Chapter Text
Of all the people you’d expect to find moping silently in their room, Hanzo Shimada would be fairly high up on the list. However, if the moping was induced by someone else (with whom he hadn't even interacted with in days), he'd be somewhere near the bottom of that list. That's why when Genji found his usually composed older brother slumped against the computer system installed in the corner of his room with a page full of agent records open, surprised may have been an understatement for his reaction to Hanzo’s state.
“Trying to find out who to avoid, huh?” He joked, making his presence be known to the man who had just been started out of his daze. “I promise you nobody here is dangerous. Well, to you at least.”
The joking was a front. Hanzo knew it and he knew that Genji did too. He knew that there was an actual reason for Hanzo scoping out information about his fellow agents. Part of their upbringing in a family with such a prestigious name lead to the brothers not being invasive for the sake of it. Yet when it was needed there were few people better for the job than the Shimada brothers. Which lead to the question, why did Hanzo feel a need to be looking up information about those who trusted him with their life in battle.
A quick glance at the screen gave Genji the answer he'd been looking for. Basic information and the ID photo of one Jesse McCree were staring back at him. It's not like Genji hadn't suspected Hanzo of being attracted to the man. While training was always at the forefront of his older brother’s mind during his later teenage years, Hanzo had actually experienced crushes and a relatively normal childhood until their mother had died. The behaviour was the same, the silent efforts to learn more about the person grabbing his interest without ever actually attempting to talk to that person in a way that would suggest something more.
“Gotta say brother, I did not have you down as being someone who had a thing for cowboys.” Genji teased, internally laughing as Hanzo whipped around with a glare that could pierce through a sheet of pure metal.
“I do not have a thing for anyone. I was simply researching my fellow agents.” Came the response, a bit too rushed for Hanzo’s usual speech. Another similarity Genji noted, truly a creature of habit.
“Uh-huh, and what’s so special about Jesse?” Hanzo’s mouth opened to protest but before he could say anything Genji’s hand was up to stop him in his tracks. “You're on the fifth page of information, the only thing you're gonna find that far through a file will be past mission information. What are you doing Hanzo? Like, what are you really doing?”
A defeated look flickered in Hanzo’s eyes, though only for a brief second Genji noticed it, and from the way that Hanzo seemed to subconsciously curl in on himself he’d noticed it too.
“The cowboy, he intrigues me. I do not know what it is about him, but there is something there that keeps me wondering about him and who he is exactly. I want to know more about him.”
Well, that was a lot closer to a confession than Genji was expecting. It was at that moment when Genji realised the scale of what was going on in his brother’s head. When teased about things such as love Hanzo would silence and push away anyone who made such a comment, yet here he was admitting to have an interest in the cowboy. Admittedly, he didn’t specify if it was romantic or not, but given Hanzo’s track record of the people who he actually showed an interest in over the years it either had to be that or someone who was important in terms of clan business. Clan business was no longer a concern, leaving romantic interest with the only possible option in Genji’s eyes.
The cyborg was quiet for a moment, silently going over his choice of words in his head to avoid frustrating Hanzo even further. “You’re friends with him though, I’ve seen you two talking on the transport between missions. Why not just ask him about himself and his past? You are more likely to get a honest and detailed response that way. I highly doubt the information public to all agents is the kind of detail you were looking for, brother.”
It wasn’t often that Genji found his brother struggling for words, ever the one to be prepared in any situation, yet if anyone was to be able to catch him off guard like this it’d be Genji. With a feeling of triumph Genji gave his brother a small smile before rushing to reassure him that it was okay, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about, it’s natural. Of course Hanzo was having none of this.
“There is no longer anyone left to please other than yourself.” Now that got Hanzo to stop babbling. Genji knew that the reason why Hanzo would be attempting to hide such feelings even from his own blood is because he was taught that it was bad to let yourself get distracted, that that’s how thing would go wrong in terms of clan business. It was one of the reasons why Hanzo believed he had to strike down Genji all those years ago. “Nobody is going to judge you for anything that you feel, brother. You only have to make yourself happy here, there’s nobody who’s depending on you to follow in their footsteps anymore.”
Silence followed as Hanzo let the words sink in. Genji did have a point, he was no longer under the rule of those who expected him to follow in his father’s footsteps. No longer were the expectations piled upon his shoulders until they became too much, even for him, the future leader of the clan. A defeated sigh came out of Hanzo’s mouth, followed by an unusually timid response from the man, so quiet that Genji almost didn’t hear it.
“But I don’t know what to do.”
And there it was. Hanzo admitting that he had a crush and although not spoken aloud, telling his brother that he needed help. Genji always did have the upper hand over Hanzo when it came to things such as love and relationships in general, romantic or not. The freedom that Genji had been allowed while Hanzo was training to take over a criminal empire had lead to the younger of the two having a lot more skill when it came to talking to other people for his own personal reasons. Back when they were younger Genji had been a hit in terms of romantic talking too, usually (and not always purposefully) drawing the most attention out of his small friendship group due to his natural smooth talking. Hanzo was in the best hands possible given his current situation.
“So you need help talking to Jesse then?”
“Yes, I need help talking to Jesse.”
“And you want me to help you?”
“And I want you to help me.”
“It would be an honour, brother.”