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September air wafted over the Overwatch Gibraltar Base. A slight rainfall had begun. The atmosphere froze in its shell and melted in the lazy afternoon sun, awhile laughter amongst the family dynamic warmed the quarters. The fire's enticement fell deaf to Hanzo's tipped cherry red ears. Casading lights spread from the bathing sun in the royal blue ocean. Shimmering orange and red beams of the sunset stared into Hanzo's eyes, but nothing looked back. Only the tip of a mexican cigarette warmed his lips.
The jiggle of spurs disturbed the stillness and uproarious voices spilled out of the door behind it. Last minute jests were thrown beyond the door until the voices were sealed shut. The fall of boots and clapping bells echoed through the hallway before coming to an awkward halt.
In Cassidy's crosshairs was Hanzo Shimada, sitting and smoking an oddly familiar cigarro. For better or for worse, he looked calm for once or simply exhausted. The only acknowledgement of the cowboy's presence was a long smooth exhale of smoke. Cassidy was ashamed to realize he never questioned where Hanzo was while the world continued. Even so, that question wouldn't answer to here. He knew more of a sensed tension between the brothers than the man himself. He's a co-worker.
Cole Cassidy, being a man of hospitality, just couldn't stroll right back out of his life. If a question bothered him, at least it bothered him, right?
"Ya mind if I-?"
"I don't," Hanzo interrupts coldly, yet impossibly welcoming simultaneously. The words almost emerge bored, as if Cassidy's request was anticipated back to when the door handle turned.
Cassidy wore a cheeky grin and sat down far closer than he'd meant to. The cold exterior of the building penerated his jacket and brought a shiver to his spine. His ass froze. He eased the anxiety by lighting a cigar. Upon closer inspection of Hanzo's lit joint, he huffed a laugh.
"I ain't mad you stole a cigar off me, --but I wanna know how."
The amusement of such a question restored some life in Hanzo's face. In truth, he seemed more excited from Cassidy's reaction than the high of a heist.
"It was childs play honestly. I don't reveal my craft."
He takes another puff before exhaling his words floating on smoke.
He grins smuggly, "I couldn't similarly cover stealing your alcohol, but my thievery was never witnessed."
Feeling witty, Cassidy plays along with the mood. "Ah, so the truths out. And for a second, I thought I was an alcoholic."
Unable to stand his own joke, he laughs into his sleeve and glances at an ashamingly amused Hanzo. With a face so glum around base, he'd never imagine a smile like his could age like fine wine. It's honorable his shitty humor could carve lips like those.
Cassidy buries his head in shame and fluster, whilst still coughing a laugh. "Okay, okay" he swats.
He peers out from his arm, questioning, "Why my beer tho?"
Hanzo twirls the cigar between his fingers, watching the arising smoke. "Tastes decent. You would think Reinhardt would have a taste."
The cowboy relishes in such a diss. "Don't tell the big guy that," he manages to say between small fits of laugher. Whether Hanzo was drunk or high off his ass, Cassidy much preferred this over the man who hung low in the corner of a room. Why didn't he talk more?
The sunset is starting to submerge into the blue, turning day to night. The overhead pitter pattered with droplets of rain. Rolling off the roof, the walkway covered in puddles and drops made their way onto the exposed men's shoes. Seemingly for the first time, Hanzo's eyes opened to the sunset and met the light. The rainfall hit his shoe, awaking him and reminding him of reality. A wave of awe and existentialism washes over him.
"Pretty, ain't it?"
Hanzo huffs another bite and observes the rolling smoke flow smoothly out. There's a silent appreciation.
They sit in comfortable silence for a bit, each moving onto their next smoke. Hanzo gloats and brandishes the profuse amount of cigs he'd manage to snatch. It hurts Cassidy to say he's impressed.
They stare into the shimmer of the light against the rippling ocean. Purples, reds, oranges, and yellows dance. The evening continues.
"I've got a story for you," Cassidy smirks with a cigar stuck between his teeth.
Sarcastically, Hanzo sighs a whisper "oh great" vocal enough for Cassidy to hear. "Your reputation precedes you. Genji tells me you're quite the story teller." He's sure he'll huff down another cigar within this sitting.
"Well," Cassidy breathes. "Here's how it went down. I just got done drinking with some buddy's and I walk out, right? I'm walking and then all of a sudden, I see a guy."
Hanzo can already sense where the narratives going and doesn't encourage it in the slightest.
"He's sitting all alone in the cold, rainy weather by will. And he's got one of my cigars!"
Hanzo raises an eyebrow. His visible breath in the cold reminds Cole of an aggravated bull.
"And I'm standing there, stunned, wondering what his deal is."
Cassidy leans back and inhales a cigarro. He makes an audience of him and Hanzo as they watch the smoke swirl.
There's again a sigh from Hanzo, not believing he is foolish enough to play with such an obvious story.
He interrogates. "And? What's his 'deal'?"
Cassidy looks into Hanzo with eyes that say "gotcha". He leans his face onto his fist, infatuated with where his hard efforts will resolve. He's smug.
"Not sure. What is his deal?"
He's rewarded with a soft punch labeled "lay off" into his hip. Hanzo scuffs that Cole's cheap.
He dismisses the questioning, leaving it at his enjoyment of solitude. He lights a new cigarette. Cassidy playfully berates him about being in his company, joking that he was a bother.
Hanzo admires the flicker of flame from the lighter. "You don't bother me, Cassidy."
He was and will never be prepared for something so genuine to pour out so casually out of a mouth like Hanzo's. He couldn't even see his eyes, but his voice told it all. It brought him to actual guilt about teasing him earlier. He brushes it off with a still laugh.
All that is left is the sun's shine from underneath the blue curtain, giving way to the encore of the night. In Cassidy's opinion, this is one of the only skies that ain't riddled with pollution and smog. He remembers his first time at the base, spending the night gazing at star alignments. "Ain't nothing like this back home," he tells Hanzo. Hanzo dreamingly details the Hanamura sky as if he hadn't seen it in a century.
From an aloof, shadow man to this- Hanzo don't seem so bad.
This is refreshing. They had spoken before, but nothing compared to this. Paranoia settles in that he'll never have such an entertaining conversation again.
If Cassidy didn't say something now, this moment never happened. He clears his voice.
"Aye, uh. You can pay me back for my beers and my smokes by doing this again another time." He fakes a teethy grin built from nerves.
"I'd be ashamed to be indebted to you" Hanzo agrees with a sly lip.
This is intriguing.
They both finish off their last cigars. The night rolls into full performance with shimmering stars. Soft clouds roll over the sky and encompass the full moon. Consious, Hanzo attends to witness the man in the moon.