⋆ femfeb day 27 // my femfeb masterpost
⋆ xposted to ao3
⋆ d.va & summetra // 1k // gen
⋆ pre-slash, crushes, cute
⋆ hana needs a date to her movie premier
The End of the World
“It’s the end of the world!” Hana announced, flopping down on to the stiff old couch and on top of Fareeha.
The new Overwatch team had transformed Gibraltar's old war room into something more like a common room. The busted holo-table now served as a decent coffee table. Athena patched local television in to the monitoring screens mounted on the wall. Torbjörn had even managed to magic them up a fridge out of spare parts and they kept food and drink nearby. It wasn’t much compared to the state-of-the-art Overwatch facilities that Hana had heard stories about but it was nice.
“Could you be any louder?” Fareeha asked. “There’s a mission debrief going on in the next room.”
“Good,” Hana said at once. “I want the whole team to know! It’s the end of the-!” Before she could finish her sentence or raise her voice any louder Fareeha clamped a hand down over her mouth. Hana tried to peel her fingers back to no avail so she turned to the tried and true tactic of licking Fareeha’s palm. That got her to snatch her hand away pretty quick.
“Ugh!” Fareeha wiped her went hand on Hana’s shirt. “What’s wrong with you.”
“I have that stupid movie premier to go to tonight and Lucio can’t make it.” Hana complained. The hopelessness she felt was clear in her voice. For dramatic flair she brought her hand to her forehead as if she might feint. She was already laying down, taking up half the couch and laying on top of Fareeha’s legs, but the gesture was still completely necessary.
“Oh, wow. Poor you.” Fareeha rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Starring in a move. Walking a red carpet. You’re right this really is the end of the world.”
“Hey, this is a big deal!” Hana argued. “The last movie I did all these jerk critics said I should stick to gaming. This needs to go well. I need to show up there looking super cute and I need to have a super hot date on my arm. So even if the movie doesn’t do well at least everyone will be like ‘Who cares! D.Va’s beautiful and she’s on the best dressed list and her date is a real catch and we still love her even if she can’t act!’”
“You can act.” Fareeha told her. It was nice to hear, sometimes Hana needed that reminder sometimes. She worked hard but she wasn’t sure if it was really paying off. It was critics and movie goers whose opinion really mattered but it certainly didn’t hurt hearing reassurance from her friends. “And honestly, Hana, you could have just asked me to come with you. You don’t need all the pretense.”
Hana thumped her head back and groaned. “Oh my god, Fareeha, yeah right. What are you going to do walk the red carpet in your mesh gym shorts?”
“My mesh shorts are very stylish.” Fareeha told her.
“Besides you’re married.” Hana said defeatedly. “If anyone finds out who you are it’ll end up some crazy scandal on the cover of The Weekly World News or something. Gamer girl steals top brain surgeons wife in lesbian love affair.”
“Oh,” Fareeha perked up a little, an idea occurring to her. “You know who you could go with?”
“Who?” Hana gave her a skeptical look. She was fully expecting Fareeha to teaser her and say Junkrat or something. That guy couldn't even sit through their mission briefs, he wasn't going to be able to sit through a movie!
“Satya Vaswani.” Fareeha said, raising her eyebrows suggestively. “And you can’t tell me she’s not hot enough, because I’ve heard you mutter under your breath that she's beautiful pretty much every time you see her.”
“Oh god, oh no.” Hana was blushing at the notion alone. She hid her face in her hands.
She did totally have a crush on Satya. She had the most beautiful long hair, a stunning face, a drop dead gorgeous body. She carried herself like a goddess. Hana had fallen head over heels for her the moment they met. It was just a silly crush, though. Satya didn’t like her back and she certainly wouldn’t go on anything that resembled a date with Hana. ...Would she? The thought of asking her put a knot of dread in Hana’s stomach. She wasn’t normally so shy but this was Satya they were talking about here.
“I can’t do that. She would never go with me.”
“Ask her.” Fareeha pressed, not so willing to let this go. “You never know what she’ll say until you ask.”
“Please, my world is already ending! I can’t face rejection right now.” Hana tried to reason with her.
It was just then that the door across the hall clicked open. Winston, Reinhardt and Lena all filed out in short order. Fareeha had been right about a debrief going on in the other room. Maybe Hana should have kept her voice down. She was still hiding her face with her hands and so it was through her fingers that she saw Satya exit the briefing room behind Lena.
“Hey, Satya.” Fareeha called out to her. She worked fast, putting the moves down before anyone could stop her. “Want to go to a movie premier?”
Hana’s eyes practically bugged out of her head. She sat up, righting herself at once. Her stomach did a horrible flip of nervousness. She stared up at Satya, both anticipating what she would say and completely terrified to hear the answer.
Satya leisurely made her way over to the common area. She looked between the two of them with an unreadable expression on her face. “Well, I wouldn’t want the world to end for you.” She said after a moment.
Hana’s mouth fell open. She was already blushing but now she could feel the heat crawling over the tops of her ears and down the back of her neck. Had they really heard everything she’d been saying in there?
“Don’t worry,” Satya added. “I have a dress.”
⋆ femfeb day 11 // my femfeb masterpost
⋆ xposted to ao3
⋆ tracer/widowmaker // 3k // teen
⋆ au, tattoo parlor au, tattoos, flirting, pain
⋆ lena gets her first tattoo
A Golden Swallow
Lena pulled the shop door open, stepping into Talon Tattoo Inc. The soft buzz of tattoo machines that filled the room made the pit of her stomach twist with anticipation. She had been researching tattoo shops and artists for the better part of a week, scrolling through Instagram and Facebook to find a nice local place that would suit her.
Talon Tattoo Inc. seemed to be well regarded. They had three steady artists all with impeccable portfolios and according to their facebook they brought in guest artists pretty regularly. Without an appointment she was rolling the dice as to which artist she would get, but she felt alright with that.
The walls in the shop were covered in flash art. A jewelry case on one side of the room held different types of body jewelry including many different sizes of gauges. She wanted to look at everything, but at the same time she didn’t want to seem too eager.
“Can I help you?” One of the artists asked. He was sitting at a leather table, half bent over the body of his client. He had a tattoo machine in his black gloved hands. Lena remembered the names of the artists from the website. Though they weren't pictured the portfolios of Gabriel, Sombra, and Amélie were all online. She guessed this was Gabriel.
“Have you got time for a walk in?” Lena asked hopefully.
“Give me one second.” Gabriel said to his canvas. He set his machine down and stood up, stripping the latex gloves from his hands. He was wearing a dark hoody with long sleeves but Lena could see that he was tattooed everywhere, down to his knuckles. As he came closer she noticed that even his neck was tattooed. He walked over to the counter nearby and looked at her skeptically for a second. “You eighteen?”
Lena frowned. “I’m twenty six.”
“What are you looking to get?” He continued, glazing over the fact that he had just miscalculated her age by almost a full decade.
“A traditional swallow.” She told him.
“How big?” As he spoke, the artist gathered together a clipboard and a pen and a couple of forms.
“Oh.” They were already getting into specifics. It hit her that this was really happening. She was really about to get a tattoo. She lost her words for a moment but quickly found them again. “Two or three inches? I’m not sure.”
“Sombra, are you almost done?” Gabriel asked, looking over his shoulder at a female currently tattooing away at a bench across the room. One side of her head was closely shaved and the rest of her hair came down in vibrant purple curls. She had plenty of piercings too, bright purple acrylics capping the barbells in her ears and face. Lena remembered her portfolio, a comprehensive mix of new school and realistic styles.
Sombra seemed to regard the tattoo she was working on for a few seconds, wiping at it with a paper towel. “Eh. Another ten, twenty minutes maybe? Amélie should be free right now though.”
Gabriel turned back to Lena. "Alright. Fill this out. Someone will be with you in a little bit, just sit tight.” He handed the clipboard over.
Lena took the clipboard and moved to sit on a wooden bench by the shop window.
“Amélie,” Gabriel went wandering towards the back of the shop. He ducked his head into what was clearly a back room. Lena could just barely hear him speaking. “There’s a walk-in up front.”
After that he went back to the leather bench his client was laying on. Lena watched curiously as he pulled on a new pair of gloves and settled in, speaking in a low voice about how they were almost finished with shading.
She turned her attention to the first page of the clipboard. It was a waiver and consent form. There were several bullet points she had to initial by. She confirmed she wasn’t a hemophiliac, she had no communicable diseases, she wasn’t under the influence of drugs and alcohol, she didn’t have any allergies, she understood that variations in color and design may occur during application, she understood the tattoo was permanent and that she was definitely over eighteen. She signed off on all of it, adding her signature at the bottom of the page. The next form was an emergency contact sheet. Although she had no plans of fainting or passing out, she filled out the contact info anyway.
When she was done she stood, awkwardly lingering by the counter. The other artists were clearly busy working, she didn’t want the bother them. Just as she was about to speak up when a woman came walking out from the back of the shop. Lena’s heart flopped in her chest. She was absolutely certain that this was the most beautiful girl she’d ever seen in her life.
She was already almost six foot tall, but she had on impossibly high heels and a dangerously high ponytail making her seem even taller. Her hair came down to the small of her back, a whip of black so dark it was almost blue. Her arms were elegantly decorated in tattoos, including gothic script and spider web designs that looked almost minimal in their aesthetic. Her golden eyes, piercingly bright compared to the dark clothes and hair and ink on her skin, locked with Lena’s. Lena thought she might faint after all.
“Hello there,” The tattoo artist walked over to greet her, offering a perfectly manicured hand to shake. “My name is Amélie, what type of tattoo are you interested in getting?”
“Uh,” Lena could feel her stupid freckled face blushing. As if Amélie wasn’t beautiful enough she had to tie everything together with a panty-dropping French accent too? Lena barely managed to stick out her hand to shake with and it took her a long moment to even realize she’d been asked a question. “Oh! I- swallow!”
Amélie stared straight at her for a moment before her lips twitched into a slight smile. “Oui, cherie? What else do you do with your mouth?” She asked, leaning in.
Lena was already blushing but this sent a fresh burst of heat across her face and all down her neck. Her brain was short circuiting, still stunned by the beauty of Amélie and all mixed up with embarrassment from misspeaking, the thrill of flirting, and the nervousness of her first tattoo. She couldn’t even squeak a reply, her mouth moved in the effort to form words but nothing came out.
Amélie saved her by moving on with a different question, one significantly less flirtatious in nature. “A swallow, hm? Are you a sailor?”
Lena breathed. She could actually answer this. “A midshipman actually, in the Feet Air Arm branch of the Royal Navy. 809 Naval Air Squadron. I fly F-35B’s.” It was easy for her to talk about her service. She could yammer on about her rank and MOS with absolute ease. She was still blushing bright red but at least she had managed to put a couple of cohesive sentences together.
“Ah,” Amélie regarded her carefully. “A pilot. A bird is a good choice then. Do you have a reference photo?”
Amélie’s French accent was so deliciously thick that Lena didn’t quite catch the word ‘reference’ at first. “Oh, yes!” She said a second later, quickly taking her phone out from her pants pocket. Traditional swallow tattoos mostly looked the same but she had found a few that she especially liked online. She had the pictures saved to her phone. Lena pulled one up and passed her cell over.
Amélie looked at it and nodded. “You want color?”
“Gold and orange and a little blue, if that’s okay?” Lena said hopefully. Most swallow tattoos already were those colors; golden-yellow wings, red bellies and blue bodies. “Like this but orange instead on the bottom here,” She said, pointing to the spot of red color in the one Amélie was looking at on her phone.
“D’accord. About what size?” Amélie asked.
“Maybe, the size of my palm?” Lena suggested, clearly sounding unsure. She didn’t know what size was good for a tattoo like this.
Amélie only nodded again. “Where will you get it?”
“My ribs.” Lena said definitively. She wasn't sure about the other details but she knew this much. She wanted it on her ribs on her right side.
“Ah, you must like pain, cherie.” Amélie teased her.
Of course Lena found herself blushing again. How could she not? No one had ever flirted with her this much in her entire life, much less a complete bombshell like Amélie was. “I-“
“Is this your first tattoo?” Amélie interrupted her before she could speak.
“Yeah,” Lena admitted. She knew she wasn’t being judged, Amélie needed to know if she had done this before. Still, it felt kind of awkward to be the only person in the entire shop who wasn’t covered in tattoos. Even the people getting worked on now had plenty of their skin already covered.
“Rib tattoos are very painful.” Amélie told her. “Are you certain?”
“Yeah.” Lena said the word again with a little more force this time. “I can handle it.”
Amélie looked her up and down before seemingly allowing it. “It will be two hundred dollars. If that’s acceptable then I can get to work drawing it.”
“Two hundred’s fine.” Lena nodded.
“Please, have a seat.” Amélie gestured to where Lena had been sitting before. She switched off her phone and handed it back before heading towards the back of the shop. Lena definitely watched her walk away.
On her way towards the back Amélie stopped to lean over Sombra’s shoulder and looked at her work. “Magnifique.” She said softly. Sombra grinned as she continued tattooing.
Lena took a seat. She nervously chewed on her bottom lip and tried to keep her leg from jiggling. She was known to be a ball of energy, the type of person that bounced off the walls. This was especially true for when she was nervous or excited. The last thing she wanted to do was make herself an annoyance so she tried to stay still but it was hard.
She watched Sombra and Gabriel as they worked. When Sombra finished, Lena got to see it as her canvas stood up and limped over towards a nearby mirror. She gasped and uttered words of praise and happiness upon seeing the finished product of her calf tattoo. She was so happy. Tracer couldn’t wait to be that happy too.
It took almost half an hour for Amélie to return. It was just as incredible to see her for a second time as it was the first. She was so stunningly beautiful. She had a piece of tracing paper in her hands that she brought over for Lena to see. Drawn perfectly in thick black lines was a swooping swallow, wings spread wide. It was perfect. It emulated that traditional Sailor Jerry style that made Lena’s heart swell.
“I love it.” Lena whispered.
“Too small?” Amélie asked.
Lena shook her head at once. “No, no. It’s good.“
“Come back to my station.” Amélie nodded towards an empty leather bench. Lena could tell it had been recently sanitized by the feint alcohol smell. Also, she had seen Sombra wiping her work space down immediately after finishing a tattoo so she assumed the same thing had happened here. Amélie was getting things ready. “Take off your shirt.” She ordered.
Lena swallowed hard, heart leaping in her chest. “What?”
Amélie looked at her with a soft touch of amusement on her face. “Or have you changed your mind about your ribs?”
“Oh, no.” Of course she turned bright red again because she just couldn’t stop herself. She slid her white t-shirt up over her head, messing up her already messy brown hair. She didn’t think about the fact that she would have to take her shirt off or she would have worn a cuter bra. She also didn’t know her tattoo artist was going to be the most beautiful woman in the world.
Amélie reached out, gently lifting Lena’s arm. She stared looked hard at the side of her body as if gauging a good place. “Here?” She asked, holding the tracing paper up to Lena’s ribcage in suggestion. Lena glanced down. That seemed okay. She actually wasn’t too picky about where on her ribs. Just somewhere she could hide under her clothes. It was about an inch or two below her bra strap and that seemed like a fine place for a swallow.
“Sure,” She nodded.
“D’accord. Stand still, cherie. Keep your arm up.” Amélie pulled on a pair of black latex gloves. She cleaned a patch of Lena’s skin with rubbing alcohol first and then some kind of green liquid, wiping it on with a paper towel. It smelled like how hospitals smell, making Lena’s nose twitch. Amélie brought a disposable razor to Lena’s skin next. In a few quick swipes she shaved away any little hairs there, though Lena wasn’t sure she had any on that part of her body.
Amélie then lined up the stencil, carefully eyeing the placement before sticking the paper to Lena’s damp skin. She smoothed it down. She was rather business-like and clinical with her touch but Lena still felt tingles run down her spine. She couldn’t believe she was half naked, having her ribs stroked by someone so beautiful. Right now that was actually outweighing the excitement of getting a tattoo.
Amélie stepped back, looking at the placement from a distance. “Check in the mirror if this is where you want it.” She said, pointing to the nearby full length mirror. Lena walked over, arm raised up above her head. She glanced at her reflection, turning to the side to see it. Her heart leapt. It was already so beautiful and it was just a blue outline.
“It’s good.” She said as she walked back to the bench.
“C’est bon.” Amélie repeated the sentiment in French. “Lay down on your side then and we can start.”
Lena climbed on to the leather bench and laid out flat on her left side, offering up her ribs. Her heart had done so many leaps and plummets and now it was hammering a mile a minute. She was excited and scared and she couldn’t help nervously chewing her lip.
“I’m going to start here.” Amélie told her, touching the stencil swallow's wing tip with her finger. “It might feel like I’m tattooing all the way into your stomach but I’m not. When I reach the other side it might feel like I’m tattooing your back but it’s all right here on your ribs. If you need to cough or change position or move tell me first, oui? We can stop and take a break if you need to but no crying allowed.”
Lena smiled at that last part. “Got it.”
As she spoke Amélie had readied her tattoo machine. This included taking a large needle out from its sterile wrapped packaging. She opened a can of Vaseline, gobbing some onto her wrist. She swiped a tiny amount and massaged it into Lena’s skin. It felt a little like being tickled. “Take a deep breath.” Amélie told her. There was a cap nearby all loaded up with black ink and she dipped the tattoo machine in, turning it on.
Lena breathed in deep.
The needle touched her skin. The tattooing began. It hurt like hell, but it wasn’t worse than she could manage. She thought maybe it would feel like she was being poked or stuck with a pin but it was more like being scratched. Her face twisted up a little with the pain of it but she held fast. She could totally handle this.
“Alright?” Amélie asked her, not stopping.
Lena almost nodded her head but thought better of moving at the last second. “No problem.” She said over the noise of the machine.
In the beginning it definitely wasn’t a problem either. It hurt but she managed it and Amélie kept right on working. It was just that it kept hurting, and kept hurting, and kept hurting. There was no relief. Sometimes the pain was a little sharper than others. It felt like the needle was digging especially deep into her skin but Lena knew that couldn't be. She found herself clenching her jaw tight and nervously balling her hands into fists.
Every once in a while Amélie would swipe over the skin she was working on with a damp paper towel. Almost as often she would rub Vaseline over the freshly tattoos flesh. Both those actions hurt worse than the needle itself.
Lena spent a long time staring at the flash art nearby on the wall. She learned the intricacies of a sheet full of Death's Head moths and traditional skulls. She wished she had a better distraction, something to take her mind off the pain. She would have stared at Amélie’s face if she could but she wasn’t really in the best position to do so.
She wasn’t sure how long she lay there, sucking it up as the tattoo machine scratched away at her. She sat patiently as Amélie changed out needles, readied some gold and orange and blue paint, and switched out her gloves. Then it was time for the color. Lena quickly learned how much more painful that was. The outline of black had been on her untouched skin, the color was going over and around the tender tattooed skin. It was literally digging into fresh wounds.
“Oh bloody hell.” Lena groaned, squeezing her eyes tight.
She thought she heard Amélie laugh at her but she wasn’t sure. When she peeked her eyes open the tattoo artist only had the hint of a smile on her face.
She didn’t have to suffer forever though. Eventually the tattoo was finished. Amélie did have to go back over a few areas more than once which was true torture but even that ended too. Amélie cleaned up the tattoo, wiping away the blood and ink and then coating it in Vaseline.
"Have a look." She said, sliding back in her chair.
Gingerly, Lena sat up. Her ribs on her right side ached. She carefully made her way to the mirror, awkwardly holding arm up over her head. She took a look at her reflection and she gasped. The tattoo was red and splotchy, skin reacting to the pain it had been put through. Remnants of ink were wiped all down her side turning her flesh grey. The tattoo itself was puffy and pink around the edges. Still, it was beautiful. She could see through the mess to the wonder and amazement that was her new tattoo. It would heal to be a true piece of art.
Lena found herself tearing up just a little. She had wanted this tattoo since the day she had joined the Royal Navy. After graduating from boot her entire squadron went to go get 809 tattoos. She had waited, refusing to get inked if it wasn't the swallow she wanted.
"Happy?" Amélie asked.
Lena nodded and blinked away the tears before they could properly form. "It's perfect." She insisted. There was no way Amélie could know how perfect it was, or how this tattoo was exactly what Lena wanted.
"Good," Amélie beckoned Lena back over to where she was sitting at her station. "Let me bandage it." She pulled out some large pads of medical gauze and white medical tape.
It hurt a little to have the gauze pressed into her fresh tattoo. Lena stared down at Amélie's face, studying the beauty of it, pleasantly distracted as the bandages were taped into place. Amélie gingerly helped her put her shirt back on.
In her heavy French accent she went over the aftercare information. Lena needed to leave the bandage on over night and then clean her new tattoo with hot water and unscented soap tomorrow morning. She was supposed to pat it dry, not rub it with a towel, and coat it with a thin layer of unscented lotion every day. No swimming, no soaking, no scratching at it and no picking the scabs that would eventually form.
Lena found herself nodded eagerly, watching Amélie's mouth, and completely zoning out as she spoke. Her brain was definitely thinking of other things as she stared at her tattoo artists' flawless face. Thankfully when Amélie finished bandaging the tattoo she handed Lena a sheet of paper with aftercare rules bulleted on it.
When it was all said and done Amélie walked her to the front of the shop. They passed Sombra who says tattooing away on another walk-in and Gabriel who was still finishing that shading. Lena could see that he was working on a very impressive scrawling back piece.
Lena paid for her tattoo, the two hundred she owed plus an extra hundred dollar tip. She wasn't actually sure how much to tip artists, but she knew the value of good gratuity. This tattoo was everything she wanted and absolutely priceless to her, she had no problem adding a hundred dollars more to her total. When Amélie counted out the cash she raised up her eyebrow.
"The rest is for you." Lena said.
"Merci, cherie." Amélie leaned across the counter and bestowed French bisous on Lena's cheeks, two chaste kisses that made her heart race. "Come back again, oui?" Amélie offered her business card with a piece of her art on the front and the shop name on the back.
Lena took it. She hadn't planned on getting any tattoos besides this one. She would come back to the shop though. Right after she worked up the courage to ask Amélie on a date.
⋆ femfeb day 20 // my femfeb masterpost
⋆ xposted to ao3
⋆ mercy/pharah/symmetra // 1k // tenn
⋆ vacation, swimming pool, established relationship, polyamory, cute, fun
⋆ angela enjoys relaxing poolside with her girlfriends
Worth It
"Beloved, will you help me?" Angela asked, glancing over her shoulder at Satya.
The both of them were poolside, laying out in comfortable lounge chairs under the sun. While Satya was soaking up the rays, Angela was doing everything she could not to get sunburnt. She had dragged a giant umbrella over to her chair before laying out and freshened up her sunscreen every two hours. It was hard being so fair skinned in a desert climate like Oasis.
The city may have temperature controlled streets but nothing could stop those UV rays. Angela knew from their last mission in Egypt that it was better to be safe than sorry with sunscreen. For weeks afterward she had a pale line across her forehead where her Valkyrie suit's halo had shadowed her face. The only tan lines she wanted this time around were from her bathing suit.
Satya sat up from where she was relaxing back. She took the bottle sunscreen that Angela had in her hands and uncapped it without a word. She spread a generous amount across Angela's neck and shoulders, rubbing it into her bare skin. Her touch was strong and welcome. After a few minutes it stopped being sunscreen application and became more like a gentle massage. Angela groaned happily and rolled her neck, melting against Satya's touch.
Overwatch had been invited to Oasis by the different ministries that ran the city. Being here hearkened back to the days of old when they used to go on publicity outings. Angela didn't miss those. She had always thought her talents were better served saving people, whether it was in a hospital or on the front lines. Dining with dignitaries and appearing before government officials never suited her. That's why she was happy to let Winston and Lena handle the ministries. She much preferred sitting by the pool.
It was a hell of a pool too. There were groves of palm trees growing in patches of mulch. There were plenty of lounge chairs and tables. There was an outdoor bar that served everything from top shelf alcohol to diet soda. The pool itself was in the middle of everything, massive and beautiful with crystal clear blue water.
A staff member of the hotel came around with the drinks they had ordered. Vibrant red and orange fruit concoctions served in hurricane glasses and garnished with pineapple. If it weren't for the interruption Satya might not have stopped her massage. Angela took their drinks and thanked the waiter. It was all being billed up to their room so they didn't have to exchange any money. They would have a hell of a tab at the end of their stay but it would be worth it.
Satya wiped the excess lotion off her hands on a nearby towel. She took her drink and clinked it with Angela's. "To the best mission we've had in ages." She toasted.
"Here, here!" Angela agreed and took a sip. It was overly sweet but delicious none the less.
She watched as Satya moved to relax back in the lounge chair. Although her usual outfits were somewhat risqué, often thigh or midriff baring, there was something special about seeing her in a two piece bikini. For a woman who rarely went to the gym, Satya was cut like a diamond. She had curves in all the right places, muscles in others, and she looked incredible in the blue swimsuit she had on. Angela had seen her naked plenty of times but there was something just so enticing about a bathing suit. That, and lingerie.
"You're staring." Satya teased her. She had her eyes closed behind her sunglasses but still she could tell.
"You're beautiful." Angela replied, reaching across the gap between their lounge chairs to link pinkys with Satya for a momentary squeeze. It was their little way of showing affection, a secret gesture between just the two of them.
"I wonder what Fareeha's doing." Satya mused after a moment of comfortable silence.
Angela lifted her head in thought as if to really consider this. It was precisely then that she spotted Fareeha all the way across the open pool area walking towards them. "Walking this way, it seems."
Fareeha looked absolutely ridiculous. She had on board shorts with the image of a golden orange sunset spanning from hip to knee. Then on her unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt there was another sunset motif, this one went from blue to purple to pink. That was clearly too many sunsets for one outfit.
"Darling, how was the gym?" Angela asked as soon as Fareeha got close enough.
"Really nice." Fareeha replied at once. "It's state of the art, they have some really advanced equipment. You guys should come with me later."
Angela and Satya both shared a look. That wasn't going to happen. They were treating this mission like a vacation and vacations did not include workouts. No way.
"Have you been in the water yet?" Fareeha asked, leaning down to pluck up the drink from Angela's hands. She took a sip and made a face. It was too sweet for her liking. She quickly handed it back.
"Not yet." Angela replied, and she spoke for both of them. Although really what she meant was 'that's not going to happen either'. She had no intention of washing off all her sunscreen and crisping up. Satya was really only out here to tan. She had no interest in swimming at all.
"Jeez," Fareeha laughed and shook her head. "You two are just so high energy. How can I keep up?"
"We're saving it for later." Satya said suggestively. She lifted her sunglasses so that Fareeha could see her wink.
Fareeha instantly flushed ruddy red. She mumbled 'whatever' under her breath. It didn't matter that the three of them had been together for almost a year, she still got flustered by their advances. It was impossibly cute.
Apparently planning to take a dip in the water, Fareeha stripped her shirt off. She was wearing a bikini top underneath and she looked stunning. She had just spent the better part of an hour in the gym and her muscles were looking absolutely on point. "I'm going in." She said, sliding out of her Nike slip-on sandals.
Satya and Angela both watched her walk away towards the edge of the pool. The muscles in her back looked exceptionally flawless. Angela found herself making a whispery whimper of a noise out loud.
"I'm going to do the filthiest things to her later." She promised.
Satya laughed softly. "You and me both, beloved."
"Isn't there a honeymoon package we can order?" Angela asked, the idea dawning on her as she spoke. "Rose petals on the bed, champagne served up to the room?"
"Oh that sounds like fun." Satya replied.
They really would have a hell of a tab at the end of their stay but it would be worth it.
⋆ femfeb day 7 // my femfeb masterpost
⋆ xposted to ao3
⋆ mei/pharah // 4k // teen+
⋆ 5+1, cute, romance, kissing, holding hands, mild violence,
⋆ the five times mei was cold and the one time she wasn't
Cold Hands, Warm Hearts
ONE
Fareeha wasn’t sure what to think of Mei-Ling Zhou when they first met. She didn't know what she imagined climatologists looked like and yet Mei somehow fit the exact image in her mind. Short, easygoing, glasses and an unkempt bun. She would probably be right at home behind a desk, leaning over some type of radar tech, reading a seismology print out or something. Anywhere but a practice range.
Ever since the recall had happened, Fareeha had made it her mission to learn the skills and assets of her teammates. Under Winston’s instruction, she would run them through the practice range and assess their abilities. This proved especially interesting for some recruits, such as the rogue Vishkar agent who could conjure objects from thin air with a wave of her hand. Other recruits, such as the rag tag team of Junkers "Junkrat" and "Roadhog", were a lot less interesting. She wasn’t even they had aimed for the bots or if they were just going for an explosive firework display. She’d taken Winston aside to ask if he seriously meant to bring these guys into the fold and, unfortunately, he did…
Now it was Mei’s turn. Fareeha had read through the outdated file they had on her. She tried not to let Mei’s tragic back story color her impression of the woman now. They had a lot of uses for a good scientist. If Mei couldn’t handle the practice range than she wouldn’t be approved to come on missions, but they would still find a place for her in the new Overwatch.
“What weapon will you be using?” Fareeha asked. She normally wore her combat suit for these practice range tests. If not to keep safe out on the range, than to get an aerial view of any important action. Today she had opted for Crye pants and underarmor.
“Well, it’s not a weapon.” Mei said happily. “It’s climate manipulation technology. Winston said I could use it?”
“Ah…” Fareeha noticed the shiny blue blaster in Mei’s gloved hands. She was wearing a puffy nylon and leather glove that made her fingers look comically large. Fareeha had plenty of practice keeping herself in check or she might have laughed out loud. “Well, alright then. Go ahead and clear all the targets. I’ll keep time but don’t worry about speed.”
She was collecting notes and other information on a white tablet in her hands. She tapped open the timer app and started the clock, nodding for Mei to begin.
“Oh, already?” Mei blinked.
In the next second three of the nearest target bots were down. Fareeha heard the noise, thunk, thunk, thunk, as each of them were hit. The bots short circuited one after the other before eventually clattering to nuts and bolts on the ground. Craggy icicles were sticking out of each of their heads in what would be right between their eyes had they any.
Fareeha’s jaw fell slack and when she looked back to Mei she realized she was ten steps behind. The scientist was half way across the practice range, bounding happily towards a group of moving targets. Fareeha jogged after her to keep up, watching in awe as the gun in Mei’s hands blasted out frothy white air. The ground froze over where they spray of white touched, and the bots were reduced to giant robot popsicles. The ones that didn’t clatter to pieces upon being frozen need only a quick cap in the head.
“Is that it?” Mei asked, turning to her.
“Uh…” Fareeha looked around to see all the moving targets on the ground floor were taken out. “There’s… two more on the second floor.” She pointed up.
“Oh.” Mei looked up at the balcony for a moment as if gauging the distance. In an incredibly curious gesture she pointed her blaster down at the ground. In an instant she built a wall of ice a story high. It rose under her feet, thrusting her up towards the sky. She nearly stumbled before reaching out to take careful hold of the balcony. What slowed her down was actually climbing over the railing. She was a little too short to get her leg over the top rung. Eventually she managed, and just in time too because the ice wall crumbled into slush a second after she found her footing.
Fareeha stepped back to try and see but lost sight of Mei. She heard the definite thunk, thunk of icicles hitting their marks. A beat of silence fell before Mei leaned over the railing and smiled. “Okay! I’ve done it!”
Fareeha stopped the clock on her tablet. It was one of the fastest times yet. Tracer and Lucio had beat her out by obvious margins but no one else had managed to scale the set of stairs to the second story so quickly. Mei actually came in close behind Fareeha’s own time which was slightly vexing. She tried to make notes about the weapon, er – not a weapon – Mei was using. She tapped out nonsensical details into the tablet like ‘Ice’ and ‘Icicle projectile’ and ‘Ice wall’ trying to get it all down.
Mei came trotting happily down the stairs. She moved to stand with Fareeha, smiling sweetly all the while. “How’d I do?” She asked.
"Remarkably," Fareeha told her. She glanced over at Mei and really looked at her this time, reevaluating all her pre-conceived notions. It actually felt quite nice to be proven wrong. Fareeha definitely wouldn't be under estimating her again. "You'll be an asset to the strike team, that's for sure."
"I made the cut?" Mei lit up a little. She holstered her blaster and offered her puffy gloved hand to shake. "Wow, thank you so much! I'm honored."
Fareeha took Mei's hand in her own ready to shake it but immediately yanked back instead. She nearly yelped in surprise. The nylon and leather fabric of Mei's glove was crisp and frozen, ice cold to the touch.
"Oh, sorry! Sorry, sorry. Sorry." Mei quickly bit the tip of her finger and pulled the glove off with her teeth. "The climate manipulator ices over when its running. I always forget how cold it can be. Sorry." Sheepishly, she offered her bare hand instead.
Their second handshake was much more successful.
---
TWO
"I underestimated you." Fareeha admitted, fists shoved deep into the pockets of her brown leather bomber jacket.
The frigid chill of the night air was creeping down the back of her neck. Their busted down excuse for a base out here in Siberia barely had lights or running water much less heat. Still, she would need to head in soon. It wasn't much warmer inside but the walls provided shelter from from the wind and the roof kept the snowfall from wetting their clothes.
Mei was dressed perfectly for the weather, puffy parka zipped up and belted around her body. She was watching the snow come down, head tipped up towards the night sky. "Huh?" She looked at Fareeha over her shoulder. "Me? When?"
"When you first showed up after the recall." Fareeha told her. "Then you proved me wrong in the practice range, and today you saved my ass out there."
Although CEO Volskaya insisted her company's factories were well protected, she would have been shit out of luck today if Overwatch hadn't been there. It wasn't clear yet whether it was Talon, Los Muertos, or some other faction that had tried to make a move on the latest Russian defense mechs but someone had. Someone with multiple operatives and impressive training.
They had come pouring in during the early evening, armed soldiers hell bent on breaking into the factory. Overwatch had joined the Russian military in their defensive efforts. During the skirmish Fareeha had been clipped by a projectile and knocked from the sky. That wasn't so unusual for her, but she had landed much farther away from any friendlies than she would have liked. Combatants had come rushing towards her and her jump jet wasn't ready for a boost yet. Were it not for Mei quickly walling off the six men racing towards Fareeha something nasty could have happened.
"You've done the same for me." Mei pointed out thoughtfully.
They all watched each others' backs in battle was the sentiment, and that was true. Still, Fareeha didn't feel like Mei got enough credit where credit was due.
Fareeha had come out from the shelter of the base to see the snow. A white blanket a foot high already covered the ground but it was all iced over and hard. Soft, fluffy powder came falling down from the sky now. Fareeha had never seen it snow before. It was pretty. Like rain, but quieter and calmer and colder.
Somehow she found it hard to watch the sky with Mei standing next to her though. She was easily distracted by her cute face and the happy expression on it. She watched the snowflakes melt in Mei's hair and bead wet on her glasses. Fareeha was struck with the thought that there was no one in the world like this woman by her side.
Mei noticed Fareeha looking at her. "What? Something in my hair?" She asked, clamping her mittened hands over the top of her head in an effort to hide whatever it might be.
She was so cute it hurt.
"No, you just look really serene and ...beautiful." Fareeha realized this as she was saying it. Then, together, they both realized that Fareeha had just called Mei beautiful. Blushes graced both of their faces.
Mei dropped her hands, twisting them together in front of herself in a charming nervous gesture. "Oh, that's so romantic. I'm not sure how to reply."
Fareeha quirked her head. She hadn't quite expected that response. Mei was always surprising her in one way or another.
"We don't have to say anything." She suggested. "We could just kiss instead."
Mei looked up at her over the rim of her glasses as if to check and see if Fareeha was teasing her. When she realized it wasn't a joke at all she lit up and nodded eagerly. She held still as Fareeha closed the distance between them. Angling her soft face upward she left herself open for a kiss. It was so cold outside that her lips were cool to the touch. Fareeha didn't mind.
---
THREE
"I'm freezing!"
Fareeha looked up from her tablet. Now that Hana Song was part of the team they had a full and complete recordings of their last few engagements. What was a fun video stream for the Korean gamer's viewers proved to be valuable information to Fareeha. She was learning a lot about Overwatch and how they fought during battle just from reviewing these logged streams.
"I'm freezing, I'm freezing, I'm freezing!"
The door to her room had been wrenched open. Mei had come running in, bare feet thudding on the floor. She was dripping wet, hair plastered to the sides of her face. Her big belly was bulging over her blue swimsuit bottoms, breasts bouncing in her bikini top. Fareeha felt a sudden rush of blood go straight between her legs, a pulse of pleasure from seeing her girlfriend half naked like this.
Half of Overwatch were in Ilios for the next week. A recently unearthed archeology sight was making waves. Researchers from all over were flocking to the city. What started as an expedition of one or two people to check out the ruins turned into half of Overwatch volunteering to go along. That probably had nothing to do with Ilios being a picturesque vacation spot.
Lena had decided almost immediately on arriving that a trip to the beach was in order and everyone had gone along with her. Well, Fareeha had stayed back to focus on getting some work done, but everyone else. Apparently the beach trip was over and the team had returned.
Dripping wet, Mei scrambled onto the bed. She burrowed in Fareeha's side getting water all over her. "I'm freezing, Fareeha!"
"Ah!" She was plenty cold, that was for sure. She was also making a mess of the bed. "Are you mad? Go get a towel!"
"Oh, but you're much warmer." Mei giggled, trying to duck her head under Fareeha's muscular arm.
---
FOUR
Fareeha touched down on the ground, thrusters quieting as she found her footing. She did a headcount of the team, trying to locate them all. The massive mountain that was Reinhardt stood out in the middle distance between the towering buildings of King's Row. He was making his way over. Junkrat and Roadhog were already together, though it was hard to separate those two. Junkrat's giggling laughter echoed through the quiet alleyways. Mercy and Mei were still unaccounted for.
"Have you seen Mei?" Fareeha asked. She wanted to get a location on Mercy too but it was no coincidence that she thought of her girlfriend first.
Roadhog only offered a shrug of his massive shoulders. Junkrat jerked his thumb backwards. "I seen her in the street a few minutes ago."
"Get to work trying to disassemble the EMP." Fareeha ordered, nodding towards the massive rolling payload behind them. "Or escort it back to a safe zone. The fight might not be over yet, reinforcements could be coming."
"If reinforcement arrive I'll blow them up too." Junkrat announced with manic happiness. He had a detonator in one hand but Fareeha didn't see any explosive devices near by. Her stomach twisted uneasily seeing him playfully click the safety on and off the trigger.
"Just don't blow anything up in the mean time." She cautioned. "I'll find Mei and then we all need to group up."
"A fine plan." Reinhardt called from halfway down the street. His armor clanged heavily as he strode over the cobblestones to join them.
"Do you have a location in Mei?" Fareeha asked hopefully.
Reinhardt shook his big head, helm turning from left to right. "I haven't seen her since the fighting started."
Fareeha tried not to worry. Mei could hold her own. Her visor locked into place and she launched herself upwards, rocketing into the sky. She could see for miles but she focused on the nearby streets and allies of King's Row. She would trace her path all the way back towards the statue of Mondatta in the city square if she had to.
As it happened she didn't have to search very hard after all. She spotted a dark patch of red blood half a block back on the ground. Fareeha's heart bottomed out in her chest. She flew over at once, hitting the ground hard. Smears in the blood lead her around the corner to an ally hidden in shadow.
It was almost an afterthought that she registered the sound of a sniper rifle. If she had been standing still she might have gotten clipped. Instead she was rushing to Mei's side, unknowingly ducking into cover at the same time. Blood so dark it was black stained Mei's coat. Fareeha had plenty of practice keeping herself together in emergency situations or she might have panicked.
"We need a healing." She broadcast into the comms, immediately kneeling down at Mei's side. "Mei, can you hear me?" She found the wound in Mei's shoulder and put pressure on it at once. As horrifying as it was to find her significant other shot and bleeding out Fareeha was a soldier. She knew what to do. She would get Mei through this. She had to.
"Sniper," Mei whispered.
Her lips were pale, and her skin was clammy and cold. Fareeha felt her heart jump in her throat but she didn't panic. She couldn't.
"We require a healer!" She said into the comms, trying not to sound too flustered or angry
"I'm here!" Mercy called out.
Their medic came running down the street towards them. Bullets pocked the ground just behind her heels at every step. Her Valkyrie armor lit up the darkness and she flew the last few feet to them, instantly training the healing beam of her Caduceus staff on Mei.
Fareeha gripped Mei's hand and held it tight, watching with concern and then relief as some of the warmth and color returned to her.
---
FIVE
Fareeha put the truck into park out front of the gas station convenience store. The driver's side window was rolled down. The hot air of the American desert was baking the brown landscape all around her. Occasionally a nice breeze would roll in and cool the sweat on the back of her neck. Not very often though.
She lifted her aviators up to read the map on her phone. So far as she could tell all she had to do was follow Route 66 right along to Deadlock Gorge. It was a bit of an inconvenience to travel by vehicle. They had flown in from Gibraltar last night but there weren't any airports or landing strips anywhere near their destination.
Fareeha wasn't sure why they couldn't park a small passenger plane out on the empty desert landscape but apparently that was pretty illegal. They were trying to keep a low profile too. Instead the team had flown into a private hangar three hours away from Deadlock Gorge and resolved to travel out by car.
She didn't think much of the dusty pick-up truck she was driving. They had equipment packed in the flat bed that needed to be transported or she would have just joined Hana and Lucio in their car. It was kind of nice to get some alone time with Mei. She just wished she didn't have to trade three hours of her life driving passed flat dusty nothing to be with her girlfriend.
The bell on the convenience store door jangled. Fareeha looked up to see Mei walking out with her arms full. She had sodas and snacks and a cup of something in her hand. She was wearing tight clothes that hugged the curves of her body. Fareeha watched the way Mei's thighs rubbed together and thought about how much she would have liked to be between them in that moment.
Mei's eyes caught Fareeha's and she lit up like they were seeing each other for the very first time that day. She was only ten feet away but she smiled and waved as she made her way over to the passenger side of the truck.
Fareeha smiled to herself. She turned the key in the ignition and let the engine come to life. At once air conditioning began to force out the stifling heat of the cab. She unlocked the doors before rolling up her window. Mei climbed in beside her, happily clicking her seatbelt on before digging into the cup in her hand with a plastic spoon.
"What is that?" Fareeha asked cautiously, staring through the gold tinted lenses of her sunglasses. There were little balls in there, hundreds of them; pale yellow, pastel pink, white and a subtle brown.
"It's the ice cream of the future!" Mei told her excitedly.
She scooped up a spoonful and offered it to Fareeha who tentatively took the bite. It was blessedly cold, with a curious sweet taste like bananas and strawberries. It was good.
"Huh," She said thoughtfully, pulling out of the gas station parking space and onto the road.
When Mei was finished with her future ice cream she discarded the plastic cup into one of the convenience store bags. She relaxed back, leaning into the cool blast of the air vent nearest her. She reached across the center console to tangle her fingers with Fareeha's, loosely holding hands. Her touch was cold from holding the ice cream container.
Fareeha thought of the first time she had taken Mei's hand in her own and found it shockingly cold. That day on the practice range. She had no idea what to think of this tiny bundle of climate knowledge with glasses and a messy bun. If she had known then how hard she would fall for this girl...
"Don't worry about me." Mei said softly.
Fareeha was pulled from her thoughts. "Hm?"
"On this mission." Mei explained. "I know you worry about snipers. I'll be careful, and Lucio will be there."
Fareeha squeezed Mei's cool fingers and smiled. "I wasn't worried." She had long since learned her lesson about underestimating Mei.
---
PLUS ONE
“There’s a tub.” Mei said, voice coming from the open doorway that lead into the bathroom.
Fareeha was unpacking her bag, pulling out her clothes for the next few days. Her folded shirts were sitting on the bed but she wanted to hang them up before they got too wrinkled. She already felt out of place in this city, a soldier and not a scientist, the last thing she wanted to do was look messy or unkempt.
Due to her expertise in climatology Mei had recently been called to Oasis where a group of colleagues were studying the data that she had collected during her stint at Ecopoint: Antarctica. She likely could have gone alone to meet with these people, but talking about her time on the Ecopoint was still hard for her. Fareeha had come along for emotional support. Oasis being the most beautiful, most educated, and most technologically advanced city in the world did have its appeal though. While Mei was off working Fareeha planned to explore the city and the extensive libraries nearby.
The best part of all was that the Ministry of Geology was footing the bill for the incredible hotel Fareeha and Mei were staying in. It was gilded and glistening from top to bottom, sleek of design and architecture, and furnished with beautiful tables and chairs. They had a full bedroom, a dining room, a kitchenette, a living room, and a giant master bathroom. Also, apparently, a tub…
Fareeha noticed Mei beside her and then felt a hand on her own, clasping it. “There’s a tub.” Mei said again. She pulled Fareeha away from the large queen bed and it’s many pillows.
“I’m putting my clothes away.” Fareeha barely protested, allowing herself to be pulled along.
To be very fair, when she finally saw it she could also conclude that it was indeed an impressive tub. It was one of those massive Jacuzzi types that could fit two people at the same time. There even appeared to be massaging jets and everything. “Yes, it’s very nice.” She agreed. Fareeha had plenty of practice keeping herself together so it was easy to hide the amusement in her tone.
“We have to get in!” Mei insisted. She leaned over the tub and picked up one of the complimentary toiletries, a little bottle. “Oh, there’s bath soap too we can make bubbles.”
Fareeha considered. They had never taken a bath together before. For a while on Watchpoint: Gibraltar the only bathroom with running water was a communal one, so technically they had showered together a few times. Fareeha had knelt down and thanked Allah the day they got the rest of the base up and running. No more washing up with the Junkers over her shoulder whipping towels at each other and cackling with laughter.
Bathing sort of was a cute thing for couples to do, she supposed. They had never bathed together before, so the suggestion seemed a little out of left field. Mei was already plugging up the drain and turning on the faucet. She squealed with delight as crystal clear water began flowing into the tub. Then it occurred to Fareeha that they had never stayed anywhere that even had a bath before. Suddenly she realized why Mei was so excited.
Fareeha was absolutely willing to take a bath together but there was more to it than that. This weekend was all about making Mei feel happy and safe. She stepped forward, coming up on Mei from behind. She wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and stooped low to kiss her shoulder. “Alright,” She allowed. “We’ll need lots of bubbles, of course. We should set out fluffy towels for afterwards as well.”
Mei giggled. “Good thinking.”
They divvied up the work, Mei in charge of bubble duty and Fareeha in charge of towels. She found them in a linen closet nearby, thick and pure white and perfectly fluffy. As the bath slowly filled with water they took to undressing. Fareeha helped Mei pull her shirt up over her head and unhooked the clasp of her bra for her. They left their clothes strewn on the floor. When they were both naked they stood waiting for the bath to finish filling. Fareeha pulled Mei in for a sweet kiss, touching their foreheads together after.
“I love you.” She said softly. It wasn’t the first time she had said it, but it was still a new thing for them. New enough that Mei softened, melting with happiness every time she heard it.
“I love you too.” Mei told her.
They kissed again before breaking apart, deciding the tub was full enough. Fareeha climbed in first. She held out her hand, helping Mei into the tub. They laid on top of one another, Mei resting her back against Fareeha’s chest. The water rose up to their shoulders. The solid inch of bubbles covering the surface clung to their skin and caught in their hair. The hot water was an all-encompassing warmth that surrounded them.
Fareeha found Mei’s hand under the water and twined their fingers together.
⋆ femfeb day 14 // my femfeb masterpost
⋆ xposted to ao3
⋆ mercy/pharah // 1k // teen+
⋆ domestic au, domestic, fluff, cute, romantic, slice of life, vignette, married couple, mild sexual content,
⋆ domestic au; angela and fareeha and valentine's day
⋆ "Ya Rab" hopefully means "Oh my Lord" in Arabic. also, some visuals for anyone interested: microbe plush and flowers
Valentine’s Day
The sky was pink in celebration of Valentine’s Day. Really, it was just the sun melting slowly in the horizon. It lit all the clouds in shades of peach and pale orange and dull rose. It was rare that Angela ever made it home before sunset but she’d managed to duck out of work early today. The sky was still soft and light as she pulled into the driveway.
Angela rolled up to the garage and pressed the door opener clipped to her car’s visor. She waited patiently as the garage door groaned into movement, drawing back slowly. The garage itself was revealed to her. The headlights of her car shone on a pair of bikes tucked neatly in the corner next to a push lawnmower. She pulled into her parking space, nosing her car right up to a stack of boxes used to store Halloween and Christmas decorations.
She turned her car off and sat for a moment glancing over at the passenger side. Buckled into the seat were the two Valentine’s gifts that had been delivered to the hospital where she worked. The biggest and most obvious was a twenty four inch Epstein-Barr microbe plush. Other girls probably got teddy bears or cartoonish hearts, Angela got a stuffed version of the Kissing Disease germ. It even had horrible plastic eyes and felt lashes.
She smiled now looking at the big stupid plush toy. She did find it kind of adorable. It had come this morning along with a vase of flowers; bright pink roses, soft pink Asiatic lilies, carnations, and purple dianthus. It was a picturesque Valentine’s assortment, beautiful and sweet. Her gifts had sat up at reception for hours while she’d been busy attending surgery. All the nurses and medical assistants had crooned with envy upon seeing them before she squired them away to her office.
Cheesy gifts like these definitely worked on her. It wasn’t so much the toy or flowers themselves that charmed her, it was the fact that Fareeha had thought of her on this day. Not just thought of her, but went out of her way to display her affection in front of everyone by sending gifts to her work. It was nice to be appreciated.
Angela climbed out of the car. She circled around to the passenger door and opened it up, taking out her presents. She had to be careful not to spill the water in the vase. She crossed the garage and went to open the side door of the house. Kissa and Ata, her and Fareeha’s twin black cats, came meowing over to her as soon as she stepped inside.
“Hello my little angels.” Angela cooed down at them, mindful not to step on either of their little paws as she shuffled inside. She went straight for the dining room table where she placed her bouquet of flowers and the giant pink plush.
Angela could hear the sound of the TV in the other room as it rapidly decreased in volume. It was too late. She’d already caught the sounds of some Seagal movie playing in the living room. Of course Fareeha had spent Valentine’s Day home watching those awful action movies. She was lucky she was so pretty because nothing else could excuse her horrible taste in cinema.
Fareeha came walking out into the dining room to welcome Angela home. “Happy Valentine’s Day.” She greeted sweetly, sweeping Angela up in a warm embrace and a quick kiss. She had actually dressed up for the occasion.
Working for a private military meant being contracted out for security jobs for weeks at a time. That also meant spending the weeks in between jobs at home, sitting around and watching Steven Seagal films. Fareeha rarely wore anything outside of joggers and baggy sweatpants. Sometimes she didn’t even bother to put on a shirt or bra and Angela often came home to the delightful sight of her wife half naked.
Apparently Valentine’s Day was a special occasion. Fareeha had on the only pair of pants she owned and a nice button down. It was unbuttoned half way to her stomach but Angela certainly wasn’t complaining. Fareeha had even put on a touch of make-up. She rarely put any on besides a little mascara and some bronze lipstick every once in a while. Tonight she was sporting both.
“Look at you,” Angela laughed. She suddenly felt messy in her scrubs and lab coat. “I can’t believe all this.”
“Oh, there’s more.” Fareeha told her, raising her eyebrows suggestively. She turned Angela around by her shoulders and marched her into the kitchen. She had to flip the light switch on as she went. Ata and Kissa twined between their feet along the way. It was pretty clear which way they were headed, straight towards the refrigerator. Their magnets had been rearranged into the shape of a heart which was incredibly charming but the real present was inside.
Angela opened the fridge door to find two take out bags full of her favorite Vietnamese food. She recognized the grocery bags and foam containers immediately. She instantly let out a gasp of surprise and delight, mouth suddenly watering. They were probably going to order take out anyway, but the fact that Fareeha had thought ahead and taken care of it already was the best part.
“Oh, you do love me!” Angela said happily, turning around to pull her wife close in another kiss and hug.
Fareeha smiled against her lips and kissed her back a few times before pulling away. “What do you think? Pretty good with the gifts this year or what?”
They had always celebrated Valentine’s Day like this. Angela was a sap who loved things like chocolates and flowers and little stuffed toys. She still had the first plush toy, a little cupid, that Fareeha had ever given her twelve years ago. It was stored carefully in their closet these days, a relic of their courtship; she would never bring herself to throw it away.
“Excellent work.” Angela commended her, kissing her again. “I’ll have you know I got you something too.”
“You did?” Fareeha asked in surprise, blinking her bright brown eyes.
Angela stepped back, giving herself some room. She thought about playing coy for a second but decided against it. Instead she just reached for the hem of her scrubs and pulled her green shirt up over her head, messing up her soft blonde hair in the process. She revealed tantalizing lingerie underneath her clothes; pale pink the color of a blush, lace and bead work and sheer fabric that exposed the delicacies of her own breasts.
Fareeha gasped at once, reaching out for Angela’s ribs. Her thick thumbs brushed over the bra in different places. She was definitely admiring the view. “Doctor Ziegler, how scandalous!”
Angela didn’t actually own any lingerie besides what she was wearing here and now. She had bras and panties, sure, but they were comfy cotton things that she wore under her work clothes. She didn’t mess with uncomfortable thongs or strappy bustiers. She just didn’t have the time for it.
Over a decade ago at her bachelorette party Angela had been gifted all kinds of lingerie sets. She had even worn a particularly revealing number on her honeymoon, a white lace corset that had given her an impossible figure. It had driven Fareeha absolutely wild. Unfortunately none of those undergarments fit her anymore and she’d gotten rid of them years ago. Angela had always meant to revisit lingerie for a special occasion though. It was only recently that she’d managed to stop by a specialty boutique.
“Don’t tell me there’s matching panties.” Fareeha said in mock disbelief. She slid a warm hand down Angela’s side to hook a finger into her pants waistband. Fareeha pulled back on the elastic and peered down. “Ya Rab.” She gasped, discovering that there were in fact matching panties.
Angela couldn’t help the smile that spread over her face. “I’ll let you take them off me if you ask nicely.” She teased.
“Well, not right away.” Fareeha said with a knowing nod. “We’ll need a little foreplay first.” She took her wife by the hand and started leading her again, this time pulling her in the direction of the stairway. Up to their bedroom, no doubt. If Angela knew Fareeha well enough there would be rose petals on the bed and candles lit over the boudoir; a cliché but one they both adored.
“Of course.” Angela followed after, biting her teeth into her bottom lip to keep from smiling any wider.
She loved celebrating Valentine’s Day.
⋆ femfeb day 18 // my femfeb masterpost
⋆ xposted to ao3
⋆ mercy/symmetra // 1k // gen
⋆ established relationship, vignette, amputation, sad backstory, slight angst,
⋆ angela learns how satya lost her arm
With Me Now
Satya pulled her hair over her right shoulder, gently drawing a brush through the length of it. She used coconut oil in the mornings and brushing her hair at night released the scent into the air. It made their bedroom smell welcome and delicious. Angela looked up from her paperback and smiled softly.
She could see the shape of Satya's neck, the soft curve of it. Her bare shoulders were on display as well. Angela thought of all the times she had kissed that skin. She knew how lucky she was to have such a beautiful partner. It spurred her into motion, aching to kiss those places again.
Angela put down her book and crawled the length of the bed, sidling up to Satya. She slid comfortably into place behind her, breathing in the fragrant scent of coconut oil. She closed her eyes and leaned in, kissing the back of Satya's neck. Her skin was smooth and soft, perfect for lips to touch. Satya continued brushing her hair as if she didn't notice a thing.
Angela kissed her again. She pressed soft kisses along the length of Satya's neck down to her shoulder. Usually their nighttime routine was much less romantic. Angela would read quietly to herself while nestled among the pillows as Satya got ready for bed. This typically included her brushing out her hair and no kissing, if any. Angela wasn't sure why she was compelled to do something different tonight. She just couldn't help it. Satya's beauty moved her sometimes.
As her kisses reached Satya's shoulder, they brushed over the soft fabric of her bra strap. It dug into her slightly making an indent. It would be off in a few minutes. Satya always took her bra off before crawling into bed for the night. Angela decided she ought to do the honors this time. She carefully unhooked the clasp in the middle of Satya's back. The tension in the fabric eased and fell loose to her sides.
Angela pushed the bra strap over Satya's shoulder and down her arm. Silently they worked together. Satya stopped brushing her hair long enough to pull her arm through the strap. Angela guided the other strap down the length of Satya's prosthetic. She knew how Satya felt about leaving clothes on the floor and so she didn't let it drop away. She set the bra beside the both of them on the foot of the bed.
Angela noticed, not for the first time, the places were Satya's prosthetic met the rest of her body. Satya didn't like to be without her arm, or her ability to create, and so she wore the tech nearly every where. It was the last thing off and the first thing on when taking showers. She even wore it to bed. Angela had seen her remove it one or twice to tweak the machinery inside or clean beneath some of the outer plates. Those occasions were very rare though.
She marveled at the places where flesh met metal. The scarring was so minimal. Satya seemed flawless in every way, and Angela would certainly argue that she was, but surely there had to be some marks somewhere on her skin? It all looked so smooth and soft. Kissable, even. Angela had always assumed it was an accident that left Satya one handed. She wondered what kind of accident could rip someone's arm away and leave no marks. She realized she didn't know.
"What happened to your arm?" Angela asked softly. They had been together long enough now that this question could be asked without precedent.
Angela's hand found the soft skin of Satya's back. Her fingertips brushed lightly over her partner's skin, gentle and soft. She trailed her fingers down the length of Satya's spine. Her lips found new places to kiss, dangerously close to the edges of the prosthetic.
"What do you mean?" Satya asked. She had stopped brushing her hair.
"How did it come to be removed? Was it an injury? An accident?" Her lips brushed over Satya's shoulder as she spoke.
"It was surgically removed." Satya told her quietly before she returned to her brushing.
Angela's brow dimpled in concern. She wasn't entirely sure what that meant. "What for?"
"So that Vishkar could install their hard-light technology." Satya further explained.
Ah, that would explain the lack of scarring. Who ever had removed it had done an excellent job, very precise. Angela considered the handiwork in high regard for a moment before the reality of those words sank in. They had removed her arm for no other reason than to install tech?
"It was a perfectly healthy limb?" She asked, sitting up a little straighter. She tried not to be appalled.
Satya extended her prosthetic outward. She held her hand up with her palm facing out as if regarding the nail polish that wasn't there. "Yes, I suppose it was." She didn't seem to mind discussing it. It wasn't something she spoke about often, if ever, otherwise Angela might have known this. Still, it didn't seem to bother her to say.
"How old were you?" Angela asked, not sure she wanted to know.
"Thirteen." Satya told her. "Although birthdays weren't celebrated in the academy, I believe they waited until I turned that particular age to operate."
Angela swallowed hard. She could imagine Satya at thirteen; young and scared and alone. It was unconscionable to think that someone forced her to endure an unnecessary operation and all the pain that came with it. Even with all the wonders of modern medicine the recovery after losing a limb was long and hard. They probably didn't give her any time to recover. They probably installed their tech and made her adapt despite the discomfort, despite the pain, and despite the fact that she was probably still healing.
"Satya," she whispered, wrapping her arms around the woman she loved.
As much as she hated herself for doing it, Angela always cried when she was angry. She couldn't seem to help it. She tried to swallow her tears. It was just that she hated Vishkar so much. She hated them and everything they stood for.
Wasn't it bad enough that Vishkar pursued their agenda so ruthlessly? Their habit of leaving disenfranchised communities in the dust to create their 'better world' was a blight on their legacy. Apparently they also stole away little children to operate on them and hack up their bodies. What else were they doing that Angela didn't know about?
"It's alright." Satya set her brush aside. She smoothed her flesh-and-blood hand over Angela's arm where it was wrapped around her stomach. "I'm alright."
"I'm glad your with Overwatch now." Angela said sniffling. She curled closer. It had taken some time to introduce Satya into the fold. She didn't exactly fit in with the team at first. These days she was invaluable. Her teammates cared about her like she was family. For Angela, she was more than family.
"I'm glad you're with me now." She added, kissing Satya's soft skin once more.
