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- I -
Angela saved his life in more ways than one.
Most obviously she reconstructed him from almost nothing. Apparently his body hadn't taken well to his cybernization at first and had nearly died on the table three times before he'd been stabilized. She gave him a second chance at a life that he hadn't been ready to let go of. How could he when he felt as if he could finally see for the first time? Angela rescued Genji from the place that no one had ever been brought back from before.
But she did much more for him than that.
- II -
When Genji got to see the color Green for the first time, he was not disappointed.
Everything was new, even things that had been old constructs in his life for as long as he could remember. He had heard so many stories of how the Colors changed people's lives, but he hadn't truly believed it until he could see it for himself.
The best part was that he had someone to experience it with. There was almost nothing that could stop Genji and Angela from rediscovering the world.
Most of all, he discovered that love had its own Color too.
- III -
When he didn't have the strength to convince himself that he wasn't a monster , she was there to remind him of who he really was - to anchor him. Angela had, after all, brought the Color to his life just as he'd brought the same to hers. Even when he resented everything, what he was, what he'd become, she accepted him. Amongst every Color on the spectrum, it was her warmth that was the most vivid of them all.
She was his everything, and when he didn't feel as if he could bear to live for himself, he lived for her .
- IV -
Genji could not believe how Colorful the world was.
Perhaps that was blatantly obvious given that he'd lived the majority of his life up until this point trapped in Grey, but it never stopped taking his breath away.
The Colors he enjoyed most, however, were Angela's. Her eyes were such a deep blue as to rival the sky. Her hair was as golden as the sun. Most of all Genji found himself captivated by the pink flush of her cheeks the first time she welcomed him into her bed. Such a beautiful and fragile thing - one reserved only for him.
- V -
Perhaps the most surprising thing that came with the Colors was the fact that they affected so many other aspects of his life as well. Genji's perspective on many things changed and he came to appreciate things he hadn't before.
Like cooking.
His sense of taste was one of the only things Angela had been able to save that didn't need synthetic reconstruction. Genji loved it when she had a night she could spend away from her work and they would spend it trying out new recipes and altogether making a mess of the kitchens.
Food never tasted so flavorful.
- VI -
They often went on walks together.
In the chaotic whirlwind that being an agent of Overwatch could be, both Genji and Angela liked to slow down whenever they could find the time.
Gardens were a favorite destination of theirs, and during time off they would go deeper into the city to spend the entire day at the Botanischer Garten . On their third visit, they found a secluded area hidden between the trees where they shared soft kisses in secret. Genji could spend the entire day with his arms wrapped around her - head resting on her shoulder.
Content to simply exist.
- VII -
Genji was not inexperienced when it came to mission work. Rarely he would work with Blackwatch, but usually he ran with the agents of Overwatch. He knew that Angela was no stranger to the battlefields either, but it did not stop him from fearing for her safety.
He preferred the times when they were assigned the same missions. Those times he would be there to protect her - regardless to the fact that he'd seen her defend herself many times. He simply could not bear the thought of losing her.
Nor could he imagine being trapped in a Grey world again.
- VIII -
On the eve of a mission, Genji laid in their bed with Angela in his arms, holding her so severely that he was nearly clinging. It was enough for her to take notice. She cupped his cheek and asked him what was troubling him.
So he shared with her his doubts - his fears.
Angela did not judge or scorn him for what he confessed. She just looked up at him with those eyes he knew so well, smiled, kissed his forehead, and told him everything would be okay.
Even in the half light of the night, she was endlessly Colorful.
- IX -
They were separated in the heat of the battle.
The mission was supposed to be simple, but as most things were, nothing was ever that easy. Where Overwatch went, chaos always seemed to follow as if the two things were bound by fate.
Genji knew that his first priority should have been to ensure the success of the mission, but his entire focus revolved around thoughts of Angela. He drowned in the Colors as he skirted the battlefields, and thought of nothing but finding her.
Pale skin.
Golden hair.
Blue eyes.
He did not find her until it was over.
- X -
Injuries are common amongst the agents of Overwatch. Genji often needs parts repaired or replaced, and he knows that Angela also has her fair share of scars to show for her efforts. He tries to remind himself that everything is still okay. That even though he can see her laying on the ground ahead of him, she's still fine. She's fine. Everything is fine. It had to be.
Except he can't bring himself to believe it.
Somehow with each passing moment, the vibrant colors that had nearly blinded him before with their intensity grow more dull in subtle degrees. It's almost as if he can feel the Grey creeping into the corners of his vision and it makes his chest tighten. Genji closes his eyes, shakes his head, and even hard resets his optics, but no matter what he does, the Colors just keep fading. He doesn't dare think about what it might mean. He can't.
Genji calls her name as he finally reaches her, but his voice sounds distant to his own ears. She's lying still as death and facing away from him. He puts a hand onto her shoulder and pulls her onto her back. Time slows. For the first time he finds himself repulsed by the Colors - because all Genji can see is Red.
He feels his heart stop.
Angela blinks her eyes up at him, her gaze far away until she is able to focus on him. She doesn't say anything, she's unable to, so Genji speaks for her. He tells her to save her breath so that she can save her energy. He tells her that help is on its way and that the others will soon be here. He tells her that everything is going to be okay and that they're going to get her out of here safe and sound. That soon enough she'll be back on her feet again and he can finally take her to visit the place he'd grown up like they'd talked about before.
But they both know that none of it is true.
Genji holds her hand as she fades. He takes off his visor and places her soft skin against his scarred cheek. He can see her life fading away as the Colors bleed from his vision, and when she's gone he puts her hand down onto her chest and gently closes her eyes.
They were Grey.