Chapter Text
In a sense, she had known her long before they ever met. Fareeha plastered her walls with propaganda photos of Overwatch, each one another reason to cement her dreams of joining their ranks. Though of all the heroes, she eyed the blonde wielding a staff with luminescent wings akin to an angel. Always smiling, always radiating a warmth Fareeha wished to know. Even when Overwatch disbanded and her locations changed, Fareeha kept whatever images she possessed framed and propped on nightstands and desks. Maybe she never obtained her true dream, but her goal to serve and protect others remained. She had Overwatch to thank for that. Destiny might have led her to follow her mother’s footsteps, but it was faces like Mercy’s which had Fareeha smiling herself, albeit small.
And when a clinic was being set up near HSI by the likes of a certain Dr. Ziegler, Fareeha caught sight of the woman she once admired years ago. The one dubbed Mercy tended to those in need and while Fareeha didn’t wish to waste the doctor’s time, she also couldn’t walk away without saying something.
“Nice wings,” Fareeha said in passing.
Silence fell in the space and Fareeha regretted her choice in introductions.
Really? she thought. That’s all you could come up with? What sort of impression is that going to leave on someone like her?
Sometimes she forgot life outside of the military was… well, different. Others reacted to playful banter between soldiers as harsh, if not demeaning. Fareeha never meant to disrespect, more so when her attempt at a compliment was underlined by an austere tone lacking charm.
Despite it all, Fareeha garnered Mercy’s attention. She blinked and pushed her blonde bangs out of her eyes to better inspect the origin of the comment. And when she found Fareeha, she did so without an ounce of tension in her body or face; Mercy wore the same smile forever present in all the old posters and photographs.
Before the other could respond, Fareeha pivoted on her heels and marched off. Upon gaining enough distance from the clinic, her steps slowed and a smile of her own tugged at her lips. It wasn’t until one of her fellow guards teased about the blush on her face that Fareeha snapped back to reality and wore her soldier guise again.