Work Text:
“You’re sweaty,” Sombra noted, wrinkling her nose as she observed Cole, who let out a breathless chuckle and took the water bottle she was offering him.
“Sure am,” he said, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand and grimacing when he felt the sweat there. He was soaked in it. That’s what happens when someone does physical labor under the hot Dorado sun.
It was worth it, though, he noted as he looked behind him where the groundwork of their house was finally finished. Building his own home was proving to be hard. He knew that it would pay off, though.
It would pay off when he got to see the finished product. It would pay off when they moved in. It would pay off when he got to wake up every day next to Sombra, in the house that they designed and built and owned.
Cole turned back to Sombra, grinning. “So, what brings you here?”
“I figured you could use a lunch break,” she said, holding up a tote bag that Cole could see was full of food. Right on cue, his stomach let out a growl. Sombra laughed. Cole blushed. “I see I was right,” she teased.
“Hey, I’ve been workin’ all day! Building our house, might I add! Don’t make fun of me for developin’ a bit of an appetite!” Cole objected with a pout. Sombra rolled her eyes and smothered a giggle.
“I’m so, very sorry,” she said, not sounding the least bit apologetic. “Will you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?”
“Depends. What food did you get?”
Sombra laughed, letting out an adorable little snort as she did so. “Some fajitas from Restraunt de Rosa. Plus some pastries from Panadería las Nieblas.”
Cole grinned from ear-to-ear. Those were his favorites. “You’re forgiven.”
“You’re such a sell-out,” Sombra complained. Then, after a moment of hesitation, she said, “I brought a blanket, too. In case you want to have a picnic or something…”
Cole brightened at the idea of a little lunch date. “A picnic sounds wonderful, Darlin’,” he said, taking her hand in his and lacing their fingers together.
They found a patch of grass that was shaded from a nearby tree, settling down next to each other and enjoying their meal.
“How’s the house?” Sombra asked.
“Good. The groundwork is all laid out now, so we can start really building tomorrow. We’re makin’ fast progress. Those builders you hired really are somethin’.” Cole replied. At first, he had been against getting so much help from people he didn’t know, but Sombra had convinced him otherwise. He wasn’t exactly capable of building an entire house by himself, after all.
So they had hired help from a local business in Dorado, and Sombra was paying them a pretty penny to make sure they kept their mouths shut about this job. Not that she really needed too, though. Everyone in Dorado adored Sombra too much to ever rat her out. She was the town’s very own hero.
The conversation lulled into a comfortable silence that lasted for a few minutes until Sombra spoke up again. “Do you regret this?”
“Regret what?”
“Choosing to live in Dorado, instead of Texas. I mean, won’t you miss it? Your home?”
Cole paused. They had discussed where they were going to live plenty. Both of them had decided to build a house on the outskirts of Dorado. But, even in all that discussion, he had never really considered how he would feel about being so far away from Texas.
Would he miss Texas? Sure, there were plenty of bad memories that came from his hometown, but there were good ones, too. There was the early years, before the crisis, when he and his Mama and his Papa lead a normal, happy life. There was the Panorama Diner, where he spent his evenings with Ashe, gouging themselves on pancakes and terrible coffee, laughing all the while. There was the small, broken down movie theater where he would sneak in and watch old westerns.
There were good memories in Texas.
But the thing was, Texas didn’t feel like home. It did, once upon a time, when he was a child. When he was a teenager. Even as a young adult, in Blackwatch, he longed to be back there.
As he looked at Sombra, though, he knew.
“Home stopped bein’ a place when you entered my life,”
Usually, Sombra would let out something between a scoff and a giggle while telling him that he was a sap with a fond tone and a roll of her eyes. But maybe she realised how serious he was being. Maybe what he said struck a chord with her. Maybe she was just feeling sappy herself. Whatever the reason, she didn’t deflect or joke around.
Instead, she gently took his hand in hers. “I… I don’t really remember my home, from before,” she admitted, and Cole knew her well enough to know what she meant. Before the Omnic crisis. Before the death of her parents. Before everything went wrong. “And I’ve never stuck around anywhere for long enough for it to feel like home.”
Cole nodded softly when she looked at him, encouraging her to continue. They were both a bit out of their depth in these situations, but he still did his best to support her when she let herself be vulnerable.
Sombra continued after a few more seconds. “But you make me feel… content. Like I belong. So… so I think you’re my home, too.”
The words seemed to wrap themselves around Cole’s heart in a tight embrace, making him feel almost floaty. It never failed to make him breathless, how much he loved Sombra, and how lucky he was that she loved him in return.
He told her just that, smiling when her cheeks darkened and she laughed slightly. “I love you, too.”
Cole grinned, leaning forward to connect their lips, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close as he did so. Sombra half-heartedly complained about how he was getting his sweat on her, but made no move to pull away.
They stayed there, in that patch of shade, near their soon-to-be house long after they ran out of food.
Neither of them wanted to leave.
They were happy. They were content. They were home.