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It was no surprise to Cole when some of the younger members of their new team were real curious about Hanzo. The first time Brigitte asked Hanzo to accompany them to Gibraltar proper, he returned to Cole’s room later that day and asked Cole what could they possibly want from him.
It was a busy day for them - Winston kept Hanzo busy to pinpoint mid level Talon operatives who coordinated their attacks with Null Sector. Their conflicting schedules meant that the only contact they had so far was a simple “Good morning, Cole” that Hanzo sent at 6 am, a text that Cole wouldn’t reply to until 9 am.
He is in the middle of folding his piled-up laundry when Hanzo walks in through the open door. The urge to pull him in and relax against Hanzo is strong but he holds it off - cuddling can wait till after dinner.
“Hold up, you didn’t go with ‘em?” Cole asks, realizing that Hanzo was invited to go along with Brigitte, Hana, and a visiting Lúcio.
“No, clearly not.”
“Shit Han, why not? They’ve been pesterin’ me for days to get you to go along with them.” He turns to Hanzo who is leaning against the closed door, a posture that took months for Hanzo to get accustomed to. A lifetime of keeping his body on alert and ready proved to be incredibly hard to break out of and even now, Cole sees through Hanzo’s facade. His arms are crossed on his chest to appear casual, but his clenched fists break the illusion.
Hanzo apparently was stressing over being asked to hang out.
“Babe, they wanted to hang out with you,” Cole says with a smile.
Hanzo lifts a brow and snorts at that. “I don’t see what they could want from me.”
“Uhhh…” Cole trails off trying to make sense of that. “They just want to hang out with you?” He repeats again.
“I don’t see the reason.”
Cole knows Hanzo is not trying to be obtuse on purpose, but this is starting to confuse him. “Why’d they need a reason for? Handsome fella such as yourself is always fun to be around.” He finishes off with an exaggerated wink hoping it will make his boyfriend smile.
He feels a flutter when he is rewarded with a small one - it’s been months since they’ve started seeing each other but the novelty of it still hasn’t worn off. Making Hanzo smile was his new favorite thing and it made him ridiculously happy to see various versions of it lighting up Hanzo’s face.
“They’ve been wanting to get to know you, Han. You’ve been on base for months; the kids are startin’ to get impatient is all.”
“Well, they have others to go with.” Hanzo pushes himself off the wall, walks up close to him and leans in. Cole grins and dips down to meet his boyfriend halfway. The kiss is sweet, gentle, and Hanzo’s hooded stare is a promise he intends to keep after they retire for the night.
“You hungry?” Cole asks, hoping to get dinner over with and move on to spending the rest of the night with his boyfriend. Hanzo fully presses himself against Cole and replies, “Positively,” with a purr. “That too,” Cole chuckles as he wraps his arms around Hanzo’s wide back, his nose pressed against Hanzo’s raven dark hair.
He gives Hanzo one last squeeze before holding his hand and pulling him towards the door.
“I hope Reinhardt’s cookin’, been craving that beef stew he cooked up last week,” he says while pressing his thumb on the small interface beside the handle to scan his fingerprint, waiting a second for Athena to beep in confirmation. They walk hand in hand towards the communal dinner hall, the evening sea breeze a comfortable cool against their skin.
“You should’ve said yes,” Cole says, attempting to get back to what Hanzo was stressed about.
“Said yes to who?”
Cole rolls his eyes without reserve knowing that Hanzo is being obtuse on purpose now. “To Brigitte when she invited you out. Heard they were planning to go out for dinner to show Lúcio around. It would’ve been nice.”
“That doesn’t sound particularly enjoyable,” Hanzo replies dryly. “Besides, I see them on base, and we hang out often.” Cole scoffs at that and gives Hanzo’s hand a squeeze. “That’s different, Han. Base is pretty much a second home by now. That ain’t hangin’ out - it’s sharing a living space.”
Hanzo sighs and stays silent for a few beats and Cole waits it out.
“I suppose I am not sure what I am supposed to do with them,” Hanzo says finally.
“Babe, you don’t do anything. Y’all do what you decide to do as a group and go with the flow.”
Cole stops abruptly and turns to Hanzo when a new thought crosses his mind. “Hold up, you're not messin’ with me, are you? There is no way I’m havin’ to explain what you do when you hang out with friends.”
It’s Hanzo’s turn to scoff as he pulls his hand away from Cole’s - with the warmth gone, the breeze feels particularly colder on that one point of contact.
“No, Cole.” Hanzo grinds out, making Cole feel a bit peeved at himself for pushing it and possibly ruining the night. “I know how to do that. I mean what am I supposed to do with people who are a decade or more younger than me?” Hanzo asks, his tone a shade annoyed.
“I mean…I’ve headed down with ‘em too. They goof around and try to convince us to buy them shit.” The last time Cole was dragged along with the kids, he offered to pay for everything. They were all war hardened soldiers, Hana especially so, but their youth was still obviously visible. Seventeen was a hell of an age to join an organization as global as Overwatch and as intense as Blackwatch - Cole wanted to stave off the constant pressure they felt as much as possible for the younger members now.
Hanzo looks annoyed, his pretty face scrunched into a frown; misunderstanding aside, he really does look so good. He must’ve showered right before dropping by Cole’s room - he still smells faintly of sandalwood, making him realize that Hanzo used Cole’s favorite post shower body spray. That little reminder fills him with a wave of adoration for Hanzo, prompting him to attempt another angle.
“Y’know,” Cole starts as he takes Hanzo’s hand again and resumes their walk towards the dinner hall. “Genji went with Brigitte and Mei a few weeks ago. I know Hana and Lena followed them down after training.” Hanzo hmph's at that and it makes Cole smile at him. “Of course, he did. Genji was always immature, and he apparently never aged out of it.”
“Well, you like going out with me,” Cole reminds him.
“That is different, you are different,” Hanzo replies. “Aww sweetheart, you callin’ me special?” Cole laughs and it makes Hanzo grumble under his breath.
“Either way, it’s nice to just let go, y’know? We didn’t have that at their age. I was already with Blackwatch by then and you did what you did,” Cole says with a sigh.
“Takes a toll on you, doesn’t it?” Hanzo adds quietly. “I trained till I stopped registering the pain my body was in.”
“It ain’t that different for them either,” Cole says. “Caught Brigitte passed out on the couch in the repair room, Rein’s armor a mess around her.” Hanzo sighs at that and they remain quiet till they enter the dinner hall.
Cole makes his way to the stove while Hanzo opens the fridge door and sits on his heels to pull open the produce drawer at the bottom. Cole’s search yields him nothing while Hanzo takes out the open bags of snow peas, carrots, and an unopened can of baby corn, placing them on the counter beside the fridge.
Cole decides to check the oven, finding two closed boxes of large pizzas. He pulls them out and catches Winston’s sticky note pasted on the first box. “Babe, you want cheese or pepperoni? Winston ordered pizza,” he asks Hanzo while opening the boxes and seeing the few slices left for them. They are late for dinner apparently and he thanks Angela in his head for putting aside some for them.
“Either works. I am making stir fry, so don’t fill yourself up with pizza,” Hanzo replies. Cole walks up to Hanzo, grabs his face between his palms and plants a loud kiss on his lips. “You are so good to me,” he croons at Hanzo, who shoves him away with a smile. Cole grins back and leans against the counter. Hanzo moves around him, bags of veggies in his hands as he looks for the strainer.
“Go with them the next time,” Cole says while watching Hanzo wash the snow peas and carrots in the sink. Hanzo’s glance stays on his face for a few seconds before turning the running tap off and wiping his hands on the kitchen towel folded close to the sink.
“Why is this so important to you?” Hanzo asks without any annoyance and for that Cole is grateful. He now realizes that he was being pushy in a way he usually isn’t.
Hanzo is offering a chance to listen to what Cole has to say, despite thinking that it was a trivial matter himself. Cole feels ridiculously happy over it – such a small gesture but everything about and related to Hanzo always feel intense and Cole learned to simply accept it over the months.
He looks down at his boots, trying to gather his thoughts into some form of semblance. Hanzo steps up close and leans against the counter beside him. He snakes an arm around Cole’s waist into a one-armed hug, and Cole rests his head against Hanzo’s in return.
“It was nice of ‘em, y’know?” Cole pauses a bit and then continues. “Lena must’ve shared how you have tea with her often and that apparently got Brigitte curious about you.” Hanzo’s silent laughter shakes them both, easing some of the hesitance swirling inside him.
“It took them so long to get to know you, Han. I know I wasn’t the nicest to you either at first, and the others got baggage since they knew Genji first, but the kids don’t have that.” He pauses to take a breath before continuing. “They see you as I see you and it’s still just a fraction of it, y’know?”
He holds his next breath, hoping Hanzo wouldn’t dispute that or laugh it away but Hanzo simply nods against Cole’s head. He moves his hand away from Cole’s waist and a second later, Hanzo’s fingers card through Cole’s hair a few times before pulling him down and placing a soft kiss against his temple. Cole turns slightly and returns the favor by kissing Hanzo between his eyes.
A wave of emotion tides over Cole and he finds himself wanting to cry a little. He thinks about the memories he has of this wide room from years ago - back when he was still with Blackwatch and he would spend his days ignoring the pit of discomfort that only grew larger the more Reyes dodged Morrison’s calls and continued on with what he thought was best for the world.
Gibraltar was not a base Blackwatch frequented often but the times they did, Gabriel would be locked away in the command room with Jack while Cole was free to play cards and place bets with other stationed Overwatch members. Being from Blackwatch, his all-black garb drew stares from most people, and he took advantage of that - he used that slight wonder and curiosity to flirt his way to brief, but enjoyable relationships and one-night stands.
A steady romantic partner was the last thing on his mind, and he didn’t want one back then either, but he is here now with Hanzo’s arm wrapped around him; for a second, it doesn’t feel real. He feels Hanzo’s fingers draw patterns on his side – it’s real, grounding, and enough encouragement for him to carry on.
“Brigitte asked about you last week. She was real keen on getting’ to know you and asked why you weren’t around during movie nights.” Hanzo interrupts him with, “that is a lie, and you know it.”
“No, it ain't,” Cole laughs. “They set up their own nights. It started off when Lena walked in on Hana binging on old movies with a chainsaw wielding killer late at night and it was intriguin’ enough for her to watch the rest.”
“Ah yes, I remember watching something like that with Genji. He had nightmares over it for days. Can you believe it?” They share a laugh and Hanzo goes on to add more. “He knew how use a sword since he was 5 but fake gore was too much for him apparently. Granted, he was 10 but still, he must have known what our family did.”
Cole laughs again at the mental image of his metal plated friend who snapped people’s necks and cut omnics in half wake up in cold sweat over a chainsaw murderer.
“Besides, you’ve only ever dropped by for a few of the team nights anyway. Meditation can only go so far; you need the real deal.”
“It works for me, and I do not want to upset the balance.” Hanzo sighs and sags even further against him. Cole realizes that he kept his arms crossed on his chest this whole time and quickly remedies that by returning Hanzo’s one-armed hug.
“You wanna know what I think?” He waits for Hanzo’s affirmative nod before sharing his thoughts. “Quiet contemplation worked when you were runnin’ around on your own. You found a way to live with yourself, keep yourself alive and it worked back then but things changed, sweetheart. You’ve come a long way from that. The guilt over Genji ain’t as heavy as it used to be, and I know you’ve been happier here. Hell, you let yourself get in bed with me that first time and look at us now.” Hanzo gently pinches his side and Cole laughs at that.
“I hate knowin’ that you’ve still been keepin’ to yourself so much. I love that I make you happy, I really do, and you know that, but I don’t want to be the only thing that brings you joy. If things change between us, you’ll be losin’ a big part of what makes you happy –"
“Cole don’t think that…” Hanzo interrupts him, but Cole presses on. “No, listen. This ain’t me puttin’ a timer on our relationship. Things are real good and even though its only been a few months, if it were up to me, you’d be it.” He feels Hanzo tensing beside him and hurries to stop him from pulling away.
“I just want to make sure that you got other things makin’ you happy here. Sure, Genji’s been a real help and I know your initial drive to make things work with Overwatch was to make amends. That’s goin’ real great too but you can have so much more y’know? Lena was just the start. I know you’ve been spendin’ time with Reinhardt when he makes you help him during meal prep. Caught you working out with Zarya a few days ago plus Mei’s been a real peach to you and I know you like her too but…” Cole cuts off with a sigh.
“The others are dyin’ to get to know you, Han. You need to allow yourself to get close to them too. We all got shit that’s draggin’ us down. Every one of us got things that’ll eat us alive if we let it but company’s good, it keeps you feelin’ like you’re a part of something. It keeps you alive. That’s how it was for me for years. Didn’t have close ties as I do now but whatever I had was enough. Then Blackwatch went to shit and I started feelin’ like I couldn’t turn to anyone.” Somewhere along his monologue, Hanzo was back to being pressed against his side and he sighs at that.
“Plus, the kids can be fun too. Hana’s got a competitive streak in her a mile long and Brigitte got the sweetest smile.” A recent memory resurfaces in his mind, and he grins to himself thinking about it. “Hey, wanna hear what Lúcio said?” Hanzo once again gives his quiet approving nod and Cole launches on, mischief clear in his voice.
“Lúcio apparently never saw you before and he caught Genji mentioning you. He was real surprised at findin’ out that Genji was hiding a whole brother somewhere and demanded to see you. So, your brother pulled up the picture he took of you that one time you accidentally fell asleep on the rec room couch, and I bundled you up in my blanket.” Hanzo grumbles at that, making Cole chuckle.
“Well, the first thing Lúcio says is ‘oh, he’s hot’ and it got everyone around the room gigglin’ out loud. Angela ends up askin’ the guy ‘are you interested in him?’ and by now, he’s embarrassed as hell but it doesn’t stop him from saying ‘well if he’s single…’ and that is when I stepped in.”
Hanzo apparently can’t hold it in anymore and chuckles at Cole’s retelling. “Are you sure you won’t be jealous of me spending time with a man who apparently finds me hot?”
“I think I’ll live,” Cole says. “Besides, you can make it up to me later.” The comfort is back between them, and it puts Cole at ease.
Hanzo stays quiet again, but Cole doesn’t mind – one of the first things he learned about Hanzo was how he preferred to take his time before saying or adding anything. Pushing him before he is ready reverts Hanzo back to his old stoic ways and Cole wants anything but that to resurface.
“Alright, I will apologize to Brigitte, and offer to go to their favorite place with them,” Hanzo relents finally. “I am still not sure what is expected of me, but I suppose giving them a chance won’t hurt.”
“Trust me, Hana doesn’t waste a second to dig into you. She riled me up enough after catchin’ sight of an old arcade game and I stupidly took the bait. She handed my ass back to me and I had to deal with the three of them teasin’ me the entire time.”
“Now that is a sight to behold, invite me the next time so I can avenge your honor,” Hanzo replies. “See, that’ll be your first mistake," Cole cuts in. “She’ll hone in on that pride and the next thing you know, Brigitte's pattin’ your back while Lena is holding back her giggles.”
Hanzo’s replying chuckle has a slight mocking edge to it and Cole loves that sound; his cool self assuredness was the first thing Cole was impressed by and it runs a thread of thrill up his spine.
Hanzo’s grumbling stomach cuts through between them and they both break out in giggles over it. “I suppose dinner is still in order,” Hanzo sighs as he pulls away from Cole.
“Let’s stick with the pizzas tonight. We got 5 slices left,” Cole offers.
Hanzo raises a brow at that and says, “that hardly sounds enough for the two of us.” Cole rolls his eyes at him but doesn’t refute his boyfriend. “Alright fiiiine,” he drags out as pulls open the fridge door and peers inside. “I’m makin’ us some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. You heat up the slices real quick then.”
He is almost done when he suddenly pictures the half-folded laundry that was still spewed all over his bed. He groans out loud and Hanzo gives him a curious glance. “The laundry - I never got around to it,” he grumbles out. Hanzo's face breaks into a smile and he says, “I suppose you can spend the night in my room then.”
Cole grins back, filled to the brim with love and increasing excitement at the thought of being wrapped up by Hanzo soon enough.