#Jesse Mcree is a good bro

[love-of-fandoms]

Cherry Blossoms (Hanzo Shimada + OC) Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of Cherry Blossoms (Master List)

Pairing: Alpha Hanzo + Omega OC

Word Count: 2520 words

Returning to Overwatch’s base of operations was hectic, to put it lightly. 

Danny frowned as she looked around. The kitchen was an absolute mess, and the common area wasn’t much better. Also all the windows were covered. She’d have to ask if that was tactical or if somebody just preferred darkness, because if it was the latter, those curtains were coming down.

“Most of the bedrooms are free,” Winston said, pointing to a hallway that led to the living quarters. “You all can just dump your stuff in any empty room you find,” Danny and Jesse exchanged a look, before Danny was shoving Jesse out of the way and booking it down the hallway.

“Hey!” Jesse called, running after her, a hand on his hat to keep it from falling off. “No fair!” the others watched in confusion as the pair ran down the hallway giggling like children. Jesse’s much longer legs easily caught up to Danny, who scowled when she realized Jesse was beside her.

“I’m getting the best room!” Danny growled, reaching up and flipping his hat off his head, causing Jesse to skid to a stop, scrambling to turn around and collect his stetson. Danny’s laughter echoed in the halls as she raced around, looking for what she would determine to be the ‘best room’.

She was sidetracked, however, when she ran past what appeared to be an abandoned greenhouse. She skidded to a stop, backtracking and going into the large room. Vines were everywhere, and the overgrown plants in the room were looking a little worse for wear. Their roots were poking out from the soil, and Danny frowned, looking around and grinning when she saw that the greenhouse had a door to the outside. 

She barely even entertained the thought of just moving on and searching for the perfect room. Instead she decided to get to work, she had missed having plants to take care of while on the road. She flicked on the lights and strode over to the door, throwing it open and propping it with a heavy rock that was just outside. The shelves around the walls of the greenhouse held many containers, and Danny immediately got to work filling them with dirt from outside. It would have to do until she could get some actual good soil for the plants.

After she had a decent amount of containers filled, Danny carried them back inside and began relocating the overgrown plants into the containers, which were much larger than the boxes they were in. She started with the flowers she saw. Though it was kind of odd that an Overwatch base would grow flowers in their greenhouse, she didn’t question it too much.

The flowers were placed in the smallest of the containers Danny had filled, before she watered each of them using the sink on the wall of the greenhouse. It had a sprinkler system, which had to be functioning in some capacity for the plants to still be alive, but Danny figured the plants could use a loving touch.

Next Danny moved the foliage plants. She trimmed the dead leaves and stems as she went, throwing those into another container she wanted to convert to compost later.

“Danny?” she looked up when she heard her name called, and was surprised to see that the sun was setting. How long had she been in here?

“In here!” she called back, and Jesse appeared in the doorway, brow furrowed.

“Uh… What’re you doing?” he asked, looking around the room. The flowers were set off to the side, as well as the foliage that Danny had got to. She looked around as well.

“Helping the plants,” she said with a shrug, gently placing a dark green plant in another container, before patting the soil around it. She stood and went over to the sink, giving the plant a generous amount of water before setting it to the side with the others.

“Helping the… plants,” Jesse echoed, and Danny nodded.

“Mhmm,” she began to walk back to the other plants that still needed relocating, but Jesse grabbed her arm.

“You can do that later,” he said, glancing at her duffle bag which she had abandoned by the door. “Have you even picked a room yet?” he asked, and Danny shook her head.

“Um… no,” she said, and Jesse sighed, picking up her duffle bag and extending his arm.

“Come on,” he sighed, leading her down the hallway and up a set of stairs. He opened a door, before pointing directly across the hall. “That’s my room,” he said, before swinging open the door and letting Danny walk in. She beamed at the large window, looking around at the rest of the room. A twin bed sat pushed up against the corner, and a desk was shoved against the wall on the other side of the room. There was a bookshelf by the window, and Danny frowned pensively.

“I can work with this,” she muttered, and Jesse chuckled, shaking his head.

“Knew you’d say that,” he teased, and Danny reached back to playfully swat at him.

“Hush,” they were both grinning as Jesse tossed Danny’s duffle onto the bed.

“Come on, let’s find something to eat,” Jesse prompted, and Danny grinned, grabbing his arm and beginning to drag him back the way they came.

“I can cook!” she cheered. “We have a kitchen!” it had been so long since she had been able to cook something, she missed it. Her omega was feeling sorely neglected. Not that omegas had to cook, but they all felt the instinctive need to nurture, and there were different ways to do that. For Danny, her best ways were cooking and gardening. She continued to drag Jesse through the base with confidence, and he chuckled as he allowed himself to be tugged along. She was going the complete wrong way, and he wanted to see how long it would be until she admitted she had no idea where she was going.

After five minutes of wandering, and taking every wrong turn she possibly could, Danny finally came to a stop.

“Where’s the kitchen?” she asked, turning to Jesse, and he sighed fondly, pivoting on his heel and leading the way back down the hallway to the kitchen. “Oh,” Danny muttered when they got there not 30 seconds later.

The large, open space had a kitchen on one end, and a sort-of-living-room on the other. In between there were some tables that people could eat at. Tracer, Brigitte, and Reinhardt, along with another very short man and an omnic that Danny hadn’t met yet, were sitting on some couches in the living area, catching up. Genji, Angela, and a scowling Hanzo sat at one of the tables, and in the kitchen a man with stark white hair who Danny hadn’t met yet was at the coffee machine. Danny pointed at the table with Genji, Angela, and Hanzo, shoving Jesse in that direction, and he just chuckled, strolling over to them and pulling up a chair while Danny marched to the kitchen. She threw open a cabinet, happy to see some pasta as well as canned tomato sauce. She pulled out a couple of boxes of spaghetti and 2 cans of the tomato sauce, placing them on the counter before opening the fridge. She was glad to see everything she needed.

After she had gathered a stick of butter, a bag of parmesan cheese, and some milk, she searched for the pans and began to cook. A large pot was filled with water and put on the stove, and while she waited for that to boil she dumped the tomato sauce into a bowl. She grabbed another and placed the butter in before shoving it in the microwave, wanting to soften it up. She then poured about a cup of milk into the bowl with the tomato sauce, and dumped about a cup of parmesan cheese in there as well. 

Danny grumbled as she searched for a whisk, before finally giving up, stomping over to the couch where Tracer was.

“Lena?” she called, tapping the woman on the shoulder, and she turned.

“Yeah, love?” she asked cheerily, and Danny shifted from foot to foot, suddenly anxious about asking her where to find a whisk.

“Um… you’ve been here for a bit, yeah?” Lena nodded. “Do you know where I could find a whisk?” Lena beamed, shooting up from the couch and racing over to the kitchen.

“Oh you’re cooking?” she asked excitedly, passing Danny a whisk. “It’s been so long since I’ve had a home cooked meal!” Danny grinned.

“Well there will be plenty,” she said, and Lena grabbed her for a quick hug before shooting back over to the couch she was on.

“Thanks!” she called, and Danny shook her head with a smile before turning and returning to the kitchen. 

About half an hour later, the absent heroes were all drawn to the kitchen/living area by the smell of… something… delicious…

“What is that?” Mei asked as she wandered in, Snowball trailing behind her, and Danny grinned over at her.

“Spaghetti with pink sauce,” she answered, grabbing a bunch of bowls from a cabinet. “Feel free to have some! There’s plenty!” 

“Pink sauce?” Jesse asked as he walked over and began serving himself a plate.

“It’s also called vodka sauce, but there’s no vodka in it,” Danny explained. “It’s like a mix of alfredo and tomato sauce,” Jesse actually moaned as he took a bite.

“Darling, this is amazing,” he praised her, and Danny grinned, calling out to the rest of the hall.

“There’s dinner if you want it!” she called, and people began making their way over.

As people began to eat, Danny was pleased that they all enjoyed her food. The white haired man, who Danny had learned was called Soldier 76, had even smiled slightly as he ate!

Over the next week, Danny had created a role for herself in the new Overwatch group. She cooked every other day, since she always cooked enough for leftovers so those who didn’t want to make their own meal had something to eat. She was steadily restoring the greenhouse, and her room was filled with house plants.

Everyone was still getting to know each other, and Danny mostly stuck to Jesse’s side. He would often tease her about it, but Danny would remind him that he already knew some of the team, she knew nobody. 

Since she was stuck to Jesse’s side like glue, she talked with Genji a lot. The two former blackwatch agents had missed each other, and Danny would tag along when they would hang out.

“So have I earned the title annoying little sibling yet?” Danny asked Jesse and Genji while they lounged on the couches in the main area. She was laying down, her feet up in Genji’s lap and her head pillowed on Jesse’s thigh. The cowboy chuckled.

“You earned that a long time ago,” he teased, reaching down to ruffle her hair. She pouted up at him, sticking her tongue out. Genji chuckled as well.

“It’s cute,” he said, referring to their bond, and Danny smiled shyly at him, before her eyes lit up.

“Hey! You’re a little sibling, right?” she asked, and Genji nodded. Danny sat up, reaching out with her hand. “Hell yeah!” Genji laughed, high fiving her, and she thudded back onto the couch.

As the night went on, Danny started shivering, but was too stubborn to go all the way to her room for a sweater. Instead she sat up and gave Jesse her best puppy dog eyes. He glared at her for a moment before sighing, unwrapping his poncho and draping it over her shoulders.

“Fine,” he groaned, tying it for her and settling back. Danny grinned.

“Thank you!” she beamed, snuggling further into him. He waved her off.

“Yeah, yeah,” 

“Jesse, I’m cold,” Genji teased, leaning closer to the cowboy, who just put his hand against his face and shoved him away. On base, Genji chose not to wear his helmet. His face was covered in scars, and Danny was surprised to see that he still had bright green hair the first time she saw him without the helmet.

“Your fault for not wearing clothes,” Jesse griped back, and Genji pouted.

“You’re no fun!” he whined, and Danny groaned.

“Ugh, I know right?!” she beamed at Genji. “I try to tell him that all the time!” Genji grinned back.

“Hey!” Jesse called, pointing between the two. “You’re not allowed to gang up on me like that!” Genji smirked.

“Who says?” he challenged.

“I say!”

“I don’t,” Danny piped up, and Genji nodded, his smirk suddenly smug.

“Two against one,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re outvoted,” Jesse groaned, lifting Danny’s upper half and standing up, before gently placing her back on the couch.

“I’m going to bed,” he grumbled, beginning to walk away, but they both heard the grin in his voice.

“Awe, don’t be like that!” Danny called after him.

“Lame!” Genji shouted. Jesse turned to shoot them an offended look, before turning and continuing down the hall. Genji and Danny looked at each other for a moment before they burst out laughing. Danny sat up, swinging her legs off Genji’s lap and settling into the spot Jesse had been taking up. She turned to look at Genji, an idea suddenly popping into her head.

“Hey, do you like pranks?” she asked, and Genji grinned and nodded.

“Of course!” he said excitedly. Danny held out a hand to him.

“Pranking buddies?” Genji thrust his own hand out, gripping hers and giving it a firm shake.

“Pranking buddies,” he confirmed, and Danny giggled at the way his accent wrapped around the word buddies.

A little later, Danny and Genji decided it was time for them to head to bed as well. Danny still had a bit of trouble navigating the base, so Genji helped her get back to the stairwell that would lead her to Jesse and her hallway (none of the others happened to pick rooms in it).

“Night Genji,” she bade him, and he nodded.

“Goodnight Danny,”

Sleepily, Danny began to ascend the stairs. She let out a large yawn, extending her arms and squeezing her eyes shut. When she opened them, she had no time to react before she walked directly into a broad chest. She began falling back, blinking disorientedly, but a strong arm reached out and caught her, pulling her back up and holding her against a solid chest. She looked up, blinking blearily up at her savior. She was met with the view of a goatee covered chin.

“Hanzo?” she murmured, and he grunted, pulling back and making sure she was steady before letting go of her. His nose crinkled, and before Danny could apologize for running into him or thank him for not letting her fall, he was rushing past her and down the stairs. Danny tilted her head in confusion, looking behind her to see his retreating back, before she shrugged, continuing up the stairs.

Chapter 5

[mercysstray]

ashe mains stand up

[painted--elf]

MCHANZO AU WHERE MCREE IS A STUDENT LIVING IN JAPAN BECAUSE HE CAN GET A SCHOLARSHIP THERE TO LEARN WHATEVER WITH HIS RuDEMENTSRY JAPANESE!

Okay so Mcree gets a scholarship to this university in Tokyo with a group from the Overwatch international community college because the boy is a quick learner and took like a year or two of Japanese and can do okay in formal dilect but is kind of struggling with using casual (its the same thing for me even though ive been doing Japanese for four years now). So he’s going to be in Japan for the next five years (one to get a solid grip on Japanese and the other four to get a master’s in teaching/ history (he’s a history buff, tho he’s also game for being a spanish/english/japanese teacher)). And let’s say he’s Twenty for simplicites sake, which puts Hanzo at 21 and Genji at 18. (Also warning in advance, I overuse paranthese.)

In the program he gets into, he gets a host family. In his case, he gets the Shimada clan as his host family. Why does the Shimada do it? Probbly tax evasion, i dont know how rich crime synidates works and i dont really want to find out via irl experiences. 

Hanzo is closest in age to Mcree, so  he’s get put in charge of how Mccree get’s to uni, how he gets lunch, and tries to make sure that he doesnt bring shame to the family name. They find out very quickly that they go to the same University, though for diffrent majors (Mccree in Teaching/history and Hanzo in bussiness/mathmatics). At first he keeps Mccree at Arms length and is always civil though curt at times, but then he learns more about Mccree and starts getting a crush on him which leaves him flustered as hell but eventually he tries his hardest to flirt with him which both works and doesnt at the same time. He has the mentally of the golden child and the “i cant be the scape goat mentality”.

Genji is fresh out of high school and is hitting the rebellious phase full throttle. His hair is a diffrent color each month, he has peircings (probbly clip on/magnet ear rings at first because yeah... japan has stigma against actual peircings and while genji might be a yakuza, he’s a bit of baby), and gets a non-yakuza related tatto every month divisable by 3. (If you think thats child play and are a rebellious american teen, remeber that these thinks are considered pretty taboo. when i was at a very liberal school, my host sister still had clip on earings). He’s both the delinquent who is almost never at school, is asleep when he is there, and parties all night and the straight a student who gets good grades on all the hw and tests. Always compared to his brother. He constantly teaches Mccree cuss words and tries to get him to teach him Spanish cuss words. He acts like a hotshot/hot mess at first but later he reveals that he’s got a heart of gold in there somewhere. He constantly gives Hanzo shit about his crush on Mccree and does the same to Mccree. He’s not sure what he wants to do with his life, but he doesnt want to follow his familes footsteps. He’s also a big gaming nerd.

I should probbly talk about Jesse since I’m doing very deep bits about Genji and Hanzo. Let me just say that Mccree is smart. Thats a fact. He’s got a better than average grasp on mechanics (from hotwiring cars in his youth, fixing his prothestic with minor things, making a motorcycle with Gabe when he was older, and learning a bit more once he realized that there a sometimes Omnics who dont get the help they need), he’s so well trained with a gun that it’s not really a joke anymore when he calls it dead eye, can take apart a gun in seconds, knows how to ride a horse, can cook pretty well, and stealthy as hell when he needs to be. And he’s at least bilingual. These might come as a surpise to those who think he’s just a cowpoke because he doesnt boast much. He was part of deadlock until he was 15, when Deadlock was broken up by the san fran police. He got adopted by Gabriel reyes and Jack Morrison and has an adopted sister who went by Sombra for a year before they finally found out that her name was Olivia.

So we have Mccree thrust into a new family drama which he takes in stride and tries to help where he can. He acts polite and doesnt “disrespect the clan” (he’s speaking formal japanese almost 25/8, quickly learning how to use Kego (the highest form of japnese which reserved for extremely higher ups like company presidents, priniples, gods, and probbly yakuza bosses), correcting any cultural accidents, ect), he tries to make sure that Hanzo gets more friends/and is able to leave his shell (introduces Hanzo to the rest of his group (which consists of Miora, Mei, Zenyatta, Widowmaker, and Mercy who are both in running start), acts competive with him, pesters Hanzo to act childish), he tries to get both brothers some help mentaly/emotionally (at first he tries getting them therapy, but relizes they dont know how bad their mental health is so he has to struggle to give them enough support that they can help themselves but somtimes he had to have interventions with them), and acts like a mentor figure to Genji (encourages his indivually, gives him advice when he needs it, encourages him to seek diffrent routes that the one he’s been given, calmly defends Genji’s choices to his family/the elders).

If i ended up writing this, it would be a hell of a slow burn and have a slight crossover with a comic i really like, Sakana because i remeber I went to the big Fishmarket on my first day in Tokyo. So i guess they would go to the fish market fairly often and interact with Jiro, Taro, and Yuudai. The Shimada bros probbly have some history with Taro because obviously has Yakuza ties. Yuudai is very passive agressive with Mccree but is very Gay about Hanzo. jiro is an anxious man.

Ships that i would probbly include would problly be: Mchanzo, One-sided Gency (from Genj because I dont really enjoy the ship but he probbly whould have a crush when he was younger), Moira/Mercy (when Mercy is like 20 or something and its temprary because that seems like a thing that would end in a year after all the ust and shit stops fueling their realtionship), Genyatta (originally part of the Give-Genji-a-support-system plan that Mccree had but Genji fell hard, either way it worked), Reaper76 (really fucking background because i like them pre-exploding lol), Chie/Jiro, Yuudai/Taisei

Random things I’ve thought of in this au:

Line, the app. Everyone in Japan has this.

www vs lol (they are the same but probbly mccree, mercy, micheal would use lol/lmao while Hanzo, Genji, Zenyatta, Mei use www. Moira and Widow use neither)

genji: your so wise Zen, how old are you

Zen: im 3

christmas, in general.

Mccree helping Genji with his first real peircings

Mccree becoming a teacher at the university for the second generation of  overwatch kids

widow and Hanzo being salty friends while Mei and Hanzo are adorable science friends

everyone hates the crows

Mercy works part-times at the shop Jan works in and tries to help him with his Japanese

ana is the japanese sensei who is helping them, encouraged Mccree to start taking japanese

there is alwaus at least one vending machine mentioned per chapter

trans hanzo

hanzo, and mccree have prothetics

[kageouji]

Bastion, cowboy, roboninja!

Bastion:

1. 5 hours. He’s actually p fun to play especially with his rework now but I don’t rlly play him much anyways

2. Skin: New Years Skin

3. Favorite Maps: ??? Gibraltar Defense? Idek. Eichenwalde too maybe.

4. Ship: Bon Bon Wee (no ships for bastion he is just a good robot)

Cowbo- Mcree:

1. 4 hours. LUL. Actually I do play him from time to time nowadays now that my aim is better.

2. Skin: Scrooge

3. Favorite Maps: Route 66 (lmfao), anything with a high balcony I can use.

4. Ship: The Shimada Bros, Hanzo and Genji. Not at the same time lmfao. I like both ships equally tho

and also family platonic shipping: Ana and Pharah because they are the cutest family and he is Ana’s son

Robo-weeb (Genji):

1. Should be like 60 hours I think? I don’t remember. After my pharah phase I went into a Genji phase which everyone knew me for lmfao. But lately I haven’t really played him bc idk, he got a bit boring?

2. Skin: NIHON is the best skin.

3. Favorite Maps: I don’t have a preference for Genji other than playing Attack.

4. Ship: Zenyatta, Mcree. That’s kinda it. u guys probably already kno my notp for genji el oh el

TY Jess

[love-of-fandoms]

Cherry Blossoms (Hanzo Shimada + OC) Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of Cherry Blossoms (Master List)

Pairing: Alpha Hanzo + Omega OC

Word Count: 2886 words

“Was it really necessary to make everyone clear out?” Danny whined as she sat across from Mcree. The diner was abandoned now, and her brother-not-brother had decided to help himself to a slice of apple pie. Her legs swung back on forth as she waited for 11:55, and Jesse chuckled, shaking his head and raising his cup of coffee to his lips.

A country song played in the background, and Danny was not enjoying it.

“You could’ve at least let me switch the song in the jukebox,” she muttered moodily, crossing her arms over her chest, and Jesse laughed at that, shaking his head once more.

Danny perked up when they heard the horn of a train, and she quickly turned to look out the window. A train was coming down the tracks, beginning to cross the bridge over them, and Jesse’s hand paused as it did. An explosion sounded, and though Danny expected it, she still jumped. The cars of the train came crashing down around the diner, and Danny flinched as each one hit the ground. As the dust cloud that the falling train had kicked up began to dissipate, Jesse resumed his hand’s motion, lifting the bite of pie up to his lips. He smirked at Danny, letting out an exaggerated humming in pleasure at the taste, and she rolled her eyes.

“Come on,” she prompted, grabbing her rifle’s strap from where it sat in the red leather booth next to her. Jesse slowly stood, giving her time as she raced out of the diner, the bell jingling above the door. The cowboy grabbed his hat and belt, flipping a coin onto the table before following his companion out at a much more leisurely pace.

The great part about Danny’s job, at least in her opinion, was that since they were in a canyon, getting a good vantage point was easy. She flexed her fingers in the kinetic gloves that she had invested in recently. She had the matching boots on her feet, and she excitedly began to scale the canyon wall. Her tattered, ruddy brown jacket allowed her to blend in with the canyon’s walls enough for her not to be spotted as she got into position on an outcropping a little under where the demolished train tracks hung.

Danny could hear the laughter of the lackeys in the Deadlock gang as they carried their score to the hoverkart. She swung her rifle over her shoulder, resting on her belly as the dust cloud cleared completely, and she could see a group of maybe 15 Deadlocks unloading the cars of the train. She spotted a rather large omnic carrying the pod Jesse and her were there for, and a little further back she could see Jesse beginning to come out of the smoke. She readied her rifle, releasing the scope and observing the scene below her.

Through their comms, she could hear Jesse clear his throat as he stepped up behind a man who was unloading a crate of grenades. She giggled as the man dropped some, scrambling to get to his leader.

“Ashe!” the man shouted as he ran out of the smoke and towards the hoverkart. “Ashe!!” the woman in a large, dark stetson turned. Danny’s eyes widened at the name, Jesse having told her about the woman, and she watched as the notorious highwaywoman tore the bandana from her face as Jesse emerged from the cloud of smoke.

“Jesse Mcree,” she called in greeting, and Danny strained her ears to hear through the comms. “Been a while, you promised you’d write,” Ashe’s voice sounded teasing, and Danny heard Jesse’s chuckle.

“Well Ashe,” he paused, and Danny heard the flick of his zippo as he lit his cigar. She rolled her eyes. He took any opportunity to smoke that thing, since the smell made her sick he didn’t smoke it around her. Given, the times they were apart were far and few between, but still everytime they were far enough away he would pull one out. “I’ve been kind of busy,” Ashe swung her rifle around so it rested on one of her shoulders.

“We’re pretty busy ourselves,” she said. “So it’s awful convenient you showin’ up today,”

“Yeah,” Jesse took a drag. “You never been one to shy away from a good tip,” Ashe was quick to take her rifle down from her shoulder, her body language immediately becoming defensive.

“Hey! We worked hard for this score,” she paused, and Danny could almost see her poker face come back on. “You best move on now,” her voice was softer, as if she were trying to show she was unbothered, despite everyone around her knowing the truth. She was intimidated by Jesse.

“All I want is that crate,” Jesse used his cigar to point to the white pod on the hoverkart. “Everything else is yours,” he said, and Danny sighed. They both knew it would be a fight, there was no way Ashe would just hand him the crate without one. No, the Deadlock gang would not be getting any of this cargo today.

“This crate?” Ashe asked, reaching out to tap it with her rifle. “Huh, Bob,” she called, and the large omnic pressed a button on top of the crate, causing it to open. “Well, well,” she muttered. “Now you got my attention,” Danny could see a mist escaping the pod. “What is it?”

“That’s none of your business,” Jesse responded, and Ashe obviously didn’t like that answer, hopping down from where she stood on the hoverkart.

“Far as I see it,” Ashe pumped her gun, and Danny prepared herself, her finger lowering closer to the trigger. “Now it’s very much our business,” Jesse’s sigh came through the comms, and Danny mirrored it. Everytime, Jesse would be disappointed, despite the fact that he knew things wouldn’t change.

“It doesn’t always have to be this way, Ashe,” he said, lifting the cigar to his lips for another drag as Ashe stepped forward.

“Apparently,” she cocked her gun, a final threat to tell the cowboy to back off. “It does,” Bob, the large omnic, stepped up behind Ashe, holding a Route 66 sign, and a lackey stepped up on her other side, dual pistols in his hands. Danny sucked in a breath, seeing more lackeys come from the smoke, surrounding Jesse. She lowered her finger further, to where it was resting on the trigger. An omnic with a rifle sat on one of the cars, his metal arms glinting in the sun, and she aimed down her scope at him, choosing him as her first target.

A tumbleweed rolled across the road between Jesse and Ashe, and Danny snorted in laughter.

“Really?” she murmured, but she got no reply. She wasn’t expecting one, seeing as Jesse was in an intense standoff with Ashe. Her attention went back to the omnic’s green hood, waiting for the fire fight to begin.

All of a sudden, Ashe fired her rifle, and Jesse dove out of the way, firing at the lackey beside her. Jo shot a round into the omnic’s head, before zeroing in on another Deadlock member. Jesse threw a flash bang, before shooting at the tracks, causing a car to come falling down. One of the Deadlocks got his foot stuck in a wire, and Danny giggled as he was tugged up and began swinging above the battlefield. Not wanting him to get in her way, Danny shot him in the chest before quickly following the wire up to the bridge, seeing where it was attached and shooting it, causing the man to thud to the ground. Some rocks fell to the ground, providing cover as Jesse ran across the street and Ashe shot at him. He jumped behind a boulder, firing at Ashe, who let out a shout.

The bullets Mcree fired panged off of the Route 66 sign, which Bob held in front of Ashe’s head. Danny could hear Ashe shouting at Bob as she shot another lackey. Her eyes scanned the area, searching for any Deadlock who were lurking around. Bob raised, his arm, and Danny’s eyes widened as three mini turrets popped out of his arm. 

“Jesse!” she called nervously, but Jesse just chuckled, and amongst the fire of Bob’s arm gun she heard shells falling to the ground as he reloaded behind the boulder.

“Looks like Bob got himself some upgrades,” Jesse chuckled, and Danny rolled her eyes, shooting a man who came up between Ashe and Bob to start shooting at Jesse’s cover. He fell with a thud, and Ashe quickly scrambled behind the hoverkart.

“Sniper!” the Deadlock leader shouted, and Danny cursed as the Deadlock members who had been emerging to shoot dove behind and under cover.

“Wasn’t gonna last, darling,” Jesse reassured her with a soft laugh, and Danny grunted in annoyance, shooting the omnic who she had shot earlier as he stumbled to his feet. This time he was most certainly dead as she could clearly see the wires spark through the hole in his head. “Thank ya’ kindly,” Jesse said, and Danny grinned.

“Course,” she responded, shooting a Deadlock who peeked out from behind his cover.

“Last chance Mcree!” Ashe shouted, and Danny cursed as a shot was fired, blowing away a chunk of Jesse’s cover. She tried to get a clear shot, but Ashe had strategically placed herself in Bob’s shadow. “Toss out your weapon!” Jesse grunted.

“Danny?” he asked, and Danny sighed, shaking her head despite knowing he couldn’t see her.

“I can’t get a shot,” she told him, and he heaved out a sigh.

“Alright Ashe,” Jesse called, and Danny’s brows furrowed at the sudden mirth in his voice. “Here it comes!” he shouted, before tossing the belt of grenades the man had dropped earlier towards Ashe and her cronies.

“Oh shit!” Ashe shouted as the grenade hurtled towards her, and Jesse dove out from his cover, shooting the grenades precisely. Danny smiled as they exploded, sending the Deadlock gang members flying. Jesse dramatically twirled his peacekeeper before holstering it, and Danny giggled.

“Coming down,” she said, before closing the scope on her rifle and swinging it over her shoulder once more.

“Alright, sweetpea,” Jesse said, and Danny jumped from her perch to a much smaller outcropping on the canyon wall, gripping it with her kinetic gloves. She glanced at the distance and grinned, dropping herself the rest of the way down and laughing with glee as her kinetic boots absorbed the force, letting her land silently and painlessly.

“I love these boots,” Danny giggled, skipping towards the groaning Deadlock members.

“Oh, I know,” Jesse chuckled teasingly, grabbing a rope and helping Danny lug the bodies onto the hoverkart. 

Danny crouched down next to Ashe, getting a whiff of the woman’s scent-alpha, and was just finishing the knot on the rope around her wrists when Jesse began laughing.

“What?” she asked, glancing up at him, only to blink in surprise as a sudden weight was on top of her head. Whatever it was-it felt like a hat-sank down until it was covering her eyes, and Danny heard the sound of a camera shutter. She sputtered, reaching up and pushing the brim of what she now realized was Bob’s bowler hat up until it rested on the top of her head, no longer obscuring her vision. “What?!” she gasped again, glaring as Jesse laughed harder, his forearms coming to rest on his knees. “Did you just take a picture?!” she demanded, gasping as before she could react Jesse straightened and took another one. She tore the hat off her head, hurling it at Jesse, who let out an ‘oof’ as it hit him in the stomach. “Help me tie these guys up,” she muttered, setting up the three Deadlock members who they had lugged onto the hoverkart so their backs were to each other. Jesse tied each of their wrists while Danny tied a rope around all of them and tied their ankles together as well.

Once they had finished that, and Jesse had finished taking off Bob’s head, they struggled to get the crate off of the kart.

“Come on,” Jesse grunted, his arms straining as they tried to lift it, and Danny was in a similar situation, her much smaller arms shaking with effort. Her eyes widened when she saw a scrap of metal that had fallen earlier, letting go of the pod and running over to it. Jesse groaned as her assistance was taken, and the pod thudded back the 2 inches they had lifted it onto the kart. “Danny?” he called, and looked over at her as she dropped the scrap metal against the side of the hoverkart. She jumped back on, pushing the pod until it rolled down and onto the street.

“There,” she sighed, releasing a heavy breath and placing her hands on her hips, and Jesse chuckled, nodding and grabbing Bob’s head to put on a pile of ropes so it wouldn’t roll away.

Both of their heads turned when Ashe groaned, slowly sitting up.

“Mcree?” she called, her eyes widening when they landed on Danny. Jesse pat Bob’s head, placing his bowler hat on it at a tilt.

“Sorry ‘bout that, Bob,” he said, not sorry at all. “No hard feelings?” the omnic just blinked at him, and Danny grinned.

“Mcree?” Ashe asked once more. “Mcree! Hey! Untie me Mcree!” she shouted as Danny programmed in the route that would take them back to their gang.

“Say hi to the gang, for me,” Jesse said, walking off with a salute, and Danny hopped off the hoverkart, waving at Ashe. Ashe screamed threats at the both of them as the hoverkart began to move.

“I’m gonna rebuild Bob! And I’m gonna have him rip off your other arm! And your stupid sniper’s arms! Mcree!!” her voice faded off into the distance, and Jesse and Danny shared a look before bursting into laughter.

Jesse and Danny were still giggling when he opened the pod, taking a chip from his pocket and placing it in a perfectly shaped hole. The lines sealed as the chip integrated into the machine, which began to emit a glow as it powered on. Danny stepped to the side as a holographic face appeared. Her (at least, its face looked like it was a her) eyes zeroed in on Jesse, and a grin appeared on her face.

“Hey there, cowboy,” she greeted, and Jesse returned the grin.

“Welcome back, partner,” he reached out a hand, and the robot extended her much daintier one, allowing him to help lift her out of the pod. Danny’s eyes shone as she looked at the robotic woman in wonder. She didn’t appear to be an omnic-but she wasn’t sure what else to classify her as. The robot hummed as wing-like shapes powered up behind her, and she hovered over the ground.

“How long have I been gone?” she asked, and Jesse smiled as he took off his hat.

“Far too long,” the robot turned her hand over, studying his prosthetic.

“What happened?” Jesse’s face twisted awkwardly, and he gently pulled his hand from her grip.

“Well that’s… a story for another time,” he dismissed, before turning to Danny. “Come say hi, sweetpea!” he called, and Danny cautiously approached, smiling nervously at the pair.

“Who is this?” the robot asked curiously, hovering closer to Danny and peering at her face. The human woman shifted uncomfortably.

“Echo,” Jesse called. “This is Danny, my…” he paused as he tried to think of how to introduce her. “Sister,” he finally settled on, and Echo’s head tilted.

“You don’t have any siblings,” she argued, and Jesse shrugged.

“I do now,” was all he said in answer, and Echo ‘hmph’ed, turning and studying Danny once more.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said, and Echo smiled slightly down at her.

“And you,” she said. Jesse stepped up.

“I got a call,” he said, and Echo looked between him and Danny. “They’re getting the band back together, and they want me,” he paused, smiling gently at Echo. “But they need you,” Echo smiled slightly at him as he put his stetson back on, beginning to make his way to his hoverbike, which sat parked right next to Danny’s own.

“Jesse!” she called, and he paused. “What are you and Danny going to do?” she asked, and Jesse chuckled, continuing towards the bike, and Danny smiled at Echo before following him, swinging a leg up to get on her own bike.

“I’ve got some business to attend to,” he said, powering up his bike.

“But we’ll be along,” Danny said with a grin, twisting the handle to power up her bike as well. Jesse put his cigar back in his mouth, they’d be on the road soon enough.

“Say hi to the monkey for me,” he said, and Echo’s face pinched.

“Monkey?” she repeated, and Jesse laughed.

“Scientist, whatever,” he shrugged, before revving his engine and tearing off down the road. Danny grinned, following right behind him.

“What business?” Danny shouted at him over the roar of the wind, and Jesse grinned back at her.

“You wanted to go to the Ink’N’Iron Festival, didn’t ya?” he shouted back. Danny laughed gleefully, revving her engine and zooming past him.

“Hell yeah!”

Chapter 3