’d be orange blossom tea of course. Sweet, subtle, and delicious.” Angela smirked at the last part.
Fareeha was going to comment on the delicious part, but their server, Jessica, arrived to take their order. Once it was placed, the two made small talk about anything they could think of, the ocean, seafood, colors, eggs.
Their food arrived around twenty minutes later, fresh off the grill and crisped to perfection. They scarfed it down quickly enough, pausing their conversation to fill their stomachs. When it came time for dessert, Fareeha spooned a piece off and held it out for Angela.
“Say ah,” she said, holding the spoon close to Angela’s mouth.
Angela backed up from it, blush visible on her cheeks. “You don’t have to feed me dessert.”
The spoon didn’t budge. “Nonsense, we’re sitting at a couple’s table enjoying a couple’s meal. It’s practically expected of us to feed each other dessert. What if Jessica comes back and notices us using our own spoons? We’d get booted out for fraud.”
Angela couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s probably what they do with all the fraud couples, just throw them out if they don’t share dessert.” She picked up her own spoon to sink into the cheesecake and held it out for Fareeha. “Let’s not disappoint Jessica then.”
They finished up their meal with the cheesecake, taking turns feeding it to each other. It was fun, and, by the end of it, they were a giggling mess. To anyone passing by, they looked the perfect couple.
When dessert was finished, and the bill was paid, Angela and Fareeha walked back to the hovercar. Halfway through, it started pouring. Neither of them had an umbrella.
“Damn,” Angela said, arms crossed to help retain the warmth getting sapped from the rain. “I didn’t think to check the weather today.”
Fareeha took off her jacket and held it over them. It didn’t block out all the water, but it gave them enough cover to make a break for the car. They jogged together the rest of the way, the doors opening for them automatically when they reached a close enough proximity.
They clambered into their seats, visibly relieved to be out of the rain. Fareeha started up the car. At least, she tried to.
“Shit, looks like we’re out of fuel. That shouldn’t be a problem since there’re solar panels unless…” Fareeha trailed off. She extracted the hovercar id onto her phone and sighed when she recognized the number. “I’m sorry, Angela. I forgot that this one had busted solar panels.”
Angela waved her off. “Don’t worry about it. At least we’re not in the rain anymore. We can just call Athena to send help.” She contacted Overwatch’s AI and put in a help request. Athena responded that someone would be by in roughly half an hour with fuel packs.
They sat in silence after that, the only sound being the rain pelting against the windows.
“You know,” Fareeha started after a while. “Even though we didn’t get any potatoes, I’m glad we hung out today. We got on so well yesterday and I…” She paused. The feeling of her throat clenched tight kept her words at bay, made it feel like she was going to burn up any second. “I was scared that even though we both had the day off, we wouldn’t run into each other, that yesterday would just be a one-time thing. I didn’t think we were close enough that’d you’d be happy with me stopping by your quarters unexpectedly.”
Angela looked at her sympathetically. Of course Fareeha felt the same way. “Fareeha… I’m more than happy to spend time with you. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“I know that now. But, at the start of the recall and even before that, it was hard for me to even think about saying say hi. I didn’t think you’d be interested.” It was nerve-wracking, spilling her insecurities out in the open.
Fareeha never had any problems talking to women before. She knew she was attractive. She could talk about the phone book and still end up with a date. But Angela… She had been crushing on her since she was twenty-five. Whatever confidence she held in herself dwindled whenever they were in the same room. Looking back on it, she felt more than a little silly.
Just tell her. Just tell her! Angela was certain at this point that her crush wasn’t one-sided. “Fareeha, I –”
A tap on the driver’s side window caught their attention.
“Heya loves!” Lena sat outside on a hovercycle wearing a yellow rain poncho.
What is she doing here? Angela thought Lena was supposed to be out all day visiting her girlfriend.
“A little birdy told me you two were stranded out here with no hope of ever returning to base,” Lena said, her face pressed against the window. The goggles she wore had fogged over from being pushed up against her skin so tight. “Luckily, I happened to be in the area and picked up some fuel packs.” She pointed towards the fuel cap lock on the dash. “Could you pop that open for me, love?”
Fareeha popped open the fuel cap and Lena shoved some packs in before slamming it shut. “That should do it. See you two on base, yeah?” She sped off into the pouring rain, leaving Angela and Fareeha alone once more.
“You were saying something?” Fareeha asked. She successfully started up the hovercar and they were now heading back to base.
Angela fiddled with her wet bangs, debating whether or not she should go through with her confession. The mood from earlier had gone. She certainly wasn’t feeling as brave. “I…” I really like you. “Lost my train of thought. Sorry.”
They returned back to base and went their separate ways to shower and change out of their damp clothes. On the way to her quarters, Angela was flagged down by Hana.
“Hey! How’d your date go?” Hana jogged over to her smiling like she knew something.
Date. A date with Fareeha. That’s exactly how her day ended up. Well, that’s what it felt like. But how did Hana know about that? “How did… It wasn’t…” The more Angela tried to say, well, anything, the bigger Hana’s smile grew.
“Aww, your face is all red. Did you two confess your undying love for each other?”
Angela wanted to melt into the floor. Anything to escape the conversation. Hana was only nineteen, yet she had her, a grown woman of thirty-seven, flailing for a response. “Did you even want rösti this morning?”
“Of course,” Hana replied. “Too bad you didn’t pick up any potatoes. I was looking forward to it.”
A loud noise reverberated through the hallway from a storage room at the end. Lena was the apparent source. “Bollocks! Hana why’d you put all the potatoes in this closet? Some of us actually use it for non-starch related things.”
Hana nervously scratched the back of her head. She couldn’t hear everything Lena said, but she knew exactly what was in that closet. “I’ll catch you later, Angela,” she said as she sped off to help Lena.
Angela didn’t bother to investigate. She was just relieved to be done embarrassing herself. I think I’m just going to call it a day, she thought as she headed to her quarters to finally get out of her wet clothes.
Just as expected, the following days, Angela and Fareeha went back to their duties. Although, this time, they made an effort to not be strangers. Fareeha would stop by the med bay during her breaks to make small talk, catch up on their day, or just flirt. Angela would do the same with her free time, visiting Fareeha at the workshop or at her office. To anyone with eyeballs, they looked to be dating.
Okay, today’s the day you ask her out, Fareeha thought to herself. She had another day off and she was planning on taking Angela somewhere. Angela also had the day off, but that was only because she traded with someone else in the medical department. The only problem was that Fareeha had no idea where to take her.
They already kind of went on a food date and she wasn’t sure if Angela was into hiking. She was in the middle of looking up “date spots in Gibraltar” when Lena piped up from behind her.
“Oooh, you finally going on a date with Angela?” Lena asked.
Fareeha was taken by surprise. She almost dropped her phone. “Lena! Where did you come from?”
Lena laughed with her signature cheer. “Sorry about that, love. Guess I got a little excited about your date. You are taking Angela out, right?”
“That’s the plan, but… I have no idea where to go. Got any suggestions?”
“Do I ever! Sit tight for a bit, I’ll be back in a jiffy.” Lena blinked out of sight and came back a minute later with a bag. She held it out for Fareeha to take.
“Duck pellets?”
“Yup! I’ve dropped the GPS coordinates of this great little pond to your phone. Take Angela there and you might end up married.”
Fareeha almost dropped her phone, again. Married to Angela? The thought made her knees weak. “Maybe one day.”
Lena shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She blinked away from Fareeha, waving bye just before she was out of sight.
Looks like we’re going to feed some ducks, but first…
Fareeha headed towards Angela’s quarters and knocked when she arrived at her door. She heard a loud thump and a few curses before the door opened revealing Angela and her disheveled hair. She looked like she just got up.
“Sorry, did I just wake you up?”
“No, no. I was up since an hour ago,” Angela said, stretching the truth. She had already been up, but it had only been ten minutes. “What can I help you with?”
“I was just about to go make breakfast. Care to join me?”
“Yes, of course. Just give me ten minutes to get ready and I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
True to her word, Angela met Fareeha in the kitchen ten minutes later. She looked decidedly more put together with her hair brushed into her signature ponytail and wearing a flower-patterned sundress. She smiled when she spotted Fareeha dipping slices of bread in a bowl.
“Are you making French toast?” Angela asked.
Fareeha nodded her head. “I used to have this all the time growing up. I’d drizzle too much syrup on top and get sick.” She dropped the soaked bread onto the already heated griddle and waited for them to cook through.
“That reminds me of my time working as a resident in the emergency room,” Angela began. She sat down at the small table nearby, watching Fareeha cook breakfast. “Kids would come in with what ultimately boiled down to a tummy ache. I’d have to treat them with a good scolding.”
Fareeha brought out sliced fruit and powdered sugar to spread over the French toast when they were done. “My mother wouldn’t bring me to the emergency room even if I broke my ankle. She’d just patch it up herself.” She brought two loaded plates to the table, placing one in front of Angela and the other in front of herself. A bottle of maple syrup sat wedged between them. “I’ll give her credit, she never scolded me for it. Just asked me to be more careful.”
The maple syrup was used generously between the two of them, their breakfast downed in a matter of minutes. Angela helped with the clean-up and sat back down at the table with Fareeha when they were finished. “Do you want to go do something today?” she asked.
“Yes, but… I was hoping we could make it a date,” Fareeha said. If she was nervous, she tried to not let it show, putting on a charming smile instead. “Will you go out with me, Angela?”
Me and Fareeha? Together on a date? Angela took deep breaths, finally squeaking out an affirmation when she had finished her mental fist pumps. “I’d love to go on a date with you. Well, as long as it’s not hiking.”
Fareeha did her own mental fist pumps, thanking the stars that Lena had given her the duck pellets earlier. “Ah, you’re in luck then. We’re definitely not going hiking.”
The address that Lena gave sent Fareeha and Angela practically to the middle of nowhere. For a few fleeting moments, Angela really was scared that they might end up hiking. Eventually, the trees gave way to grassy lowland surrounding the biggest “great little pond” they’ve ever seen.
Even from a distance they could see the sheer amount of ducks dotting the surface of the lake. Angela couldn’t keep her eyes off the scene. Beautiful.
Fareeha was in a similar situation. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the beautiful woman sitting in the passenger’s seat. The sunlight shining through the window warmed her smile and glinted off her eyes, making them appear absolutely radiant. It was a good thing the hovercar was on autopilot.
“Fareeha, this is wonderful,” Angela said once they exited the car. The ducks were wary of their presence, but a few bravely waddled over to investigate.
“Here, try feeding them this,” Fareeha said handing the duck pellets to Angela.
Angela eagerly accepted the bag and threw out a handful for the inquisitive ducks to try. “You know, I actually wanted to be a veterinarian when I was younger. But the university that I applied to would only accept me for the medical school track.” The ducks scrambled around for the gifted food once they realized what it was. A few of them butted heads in the frenzy. “They said that they weren’t accepting anyone else for veterinary medicine but that they would be honored to have me join the school of medicine. I accepted, of course, but I still studied animal health in my free time. For example, I’m glad we have duck pellets for these guys. It’s a lot healthier for them than bread.”
Guess I have to thank Lena later. Fareeha squatted down to look closer at the ducks nipping excitedly at the ground. “I’ve actually never fed ducks before. I was afraid they’d surround me and peck at me until I gave them all that I had. But, they look to be happy enough eating away from us.”
Angela handed Fareeha the bag and encouraged her to feed the ducks herself. “They don’t seem to have regular contact with humans or omnics, so I don’t think they’d crowd you for food.”
Fareeha threw a generous portion of the pellets for the scavenging ducks. More had come by once they had seen the commotion from earlier. They searched the ground with their bills until all the pellets were gone. They quickly turned their attention to Fareeha and waddled over, squawking at her for more food.
“Oh, no. It’s just as I feared. They want more from me. Do I just give in to them? Will they start pecking at me if I don’t?” Fareeha was only slightly freaking out.
“Hmm. They are just ducks so I wouldn’t worry about it unless they start going for your face,” Angela said. She was positive that Fareeha could hold her own against a bunch of cute ducks.
“Maybe I should just throw the pellets a little further away,” Fareeha said. She dipped her hand into the bag to give them more food, but a few impatient ducks waddled their way between her feet, trying to get her to feed them faster. She lost her balance trying not to step on them and ended up falling to the ground with duck pellets spilled all over her legs.
Angela looked at the scene with amusement. Fareeha sat stunned on the ground, ducks clamoring all over her legs for their precious pellets. She sat down next to her in solidarity. “Need some help there?”
“I’m…” Fareeha started. The ducks had won and she sat defeated on the ground, just as she feared would happen. But, it wasn’t so bad. They were gentle with plucking the pellets off her legs. She broke out into a grin. “I’m glad I wore pants today.”
The sight of Fareeha’s bright smile brought one of her own to Angela’s lips. It was always so beautiful, the way her lips curved up into a happy grin. It made her eyes positively shine with joy.
Angela clasped onto one of Fareeha’s hands and leaned in close, tangling their fingers together. “Fareeha is it okay if I… If we…” She trailed off, already feeling the heat across her cheeks making it hard to focus on anything but the thought of Fareeha’s lips against hers.
Fareeha closed the remaining distance between them, bringing their lips together in a kiss. Her eyes fluttered closed, her senses engulfed by the feeling of Angela’s soft lips against hers. It was serene, euphoric, better than anything else she could think of. When they parted, she was certain her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Angela’s flushed cheeks and hazed eyes.
They were startled to their senses when the ducks unanimously decided to return to the pond.
“I liked that a lot,” Angela said. She moved in closer to Fareeha to cuddle against her frame. “Could we do that again?”
Fareeha smirked. “The ducks or the kissing? If it’s the ducks, I’m afraid we’re all out of food.”
Angela smacked Fareeha lightly against her arm. “The kissing! I’d like to kiss you again.”
And kiss again they did, this time for a lot longer.
“Pharah, could you come down here?” Mercy asked through the coms. They were on a mission in northern France. They had just dealt with a batch of Talon agents and were now waiting on an analysis from the data they secured from the hostile organization.
Pharah acknowledged her request and came down from the building she was keeping watch on. She made sure to strike a cool pose at the end for her girlfriend. “What can I assist you with?”
Mercy quickly looked around them to see if anyone was paying them any attention. Satisfied that nobody was watching them, she tugged Pharah around a corner and pulled her in for a hug. The tension she was feeling earlier melted in her girlfriend’s embrace, even if that embrace involved heavy metal armor. She held on for a good minute before she pulled back. “I really needed that.”
Pharah took off her helmet to look at her girlfriend’s face without an obstructed view. She leaned down for a quick kiss then said, “Anytime.”
“Bollocks! Now I owe her money,” Tracer said. She was curious as to where the couple had disappeared to and was just going to contact them through the coms. D.Va stopped her and said to look for them instead. She bet Tracer that they were probably smooching around a corner somewhere. She was right and now Tracer was down some cash.
Tracer walked off from the couple talking to D.Va on the coms. “Is there any way I can pay you less? I don’t make that much money you know!”
Pharah and Mercy waited until Tracer was out of earshot before they burst out into laughter. “I’d be embarrassed if I didn’t love you so much,” Mercy said.
Pharah lifted an eyebrow, a little surprised at the sudden confession. “Oh, so you’re in love with me?”
Mercy went wide-eyed. “Did I say that out loud?”
Pharah nodded her head.
Mercy crossed her arms, a little angry at herself. “I wanted to say it during something romantic, like dinner or a bath, not in the middle of a mission.”
“I’d like to think it’s romantic no matter the occasion. Let me demonstrate.” Pharah gently clasped Mercy’s hands, looked directly into her eyes and said, “I love you.”
Okay, maybe she had a point. Mercy felt hot all over from the admission. It was like their first date all over again, except this time there weren’t any ducks. “Ja, I see your point. I practically swooned just now.”
Pharah smiled deviously at what she was about to do. She turned on her coms and loudly said, “I love Mercy and she loves me back!”
Mercy held her head in her hands. Her face was beet red and she could hear the everyone’s reactions over the coms.
“Aw, congratulations loves,” Tracer said.
“I knew it,” D.Va said.
“I didn’t hear you so well, Pharah. Did you say something about peanut butter?” Winston replied.
“Come on. Try it yourself,” Pharah said. “My heart’s absolutely racing.”
Mercy picked her head back up, her face still red and said, “I love Pharah and she loves me back!”