Deadeye Ready

Peacekeeper? Was that the name of the man’s gun? Haruhi momentarily wondered if he had named it himself and the situation behind its naming. There was irony about a gun keeping peace when it could create such discord. The brunette couldn’t judge too much, though–she didn’t know the man’s life. All she knew was that he hadn’t used the gun on her or anyone she cared about, so her opinion was irrelevant for the time being.

Did this man escort people often? It could explain his readiness to help out.

Haruhi offered the man a small smile. “Well, thank you again, McCree,” she said, repeating his name to make sure that she was pronouncing it correctly. “I’m Haruhi Fujioka,” she said, “so please call me Haruhi.”

Silence grew between the two. This was an odd situation, but Haruhi didn’t want there to be any awkward silence. it would definitely make the situation more discomforting. “Have you… have you had to use Peacekeeper here in Wonderland?”

    As McCree heard Haruhi’s name, he remembered the brief lessons get had with Genji about Japanese...but it was so long ago that most of the things he learned were lost. However, he tried his best to pronounce his name correctly, though he did stumble over her last name.

    Tipping his hat, “Well, it’s very nice to escort you tonight Haruhi.”

    Checking the surroundings again, McCree didn’t notice any movements this time around, so he removed his hand from his holster, but not quite relaxing fully.

    Looking back at Haruhi, McCree smiled a little, appreciating her questions as it helped ease the awkwardness between them, “Well, I haven’t had to use it on another human, no. However, the monsters that roam the forest? Plenty of ‘em.”

    Taking a drag of his cigar, McCree let the smoke fill his lungs and mouth and blew the smoke in the opposite direction of Haruhi and started to move again. Remembering that Haruhi mentioned she lived in the Rosewood dorms, he started to make his way to said area.

Ellie was shocked because McCree was one okay with telling her but two because their stories were pretty similar in a way. She sighed it was only fair. She did not try to comfort him instead did as he asked. Told him.

She explained how she had this good friend named Riley. They along with several other children grew up in this orphanage run in the Boston quarantine zone. She explained how the world she comes from the zone was filled with a lot of eccentric and paranoid individuals but were she lived were the infected could appear at any corner it was not surprising. The orphanage was run by the remains of military force that made the zone in the first place, she was responsible for watch duty among other things. 

Ellie and Riley were good friends that looked out for one another. They were partners in crime. She mentioned how they even managed to snag a few water guns and would play with them, well until they were taken away. 

Then she told him of the day she woke up only to look at Riley’s bunk and the girl to be gone. they were about 12 or so at the time. It was not until she was gone that Ellie realized her feelings were stronger then of a friend. Flash forward 6 months and Riley appeared at her window in the middle of the night. She had joined a group called the fireflies. As a member of the military group from the orphanage was trained to shoot fireflies on sight. They ended up going to the male outside the zone. A place they had been too hundreds of times before. They reconnected and Riley explained how she was going permanently unless Ellie told her to stay. That was when Ellie kissed her. Then the infected they preached the mall. The two ran for their lives killing all of them the only problem is that they were both bitten. 

Ellie held up her tattooed arm showing the scar it covered.

Riley said “Maybe we should just sit and lose our minds together” except that Ellie never lost her mind. And here she was completely fine.

    McCree’s heart broke a little for Ellie. The way that she told her story...it was like something straight out of a horror movie. At first, he didn’t believe her, but the way she spoke so earnestly about Riley...and how she got bit. It caused McCree to flash back to his own passed lover and how it almost destroyed him from the inside out. Maybe he had more in common with her than just where they came from.

    Finishing his drink, McCree looked down at his glass, his mood sort of somber. However, he quickly snapped out of it when Ellie mentioned something about losing their minds together and she cracked a smirk, “Ya mean ya haven’t lost yer’s yet? I’m real surprised.”

    Getting to the bar, McCree grabbed two more drinks, one for himself and the other for Ellie. As he was walking back, he remembered that Ellie was still on the clock...and she couldn’t exactly drink on the job.

Genji heard the slight movement of something moving toward him. Normally, he’d let whatever it was pass by, and not allow it to disturb his meditation; but today, his anxiety got the best of him. The man stood up quick. He tried to shake off the panicky feeling. Taking a few steps forward, he tried looking toward the direction of the indistinguishable sound. He slowly peaked over the hills bend, only to meet eyes with the last person he’d expect to see in this crazy universe.

Hearing his name shot a cold shiver down his spine. The cyborg felt stuck in this position, and couldn’t seem to make himself move. 

How the hell is he here?

Genji’s mind and body were too stunned to react at first. Instead, he let the other approach him. All the stress, and fear, and anger from his last few months at home surfaced, and washed away all at once. It felt impossible to actually see someone he knew here. And if he’s here….. who else could be, too?

“Jesse McCree,” The name had a sour taste to it. “I… didn’t expect to see you here. I don’t really know how I got here. I thought I was going crazy.”

Genji still hasn’t moved an inch from his spot, eyeing the cowboy up and down, trying to confirm if he was really there or not. His guard was up, just in case something fishy was going on.

“Were you sent here to find me? Is Reyes doing all of this? I already told him, I’m not coming back…”

    McCree’s good mood was quickly dashed away when their previous commander was mentioned. He didn’t like to think about what happened during his time at Blackwatch...especially what happened during the incident. 

    Sighing, McCree sat down next to Genji, taking a drag out of his cigar, “I’m not ‘ere under Reyes’ orders,” McCree couldn’t help the venom that was in his voice, “I fell into this place by myself. ...also, Blackwatch was disbanded, along with Overwatch.”

    McCree’s hands tightened around his cigar, almost to the point that it was going to break, but he managed to keep his cool...barely. There were few things in this world that got his anger to its max...but Reyes and Blackwatch were two of those things.

    Taking a deeper drag, “Reyes decided that during a mission, that shootin’ the guy in cold blood was the best way to handle things...and we weren’t even s’pposed to go on the mission, Morrison ordered us not to...”

    What happened after that...he really didn’t want to think about. Almost everything in McCree’s life went to shit after the Venice Incident, and he was close to...doing something that couldn’t be reversed. So much guilt filled McCree’s heart after everything was disbanded that he was closing to giving up...then Winston recalled Overwatch...

    Looking at Genji, “And trust me, even if Reyes sent me to get you back...I wouldn’t force ya to come back, hell, I’d join ya and just leave that dammed place...well, that’s a moot point now, isn’t it?” A chuckle rumbled through McCree’s chest.

@deadlock-shot | Continued from x

It had been nice for this man to volunteer to escort Haruhi back to her dorm. There had recently been a number of unsettling reports about suspicious activity. Though Haruhi normally wouldn’t heed the warnings, she didn’t want to chance anything in this foreign land.

“I don’t think there’s a reason to use hat” she asked. Haruhi didn’t know how the man would react in a striation, but for a moment she was worried that some person would be caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. “I’m sure everyone has just been overreacting due to stress or something like that.”

“I guess I should still say thank you,” she said, continuing her walk. She glanced over at the man. “My father may not be in Wonderland, but I know he would sleep peacefully knowing that I wasn’t alone right now.”

    Even though McCree’s eyes weren’t on the young Miss, a small chuckle rumbled through his chest. This young miss was certainly keen on voicing her opinion, and McCree couldn’t fault her on it. Not everyone’s comfortable seeing a random stranger wielding a gun.

    “Well, I hope there ain’t a reason to use ol’ Peacekeeper tonight.”

    McCree took note of what the young Miss said, but he couldn’t just randomly trust Wonderland now, especially at night. Back where he’s from, the night was unpredictable, and since Wonderland 24 hours of the day was unpredictable, the night was especially at night.

~starter for @deadlock-shot~

5:00 AM, and the cyborg was beginning his daily routine. One he hated at first, but his body and mind had grown accustomed to. He drank his tea and gathered his self- preparing for his venture out into the Arburlan forest.

The forest was like a giant puzzle. Genji certainly had trouble maneuvering around the twisted circuits and cobbled paths that seemed to confuse him more than help him find clarity. But, it was an excellent exercise for the mind. It ended up becoming his favorite place to stay hidden, and practice his morning meditation.

On the hill overlooking the castle of spades, Genji sits in the grass. All of his possessions were left at home, so there would be no distractions between him and the forgiving Earth. The sun was rising, just as scheduled. The man closed his eyes. With every inhale he tensed, and every exhale was a release. This is how he started every day, until the stress melted away and vanished into the ether. The day before usually determines how long he focuses on his breath. Some days he’d sit with questions. Or anxieties.

Lately, it’s been the latter.

Despite his cool demeanor, Genji had been experiencing inexplicable bouts of anxiety. It was as if something in this strange universe had shifted. As if he were still fearing his brother sneaking up again for a final attack. Although he’s accepted this new life, something just felt a little….. fishy.

But, there was nothing he could do about it. So he sat. He breathed; and he tried his hardest to extinguish that energy from within. 

    Relaxation day. That was a phrase that McCree seldom used during his life. But now that he was in Wonderland, and not having to deal with any sort of Overwatch recall, he was able to just sit in the grass, look at the clouds, and just drift off. Today was one of those thankful days.

    Entering the grassland, McCree took off his hat and let the light, chilled breeze of the morning go through his air, enjoying the cooling affect that it had. Walking through the grasses, McCree focused on the sounds that surrounded him: chirping of birds, the buzzing of some insects, and the clicking of machinery- wait what.

    McCree’s faced turned really confused when he heard the foreign sound...but it wasn’t foreign at the same time. Looking around, McCree tried to pinpoint where the sound was coming from...and he couldn’t believe his eyes.

    Shouting, “Genji!? Genji Shimada is that you!?”

    Jaunting over to where the cyborg ninja was, McCree could feel a grin appear on his face; he hasn’t seen a familiar face in what felt like months. And he was thankful that it was Genji...and not someone from another list of familiar faces that he’d rather not see again.

“Oh yeah sorry about the bluntness. I have this terrible habit of doing that.” McCree was not actually the first person to point it out. There have been many people who have been shocked at what she says that she was for once lucky she was not an extrovert or everyone would probably be avoiding her by now. 

“Where I come from everything is batshit crazy so most people do not care who you are attracted too. As for how I figured out, you have to tell me how YOU figured it out first.” She was not letting him get away without telling her something about him.

“And I warn you my story is a doozy so be prepared.” She did not miss the hint he had given her. Though she tended to avoid the painful memory that came with it she could just do the nicer parts. The stuff that had to do with her wake up call rather than the painful stuff afterward. Just thinking about it made a small phantom pain appear on her scar under her tattoo. Besides McCree seemed like a good person, someone she could get along with why not get to know him better.

    A slight grin spread across McCree’s face, this girl knew how to bargain. Ashe could learn a thing or two from her.

    Taking a swig from his drink, larger than the last one, McCree sighed and looked at Ellie, “Well, my story ain’t the most up liftin’ either. Though it really isn’t the most dramatic either...”

    Memories of open fields and the scent of the desert and sand filled his mind. He was back home in New Mexico. Most of the kids that he grew up with hated living in the state since there was nothing to do...but McCree loved the quiet nature of the city, well, current McCree appreciated it. Younger!McCree wanted to have some excitement in his life, and that’s what he and Ashe wanted. That’s when the deadlock gang was formed. During the years he was with the gang, all of those times weren’t bad, but there was just something that didn’t sit right with him, but that was for a different story.

    Homosexuality wasn’t a foreign concept for him, especially when you’re in a group of criminals that spent a lot of time together...mingling within the group was common. Every other week there was a bad breakup and a couple fights and everything would be back to normal. Well, of course McCree wanted in on the fun...but none of the women within the group caught his eye. So, deciding to just go with the flow, he decided to try and flirt with some of the male members of the group, and it was the most...erotic? No, McCree couldn’t find the word, but it was just exhilarating. 

    That’s when McCree earned his subtitle of “Heartbreaker.” McCree was a frequent flirt which lead to...other activities. He could easily separate himself emotionally from the activities until one man decided to take McCree’s heart. He fell fast and hard for this man, and McCree for the first time realized something: he actually never enjoyed women...he was actually gay. Sure, he was fine with the intimacy that he had with the other male members, but this guy..he really got a hold of McCree. And for once, he experienced heartbreak. The man that he was in love with was killed during a routine heist. Weeks McCree stayed holed up in his room, not moving, eating and drinking enough to keep him alive, and just wallowing. It was despicable.

    After getting to that part of the story, McCree could feel this throat tighten a little, and he coughed into his hand, “S-So yeah...that mah story,” quickly putting on his signature grin, “now I do believe it’s your turn Little Ellie.”

our muses are taking a late-night walk. send a symbol to start the conversation:

🌙 “I didn’t think you liked staying up late.” 👂“Did you hear that?” 🏡 “This place reminds me of home.” ✖️“Are you sure it’s okay we’re out here?” 🏝“Let’s swim. No one will see us.” 💕“I’m so glad you’re here.” ❗️“Slow down! I can’t keep up!” 💧“…Did you just feel a raindrop?” 🚫"I can’t believe you said that!”

Bonus: send another symbol for your muse to…

    “It’s not about getting wasted you know.” He was right, a water-downed drink was not going to do anything to him, but it was the ethics of it, and he had to at least make an attempt of stopping him so he wouldn’t get in trouble as well. He just better not expect him to hand him more drinks if he stayed at the bar with him, he could mooch off any of the other glasses still around him and suffer whatever fate he wanted. 

    He expected him to leave after he finished his glass, putting his attention back to his work and cleaning some of the shot glasses to be used for later when he heard him speak up again. He glanced up at him with his eyebrow slightly raised, debating if he should respond to him or ignore him. He still didn’t want to make friends, but would it hurt him to at least try to be friendly with his coworkers? I’d at least make work more bearable to have someone to talk to.

     “Its…its been fine. I’ve only had to yell at two others besides that guy but nothing I can’t handle….What about you?”

    He smiled at the young bartender, happy that he was opening up to him a little. McCree’s been described as charismatic by others, and if he were to be honest, it was his preferred way of dealing with most interactions. The less times he has to use Peacekeeper, the better.

    “Well, that’s better than a shit ton of asshole to deal with.”

    Turning around on the stool, he took a quick look around the dance floor to see if anyone was causing any trouble. There were a couple of slightly rowdy people that were starting to get drunk, but they were just having a good time so far, so McCree only has to remember to keep on eye on them from time to time. There were a couple of people just chatting with who McCree assumed were their friends, and...and there was a couple making out in the corner...same old same old.

“Well, at least you know where you stand I still prefer those over other sick motherfuckers. Although it is nice that I not the only one from a dog eat dog kind of world. The amount of people who do not get shot at, a day to day bases is starting.”. She said with a small sincere chuckle.  

“Let’s see as for assholes I did kick out this one guy who was being too handsy to this one guy at the bar so I got to enjoy kicking him out. That one I took joy into doing.”

Ellie let her eyes wander around the crowd to make sure she stayed consistent in keeping a watch on the bar-goers but continued her conversation with Jesse. “There was also this one girl who got really drunk and got cut off but her and her semi more sober friend would not leave. Of course, a few of the guys were trying to get them to leave but the girls were making up stories and being general assholes saying they were harassing them so I just walked up and escorted them out. They could not really find a reason with me doing it.” Ellie paused to see if there was anything else that Jesse might find entertaining and it took a second but she realized there was one thing.

“Than that just the general public trying to hit on me. I love telling the douches that I’m gay their faces are priceless.”

    McCree smirked at Ellie’s story, mainly due to the fact that McCree got to watch said asshole get thrown out. Drunk people were the best when they got stupid, and thankfully the bouncer team never let it get too far. There were a few times on McCree’s watch that things escalated a little too far, and McCree made sure to get the asshole barred from the bar.

    Hearing the second story though, McCree’s eyebrows raised in surprise; it wasn’t often that you heard of the women in clubs being the harassers, and it always caught him off guard on how to take care of them since McCree wasn’t exactly the softest looking bouncer in the club.

    McCree accidentally snorted his drink when Ellie mentioned her gayness, and a chortle emanated from him, “Well hot damn! A little blunt aren’t we? Well, I guess yer in good company then,” he tiled his hat and winked at Ellie, trying to hint that he was gay as well.

    McCree never really announced his sexuality, mainly due to the fact that where he was born...queerness wasn’t exactly the most welcomed...well, at least the time he was born. He was certain that things were getting better for other queer folk back at home.

╰☆╮   This guy was serious. Part of Lance thought he was joking about the whole drink situation, but no. Here he was, with a glass sliding in front of him and his reflection shining back at him in the liquid.

     For a moment, Lances gaze turned towards the obviously older man, to watch him down the drink first. Noting the look on the guys face as he drank, and although Lance knew little to nothing about alcohol, he could tell that had a bit of a kick to it. With his eyes wandering back to his own drink, he had to hope that his own wasn’t the same as his hand was already reaching for the glass. 

             Like he said, ‘why the heck not?’ 

     With a slight shrug of his shoulder, Lance brought the glass to his lips and took a rather large gulp, larger than he should considering the drink began to burn his throat as it went down, and sure it made his face pucker up in the process with how bitter that was. Yeah, he’d be taking much smaller sips from now on. 

     “Names Lance.” He replied, looking back over at the guy - McCree as he had learned - and gave him a small smile of his own in return. 

“So, what’s with you?” Why not try and start up a conversation? “You’ve been in here the entire time I have – or, no, before I was actually.” If memory served Lance correctly, he had seen this man when he first walked in.  

    Tipping his glass towards Lance, “Well, howdy there Lance.”

    McCree felt a chuckle vibrate through his chest when he saw Lance’s face twist at the taste of the alcohol. Yeah, it wasn’t the usual fruity shit that most younger people get since that wasn’t really McCree’s style. McCree liked his liquor to burn when it goes down his gullet. It makes the warmth more pleasurable.

    McCree raised an eyebrow at Lance, “What’s with me? I just enjoy the scenery is all, and I kinda work here, so that’s the main reason I guess,” at the mention of his employment, McCree felt a slight smirk spread on his lips and his hand move to point at the shirt he was wearing that had the name of the bar printed on the front.

    Taking another sip of his drink, McCree’s face relaxed a little more after feeling the warmth travel down his throat.