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You'd been reading about Russian sleep-deprivation studies a lot recently. They weren't new studies; in fact, most of them were from as far back as the second world war. Because of this, there were naturally a lot of practices involved that had you cringing in discomfort, wondering how humans managed to live with themselves.
It was an admittedly morbid and ironic use of time that you should have spent actually sleeping. But you were doing it anyway, nested up in The Pile in the Blackwatch rec room with your datapad and an entire six pack of juice boxes. Two were already empty.
Sometimes, you just couldn't sleep. You knew you weren't the only one, either. You'd spent hours upon hours wandering the halls of the Zurich base at night, clad in your pajamas and a Blackwatch hoodie. A lot of folks in the research and development wing stayed up at all hours working, same for the medical wing. You've seen agents squeezing in extra training alone, watched administrative staff zombie-walk out of their offices at three passed midnight. Hell, you've even caught Commander Morrison in the mess hall, at a table by himself and eating leftover cookies with a blank, dead look in his eyes. You were always half-tempted to go slump against his back, just to see what he'd do. You weren't sure he knew you by face, though. That might be an awkward way to meet.
The night staff was friendly, the only chipper ones in the building as they cleaned. They always had a smile and wave for you, so you tried to have one back.
Lately, though, you've been reading in the rec room. Everything from mission files to short stories you'd find online. You'd been hoping that it would start making you tired. The Pile was a wonderful place to fall asleep, and even had the added bonus of an alarm clock in the form of your boss hitting you with throw pillows and yelling at you for not being at training on time. Some nights you could nod off, but not tonight. The more you read, the more awake you were. It was growing very frustrating and you clicked the datapad off with a huffing sigh.
“I second that.”
You couldn't have stopped yourself from screaming if you tried, jolting up in the pillows and almost hitting Genji in the face with the datapad on reflex. You slumped again quickly though, hand over your heart, breathing slightly labored for a moment. You'd always considered yourself a quiet person, but Agent Shimada was something else entirely.
“You trying to give me a heart attack?”
Instead of answering verbally, he just kind of shrugged. Neither of you spoke for a few minutes after that, while your breathing returned to normal. You glanced over at him, wondering how in the hell he'd managed to get completely comfortable in The Pile without you even noticing him. Not even once!
You did notice he was wearing a hoodie like yours, Blackwatch logo printed on the front, along with some matching sweats. You also noticed that his mask was off, leaving his scarred cheeks and nose in plain view. The skin bordering his synthetic jaw was a little red and puffy.
You took all of this in during as quick a look as possible because you knew he hated being stared at. Which was completely understandable.
“Juice?” You offered one of the boxes. He eyed it for a moment, then eyed you, before finally taking it. His fingers were very warm when they brushed yours.
For a while, the two of you just sat in the darkened rec room, illuminated only slightly by the lights over the emergency panel by the door. It wasn't uncomfortable. While you didn't know him too well on a personal level, you'd been working pretty well together since he joined. Neither of you were big talkers. So after a small stretch, Genji surprised you by being the first to break the quiet.
“Want to do something fun?” His words were heavily accented, but also clear. As though he was being especially careful of his diction.
You mimicked his earlier shrug.
“Sure.”
You had no idea what he meant by fun, but he helped you clamber out of the cushion nest and led you out of the room. You shoved the last two juice boxes into your hoodie's big pocket on the way out of the door.
You didn’t leave the Blackwatch wing, and he seemed to be purposefully avoiding the cleaning crew as you followed him through halls you knew by heart. The two of you wound up somewhere that you personally tried to avoid during daylight hours, he stopped outside the door and gestured to it.
You raised an eyebrow.
“Doctor O’Deorain’s lab?” You could already tell it was locked up tighter than the pope’s asshole. You’re honestly surprised that the good doctor wasn’t still in there, but even mad scientists need sleep, you suppose.
He nodded, then took four steps to his left and gestured to another door, making you snort.
“A hall closet?”
Another sage nod. With a swipe to the pad, the closet door slid open and he gestured you inside the small space. You weren’t sure what his angle was, but if you could trust him on the field, you figured you could trust him off of it. So you stepped inside.
“This is your idea of fun, Shimada?”
He joined you and the door slid closed once more, a small light coming on above it. The closet mostly held cleaning supplies for biohazards, nothing all that interesting. You faced each other in the cramped space and looked at him expectantly.
“Care to explain?”
He shook his head, which made you laugh lightly.
“May I have a boost up?” Again, his words were measured. You both looked above and you realized that there was a vent in the ceiling. You shook your head but laced your fingers together, widening your stance to support his weight.
“I think Overwatch is ruining our sense of fun,” you said, grunting slightly when he put all his weight into your hand. “Aren’t you supposed to be a ninja? You don’t actually need my help getting up there.”
“No, but I don’t want you to feel left out.”
You snorted at the unexpected quip.
“Thanks, man. That’s really selfless of you.”
He laughed lightly, disappearing into the vent and letting you catch the cover. You had no idea what he was doing, but you waited. It really didn’t take him too long to return, moving more carefully than he had been before as he nimbly dropped down in front of you. He had one arm in front of himself, supporting a bulge in the hoodie.
“What was that about?”
Carefully, he coaxed a white, furry head to poke out of the collar, small nose sniffing the air cautiously as long ears popped up. You bit back a gasp, eyes widening in excitement.
“ Bunny!” You exclaimed in a quiet whisper. Good heavens, he bunny-knapped Moira’s lab pet.
“Usagi,” he echoed in the softest voice you’d ever heard him use.
“It’s so cute~” You couldn’t help but coo and shuffle closer, hand hovering to let it sniff at you. It also sniffed Genji’s chin and neck, seeming familiar with him. Had he done this before? It apparently trusted Genji enough to trust you, too, because it let you gingerly pet between it’s fluffy ears. “So soft.”
Enraptured with the animal, you didn’t really notice that Genji wasn’t looking at the bunny, but at you. Watching you light up and grin.
“Let’s go,” he said suddenly, moving to take your hand and leave, but you were still holding the vent cover. “Oh, here.”
He held his hand low, palm up, letting you step into it. He raised you effortlessly, not even a slight shake in his arm while you put the cover back into place. As soon as you hopped down, he nabbed your hand in his and pulled you out of the closet. You had no idea where he was taking you and neither did he. But you moved at a light trot, hands linked, a surge of adrenaline making you both smile.
It felt like a game, avoiding the cleaning crew and any other nighttime stragglers. You were both highly trained covert operatives, but you were acting more like a pair of teenagers sneaking around their parents.
It wasn’t long before you passed the mess hall and you tugged Genji to a pause.
“Should we get them a snack?” You asked, nodding at his hoodie passenger. He considered it only a moment before nodding.
Commander Morrison was there again, this time with a huge bowl of cereal, chewing slowly and looking like his soul had already ascended for the evening. Someone in a lab coat looked like they were falling asleep on their feet in front of one of the coffee machines. You and Genji stuck close to the wall and moved silently, but you were pretty sure you could stomp in and Morrison wouldn’t even blink.
The salad bar had already been cleared out, but the kitchen was never really off limits and you found some lettuce and cherry tomatoes in the fridge, which you stuffed into your pocket with the juice boxes. You sneaked out the same way you went in, automatically linking hands again.
Next stop was the medical wing. It took some finesse to sneak around the nurses and doctors still up and about, but Genji gingerly pulled the bunny out of his hoodie and handed it to you. Much to your quiet delight. He slipped away for a moment, leaving you both hiding behind a gurney left in the hallways. When he came back, you moved on to research and development.
Eventually, your escapade led outside. The weather had been pretty mild recently, and any chill that lingered was blocked out by your hoodie. Genji led you up some stairs to an observation deck that had a gorgeous view of the moon and stars. You sat down and huddled together, pulling out your prizes.
Genji had borrowed a lamp from R&D, clicking it on and setting it down.You handed him the rabbit when he silently asked for it and pulled the veggies out to feed to it. It seemed content to sit in his lap and accept pets and snacks, letting you fawn over it. Genji also seemed content to have you pressed up against his side as you fawned. Eventually, you offered him one of the remaining juice boxes and settled into a comfortable quiet; sipping, petting, and watching the stars.
You were positive that you’d never seen Genji so relaxed. He was never very sociable, often brooded by himself and ignored small talk people tried to initiate with him with a cold indifference. But like this? He looked comfortable, maybe even happy.
He also caught you staring at him, which you didn’t realize you were doing until his gaze met yours with a hesitant suspicion.
“You were right,” you hummed with a smile, choosing not to avert your eyes now that you had his attention, “this is fun.”
On a whim, you slowly leaned in and pressed a feather-light kiss to his cheek, fully expecting him to pull away in offense. So you were pleasantly surprised when he didn’t. He froze for a moment, breath catching in his throat and blood rushing into his cheeks. But he let it happen, shyly looking away when it was over. You wanted to giggle but held it in, you weren’t sure how he’d react. Instead you took another sip of your juice and asked him what he grabbed from the medical wing.
He pulled a stethoscope out of his pocket, and you did laugh at that.
“What for?”
He fiddled with it, turning it on and making sure the volume was adequate, then he placed it gently on the rabbit. It tuned in to the soft thumping of its heartbeat, a soothing, rhythmic sound. Very soothing, actually.
Genji glanced at you a few times, picking the stethoscope back up. You nodded and let him place it over your chest. Your own heartbeat was a bit slower than the bunny’s, but that was expected. According to the screen, you were normal. Genji closed his eyes for a moment and really seemed to listen, like he was waiting for something. You watched him the whole time.
He really had very fine features. It wasn’t often you got to see him without his mask on. In fact, you’d only seen him without it one other time, in medbay after a mission that had gone dangerously sideways and left the whole team in need of rather extensive medical care. You know that he wasn’t exactly… fond of his cybernetic body and new lease on life; but if you had to be honest with yourself, he was pretty cute. Definitely cuter than you, which you were okay with.
He opened his eyes at the sound of your heart rate picking up slightly. Oh dear, you were staring too much and he could hear you getting flustered. He gave a small smile, which only made your heart speed up more, turning it into a smirk.
“Alright, you.” He laughed as you pushed the stethoscope away, ending your embarrassment. “Your turn.”
At that, he shook his head, stashing the scope away again.
“Why not?”
“No scope needed.”
You watched him reach under his hoodie and fiddle with something. After a moment or so, you heard a soft thumping. It was quiet, though, so you leaned in closer to hear. It was perfectly even, revealing nothing except complete serenity.
“How?” You asked softly.
He gave a slight shrug and quietly admitted, “I am not usually this calm.”
It was difficult to be certain, but you got the feeling he was trying to say something without having to actually say it to you. His eyes on you were a little intense, glowing a shade of red with an even more noticeable shade of apprehension. You had no idea how to respond.
So instead of words, you shifted just a little bit closer and laid your head down on his shoulder, looking back towards the sky. After a beat, you felt his arm curl behind your back, a hand coming to rest on your waist. His heartbeat remained steady, pulling your mind into slowing down. Your eyelids began to droop for the first time that night, though it was actually well into morning.
You both wanted to stay and watch the sunrise, but it would also probably be smart to return the bunny before Moira found out it was missing. She was kind of a scary woman when it came to her lab and research. A big part of you did not want to return the creature to what you were sure was a terrifying life in her lab, but there was no way either of you would get away with keeping it. Your rooms were not pet-friendly and your boss would find out.
You shoved your trash into your pockets and left the observation deck together. The halls were much more quiet, the cleaning crew having finished and gone home by that point. You held hands once again without either of you thinking too much about it, Genji hiding the bunny inside of his hoodie.
You were both tired and pleased, which was probably why Reyes caught you.
“Up so early, agents? That’s completely unheard of for at least one of you.”
You, he was talking about you.
Genji stiffened next to you while you looked sheepishly over your shoulder. Commander Reyes was already dressed for the day, looking freshly showered and somewhat bemused. He caught up and came to a stop in front of you, crossing his arms. Genji wouldn't look at him, instead casting his gaze to the wall. His grip on your fingers tightened so you returned the squeeze.
“Alright spill, have either of you slept?”
“No, sir. But I did try.”
Reyes nodded, though he was eyeing the bulge in Genji's hoodie.
“Care to explain why you're wandering around base at almost five in the morning? Sleep or no, you should at least be resting in your rooms.”
You had no answer, either of you. Reyes sighed.
“If you don't want to talk, then I'm gonna have to ask you to turn out your pockets.” He stared hard at Genji as he said it.
Reluctantly, you let each other go. Genji gently pulled the bunny out, and the stethoscope. You pulled out the lamp and empty juice boxes. Reyes looked surprised to say the least. He opened his mouth, then closed it with a hum.
“Y'know what, no. I don't want to know. Just put everything back where you found it and go get some rest.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I'll let you off the hook for morning training just this once, but I expect to see you both at afternoon drills, okay?”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
Reyes nodded and waved you on your way. You'd barely made it to the end of the hall when he added, “Oh, and agents?”
You looked over your shoulder again, brows perked. Reyes looked amused again, gaze dropping pointedly to your linked hands.
“Make sure you rest in your own, separate rooms.”
He laughed at your face going hot and Genji dragged you around the corner quickly.
It was hard to let the bunny go. You smothered it in kisses before Genji disappeared into the vent again.
“We’ll see her again soon,” Genji promised in a small voice, cementing your suspicion that he bunny-knapped regularly. The thought was comforting.
Genji walked with you back to your room; it was in the same hallway as his own, with McCree’s in between. You both paused outside the door, facing each other. It felt silly, like being dropped off after a middle school date.
“Thank you, Genji. I really did have fun.”
He looked a little surprised at being thanked, but nodded, stuffing his hands into his hoodie pocket. You moved slowly, giving him time to decide if he wanted it or not, but he didn’t back away, allowing you to wrap him loosely in a hug. He was a little stiff and he kept his hands in his pocket, but his arms twitched when you pressed your face against his shoulder and breathed in.
The sound of a door hissing open made him tense even more, so you pulled away.
“Y’all are up early,” Jesse said through a yawn, shambling out of his room in PT clothes, hair pulled back in a tiny half-ponytail.
“Morning, Jess.” He gave you a small wave, heading down the hall. Genji, again, didn’t say anything.
But as soon as McCree was out of sight, he surprised you by grabbing the hem of your hoodie and yanking it up over your head in a quick, smooth motion. You were frozen in confusion and suddenly a little chilled, but not for long. He pulled off his own hoodie just as quickly and pulled it down over your head, leaving you to blink at him once you popped out of the neck hole.
It was very warm inside the hoodie, with a damp spot or two from where he probably let off some steam. It also smelled like him. After a moment shaking off the surprise, you wiggled and pushed your arms into the sleeves. When you didn’t obviously reject what he did, Genji pulled your hoodie onto himself. To anyone else, there’d be nothing out of place, it was the same hoodie. But the two of you knew, and it brought a sense of comfort.
“Rest well,” Genji finally said.
You nodded, giving him a tired but warm smile.
“You, too.”