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The snow kissed Angela’s face as she glided through the air, her staff keeping her bonded to Fareeha, whose rockets were propelling her to the very tops of the roofs at King’s Row. Empty streets stretched out below them, only illuminated by the pinpricks of Christmas lights that highlighted every part of the town. It was utterly beautiful, in a strange, quiet way, and the feeling of the wind rushing through Angela’s simple bun, pulling hairs loose, made for a perfect evening, especially since Fareeha was there. Her heart was racing with adrenaline, and a laugh escaped Angela as they landed gracefully on the top of a shingled roof. “The lights are so beautiful,” Angela said, using her staff braced on the gutters to steady herself as she moved to sit. Fareeha nodded, gently holding Angela’s hand in hers, the touch gentle despite the metal of her Raptora suit. It wasn’t ideal for physical contact, but both absolutely adored going on night flights together, so it had become a weekly venture for the two girlfriends. Angela leaned on Fareeha, used by now to the cold of the Raptora’s metal, and Fareeha let go of Angela’s hand, maneuvering her arm around Angela’s wings. Both of them were fairly used to working around the suits; it had stopped being awkward long ago after date after date, rooftop cuddling session after rooftop cuddling session.
“I love watching the Christmas lights,” Fareeha contributed. “It’s so peaceful.”
“It is so peaceful,” Angela agreed. “So different from the noise of battle. It just gives me a moment to finally think about things.” She sighed, leaning back into Fareeha’s hold, and Fareeha steadied herself accordingly. Her eyes half closed in relaxation, she looked absolutely beautiful, Fareeha thought. It was so rare for Fareeha to see her beautiful angel in this state of bliss; usually she was working or collapsed over her desk, a cup of coffee hanging limply from her hand. Smiles coming from her, real, genuine smiles borne of happiness, were rare. Granted, they were more common when Fareeha was around, but they still didn’t come as often as she’d like. Seeing one now was perfect…and the only thing that could take her eyes away from it was another quick, surreptitious check that the object held in her left hand was still safe. It was that object that made Fareeha’s heart beat so fast that she almost felt stifled in anxiety, but she wouldn’t get rid of it for anything.
“What do you like to think about?” Fareeha asked, rolling the object around in her hand.
“It depends on the day, I suppose. Projects, my friends, Overwatch, the past, the future.” Her eyes opened a touch so she could gaze at the stars.
“And what do you have in mind for your future?”
“Well, I can’t see myself leaving Overwatch at any time in the future. With my luck I will be like Reinhardt, still there when I am old and grey,” she chuckled. “But I would like to work more with biotic technology. Use it to heal, not hurt. Go back to working with individual groups more often, I suppose. And be with you, of course.” Angela punctuated the sentiment with a gentle kiss on the cheek. Luckily Fareeha never wore her helmet on these sort of excursions, so she was easily accessible. Fareeha smiled down at Angela.
“Of course,” she affirmed, her voice husky with emotion.
“How about you?” Angela asked. “What do you see when you look at the future?” Fareeha took a deep breath, wondering how she should approach this particular situation, debating options in her head for a second before answering.
“I probably will continue my role as I have been, but I agree, I’d love to do things outside of Overwatch. I haven’t thought about it much. But I have thought about you.”
“Me?” Angela asked, raising an eyebrow. She could read Fareeha well, and honestly, Fareeha was surprised she hadn’t noticed something sooner. Her eyes shifted a little bit, knowing something was different but having faith that if she was patient, Fareeha would tell her.
“You,” Fareeha said with a nod. She turned to Angela, freeing her arm from her waist and moving to hold her hand again. “I want to be with you. I can never see a place without you where I would feel as happy as I feel now. I used to fight for the innocent, and I used to stay alive in battle for my mother and the people I could protect in the future. But now when everything starts to go wrong and I’m injured and I have to worry if I’ll get home safe, I think of one more person. You. I think of you when anything is wrong because I know you’ll do anything you can to save me, my guardian angel. I think of you when I feel empty because you make me feel so much more whole than I ever thought I could feel.” Tears were running down Angela’s cheeks already because she knew, she had figured out where this was going but was too stunned to preempt it and absolutely unwilling to cut her girlfriend off now. “Hopefully you feel the same. I know I could never do anything that would match all you do for me, but I try and I hope I have succeeded.”
“You have, liebe,” Angela whispered, setting her staff down and grabbing Fareeha’s free hand with both of hers.
“I have a question for you, and I know you know what it is, but I want to ask anyway.” Fareeha drew her left hand out from behind her back, revealing a small, velvet box. “Dr. Angela Ziegler, will you fly with me for all eternity?” She opened up the box, revealing a gold ring. It bore no gemstone, but the beautiful, intricate gold twisted around seemed beautiful enough without any sort of gem. It was strong yet elegant and beautiful. “Will you be my wife?” Fareeha asked, her voice soft and shaking a bit. Tears started to well in her eyes as well once she saw the smile spread across Angela’s face.
“I hoped this was what you’d ask,” Angela responded, her voice emotional and as happy as Fareeha had ever heard it be. “And I hope you’ve known for a long time what my answer to this question would be.” Fareeha laughed.
“I hope that means yes,” she chuckled, tears running down her cheeks in earnest. Angela nodded vehemently, unable to speak but laughing now too, and Fareeha slipped the ring onto her finger.
“Of course it means yes! I would not wish to travel the world with anyone but you.” Angela kissed Fareeha, softly yet with an intensity that took Fareeha’s breath away and made her feel happier and bubblier than she ever had before.
That feeling lasted throughout their travel, through their returning and the seemingly infinite hugs from Lúcio, Lena, Hana, Mei. Zarya had given Fareeha a clap on the back that almost sent her sprawling, and Ana had given Angela a huge hug, whispering that she was so happy to have another daughter. Genji smiled at the two women and told them that he was glad they were happy, and thanked Angela again for saving him. Winston came up and gave them both a gentle hug, as did McCree and Reinhardt (Reinhardt almost crushed them, but he was so happy that they hadn’t the heart to tell him so), and Jack stayed quiet as always but shook Fareeha’s hand, ordering her to treat Angela right. Even the more stoic of the group like Hanzo stopped to offer congratulations and a smile, so it seemed like it wasn’t until hours later that they managed to be alone.
The bubbly feeling still remained when the two were both going through their nighttime rituals. Angela and Fareeha brushed their teeth, washed their faces, changed into pajamas and slid into bed, things that they had done thousands of times and by now seemed mundane, but somehow, today those things just felt different. They were new, exciting, and gave both of them butterflies. Fareeha found herself noticing small things, like the way Angela brushed her teeth very carefully, almost like she absolutely couldn’t stand a single molecule of toothpaste escaping, or the way her hands moved delicately and carefully as she re-tied her hair in a looser bun after putting on pajamas. Everything seemed to just make her happier and happier.
And the bubbly feeling lasted even after Angela had fallen asleep, her head on Fareeha’s shoulders, so Fareeha ended up lying awake, smiling at the ceiling, for many minutes. But she didn’t mind. She wanted to relish this feeling. Because Fareeha had never been happier.