Chapter Text
When the recall had come in Genji had felt indecisive, afraid. Maybe even a little terrified. There were a lot of things that had happened since the last time he was with Overwatch. Or rather, Blackwatch. A lot of things had changed, good things might he add. Things that made him better, more like a person.
But it hadn’t come at the best of times. He supposed, there never really was a good time for something like that to happen.
It had been after his trip to Japan, his less-than-stellar reunion with Hanzo, and more importantly the death of Mondatta. They were still grieving, mourning. Zenyatta maybe more than anyone else. Genji hadn’t been able to be there, to stand guard during the speech, nor there to help bring Mondatta home. It had all just collided into one big mess.
The Japan trip was something he did on his own, a way to put the last of his hardships and his past behind him. Meeting Hanzo hadn’t been planned and so it had left him reeling. The moments' decision to bare his face, to reveal the truth of his own survival. There had been disbelief and anger in his brothers' eyes, but Genji was certain there had been relief and hope as well.
He extended his trip, hoping beyond anything to find Hanzo again or to have Hanzo search him out.
It’s not easy to send messages between the monastery and his hotel, his letter probably wouldn’t arrive until weeks after he sent it. At the time he mostly worried about how fussy Zenyatta sometimes got about him, already had he been mentally apologizing to Mondatta who’d have to deal with the other Omnic… Except Mondatta would never get the chance to do so.
The news was broadcast all over the world, on every news channel and online outlet. Mondatta’s death had been devastating and had him booking the first available flight out. still, it took him days to get back. Days he spent wondering how this could have happened.
The monastery he got home to hadn’t felt like the one he left. Instead of the idle chatter of Monks, of small tunes and happy faces, he found silence. A silence so loud he almost felt compelled to try and break it.
Zenyatta had been no better than everyone else. The omic lacked his usual glow, in the most literal way. His optics had been dimmer, and the almost melodic sound of his inner workings seemed muted. Like muffled crying.
For the first time since meeting Zen, the omic felt small, fragile even. Their roles now reversed as Genji held him through the long nights. As Genji stood side by side with the man he loved and helped organizing Mondatta’s memorial. Watching as life was slowly being breathed back into the monastery.
The memorial itself had been beautiful, and hundreds if not thousands of pilgrims had made the journey just to pay their respects. It had truly been an unification as man and machined grieved all the same. And while the world still shook around them they had to stay strong, to not lose their footing. It was a month after, almost to the day of Mondatta’s memorial, that the recall came.
Zenyatta had taken one look at it before taking his hand, cradling both it and the device. His words had been soft yet firm, ‘If you go then so will I’. That alone had almost made him decline it immediately, but Genji had paused.
He knew what he wanted to do, but not if he had the strength to do it. He also knew that saying no just to keep Zenyatta out of danger would be foolish. While it had been offered, Zen had no wish to take up Mondatta’s position as head of the monastery. And maybe- just maybe, they both need to get away.
It still took Genji a week to press the accept button, and then another couple of weeks before they set off. Having to ensure that the monastery would be fine in their absences. It had been a coincidence that they had been in town when Doomfist attacked, but aiding Tracer, Winston- To be part of Overwatch once more, it felt right.
It had been hard in the beginning, the person these people remembered him as wasn’t the person he was anymore. But it didn’t take long to find a place, for himself or Zenyatta. The monk definitely helped in that department, though there were still things he had found a bit awkward. interactions or conversations that were difficult. But all in all, Genji found himself happy, and most importantly he found that Zenyatta seemed less burden. The omic had regained his glow, and that more than anything told him that this had been the right decision.
*
It's a slow morning, something that has become a lot more rare since settling down with Overwatch. Genji finds himself staring at Zen’s glowing optics, the Omnic is tracing lazy patterns into exposed skin. Genji gives him a smile and Zen shifts a bit, allowing Genji to stretch out. He doesn’t let the monk go far as he rolls over top of the other. Lying half on Zen half between his legs, resting his arms and head on Zenyatta’s chest. It gets him a chuckle as metal fingers move to run through messy black hair.
“You are much like a cat Genji, so much so that I have to wonder if you’ll start purring on me.” Genji can’t help the laugh, “Yeah? well, careful I don’t start making you my scratching post.” For added effect, he mimics clawing through the air with one hand.
“That certainly wouldn’t do. Then I might have to distract you instead.” On cue, the soft humming of one of Zen’s orbs starts as the monk lifts one hand in the air. The orb starts floating in a slow circle around Genji’s head, and he pokes at intently watching how it swerves out with the momentum before falling back into floating in a perfect circle.
It does so for a bit longer before the orb gently floats back to rest among the others. The two of them go back to silently enjoying each other's company relishing the peace and quiet. Genji finds himself, like he so often does nowadays, admiring Zenyatta. His build, his presence, his bravery, his heart, everything about the other feels worth admiring. Sometimes he almost can’t believe how far he’s come, and how after all of it he has this incredible being to wake up to every single morning. It makes his own heart pound and his smile widen.
Zen looks ready to say something when it starts getting a bit noisy out in the hall. It’s definitely not uncommon for things to be a bit noisy or even chaotic at the base. With everything happening so quickly and still many Overwatch agents, new and old, making their way to the base. It sounds like several people talking loudly as they walk, Genji thinks one of them sounds like Angela, and the other is familiar but he can’t quite place them through the walls. He strattels when their door is suddenly thrown up and Genji feels a little more alarmed.
“-CASSIDY!”, Angela's outraged cry is followed by an all too familiar southern drawl. “What’s the big idea Angela? You tell me Genjis back and all smiley, of course I have to check that out myself…” When the alarm bells in his head start to quiet down again Genji allows the tension to fade from his shoulder. He feels a bit embarrassed at being caught in such a tender moment, but he mostly feels sorry for Angela who looks torn between apologetic and wanting to clobber Cole. Meanwhile, Zenyatta barely acknowledges the whole situation beyond a small hum.
On the other hand, Genji is pretty sure this is the first time he’s seen Cole Cassidy rendered completely speechless, and he takes a lot of joy in being the reason for that. Back during Blackwatch the cowboy had been the closest thing to a friend he had. So there is definitely a lot of relief in seeing him again, alive and well.
Zenyatta ends up breaking the silence “They say it’s rude to stare.” That seems to kick Cole back into gear, as the man fumbles in the air for a bit starting and restarting a sentence. It finally breaks Genji as he snorts, before starting to laugh at the whole situation. Zenyatta for his part does not help, the Omic is well aware of what he is doing. “My Genji do you find someone barging into our room a laughing matter?”
The apology rolls off his tongue in Japanese between bouts of laughter. “I never thought the great Cole Cassidy could be flustered like this.”
“Uh- sorry for uuh- intruding. I didn’t think-” It’s almost painful how he fumbles through the apology. Genji finally rises off of Zenyatta letting the sheets fall to the side, catching how Cole averts his eyes back and forth and can’t help but laugh again. “Give us a minute, and then we can talk yeah?”
Cole clears his throat and a high-pitched ‘sounds good’ before he practically runs out the room. Right before the door is shut Genji catches how Angela does in fact take a swing at the man.
“Well that was certainly one way to get the day started.” Zen’s voice only sends Genji back into a laughing fit and it takes them a considerable amount of time to actually get dressed. Despite neither of them really needing it.