#alien!mccree

Jesse McCree’s mama always told him he was a gift from the stars. He always thought it was just stories to make him and his twin brother feel important, like they had a destiny to fulfill. She filled their heads with stories of blue giants with two tongues and beautiful wings like a cicada. They came riding on horses made of metal, sleek and coppery, their eyes glowing and hooves rumbling the sky like thunder. Jesse believed it for a while, his brother quickly moved on. 

20 years have gone by, the stories of the stars faded in his memory. He stares up at them resenting. He was supposed to be special, but his home had been taken away by Omnics, his brother run away to another country. Blackwatch finally gave him the funds to help his mother, put her up somewhere nice. She refused to leave the desert, stubborn in her old age that her lover would return to her. Jesse made her move anyways. 

Things are different now. He has a new family, the agents of Blackwatch, and his commander who’s dragged Jesse out of hell just to pull him though the deeper pits of it himself. He long moved on past the thought of himself being something interstellar, that he was human, plain and simple. The people around him seemed to think otherwise. His commander thought his gift, Deadeye, was something otherwordly. Captain Amari doubted it’s humanity as well. After all, a human shouldn’t be able to see better than an Omnic, should he. Everything was crystal clear, even in the darkest dustiest settings he found no problem navigating.

That’s where he found himself, on a mission in Cambodia. Part of the building had collapsed, crushing some poor agents and the targets they were after, but leaving Jesse leading the rest of his party, and his Commander, out of the dusty crumbling hallways. He couldn’t understand how they would constantly trip on the rubble, practically running into walls without Jesse’s guidance. But his sight couldn’t allow him to see the future. Before he knew it Reyes was shouting to scatter, and suddenly there was open fire, with Jesse in the middle. He felt bullets pass through him, before a sudden flash of fire, and then darkness...

He woke to bright white, tucked tightly into a hospital bed, his arms and legs restrained. Reyes sat beside him, curled up like a gargoyle, ever watching. He hadn’t showered, still covered in grime and blood. His shirt was stained green. 

“Boss?” Reyes looked away, swallowing and breathing before looking back at McCree.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” it sounded accusatory, like Jesse had betrayed him. He sounded... hurt.

“I didn’t know they were gonna rush us sir. I’m sorry, I couldn’t see um comin’.” Reyes shook his head, dragging his fingers over his face. 

“Not that.” he made eye contact with Jesse again and this time he could feel it. He could feel those eyes boring into his soul, searching him. “Why didn’t you tell me? Tell me what you are? I could have protected you from this...” his commander’s voice dripped in worry, in pain. Jesse’s mind reeled, eyebrows knit in confusion.

“What... what do you mean what I am? I’m an agent, I’m... human? Is that what-” Reyes stood suddenly, causing Jesse to jump. That’s when he felt the restraints for what they really were. He looked down in a panic as Reyes hand went to the edge of the blanket and pulled it back, revealing Jesse’s chest. At least... maybe it was his chest.

“What the hell is this then McCree? This sure as shit ain’t human. I watched the holes in your body seal right back up in seconds! You don’t have a god damn scratch on you!” he pulled at the green stain on his shirt. “This, this is yours McCree. Your blood. Tell me again how this is human!” Jesse was stunned, he felt as if he was going to astral project to some other state of being just to escape the sudden stress he was being put under by his commander’s questioning. He was brought back by the wet feeling of tears streaming down his face.

“I don’t... I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on I’m- I’m sorry commander I don’t know.” he wanted to curl up on himself, pulling on the restraints enough for it to hurt. He inhaled sharply before gurgling into sobs. He didn’t understand what was happening, he was human, wasn’t he? Wasn’t he?

Rough hands gently wiped away his tears, he could hear his commander shushing him, sounding rueful. “I’m sorry Jesse, I... I don’t know either. I’m sorry I lashed out at you for it.” He heard a small beep, before his restraints retracted and his arms and legs were free.

It was after he was examined throughally by Doctor Angela, that he finally got to look at himself in the mirror. His entire left side was soft green flesh, speckling over to his right in dots where his skin was riddled with bullets. He flexed his fingers, tiled in a sensitive blue shell. He noticed it seemed to be growing from the rest of him as well. Jesse felt sore, like he was young again, having a growth spurt. Glancing back up started him, as his eyes had changed. They seemed darker, larger. He felt himself start to panic again, before Reyes had come in. 

Startled for the 3rd time that day, he turned around at attention. Reyes seemed startled as well, finally seeing all of Jesse and his changes. They stood in silence, staring at one another for what seemed like ages before they both started to talk, stopping to let the other go.

“I’m removing you from active duty... until we figure out what’s going on.” Reyes started, his knuckles going white from the grip he had on his clipboard. Jesse relaxed, nodding in agreement. His commander was nervous, they both were.

“That’s... good. I- will ya sit with me?” McCree asked, voice shaking as he wrapped his arms around himself. His chitinous fingers felt cold, wrong. Reyes exhaled and nodded, moving to sit on Jesse’s bed alongside him. Jesse drew his knees to his chest with a heavy sigh.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier... for accusing you of hiding this from me. You didn’t know-”

“I think I do know. I mean... maybe.” Jesse interrupted, causing his commander to stare at him in confusion. “My ma always said my pa was from space. I thought it was just, stories to make me feel better ‘n all ‘bout not havin’  my pa around... but me lookin’ like this now? I look jus like the stories she told me.” he frowned before rubbing his suddenly sore jaw. He flinched as he hand came back with scaps of skin stuck to it. He quickly shook them off with a shiver before Reyes took his chin in his hands to look at Jesse’s face.

“It looks like you’re shedding like some lizard.” he easily pulled off a piece of skin that was hanging loose before dropping it in the small trashbucket by Jesse’s bed. He glanced back up at Jesse, his eyes calmer, empathetic. The cowpoke couldn’t help but move to bury himself in Reyes’ chest, wrapping his arms around the man. His commander embraced him back, stroking his agent’s hair gently.

“So...” Reyes murmured, pulling back to look down at McCree again. “You’re an alien then, is what you’re telling me.” he smugly ruffled Jesse’s hair, causing him to giggle.

“Yeah I guess so.” he shrugged, leaning into Reyes’ touch. 

“Jesse McCree of Mars. That’s what I’m calling you now kid.” his commander joked, Jesse simply rolled his eyes.