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She turned on her side, for the umpteenth time that night, trying to relax. She knew that too much movement would only cause her body to sweat even more than it already had. Still, Angela couldn’t will herself to sleep.
“Goddamn it! It’s too hot,” Angela grumbled, kicking her body pillow with her foot; the poor thing fell flat on the floor. She then started taking off her shorts, couldn’t help feeling a bit sexy with the thought of sleeping with just a thin tank top and panties. Angela was only able to enjoy a few minutes of blissful coolness as the air hit her naked legs before the heat in her bedroom, which had been brewing all day, consumed her whole body again. Angela cursed.
She had had a rough day, and that was the understatement of the century. Although the mission was a somewhat success (they managed to stop a Talon’s attack on a nuclear weapon facility in Russia), there was still a lot they needed to work out. Namely, communication! Angela sighed at that. After all, it was their very first mission as the newly-formed Overwatch, and this time around, they recruited many new agents from around the world, with various styles of fighting. It had been troublesome at first when the plan didn’t go as expected, and everyone decided to give a piece of their mind in forming plan B. Of course, they couldn’t decide on an executive decision since everyone was so set on proving themselves right. Until Pharah intervened.
At first, nobody knew where she was until she dropped gracefully from the sky on the abandoned building where Angela, Torbjorn, Lucio, Winston, and Zarya were hiding in. Fareeha Amari, code name Pharah, surprised Angela with her commanding tone as she told everyone to calm down and wait for their turn instead of speaking all at once, and what even more surprising was the fact that people listened to her immediately. In the end, they decided to follow with Winston’s plan, during which they had waited for Pharah to have her final word. Angela was impressed, and thinking about it now, she thought it was silly on her part to even be surprised. Fareeha Amari had been in the army for years, and she was appointed captain to a whole squadron of experience fighters in Helix. Certainly, she knew how to give orders.
Thinking about the stoic woman only caused Angela to get even hotter, and she didn’t know why. They didn’t get the chance to meet face to face, much less talking. Angela missed the new-recruit orientation with her usual excuse: working on her research. She got to meet some new agents through their mandatory physical examinations though, like Zarya, Lucio, Mei, and D.va. Angela did set up an appointment with the Egyptian, but she couldn’t come due to some complication with Helix. Angela didn’t pay much attention to the details at the time, but she couldn’t explain why she was suddenly so damn curious about the woman right now.
Angela groaned. The sweat had somehow soaked up the fabric on her back. She cursed once again, sitting up. There was a small explosion in the lab in their watchpoint during the mission. Luckily, no one got hurt and the important specimens were still safe, but the explosion did screw up the AC in the base, thus Angela and the rest of the agents of Overwatch had to suffer the summer night in Gibraltar without so much a fan in their room. Angela had everything to blame Lena and Genji on this.
Giving up on sleeping, Angela threw her legs off the bed and started getting dress. She was practically bathing in her own sweat, and the only thing she needed right now was some wind or cool air. She took off her sweaty tank-top and threw on her old university T-shirt and a new pair of running shorts. Slipping in her plain dark blue slippers, Angela closed the door to her room behind her and started toward the kitchen. She wanted something for her dry throat.
The corridor was well-lit by fluorescent lights, and on either side of her was metal walls. Angela had been here many times before in the past, but the watchpoint still gave her the chill similar to that of some sci-fi horror movies. As she walked past the lab and thought about how silly it was to compare this place to some spaceship, the corners of her eyes caught on the slight movement of something along the wall. Angela zoomed in on that black object hugging the wall and realized that it was a rat, the biggest she had ever seen. It was eating something but stopped abruptly when it detected Angela’s presence. Angela could swear that she and the rat exchanged eye contact for a moment, and as though it could smell her fear from where she was, the rat started running to her. Angela let out a little yelp before turning on her heels and ran away. She ran without really looking anywhere; her eyes closed tight; in her mind was only one thing: get away from the creature as fast as possible.
Running with your eyes closed ensured accidents. Let's take Angela as an example. She ended up bumping into something, and surprisingly, that thing was pretty soft and had arms!
“Whoa there! Easy,” said a warm voice with a slight accent.
Angela opened her eyes and before her was not a thing, it was a person. It was Fareeha Amari! She was so close to Angela that she could feel her breath. Her arms were around Angela; her hands on her shoulders, and...and…
“The rat!” Angela exclaimed in panic, pressing herself to the other woman.
“Rat?”
“It’s chasing me!”
“Oh, shit! It’s right behind you!” said Fareeha, pointing behind Angela with an equally panicked expression.
Angela yelped, and under normal circumstances, she would have never dreamed of the day she would do such a thing, but this was no normal circumstance, thus Angela followed her instinct. She wrapped her arms around Fareeha’s neck and jumped on her, locking her legs around her waist. “Make it go away! Make it!” she cried while trying to hoist herself higher off the ground.
A rich laugh coming from the person she was holding onto so dearly, and Angela opened her eyes and leaned back to see Fareeha chuckling. She turned her head around and found no rat chasing her. The corridor before them was completely empty. “Where is it?” Angela mumbled.
“Doctor, there is no rat,” said Fareeha, trying to stifle another laugh.
“But you said-”
“I was just messing with you,” said Fareeha, smiling apologetically at her now. “Sorry. I couldn’t help myself.”
Angela’s brain short-circuited for a moment, and when she finally recovered from the embarrassment, she realized that she was still clinging to Fareeha, in a very provocative position: her face was super close to Fareeha’s, and she believed at some point she had buried her nose in her neck; her arms wound around Fareeha’s muscular shoulders, accidentally pressing their chests together; her knees hooked around Fareeha’s hips, and Angela was acutely aware of how firm Fareeha’s behind was as her feet brushed it occasionally. And worse of all, Angela could feel a pair of hands under her bum, supporting her weight. She let go of the other woman immediately, scrambling off of her, all the while feeling her face burn with the second wave of embarrassment.
“You... That's not funny,” said Angela, trying to sound annoyed, but all it turned out was a little squeak. “I have a fear of rats.”
“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made such a joke. I didn't know,” said Fareeha, rubbing her neck. Now she, too, looked uncomfortable.
“And I wasn't imagining things. There was a real rat chasing me!”
“I believe you, doctor. I've seen rats in the kitchen when I first got here,” said Fareeha, and as though interpreting Angela's silence as anger, she stepped back and made to walk away. “I apologise again. I never wanted to disrespect you. I shall remove myself-”
“That’s not it. You didn't know,” said Angela, stopping Fareeha. “Besides, I jumped you without warning, so... I'm sorry as well,” she finished, feeling her blush spreading over her ears.
Silence, and then, “Forgive me?” said Fareeha.
“Okay,” said Angela, looking up at the Egyptian, and boy did she look dashing with that boyish grin and day-dream eyes. Angela found herself studying Fareeha's face, taking notes of every little detail: her dark, expressive eyes, her straight nose, her full lips and proud chin, her strong jawlines, sharp enough to cut paper.
Angela's eyes didn't stop there. They roamed down the taller woman's body. And in a violent yet exciting snap, she realized that this was the very first time she saw Pharah without her suit. In front of her was Fareeha Amari, daughter of Ana's, overwatch agent, and a human woman. A very attractive one. Angela could prove it by describing her attire: Fareeha was wearing a loose gray tank top, exposing the defined muscles in her shoulders and arms. Angela had thought the Raptora suit was what made Pharah so tall and big, but now looking at the soldier inside, she had abandoned her first impression. Fareeha's shoulders and arms were just as broad and long, and she was at least a head taller than Angela. Moving a little further down was a flat stomach, which Angela fantasized a detailed six-pack abdomen, and it would be covered in sweat like the rest of her other exposed areas. A little further more was a pair of lean-looking legs, hidden beneath her basketball shorts. Fareeha must have never skipped leg day.
As a doctor, Angela felt the fascination and honor to be able to admire such a perfect body. But as a woman and a lesbian, Angela viewed this woman as the ultimate panties destroyer. But that didn't mean Angela wanted to sleep with her! God, it certainly wasn't the case here! They were colleagues, and on top of that, fraternization often got frowned upon in their line of duty. Angela was simply just admiring a beautiful person. There's nothing wrong with that!
Angela was brought back to the present when Fareeha cleared her throat, and as she focused her stare on the other woman’s face again, Angela experienced her third embarrassment of the night, and this time it was in full force. Fareeha’s lips curved into a small amused smile, probably reveling in the fact that she had just caught Angela ogling her. Damn it! She wasn’t always this thirsty, okay? It was just that Fareeha was really...really...
“Can’t sleep?” said Fareeha, clearly wanting to change the mood, and Angela was so glad she did.
“It’s too hot,” said Angela, shaking her head.
“Yeah, tell me about it. I’m used to the hot weather, to be honest, but this heat is really something,” said Fareeha, “They shouldn’t have built this place in metal only!”
“Well, this is one of the sturdiest watchpoints of Overwatch. If, say, someone decides to bomb it tomorrow, we'll be perfectly safe in these bunks,” Angela commented matter-of-factly, half joking and half serious. But, she wasn’t expecting what happened next: Fareeha stared at her, dumbfounded for a moment before throwing her head back and laugh. It was a very rich laugh. It sounded sexy. “W-what did I say?” said Angela, feeling her cheeks warm up.
“I’m sorry...” said Fareeha, rubbing her jaws from laughing too much in one night, “It’s just I wasn’t expecting what you just said. It was funny.”
Angela found herself giggling along, “You’re the first to find that funny.”
The giggling died out eventually, replaced by an awkward silent, or so Angela thought. She wasn’t always like this. She had no trouble looking for things to talk about with other people, like the other day, she and Mei had talked non-stop about Mei’s recent research, or this morning as she exchanged ideas with Satya as though they were old friends. Contrary to popular belief, Angela wasn’t an anti-social. So, it confused Angela when she couldn’t be like that around Fareeha.
What is it with this woman that makes me speechless?
“So, I was going to make something that can help me sleep. You wanna come along?” said Fareeha at last, and Angela was once again grateful.
“Sure. What do you have in mind?” said Angela as she followed the taller woman.
“Hot chocolate, maybe?” said Fareeha, shrugging her shoulders. “I know under this weather, you’d want something ice-cold, but believe me, a warm drink is the only thing you need to get back to sleep.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
When they got to the kitchen, Fareeha insisted that Angela let her make the drinks, so Angela decided to sit at the table and watch the soldier move about, boiling water and getting ingredients. From where Angela sat, the angle made Fareeha look even taller and broader than before. It must have been from her father’s side , Angela thought. She knew Ana, and compared to herself, her old captain was just the same size. Well, maybe she was a few inches taller than Angela, but Ana didn’t have such broad shoulders. Now, Angela’s height was indeed above average, and even though she didn’t have wide arms and shoulders, Angela wouldn’t call herself petite. But standing next to Fareeha, Angela doubt that was still the case.
Great. Now I’m obsessing over her body.
Too busy thinking about Fareeha’s exceptional skeleton structure, Angela was completely oblivious to the fact that Fareeha had done making the drinks. Until a smoking mug of delicious hot chocolate was placed in front of her did she snap herself back to the present. “Thank you,” said Angela, accepting the mug and silently kicking herself for letting her guard down.
For a good ten minutes, they sat and drank their hot chocolate, in silence. The moment Angela’s tongue tasted the hot liquid, she felt in heaven. It was sweet, it was rich, and the aroma was worth salivating for. Her whole body relaxed in an instance, and she would love to lie down right about now. Angela didn’t think she had ever been this relaxed, so relaxed that she almost didn’t notice a pair of dark eyes on her.
Angela turned her head to find Fareeha watching her, and even upon eye contact, Fareeha didn’t drop the stare. Her eyes spoke volumes to Angela. Fareeha was curious about her; Fareeha was (maybe) interested to know more about her; Fareeha (possibly) found her pleasing to the eyes. At that moment, Angela realized one thing about this woman: she was confident, very very so.
“Something on my face?” Angela asked, feigning innocent.
“No. I simply just can’t move my eyes away.”
“And why is that, may I ask?” said Angela, crossing her arms on the table.
Leaning forward, Fareeha’s lips formed a smile. “Because you’re gorgeous,” she said.
Oh. She knows how to flirt, too, apparently.
“Why, thank you,” said Angela, trying to keep her tone even and her blush at bay. Angela wasn’t a stranger to flirtation. Being an attractive woman and knowing it, she had experienced all types of pick-up-lines throwing at her throughout her career, and for all those times, she had always brushed them off; sometimes, she found them annoying and unwanted. But not this time, not right now. In fact, Angela welcomed it. She was giddy for more.
Spurred by Fareeha’s compliment, Angela got bolder, “Originally, I was going to get some air before bumping into you. So, you want to join me on the balcony?”
“Of course,” said Fareeha, standing up after Angela.
They walked to the common room, opened the door to the balcony, and Angela was surrounded by the night air in an instance. Angela shivered at first at the sudden change in temperature, but eventually she got used to it. It felt great, like she had just shrugged off two heavy weights of her shoulders. The wind gently caressed her cheeks and ruffled her hair. She could taste the salty bit of the ocean and the crisp and tangy flavour of a typical summer night in Gibraltar. A quiet moan escaped her lips. Oh how she wished she could just sleep out here.
“Beautiful skies,” said Fareeha next to her.
Angela looked up and smiled. Unlike in the city, where skyscrapers would obstruct everything, this watchpoint offered the perfect view of the night sky. The stars, hundreds and thousands of them, decorated the pitch-black sky, turning it into an endless silky diamond curtain. “It is,” said Angela, sounding a bit emotional at such a simple beauty.
“I’m always in the sky...” said Fareeha, “But I can’t never get enough of it. Somehow, it always manages to impress me. Its beauty is endless.”
Looking over to Fareeha, whose eyes were still on the stars above them, Angela experienced a rush of adoration. She was certain no one loved the skies like Fareeha did, and Angela wanted to know about it, to know how she felt every time she up there.
“How does it feel up there, Fareeha?” so she asked.
Fareeha looked at her now, a sparkle in her beautiful eyes, a toothy grin that Angela had now grown to love. “Like where I always belong,” she said.
0ooo0
“Thank you for the hot chocolate…” said Angela, standing outside her room, “And thanks for walking me to my room.”
“My pleasure. Someone needs to make sure no rat is chasing you to your room,” said Fareeha, winking playfully.
“Stop it,” Angela giggled, pushing at Fareeha’s arm.
“I had a really good time tonight, doctor.”
“Call me Angela. And me too, Fareeha...” said Angela, and as though encouraged by Fareeha’s gentle smile, she said the next thing in her mind, “I’d love to do this again sometimes.”
Fareeha looked surprised for a split second, but she recovered quickly with a genuine smile. “I’d love that very much, Angela,” she said.
Angela wasn’t sure if she could get used to Fareeha calling her name in her thick yet warm voice because it sure did something funny to her heart, but she decided that she liked it. She liked how it rolled out of Fareeha’s tongue, how it sounded just right when she said it.
“I should let you rest...” said Fareeha, and the next thing she did had Angela’s eyes widened. She took Angela hand in hers and brushed her lips over her knuckles. “Good night, Angela,” she said, slowly letting go of Angela’s hand.
Angela sucked in a breath to calm her nerves. This wasn’t the time to hyperventilate! “Good night, Fareeha. I’ll see you in the morning,” was what Angela managed to say. She waved and watched Fareeha walk away before getting inside her room.
Safe in the bunker of her own room, Angela let out a giggle. She slid down, sitting on the concrete floor with her back against the metal door. She touched her knuckles gingerly, where Fareeha had placed a kiss on, and smiled to herself. She had to admit that was pretty corny of Fareeha, and even more so when Angela herself loving every bit of it. But who would have thought? Angela had found someone to think about and something to look forward to. This feeling - it was new and odd - something Angela had yet to know, but it was lovely, it was exciting, and it was full of promises.
It’s a beginning.