Chapter Text
You had been with Overwatch for a little while now and you were excited for the upcoming joint mission with the Deadlock Gang. You had heard a lot about them from Cole but you were certain that his stories were either exaggerated or tainted by the fact that he had a falling out with their leader Ashe. Overwatch needed to recover some valuable technology that had fallen into Talon hands and nobody knew Arizona better than the Deadlock Gang. At first people had been hesitant about joining forces with wanted criminals but Cole reminded everyone that Overwatch wasn’t exactly government sanctioned either and so it was decided.
You were currently looking at the wanted poster of Ashe and her omnic companion B.O.B. that was part of the mission brief and you caught yourself staring a little too long. There was no denying that the deadly leader of the notorious gang was stunning and you were curious to see how she was in person. Cole sometimes mentioned Ashe but in a condescending and derogatory way that always made you vaguely uncomfortable. You sighed and got up to look over the medical supplies you planned on taking and tried to get the white-haired angel of death out of your mind. “You finished?” Cole’s voice was harsh and impatient and you involuntarily flinched in response. You turned around to confirm that you were ready but he wasn’t even looking at you; he appeared to be too busy checking himself out in a nearby mirror.
When you moved to leave the room he grabbed your hips to pull you in close and you leaned into his side. He had been so preoccupied with the preparation of this mission that you barely got to spend any time together and you felt like you weren’t even on his list of priorities anymore. You loved him or at least you kept telling yourself you did and you wanted things to work out. Unaware of your inner turmoil Cole pressed a quick kiss to your forehead and then turned away to focus on his own packing. You went to grab a snack from the canteen and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at the shooting range. You were a medic and use of firearms was not your main focus but every Overwatch agent should know enough to be able to defend themselves in a pickle. It also gave you a chance to stop thinking about Cole and how empty your relationship had felt recently but you shoved that thought far into the back of your mind.
Finally the whole team arrived in Arizona and you were greeted by Ashe and her gang at a bar close to the Talon facility. The Deadlock Gang leader was even more beautiful in real life and you caught yourself staring at her as she exchanged quips with Cole. He didn’t bother introducing you and you didn’t want to cause a scene so you decided to hang back and wait for any new development. The main mission briefing was going to happen tomorrow so both Overwatch agents and gang members made their way to the bar to enjoy the free evening. You were not close to any of the agents that had come on this mission and Cole was nowhere to be found so you made a beeline for the bar and took a seat.
You were just sipping on your beer and watching the crowd when none other than Elizabeth Caledonia Ashe came to sit on the stool next to you. “Hello darlin’,” she said smoothly and you smiled at her, grateful for the attention. You introduced yourself and when you mentioned that Cole was your boyfriend she frowned before straightening her expression again. “He left ya here all by yourself?” she asked with a raised eyebrow and you only chuckled awkwardly in response. You let out a sigh before adding “Well, I’m sure he has important people to talk to.” It didn’t sound convincing, not even to your own ears and you cringed inwardly at the patheticness of it all. Ashe scoffed at that and then gave you a blinding smile that made your heart flutter in an unfamiliar way.
“Let me buy you a drink,” she offered and you nodded weakly, not trusting your own voice right now. You decided to have another beer instead of something stronger since you were surrounded by strangers and you wanted to avoid a hangover tomorrow. Ashe looked you up and down with an appreciative grin and then declared “Cassidy is a lucky man.” You got flustered by her attention and started playing with a napkin to avoid her piercing gaze. When you looked up again she was gazing at you with marked interest in her bright eyes and you smiled shyly at her. “Would you tell me a bit about yourself? I only know what Cole told me and I’m assuming half of it is bullshit.” Ashe laughed at that and replied with a knowing smirk “More like all of it.”
She took a sip from her whiskey and you couldn’t help but stare at the way her lips touched the glass and you internally scolded yourself for behaving so inappropriately. Ashe didn’t seem to mind your attention at all and started telling you about her family and background and of course how she became leader of the Deadlock Gang. The longer she spoke the more you felt drawn to her and you were listening with rapt attention. She was a great storyteller and her dry humour made you laugh on more than one occasion. You noticed that she made a great effort not to speak too harshly about Cole and you admired her for her restraint. You knew things hadn’t ended well between them and your boyfriend didn’t make any effort to hide his disdain for her.
“I ain’t usually the type to tell people my life story but you look trustworthy,” she stated and you immediately blushed brightly and gave her a wide smile. Ashe returned it easily and you realised that you really liked the way her face lit up when she smiled. She was absentmindedly running her fingers through her silver hair and you wondered if it was as soft as it looked. “So tell me, how did a gorgeous thing like you end up with the goody two-shoes?” she asked with a wink and you laughed at the way her nose crinkled when she was talking about Overwatch. You told her about your past and how you became a medic and she was listening intently. You were not used to someone giving you their undivided attention like this, especially not a woman this fascinating and good looking. She asked you detailed questions about your work and seemed genuinely interested in hearing your opinions which made your heart flutter again.
A few beers later you were still chatting with Ashe and you felt more comfortable and content than you had in a long time. She was a great conversationalist and her answers were thoughtful and her laugh as delightful as the first days of spring. As the night was progressing the noise level in the bar was steadily increasing and some of the patrons were getting rather rowdy and you flinched when someone stumbled into you. Ashe immediately glared at the man who had bumped into you and he slunk away mumbling an apology under his breath. “Jackass,” she growled and you felt touched by her protectiveness. “They have a nice lil’ terrace upstairs, wanna get away from these losers?” You nodded eagerly and when she grabbed your hand to lead you to the staircase you felt heat rise up your cheeks and your heart rate increased noticeably.
You arrived at the terrace and you sighed with relief when the noise of the bar disappeared behind the large wooden door. There was nobody up here and you took a moment to breathe in the cool evening air before stretching your arms over your head. You felt stiff from sitting on the bar stool and you relished the opportunity to move your limbs. When you glanced at Ashe she was casually leaning against the wall, evidently watching you with great interest and a hint of amusement. You gave her a shy smile and she returned it with a confident grin that made warmth spread through your chest. “Thank you for taking me here. This is much nicer,” you said quietly and she made a dismissive hand gesture as if to say it was nothing. She slowly walked closer to you until her face was right in front of yours and she regarded you with a calculating look.
You couldn’t help but glance down at her bright red lips and when she caught you staring you started blushing furiously. Before you could embarrass yourself further she cocked her head to the side and asked “Is he treating you right?” Your eyes went wide at her question “What?” Ashe raised an eyebrow and her voice sounded more demanding this time “Cole, is he treating you right?” Her piercing gaze had you squirming and her body was so close to you that you could smell her earthy perfume and it made it hard to think. “He’s doing his best,” you responded lamely and she frowned at that. She shook her head and insisted “You deserve the world, honey, don’t you forget that.” Your heart skipped a beat at her earnest expression and you couldn’t find it within yourself to defend your boyfriend.
Your gaze fell on her lips again and you briefly wondered if they were as smooth as they looked before you forced yourself to look into her eyes. Ashe had a determined look on her face and a moment later she lifted her hand and delicately placed it on your cheek. Her fingers were cool and soft against your skin and you let out an involuntary sigh at the touch. “I can see the way you’re lookin’ at me,” she purred and all coherent thoughts left your mind at that sound. You stammered an apology but she immediately shushed you. “No need to apologise, it ain’t a problem.” Your heart was hammering in your chest and you instinctively leaned into her hand which made a predatory grin appear on her face. There was no denying that you were highly attracted to Ashe and not just her decidedly beautiful face but also her intelligence and great wit. You tried to remind yourself that you were taken but any thought of Cole disappeared when she leaned in closer.
Her face was only inches away from yours and you could feel her breath tickling your skin as she spoke “I’ll make ya feel good, I promise.” You nodded but Ashe frowned slightly and demanded “Use your words, hon.” You took a deep breath and looked straight into her blazing eyes and whispered “Yes, please.” Her smile was wide and affectionate and your cheeks were heating up under her touch. She closed the distance between your faces and gently captured your mouth with hers. You responded instantly and flung your arms around her back to keep her close. Her mouth was soft and the way she moved against you made goosebumps appear all over your body. You sighed into her mouth and she angled your face to deepen the kiss. She tasted of whiskey and a hint of sweetness that reminded you of cosy nights together and you couldn’t get enough. When her tongue demanded entrance you immediately opened your mouth to welcome the hot pressure.
Ashe was as skilled at kissing as she was at shooting her rifle and you were starting to feel lightheaded as she moved against your lips at a steady pace. Her other hand came up to tangle in your hair and caress the back of your neck and you let out a quiet moan. Your grip on her lower back tightened and she groaned as you pulled her infinitely closer to you. Her movements became faster and more urgent and she kept invading your mouth with her skilled tongue again and again. Just when you thought you were actually going to pass out from excitement she pulled back slightly to allow both of you to breathe. She smiled against your lips and her previously closed eyelids fluttered open to gaze at you with an intensity that made you shudder.
Before you could consider forming words she crashed your mouths together again and you let out a desperate whine at her insistence. She greedily swallowed all the needy noises you were making and when she growled deep in the back of her throat you felt heat rush to the lower areas of your body. Your tongues were moving softly against each other and her hand that was tangled in your hair kept scraping against your neck in a way that drove you wild. You let your hands wander on her hips before grabbing the hem of her - incredibly sexy - red leather jacket to steady yourself. Ashe let out a low chuckle and increased her pressure until your back touched solid concrete. She effectively crowded you against the walls of the bar and you couldn’t find a reason to complain as her lips passionately moved against yours.
When she eventually pulled back you had to take a moment to regain control of your breathing and you noticed with some satisfaction that she was equally affected by your makeout session. She dropped her hands to your sides and you revelled in the warmth of her fingers seeping through your clothes. “You’re really good at this,” you said quietly and immediately blushed again when she smirked and let out a rumbling laugh. She leaned in and left a soft lingering kiss on your lips that made you yearn for shared days and long nights. You took another focusing breath to clear the satisfied fog out of your mind and tried to remember where you were and what you were doing.
“I should probably get back downstairs…” you mumbled and you swore you saw a flash of disappointment on her face before her expression morphed into a cocky grin. “Let’s not keep lover boy waitin’ then.” Ashe took a step back to allow you to move away from the wall, grabbed your hand and started walking. You felt giddy about her hand in yours and a voice in the back of your mind piped up to point out that you hadn’t felt like this about Cole for a while now. Once you arrived at the bar Ashe let go of you and you instantly mourned her warm and grounding touch. Your boyfriend was nowhere to be seen and considering your phone had been silent this entire time, he hadn’t been looking for you at all. You let out a sigh and scanned the crowd for the obnoxious hat he insisted on wearing everywhere, even indoors.
Ashe came up behind you to put a strong hand on your shoulder and she leaned in to whisper in your ear “If he doesn’t see how great you are, he really ain’t all that.” You turned around to look at her and she simply gave you a pointed look before getting the bartender’s attention for another order. You walked around the packed room for a bit before you finally spotted Cole and you pushed people out of the way so you could talk to him. You touched his arm to get his attention and then leaned up to speak directly into his ear “I’m gonna go to our room now.” He only nodded and then continued speaking to the agent he had been talking to as if you weren’t even there. Thinking back to Ashe’s words you didn’t bother trying to get more out of him and started walking to the front door.
As you approached the entrance you saw the woman in question out of the corner of your eye and when your gaze met you smiled and waved at her. She waved back and set down her whiskey glass to blow you a kiss which made you blush instantly. You shook your head to focus your thoughts and pushed open the door to escape the overwhelming noise and smell. All agents and gang members were staying in the motel next door and you were glad that you didn’t have a long way to go. You felt tired and your mind was a swirl of complicated emotions and you hoped sleep would make everything better. Once you were lying in the bed you shared with Cole you recalled the evening with Ashe and how wonderful it had been to hold and kiss her. You knew you should feel guilty for being unfaithful but you couldn’t bring yourself to regret it.