I'm having a shitty day and could use some team dad 76 content. Preferably dumb. Thanks in advance
Headcanons, coming right up! I’ll apologize in advance because this turned out more wholesome than dumb because I literally cannot stop myself from writing fluff.
the amount of dad energy this not-dad has is insane.
Even in the early days of Overwatch he was always voted top as “having the most dad energy”
(something that Torbjorn is still bitter about!)
It all stems from his tendency to take care of others’ needs without telling them. Actions, not words, are how he shows his love and care towards others. He’s the kind to silently drop off your favorite coffee by your desk, or to fix that tech issue that’s been bothering you for weeks while you’re away.
. . . which means that when he starts being dad-like to the new Overwatch crew, at first they’re all confused.
There was a light flickering by Lucio’s room in the Watchpoint. Lucio woke up one day to find Jack with a ladder and a new bulb, and he wondered if he had done something wrong like
“Was I, like, supposed to fix that earlier? I mean, I’ve never gotten around to-”
“Oh, uh, okay. Thank you?”
Hana once forgot to bring her mission report to a meeting. Jack wordlessly got up and left the room and immediately alarm bells were going off in her head. “oh shit, I’m in so much trouble he just left-”
And he jogs back a few minutes later (because he’s able to sprint across the base that fast due to super soldier shenanigans) and hands the paper to her. “Here you go.” Warm, neutral tone.
And as he does more and more of these favors the crew realize that he isn’t being passive aggressive, he’s doing it because he genuinely cares about them.
It all culminates when he helps everyone do their taxes (Yes, even Junkrat, somehow!) and everyone realizes that he didn’t have to help them if he didn’t want to.
The only ones who know what’s going on from the beginning are McCree and Tracer.
Jack has always been Tracer’s dad-figure (and yes I will fight you on that.)
Back in the old Overwatch days, when things started getting stressful, Lena was one of the few people that could get him out of a funk with her cheery personality and optimism.
For the longest while he’d been “too busy” and “too recognizable” to go to the local pride parades in June. When Lena found out about this, she dragged his ass out of his office to go with her and Emily. They had a blast. At the end of the day he was yell-singing pride anthems at the festival and people were all clapping along.
And back to my point about McCree- Jack isn’t the closest to him (let’s face it, that was always Gabe) but seeing the cowboy always elicits a loving shoulder pat and a “you’re doing good, son”.
(Which McCree finds simultaneously corny as hell and deeply touching.)
The first time the new Overwatch got together, McCree just about cried when Jack came up and gave the pat-pat. Ever since going “criminal” he’d had some doubt about his life choices, and to know that Jack still thought he was “doing good” meant the world.
And now for some dumber ones:
When Orisa joined the team, Jack didn’t know what to do. This. . . big Omnic child makes him nervous. More specifically, he’s not sure how much to baby her. Because she’s basically a kid, right? Right?
As a result, he doesn’t allow anyone to swear near her, like at all. Doing so elicits a stern glare and a “watch your tone!”
One time Orisa said “fuck” and he went on a fucking manhunt to figure out who taught her it. He never found them. . .
(Who learned it from Brigitte.)
Speaking of Brigitte- he was never super close to her but he has always, always ruffled her hair as a greeting since she was young.
He did the same thing with Fareeha as well.
He hasn’t stopped even though they’re both fully grown.
Another headcanon: you’d better believe that Jack gets after Hana for her terrible eating habits. He’s always nagging at her to drink more water and less mountain dew.
He got her a clear water bottle as a joke gift, to “encourage hydration”. Joke’s on him, though- she just buys the soda with no artificial coloring instead.
It’s a good-humored fight between them. In all reality she does appreciate the reminders to take care of herself.
And yet, despite all of this mentioned above, Jack will still refuse to admit that he’s acting fatherly. Hana and Tracer especially have heard the “I’m not your father” line far too many times to count.
