Work Text:
One of the many lessons Zenyatta was taught as a monk, was patience. Patience is a warrior’s greatest weapon. Well, Zenyatta wasn’t a warrior per se, but the lesson is still there.
After all, patience encourages focus, which is very important in everyday life, let alone battle. Which is the reason why Zenyatta is, well, to put simply, frustrated.
Genji was making him lose focus.
Frequently.
And Zenyatta had no idea why.
Genji wasn’t even trying to grab his attention, and he himself was more concentrated than his own master who taught Genji that concentration.
When Genji first agreed to train under Zenyatta, he was incredibly disagreeable to a point whereas if Zenyatta had been anyone else, he would’ve given up within the first week.
But Zenyatta knew better.
He knew he couldn’t give up on Genji when he could literally feel the pain and anger coming of the resentful cyborg in strong waves. Not when he looked at Zenyatta with those blaring, furious, dangerous red eyes. To an outsider they would’ve certainly been put off by the glare. Zenyatta could sense differently, somehow.
That Genji, despite his short temper and easy frustrations, was a good man. He was a living, breathing, changing being, and despite how he claimed he should give up and he was nothing more than a walking weapon; he didn’t. He wanted to hope in more than this, and Zenyatta was more than willing to give that hope to someone who desperately needed it.
It was tough, and they did not get any progress until that night. Or least Zenyatta was not aware of it until then.
It was of course, a chilly night in the temple. Snow flew in white flakes, holding unseen patterns of beauty. Everything was smothered in the snow, and the sky was a dark grey-blue, full of heavier storms yet to come.
Luckily, there was warm lights all around the temple, like hot flaring beacons inviting you home. Zenyatta normally would have found the contrast between the deep blue of the snow, with the orange, bright lights of the lanterns enchanting, but he was not in the mood. He hovered past the closed doorways holding content sleepers. He, however, was not content. Far from it and his pace faster than usual. There was a troubling matter on his mind, and the matter was troubled himself.
Genji. It had been several weeks since Genji arrived at the temple, and several weeks they had not made any progress. It was aggravating Zenyatta to no end, and disrupting his harmony. This only proved to drive Zenyatta even more insane; if Zenyatta were to teach Genji, he needs his own peace, and without it, he cannot help Genji heal and overcome his own anger and grief.
It was because of this Zenyatta was rushing through the temple in the middle of the night to reach his meditating place rather than go to Genji’s room like he so badly wanted to. He needed to calm down, because despite his calm outward demeanor, he was not calm at all. And Genji certainly wasn’t either, judging by his one-sided yelling match he had earlier with Zenyatta.
‘I was right! This could never work for someone like me!!!’
Zenyatta’s orbs twirled around in distress when he thought about Genji had practically roared. This has to work. The lessons of the Iris never fail. Zenyatta could not fail. He could not afford to, not just for his own sake, but for Genji’s.
‘I am nothing like you! I am nothing!’
Zenyatta’s vents let out a short burst of steam, sounding very much like a human’s sigh, as he finally found his way outside. He headed towards the dark, barren tree, and he tried to calm his thoughts. Not suppress them, but let them pass.
‘Let them be thoughts. They are not the ultimate truth. You know this, Zenyatta,’
He settled himself in front of the tree, idly observing the carved bark of the old tree then the massive amount snow on the ground, before closing his visual sensors, and let himself fall into meditation.
He was so focused on attempting to clear his thoughts and calm down that he did not sense something was wrong until he heard.
“MASTER!”
And was suddenly pushed roughly into the soft snow, with a simultaneously both warm and freezing cold, a surprisingly heavy body on top of him. It took a second for his vison sensors to clarify, but at what he saw shocked him. Zenyatta only croaked a-
“Genji?”
Red eyes rapidly shifted to Zenyatta, and he could see a minor panic to them, but more obviously, a predatory focus unlike anything he’s ever seen before. He felt hands shift under his back and legs, grazing the exposed wires there. And then he was lifted up like he weighed nothing, and moved so fast the earth went rapidly out of focus. Then as fast he was picked up, he was set down hastily, but softly, a small clink was sounded. Genji glanced down at him for a second before running out of sight before Zenyatta could even say anything. Against his common sense, he re-centered his orbs, and decided to run after him, following his ignorant instinct.
His orbs circled around his neck as he re-entered the courtyard. He glanced around his surroundings carefully, looking for any sign of danger, and Genji. He hovered quietly, hands in position ready to fire any moment, when a hand clamped down on his shoulders, turned him around quickly, and at the same time pushed him down. Zenyatta was going to release one of his orbs, but then he saw the familiar figure glower at him. Genji growled in a raspy voice.
“Master, what are you doing here? It’s not safe for you here,”
Zenyatta snapped back, losing his temper a bit.
“Neither it is for you, my pupil. I will not stand idly by while my student puts himself in danger,”
A flash of surprise shone through his eyes, but he did not say a word, and simply nodded. (the first time Genji had shut up and listened to him)
Genji flexed his hand, and ninja stars appeared in it, looking sharp to the touch. Zenyatta decided his attention was better spend on scoping out on potential danger than his obviously capable student. Although, admittedly if his well-trained warrior student didn’t see anything, he certainly doubted he would.
Then there was a loud crunch in the snow nearby, and Zenyatta could feel Genji snap his head in the same direction. He tilted his head at Genji, and nodded his head slowly. Genji nodded back and advanced slowly forward, his footsteps silent.
Then Genji lunged forward, and Zenyatta tensed waiting in anticipation for the hopefully short fight with the unknown intruder.
Genji stilled, frozen in place, and Zenyatta hesitated before whispering.
“Genji? What is wrong?”
The frame in front of him slumped, and Genji sighed.
“…It was a…..cat,”
Zenyatta froze in shock, trying to process this information. Then, he could not help it, but amusement bubbled through him, and for the first time in a week, he laughed. He laughed so hard that he nearly fell over. But then he heard a sound he thought he would never hear, especially not so soon.
Genji was laughing.
And Zenyatta knew nearly nothing about him at the time, but now he knew that Genji’s laugher was one of the most beautiful things he’s ever heard in his lifetime.
So, of course then Zenyatta had to ruin it by quieting down to listen to him, causing Genji’s laugher to cut off. Genji looked distinctly uncomfortable despite having no facial expressions to convey. Zenyatta shook his head, feeling happier than he has in a while.
“I do not think I have been more relived nor more flattered at the same time in my entire life,” Genji hesitated, then questioned.
“Flattered?”
Zenyatta nodded, and clasped his hands together in his lap, looking down at it.
“You were so willing to protect me, and here I thought you hated me. Then again, perhaps, you are just a good person like I know you are,”
Wind whistled loudly as Genji stood there, an imposing figure but a kind one. There was a few beats of silence and then Genji murmured.
“I do not hate you,”
“Then I am glad for it,”
Genji shook his head, looking at the dark bushes.
“I cannot believe I thought a cat was an attacker. This temple is making me rusty,”
Zenyatta chuckled quietly.
“I sincerely doubt a few weeks of living here would make you rusty. Brooding in the snow, and a lack of sleep might do the trick though,”
“You know everything, don’t you?”
“Not everything,”
Even though, Zenyatta could not tell, somehow he could feel that Genji smiled under his mask.