#genji imagines

Omg, this ask was so cute??? what???

                                                 ──•~❉+❉~•──

-Genji-

You had practically torn apart your entire room, looking for a very specific hoodie. 

The beige one. 

The one that smelled like coffee, and lavender, no matter how many times you washed it. 

It would look perfect for the undercover operation you were assigned, and your target was a perfume maker, so you hoped they would catch the scent, and fall for the bait. 

And yet, here you were, staring at your closet, not even catching a whiff of it. 

You let out a sigh, and turned to Genji’s closet.

Opening it up, Your mouth dropped.

“Holy crap, how much of my clothing does this guy have?” You muttered, pulling out your old, red varsity jacket. 

And it was yours alright.

It was the jacket you wore on your first date with Genji, and then you gave it to him because he said he was cold- Oh, now you remembered. 

But still, you needed the beige hoodie.

“Genji?” You called. “Have you seen my hoodie?”

At first, you had no answer.

Then, the familiar tapping of his feet filled your ears.

“Which one?” He replied from down the hall, before peeking his head into the room. 

“The beige one-” 

You paused, looking at him.

“Gen-”

“Nope, I haven’t seen it.”

“Genji, you’re wearing it.”

“This isn’t beige, it’s light brown.”

You frowned.

“Genji, I need that.”

“But I’m wearing it.”

“Genji, it’s for a mission.”

“The perfume guy mission?”

“Yes?”

“Just spray your cologne all over one of your hoodies, I mean, you do that anyway.”

You frowned, and yet, Genji’s grin didn’t fade. 

“Genji, give me the hoodie.”

“I’m wearing it.”

“Then take it off.”

“You take it off.” 

You raised an eyebrow.

“Is that a suggestion? Genji?”

Genji smiled.

“Mayybee.” 

You rolled your eyes.

“Genji, I don’t-” 

You took a step forward, and barely even managed to finish your sentence before he dashed down the hall. 

Any other day, you would’ve laughed at that.

Mainly because the hoodie was too large from him.

It reached just below his hips, and the sleeves covered his arms completely. 

You shook your head.

“If I’m late for the pick up because of you, you’re sleeping on the couch!” You cried, running after him.

You knew the first thing he would do is hide.

It was easy to find him, because you knew that he would start giggling the minute he saw you, and when you tried to grab him, miss, and chase after him. 

-Hanzo-

“And it’s just gone! All my favorite hoodies are gone, Lena!”

“Do you think they blinked out of existence?”

“Ha ha, very funny Lena.” You said. “But I need the dinosaur hoodie, I’m visiting the hospital to read to those kids, the hoodie will be fun for them, y’know?” 

Lena pursed her lips.

“Ah! Have you asked Hanzo where it is?” 

You raised an eyebrow.

“I feel like you’re not telling me something.” 

You then paused.

“Oh my god, Hanzo’s wearing it, isn’t he?”

“Yep! He’s been wearing it around the base for a while now! I’m surprised you didn’t notice until now!” She laughed. 

You rolled your eyes.

“Huh, do you know why he doesn’t want me to see him in it?”

“Jesse said he looked cute in it, and that you wouldn’t be able to keep your eyes off of him.” 

“Well, that’ll do it.” You muttered.

A pause.

“Do you think I could sneak up on him?”

Lena shrugged.

“Even Genji can’t sneak up on Hanzo, I doubt you will be able to.”

You shook your head.

“I still need that hoodie.” 

_

It took a while, but eventually you found him.

And Lena was right. 

He was wearing the hoodie.

Frankly, he did look cute.

Unlike his usual getup, he didn’t wear anything this bright. 

You doubted that he even had anything this bright in his closet anyways. 

But then again, he had maybe three pairs of jeans, his work clothes, sweat pants (which you hated), two pairs of shoes, a white shirt, and a coat. 

Nothing else. 

(Now that you thought about it, you should buy Hanzo more clothes) 

The hoodie reached just below his waist and hung to his body.

The hoodie’s arms were long, maybe too long for his arms.

Since he kept shooting an arrow into a dummy, then rolling the sleeves up.

“Having trouble there?”

He jumped and spun around.

“O-oh, hello Y/N.” A pause. “Um...I got cold.”

You looked to your right, spying the thermometer.

“It’s 87 degrees in here.”

“It-it was cold earlier.”

“Han, if you just wanted to wear my hoodie you could’ve just asked.” 

He didn’t reply, he just shot another arrow at the dummy.

“But uh, I’m gonna need it back.”

“Why?”

“Me, Lena, and Genji are visiting that hospital for the charity, remember?”

“Oh.”

He turned to you.

“I’m guessing that the hoodie will be more child friendly than your more...inappropriate ones.”

“First of all, that hoodie is absolutely hilarious.”

“It is anything but that.”

“Yeah sure dude, but I need that hoodie.”

“No.”

You blinked.

“No..?” 

“No,” Hanzo replied. “I-I’m wearing it. Right now.”

“It’s...too big for you?”

“I do not care.” He turned away from you, and back to the dummy. “It’s comfortable.” 

“You said you wore it cause you were cold.”

Silence.

“Hanzo if you wanted to wear my hoodie you could’ve just asked.”

“I did not want to intrude.”

“Hanzo, it's one hoodie.” You said. “And..I’ve changed my mind, I’ll just wear something else.”

“Okay.”

“Bye,” You began, pausing in the doorway. “Also, you look really cute in that.” 

Fandom: Overwatch

Pairing: Genji Shimada X Reader

Words: 306 

Warnings: Kidnapping (sort of)

G a s p, thank you so much! <333

Hope you enjoy angst, whoops.

Like what I do? Leave me a tip!

~~~

Genji Shimada

One more thing he cares about stripped away from him because of course it is

It’s unfortunate how used to this horrible life he’s gotten

He’s probably the one who can set aside his emotions from the mission the most

There’s an inner turmoil there but with his already shitty family bloodline, his brother almost killing him, getting harmed so severely he had to be turned into a cyborg, being trained and used as a weapon, and fuck-all else, he didn’t really expect the one good thing in his life to stay for long

He had sure as hell hoped it would though

If he sees an opportunity to catch rather than kill you, he’ll take it

A difficult thing to do with Blackwatch’s shoot first, ask questions later and overall chaotic mentality

He’d probably have to fight you, the enemy team, and his own teammates to execute it

But if there’s a chance, he’ll try to take it

Keep you as a hostage of sorts while he tries to work out with Mercy a way to reverse the brainwashing and such

If all things turn out peachy, great; he’ll help you recover from the trauma just like you had helped him in the past

However

The chances of such an opportunity are slim

And if you were made to kill him specifically, you’re probably a pretty difficult fight for him

Like those episodes in shows where people have to fight their evil twin and they don’t usually win until someone who’s not them fights said evil twin instead

So, if it comes down to it, he will shoot

And mourn, grieve, and die inside later

McCree

Probably the most emotional of the Blackwatch lads, though it’s often in the privacy of his own quarters that he shows it

Seeing you on the field, dead in the eyes and trying to kill him, would absolutely shred him to pieces

Would low-key lose his damn mind

Straight-up starts yelling to his teammates on the field that it’s you, to not hurt you, that you don’t know what you’re doing and that you need to be caught

Probably looks to Gabe for help, who gives him a brokenhearted look in return

Gabe understands the situation and how much a person like you means to McCree, given his past

He’d try to do what he could to prevent your death, being somewhat of a no-man-left-behind kind of guy himself

However, when it comes to his men or a brainwashed, killing machine, former shell of yourself you, he’d probably incapacitate Jesse (partially to keep him safe, partially to keep him from protecting you, and partially to keep him from having to make the final move on his own) and take the shot himself

Naturally, Jesse would be absolutely devastated

He would take body back to base and make sure you were properly mourned and given the burial you deserved

Unable to forgive Gabe despite knowing that Gabe had at least tried an alternative beforehand

That’d probably be the kick in the ass that resulted in McCree leaving Blackwatch, tbh

Gabriel Reyes

It would just be one more thing to fuck him up and be high up on his list of regrets later in life, honestly

On the field, after you reveal your face, he would call for trying to capture you first

While you’re fighting him, he does as little as he can to hurt you and probably tries to talk you out of your brainwashing

As expected, it takes a little more than that to get someone out of a killer robot state of mind

Not to mention you were trained to kill him, leader of Blackwatch, specifically; so, not only do his words go over your head but his attempts to not hurt you result in him getting a few pretty bad wallops

When his agents attempt to capture you and you start mowing them down, he has a difficult decision to make: Put you down or let you keep putting his soldiers in the ground in a futile attempt to rescue you

Or ring ding ding! Secret option number three: Injure you so badly you have to retreat and allowing him time to figure out a solution before you return to try accomplishing your mission again

Can somebody say Captain America: The Winter Soldier inspiration?

You bet your ass he’s going to try and get his Bucky back

Naturally, he does everything in his power to try to figure out how to save you

And until he finds a way, he’s willing to play this cat-and-mouse game

A/N~ I literally spent all day on this, its to the point now my eyes and fingertips are bleeding fanfiction, so please excuse the quality. It’s been a while since I’ve really written anything, nor have I completed something in such a short time frame. Without further ado I hope yall enjoy this anxious romance fest.

The halls of Gibraltar’s watchpoint had never looked so-- pink, to say the least.

After Overwatch’s recent recall, the old watchpoint had become not only your home, but the home of many other agents past and present. You remember waking up at the beginning of the week to see the halls swathed in pink and red streamers; paper hearts littered the walls, stuck on with see through tape.

Flecks of shimmery plastic still stuck to your clothes from leaving your room this morning. On every door hangs a festive homemade decoration worthy of the holiday, sporting more glitter then the glue could hold, and the room’s resident’s name printed in curly red letters. As you pass door after door you admire the care and effort that went into each one. Jesse McCree, Angela Ziegler, Reinhardt Wilhelm, Fareeha Amari, and a name you don’t recognize. McCree’s had a little cowboy hat doodled on the side, where as Angela’s showed angel wings, and Reinhard’s a lion crest. How long must it have taken her to make them? Assuming from the peanut butter smudge you saw on one, she had help.

Your steps echo down the halls, a lonely sound compared to the usual bustle on Watchpoint. Most agents had chosen to spend the holiday off base with loved ones or, as you had done, sleep in. You caught sight of the beach through an observation window overlooking a cliff side. The sun shone warm light on the sand below, as waves licked at the shore. A puff of air leaves your lips fogging the glass for a singular moment, just enough time to think; had you made the wrong choice? The card in your hands felt heavy now, as your thumb traces over the cheap cardstock. You could be out with friends at a picnic on the sea side, but-- no. You clutched the card to your chest heaving a sigh in attempt to quell your thoughts. It’s now or never.

The rest of the walk was easy. You’d made the trip to his room so many times, you're sure you could make it blindfolded at this point. Cringing at yourself, you stare at the surface of his door, one hand raised to knock.

You’ve got this, you’ve got this.

But you still you hesitated, like magnets pushing off one another you couldn't bring your fist to meet the door. The shimmery green dragon on his name tag decoration seemed to laugh at your frozen figure. Just knock.

You took one last deep breath, filling your lungs with air as if you could draw your courage from the space around you. Squeezing your eyes shut, you finally made contact with the door. The action stung your knuckles, making you flex your fingers to soothe the ache.

This was a bad idea, two seconds pass and no answer; he’s probably not even in. Turning to leave the way you came, it's almost comical how much easier it is to talk yourself down. You’ll go back to your room, crack open that ice cream youve been saving, and watch one of those cheesy holovids that’ll most likely make you cry. Now that's what you’d call a Valentine’s day well spe--

“Y/N?”

Fuck. You stopped in your tracks, turning on your heels with your fakest smile. Genji Shimada stood in the doorframe, his usual armor replaced with loose fitting sweats and a t-shirt. That's something most agents forget about him. Though his body is cybernetic, he’s still human; and what human can deny the comfort of a nice pair of sweatpants?

“Hey, um--” your mind ran a mile a minute, your gaze moving from him to the new sound of Lena’s giggle coming down the hall. How are you going to get yourself out of this now? “I was just, um- just checking in on you. You know with it being a holiday and all.” You hold the card low against your thigh, praying he’d miss it.

Genji perked at the word ‘holiday’ “It is, isn't it.” he said. His voice smooth without the robotic filtering of his mask. “It’s been a long time since I’ve celebrated, such a day.”

Somehow hearing that was a relief but made your task no less daunting. “Yeah…” You grasped for something else to say, his stare was like that of a white hot spotlight. Every passing second made your blatant awkwardness even more apparent.

“Would you like to come in?” Genii asked, saving you from your floundering and stepping aside to provide enough room for you to pass through.

That was one of the last things you wanted right now. Once inside there’d be no going back. Down the hall you heard another sunny laugh as Lena came into view. She smiled wide, with a look of surprise, her pace quickened as she made her way towards you.

Oh no. She’d have your secrets blurted out in three seconds flat, and you’d much rather take your time warming Genji up to your confession. “Okay.” You quickly slipped past him and into his simplistic quarters.

Genji closed the door behind you, the hiss of the door sliding shut felt almost like the sealing of a tomb. “I’m surprised you're not out with the others.” he says, crossing the room to pull back the curtains. “I’s a beautiful day.”

The view outside his window almost matched the one from the overlook.

“Well,” You shrugged from the middle of his room, absentmindedly digging the tip of your shoe into the carpet. “There’d be no one around to pester you if I left.”

That earned you a laugh, his lips pulling into a smile on his scared face. A light feeling warmed your insides at the sight of his cheery expression; is that hope, or something else? You couldn't tell.

The room fell into a comfortable silence as he leaned against the window, following the path of a seagull in flight. “Happy Valentine’s Day.” he says, voice barely above a whisper.

Thank god he wasn't looking at you, or he’d see the unmistakable blush staining your cheeks. Your fingers tightened around the card at your side.

“Genji I--” the words died on your tongue when he turned his attention towards you. He had a way of making you weak, and you groaned internally at your inability to finish a sentence in one go.

He looked at you expectantly, one leg crossed in front of the other from his laxed position against the wall.

“I actually came here to tell you how much I appreciate you.” you tore your eyes off of him and focused them anywhere else. You looked down at your feet where your shoe had made a faint mark in the rug. Damn, you’d have to apologize for that later. “I made you this card.”

Genji’s own feet came into your view, standing toe to toe with yours, and gently he took the card from your grasp. You glanced up as he opened it, his dark eyes moving across the paper taking in every sickeningly sweet profession of your love.

What little confidence you had vanished, and you wondered if you could escape from his room before he can catch you. You scoffed quietly at your own idea; of course not, he’s a ninja.

“I know it’s not much, but Winston didn't have any assorted chocolates in storage so--” You forced a laugh, trying your best to make it sound natural.

Genji folded the card, setting it gently on a table beside his bed before returning to you. “It’s beautiful. Do you-- you really feel this way?”

You thought back to what you’d said. Despite how mushy the contents of your card may be there's not a single thing in there you’d take back. “I do.” you clasped your hands together nervously, tightening your grip as you readied to speak again. “It may be too much of me to ask, but I’m hoping you might feel the same?”

The look in Genji’s eyes as he gazed at you held nothing but warmth, and something you recognized from the way you look at him. He reached out to you in the way one might regard a frightened kitten, taking your clasped hands between his own; one robotic, and one warm and human. He stood inches from you now, the space between alight with a passion no longer repressed.

A/N: I love this lil cyborg nerd! And apparently so do yall! I’ve got so many genji requests to quench yalls thirst.

Genji x Reader - Saved

You had known the Shimada brothers for the whole duration ofyour life. Despite not coming from a wealthy family, your familywas well renowned florist whom catered for the riches and general public. Assuch, you’ve taken up the family business. Being closely associated with theShimada family, it meant you had often times spent afternoons playing with thebrothers and their parents approving for the act. You became close to theyounger shimada, Genji as Hanzo was often pulled away for being the next heirand thus attending several ceremonies and initiations for it. The pair of youwould call each other cute nicknames such as ‘sparrow’ or ‘blossom’ as you weresurrounded by immense collection of aromatic foliage. In your young age, youhadn’t acknowledged the feelings that slowly developed for the green hairedshimada.

As you grew older, you began seeing the brothers even lessuntil the point of losing complete contact with the Shimada family. Upset, youcontinued working in the family business as a florist. Sudden flash backs wouldhit and you longed for Genji’s presence and laughter. You’d remember the timesthe pair of you would sneak off to the local arcade in the centre of Hanamuraand spend all your allowances on beating the other. Your day would be filledwith laughter and delight, you’d dread leaving Genji’s side when it was time to go. It was a mutualfeeling for Genji. He loved being by your side, spending each afternoon runningaway with you. It made him feel free for a change, being cooped up in thecastle was suffocating and being with you felt liberating. The green hairedShimada began realising his sudden change of emotions towards you, yet he wasunable to vocalise them despite being pictured with the confidence of a king.

With Genji’s sudden disappearance from your life, thereremained a deep void only he could fill. You sighed as you brushed the porch of the shop, lonesome petals being dusted away with all the otherdiscarded foliage. Your mind always lingered at the memories of the past, no matterwhat everyone said you still couldn’t let go. The evening light shone a warmglow on the cold concrete, it was a soothing and nostalgic hue. As youretreated inside the shop, you didn’t notice couple of unexpected visitorslingering around the establishment. With a ring of the bell, which indicatednew customers, you heaved a sigh.

“Sorry, we’re closed for the day” you said without eventurning around.

There was a couple of deep laughter emanating from the entranceof the shop. A deep pit began growing as anxiousness began rushing through yourveins.

“Oh sweetheart, we’re not here for the flowers” One of the figuressaid. You spun around, and taking in all the intruders. There were three large males,all intentionally blocking the entrance.

“W-Well, I uh” you stuttered before, quickly turning anddashing toward the back exit.

You jumped over the counter as you heard the males yell “Grabher!” and swiftly landing on your feet. You sprinted through the shortcorridor, the sound of heavy footsteps closely following. Throwing the dooropen, you heavily exhaled and inhaled as the exhilarating feelings took over your being.Fear and adrenaline fuelled your legs as an exciting smile plastered your face.This town had been so mundane and uneventful you had previously managed to pissoff some gangsters by winning numerous rounds of poker, who knew playing it onthose arcade machines would actually pay off. So you guessed these hooliganscame to collect what they rightfully lost to you, it was to be expected. No onewould want to lose to a girl, especially large sums of money.

The back entrance had led to an empty alleyway. There wereseveral shortcuts to the main road and dead ends. Unfortunately for you and inyour adrenaline- high state, you had completely forgotten the direction of theway and turned to the furthest left turn. Your eyes widened in dismay as awall presented itself at the end of the alley. You looked over your shoulder andwatched the figures hot on your heel.

“Damn, I’m done for this time” You chuckle to yourself asyou slowed down before hitting the wall. It was several meters higher than you,being able to climb it seem impossible at this point.

You heard the heavy footsteps coming at a halt as theirchuckle echoed throughout the alley.

“You give us a hell of a chase, girl” One heaved as a smuggrin plastered on his face.

“Your fault for coming after me, after losing miserably atthe game last week” you said smugly as you, exhaled heavily.

“SHUT UP! Now be a good girl and come with us the nice andeasy way” The male who spoke before insisted as he took a step closer. Youslowly backed away until your back hit the wall.

“Well, I was never the one to go down without a fight” Yousaid as you readied your fists, legs shaking as you tried to hold your ground.

They laughed at your attempt and charged at you. You readiedyourself until a flash of green danced across your vision, instantaneouslyknocking out the thugs. You stood there in awe at the fluid movements of your rescuer.Your gaze followed intently from glowing green katana in their hand to the bodyof the figure. They glowed a soft emerald as their back faced you.

“You ought to be careful who you anger, [y/n]” The ninjaturned and faced you. His voice seem familiar despite the mechanical altercation, itmade your heart clench. Your eyes widened as you neared the figure, your handclenched over your aching heart.

“Y-you’re…No…” You began still in awe, you recognised thevoice of the one you’ve forever longed for.

“Genji…” you softly let out before retracting your arm andlanding a solid hit across his face.

You heard the ninja groan as he placed his hand over thepossibly swollen cheek.

“I’ll admit, I most likely deserved that” Genji said with ahint of laughter.

Your eyes welled up as you threw yourself at him, your armswrapped around his neck. Slightly taken aback from your sudden change, Genji letout a chuckle whilst wrapping his arms around your smaller form. The oddsensation of embracing a mostly mechanical body was certainly…new anddifferent. Questions covered your mind as it proved to be difficult tocomprehend the situation. Genji was alive! You had long thought he was dead dueto the affiliations of the Shimada family but here he is!

You pulled back, tears threatening to fall from happiness.

“You’re alive …” you softly said as you stared at the greenvisor. Genji’s own eyes welled up seeing you all grown up and still rememberinghim, it all made his heart ache.

“I’m sorry you have to see me in this form [y/n]” He beganas he turned away, ashamed of his new appearance.

“Genji! It doesn’t matter what look like! You’re alive and You’re still thesame old genji I knew back then, you’re still my sparrow” You said shyly as ablush across your face.

“My blossom, I am relieved you remember me. I’m sorry forleaving you so suddenly, I will tell you everything in due time” He explained,his gentle voice sounded. His voice carried hints of regret and shame.

You placed your hand on his cheek over his mask, reassuringhim with a gentle smile.

“I will never forget you Genji, you’re too important to me.I’m…I’m just glad you’re safe and alive” You smiled. Your heart felt with contentand relief that the most important person has returned and was safe in yourarms.

“Thank you, [y/n]” Genji replied with a loving tone.

You smiled and leaned in to kiss his cheek, the cool touchof his mask seemed to lessen your flustered face. You giggled softly as youretreated.

“I’ll make sure you don’t ever leave me again” you said with agrin.

“Of course, my blossom” He chuckled as he held your formtighter.

Before I start, I WANNA SAY I’M SO SORRY FOR THIS BEING LIKE 3 YEARS LATE I FEEL SO BAD. Life just got in the way, but I’m gonna try to be better about writing from here on out. :) Thank you for requesting!

Hanzo

Why Hanzo was leaning against your room’s door frame, you had no idea. You two only really had encounters in battle. You know, the usual “Sniper on the left!” ot “This area is cleared out.” So when Hanzo cracked a cringe-inducing joke, he didn’t know how to react when he heard a feminine giggle in reply. But now that he was here, back against your door, it was clear that you he had taken an interest in you.

You opened the door, which caused Hanzo to trip and stumble into your room. He adjusted himself, cheeks already dusted pink. He looked you in your eyes as he spoke, “…Y/N. It is nice to see you.” You raised an eyebrow. “Nice to see you too, Hanzo.”

“I came to talk,” he folded his arms over his chest. He tried to put on his usual cold facade, despite the curiosity in his eyes. You looked at him strangely.

“At 2am? What is this, a booty call?” His eyes widened with surprise. “Those are usually done over text, you know. I can give you my number–”

“N-no!” He nearly yelled. “I just want to… get to know you. For you to get to know me. Nothing sexual.” A small smile crept onto your face. “Then let’s talk,” you sat on your bed and patted a space next to you. Hanzo followed obediently.

He asked you a few deep questions. Mostly things like, “Did you ever think you’d end up here?” or “Do you aspire for anything more? Less?”

“What’s your opinion on dragons?”

They were very open minded questions, and you appreciated that he wanted to know those things about you. But, when it was your turn, you decided to spice it up and ask more… personal questions. “Are you single?” “Who was your last girlfriend?” “When did you break up?” 

“Did you have sex with her?”

The last one made him stand up in embarrassment. “Y/N, I have already said this is not my interest with you,” he made a quick line for the door. 

Instead of leaving, however, he stood there for a moment. He turned back to you, grinning on your bed. He was lingering on whether or not he should actually answer you, before uttering quietly, “Yes. I did not enjoy it.” then quickly speeding out of your room and down your hallway.

He’s definitely coming back tomorrow.

Hello! After my long hiatus I'm back, I'm gonna be taking requests!

Here are the rules:

Headcanons: please limit to 3 characters I've done more in the past but 3 is the limit

If I'm uncomfortable with the request I will not write it, same goes if I lack inspiration

I can write light NSFW, but I'm not very confident in my skills with writing full blown NSFW

I can write sensitive topics but same rules apply

AU's are perfectly fine

No bother at all! Russian is such a cool language, and I learned a little something while trying to find a song to use. FYI- I totally goofed on the first time hearing her native language part—sorry about that! Hopefully this is still ok.   

Sidenote: here’s the lullaby she sings.  Also, Genji’s words translate to “where am I?” Enjoy! 🌸

Genji

Words:  1,185

Genre: Hurt/Comfort 

Genji was tossing in his sleep again. You didn’t see it, but the whoosh of air and telltale thwump of his metal arm on the pillow was proof enough.

It’d been a rough day. Winston sent you, Genji, and Hanzo to gather intel on a suspected Talon R&D site in Petra. Supposedly housed in the carcass of an ancient ruin, there were spikes in the region’s energy readings that suggested experimentation.