#Nvm I just had to listen to little dragon as the same way I did as a child <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[justmewondering56]

[antikang]

    ⋆     𝑰𝑵𝑻𝑹𝑶𝑫𝑼𝑪𝑰𝑵𝑮 — min yoongi. he/him. cismale. | was that matthew ‘matty’ kang i just saw in the hideaway lobby ? i hear the twenty-six year old spends most of their time being the area’s drug dealer , but i’ve always just seen them hanging out at the old boxing ring downtown. they live in apt 6A and i often see them in the halls. they always give me a vibe of exactly faded graffiti on concrete walls, an intimidating dragon tattoo taking up half his back, and cars set ablaze in empty parking lots.

𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔 :

fullname: matthew kang

nicknames: matty, matt -- but that one’s used rarely 

age: twenty-six

d.o.b: i’ll let u guys know when i figure out his birthchart lol

zodiac:  ^^

gender: cismale

sexuality: bisexual

occupation: drug dealer, his cover is a ‘legal dispensary’ 

𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂 :

matty doesn’t have any form of social media besides snapchat. which he barely uses, he doesn’t care much for apps besides the ones he can stream shows on. 

he has a separate phone for any business transactions since it’s disposable. only a few people have his number, any new clients have to come from word of mouth. 

𝒂𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒄 : 

oversized jackets down behind his knees, an abundance of necklaces, faded graffiti littering concrete walls, red knuckles, calculating quick math problems in his head, morning light peaking through half lidded curtains, street racing in the middle of the night, small laughs under his breath, a longing to be unknown, overly sweet coffee, a beat up walkman, cassette tapes from his childhood

𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒓 : 

DRUG TW !! matty is a drug dealer but his profession is under the guise of a ‘legal dispensary’ so his front is weed, and having the permit to sell weed legally in a small shop in the city. it’s what he puts down for his taxes, and his job on important documents. however, behind the scenes it’s something else completely: the harder stuff. within the dispensary there’s another room for the harder stuff. a hidden little place within the building where they REALLY make their profit. they sell anything from molly to coke to pills. matty tends to stay away from dealing the SUPER hard stuff, and avoids it as much as he can. 

𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 :

matty is actually a pretty cool guy ? despite his upbringing and what he does/did, he tends to get a long well with people -- he has to considering his job is on the more social side. he isn’t the most outgoing though, and he actually tends to stay in his lane. matty doesnt like being problematic and likes to keep most of his business private. he doesn’t dwell or partake in other’s business either unless he was forced into a situation. he’s a grown man with better things to do than meddle in drama. on the other side he can be a little intimidating, but that’s the surface after all his appearance is his armor so people know not to mess with him. 

positive traits: organized, dependable, focused, loyal, kind, quick

negative traits: stubborn, fussy, cynical at times, blunt 

𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒔 : 

matty was born and raised in l.a but was kicked out of his home at seventeen when his parents -- especially his dad -- found out he was gay ( bi really ). he didn’t manage to graduate highschool because of this despite doing everything he could to. it wasn’t possible for him to attend school while couch surfing through his friend’s houses and sometimes a local youth shelter. it was through one of boys he met there that he found his way into the world of gangs and drugs and just trying to survive each day.

he became a runner for an l.a gang/mob called ssangyopa -- they’re actually all along the west coast and international but only in asia -- and dropped out of high school to be able to make money to find a way to live on his own. he got initiated into the gang quick for a variety of reasons, he was sly and easy to miss when he delivered packages, just another l.a teenager skateboarding through the city dropping off people’s goods, he was fast on his feet and managed to get out of many sticky situations one that included knocking over a cop to get away when he had drugs on him -- that was what rlly made the people he worked for in that location welcome him with open arms. and nearing his eighteenth birthday they took him to get a tattoo that each member has ( not the exact same tattoo since each member has a different one of their mascot ) which is a dragon. matty’s is this one here.

TW: GUNS

things were going well for him until one fateful night when he was twenty-two ( five years now with the gang ) that he got into a mess that should have never happened ( and i’ll probably make a separate post diving into this situation but right now it’ll be brief ), point is that he got into a situation where he had to pull out his gun and shoot the other guy before he got shot but it was self defense on his part because he rlly did try to control the situation that got out of hand. he didn’t get away on time, and got caught up by the cops, he thankfully wasn’t carrying any drugs on him, and was sentenced to prison for 3 years for assault with a deadly weapon. it was supposed to be 9 years but the judge pitied him and made it 3. 

in prison he worked on getting his ged and highschool diploma as well as working out -- which he thought was a cliche but he partook in it anyway. he got into a few disagreements in there but !! he’s out now. he got out at 25 and the gang welcomed him back, however, matty wanted out but thats impossible, at least for him especially with a record now. so he got offered to at least move out of the city and run/deal for them in a new system that was created after weed got legalized which is here in seattle. it’s lowkey and perfect for him. 

BUT YEAH OOF, anyways matty again is a chill guy, reserved a bit, but hes good conversation. no one knows he’s an ex-con ( unless hehe we plot !! ) but since he trained a lot in prison ( and i forgot to say that when he started in the gang he took boxing lessons to get some muscle on his noodle arms and protect himself ) he volunteers at a boys and girls club to help train kids to keep them off the streets and away from the shit he got caught up in.

his slang is funny too, he doesn’t call you bro or dude or anything like that. it’s either G or Daddy O, tbh it depends on who he’s talking too. when he talks it’s kinda fast or slow, depending on the mood he’s in. 

𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 : 

people who know he deals other stuff, he deals to ( 0/2): like i said, matty is very lowkey now and i think it’d be a little pointless if the ENTIRE apt complex knew he was a dealer that wasn’t the dispensary. so these 2 clients have his phone number for his dealing phone and he delivers to them sometimes. 

a highschool sweetheart: LISTEN......there was a plot roaming around about an ex-con that when they get out a prison their highschool sweetheart was waiting for them to pick them up and .....i think it’d be cute....it doesnt have to be highschool sweetheart...maybe someone he met at the youth shelter? point is it have to be really plotted out and ofc IF your muse lived in l.a....actually, they’d have to be around his age too....man.....nvm i should erase this but i wont imma leave it right here 

 a friend with benefits ( 0/1): like i said....homeboy doesnt want to get TOO involved with a lot of people so there’s probs just one person he met, they hit it off, they mess around here and there but it’s nothing serious, sometimes a guy just needs a break and so they hit them up

a smoking/drinking buddy: (0/2): they hit up bars, have a drink or four or they hang out on the balcony and smoke the afternoons away, just really chill vibes 

BUT UM THIS IS ALL I HAVE RN....please...if u have more wcs...lmk and hmu !! 

[claroquequiza]

Are you still willing to do some of your behind the scenes things for Afterdrop? I wouldn't mind one for the debrief with Soldier76. Or the one with Jesse and Winston, although that may be too recent and reveal too much plot. If you have too much on your plate then nvm, no worries. Thanks!

Ah shit, I just found your post saying you weren't going to do any more. My bad, nvm, sorry!

Naw, it’s ok! I haven’t done one for a while--I had to stop because it was becoming a struggle not to reveal spoilers! But I think I should be able to pull off the debrief with Soldier: 76!

He neatly stacked everything back in the box almost exactly as it had come. He moved to stand, but the Soldier looked up from his comm again and fixed him with the visor’s expressionless stare once more.

“When do you want to debrief?” he asked.

Hanzo fought down a sigh. “Now,” he said, straightening his back and folding his hands in his lap.

NEEEEVAAAAAAAAAAAR shouted Hanzo as he leapt out the window.

The Soldier nodded. “I understand,” he said slowly, almost carefully, “that you had a mental episode.” Hanzo set his jaw, and his fingers tightened around each other. “In the old Overwatch, you would have had access to a counselor, at the very least.”

Jack Morrison fought a ten-year war against an implacable enemy that gutted cities and countries. He’s familiar with the role of mental illness in warfare.

In the old Overwatch, Hanzo amended mentally, he would not even be here.

are you sure about that

“We obviously don’t have one, so let me just say: if you can’t talk about it, don’t talk about it. We’ll get through as much as we can, and leave anything else for another day.” He tilted his head slightly, as if studying Hanzo’s face.

Jack tried his best to avoid any counseling whatsoever during the Crisis, only to suffer a nervous breakdown that took him out of the fight for almost a year. He never forgot that experience and the therapy that got him back on his feet.

Not that it’s done much good since the Fall.

Hanzo kept it carefully blank. “And if you suspect that I am withholding incriminating information?”

Hanzo understands that a debriefing without trust is an interrogation.

The Soldier’s head fell forward slightly, and he chuckled darkly. “Than let’s start with dealing with the elephant in the room.” Hanzo breathed in sharply, trying and mostly succeeding at keeping it silent. The Soldier looked up, and Hanzo kept his eyes on his receding hairline. 

STOP CALLING THE READER’S ATTENTION TO THAT, HANZO, IT’S RUDE

“Winston and Genji himself briefed me. Never thought I’d find myself on a team with not one, but two former yakuza.” 

Not just on a team with them, but acting as an ad hoc counselor of sorts. Life is funny sometimes.

He paused, as if considering, before saying, “Genji would like everyone to consider your pasts as between the two of you. Winston disagrees, as do I. It’s impossible for us to ignore that, but--” he admonished, holding up a large hand, despite Hanzo’s not having given any sign of interrupting, “--not for the reasons you might think.”

He absently rubbed his chin, despite it being covered with the thick plastic of the visor’s lower half. Hanzo could not help but wonder how he could stand to have it on outside of battle.

How indeed. Just you wait, Hanzo, he takes that thing into the shower with him, the madman.

“Whatever Genji’s reasons are for wanting you to join and whatever your reasons are for indulging him are not my concern. What is my concern is keeping all of us alive during a mission. Avoiding triggers for flashbacks or whatever the hell happened is one thing that will keep you and everyone around you out of the cold ground. Genji tells me you’ve been on the run for ten years from the yakuza, so I know you’re not weak, but obviously there is something that debilitates you. We need to avoid it in the future or it could put the rest of the team at unacceptable risk.” He stopped and seemed to study Hanzo once more. “And if it does put us at unacceptable risk, then you shouldn’t be here at all.”

Jack is on the fence with this whole Overwatch thing, whether he thinks he is or not, so he’s having to perform some mental gymnastics to be ok with Hanzo’s membership. Before, he had Gabe’s no-nonsense yet aggressively protective nature to lean on, which is why a lot of people like Hanzo ended up in Blackwatch. Jack’s leaning on that again, though he has reservations about how well it’ll work.

Hanzo immediately recognized the out, whether or not the Soldier meant to provide it, and his heartbeat quickened.

It would be child’s play to twist this to his advantage, to exaggerate his weakness and make himself appear to be a liability. How indeed could Overwatch know that he would not run off to get drunk on some random rooftop after every mission? They did not know about Hanzo’s inability to use the dragons with a sword or sword-like weapon, nor did they know that he was not normally inconvenienced by it in the slightest. It would be easy to convince them that being so close to Genji, even through the proxy of his comrades, was enough to incapacitate him. Hanzo had played the part of a weak man to his advantage countless times before, in dozens of situations, and he could do it again and be rid of Overwatch forever.

Yeah!!! GTFO of there, Hanzo! Why don’t you?!?!

But he could not be rid of Genji.

Oh.

His thoughts, surging with lightning-like speed, stopped dead. Be rid of Genji . Even the notion was enough to send shame coursing through his stomach and chest. His brother, his victim, was alive. He owed a debt to him, a debt that would never be repaid, though he was duty-bound to give all he could.

Duty. It chilled and sobered him more effectively than icewater injected directly into his veins. Duty had ruled his life since before he drew his first breath. Duty to the Shimada-gumi, duty to the memory of his murdered brother, and now his duty to Overwatch, that Genji had sworn him to.

With a sinking heart, he realized that he must consider Overwatch with the same devotion that he had regarded his former clan. He would do well not to forget that.

And the afterdrop continues to chill him. This is when Hanzo puts aside all the fucks he has to give.

He gave a small internal sigh before meeting the Soldier’s visor head-on. “I do not anticipate problems in the future,” he said quietly. “The circumstances that led to my--episode--have occurred only twice. They will not occur again.”

The Soldier was silent for a few moments before he nodded. “Let’s start at the beginning, just so we don’t leave anything out,” he said at last. 

♪ Let’s start at the very beginning ♩

♩A very good place to start♪

He took a small pen-like device out of his pocket and put it in front of him in the table, pressing a small button on one side that lit a blinking red light. He then placed his comm in the middle of the table. It immediately projected a hologram of the warehouse and the surrounding area into the air, a few centimeters below eye-level. A red marker flashed slowly on top of the apartment building where Hanzo had kept his vigil, with a red dotted line tracing the circuitous route he had taken during his survey. “Everything was as you said it would be,” he said, leaning forward, “but go ahead and explain in your own words what you did, starting with your initial approach to the target.”

Jack’s a big fan of multiple perspectives. He’ll listen to the same story over and over and over just in case someone caught something that everyone else missed.

Rashomon is simultaneously his favorite and most hated movie. He loves the varied narratives, but he gets frustrated that’s it’s impossible to know who’s telling the truth.

The Soldier did not speak much at first. He rotated and zoomed in and out of the holographic map as Hanzo described his movements and actions, only occasionally interrupting to ask for clarification or, surprisingly, to offer a tidbit of praise. He seemed to be especially appreciative of Hanzo’s thoroughness, grunting and nodding with vigor when Hanzo pointed out the three rooftops he landed the minidrone on before he brought it back to his own perch.

Jack was never one for black ops, but he appreciates those who are. A little too much, in at least one case.

Hanzo was about to start describing the start of the battle when the Soldier raised his hand to stop him. “What exactly did McCree tell you about the team beforehand?” he asked. “All I caught from him when he was telling you about the attack was to cover the northeast alley.”

“He did not tell me anything about the team until afterwards,” Hanzo replied, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “Not until he was bringing me here.”

UUUUUUHHHHHH OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH

The Soldier was quiet for a moment.

SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT

“Run that by me one more time. He didn’t tell you anything about the other teammates? Callsigns, roles, positions?”

“No.”

“Were you aware that this mission included a team?”

“Yes, the cow--Agent McCree told me--” 

I’m looking forward to the transition of this nickname from pejorative to affectionate.

Hanzo paused, thinking back. “Ah--he said we are inbound , so I assumed there was a team. He did not explicitly mention a team until about 1900, when he assigned me to the northeast alley.”

“1900? Less than three hours before we got there?” There was an edge to the Soldier’s voice now, one that made Hanzo more guarded. “So when were you aware of the other team members’ presence?”

Hanzo couldn’t help the small scowl that curved his lips downward. “When--I believe his callsign is Reinhardt? I assume he was the one in the battle armor, who yelled and smashed his way in?” The Soldier nodded, the holograph’s light flashing dully in his visor. “That was my first indication of his presence. I did not know of anyone else until they spoke on the commlink.”

I can’t wait for Hanzo to meet Reinhardt. Reinhardt knows what it’s like for your actions to cost the life of someone you love.

The Soldier leaned on the table on one elbow, rubbing his chin with his hand. “So when did you find out Mercy was there?”

Hanzo thought carefully. “She did not speak over the commlink until I reported Agent McCree’s injuries.”

Of course McCree didn’t tell a potential enemy about Angela! YOU GOTTA PROTECT YOUR HEALER Y’ALL

“ Goddamn. ”

The expletive thundered out, and for the first time there was a touch of electronic reverb, as if whatever auditory system the mask employed to relay the Soldier’s voice could not handle the sudden volume of the outburst.

I’m currently on the fence over whether the mask makes Jack’s voice so grouchy and rough or Jack suffered an injury to his throat or Jack’s just being melodramatic.

“And that didn’t strike you as strange?” the Soldier bit out.

Hanzo stared, an eyebrow raised. “Strange?”

The Soldier dropped his arm to the table. “You’re telling me that information about a mission, about your teammates, about your medic , didn’t seem to be necessary?”

Hanzo gave a tiny shrug. “I am not in a position to judge what is strange or necessary. I have only been in contact with Agent McCree before this mission. I assumed he would give me any information that I was authorized to have, since he is my--” he couldn’t help but pause to swallow back his distaste for the term, “--my handler. If there was no information, it was because I could not be--that I was not authorized.”

There was a long silence.

Jack’s the first person to realize just how far Hanzo will go to put himself down.

“Alright,” said the Soldier, slowly, as if it was anything but. 

Not that he does anything about it, with Hanzo at least. He’s not the least bit able to do anything about Hanzo with Hanzo himself.

“So you got into position, essentially blind, before Reinhardt accessed the target.” A small group of differently colored markers made their way onto the holographic map. Hanzo watched with real interest, especially after he noted that one marker, colored yellow, was behaving very oddly, seeming to blip instantaneously from one position to another rather than smoothly move across the map as the others did. Another marker, a grey one, moved to the main entrance of the warehouse, followed closely by the yellow marker plus a red and a blue one, before the holographic door pixelated and disappeared, allowing the yellow, blue, and red markers to enter.

The Soldier called his attention away to the northeast alley, showing him how to add red X’s to the map to show how the Yoneyama had tried to get to the warehouse, and where they had met their ends. Hanzo was beginning to have trouble remembering exact details, but that did not seem to bother the Soldier much; he merely asked for his best estimation and for the most memorable or worrying tactics the Yoneyama had used, for future consideration.

They arrived at last to Hanzo’s ill-fated attempt to retrieve his arrows.

“It’s a goddamn miracle you had so many to begin with,” the Soldier groused darkly. “Winston and Genji told me you’re used to single target attacks. Why the hell did you have so much ammo?”

“My ‘single targets’ are often surrounded by many more incidental targets,” replied Hanzo concisely.

Hanzo’s infinite arrow supply is hilarious to me. Of all the characters to have infinite ammo, you pick the archer?

The Soldier waited to see if he would elaborate, but graciously moved on when he did not. “So you ran out of arrows. That’s definitely something we need to keep an eye on in the future.

eye emoji

Now the question becomes: why didn’t you wait for backup? You knew McCree was on his way.”

The red visor was locked on him once more. Hanzo felt an urge to let his own gaze waver, to look away, but he met it squarely. “There was very little time. I had to take advantage of the lull while it lasted. I believe I said as much at the time.”

Plus, y’know. McCree was coming.

“Except there was no lull. It was a trap.”

Hanzo nodded.

The Soldier leaned back in his chair. “Well, the time has come,” he said heavily. “Do we stop here, or can you explain what happened?”

Hanzo hesitated a bare second. “Did--did the cowboy not explain?”

It was cowardly, and it was a bald attempt to get the Soldier to reveal what he wanted or hoped to hear, one that he did not expect to succeed. The Soldier obviously knew his business; nearly all his questions were carefully framed to avoid leading Hanzo on or revealing information that Hanzo had not already spoken of himself.

I had this idea of Jack avoiding leading questions right at this point when I was writing it. I had to go back and make sure he didn’t, LOOOL

“He did,” replied the Soldier, without pretense. “What did you see happen?”

Hanzo’s body tried to sag, but he did not allow his shoulders to droop a single millimeter. “I do not know,” he began, “how much you know of the Shimada legacy.”

“I’ve seen Genji in battle,” the Soldier responded. “I’ve seen what he can do to whole groups of targets.”

THIS would have clued Genji in to Jack’s real identity if he had a means of listening in. He hasn’t called on his dragon on any missions with the mysterious Soldier: 76 yet.

Hanzo nodded, needled slightly by his brother’s revealing the secrets of the clan to outsiders, but there was hardly any clan anymore, and no ties to it anyhow. 

This recently got expanded a bit in Chapter 14, but the clan had multiple reasons to keep the dragons secret, before and after the fall into the criminal underworld.

“I--had similar abilities with a sword, but more powerful. I am not,” he added swiftly and somewhat haughtily when he saw the Soldier lean forward with interest, “I am not able to use them any longer.” He waited a few moments to see if the Soldier would pry, but he did not, so he continued. “I was able to modify my--ability--into a long range version that uses my bow and arrows as a medium rather than a sword. Had there been more Yoneyama to battle, I might have been forced to use it; it is physically draining, so it is a last resort.”

“Yes, Genji doesn’t use his unless he absolutely needs to,” murmured the Soldier thoughtfully. Hanzo filed that bit of information away, a confirmation that his brother still felt something as human as fatigue. 

One of these days the bros have GOT to sit down together and figure out what they do and don’t know about each other in an atmosphere that doesn’t lead to dissociation and panic attacks.

“But you had no arrows.”

“No.” Hanzo lowered his voice without knowing, his attention elsewhere. “I did not, and so I fell back on old tactics, old strategies, that I hoped never to use again.” More than hoped. Swore.

He had failed.

In more ways than one.

“Do you need to stop?” the Soldier’s voice was sharp, but underlined with something resembling concern.

Gruff!Dad Jack begins to pop out despite all of Jack’s efforts.

Hanzo shook himself out. “I--I do not wish to go into detail,” he muttered.

The Soldier nodded. “Can you at least tell me what happened when McCree was injured?”

Hanzo cautiously probed the memory. He shook his head. “I do not know what to say.”

“In your own words, Mr. Shimada, and in your own time,” the Soldier said softly.

Jack knows how hard it is to break your silence.

Hanzo pursed his lips, breathing deep in and out, attempting to center himself. To be honest, it was the memory of his double selves, the feeling of both Storm Bows in his hands, the extraordinary and disorienting depth perception that came from seeing the same scene from two or three meters apart instead of the customary seven or eight centimeters, and the bloody deaths of the Yoneyama that formed the core of the experience. That he had fled from and ultimately drowned in sake and plum wine. The cowboy had very nearly shared their fate, but in the end, by the grace of Genji’s association, he had been spared. Hanzo worked to wall the memory of the cowboy off from the rest of the wretched experience, so as to better examine it, to give the Soldier what he required.

It’s a shame that Hanzo can’t examine the attack itself, though. There’s a pretty critical bit of information in there.

It was not easy, but after two or three tense minutes he took a deep breath and said, a touch shakily. “He came from behind.” He bit the inside of his cheek, willed his voice to steady, and continued. “I disarmed and immobilized him. I was still--” He wavered for a split second. “--I did not come to myself until I realized he was an Overwatch agent.”

He waited to see what more the Soldier would ask, if he would probe further, if he would catch the subtle phrasing.

Key word: Overwatch

“And after you realized?”

Hanzo was not sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

“I knew that I was on the verge of--becoming compromised. I did not wish to do so there.” He waited again, for the Soldier to question his motives, but he did not. “I have a--protocol, I suppose. It is effective. I only had to deliver Agent McCree to his comrades before I could implement it.”

Hanzo. Hanzo, darling.

Getting drunk on rooftops does not count as a protocol.

The Soldier held up his hand again. “That’s enough for me,” he said. “Unless you feel like you have anything to add?”

Hanzo shook his head, thankful that the Soldier did not require an explanation of his “protocol”. The doctor had probably shared her findings by now, anyway.

“Then I can tell you, Mr. Shimada, that McCree said pretty much the same thing. He came up behind you, saw you, uh, neutralize your opponents--”Neutralize . That was a detached enough term. “--and then before he knew what was happening, you’d broken his wrist and knee.”

The Soldier leaned forward. “Mr. Shimada,” he said heavily, making sure Hanzo was looking him straight in the visor. He ran his fingers through his white hair, making it stick up even more. Hanzo imagined a grimace or lips pressed into a thin line under the mask, to match his tone as he said, “I don’t mind telling you what it looked like when you dumped a half-broken cowboy on the ground and then legged it. It was fishy as hell, and I think you’ll understand what went through my mind. I think you expected me, all of us, to think that, given how hard it was for Genji and McCree to convince you to come in. 

Although Jack is relieved that he doesn’t have to explain why. He’s had to spell out why things like property damage and broken bones are Bad Things before.

Not that anyone listened.

Frankly, if Tracer hadn’t been bringing in the transport, my first instinct would have been to send her after you to see if you had gone rogue.”

And wouldn’t that have gone well...

Hanzo nodded gravely. It was obvious what Overwatch should have thought. The real mystery was why they had not.

“As it was, as soon as Mercy got McCree fixed up, he admitted he was the one at fault.”

Hanzo expected something of the sort must have happened. It was almost a given, since Overwatch had not immediately abandoned him or hunted him down, but it was still a surprise to hear it. The concept of the cowboy admitting a mistake was just as unexpected here as it had been the night before when the cowboy himself confessed that he had been wrong to keep Hanzo out of the loop.

But then again, thought Hanzo, reining in his astonishment, perhaps the cowboy was merely covering his bases in the car. The Soldier was shocked at how little the cowboy had told Hanzo about the mission. Perhaps he had expected that fact to come up in the debriefing, and was owning his actions beforehand in an attempt to appear contrite. Genji had been listening in, after all, a witness to corroborate his “regret” when the full extent of his negligence came to light.

There was a little of that going on, but a lot of something else entirely.

That did not completely cover why the cowboy had immediately admitted his error in the alley, though. Hanzo would still have expected him to use that to discredit him, when Hanzo himself had disappeared and could not defend himself. It would have been the perfect opportunity.

Perhaps the Soldier had expected so, too. “You didn’t expect him to fess up,” he said. A statement, not a question.

Hanzo considered his response carefully. The holographic map rotated silently between them, sweeping the red X’s through the air like spiky stars through an oddly rectangular galaxy. The refrigerator broke the silence with a soft mechanical hum. Finally, he slowly said, “I did not expect him to defend my actions in any way.”

And why would you? Goodness, McCree was an asshole in the early chapters.

Doesn’t help that both he and Hanzo were doing the bare minimum, of course.

“There’s plenty to defend,” the Soldier said brusquely, then he sighed and cleared his throat. “Do you feel that McCree has been withholding information during your previous missions?”

No, he was not, thank goodness.

Hanzo almost laughed. Withholding information? The cowboy had been eager to overshare information, of a certain kind. But that was not what the Soldier was asking, so he merely shook his head and said, “No. All my missions up until now have been reconnaissance, and I was provided with all the necessary information and resources.” A thought occurred to him, and his eyebrows pulled together.

He regretted it a moment later. The Soldier seemed to have caught the small movement. “But?” he prodded.

Hanzo almost sat back, exasperated at his lack of control.

But the thought that had occurred to him could explain much.

“During my previous missions,” he said at last, “Agent McCree has been thorough. He has even warned me to be more rigorous at times, especially in matters of safety.” He was thinking especially of Watchpoint: Niigata, when he had insisted that Hanzo check to make sure he was secure. The cowboy had never disguised his disdain, of course, and many of his orders seemed to be given to annoy Hanzo more than safeguard or help him, but he had to admit that whether or not he was annoyed while following them, they technically did make him more secure. “This mission was the first where other team members were exposed to me. Perhaps he believed he was protecting you all.”

Even at this early combative and thoroughly hostile stage, Jesse and Hanzo understand each other better than they realize.

The Soldier snorted. “Protecting us? If things had gone different, his little omissions would’ve resulted in thirty-plus Yoneyama pouring through that alley and right into us.”

“Yes,” Hanzo allowed, “but no sword is as deadly as the chink in one’s own armor.”

“You think he thought you were more dangerous than the Yoneyama?”

“He need only look at Genji to know it.”

Oh, Hanzo. Dragons and ninja training notwithstanding, there’s a hint of your boastful nature in that statement. Yes, you and Genji are awesome, but you realize you just said you were more dangerous than 30 yakuza with guns, right?

I mean, you’re right, but still.

It was surprising how easily the admission came. It fell from his lips like a Freudian slip, but he made no attempt whatsoever to stop it. The Soldier already knew, anyway, so why should he bother? It did prompt a change in the air, however, as though static was suddenly building in the air that could be discharged if he so much as moved. His skin itched to do just that, but the feeling remained even as he shifted in his seat, ever-so-slightly.

The Soldier was silent and still for a long time. Hanzo was not sure how long, but it felt like several minutes passed before the Soldier reached out with one hand and tapped the comm, allowing the holograph to fade away into nothing. Then, prompting Hanzo to narrow his eyes, he picked up the recorder, turned off the blinking red light, and threw it over his shoulder, sending it clattering down the empty hallway. Hanzo watched it disappear from view with trepidation.

Days later, when Winston is listening to the recording: OW, MY EARS WHAT THE FUCK JACK

When the Soldier spoke, his voice was quiet, yet the rough edges were even more pronounced. “You might think you’re the most dangerous person on the team, but you’d be wrong.” He leaned forward, elbows on the table, fingers intertwined. The table sagged a little under the weight of just his upper body. “I don’t know how much you know about the end of Overwatch, but suffice to say, it was inevitable. You just can’t have that many dangerous people cooped up together without it all blowing up .”

"Dangerous!" cried Gandalf. "And so am I, very dangerous: more dangerous than anything you will ever meet, unless you are brought alive before the seat of the Dark Lord. And Aragorn is dangerous, and Legolas is dangerous. You are beset with dangers, Gimli son of Gloin; for you are dangerous yourself, in your own fashion.”

The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings.

Look at me being all houtytoughty. 

His voice was bitter as loss.

“People know about the big explosion at the end, but what they don’t know, or what they choose to forget, are all the smaller ones that led up to it. There were plenty of incidents that ranged from McCree’s shattered knee up to and beyond Genji, Mr. Shimada. Genji is lucky to be alive. There are those who would be better off dead.” 

WHO COULD HE POSSIBLY MEEEEEAAAAAAAAN

The Soldier stopped. He did not make a sound, but Hanzo could see his broad chest expanding as he sucked in a deep breath, as if to steady himself. His voice was louder, but more tightly controlled when he continued. “McCree’s a fine one to talk about ‘too dangerous’, anyway. There’s more than one reason Winston put him in charge of you, and Blackwatch was not number one. His background and yours are more similar than he’s probably admitted to you. In fact--”

Although not as similar as popularly believed, as Hanzo himself says in Chapter 13. There was a world of difference between Jesse and Hanzo, despite them coming from the same world.

His hand darted to his comm, and he made some swift, stabbing motions at the screen. Hanzo’s comm chimed softly in its patch of sunshine. “--since I can guarantee he hasn’t, there’s his personnel file, so you know who you’re dealing with and why his little stunt was so poorly conceived in every way.”

The Soldier stood then, scooping up his mug as he did so. He stared at Hanzo for a few seconds before saying, “Winston knows how little you want to be here, Mr. Shimada. Genji’s pulled a stunt here, too. You might think your ‘provisional membership’ is for our protection, but you should know that it’s just as much for yours as well.” Then he spun on his heel and stalked off into the hallway, bending to retrieve the recorder before turning into one of the barracks and slamming the door behind him with a loud bang.

Jack knows what’s going on. Genji’s pulled enough stunts that Jack knows exactly how well he plans things out.

Hanzo watched him go, his eyebrows knitted together.

Hanzo: His ass--is so flat--

Me, the author: THAT’S STYLISTIC, IRL HE COULDN’T DO WHAT HE DOES IF IT WAS SO FLAT AAARRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH

I hope this was okay! Thanks so much for the messages!!!