Jesse had his arms crossed over his chest, brows drawn low as he stared at the man that was glowering back at them. His eyes were red, a respirator covering the lower half of his face, tubes and wiring and scars covering him. 

Partially completed prosthetics still being attached to his legs and arm. His chest was an amalgamation of metal and synthetic material. Jesse could see glimpses of lines and screws traveling up his head beneath the fuzz of his hair. A cyborg. Jesse was staring at a cyborg. Angela sure was something.

“I had to reconstruct his legs and right arm, though, I am still in the process of making them fully functioning and equipped with weaponry. His torso is completed, and the jaw and spinal augments are as well. He has fully functioning eyesight and hearing, with a few enhancements thanks to the cybernetics.”

“His body is accepting them fairly well, but there have been a few materials it rejects. However, I have pinpointed what they are and am working on a new coolant-based fluid that can keep the machinery working and synthesize with the organic parts of him and his bloodstream,” Dr. Ziegler explained, Reyes nodding as his eyes drifted over her report and the cyborg’s diagnostics. 

Jesse glanced at the tablet, seeing a little name in blue in the corner. G. Shimada. The gunslinger glanced back to the man, found that he was being stared at as well.

“What’s the status on completing him, doc?” Reyes asked, eyes flicking up to Shimada as he made a metallic sounding growl.

“Another two weeks, earliest. And let me tell you, I am not about to rush this just because you want another agent,” Ziegler chided. Reyes smiled dryly, handing her the tablet.

“I don’t just want him for an agent, I need him for a mission. He’s got information we’ve been missing for months now, so I’m not asking you to rush. I’m just saying, don’t take your pretty time on him.”

“I assure you, he will be ready when you need him to be.”

“I’m counting on it, Angela. I’ll be back in two weeks to check on it. McCree, let’s—”

“What’s his name?” Jesse interjected, unable to keep the question from tumbling past his lips. He was tired of them talking about the man as if he wasn’t right in front of them, listening to every word. 

Must have been hard enough to feel like a person without everyone talking about you like you were not. Everyone turned to stare at him, Jesse raising his brows and slipping his hands into his pockets, easing his shoulders back.

“It’s Genji Shimada,” Reyes told him with a slight frown, Jesse grinning and turning to Shimada.

“Well, Mr. Genji Shimada, it was a pleasure meetin’ you. See you in two weeks,” Jesse told him, winking. Shimada’s glare did not change, but that didn’t matter to Jesse. He walked out with Reyes, the commander giving him a strange look.

“You’re doing it again.”

“Doin’ what?”

“That’s an agent, Jesse.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“So, don’t do this.”

“Do what?”

Reyes sighed, shaking his head.

“I know that look.”

“I ain’t givin’ no looks,” Jesse huffed, still thinking about those piercing red eyes.

“You know what, I’ll just say I told you so when I get proven right.”

“Listen, just ‘cause I said bye don’t mean I’m suddenly head over heels for him! Y’all were talkin’ like he wasn’t even there, and he didn’t like it, I was watchin’ him the whole time!”

“Oh, you were?”

“Gabe, I swear.”

“Just accept that I’m right.”

“Jesus, you’re worse than Ana...” Jesse grumbled, arms crossing over his chest as he glared. Reyes just smiled, shaking his head fondly and continuing to read over the notes he had been given for Genji Shimada. - It took a week of Jesse going to visit Shimada in the med bay every day before he maybe started to think Gabe was right. Two, and he could admit it was true. Jesse didn’t really know if Shimada liked it or not, considering he would simply stare at the wall or roll over with his back facing the cowboy as he told stories and talked, but he kept coming in anyways. 

He figured out that Shimada could not talk, the respirator rendering him unable to speak, but filling his lungs with oxygen in compensation. But, he could write. Angela had come in a few times while they were on a break from surgeries and prosthetic attachments, chatting to Shimada as she hooked him up to the machinery around him. 

When he would not respond, she would tap the little notepad resting on his bed in a chiding manner.

“I do not know how to make you more comfortable or if I need to fix something if you do not say anything,” She sighed, Shimada picking it up with his good hand. He stared at it a moment, then glanced to Jesse. 

The gunslinger smiled a bit, watching curiously as Shimada started to scribble something down shakily. Angela looked at it when he was done, then laughed. Shimada made a strange huffing sound, indignation written in the fine lines around his eyes, which were narrowed. 

Expressive, even with most of his face covered.

“What?” Jesse asked, the doctor starting to jot down Shimada’s vitals.

“He says you make lots of noise,” Angela translated. The gunslinger chuckled at that, Shimada’s gaze darting to him.

“Yeah, that I do. Sorry if it bothers you, Mr. Shimada, I can be quieter if you need me to.”

A slight shrugging motion was made in reply, nothing more being written down or shown.

“Speaking of quiet, Genji is going to need some time to rest, please. You can come back tomorrow, Jesse.”

“Can’t argue with the doctor’s orders.”

“No, I would advise not to,” Angela deadpanned, Jesse laughing again and standing.

“Alrighty. See you tomorrow, Mr. Shimada. Been nice talkin’ to you.”

He followed the doctor out of the door, giving Shimada a little wave goodbye just like he always did. Angela closed the door quietly, then glanced at Jesse with a raised brow.

“I am glad you go in there, he needs the socialization. All he ever gets to see is me and a few officials from Overwatch command stuck in here like this. He’s supposed to be kept secret, which only isolates him further. It’s not good for his mental rehabilitation, and I worry about him. I can only do so much for his body, but not for his mind, so thank you.”

Jesse rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, feeling himself get warm in the cheeks.

“Aw, hell, I ain’t doin’ nothin’ but annoying him, I’m sure, going in there and talkin’ his ear off like that.”

“No, he likes it. I know he waits for you to come in, and I see the way he seems to get more lively when you’re in there. It certainly is not the same for when I walk in,“ Angela told him knowingly. Jesse looked to Shimada’s door, then smiled a bit to himself.

“Well, if you say so. I need to get going. Thanks for lettin’ me stay so long.”

“Of course. See you tomorrow, Jesse.”

“Bye, doc.” - The first thing Jesse did after the mission was go to the med bay, however, he wasn’t there for Shimada this time. He thought about him, sure, but the blood loss was making him woozy. Only a few cuts, but they were deep. They had done what they could to stall the blood flow, but the ride back to base had been a long one, and the cuts were hitting some unlucky places.

 The ones on Jesse’s leg were giving him the most issues, blood soaking the multiple layers of bandages they had applied. Angela muttered under her breath as Jesse limped towards her with a weak tip of his hat.

“Heya, doc. Fancy meetin’ you here.”

“Just get on the table.”

Jesse grinned and did as he was told, laying back with a groan. He really was in pain, but it was the strange kind, the one where he could not quite pinpoint where it was coming from. It was just everywhere. His fingers tingled, started to go numb.

“I cannot believe he sent you in here alone...I’m surprised you can still walk,” Angela sighed. Jesse closed his eyes, making a muffled sound of acknowledgement. 

He knew he was drifting, focus too far gone to do much other than stare past the fuzzy line of Ziegler’s body. Just past it to where someone else was sitting. Red eyes, staring back at him. Jesse brightened, giving Shimada a sluggish wave.

“‘S good ‘t see ya, Mr. Shimada. Been a hot minute,” The gunslinger slurred, hardly recognizing the words tumbling out of his own mouth. Shimada’s brows furrowed, and he looked to Angela.

“He says it is good to see you after so long,” She told him with a sigh, Shimada’s eyes dropping back to Jesse. There was an extended silence, then a nod from the ninja.

“I will let you fix him.”

Jesse’s eyes widened at the metallic voice, unfamiliar, yet definitely coming from Shimada. He watched as the cyborg turned and left swiftly, blinking slowly before looking to Angela for answers.

“He just started using his voice again, now that the trachea I had to replace is healed well enough. That’s the most he’s said to me, you have a good effect on him.”

“You think so...?”

“I do. Now, sit still and let me ‘fix you’ like he says.” - Once Shimada had been training approved, he had silently followed Jesse around as the cowboy showed him the ropes. Then he got his ass handed to him during sparring, and Jesse had the distinct feeling that the cyborg had been holding back, too. 

Training together soon turned into missions together when Shimada was cleared for them, Reyes figuring out quickly that they paired well as a team. And they did. 

Jesse would shoot covering fire for Shimada as he struck into the enemies in a quick motion, tearing the remaining foes down like they were nothing. Talk about everything and nothing during their long flights, Shimada meeting him with silence every time, but he was always listening. He just never said much back. Sometimes he did tell a story of his own, and on even rarer occasions, Jesse would hear a quiet chuckle. 

Little things like that kept the gunslinger hooked, hoping that one day, he could hear more from Shimada. More than what he could gather from just the expressions in his eyes, the quiet mechanical tones of his voice, barely able to translate what the ninja was feeling or thinking. 

When they weren’t paired for missions, Jesse would always go to see Shimada—mostly the night before—just to talk to him, or say goodbye. It was one such night that the ninja finally said something back. 

Jesse was sprawled out on the cyborg’s bed, taking more than a few liberties seeing as how Shimada had been wary to let him inside to begin with. But he hadn’t said anything, as usual, simply sitting on the edge of the mattress, watching Jesse with something that almost looked like fondness in his eyes as he talked.

“Now, I don’t think this is gonna be a tough mission, but if I die in some freak accident, I’m givin’ you the rights to my boots and hat. Mark this down, Mr. Shimada, it’s an honour, and before you say it, you’re welcome. But only if it’s a freak accident. If I get shot, they go to Reyes, we already made a deal there—”

“You don’t have to call me ‘Mr. Shimada’, you know. It’s nice, but just Genji is fine.”

Jesse blinked, lifting his head to stare at the ninja, surprised.

“Oh. Well. Alright, Genji,” Jesse murmured, trying out the name. 

It sounded nice, and Genji’s eyes crinkled around the edges. A smile. The gunslinger grinned back after a moment, sitting up fully and clearing his throat, warm in the face.

“And don’t die. Freak accident or no. Take care of yourself, McCree. Anata ga inakute sabishīdesu,” Genji told him, Jesse frowning at the last part, still in awe that the ninja was telling him this at all.

“What?”

“Be careful,” Genji shrugged. Jesse nodded, then stood with a lopsided grin.

“I will, but only because you told me to. And just on a side note, my friends call me Jesse. I’ll see you around, Genji.”

“See you...Jesse.”

The gunslinger tipped his hat as he left, closing the door and feeling a swell of warmth in his chest. 

Genji gazed up at the starry desert sky. He was sitting behind the old Blackwatch bunker they were laying low in, knees drawn up to his chest, faceplate beside him on the dusty ground. The moon was just shy of full, making the desert brush cast soft shadows on the ground.

“Hey there,” came Jesse’s voice. He walked around the corner of the bunker, and sat down next to Genji with a little grunt. He rested his arms on his knees and looked at Genji, who greeted him with just a smile. “Whatcha thinking about?” Jesse asked, “You’ve got that ‘deep in thought’ look in your eye.”

Genji smiled, still looking at the moon. “I could never appreciate this kind of beauty before. My mind was always in a whirlwind.” He sighed. “I was too desperate and angry to slow down and just look at the world.” He turned to Jesse and smiled. “You helped with that. But when I was with you I wasn’t exactly looking at the scenery.”

“What, I don’t count as scenery?” Jesse asked with a grin.

Genji laughed. “Scenery is just for looking at. You are good for far more than that.”

“I guess that’s one way of putting it,” Jesse huffed.

Genji scooted closer to him and leaned in expectantly.

“What, you want a kiss after insulting my pride like that?” Jesse said, trying to sound offended.

“You are the one who called yourself scenery,” Genji pointed out. Jesse turned away, pouting. Instead of pushing it, Genji rested his head on Jesse’s shoulder. For a minute he looked quietly out across the sandy earth again, lit by the cool light of the moon.

“I was thinking, recently,” Genji said, “about how the stars are the same here as they are in Nepal.”

“Hm?” Jesse turned his head back towards Genji.

“It is so much easier to see them than it is in Hanamura,” said Genji. “But the moon is the same.”

“The stars are the same, too,” said Jesse. “It’s just harder to see them.”

“Hmm.” Genji’s brow furrowed. “There is a metaphor here somewhere, but I am having trouble finding it.”

“Pfft,” Jesse laughed. “I thought you were just looking at the scenery.”

“I can look and think at the same time.” Genji picked his head up to look at Jesse. “In fact, I am doing it right now.”

Jesse grinned. “Oh yeah? Whatcha thinking?”

“That I love you,” Genji said.

Jesse’s grin grew even wider, and this time when Genji leaned in he met him halfway, smiling against his lips. “I love you too,” he whispered.

When they parted, Genji rested his head on Jesse’s shoulder again. Jesse wrapped his arm around Genji’s shoulders.

“I love hearing you say that,” Jesse murmured.

“That I love you?” Genji asked.

“Yeah,” Jesse replied, and rested his head on top of Genji’s.

“I like hearing myself say it too,” Genji confessed.

Jesse snorted. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” Genji said, and wrapped his arm around Jesse’s waist, “that I could not say it for so long, and now I can.”

Jesse breathed out slowly. “I guess it’s the same for me, then.”

Genji shifted so they were as close together as possible, tightening his arm around Jesse’s waist. Here he was, with the man he loved, watching moon shadows shift over the California desert. It was hard to believe that just a few months ago he had been agonizing over Jesse, about how much he missed him, whether he was okay, whether he would still want to be with him. Well, maybe it wasn’t that hard to believe.

He turned toward Jesse to wrap his other arm around his waist as well, burying his face in the cowboy’s chest.

“Hey there, sweetheart,” said Jesse. Gently he pulled Genji into his lap and wrapped his arms around him.

“I love you,” Genji mumbled, words muffled by Jesse’s shirt.

“I love you, too,” said Jesse, and rested his chin on the top of Genji’s head.

Somewhere in the back of Genji’s mind was the thought that he should be worrying about the future, about how long they could or should lay low here, about where they would go next… but really, worrying was pointless. How could he possibly worry here, in Jesse’s arms? If the authorities caught up to them, they could get away. If they couldn’t find another safehouse, they would keep each other warm, like they were now. If the moon fell out of the sky, they would weather that too.

“Jesse,” he said.

“Yeah, sugar?”

“I want you to know… loving you is the most wonderful feeling I have ever felt,” Genji said. He heard Jesse’s breath catch, and continued, “I did not realize it all those years ago, but it was true then, too. You made everything better. It was easier to think, to breathe, when you were there. Back then I saw the world through a haze of anger, but around you… it dissipated like mist in the sun.”

Jesse whistled, a single low note. “You been practicing that?”

Genji blushed. “Maybe.”

Jesse shifted Genji again, so they were looking into each other’s eyes. He was smiling. “That was almost like a poem, darlin’,” he said softly. There were tears welling up in his eyes, sparkling like the stars above them. Genji lifted his hands to cup Jesse’s face in them.

“I wanted to tell you the night I found you, but…” Genji paused. He leaned in to kiss the corners of Jesse’s eyes. The tears gathering there began to fall, and Genji wiped them away with his thumbs. “I was worried you would not want me back. But then of course you threw yourself into my arms, and blew every other thought from my mind.”

“I was happy to see you,” Jesse croaked, tears falling in earnest now.

“And I you,” said Genji. “It gave me some more time to practice what I wanted to say, in any case,” he chuckled. He leaned in to kiss Jesse again, and felt the cowboy melt into him.

“I love you,” said Jesse again, his words garbled by his crying and by Genji’s mouth on his.

“I love you too,” Genji whispered against his lips, then tilted his head to deepen their kiss. Jesse responded by sliding his arms down to grip Genji’s waist, and opened his mouth willingly to let his tongue inside.

Genji pushed Jesse down so his back was flat on the dusty ground, and collapsed on top of him. Their lips met again. Genji kissed him deeply, feeling Jesse’s hands roam over him, rubbing his back, stroking his hips, gripping his waist. He flattened himself against Jesse, welcoming all his touches.

Jesse pulled back after a few minutes, breathing heavily. “Would we maybe be more comfortable inside?”

“Why, does your back hurt?” Genji sat up, straddling Jesse’s hips.

“Maybe a little.” Jesse smiled sheepishly.

Genji smiled down at him, taking the opportunity to rub his hands appreciatively across Jesse’s chest. “All right. It will not be as romantic as kissing in the moonlight, of course.”

“Sorry, pumpkin,” said Jesse, “I’m afraid you’ll just have to deal with it.”

Genji stood, and reached down a hand to help Jesse to his feet. He laced their fingers together as they walked back inside.

-