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This was getting ridiculous, Cole thought, not for the first time. In fact, it was far past ridiculous.
It needed to stop.
Today, Cole decided, today he would admit the truth. He would tell Sombra, plainly, that the girl he had a stupid crush on was her . Maybe then she’d at least stop trying to figure it out.
The only reason he had even admitted to having a crush on anyone was because he was drunk and stupid. As soon as he let it slip, Sombra had brightened like a switch had been flipped.
“Oh, a crush? Who’s the lucky person?” She had asked, the look in her eyes reminding him of a predator on the hunt.
Cole had considered, then, just telling her that he was falling in love with her. But that would be embarrassing for the both of them, and there was a very small chance it would work out well, so he just shrugged and stared at the bottom of his empty glass. “No one,” he mumbled, hoping she would let it drop.
“C’mon, what are drinking buddies for if not gossip. Tell me!”
“Really, it don’t matter.”
Sombra rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her mezcal. “Please. If it didn’t matter, you wouldn’t be blushing like that.”
It went on like that for the rest of the night, and all the nights since. Sombra would push and pull, trying to worm any information about his crush out of him, while Cole would do his best to try and steer the conversation into safer territory.
It was getting exhausting.
At first, Sombra was just an informant. He needed information about Talon, and she was all too willing to provide. They both wanted to take them down, so it made sense for them to pair up.
Neither of them had expected it to develop into friendship. And yet, it had.
Sombra was one of his best friends. He missed the days when, every Saturday, they would meet up at a bar and just talk. They would gossip about members of their team, compare stories, and laugh until they were crying. It had been so nice, to have an escape from the rest of his life.
And then, he had to go mess it up by catching feelings.
Cole hadn’t expected to develop those kinds of feelings for Sombra. The kinds of feelings that made his stomach flutter and his chest fill with something warm and soft. The kinds of feelings that were far too close to love for Cole’s liking.
“Ugh, I can hear you thinking,” Sombra complained, plopping down in the seat next to Cole. She waved at the bartender, who grinned when he saw her. Sombra always paid triple what was required and tipped even more than that, so she was a favorite of all the employees. Cole didn’t know where she got the money, and he wasn’t sure he wanted too.
“Didn’t realise you were a telepath now,” Cole said, taking off his hat to run a hand through his hair.
Their drinks arrived, one mezcal for Sombra and one scotch for Cole. “I have many hidden skills,” Sombra said, grinning at him as she took a sip of her drink. She let out a pleased sound at the taste. “So, tell me, what’s got you so worked up?”
Cole opened his mouth, ready to tell her everything. Ready to tell her that he was infatuated with her, and he had been for some time.
The words died in his throat as he caught her gaze. The violet of her eyes seemed to burn into him, glowing slightly. He knew they were prosthetic, but they still sometimes caught him off guard. Not because they were creepy or weird, but because he loved that shade of purple.
Sombra’s shade of purple.
It made his heart turn to a puddle of goo. “I, uh,” he mumbled, quickly looking away in an attempt to salvage his attempt at confidence. “Well, uhm, y’see,”
“Do you have a fever?” A soft, slender hand pressed itself to his forehead. Cole’s breath hitched, and he hoped Sombra didn’t notice. He couldn’t remember if they had ever touched before. “Hmm, you’re not sick. Which means one thing.” Cole wanted to groan when he heard the glee in her voice. “You’re thinking about your crush.”
This was not how he wanted this conversation to go.
“Are you ready to tell me about them yet? Please?” Sombra pestered, leaning over slightly so she was closer to him. The closeness made Cole's entire system go haywire. “Pleeeease?” She asked, drawing out the word.
Cole tried not to look at her lips as she spoke, because that would be a dead giveaway for someone as observant as Sombra, but he couldn’t resist sneaking a quick glance. They were painted a deep shade of sparkly purple. His throat tightened as the thought of kissing her came into his mind uninvited.
“Umm,” he spluttered, desperately trying to get a hold of himself. “I…”
When he didn’t reply, Sombra groaned and leaned away. “Come on, I’m not asking for much!”
“Uhh…” It was like all the oxygen had left Cole’s body. He was trying to suck in air, but everything smelled of Sombra’s berry-scented perfume, and it was making it hard to think.
“Pretty please? With a cherry on top?”
“I…” He could do this. He had done much harder things. All he had to do was force out the words.
“You can’t just present me with a mystery like this and then not give me enough pieces to solve it! Just give me something here, that’s all I’m asking!”
Cole took one, final deep breath before finally admitting, “It’s you, it always has been.” He wasn’t brave enough to look at Sombra, instead staring at his untouched drink.
The silence that followed his words lasted long enough that he risked glancing up. Sombra was sitting there, her expression completely blank. When their gazes met, Sombra narrowed her eyes.
“You’re serious,” she said, and Cole wasn’t sure if that was a statement or a question, but he nodded anyway. Sombra blinked a few times, and Cole didn’t know what to make of that. “Why?”
That made him pause. Why did he have a crush on Sombra? It was a loaded question with too many answers to count. He liked her because of her smile. Because she made him laugh. Because she was a survivor, just like him. Because she was the strongest person he had ever known. Because of her ambition. Because of her passion. Because talking to her felt like coming home. Because of a million other things that Cole couldn’t even begin to name.
“Because you’re amazin',” is what he ended up saying, looking her right in the eyes as he said it, trying to make the truth in that statement shine through. Sombra deserved to know how he felt, even if that destroyed their friendship.
Something flitted across Sombra’s face then. “Cassidy…” she said, her voice heavy.
“I get it if this ruins things. Ya don’t have to, y’know, do anythin’. I just wanted you to know,” Cole told her. When she didn’t react, he sighed. “Alright. I’m gonna head out. If you ever need me, y’know how to find me.” He stood, giving one last glance to Sombra, trying to remember her just in case this was the last time he ever saw her. “Goodbye, Sombra.”
Cole walked out of the bar, trying to hold back his disappointment. Not once had he really thought that she would return his affection, but her rejection and the likely loss of their friendship hurt deep in his chest.
For a while, he simply stood outside of the bar, breathing in the fresh air and staring straight ahead. But then, after the coldness of the night air was starting to nip at his skin, he sighed deeply and headed to his car. His hand was resting on the door handle when he felt a hand on his arm.
Cole jerked around, ready for a fight, only to find Sombra. “What--” His words were cut off when she grabbed his jacket and yanked him down, pressing their lips together.
It was so surprising that he froze for a few seconds, before tentatively bringing his hand up to gently hold the back of her neck. Sombra seemed to take that as permission to deepen the kiss, because her own hand tangled itself in his hair and pulled him closer.
When they broke apart, the two of them were both panting, still clinging to each other tightly. Cole couldn’t resist tilting their heads until their foreheads were pressed together. Sombra was staring at him, observing his reaction closely
“I thought ya didn’t want this?” he asked, moving his hand until it was cupping her cheek, his thumb gently stroking her skin.
“It’s not that. I just… I don’t know how to do this,” Sombra said, still scanning his face. “I’ve never cared about anyone like this, and I… I don’t want to… to mess it up.” The uncertainty in her voice tugged at Cole’s heart. It wasn’t often that Sombra let herself be vulnerable, so he knew how meaningful it was that she was willing to show him this side of her.
“Hey. It’s okay. We’re both gonna make plenty of mistakes, I promise. But I also promise that I care about you, and I’m not plannin’ on leavin’ anytime soon. And I really, really wanna try to be with you. If you’ll let me.”
Sombra considered that, and Cole couldn’t help but hold his breath. He wanted to be with her so bad it hurt, but he wouldn’t push her on this. It had to be her decision.
“Okay,” she finally said, a small, genuine smile pulling at her lips. Cole paused, not exactly sure what that meant. “Okay, I’ll be with you,” Sombra clarified when she saw his confusion.
The grin that overtook Cole’s face stretched from ear to ear. He couldn’t resist wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her, both of them giggling as he did so.
The rest of the night found them together, laughing and smiling and holding hands and trading kisses, both of them well on their way to falling in love.